Grand Finale...

hey, Hey, HEY!!!

I'm not sure how "grand" this actually is but it is the finale of my trip...  These are the rest of the pictures from my trip that I was unable to post while still in Oz.  I text messaged a lot of people to let you all know that I am for sure back in the US and want to let everyone else know that I am back and home safe and sound.  I was awake for 30 hours from flight to flight, in the airports and even on the drive home with my dad.  I lasted going through about 600 of the +/-1,800 pictures/videos that I took in Oz with my mom and finally crashed in the bed.  Of course after eating some good ol' mama cooked food, nothing like it right? :-)

Enjoy the rest of the pictures (please note that I took way more pictures than I posted on the blog and am more than willing to share them with anyone interested.  Also, I purposefully did not get in the pictures.  I know I was there, I don't need to prove it LOL).

This was at the harbor in Sydney... Old school boat with the city behind it :-)

One of the many lovely flowers that captured my attention in the Sydney botanic garden...

Another lovely flower in the botanic garden...

A view from across the water of Sydney...

The infamous bridge that I forgot to walk across while in Sydney despite having walked near it a few times and taken so many pictures... duh!

Closer view of the Sydney Opera House

This is all carved wood!?!  Freaking amazing!!!

Sydney Opera House... (right before I met Shaun LOL)

The Government House in Sydney...  Really nice building on the outside with great landscaping around it!

Bridge and Opera House...

I was sitting in a rock area under a small cliff... It was a nice moment :-)

Bondi Beach :-)

Bondi Beach on the walk to Bronte Beach...

The view walking to Bronte Beach...

Wild flowers along the walk :-)

Still walking to Bronte, but you can still see Bondi here...

Making our way to Bronte still... (at this point it had started to rain and the wind was blowing hard in the hills we were walking through.  There was no shelter so we just fought the elements :-))

Still along the walk... It was really pretty obviously :-)

This is along the walk in Byron Bay going to the lighthouse...

Byron Bay lighthouse walk...

This is the lighthouse I hiked up to...  It still works and was cool to watch on the night I was walking back along the beach with Jade.

It was not very nice out this day and was actually very windy and a bit chilly, but this spot was so perfect for meditation and just... being :-)

My point of view as I did my meditation, spectacular :-)

I was sitting at my table outside drinking my nice cold cider when this lizard decided to appear... I was internally freaked out but since everyone else just ignored it I pretended to ignore it too (after I took this picture of course :-))...

This was what it looked like to walk outside of my backpackers in Byron Bay...  I sat and read in the hammocks each day after hanging at the beach.  There were a couple of turkey that would walk around here too, lol!

These are one of the sets of dorm rooms, very colorful which makes me instantly happy!

Proud to report that with practice I was able to eat 2 whole meals using just chopsticks!  Including this one with rice :-)

Somehow on my flight from Oz to New Zealand I got bumped up from economy seating.  I thought it was a mistake at first so sat uncomfortably on the edge of my seat holding my bag until I realized I was staying there.  The guy beside me, Nathan from NZ, said he thought it was a mistake too.  Thank God for spontaneous blessings :-)