Saturday, July 26
After many hours spent in the airports, on the planes, and on the bus, we have finally made it back to Effingham and Marshall. I can't even describe how happy I was to see my own school. :) As Fr. Daren said, we were delayed for a couple hours going back into Honolulu. This made our plans of going to the beach go down the toilet. We were going to have an 8 hour layover, just enough time to make it to the beach for a break and back. Whenever we were delayed 3 hours, we just couldn't do it all. We had to settle with hanging out with each other in the Honolulu Airport.
The flight back to Chicago was a rough one. I had a lot of trouble sleeping. This airplane did not have as much room to move around. I don't even know how the boys with long legs did it! American Airlines is not much a luxury flight. Well for those not riding in first class. They didn't even give us any free food. Believe me, by the end of our 8 hour flight, some of us were very hungry! But we made it.
A Bales Bus gratefully picked us up at the airport to bring us back to Effingham. We made surprisingly good time, and arrived back around 10:15. Our parents were all there to greet us and help us get out bags off the bus. I was very happy to see everyone!
I know everyone enjoyed the pilgrimage. It could not have happened without the support of our family, friends, Church, and community. So thank you all.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
An updated delay
Our flight from Sydney is now scheduled to leave 2 hours and 45 minutes after the initial time. We are proceeding to the gate now.
The first delay
As of this moment, our flight from Sydney to Honolulu has been delayed by two hours. I'm not too confident it will depart according to this schedule, but we'll see what happens.
This leaves us now - if all goes as rescheduled - a six hour layover in Honolulu before departing from Chicago. We were hoping to escape the airport in Honolulu and play for a few hours before returning to leave for the Windy City. Now we'll see.
This leaves us now - if all goes as rescheduled - a six hour layover in Honolulu before departing from Chicago. We were hoping to escape the airport in Honolulu and play for a few hours before returning to leave for the Windy City. Now we'll see.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Friday, July 25th
Father Daren insisted that I do one last blog before we leave. We are all waiting around before we head to the airport. It is another rainy, foggy day here in Sydney. I was going to go up in the Sydney Tower, but I don't know how much I will be able to see with all the fog. :( We have already checked out of the hotel and now we are hanging out in the mall again.
We leave for the airport at 3:45. Our plane is supposed to leave at 7:45. Hopefully everthing is on schedule. We should arrive in Honolulu about 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning. So we are leaving Friday night, and arriving Friday morning. Quite strange!
There is not anything going on this afternoon. Some people are going to go to the Wild Life World and the Aquarium. I hope they don't get too wet on the walk over.
Sorry it is so short, but there is not much to say today. We were lucky that we were able to leave all of our luggage at the hotel for now. They have all been very nice to us. We know them by name, and they know us by the kids who always need help. But I'm sure they don't mind.
Thanks again for all of your prayers! It has definitely showed in all of our adventures. We have all had a great time together, and haven't been on eachother's nerves too much.
See you on Saturday!
We leave for the airport at 3:45. Our plane is supposed to leave at 7:45. Hopefully everthing is on schedule. We should arrive in Honolulu about 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning. So we are leaving Friday night, and arriving Friday morning. Quite strange!
There is not anything going on this afternoon. Some people are going to go to the Wild Life World and the Aquarium. I hope they don't get too wet on the walk over.
Sorry it is so short, but there is not much to say today. We were lucky that we were able to leave all of our luggage at the hotel for now. They have all been very nice to us. We know them by name, and they know us by the kids who always need help. But I'm sure they don't mind.
Thanks again for all of your prayers! It has definitely showed in all of our adventures. We have all had a great time together, and haven't been on eachother's nerves too much.
See you on Saturday!
Thursday, July 24th
July 24th
This morning we had mass at 8:30. I had a hard time getting up. I think I'm finally getting worn down. After mass, most of us went to Paddy's Market. Taylor O. and Jordan got a suitcase that they are going to put all of their extra stuff in. They bought so much they couldn't fit it all in their original bag. :) I guess that should be a good thing for you back home. Everyone finished up their shopping here. I just found out that they also have a food market in here. I bought some apples here, and they were very good.
We did not have anything planned today, so we all did our own thing. Taylor and I walked to the Art Museum of New South Wales. We were not entirely impressed with it. I guess we shouldn't have expected anything special since it was free. Barb also went and thought a little higher of it than we did.
The boys headed by Brett took a couple of buses around the city. They just wanted to see something that isn't in walking distant. They thought it was very interesting.
Everyone has been getting cranky from lack of sleep. I think the majority of us got in a good nap this afternoon. I slept for a good 2 hours. Taylor didn't get any sleep though. She was took busy feeding the birds in the Food Court. Jordan and her bought a small fries from McDonald's and fed the stray birds that are always in the Food Court.
Today was a very rainy day. Most of us had an umbrella or poncho to keep from getting too wet. I was personally more worried about my purse getting wet than anything else. Fr. Daren was very smart and told me to put it under my coat. He really is a lot smarter than he appears!
At 7:30 we all met in the lobby to go out to dinner. Fr. Daren and Barb had previously gone to St. Patrick's Tavern. They really liked it, so we all went there tonight. On the way there, it rained. We tried our best to stay under awnings, but we still arrived wet. I personally had trouble walking. The sidewalks were very slickery and my flipflops were not cooperating with me. According to Fr. Daren I let out a couple of "squeals" whenever I almost fell over. It was an interesting walk there.
Once we got there, we waited awhile for our food. The boys were very impatient. I had fettucini; some of the boys had ribs; and John had lamb. It looked very good, but I don't think I could've eaten it. One thing that's different here is the water. They serve you large glass bottles to serve yourself with. We found out that they charge you for these. The boys were not very excited to hear this, but eventually got over it. I think most of them forgot to take their happy pill this morning. :)
After dinner, the boys went their separate way. Barb, Fr. Daren, Taylor, and I walked back to the mall. We used the Internet and Fr. Daren and I are doing the blogs now.
Tomorrow is our last day in Sydney. I'm not sure if I will be able to do another blog, but for all those parents that are picking up their kids... We should arrive home on Saturday around 1 or 2. We will probably call home when we are almost there.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. We will see you soon!
This morning we had mass at 8:30. I had a hard time getting up. I think I'm finally getting worn down. After mass, most of us went to Paddy's Market. Taylor O. and Jordan got a suitcase that they are going to put all of their extra stuff in. They bought so much they couldn't fit it all in their original bag. :) I guess that should be a good thing for you back home. Everyone finished up their shopping here. I just found out that they also have a food market in here. I bought some apples here, and they were very good.
We did not have anything planned today, so we all did our own thing. Taylor and I walked to the Art Museum of New South Wales. We were not entirely impressed with it. I guess we shouldn't have expected anything special since it was free. Barb also went and thought a little higher of it than we did.
The boys headed by Brett took a couple of buses around the city. They just wanted to see something that isn't in walking distant. They thought it was very interesting.
Everyone has been getting cranky from lack of sleep. I think the majority of us got in a good nap this afternoon. I slept for a good 2 hours. Taylor didn't get any sleep though. She was took busy feeding the birds in the Food Court. Jordan and her bought a small fries from McDonald's and fed the stray birds that are always in the Food Court.
Today was a very rainy day. Most of us had an umbrella or poncho to keep from getting too wet. I was personally more worried about my purse getting wet than anything else. Fr. Daren was very smart and told me to put it under my coat. He really is a lot smarter than he appears!
At 7:30 we all met in the lobby to go out to dinner. Fr. Daren and Barb had previously gone to St. Patrick's Tavern. They really liked it, so we all went there tonight. On the way there, it rained. We tried our best to stay under awnings, but we still arrived wet. I personally had trouble walking. The sidewalks were very slickery and my flipflops were not cooperating with me. According to Fr. Daren I let out a couple of "squeals" whenever I almost fell over. It was an interesting walk there.
Once we got there, we waited awhile for our food. The boys were very impatient. I had fettucini; some of the boys had ribs; and John had lamb. It looked very good, but I don't think I could've eaten it. One thing that's different here is the water. They serve you large glass bottles to serve yourself with. We found out that they charge you for these. The boys were not very excited to hear this, but eventually got over it. I think most of them forgot to take their happy pill this morning. :)
After dinner, the boys went their separate way. Barb, Fr. Daren, Taylor, and I walked back to the mall. We used the Internet and Fr. Daren and I are doing the blogs now.
Tomorrow is our last day in Sydney. I'm not sure if I will be able to do another blog, but for all those parents that are picking up their kids... We should arrive home on Saturday around 1 or 2. We will probably call home when we are almost there.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. We will see you soon!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Wednesday, July 23
Wednesday, July 23
Today was a day to recover and relax. We woke up and had a late mass at 10:00 a.m. Our only plan for the day was to go to the Church that Blessed Mary MacKillop was buried in. Other than that we just hung out or did our laundry.
Taylor and I found a coffee shop that had French Toast. We sat down and had French Toast served with ice cream! It is very good and cheap! Most of the boys did their laundry or slept in. Us girls decided that we weren't going to spend money on our laundry with only 2 days left of the trip. I hope we don't smell too bad!
We took a train to visit the church. There was already a large group of other pilgrims there whenever we arrived. We listened to them sing and sang along once we got the tune down. We got to see where Blessed Mary MacKillop's tomb is located. We also looked around in a gift shop for quite a while before heading back to the train station.
Afterwards, we all headed out for the Internet or dinner. Fr. Daren and John found an Italian place inside of the mall. Taylor and I were going to go with him before we saw that one meal was $30!! We instead settled on a Kebab place just outside of the hotel. The workers were very nice there and we now wave to them everytime we walk by.
At 9:00 we all met in Fr. Daren's room for a discussion on what the Pope talked about on Saturday night. Brett, David, and Fudge all walked in looking very sleepy. They apparently had been sleeping for a couple hours and were very tired from the day. We discussed the Holy Spirit and how He is a mystery. We got into a deep discussion on what a mystery really is. I don't even know if I can explain it. It is a mystery in itself. :)
That's about all for the night. Taylor and I are using the Internet now. Everyone else is back at the hotel resting for our day tomorrow. I know the boys have a lot planned including Paddy's Market and several other shopping malls. I think they like to shop just as much as girls do. Us girls plan on going to the Art Gallery here and the Sydney Tower. We are all going to meet one last time for dinner. It's supposedly some place nice, and not too expensive!
That's about it! Chao for now!
Today was a day to recover and relax. We woke up and had a late mass at 10:00 a.m. Our only plan for the day was to go to the Church that Blessed Mary MacKillop was buried in. Other than that we just hung out or did our laundry.
Taylor and I found a coffee shop that had French Toast. We sat down and had French Toast served with ice cream! It is very good and cheap! Most of the boys did their laundry or slept in. Us girls decided that we weren't going to spend money on our laundry with only 2 days left of the trip. I hope we don't smell too bad!
We took a train to visit the church. There was already a large group of other pilgrims there whenever we arrived. We listened to them sing and sang along once we got the tune down. We got to see where Blessed Mary MacKillop's tomb is located. We also looked around in a gift shop for quite a while before heading back to the train station.
Afterwards, we all headed out for the Internet or dinner. Fr. Daren and John found an Italian place inside of the mall. Taylor and I were going to go with him before we saw that one meal was $30!! We instead settled on a Kebab place just outside of the hotel. The workers were very nice there and we now wave to them everytime we walk by.
At 9:00 we all met in Fr. Daren's room for a discussion on what the Pope talked about on Saturday night. Brett, David, and Fudge all walked in looking very sleepy. They apparently had been sleeping for a couple hours and were very tired from the day. We discussed the Holy Spirit and how He is a mystery. We got into a deep discussion on what a mystery really is. I don't even know if I can explain it. It is a mystery in itself. :)
That's about all for the night. Taylor and I are using the Internet now. Everyone else is back at the hotel resting for our day tomorrow. I know the boys have a lot planned including Paddy's Market and several other shopping malls. I think they like to shop just as much as girls do. Us girls plan on going to the Art Gallery here and the Sydney Tower. We are all going to meet one last time for dinner. It's supposedly some place nice, and not too expensive!
That's about it! Chao for now!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Pictures
Bondi Beach
Where we stayed on Saturday and Sunday
Bondi Beach
Place in the mall where we all use the Internet
Giant Chessboard
Bondi Beach
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