From Nora to Ms. McSpadden's Fourth Grade Class

Ok, here is a post from my sister, Nora, to her 4th grade class back in JC. :)

Hey guys! I'm having a great time here in Hawaii, but today is my last day. Then we are going to be on a plane to Australia for 11 hours! We are going to cross the International Dateline, so we lose a day. We leave on the 30th and get there on the 31st. I really miss you guys! I'll be one day ahead of you in Australia! I hope you enjoy my bottled note that I mailed you guys from here in Hawaii! Aloha!
~Nora

Packing and Going Away Parties

Ha ha, Mom decided to take the entire contents of Talbots with her...

...in this suitcase.

And then I took a look inside my closet, and found clothes I hadn't even thought about in like ten years. So, ... EEEEK!

Work really got to Dad, so he decided to pose for this lovely picture. :)

We were worn out from packing. So what did we do?

We threw ourselves a going away party at the Fender's Farm Corn Maize!!!

This is my sister, Nora, and her friend, Sydney. :)

Sydney on the left, Nora on the right. :D

It's like a giant Halloween creche!!

Sydney, Dad, and Nora on top of this really cool bridge that helps you cheat to find your way through the maize... ha ha :)

These are my two bestest friends in the ENTIRE world!!!!!!! Rebecca on the left, and on the right is Meghan. :D Love them!!!

The House of Pumpkins!!

Don't even ask, cuz I have no idea. :) ha ha



















Yeah, we are crazy. And that's just how we roll. Ha ha :)























This is Becca. And that's all I got to say about that. :)















I am going to miss you guys sooooooo much!!!!! I love all of you, and I will see you in January!!!

The Pre-trip Post

So, just to catch everything up, my name is Ali, and I believe I will be the main "blogger" while the family is abroad. If you hadn't already guessed from the title, we are going Outback, Down Under. In two weeks, we are leaving to go to Australia for two months, and this blog is a way of keeping you all informed as we venture into the...world's backyard, if you will. My sister and I are unenrolling from the school system for these two months in search of a more hands-on experience in the exciting, frightening, and utterly bewildering enigma of the earth that is Australia. I, myself, am rather excited to see the Great Barrier Reef, the great Uluru/Ayers Rock monolith, and my bath water draining in a counter-clockwise circular motion. We are really psyched about this trip, and we will keep you informed every step of the way!