Australia: Day One

After about 30 hours of travel (21 hours in the air) we finally made it to Oz! We left our house on Sunday around noon. The cats didn't want us to go...Charlie even tried sneaking into our luggage:

But we left the kitties in the capable hands of our house sitter (AKA my cousin) and were off to Dulles International Airport in D.C., where the hubster took our parting shot:

After a five and a half hour flight to L.A., a fourteen hour flight to Brisbane, and an hour and a half flight to Mackay, we arrived at our destination ridiculously tired, but happy on Tuesday at 10:00 AM. We had lost Monday, but who really likes Mondays anyway?

Unfortunately my parents and aunt were on a separate flight from Brisbane to Mackay and had a nine hour layover while we showered, relaxed, and spent time with my sister and brother-in-law and their dog, Possum:

They finally arrived from their 40+ hour journey to Oz at 5:00 PM on Tuesday. After hugs, showers, and a tour of the other H-House, we sat down to a dinner of 'mixture' and went to sleep promptly at 8:30 PM. (And I barely made it that long)

Thus ended the first day of our nineteen-day trip filled with flying, family, food, and lots of R&R!

Here is the recipe for 'mixture' for all of you curious folks:

Ingredients:

• Long grain white rice
• Bacon
• Onions
• Tomatoes
• Soy Sauce

Directions:

• Chop bacon, onions, and tomatoes
• Begin to heat white rice in a large pot
• Cook bacon in a pan until almost fully cooked
• Mix in chopped onions and stir until cooked
• Drain rice
• Mix bacon, onions, and tomatoes into rice
• Add soy sauce to taste
• Enjoy!