Birthdays. . .Yeah.

So, I'm turning thirty-three this weekend. WooHoo! Nothing too spectacular, but 33 nonetheless. For this post I thought that I would talk a little about my birthday, but then focus on the number thirty-three itself. I've done a little research (okay, I looked it up on Wikipedia too), and found some interesting facts.

First of all, I love birthdays. I just think it's cool to have a day to celebrate the blessings and life that the Lord has provided. Last night my friends from work put together a little last minute party for me. We went out to eat, then some other friends joined us and we spent the evening on my deck just hanging out, chatting, and enjoying a very nice evening. Rachel made cupcakes, Krista brought a cookie-cake, and Shannon provided ice cream WHEW!!! I gained a few pounds on dessert, but I guess it's okay to splurge on your birthday! Mmmm Mmmmm. Anyway, it was a nice way to end a long day at work and celebrate my 33rd. (I'm sorry I didn't take any pics. . .I'll try to remember next time.)

As for the number itself. . .well, check this out:

--In sports 33 was the NBA jersey number of Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
--On most occasions, the traditional number of racers in the Indianapolis 500 is 33.
--33 was the number of innings played in the longest baseball game in history (a 1981 minor league game between the Rochester Red Wings and the Pawtucket Red Sox in Pawtucket, Rhode Island).

--33 is a significant number in modern numerology, one of the master numbers along with 11 and 22 (which was my number playing basketball in college).

--For those of you who speak other languages: In French, Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Portuguese, 33 is the word a patient is usually asked to say when a doctor is listening to his or her lungs with a stethoscope (Trente-Trois, Trentatrè, Treizeci şi trei, Treinta y Tres and Trinta e Três) --Why? Well, I have no idea.

--Dante wrote the Divine Comedy in 3 canticas - each consisting of 33 cantos.

--The United Nations symbol has 33 segments.

--And, most important to me, thirty-three was Jesus's age when he was crucified for our sins in 33 A.D. Awesome to ponder what was accomplished in just 33 short years on earth.

So, that's the number 33. . . .and now, I think I'll go eat another cupcake! :)

Australian Adventure

WHEW!!! What a summer!

Well, I made it home from Australia about a week ago, and I think I'm finally completely recovered. Jet lag is never any fun, but the problem was compounded for me this year because I had to attend an AP conference every day the week we returned. It wasn't too bad, just tiring. My internal clock was all messed up and I felt like I should be asleep at 1:00pm every afternoon. Adelaide is about 14 hours ahead of us so when it's noon here, it's about 2:00am there.

Mom and Mard at the Sydney Opera House

Anyway, I had a GREAT time Down Under! We started in Sydney, spent a couple nights there then traveled down/across southeastern Australia. We spent nights in the Blue Mountains in a cute little town called Katoomba, then drove through part of the "Outback" to Ballarat. The next day took us to the Great Ocean Road, a viewing of the "12 Apostles," and one night in Warnambool. In the morning we walked around the Griffith Island lighthouse, had breakfast in Port Fairy, and then drove through Coonawarra Wine Country up to Adelaide (our final destination.) Then we spent almost two weeks in my mom's hometown staying with friends, seeing the sites, and visiting relatives. It was FABULOUS. The winter weather was a little chilly, especially at night, but I loved it--around 65 degrees every day--are you kidding. I'd take that any day over the hot, humid summers in Kansas.
Shannon, Rachel and Mardy at the "Three Sisters" in the Blue Mountains. It was beautiful.


The "Twelve Apostles" on the Great Ocean Road. It was a little windy and cold, but a good hug will always warm you up. :)

So, I've included some pictures from the trip. Obviously, my mom went with me since the whole point of going was to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday, but you'll notice my friends Shannon and Rachel in some of the pics as well. It was their first trip to Australia and I think they enjoyed themselves. It was cool to experience Australia with some folks who had never been. Good Times!
Mard and Grandma at her birthday party. Doesn't she look great!


This was the view from the house we stayed at in Semaphore, South Australia. My mom's friend Heather has a great house right on the beach!

Mardy and Auntie Val at the Port Power Aussie Rules Football Game. I love it!

FISH and CHIPS! in Victor Harbour, SA.


You can't go to Australia without holding a Koala--Right!?! Of course, my little cousin Chelsea is so much cuter than a Koala. This is Chelsea, her mom Emma, and myself at Rundle Mall in Adelaide. My family is great!

Well, that's it for now. I'll try to include more pictures in my next post. Hopefully it won't take me forever to make that happen. School starts next week. Summer's over and it's time to gear up for Golf season. Woohoo! Go Ravens!