Mooloolaba

It was hard leaving the Whitsundays knowing the beauty they posses. Although I had sadness in my heart, I knew I still had such an amazing adventure ahead of me. Next stop: Mooloolaba.

It's a funny name, Mooloolaba. This little surfer town is about two hours out of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. When I first landed in Brisbane it was pouring rain. And I don't mean pouring like "oh grab your umbrella so you don't get wet" I mean like pouring rain. Like raining great danes and felines. Like start your underground shelter before you get over turned by a tidal wave and swept off to Timbuktu.It was POURING! I first felt relief because I just about gave myself melanoma with all the sun I was getting. But then again, I still wanted nice weather to tour around in. Just my luck once I reached Mooloolaba-- after a long, dreadfully awkward shuttle bus ride with only the driver and me-- the sun began to show it's face once again. I was seriously chasing sun the whole entire time. It would be unbelievably gorgeous during the day and then cool down at night and rain so we weren't scorching at night. Best of both worlds.

The first day in Mooloolba was my lazy day. After meeting my two increadibly nice roommates, Caro and Linette, Caro and I hit the beach. We stayed out all day, worked on a bit more of a tan (like I needed it) and swam in the beautiful waters of the Sunshine Coast. It was such a nice day. There was something weird in the water that prevented us from staying in too long. It almost felt like millions of little critters were nipping at us the whole time we were in the water. It wasn't very comfortable. So we just laid on the beach chatting about life.

Now, I couldn't go to the Sunshine Coast without taking my very dear friend, Steve Irwin, back to his home zoo. I packed up with my friend Pedro and his girlfriend and we treked off to the zoo. My goodness it was such a beautiful day. So hot and lovely. The zoo was amazing. I got to pet a kangaroo and a koala and even feed an elephant. The crocodile show was also amazing. I can't believe people would put themselves that close to such a dangerous animal. It was more than spectacular. I managed to see the whole zoo and all
the animals. All with skipping the snakes of course.

I absolutely loved staying at the hostel. Mooloolaba Backpackers is where it is at. There were so many nice loving people and there was always something to do. Like BBQ's, pong nights (beer and goon), swim, watch movies, chat. It was spectacular. I got to learn how to paddle board FOR FREEE!! It was so much fun! One night Linette and I went out with some of her really good friends and we just had such a good time! Her friends were so nice and kind and fun to be around, minus the crying 18 year old drunk girls, but we managed to lose them eventually. Whoops!

After a couple more lazy days, my friend Spencer met up with me again and we had such a good time catching up. We went to the beach, without the nipping critters this time, and spent a few hours just jumping and playing in the waves. Afterwards we went for a long walk and chatted for a good three hours. I am honored to say now that he is one of my good friends and I will never forget the short time we got to spend together on our travels. Plus now I have a place to stay in England -- right Spencer?

Mooloolaba was such a great place filled with gems. Full of bike rides and beach bums. Full of rain storms and sunny skies. Full of social nights and chatting strangers. I loved every minute. I loved every person. I can say it was definitely and totally amazing as.

Whtisunday islands

Hawaii, Fiji, the west coast. These are all place in the world with beautiful islands. Now time to add one more to the list, The Whitsundays. Something amazing was cooked up in God's kitchen then placed right on the coast of Queensland, Australia.

After leaving my parents in Melbourne, I headed off for a 3 day adventure on Long Island. It didn't start off as well as I hoped. I had just spend 5 amazing days with my parents and brother in Melbourne and I had to say goodbye to them all over again thinking that was the last time I'd see them in 6 whole months. I started getting pretty emotional and it finally hit me that I was completely alone. All I wanted to do was curl up in my room and do nothing. Don't get me wrong the place was gorgeous and the weather was superb, but I couldn't seem to shake the loneliness out of my mind. It didn't help that the hostel was awful, the staff was very unfriendly and the place was way overpriced. The hostel was part of a resort on Long Island- one of the Whitsunday Islands- so every thing was mad expensive. Let's just say I didn't eat very well for the three days I was there. Not to mention internet was 6 dollars for HALF AN HOUR! Talk about not fitting the budget. To give you an example of how shawty this hostel was, one night my roommates and I locked ourselves out at 9pm and when we went to go find someone to help us get back in, NO ONE was around. So me being my ninja self, took a spoon, yes a spoon, from the kitchen and jammed it into the key latch and pushed the latch over and opened the door. WITH A SPOON! Yeah. I know what you're thinking, I'm a genius.

Despite my sorrows and lonesome, I forced myself to go sit on the beach and hang out by the pool, hoping I'd meet someone. Eventually I was able to meet my roommates, Gabi and Adri and my loneliness started to dwindle away. Gabi and I set out on an adventure hike on a trail that was very obviously not used in a long time. Each step taken was interupted by a spider web. I can't tell you how many spiders went down my shirt. It wasn't very pleasant. But we made it through and had a very nice chat along the way. Nearing the end of our two hour trek, we managed to catch a glimpse of a miniature shark, a kangaroo and the ever grotesque, bush turkey. We managed to make it back just in time to escape the rain.

The next day was just amazing. It had been the day I was waiting for. It was the day I finally got to go check out the Great Barrier Reef. I signed up for a cruise with the Cruise Whitsundays company. They own their own pontoon in the middle of Knuckle Reef which is part of the Great Barrier Reef. On the way out, I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful companion, Spencer. We became good friends quite quickly and it was very nice to have someone there to experience the amazement with. I put on my adventure pants and got to go scuba diving for the very first time. Not only did I get to experience breathing underwater, but I also got to experience first hand the amazing Great Barrier Reef. There is a reason it is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. I can't begin to describe how spectacular it was to be that close. To experience all the amazing colours and life in the sea. It was for sure one of the coolest things I have ever done. There was a giant blue fish that swam right next to my head and I got to reach out and touch it. Oh man was it ever fantastic. No feeling like it. I just wish I could have gotten better pictures because the ones I have don't even come close to doing it justice.

For the rest of the pontoon adventure, Spencer and I just chilled out, ate some lunch (which we ended up stealing to feed ourselves for the night), went snorkling and slid down the slide. It was unbelievably fun and I just had the most amazing time of my life!

The next day was another beautiful day. I was a bit sad because Gabi, Adri and Spencer all left that day to go to Airlie Beach and I was left alone. I booked a catamaran cruise that day to Whitehaven beach so I wouldn't be so board. I was feeling really uneasy about it cause I had no one to go with and I was worried I wouldn't meet anyone. But to my luck right before we boarded I met a wonderful girl named Teni, who I was fortunate enough to become good friends with as well. Teni and I spend the day relaxing on the catamaran sail boat and enjoying the beautiful, beautiful weather and sights. We stopped over on Whitehaven beach for about an hour and a half. It is this increadible beach with amazing white silica sand. One of the top ten beaches in the world! So gorgeous. We walked along the beach, took some pictures and laughed at the asian mother and daughter. They spent the whole hour and a half taking racy pictures of the daughter on the beach and in the water.
It seriously looked like she was posing for sports illustrated, but the real disturbing part was her mom was the photographer. It cracked the two of us up so much. After the beach we enjoyed a lovely bbq which I again stole food from to feed myself that night. Then it was another snorkling adventure which just turned into floating on noodles for Teni and I. It was just such and amazingly relaxing day.

Sailing on the seas of the Whitsunday Islands. Basking in the everlasting beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. Soaking up the sun and enjoying the beautiful weather of Australia. All these things make me sit back, take it in and say: Amazing as...

Havaianas Challenge

Well, Nik and I had an adventure set out for us when we took outrip down the Great Ocean Road. We started off on a different scenic route to our destination of Apollo Bay. The road was beautiful. It gave me that zoom zoom zoom feeling. We took our first stop in Forrest, attempting

to go to lake Elizabeth but soon called that off once we realized our 30 minute trek down a dodgy dirt road took us to a park that then told us the walk to lake Elizabeth was over an hour long. NO THANK YOU! Plus they provided pictures for us to see what it actually looked like and believe me, we weren't missing much. Maybe just a platypus.

After the failed attempt we decided we were hungry enough to stop for lunch. We stopped at a cute little cafe that doubled as a guesthouse. It was so quaint and lovely and definitely a spot Iwould have picked out myself. It reminded me of my dear Duncan Garage Showroom and made me miss home just a little bit.

Once lunch ended we tried- and yet again failed- an adventure down another dodgy dirt road to see some water falls. The hike was again more than an hour. The last thing you want on a long road trip is to hike around exhausting yourself for another hour. So we managed to skip that again.

On the road again took us another few hours to get to Cape Otway lighthouse. It was SO beautiful! Right on the ocean and

the scenery were just awesome. Not tomention the increadibly funny lighthouse front desk man. Nik successfully imitated some Asian tourist with throwing up a peace sign which got me

laughing quite hard as well. We climbed up to the top of the lighthouse only to witness fantastic views of the ocean. On the drive in and out I was happily surprised by some Koalas hanging in the trees. So cool! Definitely one to remember.

Once we finally arrived to Apollo Bay we discovered that our motel was quite dodgy. Zebra and floral print bedspreads, chewed up TV cord, barely lockable door... Yup! Definitely a cheap one. Putting the fact that we could very well get murdered in this room at the back of our minds, we headed down to the beach to watch the sunset. I can't describe the beauty. The combination of the sun slowly saying goodbye and the die hard surfers hitting the waves was unbelievably gorgeous. In that moment I thanked God for the wonderful creations He gave us and the amazing life I live.

The next day was Australia Day! We managed to make our way up to Torquay after an early

night of the Australian wildlife getting to me. I apparently got up shouting "THERE'S SNAKES IN MY BED!" and sweeping the covers to get rid of them. Courage is the only word I have for it. If you were there and there were actually snakes, I would have saved you. You're welcome.

Once arriving in Torquay, and a bit nervous because

the sun hadn't yet shown its face,

we joined in the Havaianas inflatable thongs challenge . Now this is where they gather up as many people as possible and try and make the longest line of people floating on giant Havaianas flip flops *which we got to keep! May I tell you it was hilarious! The beach was covered in giant, yellow, right footed flip flops. Unfortunately we didn't break the record, but the sun did pop out just in time and we had a grand ol time none the less. On the drive back we went down the real Great Ocean Road with the top down, the sun shining and the beautiful ocean right beside us. We also stopped in at a golf course to get a look at the Kangaroos, which is not allowed I might add. But unreal none the less. That night we soaked up the end of Australia day with my first Australian beer at a local pub in Apollo bay.

The adventure continues with our trip to Nikki's beach house in Sorrento. We had a very lazy stay there, watching some tennis and reading out on the porch. Nikki's fantastic parents joined us for lunch the next day and we got to play with Steve and Julia's (brother and sister in law of Nikki) new puppy Dexter. It was very nice and fun.

The next day I was able to experience my first 21st birthday party. Now in Australia, turning 21 is a big deal. I mean BIG DEAL. Speeches, family, friends and a huge party. It was amazing, smashing good fun. We got to dance the night away with champagne and me making a couple new friends. Not to mention I got a double cheek ginger kiss from two of the token gingers and new friends at the party. My night was complete. And fantastic.

Tonight was good fun. It was Julia's birthday so we went to Robert Burns Hotel which is a Spanish bar and ate some traditional dishes from Spain including Squid ink and Octopus. It wasn't at all half bad.

This is just a "quick"- okay not quick- snipit of what is happening here in Australia. It has been increadibly fantastic and I am loving every minute-- no matter how exhausting. Steve Irwin is also enjoying himself plenty as well. All I can say is: AMAZING AS!

Vancouver Island Drowning in Australia

Well, it has finally happened. The long awaited day came and I am now sitting with my good friend Nikki in her apartment in Melbourne, Australia. I has been such an amazing 3 days so far. The adventure started as soon as I boarded the plane. Saying a tearful goodbye to my family (most tears from my father) I boarded my plane to Shang Hai. The first flight went by surprisingly quick. Nothing too exciting happened apart from the amazing views I was able to see. But once I got to Shang Hai, the panic started to sink in. Being in a completely foreign country where you would think people would be helpful and they completely aren't is pretty frightening. First I couldn't find where in the world I was supposed to go. I tried asking as many people as I could but all I was getting were points and grunts. Finally, after suppressing a mini panic attack, I was able to find where I was supposed to go and I found my gate. Unfortunately that wasn't the end of it. My plane was delayed due to mechanical problems and it wasn't until another 2 hours later that I boarded my plane. On top of that, we sat on the tar mat for 45 minutes extra. I successfully fell asleep right before take off only to be woken up by an asian man and women yelling at each other. The fight only escalated and eventually the man was hitting- yes hitting- the woman. I was watching this and no one would do anything! It was crazy! After about 5 minutes the flight attendants grabbed the man and held him back only to open the opertunity for the women to start hitting the man. It was INSANE! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Finally the flight attendants were able to stop the fight. I learned something from this: Violence against women, China says yes.

That flight was pretty dreadful and long. Filled with screaming kids and motion sick throw uppers. All this unfortunate-ness seemed to go away as soon as the plane landed. I was so ecstatic to finally be in Australia. I couldn't stop smiling and I was over joyed. I am quite aware that people thought I was insane. I got through imigration quick and painless only to find Nikki eagerly waiting for me outside. I immediately ran into her arms for a hug and she greeted me with a "hey how ya going?" Man, I've missed that accent which was the same Nikki said to me.

The actual fact that I was in Australia didn't hit me until 24 hours later when we took a trip down to the beach and I was drenched with a care free lifestyle. The beach was GORGEOUS! The sun was shining, the water was warm and it was all around chill and simple. That night I was invited to Nikki's parents place for a true Australian BBQ. Man was it delicious, and Nikki's parents were so kind. It was such a fantastic way to spend my first 24 hours in Australia. I already feel like I belong.

Today I was able to meet up with another friend of mine, Josh, for a quick lunch. Again, so fantastic seeing him again. We caught up quick and were soon able to sit and chat like we had never been separated.

It is 34 degrees and sunny all the time which is something spectacular to walk into after leaving -3 and snowing. It has been so incredible so far, I am already in love. I love the weather. I love the lifestyle. I love the fact I get to see members of my Nanaimo family and FFFs after so long. It's truly been a fantastic experience so far. An experience that will keep being fantastic. An experience that is amazing-as.

The final countdown

Well ladies and gents, it officially begins! It is in exactly 90 days today I will be boarding a plane for my most excellent adventure. Yes, that's right, my plane to Australia! I cannot describe to you all the emotions that are going on in my head right now. I've never been more excited/nervous/scared/excited/anxious/excited (did I already say that?) for something in my entire life of being. Mostly I'm excited (as if you didn't already get that) for my childhood dream to be lived out. I have seriously been wanting to go to Australia ever since I was the wee age of 7. My whole world is about to be turned upside down- literally. I am going to create countless memories and experience so much that I don't even know if I am ready for or not. I am a little scared and nervous because I have never actually traveled on my own and it is a big jump for me. 6 whole months in a completely different and far away country. I am excited to just leave my life behind and soak up the chill-ness that lies in Australia. Also, I get to see all my wonderful friends for whom I've greatly missed over these past couple of years. But with that said, I am going to miss my ones back home. I have to put on hold any forming relationships and leave behind my close friends and family. But not too big of sad pants are being worn because like I said, this is my childhood dream. An adventure of a lifetime. An adventure that is going to challenge my people skills and challenge my strength and independence. An adventure that will greatly reward me. An adventure of making new friends, experiences and memories. An adventure that will most of all truly be amazing as.

For no one has sacrificed and loved me this way...

I can't think of a better way to open this post than with the word sorry. Sorry. I lost all meaning behind this blog and all the feeling it gave me. I am in the middle of doing some planning ahead for studying (okay it is procrastination) and I figured I would check out my blog just to read what I did in the past year. As I started reading all I could think of was Cassia you are so stupid! Why did you ever stop writing? Emotions flooded over me as I reminisced about all the amazing as times I had. I immediately stopped and had to write. I thought of no better thing to talk about than God. He has been playing such a huge role in my life lately. As I re-read my post "Our God", I was immediately struck by the thought God you are AMAZING! I can't begin to describe to you how amazing He is. But I can tell you a story. Remember when I told you I was so fortunate to witness a miracle? Well, living in Nanaimo I've been having a hard time finding/going to church because-get this- I felt like I was cheating on my church. Silly, I know. But recently I was able to get over this little petty problem and actually drag my bum to Oceanside. A church out of Nanaimo Christian School. It was alright. I didn't feel what I wanted to feel though. I didn't feel like I was really there. Anyways the pastor was speaking about faith and relating to Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" He was saying how a lot of us haven't witnessed a miracle but yet are so strong in our beliefs because of the faith that drives us. We don't need a miracle to believe that God is there and listening, we just have faith. Sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. All I could think of in that moment was how I was so incredibly fortunate to actually witness a miracle and experience the saving grace our God provides. As soon as that thought entered my mind a pool of thoughts just raced through. God has been working so much in my life and it is so clear to see. With my baptism, camp, God moments and so on. I've been struggling with a few things since coming back to school and I was so frustrated because I was praying about them and not getting anything back from God. I was frustrated because all I wanted was to follow the path God has for me and I couldn't do that without any sign from him or reassurance of what to do. I didn't know how He could expect me to do the things He wanted if I wasn't getting anything from Him. But,GOD IS GOOD! He showed me that all I had to do was trust. Trust in Him. He provides. He is there for me. Since then, I've had amazing God experiences and God moments and just complete and full moments of praise for Him. So much realization that He indeed does provide. I am SO excited for this weekend because I get to go back to camp where I can once again experience a full and filled and pure amazing presence of God. He gets me through. He saves. Our God, ladies and gentlemen, is amazing as.

Where did the good days go?

The other night I was happily joined by my fellow b-study girls for a little beach fire. The weather made it nice, the fire ban made it rebellious and the company made it fun. We started up our fire and got right to roasting our hot dogs and marshmallows. All I wanted for so long was just a nice fire roasted hot dog so as soon as I got one all I could think about was how happy I was to be eating that dang good hot dog. Once the feasting- fine stuffing of our faces- was finished we sat back and relaxed. Songs were played, kayaks were set off and the chit chat began. After some mindless conversation we stumbled on one subject we all seemed to have the same view on-- life way back when was so much nicer. I've always felt this way, life in the 40's would have been amazing- minus the war that is. The movies always portray the 40's as such a chill, laid back, fun time. They didn't have any texting or cell phones, the only way of communication was in form of telegram or phone call- if the other party had a phone that is. Mail was delivered twice to three times a day. If you wanted to see someone, you would either phone or show up at their door and if they weren't home that was that. Cars were cooler looking, the fashion was beautifully gorgeous and the men, well they aren't too shabby either. Permission had to be asked to "go steady" with a girl and politeness on a date was the only way you were going to get anywhere. Old fashion baseball games and 2 bodies on a bicycle built for one. Going out dancing to swing dance to the sound of a live brass band. Those were the days. I was born in the wrong era. Now a days, contact is so much more impersonal with the technology we have. So lazy. Now the internet and cell phones control your courage. There is no effort made. Phone calls are turning into a burden. Our fingers can't take it anymore. All I want is for someone, instead of texting me, show up at my door and make the effort. Just like the good ol' days. They were amazing-as.