G'Day Mates!

So I finally have a few minutes and a fairly decent internet connection, and I want to write a quick blog about Australia. Overall the trip has been so so so fun! Lots of things that go wrong, from getting lost on the train to having weird men hitting on us at the footie games to always having to show up to church late because that's the earliest bus we can catch. But luckily the girls I'm with are great so we all just laugh at it all the time.

The first 3 weeks here were spent in clinicals, with time for fun on the weekends. I'm just going to throw up some pics and talk about the highlights.

First, Phillip Island. One weekend we got a bus to drive us out here and they have a great park where you can buy feed and get all the kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, and just about any other animal they have in the park to come up and eat out of your hands. The ones with the joeys in the pouch were the greatest, but the most aggressive too. I'm not going to lie about how one got a little antsy and felt me up. Awkward.
Okay the 2nd thing also comes from Phillip Island. They have a penguin parade, where you can watch little penguins come in from the ocean to the burrows every night. Great fun. They have a gift store set up and the theme there is "Penguins do it every night." Sorry that I'm immature and I think that is absolutely hilarious. So here's Me, Brittany, and Lindsay sporting foam visors with the theme. Classic. Number three probably goes to the Great Ocean Road drive. Such a beautiful beautiful road. It took us nearly all day, but was so worth it. So picturesque. Below is part of the 12 apostles. Great day. Although the bus we were on reminded me of Crocodile Dundee, the heat was up so I was roasting, and my legs fell asleep.

Number four has to be the footie game. This sport is awesome. It's like a mix of rugby and soccer and I don't even know what else. The men are all very attractive, and if you're lucky like me, you get seated next to a guy named Steve. Who is 33 and loves single American nursing students. Let's just say it was a long first half sitting next to a progressively drunker Steve until I moved for the second half. Here's a pic I tried to get out of, but Steve noticed and pulled me back in at the last moment.

We're going to have to cut this off at 5 because of the internet connection here, but I think you guys are getting a fair idea. Number 5 has to come from Melbourne. Mostly because I love Melb and we spend every weekend there, despite close to 3 hours of travel time. Great city. Today we went to an art museum, and look at what we found.....
I don't know which is more disconcerting, how they consider this art, or how they think of men.

Basically, I love Australia.

Argentina

I am going to Argentina!  I expect you all to sing "Don't cry for me Argentina" as I am leaving.  I am really excited!  However, when I found out my call was at the house, I didn't even want to go home.  I didn't want to open it--I was so nervous!  Did I really want to do this?  Maybe I was scared to be a missionary or maybe I was just scared to go to North Dakota.  I was nervous.  But when I read Argentina Salta Mission, I knew I was called from God and I felt peace.

Completely off the subject, here is a picture of the Jesusita fire taken right outside my house.  We did not have to evacuate and the fires are under control now, but it was getting really close.

I love you guys so much and would love to hear how you are doing.  I want to give a shout out to my girfs for being such great examples, beacons of light, and most of all smiles, laughs, fun, and love in a time when needed.