She's Here ...

Well, I made it. Can't say it was my most favorite trip, but I am here now and that is what is important. It was one of those 14 hour bronco rides and because of my illness and my nervousness that I would develop another bout of fluid in my lungs at 8000 feet, the doctor had prescribed (along with medication to decrease the chance of getting fluid in my lungs) Valium. Yes - Valium. And I took it thinking things were going to be all sunbeams, roses and unicorns - but instead a very bumpy ride and I still CARED - I thought the Valium would east the fear of death, the uncomfortablness of it all, you know - just make me think it was hysterically funny. It didn't.

The flight was one of those, you know, where the plane falls so many feet you feel like you are plummeting and there are little screams and 'Ohs' muttered throughout the plane - except after 10 hours of it, pretty much no one was saying much of anything! And of course - as I mentioned in my first trip over here - the seat belt sign stayed off the entire time and we were free to lurch about the cabin. My second time over here the ride was smooth - so I don't know what gives - I guess just the weather over the ocean at the time.

I had mentioned to Gary that it always made me nervous that had something happened to the plane - there is really nothing between here and LA except Hawaii. In his wisdom and effort in some way to make me feel better (?) he mentioned: "You realize this is the flight in "Lost", right? They are flying from Australia to LA - crash land on some unknown deserted island - so, see - there are places out there!" Somehow that didn't make me feel any better about if disaster strikes.

One new thing on this trip was LIGHT! We leave at 11 something in the evening and arrive at 6:00am and pretty much it is dark the entire flight and people try their best to just pretend it is night time and sleep - or for us insomniacs (as I wander / lurch about the plane I can see them) we surf their in flight movies, TV shows, Documentaries, etc. But my last two flights have been arriving during the winter when it was still dark out at 6:00am, but no so this time:

It was actually very pretty and this beat up window doesn't give it justice, but it's all I had.

Got here after the longest wait for baggage I have ever experienced (NONE OF IT MINE - please refer to my "Do I look like a FedEx truck" for explanation), then standing in the longest baggage checkout queue - Australia has some hefty import restrictions. The baggage checkout queue did the winding back and forth thing, then ran around 3 different baggage carousels - it was nuts. Finally, after playing with the 'Taxi Driver From Hell' I arrived, and fell flat in bed. Didn't wake up until Gary got home from work. Stayed up with him, went to bed with him and slept the entire night - so I must have needed the sleep.

Since I have not done anything yet - I don't have any photos, but Gary mentioned that he had taken a panoramic set of shots one beautiful morning and could I make it into a panoramic photo. It turned out so well, I thought that I would include it:

Have a few other events to mention but decided to pace myself. Being the third time here - I am sure I will be short on material!