33 Hour Journey

Hello again to everyone back home! It's about that time again so I hope you all have your reading glasses on. So this weekend was the most memorable weekend so far on my trip. Not only did I have an amazing game and I played extremely well, but also I got two visitors!!

First off, the game. This weekend I once again played in the Thirds, which I was pretty disappointed about, but decided to make the most of the opportunity. Every weekend about 14 players don't even get a game, so I should consider myself lucky to be playing! Anyways, the game was played at the Yokian (I think) Reserve against an opponent who was struggling a bit ( I can't remember their name). We had one win under our belt and the opponent had yet to win a game, so they came out ready to play. As the game began we could tell we were in for a dogfight, but we were ready to step up to the challenge. Slowly but surely we pulled away in the first quarter and then dominated the rest of the game. The final scored showed a win of nearly 11 goals. So, for the second straight week, we got to sing the team song which I don't know the words to.

Personally, I played extremely well at both Half-back flank and a wing. All over the field I picked up balls, had accurate kicks, strong tackles, and smart decisions. I have really begun to understand the flow of the game over here and am adjusting really well to it. I'm even learning when the right way to get into a scuffle as I got into another one, my third in four games. When the final sired sounded, I got heaps of compliments followed with an award at the Clubhouse that night. Hopefully next week I will get moved back up and continue with my solid play!! A big congratulations also need to go out to the One's team as they defeated our rival, North Beach, by 5 points for their first win. North Beach was 3-0, and the reigning Champions, so it was a huge win for the club.

But, the best part about the weekend was the arrival of my friends Kristyn and Alex!! Friday morning I called in sick (I'm using my vacation days for Lisa's visit!) and cleaned the house and prepared for their arrival. The plane arrived around 12:30 so I arrived early to get a good picture taking spot. But, things turned out even better as I was allowed to go through security and right up to the terminal! As they got off the plane I found a seat to take some pictures to really capture the moment which i think worked. It was great to see their smiling faces, but not so great when I saw the amount of luggage they brought. Seriously, enough for a small army.

After the drive back to my place and some much needed showers, the three of us decided to go exploring (well, not so much me) along the coast. I figured they would want to go to the beach and ocean after their journey, so off we went! The first stop of the adventure was Mullaloo beach, which is one of the best beaches in Perth. The beach is just down the road from me, so after a short 5 minute drive we arrived at the water ready to see the sights. it was beautiful as the sun was shining and there were only a couple people in speedos. We only stayed here for about 15 minutes as there is so much to see and not enough time!

Our second stop on the adventure, after a nice drive along the coast, was Scaroborough beach, arguably the best beach in Perth. From here we played in the sand, put our feet in the water, took tons of pictures, and watched a stunning sunset. Just standing there with the girls watching the sun fall over the horizon makes me wish that everyone could have been there with us. We were thinking about everyone!

Finally, as the day drew to a close, we piled into the car and headed for home. The girls were starting to get tired, which showed as both fell asleep on the ride home. No worries though as I know the feeling. I was just happy they lasted as long as they did! After a quick dinner of home made stir fry made by yours truly, the girls were off to bed to sleep the night through, which was pretty accurate considering they slept for 14 hours straight. Not going to lie, I was rather impressed

Saturday was my footy game and award ceremony which they got to watch. I felt all cool receiving my award in front of them. Once the ceremony had ended we stayed at the Clubhouse to celebrate with the team, which included some awful dancing, pants-down time (not me, but Jared and some other players pull their pants down (not the under ware) and stand around talking), a lot of crude jokes, and everyone knowing instantly the girls were Americans. We had a great time as the girls got to meet a lot of the team and they got to enjoy some great Australian brew.

Sunday was the best day so far as we spent the morning picking up the rental car (Alex was the driver. If Kristyn drove I wouldn't be on the roads), eating breakfast (I had some awesome pancakes) outside along the beach at Cottesloe Beach, some drinks at the Cottesloe Beach Hotel, and walking around King's Park for a few hours. The weather was absolutely perfect so lots of pictures were taken. I could sit here and describe everything, but I don't have that kind of time and this is getting long enough already. The day/weekend ended with a bon fire out back of our house while having a couple beers and enjoying the stars. With a day like that ending with such a perfect night, it's hard not to believe this is paradise.

Right now the girls are down south at Margaret River enjoying some wine tasting. Margaret River is a massive wine making valley, like Napa Valley in California, and the wine is spectacular. Beth, Tim and myself spent a bit of time down there and enjoyed every second of it. I'm sure they will take tons of pictures and hopefully they'll bring back some wine for my enjoyment!!