g'day mate!!!

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:47:00 -0700

ALRIGHT!!! HUGE NEWS!!! a couple things actually but first things first!!! I FINISHED MY PLACEMENT!!! I mailed all of my documents to monash last thursday and they should arrive in a week or so! They have been faxed and received as well so if anything happens to them in the mail she already has the copies :) I'M DONE!!!...as long as I pass...ha...every time i say that i say it as a joke but i'm sure it's a huge reality as well...lets not think about that part :) I'M DONE!!! no more monash! just send me the diploma in the mail and SIONARA!!! :) *does a little happy dance that i've been waiting to do for about 2 years now* :) :) :)

ok next it is SUNNY here :) which makes everyone happy and fun to be around :) I'm a tad bit burnt but totally worth it for a fun walk with sula and Flan! :) I also am now going to be a full time employee at the florist starting this monday! (tomorrow) AHHH :) I was offered the position when the woman who works the days I don't moved to Utah so now I will hopefully be able to learn a lot more and actually be GOOD at what i do :) ha...ok i'm kidding myself there but maybe one day *I* will like what I do :) and that's all i can really ask for :)

On a sad note i'm afraid my firefighter and I are "dunzo" as kristin from laguna beach would say...I thought we were going to be able to be friends but it seems as though that's not a reality right now. things were said and that is that so maybe in time we'll be able to be civil to eachother but as of now i know we're both pretty hurt and maybe it's best to part ways for the moment...which as you all know is completely against everything that i believe in but i guess that just goes to show that even i can be wrong sometimes...yes...there, i said it! :) ha but I hope we'll talk again sometime...just seems now is definitely not the right time...which is sad in a way but i guess completely normal according to my parents :) sooo to help me move on i redecorated my car's bum! it was changed from burlington fire department to.......*drum roll*........
I think it's cute! :) I am still looking for a place to put my one that says "EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A mathematically-calculable, scientifically-verifiable, systematically-repeatable REASON." that basically sums erin up in a bumper sticker :) i like to believe everything happens for a reason but the reason is always VERY logical which takes away from the "fate" type of hoping that the statement really entails :) I think that one's goin on the side window so people won't tail gate me in order to read it ;) sooo for now I think that's about it :) I'm doing pretty good and hopefully it will only get better as the weather gets warmer :) Poor washingtonians all have seasonal depression i SWEAR! :) i'm out for now! I'll let you know if I pass or not ;)

placement!!!

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:57:00 -0800

i finally found a placement! 2 actually...and i will be all done by may 30th...pass or fail at least i'll be done! wish me luck!

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:11:00 -0700

ALRIGHTY! sorry i've spaced on my blog since i've been back in the states sooo here is my cute car as i realize i've held you in suspense for more than the couple days i had led you to believe it would be :) *sings* isn't she loooooovely...isn't she woooooondeeeeeeeeerfuuuuuuuul??? :) yes yes she is :) actually i think it might be a boy...but i've decided even tho the gas tank cover is on the passenger side i'm hoping my wonderful adorable vegetable oil guzzling sissy will paint a silver rose on it whenever she decides to mosey on over this way ;)

and THIS is my boyfriend's ride ;) i still think i could take him! ha ;) so yes! obviously a lot has changed since my last post...lost two jobs and gained one :) saturday is my last day at the motel and sunday is my first day at the HOTEL :) yes notice the difference! i'm now an employee of the "fairfield inn & suites" which is part of the marriott i guess hehe but they answer the phone "it's a beautiful day at the fairfield inn & suites" so i think i'm gonna do just fine there ;) i have my new car...i have my new boyfriend...actually the second time i hung out with adam was going to pick up my new car sooo they both had similar timing :) I'm working at sheely's the florist and the fairfield now which will be perfect but probably 7 days a week all summer sooo we'll see how i fair :) umm what else is new...one of my best friends from high school just got married on the 10th! gorgeous robin and crazy brian! :) I love them both! Isn't she beautiful?!?!?! :)
and aren't they adorable?!?!? :)
ah and someone came into sheely's with the anacortes arts and crafts festival posters today! what is that you ask? only the COOLEST THING in summer in anacortes!!! yay!!! i can't wait! :) anywho i'm out for the evening!!! love you all! have a good day!

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:48:00 -0700

alright mister kwan! :) so the update since i've been home...i've now gone completely insane...i'm working 3 jobs in an attempt to earn as much money as possible while i still live rent free! :) i love all my jobs...boys and girls club...sheely's floral...and the motel! my life is good i'm just working way too much :) but i have this weekend off to go to spokane for stephi's birthday *happy early birthday steph!!!* and visit krista and kristan in renton on the way! i'm so excited i can't wait to have a little time off! even tho it'll be spent driving but it's totally worth it! and speaking of driving my new car is DELISH!!! i absolutely adore it! and all 137,000 miles that are on it ha...shush! :) all is well and hopefully i'll be able to do the remainder of my hours for my masters at the boys and girls club sooo i'm keeping my fingers crossed! :) I'll post pictures of my car as soon as it's sunny and clean! :) it's so cute! but you're gonna have to trust me for a few days till you can see for yourself :) i love you and miss you all!!! enjoy wherever part of the world you're in! :)

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:59:00 -0800

So i'm back from my wonderful year in australia! I have definitely been slacking in the posts since i've been back so i'm gonna give you a summary of my time back here :) I've come home with my 4 bags packed to the 50 pound limit and even one that was 52!!!

The plane ride was good at first with all our bags checked and our carry on's neatly sorted but we knew there was a long day ahead of us! Leaving at noon on wednesday to arrive at 6pm the SAME day was not the 6 hour flight it appeared! Time zones included we spent 26 hours in airports and airplanes and 30 hours total when you include rides to the airport and home! Luckily for me I had my Sudoku in the little airplane magazines! Unluckily for me it's always the same game because they're all the same magazines! :) That's when Serra converted me to trivia questions that were way too hard for us but I know mum would have gotten easily but as you can see, across the aisle, mum is fast asleep :)

So I returned home after figuring out how to use my states cell phone and dad finding us at the strangely vacant airport on thanksgiving "eve", stopping at BURGER KING and NOT hungry jacks for dinner...arriving home i saw one out of 2 bundles of fur that i'd been missing for 10 months! This is socks :) he's technically my sissy's but I love him just as much :) and NO he's not dead! just sleeping :)

I also got to see my wonderful friends who look like supermodels as always for dinner at the Rockfish and went to my first bar in the states! :) The good ol' brown that I've heard so much about but never been able to go in :) Not that I got carded but STILL :) monumental moment hehe I also drove there all on my own which was very scary since i always want to be on the left side of the road!!! but i made it so yay!

of course the night after i drive and feel like i could actually get used to driving on this side of the road, it snows!!! and i mean SNOW...like it doesn't usually snow in washington!!! And guess what! We're iced into our driveway! we tried to get up and out but slid right back down the hill...VERY scary!!! so we spent thanksgiving out and then were iced into our house for the next 4 days which I might also add was a weekend!!! Go figure :) but isn't the snow beautiful???

here's some more snow :) just cuz it's fun :)

see the two eagles in the eagle tree??? here's a better picture of the pride of the skagit valley! :) Bald Eagles are a plenty out here but never fail to be astounding!

So in my hopes to become a flight attendant I fly out to chicago and interview with United, only to be rejected about 3 weeks later, but my interview was lovely and I couldn't have had a better time! Upgraded to first class on the way there and even slept for half an hour on the way home! :) The parking attendant even asked me if I worked for the airline on my way out of the gate! :) Wasn't quite meant to be I suppose! :) I came home however to a complete windstorm, one of the worst we've seen in a long while and houses around us got massacred!!! luckily ours was free from harm but look at the craziness just our driveway faced!...for a while during the night i was SURE that a tree had fallen on our roof and was rolling back and forth! the house above us just starting to be built got 2 trees across the foundation...

our driveway was covered in dead branches and TREES that had fallen across the road until our neighbours got together and all helped to cut them away (except for me...i was sleeping!) :)

and the ground looked like we had been shrunk to a smaller size and the lawn had just been mowed except they were branches and tops of trees instead of blades of grass!!!

so the power has gone out...wires are ON THE GROUND...and it's 3 FULL DAYS without power meaning a cold house and we're running out of wood!!! the power luckily came on when we really needed it while poor people in woodenville were without power for 5 days IF NOT MORE...I just about kissed the power guys when I saw them looking at our driveway, but some weren't as fortunate! Many houses burned down because people had left their stoves on when the power went out and then stacked stuff on top of the stove!!! or lit barbecues in their houses for warmth!!! NOT SMART!!! The power was on at the house that I house sit for, but it was the ONE WEEK that i wasn't house sitting :) So now back to house sitting for new years even with my dearest flan!!!

we tried to drink our 2 year old wine with the twist off cap and our HUGE bottles of mikes lemonade or as we say here in the states "bitch beer" :) we had a sip of wine at midnight and then switched to milk :) gotta love it! :) a full night of playing catch phrase...eating pizza...and curling up with the cat! :)

Happy New Years everyone!!! yay for 2007!!!

so now that the new year has come I am working at the boys and girls club and just got a new job at the local florist in town! Welcome to Sheely's! Are you looking for anything in particular? :)

I'm searching for a new car but am most likely going to have to give up on my mazda6 dream and get a cheap car as always :) And our trip to cheney is this weekend after heaps of snow falling today!!! We'll see if we make it over the pass! Wish us luck and I hope you all have a wonderful 2007!!! Those of you in Australia I miss you heaps and hope you aren't melting in the sun!!! Those of you here that I most likely haven't seen much since i've been back I love you guys and hope you had fantastic holidays! :) Happy Thanksgiving...Happy Christmas...and Happy New Year!!!

Wrestling Match

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 00:12:00 -0800

Watch the video

Halloween '06 we had a little fun with the puppies...John (the narrator) explains it all! Louie TOTALLY won...no cheating about it!!! YAY!!!

Fri, 3 Nov 2006 04:07:00 -0800

So reading over the birthday verse made me think of my first car "the little blue one" so i thought I'd post a picture! :)

having a little visit with her after i left her in the snow all winter long in freezing cold cheney!!! i'm sorry!!! i'll always love you!!! :)

she made me the happiest girl in the world!!! :) Miss you Sunshine!!! :)

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:00:00 -0700

Erin’s Birthday Verse
~by my loving, adoring, couldn't be more perfect mum~

When Erin was born it was early in the morn.
Sarah and Dad were the first sight she had.

When Erin was one, we moved from Lyman.
Goodbye to the goats, we now see sailboats.

When Erin was two, she did something new:
She started to talk, down the road we would walk.

When Erin was three, she’d say, “I want tea !”
Learned to swim in the pool, and she went to preschool.

When Erin was four, she would skate out the door.
She could tie her own shoe & do lots that was new.

When Erin was five, she was glad to be alive.
She could cartwheel and dance, ride her bike in bright pants.

When Erin was six, she was all full of tricks.
Kindergarten was a blast, she began reading fast.

When Erin was seven pony camp was like heaven.
She was bright as a rose as she rode Twinkletoes.

When Erin was eight, on the train slept and ate.
Many things she could make, and she danced like a snake.

When Erin was nine, school and ballet were fine.
May baskets were gay on Old Fashioned School Day.

When Erin was ten she kayaked Lake Chelan.
She flew off her horse, chess camp caused some remorse.

When eleven was her age, Camp Kirby was the rage.
She went up on pointe shoes, braces gave her the blues.

At twelve Erin traveled to Texas with Dad.
In Jazz she competed, Fidalgo completed.

When at thirteen she was almost as tall as her Mom.
For Nutcracker, the clown, in Swan Lake she wore “down”.

When fourteen was here, to the high school that year,
We had to respect her huge “Personality Project.”

Fifteen was the year Minnesota seemed near,
Family scattered around, Erin’s feet on the ground.

Happy sixteen at last, Flower Queen in the cast
Learned to drive near and far in her little blue car.

Seventeen ended her first year at Skagit.
She saw Costa Rica, though the trip – kinda freaked her.

Erin, at eighteen, was a lovely Snow Queen.
Danced as “Alice” as planned, two degrees in her hand.

Then her last teenage year, really felt a bit queer.
Back from EWU, full time Padilla crew.

When Erin was twenty, she’d really done plenty.
We all yelled “Hooray” when she got her BA.

It’s a sad twenty-one with her down in Mel“bun.”
She sure is no slacker when magpies attack her.

AFL Footie Grand Final!!!

Mon, 2 Oct 2006 01:25:00 -0700

Watch the video

This is like the American Super Bowl! and it's always held in melbourne! this was the sydney swans vs. the west coast eagles! Eagles won it! wahoo!!! the reason the video is so long is cuz i just love footie players accents :) they are the BEST! :) just listen :)

The Footie Parade!!!

Mon, 2 Oct 2006 00:50:00 -0700

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these aren't just ordinary parade horses! these are carlton draught horses!!! :) boo ya! go aussie! :) look at those kegs!!! no fosters for us! :)

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 06:42:00 -0700

oh my gosh! ok this is the most hilariously true website on the planet!!! you all must go with the SOLEMN VOW that you will NOT make fun of me! :) i am hopelessly in love with a guy who flirts with everyone and appears available JUST to get my business...ok so not hopelessly in love but he's cute! ugh...i feel so used...hmm maybe i'll spend much less money this way :) i suppose every cup of coffee has it's heart in the foam...every word is SO true...i'm going on strike!!! :)

http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1156894575

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 02:38:00 -0700

I feel like this lovely Sunday I have accomplished SO MUCH and yet...now that I look back it doesn't seem that impressive ha :) HOWEVER my lovely canadian came over today to help me with my magpie problem! We made a documentary of the devil maggies that live in my neighbourhood and I hope you enjoy the videos and see that I'm not joking about the holes in the back of my head! :) So enjoy!!! I worked hard and it took a lot of courage to film this footage! :)

The Attack!!!

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 02:25:00 -0700

Watch the video

alright it takes a bit but right after ceci pans over to the trees about 5 seconds later you'll see THE magpie swoop me! and this is THE ONE...other ones don't do it! I told ceci right before she began videoing that the maggie would swoop me when i was just past the trees and then land up on the light post!!! Turns out i was RIGHT ON! :) so now everyone can believe me! I'm NOT making it up! hehe i was shaking sooo bad afterwards! and during even from the anticipation!

the first attempt

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 02:05:00 -0700

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alright cecilia was a pal and set out on a journey with me to document the magpie attacks that i've been claiming...this is attempt one...and yes of course i "thought i heard a sound" and crapped out ;) you can't look up at them cuz they won't swoop down and i was too nervous to not look up every once in a while ha

the walk home

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 01:45:00 -0700

Watch the video

my walk home from the bus to my house...magpie territory! WATCH OUT!

My Worst Enemy

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 00:50:00 -0700

Watch the video

here he is! the devil! just trust me :)??

Chloe the Pig

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 00:30:00 -0700

Watch the video

this is one of the therapy animals :) she's wonderful!!! she makes the cutest noises and has the most amazing ears! she also comes up to about my hip soooo she's not the smallest thing in the world ;)

Joy running a muck!

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 00:10:00 -0700

Watch the video

this is joy playing with her tennis ball :) she is an absolute HOOT! :) she gets all worked up and tears around the house like a mad woman :) this is pretty tame next to what she did last night! ha round and round and round the house she ran!

it's SPRING!!!

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 00:05:00 -0700

Watch the video

it's so gorgeous here now and the temperature's about 20 every day! I love it! It's beautiful :)

Sat, 9 Sep 2006 04:32:00 -0700

today tops off the end of a LONG LONG week. I went to placement 4 days this week! 2 of which bombed out but not after making me get up at 6 in the morning so yes i still ended up sleep deprived at the end of the week. we went out to the nott thursday night...it's the local pub near the monash only open thursdays so we gave it a shot :) it was a blast! Kristy took me out with her friends for the night. it was a blast! i love going out and not having to worry about anything! nothing matters for that night you're just out with your friends...then i woke up friday for placement ha...back to real life...no one was there so i knocked off after an hour of waiting and went back to have lunch with ceci...then to gym then to cecis for our goodbye drinking festivities for her boyfriend jon who didn't attend ha :) it was all good tho sept i was exhausted from the week. it feels like i've done so much and yet i haven't done half the stuff i wanted to! so the evening commenced...i fell asleep during the break up not that it was a bad movie i was just very very tired...fell asleep...woke up...made pancakes which weren't as good as when i first made em so my reputation of not being able to cook is still upheld and then came home to take a 3 hour nap and watch sex and the city for the duration of the day...i'm still exhausted....

the machine at my debit card since it expired i guess...i went to the bank teller and said it ate it and what does he ask me? "was it expired"...well i don't know sir...let me just check...OH WAIT...IT'S IN YOUR FREAKIN MACHINE!!! so now rent is late even tho it doesn't have to be and trying to do a bank transfer to my roomie's account just after i finalized my $5 test run i read that there's a $40 fee for international wire tranfers!!! HOLY SHIT!!! i reeeeeeeally hope it doesn't work but i know it did cuz that's the kind of week i've had ha...on a brighter note i got my license extension in the mail today so that works out well :) so now i've been forced to borrow money for rent! it's like i'm a kid in the candy store without any money and an unloving mother!!! i know the money's there i just have NO way of getting to it ha...ok so now i have to get back into the real world...the gym...placement...class...

i just am getting into going out on the weekends and meeting people and now i'm going to have to go back...HA life is ironic sometimes :) you get attacked by a magpie one day and the next thing you know you're sittin next to your coffee guy on the bus...life is strange :) if i've learned one thing while i've been here that is definitely it :) so enjoy it!!!

Mon, 4 Sep 2006 06:06:00 -0700

Steve Irwin aka "the only way americans know how aussies sound and act" has died today...no he was not killed by a croc...it was death by stingray...RIP Stevie

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154526000310&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Mon, 4 Sep 2006 03:02:00 -0700

So I realized last Wednesday that my coffee guy didn't remember just my coffee and my name...he remembers pretty much everyone's coffee and name ha...so I did what I always do in these sort of situations when my hopes and dreams get crushed and swore him off...like quitting smoking...cold turkey...no more coffees cuz the little giggle in my day is gone. Who am I kidding, I haven't been able to drink my caramel OR vanilla lattes since i've been back from hong kong...I pay 4.50 for a HOT CHOCOLATE with mint of course but still! ha so i've been going to placement...working...schooling...and going out as my time in oz comes quickly to the end. Live it up while i'm here eh? keep busy...and don't buy so much freakin hot cocoa! i have the mix at home! ;) so i'm late coming home from placement today...arrived in on my bus just as i saw the one i wanted to catch driving out...NOOO it's freezing outside and so i go inside to warm up for a bit while waiting not just the 15 but 20 minutes for the next one due to a gap in the schedule. I go back out when the time comes closer and sit on the bench to wait...people walk by...i think ooo every time i see anyone then i just sit there...knowing it'll be just like all my other bus rides home and then i looked up...not because i heard anything...not because i saw anything...i just looked up...and there he was...i had to look at him for a bit cuz it hadn't quite sunk in but it was him...coffee guy...asking if the 6:20 802 had come yet. i turned off my sappy sad ipod music and we had a chat while we waited for the 802 and the entire way home...

as he began to talk about how he used to smoke but quit (in his defense after he said starbucks tastes like shit)...i started to realize that i really had no idea who this mystery coffee guy was. there's been something about him ever since he said "you're erin right?"...and yet what did i really know about him? and then it hit me...sitting next to my coffee guy on the 802...i miss having someone to sit next to...

talk to...laugh with...hug...give me a hug...go out to dinner with...go have a drink with...go shopping with...go have a coffee with...it's such a friendly place this australia...but it's not home...by remembering my name coffee guy made australia feel a little more like home...and at the end of the day...it's just nice to have somebody know your name...

i wanna go where everybody knoooows my naaaaaaaaaaaaaame...

here i don't even have a best friend to call up and tell my cute coffee guy story to cuz it's 3:20am where she is...

Homework Disrupter

Sat, 2 Sep 2006 22:35:00 -0700

Watch the video

Joy taking over my laptop and the loveseat!!! :) How does such a little dog take up so much space? :)

Joy's Tricks

Sat, 2 Sep 2006 22:30:00 -0700

Watch the video

here's joy and pretty much everything that she knows :) hehe i'm so proud ;)

Sat, 2 Sep 2006 20:11:00 -0700

So today is Fathers Day in OZ! Happy pappy's day to my lovely padre!!! And what did I get for fathers day about 4 days ago (i think due to the fact that my dad is crazy about birds...) I WAS ATTACKED BY A MAGPIE!!! Ok so these birds are one of the first species we saw in Melbourne...we actually thought it was a rare sighting since they are a big black and white bird...not as big as an eagle but about twice the size of a normal northwestern crowe (which by the way the crowes here are HUGE as well!) So i'm walking to the bus stop on wednesday morning EARLY for once in my life so yes I must admit i was strolling :) When all of the sudden SWOOP!!! A full grown adult magpie flies right over the top of my head!!! Ok ok so I know every once in a while it happens so I thought it was funny, laughed it off and kept on walking! Then walk walk walk...all the sudden i hear the same noise from the flapping wings just before BANG!!! my head flies forwards from the birds beak (i'm pretty sure) PUMMELING into the back of my head!!! I stood stunned for a bit holding the back of my head *it hurt A LOT* and then looked up at the bird watching it land in the tree! I know this picture's blurry but it's the back of my head where that darn bird pelted me!!!

I was eating a bagel so I thought that was what it may be after so putting the bagel in my backpack I walked slowly watching the black and white devil in the tree. He kept looking at me with that evil bird eye! Like he was watching me and wouldn't rest till I was gone! I walked around till I was far enough away and on the other side of the trees (having waved my arms and stomped the ground as I passed by him to scare him off) but NEEDLESS TO SAY the devil bird didn't budge! So I waited till i was far enough away then turned around and started to walk again...I was holding my head for a bit of the way...a headache starting to form...and then i heard the familiar noise AGAIN!!! I was quick this time and turned around and ducked! (i realize turning around wasn't the smartest thing to do now, but at least i ducked!) so then I waited till he landed again and then BOOKED IT for the bus stop!!! I've never felt so violated in my entire life!!! I couldn't scare a bird away! And my head was bleeding with a huge beak hole in it!!! Rediculous! hehe I have pictures! and now it feels liek i have dandruff since the scab is flaking! ha! And it's right were my ponytail goes! SO HAPPY FATHERS DAY to my lovely birdwatching daddy! and word of advice or so i'm told now...always look at them! or even wearing a hat or sunglasses on the back of your head helps because they only attack you from behind!!! vicious birds tho! they weren't going after my bagel after all! it was ME!!! because i was on their turf! My grocery store guy says "just wait till their babies hatch"...HA...oh my! We missed this season when we came in January apparently :) but beware of the magpies!!!