Mt.Coot-tha by Night

I feel 100% better today. God is taking care of me, and so is my lil maternal friend Shasta. She'll make a great mom someday.

I played around with my camera and figured out how to show you the city at night. I had to be super still to get this shot of Brisbane but it doesn't hold a candle to how beautiful it is in person. Who wants to buy me a Canon Rebel for Christmas? Raise your hand. The orange dot in the middle was the moon, and there was a palm tree off to the left that was pretty.

Meet Jane. She took me to the doctor, she is a great cook, and she talks fast so I never have to feel impatience. Our first day here she brought over cupcakes and it was in that moment I knew we could easily be best-friends forever!!! Remember my emotionally draining blog about God providing for us? Jane is part of the church here, and those people will be my greatest attachment difficult to break free from in December.

And, this is her super cute baby, Miriam. Isn't that a great name? She really is one of the top five most beautiful babies I've ever come across. Seriously, someone put this kid in a calendar.

And, this is her husband Steve. He spends Friday nights talking with the homeless community and it's really exciting to hear the stories coming out of that. So, there you have it, the newest edition to my 'favorite couples' list.

ouch!

It's nice having a job that requires so little thought. I don't have to plan ahead or research anything...I just show up, perform 7hrs. of physical tasks and joking around...then I get back on the train and go home. During our slow hours, it's just me, a serrated knife, and several kilos of fish/lemons to be cut. Crank up the radio, and pass the time getting to know the rest of the staff. I actually enjoy it! (pics of staff and kitchen crew coming soon)

So one week ago when my neck started hurting I just thought I was working hard and adapting, or maybe I was sleeping in awkward positions? Oh no sir! When I woke up this morning I find trouble moving my head in any direction. The above pic is titled, "I don't feel good and I want my mommy".

I'm not sure why I am unable to simply contract the common cold like normal people. I would much prefer seeing the doctor as a drippy nose rather than a freak show. Did you know I had to wear a heart monitor for 24hrs when I was younger because every few years my heart speeds up really fast for no reason? Its called, "Something Tachycardia". Did I mention I wore a headgear to sleep in for the better portion of my childhood sleepovers? I guess that's common among orthodontics, but either way I'm a huge geek and am hoping to get a neck brace this afternoon as the cherry on top. Then maybe I can find my old head gear, wear them at the same time, and be just like Joan Cusack in "Sixteen Candles".

I have an appointment with the doctor today at 3pm. I hope he fixes me. I've prayed for healing. Meanwhile I'm stuck inside on a beautiful day. Good thing I have less than 100 pages to go in Harry Potter 7!!!

UPDATE:
So I went to the doctor. I basically have a sprained neck. I'm supposed to take Ibuprofen 3X a day and keep ice on it till it heals. No biggie. Don't get me started on how much better the Aussie healthcare system is than ours.

Insane in the Membrane

Let us recap the events of yesterday in anticipation that new evidence might be uncovered.

I get dressed, put on my watch, look at the time and see 10:45am. I then walk to the post office to retrieve my wonderfully thoughtful package from my wonderfully thoughtful mother and again look at my watch, 11am. Not bad timing. I skip home with my package and as I turn onto our street I look at my watch which now says, 11:15am. Pleased with my results of a 30 minute walk.

Fate would have both Shasta and I on a day off of work yesterday as we quickly get dressed and hurry to the station to catch the next train to a little city we explored and conquered called Surfer's Paradise. In the mad rush out of the apartment I said and I quote, "Ah! I can't find my watch, I guess I don't need it today anyway."

Today I cannot find my watch. Somewhere in the 10minutes between coming home and leaving, my watch is lost all alone to fend for itself. I've ransacked the apartment and now my only conclusion is that my watch was secretly one of the 7 horcruxes Harry Potter has not thought of, and Voldemort must have had a Death Eater break into our apartment during the daytime. This is probably unlikely though...Death Eaters are sort of night time beings.

What is it that makes us feel the brinks of insanity when we lose something? I kept up with my last watch for 4 years, and when it finally died (R.I.P.) I just bought this new one about a month before I came. Timex, indiglo-included, ironman, velcro strap. Though we've had little time together, that watch had already become the electronic extension of my arm providing me comfort in the knowledge of time whether necessary or not. Maybe God is teaching me a modern-day parable of the Lost Coin? Maybe this will be made into a movie starring me as myself and my husband to be played by Paul Walker? In any event, I hate losing things because I feel crazy. I'm going to let all of this go now and rush to work...watchless. There might be chaos and we should all expect the world to stop turning.

Blogger isnt letting me post pics right now. You'll just have to wait to see the picture of the old lady on the beach with her metal detector and fanny-pack, I thought it was funny.

Still Here...

Here it comes, the part of the trip I was told about.

Several months ago I was sitting in a booth at IHOP mulling over the decision between my usual Harvest Grain & Nut Pancakes...or if I was more daring, try something new, like the Salmon Omlette. My good friend Luke and I were discussing life and it's endless possibilities, because at the the time, spending a year in New Zealand had presented an opportunity. Luke had spent some time living in Haiti and says to me, "Here's whats going to happen. You could live ANYwhere in the world, and when the magic wears off, it will simply be..your life. The scenery may change, the food may look different, but after a while...it will just be your life."

He then proceeds to make fun of me for choosing the pancakes and says, "See there? You can be the girl who sticks with the pancakes which you know are good...or you could choose the salmon omlette and see how it goes."

So here I am in Australia, which is so very similar to America. But, I remember this same feeling coming over me in Costa Rica...in a short time we were simply going to school everyday and having fun on the weekends. It just became life. And, contrary to popular belief, even Abilene, TX felt magical to me during my first few weeks in college! Would you like to hear my thoughts and conclusions as of late? They are everchanging of course, but right now the consensus is: Luke was right.

In an attempt to be introspective...I believe life is about relationships. Whether short or long, I believe its people that shape us. Most of my memories consist of laughing/crying with people. Certainly, I have grown from everytime I've ever been nervous and challenged myself past what I thought i could do. Certainly, I have grown from every minute I've spent in nature, with breathtaking views that help me to remember how much bigger the world is outside my own life. But I would say the tools that have chiseled the whole of 25yr. old Carisse have been people. So why do we spend SO much time with the tv when there is a world out there to explore? With people wanting to meet you, cliffs waiting to be climbed, and stars by the trillions hoping you'll escape the citylights for a while.

Which is why I think it's good to travel. I think travelling encourages empathy and perspective. You dont really care about an orphan in Haiti until you go meet that little girl and feel the need to rescue. You believe the homeless population to be lazy until you get to know the history that led them to dispair. You think all rich people are out for greed and recognition until you meet a man who hasn't let his left hand know what his right hand has done. I am so, so, so excited about the possibility of becoming a teacher next fall. I would be involved in the lives of hundreds of kids and staff, with several weeks off every year to meet people all over the world! I know, I know, probably sounds magical until it just becomes my life. But at the moment, I am loving my life. Do yourself a favor. Go out tomorrow morning and eat a salmon omlette for me. MIIIISSSS YOOOOUUUU!!!!!

These are the cuties that live above us!

Fish Princess

I got a new job at the Seafood place next door to where Shasta works. THIS place holds the "No Worries" atmosphere I was hoping to find in Australia. The manager is an older woman, who encompasses every characteristic you would attribute to a woman named Ethel. She wears combs in her hair with black sneakers, and she winks at me all the time. (which I love). Every couple of hours she goes around to the staff with a little container of gummy bears and offers a "pick me up".

She might just be happy to have another girl there because I think there might only be one other girl on staff besides myself. No matter though, I get along great with the guys and love to talk music with them, since Australia is so behind on the latest bands. The kitchen at this place is behind closed doors so its fun to walk back there and hear the radio blasting and see people smiling...So different from the bakery.

I started running around our neighborhood. Not quite as flat as Dallas in this coastal town. My calves and my behind are screaming adjustment with every step.

Weasley Wisdom

There is a scene in Harry Potter 5, The Order of the Phoenix, where the Weasley twins make a grand escape after being subjected to the oppression of the evil Professor Umbridge. (I am of course referring to the book, the movie does this scene no justice.)

While the rest of the kids in school are taking their test with major pressure, the Weasley's set off a glory-filled display of fireworks inside and out the school building, and as they ride off on their broomsticks...ah I forget how they word it, but it is something to the effect of, "Shove it Professor Umbridge!".

And, today I have replicated that entire scene at my job. Just kidding...OH how i wish that I had access to fireworks! Let me preface all of this with, I am not a whiner or a quitter, I can securely say that. I am no stranger to hard work or dealing with idiots. But my mom and my homegroup girl lindsay had some words of wisdom that helped me make a tough decision.


"Sometimes you have to stick with a situation, as in if you have no choice, but you are not always a quitter just because you change jobs."......my mom

"I am a big fan of not having to FIGHT to be joyful that much or convince yourself what His will is.".........Lindsay



I agree girls. God gives us instinct, intuition and feelings. Those things are given, not learned. And I dont want to hate 35hrs of every week of my adventure. Life is too short to put up with stuff that bottles up your gifts and steals your joy. Deuces Bakery.

I'M AN AUNT!!!!

Again, for the third time! Auntie Carissey!!!

Allow me to introduce this little bundle of joy, my newest niece Kayleigh Noel!!!! Now I just have to plan my next adventure to Maryland in January to see her!

And thats my beautiful sister-in-law, Stasi, who might kill me for posting this but she looks GREAT!

Hot Bods 2K7

Last night Shasta and I tried our hand at Karaoke. It is a difficult thing to choose the right song to participate in something like this. You've only got a few minutes to choose, and there's pressure to find something cool, that you MIGHT be able to sing, so learn from our mistakes:

1) Pick a song that doesnt have long guitar solos, which we all learned on my rendition of "Sweet Child O Mine".

2)Pick a song that you know the words to, not just any song you like from the radio, hm hmm, Shasta and Gwen Stefani.

3) The song must be peppy and clapable, everyone was pained with Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" performed by that weird girl in the red jacket.

We had a great time. It was our last night with Gionata since he's leaving in just a few days to get back on the road, and back to being wild and untamed. He, however, has an incredible voice and shamed us both when he belted out his karaoke song, "Heaven".

I have put a little nightly routine together for us which I like to call, "Hot Bodies 2K7". This is my solution to coming home to my dearest clients with washboard abs rather than a Tim Tam Tummy. We walk a LOT here with the public transit, and I bust my back at work 5 days a week...but its easy to for me to use food as my comfort. (Jess, you recall the chicky's and 10lbs. I gained in Costa Rica??)....Well no sir! Not here! I'm coming back better than I left. And remember clients...this is my form of ACCOUNTABILITY because we ALL need it. Thats probably why I am the best personal trainer in the world, because I understand the lure of the chocolate. Until next time kiddies!!!

ps. Anonymous comments are now accepted.

pics

I love Koalas! This was at the Lone Pine Sactuary. Their hair is so soft and I guess they have a lot of butt padding because they just sit between the branches and sleep that way too! Also, they have 2 thumbs on each hand, and they just jump from one branch to another. Best day ever!

Kangaroos are super cute too. They have really long eyelashes that point straight down, I dont know why I was so fascinated by that. And when they are "walking" they kinda creep along the ground using their front legs. The baby one's have really soft fur and are less intimidating. I sorta stayed with the babies. And this other picture was with a big tree back in Sydney. It just takes awhile to put pics on here so I had forgotten.

Aborigine

We watched this movie called "Rabbit Proof Fence". It's a true story about 3 girls, ages 8-14 that were kidnapped from their parents because they were of Aboriginal decent, and taken to an orphanage to be forced to live like white people, and eventually marry white people in order to "breed out" all the native ethnicity. This movie was so sad, but everyone must see it. The most shocking part came in the text on the screen at the end when we learned that "half castes" or children who were white/Aborigine were forced to leave their parents this way until the 1970's!!! That means, while my brothers were little guys playing outside in Lewisville, TX there were kids over here still being abducted from their parents for being Native Australian!!!

Shasta and I have talked several times about how uncomfortable it is that there are hardly any black people here at all, and now especially after watching this movie. A few guys from the church go down to where the homeless tent-cities are on Friday nights and do you know what decent most of the homeless population consists of?? Aborginal.

Did I mention that I watched "Amazing Grace" on the plain ride over here about William Wilberforce and John Newton and the slave trades in America? Have any of you ever been to a Native American Reservation in the U.S.? What IS the matter with people? I just don't understand why ANY of this was ever okay? How could so many people in power ever come together and agree that treating humans this way was ever a good idea? Maybe I should look into getting a History degree...I'm going to bed speechless.

Strawberry Fields

Good day today! We spent the afternoon on Bribie Island, stopped by a strawberry farm, and had great seafood for dinner.















Two things we've noticed about Aussies. Every guy under the age of 35 has tattoos here, and not just a little one, but a sleeve over a bicep or a calf. You'd love it mom! Also, EVERYONE smokes here. Don't worry about me finding a cute guy to bring home because they all dress better than me and SMOKE! Gross! I guess the D.A.R.E. program was not mandatory in schools across this nation. I am proud to have been a part of the "smoke-free class of 2000, Two-triple-zero, everyone's a hero". And a guy need not more than a white t-shirt and jeans, a little rugged goes a long way. GREAT PICS SOON!

RIVER FIRE!

So...Satan opened a bakery, and it was there that I apparently sought employment. My co-workers are cool, its just the couple that owns it are bread-nazis. My first few days were rough I'll tell you why: DON'T expect me to do things you haven't told me about yet, DON'T take 20 min. to show me how to wash windows...I have a degree thanks...and DON'T talk down to me and roll your eyes...I'm a grown woman from Texas for crying out loud! It's not all loves and skittles over here, and I would be ignorant to have assumed this entire trip would be easy. After the yesterday of hell I had, I came home and Andrea (preacher's wife) talked to me about how it was up to me to show the love of Christ in a place like this, and she's right. Its times like these that I could definitely quit, get by on my savings and personality...but then I wouldn't be proving my character and what I am made of. So I decided to stick it out...

Andrea prayed for me this morning, and here's what happened. The owners were gone all afternoon and didn't show up until the last few hours. The girl they left in charge was SOOO kind and gentle, about my age, and do you know what her name was?...Grace.

I've never felt prayer answered so quickly before this trip. But I can't explain things any other way. I don't believe God necessarily always works this way, but He sure has been visible here.

After work, Shast met me at South Bank and we went to the River Fire Festival. Aside from the couple making out infront of me, it was really cool. Fireworks are my favorite thing ever, especially when there is some great music to go along with it. It went on for 30 minutes and it opened and closed with these big jets that would fly by, drop their fuel, and set it on fire. Well done Brisbane.