I'm an international banker now.

I opened up an account with Westpac, the bank of choice for Australia apparently. They are sending me my account information via mail and once I get it activated I can start transferring money overseas. Can't access the funds until I find a place to live and meet with the bank to show proof of identification. But that's one more thing to check off my to do list.

I have almost made it to my last two weeks of work. I completed my last big job of getting the design award submissions together for the MS AIA Awards. It was a big project and I am glad to have shipped it off today! I learned today they intend to throw me a breakfast farewell party at the office. I was surprised. I have been there a year and 3 months. I wasn't really expecting anything grand or really more than a "see ya later, keep in touch." Guess I made somewhat of an impact. Made me feel important.

On the home front, I have been doing some serious cleaning to just get the place more organized so we can work more efficiently. The master bath has still been the biggest project and it is coming together nicely. My intent is to have all the walls primed and painted by the end of the week and the floors and shower and tub deck tiled by next. Plan to get the rest of my hardwoods installed in the hallway this weekend so next weekend I can sand them down and get ready to finish them. After those two big projects, the bath and the hardwoods, I can focus on the smaller tasks of just painting and trim work mainly.

Little by little, it's all coming together....

Correction....

I thought I was giving a three week notice, but it turns out it was a four week notice! Good for them I guess! I have three weeks left now at work and four weeks to complete the house projects. That's really not that much time! But as long as we get the big stuff taken care of and clean out all the junk, I'll be happy.

I am working on the master bathroom now. I will post some in progress pictures tomorrow afternoon. Its way past my bedtime.

29 more days!

Well, I turned in my three week notice on Monday. My last day of employment as a graphic designer is June 12. I'll still do it on the side freelancing as I have done in the past, but I am definitely looking forward to getting away from the computer for a while.

I have been thinking about what I want to do career-wise, and I have decided that I want to go back to school for my masters in exercise science. Not sure where I will go for that or when I will start. Who knows? Maybe I will find a great program down under and decide to stick around a while! I'm not thinking too far ahead anymore. I think that's where a lot of my dissatisfaction lies ... always trying to plan too far ahead or wishing my life was a certain way. Time to live for the present and just be happy with what I have. I can't change the past and I certainly can't predict the future, but today and right now I can tackle and that's what motivated me to take the plunge and go to Australia now.

The house is coming along quite nicely. I have had quite a lot of requests for photos. Well I am not quite to that stage yet, but once I get there in the next few weeks, I will definitely upload some images of the house. My brother and two of his friends will be moving in beginning in July. My big project is the master bath. I almost have the walls ready for painting. Have to connect the plumbing underneath the house and tile the floors and shower and finish my vanity top, which we are creating from an old solid oak art table from Mississippi College. I am so excited to see how that turns out!

RECEIVED!

My Work and Holiday Visa Approval Letter

Claire's Tacky Prom Birthday Party

Me & my date, Rachel of Machel


Me & the Prom Queen/Birthday Girl Claire Kinsey


There are few things I am going to miss about Mississippi ... my dear friends will be several of them. You know who you are. Thanks, Claire, for an awesome themed birthday party and always being there when I need you. Thank you, Rachel, for being a person who can parade all over town with me dressed like that and not have a care in the world about what people think of us.

Six more weeks ... 39 days.

Itinerary

I have booked all of my airfare for my departure. I am leaving June 18 and headed for New York City to visit my brother from a Jewish mother, David. We are going to party hardy until the 24th, where I will then depart for Los Angeles. I am staying there while visiting some high school friends until the 30th. I fly out of Los Angeles at 11:45 p.m., and arrive in Melbourne on July 2. I already have social plans for Independence Day. I have a German friend living in Melbourne who is throwing a dinner party on the 4th. I'll meet all sorts of people and I am really excited about getting to know some new faces.

I am getting things in order at the house. I spoke with a realtor who gave me good news in the fact that I've added substantial value to my house based on my new open floor plan and modern finishes. He said I should make a good return on my investment and recommended I rent it out for a year and then put it on the market after finishing out the details. So that's the plan. I am trying to get my brother to commit to renting the house. I mean, I'm basically giving him a house to stay in with some friends for a little more than the mortgage payment. Thats a steal for a house in this area! I think I'll get it worked out.

I am not much of a reader but a dear friend gave me as a parting gift a book entitled In a Sunburned Country. It's about a guy's travels in Australia. I've read the first two chapters and its very interesting. Thanks, Judy for sharing that with me. I look forward to finishing it and learning what exciting things I am in store for!

Goodbye, Sheila!

I sold the car today! The new owner will be picking "Sheila" up tomorrow after work. Sheila is what I named my car. Actually my friend Rachel named her and it just stuck.

My cousin Kate informed me the other day that "sheila" is actually slang in Australia/New Zealand for a female. I looked it up to get the details. Here is what I found out:

"Sheila"is a worshiping word for a beautiful mysterious woman that one of your mates knows on a first name basis, but you have never met. It is also a possessive term used for one's girl, lover, or CSP. I wasn't sure what a CSP was, so I looked it up. Casual Sex Partner. And now I am informed...

It's been a great two years, Sheila.

I'll be borrowing a car from my parents for the next month and a half. I can't believe how close it is to my departure! Still no visa though... I am calling tomorrow to check on whether or not it has been shipped to me yet. I really really want to have that in hand, so I can turn in my notice at work and push forward with my travel arrangements. Roundtrip tickets to Australia right now are running about $750 with taxes included. Not too shabby!

Selling the car takes care of one of my big accomplishments. Now I am down to just the one monster: the house. I am closer to finishing that monster day by day though. Today my brother and I framed in around the bathtub and I put up the rest of the sheetrock in the master bath. Next week, I have someone coming to lay the wood floors in my kitchen. Since the new wood is slightly different than the old wood, I am going to stain it really dark and it's going to look amazing! I am finally getting to a point for the finishing touches on most of the rooms, so I can finally clean out the junk and tools and have a real "home" to come to, although I will be leaving it soon!