point - America

Well, we have been here for just over 7 weeks now, and while I am still loving it here..actually I more-than-love it, I just don't know the appropriate word to use...anyway, being away from home for 7 weeks is a long time. It wasn't so bad when I lived in Chicago or Santa Cruz for three months because I still had access to the same things, but since being here I have accumulated a list of things I miss about the land of the free and the home of the brave:

A DRYER! Yall, don't take these things for granted! Having to set your clothes out on a drying rack takes so much effort and usually a solid two days to get your clothes dry..and if you leave them out on the clothes line for too long they start to smell like outside. woof. Not to mention, the stiffness and the wrinkles. I don't even want a fancy top-of-the-line dryer..I'd take the janky hand-me-down one from the Estroden. Thanks.

FRO YO! Specifically Spoonful. Abby and I found a place here and spend way to much money on some sub-par froyo. If only it were possible to have some shipped over here..

WEST TEXAS SUNSETS. Being able to see from horizon to horizon while the sky looks like it is on fire is a sight that can't be beat. We have great sunsets here, but all the dang buildings block the view.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL! GOOOOOOOOO TECH!

PEANUT BUTTER CHIPS! If you know me, then you know this is a staple item for me every time I go to the grocery store. I think I would go through a bag a week at home. They are the perfect little snack, and unfortunately they can't be found in the land down under. bummmmerrrr

DAYS WITH NO RAIN! Part of me feels bad complaining about the large amounts of rain we get when I know that Texas is being burned to a crisp, but out of the 50ish days we have been here I would guess that it has rained at least 20. I have come to the realization that I can scratch Seattle off my 'places I want to live' list because I could not handle this cold, miserable rain year round. 

SALAD BARS! Gosh, the things I would do for a good salad.

SINGING! I love singing in my car, especially with the windows down, and obviously that isn't an option for me down here. So instead I sing quietly at tram stops when I'm alone (: 

CENTRAL HEATING! I'm normally such a hot-natured person and don't mind the cold, but on days like today, when it is hardly 45 degrees outside and rains all day long there is nothing I want to do more than crawl up on the couch with the heater turned on and watch a movie. Unfortunately, we have no couch to cuddle on, no heater to properly warm up the house, and no dvd player for movies. PTL for my bed, my electric blanket, and my computer to watch Pearl Harbor. 

So there it is. My little list of ways that America is winning. Congratulations USA.

I will say that Australia is making a big deal out of September 11. I never realized how much that day effected the rest of the world, so it has been neat to hear a totally different perspective from that day. Most Australians can tell you exactly what they were doing when they found out, and even the kids that were born after the attacks know about the significance of September 11. I'll give you a point for that one, Australia. Keep it up

Cheers yall