Moonlit Sanctuary

Shawnie had her birthday here a few weeks ago which was absolutely amazing.  Since we can’t really take much home with us when we leave we are trying to focus holidays on gifts in the form of memories or experiences so for her birthday we went down onto the peninsula and spent a few days in a beach house, since it's spring here (a weird notion to think of November as spring). 

My favorite part of that trip though was on the way there we stopped at a place called “Moonlit Sanctuary.”  It was a place where they had all different kinds of Aussie animals that you could interact with.  I have officially hugged/cuddled a koala.  :D 

However the coolest thing was they had this area in the back where they just had domesticated kangaroos and wallabies wandering around free range and we were able to buy some food and hand feed them.  IT WAS SO COOL!!!

They love the forests here, which while impossible to explain or photograph are extremely beautiful, so you walk through this path in this forest and they are just everywhere sleeping on the sides of the path or following you.  Even Zach was able to hand feed a few. 


Since it’s spring it’s also baby season and at one point I had four wallabies (they are like mini kangaroos) eating out of my hands, three of which had baby joeys hanging out of their pouches!

The Finish Line

This morning I lost my very best friend in the world.

Ryker Lance Dattage was killed this morning at 8:40 in Green Canyon when they assume he fell asleep behind the wheel before crossing lanes of traffic and hitting another truck.
He died instantly.
All I can keep thinking is that I never got to say goodbye.  I hadn't even had a face to face conversation with him since graduation and he was out of town when I moved.
Ryker, you've been my best friend since the third grade.

I'd helped you get your first girlfriend, overcome depression (mine and yours) with you, competed in debate with you as a team mate and a fellow captain, smacked sense into you way too often, and laughed with you way too much.  You used to always call me your second mother because I pushed you so much and held you back so often.
I know I didn't leave America on the best of terms with you and I regret some of the childish things I said but I can't even be mad at you for breaking your promise.

It was you who taught me what it meant to be a friend.  I'll never forget how good of a friend you were to all those around you whenever they needed it.

Remember when Tristan was getting bullied by some kid?  You didn't even hesitate you marched off only knowing the kids extracurricular activity, hair color, and height to stand up for Tristan.  I'll still be mocking you in heaven for pinning the wrong kid to the locker and giving him a piece of your mind.  But it just showed me how someone is supposed to care about their friends.  You would have done anything for the Muchachos and because of that they would have done anything for you.
For the first time in my life I regret not keeping a better journal or taking more pictures.

You taught me what it meant to be proud.
I remember you telling me how proud you were to be a Dattage and how you hoped that you could live up to that name so that someday your kids could be proud of it as well.

You taught me that it's important to listen.
I probably ranted to you about stupid things more than any other person but that was because you always listened.  You always corrected me, cursed with me, or simply sat in silence while I got it out.  I know that you ranted to me just as much and I tried my best to listen but I can't thank you enough anyway.

There are so many 'remember whens' and 'what ifs' that my chest feels like it's going to explode.
But you better know that just because you're gone from here that I'm letting you off the hook.  You better be ready to talk next time I see you.
Because next time I'll listen.
And until then I promise you that I'm going to do my best to live life your way.  To fight for my friends.  To be proud of my family name.  To listen not just to respond but to understand people.  To notice the small, beautiful moments.  To love whatever I do.
I promise.
I'll see you at the finish line Ryk.

Imperfectly Beautiful

I’ve really been thinking a lot about different things and I found this quote the other day that just made everything better. “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.”  Sometimes in this life we get so focused on everything that we should be doing or everything that could go wrong, or we get set in a certain way of doing things that we miss out on what Heavenly Father has planned for us.  

Life is beautiful.  

Why would we want to miss a second of it?  

Sometimes you we will mess up.  Sometimes we burn three pie crusts in one day simply trying to make an American Pie for someone as a thank you.  Sometimes the little brother deletes your homework.  Sometimes you scrape your knee.  Lock yourself out.  Misinterpret something.  Forget a birthday.  Fall and tear your pants.  Quote a scripture mastery wrong.  There will always, always, always be mistakes.  '

The trick is to smile, laugh, and find the beauty. 

Because sometimes it’s the flaws that make something beautiful.  

Sometimes it’s the sticky, grubby card that a sibling makes for you.  Sometimes it’s the flower missing it’s petals that stands out the most.  Sometimes the scrapes, bruises, and worn parts are what make something valuable and treasonable.  

A Journey of a Thousand Miles (or a few thousand...)

Well here we are in Australia.  Everything is so different here.  We got here on Friday afternoon after 29 brutal hours of flying on three different airplanes.  It's been three days and we're all still jet lagged.

The first time the culture shock really hits you and you realize that you are in a different country, on a different continent, on the other side of the world is when you go grocery shopping for the first time here.  They don't have Walmart Down-Under, instead having bunches of different stores for everything.  There are a few bigger stores though such as Woolworths, Aldi, Coles, and Big W.  

On saturday Aunt Leah (well my second cousin but it's easier to say Aunt) came and took mom and me grocery shopping which was awesome.  All the brands and food is different here, including ketchup which isn't called ketchup (it's tomato sauce) or taste like ketchup (they add barbeque sauce to it).  Also, if they say that it's an "american" food or "american" style when you travel outside of the USA....

It's not.

Don't trust the 'American' mustard...

On Sunday we went to church for the first time in our new Aussie ward.  The thing that has amazed me the most since moving to Australia is the diversity.  Whereas in small town Cache Valley, where it is mostly white with the second major ethnicity being Spanish and small amounts of others, here it is the worlds mixing pot.  Our neighbors across the street are Pakistani, while another set are Tongan, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, English... you name it.  

The exciting moment on sunday happened though when I walked into the Young Single Adult (YSA) sunday school class and introduced myself.  Since I have such a 'strong' accent here compared to them as soon as I opened my mouth I got the usual "Oh!  You're American?  John's from America too!"

The boy named John looked up from the other side of the room but didn't say anything.  Later in the lesson it was his turn to read and as he started I about fell out of my chair.  John, you see, if from Mississippi.   He has the thickest southern drawl of your life and I understood the Aussies more than I understood him!  I just wanted to check we were even from the same country!  

Oh well.  :D  That's America for you.  

Can't wait for the adventure!  Bring it on!