Bored at School

I'm currently at school, taking a little break during studying; so I thought I'd write another short entry.


Today I'll tell everyone about Springbrook National Park.
For Rach's birthday, I rented a car and all three of us (Demi included) drove down to Springbrook national park, about 1.5 hours drive south west of brisbane.  We tried our best to leave as early as possible, but with the time change and 3 non-morning people, we arrived around noon.


Now I had done some research on the brisbane area before arriving, and this park caught my eye.  Not only was it amazingly beautiful with stunning views and lush flora, but I have never been able to experience so many different and distinct ecosystems on one hike.  While we were there, we did 3 trails: the twin falls trail, the lookout of all lookout points, and the natural bridge.


The twin falls trail was a 3km walk that takes you down into a lush valley, following a winding river that plummets off of a sheer cliff making the twin falls.  The trail started at the top, and by the time we reached the bottom, it had taken us through brush, dense rain forest, between granite boulders, and behind the waterfall.  When we got to the bottom, the trail opened up into a heavenly oasis at the basin of the waterfall.  The water was deep, clear, and refreshingly cold.  There was even a boulder on which to tan!   Talk about the perfect spot.


Next was the lookout of all lookout points.  We were skeptical at the name; I mean.... common, I've seen a few lookout points in my day.  But I have to give credit where credit is due, this one was pretty spectacular.  It was situated on an old inactive volcano, high above the mountain range.  A canopy of green stretched as far as the eye could see.  Silent, we marveled at God's hand in creation.  How... utterly... amazing. Ohhh and to top it all off, there were antarctic beach trees over 2000 years old right next to the trail.








The creme de la creme of the day was the natural bridge.  A cave inhabited by bats and glow worms, with a water fall through it to naturally provide light.   I'll let my pictures do the talking on this one.

After the hikes, we drove out east to surfers paradise - took a nice evening stroll along the beach, letting the surf percolate through our toes and wash the fatigue from our feet.  That night we had Mos burgers, a japanese take on burgers with patties made of rice and kimchi beef as a patty.


I'd say that Rach thought she had a pretty wicked birthday




God is good.... all the time

A rapid catch-up

Hey guys!


Going to try this new thing called blogging... not sure if I am a fan yet, or if anyone really cares what I have to say?  But we'll give it a whirl and see where the wind takes us.


I've been here now 6 weeks, and things have been pretty solid.  I'll try to catch everyone up on what we (rach and I) have been up to over the next few posts.  Today's a sad day because this morning she just left to go back home to Kentucky.  I won't be seeing her again for a while.  The distance will be tough.


Anyways - Rach, I, and my highschool friend and roommate Demi, arrived in Brisbane on the 6th of January.  We took a few days to get oriented, clean up the apartment, and explore the city.
Brisbane is a beautiful city.  Its BIG (1.9 million) and it takes a pretty long time to get around town.  There's a river that snakes across the city and around both the university and the downtown, so naturally the waterfront is the place to be!  We live in a neighborhood called Annerley, about a 10 min busride from school, and a 15-20 minute busride from Southbank (the cool hangout spot) and downtown.


The people here are so nice and easy going.  No one is rude, no one is in a hurry, everyone smiles and says g'day to each other, it's a very pleasant place to live.  And the weather... THE WEATHER!  Even the rain is warm!   I'm positive the upbeat living around here is based purely on the fact that theres so much sun.  I'm convinced that somehow vitamin d (which is produced through exposure to sunlight) and mental well being are connected.


Rach and I also checked out hillsong brisbane, and I think that I am going to make it my home church.  Its lively, its energetic, its growing, the spirit is moving, and most importantly, it feels like home.  Smiling faces that greet you at the door, a "come as you are" embracing attitude, amazing worship, and a grounded and challenging senior pastor.... what more could you ask for?




So far, things have been pretty good.....  very good...
And god is good.... all the time.