Seat 34C: The Journey Home

And this is why it feels good to be home ^^^

My last days in Sydney were fair to partly cloudy (pun intended), but on the last day, the weather was beautiful and I had a really relaxing time soaking everything in: the ocean, wildlife, downtown, the food...just everything that was about to change.

I will miss this view for sure

I had a lot of free time my last few days, so my roommate Ian and I traveled down to Coogee and stayed there for a few days, planning to go to the beach pretty much every day. That definitely didnt happen, but we still had some nice days to swim and snorkel and explore on the cliffs. Besides our hostel being somewhat sketchy (a pipe above our roof was leaking I guess?), it was a time to enjoy things for the last time. Nightlife in Coogee for the last time, beach for the last time, gelato for the last time, downtown Sydney, etc.

A Kookaburra that let me get really close to take a picture

The cliffs are always interesting!

The last car that I purchased in Australia  :-(  

On one of the more cloudy/crappy/raining/Isn't-it-supposed-to-be-summer-here? days we visited the pylon for what would be some of my final viewings of the bridge, skyline, and Opera House. The pylon is one of the large structures located at the corners of the Harbor Bridge that are about 3/4ths the height of the bridge.

Opera House with Sydney skyline panoramic

Harbor Bridge with Opera House panoramic

The most famous building in the world with the
most famous person in the world

My final night in Australia was probably one of my best. It was really bittersweet. On one hand, I was with my good friend, Ian, and my Australian friend, Sarah, having fun discussions and enjoying Sydney. On the other hand, I knew that this would be the last time for probably a very long time that I would see Sydney again. That is hard to think about. To leave somewhere that became your home so suddenly for 4.5 months and knowing that you are not coming back for the foreseeable future; it makes you sad despite the fact you miss so much at home. Writing this now, not even being home for a week, there is a part of me that wishes I was back in Australia. I think whenever you live somewhere for that long, and have an experience where you meet so many people, see so many things, and just do so much, a part of you will always stay there.

The coolest bar I went to on my trip: the 360 bar on the Sydney Skytower.
It's above the entire city, and slowly revolves 360 degrees so that your view is always changing.
To say I felt like James Bond would be an understatement.

Crazy lighting structures in the 360 bar

Opera House at night (slightly above the direct center of the picture)

My first time trying Absinthe. It was called a green fairy,
and no I did not hallucinate. It was a very good drink though.
Strong, but delicious.

Darling Harbor at night. Another place I will miss

My girlfriend wanted to say bye to me in Sydney. You may
recognize her, she's a Victoria Secret model, no big deal...

But after my fun night out, I knew it was time to go home. My flights were pretty uninteresting except for my Ambien trip on my Sydney to LA flight. I took an Ambien to try to get some sleep, and I guess my mind just did not want to sleep. So instead, I was basically tripping on the plane: seeing double, some bending walls, and dots in front of my eyes. I pretty much just went along with it and had a huge grin on my face for about half an hour then I dozed off for a little bit.

It was great to arrive at DIA and see my mom and dad, then go over to Jeramy and Ashley's and meet Lauren who was easily the person that has changed the most since I last saw her! She is so big and active, she definitely has a strong personality and is a very entertaining baby. I got to spend a lot of time with her on Thanksgiving as well, so I think she is starting to get used to me...again...now. In addition, I also had Chipotle as my first meal back (with a Corona), and my God was it good. No offense to Australia, but they have nothing that can touch Chipotle.

Basically heaven on earth right here

And of course I was overjoyed when my white, four-legged friends came to greet me as I came in the house for the first time. At first, they weren't sure it was really me, especially Kolby, but after a while of me playing with them, they realized it was really me.

Kolby and Katy!

Next on my list of exciting returns was...you guessed it: my PlayStation. Let's just say that it has gotten quite a workout the last few days. And the games I just got are some of the best I have ever played, no exaggeration.

The games and movies that I got. Overwhelming in the best way possible

Ohhhhhh baby...it's been too long.

Lastly, it was so exciting to see all of my friends again. And I got to see friends that I hadnt seen for a LONG time...like two years. Several of my Mormon friends returned home from their missions while I was away, so seeing them and roaming around Highlands Ranch again, kinda felt like being back in high school. Fun times. And then there are my DU friends, who I was extremely excited to see and on Tuesday night we were able to have a party after going to the $4 movies and Buffalo Wild Wings. It was definitely a night that I will not forget anytime soon.

So...my time in Australia has now ended. That means that this blog is about to come to an end as well. I think I will do one more reflection post about a month from now, but other than that, it is time to say goodbye. I hope you all have enjoyed my stories of Australia, I know that I have enjoyed sharing my experiences with you. So there is really only one thing left to say:

G'DAY MATES!