First a quick stop in Seattle...

to visit my sister for the weekend, and then I'm off to LA! And after a 14 hour plane ride, a 5 hour layover in Melbourne, and another 4.5 hour flight....I'll be in Perth!

This last week at home turned out to be pretty hectic. I made a quick visit up to Madison on Monday to go to St. Vinny's one last time for a book run, but......turns out books are really heavy. At least when your suitcases can only be 70 lbs in total and you don't think it's physically possibly to live with any less clothes for the next 5 months. So Claire and Mollie, I promise I'll read your book choices this summer!

And of course, a Madison visit wouldn't be complete without an ice cream run, or dinner out. Mollie, Fara, and I headed over to Monty's Blue Plate Diner for a delicious, but very filling, dinner!

The "purge and birge" crew

And then all was going well until...I got the flu. The day before I was supposed to leave for Seattle. So, the flight got moved back by about a day and half and the flu is finally over! Packing was put off until the last minute, as in I was still trying to drop about 5 pounds right before leaving for the airport. I still have to figure out how to drop another couple pounds before my flight out of LA. I'm planning on wearing those couple pounds and putting the really heavy objects in my coat pockets-I refuse to pay the excess baggage fee. I had a quick break today in Seattle and ran down to a favorite cafe a few blocks down from where Kate lives. Voxx is the typical (in my mind, I guess) Seattle cafe/hang out spot. It's got a retro vibe to it and always seems like the perfect place to escape an overcast day. It makes some darn good coffee as well, or so my mother keeps telling me. And on the way over I found the cutest house...

I spy with my little eye...something leopard print

And now I'm just admiring the view from my favorite porch and taking in the sights of Seattle from Kate's balcony, and day dreaming about the semester to come.

Views of Lake Union

When I get into Perth I'll have a few days to unwind, unpack, and get used to the fourteen hour time difference. And then on Sunday I leave for a marine biology camp that is the laboratory component of my semester long class at Murdoch University (now do you get the title??). I'll update you if I see any blue ringed octopi or box jellyfish during the week.