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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Aussie Road Trip Day One and Two

April 8th and 9th Traveling from Mackay QLD to Griffith NSW

The day had finally arrived, the car was packed and we were ready to go. Thanks to Gaye and Peter we were also pretty sure we wouldn't get lost as they lent us their GPS which we of course had to name and in the end the name was Nancy. So we left Mackay and headed towards Rockhampton. This was a destination for two reasons. 1) It would be the first fuel stop and 2) it is where we would head inland instead of continuing down the coast. Let's just say its not a joke when people talk about how horrible the drive from Mackay to Rocky is. Nothing between the towns, so it was a relief when we finally hit Rocky and could take a much needed break. 


And so we kept driving, the first day was set aside for this, just putting a dent into the 2,500 km we would be driving until we got to our first hotel. The plan was to stop in Condamine and sleep in the car, but once we got there we realized we weren't very tired so we kept going until we hit the border of QLD and NSW, the town of Goondiwindi. There we pulled into a truck stop, pulled out our sleeping bags and caught some Z's. 
One of our coffee stops before Goondiwindi
One of the many shires we would drive through
The next day we were up and gone by 5 am with the goal in mind of getting to Griffith. 
The Sunrise as we crossed from QLD to NSW

Along the way we saw Coonabarabran.
Dubbo
And one of the many Australian Big Things, this one of course being the big racket and ball.
Finally we made it to Griffith and with it still being a bit early as we had gotten more driving done then expected we decided to hit a movie. It was perfect timing as we got there only 5 min before the movie started and it was awesome. We saw The Croods, which was a great movie and it felt like watching a movie at home with the exception of the big screen as there were only 4 other people in the whole theater, so we stretched out over the seats all comfy like and enjoyed the flick. 
That evening we again slept in our car, this time though was a bit more un-nerving as we couldn't find a truck stop to pull into. So we found the local Info Center and parked in the back corner hoping we wouldn't get in trouble from anyone. The night passed without a hitch and again we woke up early to get a move on towards Stawell. 

Here a few extra pics from those first two days of driving, driving, and more driving. 
Our awesome M&M car freshener

Driving along 

Practicing the good ol selfie, not easy with a bigger camera




Tuesday, April 9, 2013

BBQ - Assembly - BBQ...Oh My

Ok, so yes as of this moment we are on our road trip, but we will fill you in on all that once the big 3 day drive is complete. Until then, this is a quick catch up blog as a lot happened just before we left. I know, we should have done this post last week, but with so much going on we waited so we could do one big post.

First, at the beginning of March as many of you know, we moved from staying with Emma and Andrew to staying with Gaye and Peter Downing. This was awesome as they are an older but awesome couple. They really made us feel like family, I cooked tea (dinner) every night and we all ate together which was really nice and we played Wii and went in service together and it really just made for a great month.

So, before we left, these awesome people let us have about 22 from the congregation over for a BBQ. This is one of two, and since pictures speak louder then words, I will let them do the talking.

Then we had our two day Assembly, which both Siyani and I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the 9 questions, it helped me to look for more in the talks and to have those specific points at the end to reflect on are great for our family study time. Siyani found the District Overseer very interesting as a person as he put  personal stories into his talks and had some fun things to say about his dog and prize tomato plants. It was also great to see so many from Bowen as I have not yet seen them on this trip and many of them had not yet met Siyani. Lets just say there was lots of hand shaking, hugging and cheek kissing.



This leads to the following pictures of an art project I attempted. It was a gift for a brother and good friend who got baptized at the assembly. The inspiration comes from Shaina and a gift she once gave me. It is a wall hanging with the love never fails scripture on it.

The first night of the assembly we had a second BBQ, complete with torrential rains (thankfully it was a covered patio). This time was mostly Bowen ites, Dale and Cheryl Williams and their boys and Reece and his sister Ashley and of course as always Taija and Rowen.


Now we will finish up with my favorite new things, which include the coolest pair of flats ever, they have spikes and the new camera which thankfully arrived before we left.


Hope you all enjoyed the pictures and keep tuning in as the Road Trip will be uploaded soon. The first big feature will of course be the drive but that drive takes us to something I have been so excited about, The Great Ocean Road. Until then, love to everyone.

Megan and Siyani