Down Under: Part 1

Hi friends!!! I am so glad to be back to the blogging scene! I missed you guys like whoa. Although I see someone (side eye Floyd) was kind enough to fill in while I was gone. Thanks for that Bud. 

So you may have seen on Instagram, but Mister and I took the blog spring break quite literally and headed out of town. To say this trip was a loooong time in the making is an understatement. We have been planning this big guy literally for years and the fact that it finally became a reality still has me pinching myself.

Where did we go you ask?! 

 Oh just a little place called...AUSTRALIA!

I still can not believe that we traveled to literally the other side of the world and back.

Why Australia? Well, for a little back story, Mister studied abroad in Brisbane, Australia for 6 months in college. He absolutely loved his time there (who wouldn't) and he has always wanted to take me back. And who am I to say no to that?!

While there he became good friends with an Aussie named Jane, and they have kept in contact all these years. I've always heard nothing but wonderful things about Jane and her family, who Mister also came to know and love. Well Jane and her husband have been inviting us to come over for awhile now, and we finally took them up on it.  And I am beyond thrilled that we did - not only was it beautiful beyond words, but Jane and her entire family were the world's best hosts.  I can't say enough about their kindness and generosity - they truly were the most gracious hosts, and I can't thank them enough. 

Like I said, we've been planning and saving and plannnnning and saving for this trip for a very long time and the wait was more than worth it! It was truly a trip of a lifetime- though we hope to will make it back in the future. 

I am going to devote this week to recapping the trip, if nothing else than a online travel journal of memories for us. I kept a written journal along the way so hopefully between the two I'll be able to remember everything. So just a forewarning if I get long winded or it's picture overload here for the next little bit. I'll be sure to throw in some pictures and anecdotes of Floyd's time away as well to break it up.  He also had some adventures of his own. 

Now on to the fun trip details!  

We flew out of Cincinnati and to Brisbane on a Wednesday (Floyd's birthday nonetheless, I felt terrible) and arrived in Brisbane on a Friday. Talk about craziness. We missed out on an entire day of our lives. Thankfully the awesome plane accommodations, the sweetest staff (with the best accents), the delicious food and unlimited snacks and wine made up for it.

Once in Brisbane, Jane picked us up and we had coffee and Tim Tams (more on these delicious treats later. Jane had them on our pillow when we arrived and I was immediately in love!) with her and her husband.  

It was a bit gray and rainy that day but we didn't let that stop us!  We spent the day touring all around Brisbane on foot and via their river ferry, the City Cat.  Because we had flown basically overnight and had a row of 4 seats to sleep in we weren't (thankfully) too jet lagged and able to take advantage of the full day.   I was so glad we didn't miss a day of excitement and touring due to having to sleep.

 Brisbane is a great, vibrant, bustling and health-focused city. There are bike and walking paths everywhere. The architecture and the way the city is laid out is very interesting, and fairly easy to navigate.

On Saturday the weather was pretty yucky but again, it didn't stop us, and we toured around some more. After a delicious breakfast, we toured the XXXX Brewery and Mister showed me around his old stomping grounds, UQ. It was so fun to see the campus and where he spent so much time. 

 That night we had pizza and wine at their favorite pizza place, Vespa Pizza- yum!

 Brisbane at night as we rode the City Cat.

Sunday the sun finally came out and they took us up the Gold Coast to Rainbow Bay to spend the day at the beach.  

Mark, Jane and their adorable son, Sam.

 It was the first of the many beautiful beaches we visited. The coastline of their beaches are so pretty and have mountains in the background. Perfection. The coasts wind and curve much unlike the straight coast lines we have in the states. It was a beautiful day and so fun to watch the surfers and just lay on the beach and relax. 

Next up: Byron Bay and 'hiring' a car and driving on the opposite side of the road! 

P.s.: I collected sand and shells from all the beaches we went to and plan on doing some sort of DIY project with them. Any cute ideas??

Linking up with Sami, Leeann, Carly and Molly