G’day from Down Under! On Thursday I flew into Australia to surprise my parents, but the trip itself was actually a surprise for

me too. On my birthday last week Kevin surprised me with tickets home to see my family for a few weeks before st

arting my new job mid-April. Because I only found out about the trip four days before I flew out of the U.S, I decided to keep the trip a secret from my parents and surprise them too.

I left Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon (U.S time), landing in L.A about 6.30pm. My international flight wasn’t due to depart until 11.30pm so I arranged to have dinner and catch up with my bestie from college, Nikki. Nikki picked me up from the domestic terminal, we had a quick girly dinner date at P.F Changs before she dropped me off back at the international terminal.

I was lucky enough to score a window seat on the international flight with a spare seat next to me – a bonus for someone with long legs like mine . While settling into the plane and waiting for take-off I browsed through the in-flight entertainment, looking over the movie selection that was offered. To me, this is one my favorite parts of the trip. The 747 plane I was on was a newer one, the entertainment system was all touch screen with the light and call buttons both on the screen instead of being overhead. Pretty fancy if you ask me!

I have always been able to sleep pretty well on the airplane, and I proved this once more – the flight is 13 hours straight through from L.A to Brisbane and I slept for the first 11 hours!! So needless to say, I didn’t watch any movies or listen to any of the music on the plane. I think I felt more rested landing in Brisbane at 6am Thursday morning (Aus time) than I would have had I not just flown half way around the world; it felt great! After clearing customs and immigration I headed to the Brisbane domestic terminal to wait for the third and final flight of my trip. Flying into Townsville, I couldn’t believe how green the landscape was from all the recent rain

When I first found out about the trip I arranged with one of my Mum’s good friends Kim to set up lunch with my Mum as they both had the day off work. That way I knew my Mum would be home when I arrived in Townsville around 11.30am. Kim picked me up from the airport and we headed home. Once we got there, I stayed in the car while Kim went inside. Kim then returned to the car to get a homemade quiche she had cooked, only I walked back inside with the quiche instead. My Mum turned around in the kitchen and there I was, standing there with the quiche! It was SOO fun to see my Mum so surprised and happy. She had absolutely no idea I was coming! Kim got it all on video and once I get it I will try and post it on here, it’s definitely a good one  

After jumping around in excitement and lots of hugs and laughter, the three of us sat down to enjoy some quiche and salad. Home cooked meals are always pretty darn good, but this one tasted especially good after all that travelling.

Once

Kim left, I spent some time unpacking and settling in. My Mum and I then devised a plan for how to surprise my Dad. My parents had already arranged to meet for coffee for their regular Thursday night date night once my dad finished work. When he arrived my Mum said she was going inside to use the bathroom and then walked back out with me. My Dad also got the surprise of his life when I sat down at the table! Unfortunately, my Mum’s phone camera didn’t switch over to video so we weren’t able to capture his reaction like we were with Mum’s.

This was hands down the best birthday present ever, I haven’t stopped thanking Kevin for giving me the chance to be home for two whole weeks with my parents! My older brother is also flying up for Easter, it will be the first time all four of us have been home together since 2009, I can’t wait!!