Where's the "sprung?"

As Spring Break comes to an end, I have to say that we are still waiting for that “sprung” they talk about.  The whole week has been interspersed with ravaging snow blizzards and cold downpours.  I am beginning to think that this weather will last until we hop that plane to the Southern hemisphere – only to arrive as they head into their Winter season!!  Jokes on us, I guess, with our winter lasting twice as long!!  I keep reminding myself that at least in Adelaide, we can pass the winter watching waves lap up on the damp sand, and watch the penguins waddle up the shore each night…. OK, ok, maybe the “penguin march” occurs a little further east, but a girl can dream, can’t she?!

Chad and I were able to escape for a couple days and wander up to the bigger cities of Eugene, and Bend.  It’s always delightful to experience traffic, and good food, and driving faster than 45 mph.  I also got treated to a REAL haircut which was an amazing change! Haven’t had such nice haircuts since I was living in Utah and my sister’s friend Lindsey was in the business!!  Chad also loved it, because we were able to indulge in the best donuts of all Oregon – possibly the US, but we still have more to try before that claim can be made – Voodoo donuts!  They make some concoction with chocolate frosting, rice crispies, and penut butter drizzle that makes him drool ever time.  To be honest, I think he gets so excited that he doesn’t even taste the thing as he inhales it! I prefer the stakes and the voodoo men myself.  No matter what your tastes though, if you haven’t had one of their treats – you haven’t experienced Oregon!!

Anyhow, after the donuts, some amazing sushi, fabulous crepes, and a bit of to-die-for Baldy’s BBQ, we fought the inevitable return to town.  It made it worth it when we were greeted with a “your VISA has been granted” email the next morning!

The days since have been filled with lapping in the laziness we are only allowed until Monday, and trying to get them momentum going on the packing and cleaning for the HUGE move in our future. Now that we have every official document we legally need to enjoy our year abroad, we’re trying to secure some airfare and narrow down our belongings.  We have a big yard sale coming up in May, and we want to be ready with every single thing anyone could possibly hope to find for their own home!!  Maybe that’s exaggerating a bit, but you can bet your cupcakes (which will also be at the garage sale!) that it’s going to be a good one!!

Now, if we could only find our school gear for tomorrow amongst all these boxes…

And... We're Off!

Ready, Set…GO!!  That’s how it feels now that we have met with our Program Director.  Although we knew Australia had officially signed the contract, we were trying to reserve our excitement until we had confirmation that OIT had also signed the contract and made everything all hunky-dory and “legal” and stuff.  And so it happened yesterday that we heard the words we have been waiting 3 years for:  “It’s a done deal.  You’re going to Australia!”  Now the mayhem really begins. 

We are a mere weekend away from Finals – which means our weekend will be spent holed up in the living room with our books and nitelites as we stay up till odd hours trying to force feed every last bit of knowledge into our bloated little brains.  On top of this, we have been scrambling to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on our Visa applications.  Then, on top of THIS, we have been trying to guage airline prices, consider storage options, and wrap our little minds around financing for our foreign escapade.   With elating news, nerves and stress have inevitably followed.  And with finals butting their way into the mix… geesh.

So, while visions of Adelaide, K-space, fourier transformations, Six Sigma, Pathological Indicators, and fresh fish and chips on the beach of the South Sea compete for attention in our minds this weekend, do a little happy dance for us (like my sister did!) and maybe we’ll get around to Spring Break eventually!

Great News

Melissa and I have great news. After checking and re-checking things with the school and with our Australian Hospital, after waiting and wondering for months on end, we finally have an approved, signed contract! Let me say that again, we have received the approved contract from our Australian hosts! It would seem that things have finally begun to come together. Melissa and I hope to hit the send button on our visa applications this week and, with any luck, we will have those before June. We still have a lot to do but having that contract arrive was a big weight off of us.

Next week begins “dead week” here on campus which means finals are right around the corner. This term has flown by. We hope you all are enjoying the fleeting winter months and we appreciate you keeping up with us.

Check back soon to see our next developments -