Hello followers, it's McKenzie here!
Kelsey has set the bar high with her writing and entertainment on this blog, so I apologize in advanced if this does not live up to "Two + Teddy" standards! ;) I am HONORED to be a guest blogger, and appreciate Kelsey for trusting me with this precious website.
As many of you know, I visited Kelsey and Ronnie in December. I completely fell in love with the city and knew that I just HAD to take my boyfriend, Junior, to experience it with him as well. I knew that he would love the atmosphere, change of pace, and food that Australia so beautifully presents! Well, when we finally figured out our "real world plans", the idea of going to Australia became more and more of a reality. We booked our trip the day after graduation and then two weeks later were off to Australia! We had the "Let's Just Go" attitude and didn't want to look back. Talk about a whirlwind of graduation, moving, Junior starting work, and packing for Australia! I swear we aren't crazy.... well, maybe I take that back. Here is some of our trip....Enjoy!
We had a VERY long travel day to get to Sydney. 26 hours to be exact. A curfew delay (whatever that is!), layover in LAX, and a delay because of fog in Sydney made for a very rough day. As soon as we got off of the plane, we met up with Kelsey at the apartment. We got to try the famous Harry's and indulged in a meat pie....the true Aussie way. After that we spent the afternoon in the Royal Botanical Gardens overlooking the harbour and enjoying a nice chat...along with some goofy pictures. After a 26 hour travel day, sometimes you just have to be silly with your best friend! Talk about deliriousness at it's finest...
While Kelsey was working at the Red Cross the next day, Junior and I headed off to Manly Beach for a nice picnic and people watching! I fell in love with Manly when I was there in December, and knew that Junior would love it as well. We made a picnic, enjoyed the scenery, ate some AMAZING ice cream, and met up with Kelsey at 4 Pines brewery! A perfect day.
After our visit to Manly, Junior and I kept talking about how much we wanted to go back for another visit. Junior had been wanting to do something adventurous (Surprise! Surprise!) and we thought that there would be no better place to learn how to surf than in Australia! Junior signed up for a surf class at Manly Surf School, and we were off for the day! I stayed back due to my fear of the ocean (I know, I am NOT proud of it) and enjoyed a nice day reading my book, listening to my iPod, and snapping HUNDREDS of pictures of my man! The second picture on the left makes me laugh every time. Junior caught a wave, but then ran into a traffic jam....so he decided to jump on the girl's board next to him for safety. Looks like that turned out well, huh? Junior's surf instructor (and new best friend) kept making fun of his "Texas golf tan" on his feet. Leave it up to Junior to make friends with strangers!
While we were in Sydney, there was a light festival going on called "Vivid". Every night, the city would light up with all different colors, including the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Definitely a sight to see!
Eats while we were in Australia. I think it's safe to say that we didn't go hungry. Lattes, eggs benedict, corn fritters, smoked salmon breakfasts, sausage dogs, dim sum, and meat pies.. Gym, here we come!
A day at Watson's Bay calls for a trip to Doyle's for some fish and chips! It's a cute little place right off of the wharf with a view of the water and the city. Pretty incredible! Kelsey Junior and I ate our lunch at this picnic table enjoying our view of the city! On the other side of the bay, there is a trail along the coast that is breathtaking. It looks out onto the Tasman Sea and is so peaceful. Definitely one of my new favorites of Sydney. On our ferry ride home, we discovered that a sailboat race was going on! Hundreds of sailboats passed by us...a very neat sight to see.
Another one of my new favorites is The Grounds. It is an amazing brekky place (that's breakfast for all you American folk)! They even have their own hens and piglet named Kevin Bacon! We enjoyed a nice brunch with Kelsey and one of her new friends. I loved getting to know her friends a little bit more....it makes my job of worrying much less when I'm halfway across the world :) Thanks Kait, Jenny, Blake, Steph, and Jackie for meeting up with us on our visit and for taking care of my girl! ;)
A very touristy day for Junior and I consisted of visiting Featherdale Wildlife Park and the Blue Mountains with a day tour. We got to Featherdale in the morning, just in time for feeding! We found a kangaroo with a joey in it's pouch, (see picture for cuteness) and instantly fell in love. Junior kept going up to the mum saying, "let me see that joey!" We could've spent all day hanging out with our kangaroo and koala friends. We ended our Featherdale visit with seeing two koalas cuddling in the tree together...precious!
All in all, my trip with Junior was amazing. We had a great time and really got to enjoy life in a different light than we are used to. I think the travel bug has hit Junior....and this girl ain't complainin'! But, I do have to say what I loved most was just being with family. I love every opportunity that I get to be with my sister and Ronnie, and it makes it so much more special when all four of us are together. I am incredibly blessed to have all of these people in my life and wouldn't change it for the world.
Kelsey, thank you for being such a great tour guide. We couldn't have seen the city without you, and I am so glad that you were willing to show us around all day! I know that it gets tiring, but we wouldn't have wanted to see the city without you. We have so many new memories and funny stories from spending time with you, and we are so thankful for that. Thank you for being an amazing sister! I love you to the moon and back!
Ronnie, my love for you is infinite and I cannot thank you enough for being my brother. Thank you for always taking one for the team and putting up with us Carroll girls. Seriously though, this man deserves an award. I'm glad that awkward 16 year old boy stuck around :) I love you, R.
And last but not least....my dearest Teddy. I mean, the pictures pretty much say it all. You guys do know that I love my nephew, right? (Presley, if you're reading, mommy loves you too).
Thank you all for reading this long post about our trip, I hope you didn't find yourself snoozing away! Love all of our friends, family, and supporters...thanks for sharing this journey with us! I'll leave you with some of my favorite pictures.
Cheers, Sydney! You've been good to me again.
xoxo,
McKenzie
No comments:
Post a Comment