Some pictures

I'm going to post some pictures of us because I can.


Here's one of Matt and me at the opening of the Greeson's furniture store in July 06.






This is Melissa her 1st year in Longhorn Band. Oct 2005 - National Championship year!










Here's Ruth and Tim at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center taken in May 05.









Sharon and Ruth putting on a spread at Melissa's graduation party - May 05.

Email from Melissa

Since Melissa hasn't been so good about blogging I'll post her interesting emails here. Just got this one:

HEY!!!

This is actually the first time I've gotten on the internet since I've been here! And now it's the last day!
I've had a lot of fun. They split us up into groups of 10 so we got to know each other better and we'd do stuff with our group. The first day we just got a tour of the college and the university and we walked around Lygon street. The second day we went to this zoo (another one, ugh) and saw platypus and tasmanian devil and all the other good ones. Yesterday we stayed at the beach for about 7 hours and we went SURFING!! it was sooo fun! I actually stood up about 4 or 5 times and we were out there for about an hour and a half. I was proud of myself! AND i re-applied sunscreen about a billion times so I'm not very burned, just like patches where I missed. Today we're just taking it easy, we went to the immigration museum and we have lunch at 1230. Then we get about 5 hours of free time until our formal farewell dinner, so I'm gonna move some of my stuff into my apartment.

Well that's about it...im having a great time and I'm not dead! sorry it's been about 4 days since you've heard from me! love you,

melissa

Home again, home again, jiggeddy jog

Friday midnight - Oh man does it feel good to be home again! I got some sleep here and there but am pretty tired. Kindof wound up a little bit tho so I think I'll do some unpacking before I go to bed. Then tomorrow got the whole reading mail and paying bills thing to do - and of course I have to catch up on my tv shows I missed - almost filled up the dvr!

This'll be my last post until the next trip, unless I decide to add some more pictures or just get bored.

Travelin Home

Fri - 10:30am - well, melissa's all squared away & I'm at the airport almost on my way home. I'll be back in LA before I leave here & will be home yesterday (or something along those lines).

We got her housing squared away, got the money orders she needs to pay rent with, found out exactly where she needs to go today for her 4-day "welcome" program & figured out how to get there with all her stuff. She will be chking out of the hotel herself @ 10 & taking a taxi to the school. Bye sweetie! Love you!

Fri 11:30am (but 20? hours or so later) - back in the USA, ta da, back in the USA (singing mode off).

This is a long-ass trip! Stopped in Auckland for 2 hours, now in LA for 4 hours. Going thru Dallas so that's another long wait. Should've done direct but the travel agent got the cheapest flights. Lesson: always schedule flights yourself.

Happy!

Happy Valentine's Day from the future everyone.

In Melbourne

Wed 6PM - well, we got here yesterday and it's much cooler than Cairns, temperature-wise, so Melissa is much happier - she was hoping she wouldn't be living in Cairns-like weather. We made it up to the university today and saw where she will be living (the red & white building in the first picture) and some of the cool looking old buildings. Her room is right across the street from the university and only a couple of blocks from the civil engineering building.

Tomorrow we're going to go get a money order (they won't take a US check) for her 1st months rent and security deposit and try to get her moved in so she won't have to lug all her stuff around. She's going to a welcome program from the 15th - 19th and will be staying in a dorm but this way she can go ahead and get all her stuff to her room. We bought sheets and towels and a pillow and blanket - and an extra bag to carry everything in. She'll have a shared kitchen and bathroom but her own bedroom. Haven't seen the room yet.

I'm ready to come home - I miss all you guys (and my tv and dvr and 24-hour internet access). This will probably be my last post unless I get access at the airport. Oh yeah, Melbourne is pretty neat. OK, bye bye.

Here's the pictures I promised