I should be studying....

... so instead, I blog.

This week is my last week of class for my first year of graduate school. That just blows my mind. And while I should be working on my last project due for the semester, and studying for finals, I find myself finally wanting to update this dusty blog.

Mostly though, I want to post the delightful photo you see below. Hi D! It is wonderful having you back in the same country as me!



Life has been busy. You should ask me about it sometime.

Ok, back to study.

Every Day.

There have been a number of different occasions where I have thought about writing another entry, even began composing them in my head, but it just never seems to happen. Today is different. I haven't really given any forethought to this; I just felt the need to write. I don't even know the purpose of this entire blog of mine... not even sure if there needs to be one. Am I catering to the few readers out there, or to me.

Every day? Each day is hard for me at the moment. Each day is a trial for most people I have no doubt. How hard is too hard? Maybe if I write a little bit down each day it won’t seem so hard. I have a wonderful family, amazing friends, and an incredible Christian support network. Sometimes though, it seems like most of these people are on the other side of the world... and sometimes the ones I need to talk with just are on the other side of the world. Perhaps if I write a little, The Hard won’t build up too much.

Yesterday I broke a little. I feel like saying the God broke me a little, but I don't know how true or fair that is. Either way, it was terrible and wonderful.

It's times like this I wish I was good wit' de words.

I felt so battered, scared, lost... like a little lonely sailor in a dingy (paddle boat?) during a storm on the ocean. That's me trying to be poetic... instead I feel like a bit of a poser. And now I feel as though I am making light of a tough situation... bahh

God has been getting further and further away from me in the past couple of months. But yesterday I became so overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness that I finally bending a little and humbled myself to God. I prayed. I asked for prayer. I prayed and believed it. And was liberated.

God broke me. Broke me from bad habits and manners of thought.

So now I write.

Hopefully this will continue to become an almost daily habit. Along with another habit I intend to develop. But maybe I will save that idea for tomorrow... there needs to be something to motivate me not to give up after day one.

Another list.

Well. Here I am. It has been so long since I have posted on here and quite a bit has changed, so now I have no idea where to start.


A quick run-through of all the changes that have taken place can't hurt. Stay with me while I list off some of the recent big events for a brief update.

I moved back to Australia (without Damien) and then next day enrolled in classes for my masters degree.

I moved in with my in-laws.

I cried a lot. Not necessarily related to the above item. :P

I feel in love with Sydney all over again.

I discovered a field of work that I love and am excited to start working in.

I devoloped more persistant food allergies.

I continue trying to eliminate all dairy and sulphites from my diet (bye-bye chocolate, ice-cream, and lollies).


I have spent much needed time with my Mum and old friends.


I adjusted to life without Damien. Bitter sweet revelation.

I missed my Abilene dance company's annual show.


Damien came back!


I got Damien a full time job with one of the loveliest families on the planet.

Damien had a birthday.


The Fosters came to visit!


I got stimulated by Kevin Rudd (Maybe only the Australians will get this) and bought a new book-bag, and trench coat. :)

I missed my best friend's baby shower. :(


I am slowly realising that adjusting to having Damien back will be a constant joy and struggle. And that is ok.

I completed my first semester of graduate school in Australia!

And I think that about does it. There is a pile of new non-uni books waiting to be read, a husband patiently waiting for his study-distracted wife, exercise to be caught up on, sleep to be caught up on, a family holiday to the Hunter Valley to be had, and an engineering internship to be found. This uni holiday isn't going to be one of idleness by any means.

Oh My Goodness. Oh My Goodness. Oh My!

I am leaving Damien.

I can't believe it....

Let me explain.

Over the Christmas holiday I found out that I had been accepted into a graduate program in Australia. This was all very exciting, as it meant that I could spend the first six months of the year working, dancing and hanging out in Abilene. However, when they sent me the email informing me of my acceptance, they also mentioned that I was eligible for a particular scholarship. But(!), if I wanted to apply for, and later accept, the scholarship then I would have to set my start date to March 2nd.

At the time I didn't think that it was too big a deal. I didn't really believe that I would get it.

Welp kiddos, I applied for the scholarship, as you do, and surprisingly enough I got it. Which means that I will be starting classes in Sydney in less than two weeks. Aannd I will being doing this while Damien remains in Abilene to finish up his degree. That's two whole different countries. (*Katie, I feel your pain.) Husband in the US, wife somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.

Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy.

I have to do laundry, I have to tidy my apartment, I have to finish up dancing things, and I have to pack.

I keep telling myself that this is a wonderful opportunity. I hope I start believing it soon-ish.

*Note - Photos of my last days in Abilene are on the way.

Bits and Pieces.

It has been a while eeh? Well I am here now and don't have too much to say that will be very enlightening. This is really for me. I want to remember how I feel right now and what some of my dreams are.

I want to build things. Shelves, vases, bedroom suites, stuff from wood. :) Using a lathe would be nice. Owning a lathe would be better.

I want to travel lots and lots and see many different cities.

I want to learn about all cultures. But I really want to live in and get the full experience of a few different ones too.

I want to create. I would like to knit and sew...just simple, pretty things, nothing too ambitious. I am not looking to making a career out of it, just for fun and family.

I want to learn how to relax and enjoy what I am experiencing. (I think I am getting better at this...but there is still work to be done.) The journey, not the destination....and all that crap. :P

I want to have my own beautiful and meaningful experiences, I don't want to try and replicate experiences I think (for one deluded reason or another) I should have.

I don't ever want to stop looking at/reading about/hearing about other peoples adventures and things they have appreciated experiencing. I want the beauties that other people see to inspire me in looking for my own wonder and awe at things big and small, new and old.

I want to put myself in scary situations...where I feel completely out of my league and totally foreign to what is around me.

I want to start from scratch, to feel lost in a crowd of people, and then to make my home there.

I want to learn to speak and read/write French fluently. Salut! Comment ca va?

I want to have babies with my husband. I want to be the best parent I can be with him and fall in love with him again and again through the experience.

I want to seriously look into adopting.

I want to travel the world with D by my side. I don't want to experience anything breathtaking or profound without being able to share it with him.

I want to continue to find myself, and to grow what I dream of becoming.

I want to live in the same city as my best friends. Maybe not all at the same time or for an extended period of time, but I would like it to happen.

I want to find a job...work...an occupation that I really enjoy doing.

With the help of D, and many others I'm sure, I want to build our own house. Maybe it could look like this...or this. Only less creepy to live in.

I want to live in France and visit every country in Europe. But I don't want to spend a weekend or even a week somewhere and call it done, I want to spend about a month in every new place.

Whelp... I think that's me for now. There are so many things that are a bit uncertain and/or about to change in my life right now. I guess dreams are one thing I can hang on to. Of course this list isn't extensive. I have many more dreams, specifically regarding family and faith, but these are ones that I felt the need to write about today.

I'm An Aunty!

I woke up this morning with two exciting texts waiting to be read. The first said:

"Yetunde (the brother's wifey) gave birth to a little boy, by c-section at 4:29am. He weighs 4lb 12oz and both he and mother are doing fine."

Oh. My. Goodness. I almost peed myself with excitement.

The next text came at the ungodly hour of 6:40 this morning:

"His name is Harland Akainola Potter."

Harland! Eeek! I love it. It is so cute and full of potential.

I really wish I could pack up a bag and fly to England to meet my new nephew, and not so new sister-in-law. Why do we all have to live on different continents.

Okay. That's all I wanted to say. Just oozing the love really.

Decks and Mooses and Bears. Oh My!

With three weeks and one day left until we fly out, I thought it high time for another post. But I should be working, so maybe I will let these photos do the talking.

With a bunch of the youth group, over the 4th of July weekend, we went to work on a family's cabin. We put in the foundations for and built about half of their deck. I don't think the kids would say the same, but D and I had an absurd amount of fun doing it.



One morning a couple of weeks ago, D got a phone call from a lady at church to say that we should come over to her house for a minute if we have the time. We did, so we went and this is what we saw when we stepped out their back door.
No. Not Damien. The other fury things.


Last week D and I went on a three day trip into Denali National Park. It rained on and off most of the drive there, and for nearly all off the drive back. But the one whole day that we spent in the park was perfect!

Apparently there are on average about 30 days in a year that the mountain (Mt. McKinley or Denali...either way) is visible. It is such a large mountain that it creates it's own weather patterns, and most of those involve cloud cover. Luckily for us we happened to be there on one of those rare days that the mountain was "out" as the locals say.

Day 1 - Cloud cloud everywhere.


Oh, and that photo was taken on a walk at around 11 at night. Such a pretty sunset. At Eleven O'clock At Night.

View down the main street at 11:15 pm


First glimpse of The mountain.


Our friendly Park Ranger telling us not to get eaten by bears and such.

Wait. Is that what I think it is????

Why, yes. Yes, it is.

And it was about 25 metres away from out bus. eek.

It was a wonderful trip and helped in making us fall more in love with this place. Hopefully more photos to come once I have done a little real work. :)