Just a quickie...

I finally got the slideshow from Katoomba and Jenolan Caves to work - it is the top one on the right. These are photos from our anniversary trip.

Nothing too exciting going on lately, just a bunch of dreary rain. The last couple of weekends we've ignored the rain and gone into different sections of Sydney. We went to the Darling Harbour Jazz & Blues Festival - fun, but more blues than jazz. That same day we went to the Sydney Aquarium and looked at all the cool fish.

Last Saturday we went down to the main shopping drag - George St. We started at the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) - a very old and beautifuyl building that is now a very upscale shopping center. Gotta have money to shop there! The basement level of shops connected underground to the next arcade...which connected to the next arcarde...which...well, you get the picture. We walked for blocks underground - miles if you include all of the levels. We got a few things, but nothing too spectacular. Well, I got a sick Billabong jacket that I totally love, and Clarice got some tops for work, but mainly we walked around and enjoyed the day. We took the bus down and back - saved on parking and gas!

Last Sunday we had some of Clarice's co-workers (the "foreigners" - everyone who is here from overseas) over for dinner. I know, 2 picky eaters who can't really cook hosting dinner?!?! What is this world coming to?? Top it off, I'm an introvert and hate those sorts of things, but I was told it was happening and I needed to help. (insert salute here) :-)

We did pasta (go figure), grilled up some chicken, had a salad (that neither of us ate, thank you very much!), and some toasted garlic bread. Six people came, ate and had a very nice time. No one was poisoned - in fact they ate almost everything. Maybe they were just being polite, but we both thought it was the best meal we had made in Australia so far. We've been struggling finding a pasta sauce we like...getting off track, sorry.

After dinner, Clarice led the group in some Wii while I did the dishes. Nice thing about our place is the sink faces the rest of the room so I could be a part of the group, yet still in my own world doing the dishes. Nice for me, since I didn't know anyone as well. It was a nice time, and I'm sure we'll do it again. Maybe rotate hosting among the group.

Tonight I am going to the Men's Bible Study. Well, tonight isn't a study, per se. They just finished a study, and the women's study is finishing tonight (Clarice will go if she gets home in time), so to keep the groups more or less in sync, the guys are taking the week off and going to see Prince Caspian. I've already seen it, but I'm going mainly for the social time beforehand to meet people. Next week starts a new study.

Tomorrow night we plan to go to a couple's study as well. THEY are finishing a study this week (I guess everyone is??), but we'll be ready to start the next one. We'll make a few friends out of this place, yet!

That's about it. Hope everyone is enjoying the heat back home - it's 65 degrees and cloudy here. Few more weeks and it is over...at least that's what they tell me.

Jon