Australia...

So here I am, on a plane, flying to the other side of the world. I'm on my way to visit my one and only brother who has lived in Sydney for the past 5 years. Everyone always asks me why he moved there. He spent a semester in Australia when he was in college and, I guess, fell in love with the country. He always knew he wanted to go back, so he did.

I have never been down under to visit him. He moved there right after Kate's 3rd birthday so, unfortunately, didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with my kids over the last few years. He was, however, a wonderful uncle. We spent lots of time talking with him via skype and he never missed a birthday or holiday. He always sent balloons or cookies or presents. And when he did visit Pittsburgh we had a blast. Kate and Peter loved him very much.

The night of the accident, when I couldn't sleep, I found his cell phone number and called him while he was at work to tell him what happened. He dropped everything and was on a plane the next morning. He stayed in the States for almost a month. (fortunately his employer was understanding and encouraged him to take as much time as he needed) He helped me and my parents immensely during that time. I can't thank him enough. He's a great guy and I'm very lucky to have him as my brother!

I have no idea what to expect from this trip, which for me is often the best way to approach something new - no expectations. I don't think I've ever heard someone say they had a bad time in Australia so I'm sure it will be a fabulous and exciting adventure. Maybe I'll want to move there too! Except I love Pittsburgh too much.

Here are some random things about my traveling experience so far:

I've never been on a plane with stairs before, it's so cool...and my seat is upstairs :)

My seat is, more or less, a Craft-matic adjustable bed with a built-in back massager so I have no business complaining about being on a plane for 23 hours.

There's a nifty little flight path computer thingy built into the back of the seat in front of me. At any time I can find out exactly where I am (which currently is somewhere over Arizona), how long before I arrive at my destination and what the outside temperature is. At the moment it's -59 degrees F. Damn, that's cold!!

And yes, I realize I'm a big dork to be so amused by such things, but I am amused and I'm not ashamed to admit it.