March 25, 2008
Sydney, Australia

What a beautiful country. We arrived in Sydney early on the 24th to wet, drizzly weather. The very first thing I saw as I looked out my plane window once we had touched down on the runway was "The Golden Arches"...McDonalds. Not exactly what I expected to see but I did have to chuckle to myself. After checking into the hotel I just needed to get my blood pumping so I went to the hotel fitness center and got in a good run. Since we arrived so early and because of the time change i needed to keep my body moving. After a wonderful shower I just wanted to be horizontal...I did not take a nap but I did enjoy a relaxing two hours of doing nothing. SRC called me in the afternoon to tell me he had found a double decker bus that would take us around the city on a tour. The day had cleared up and the sun was shining so off we went. It was wonderful! We sat on the upper deck of the bus and enjoyed the warmth and the wind. Below are some pictures from that tour.

After our tour we made our way back to the hotel for an early dinner. Stephen ordered a bowl of lamp soup which when it was delivered looked more like a soup Turin...the bowl was huge. the soup was very good. The noodles were my favorite part. I had a chicken curry meal which was oh, so tasty!

The event in Sydney took place on the 25th and it was a great event. The company hosting the event is the same company that did the events in Asia last November. We did not doubt that the events would be successful. The audience was highly energetic and asked a lot of questions. The room was packed with hardly any space to walk between chairs and people. SRC did a fantastic job and really captured the minds and hearts of the attendees. At the conclusion of the event we made our way to the airport to fly to Melbourne.

March 26, 2008

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne seems to be a very intriguing city. I did not see much of it because of our schedule but I did enjoy the hotel fitness center and my room. We learned from our driver that Melbourne is really suffering a drought right now. Australia is moving out of Summer and into Autumn so you would expect some dryness on the ground. It was interesting on our drive from the airport to the hotel to see, even the highly visible city parks, and roadways with grass were brownish. The city is taking the conservation of water very seriously.

The Sofitel hotel was amazing. It was huge and connected to a shopping center. What was so interesting about this shopping center is that during the 3/4 of an entire wall is opened to the outside streets. This is a main entrance to the shopping center and created a really nice airy atmosphere for those walking around or sitting in nearby restaurants.

The event was as well attended as the one in Sydney. There was a bit more room in the ballroom but it was no less intimate. The AV tech tables were set up in a closed balcony areas above the ballroom. It was interesting to have that view of the ballroom. It made seeing SRC a lot easier but it was not as easy to communicate with him. When he would leave the room I had to sprint down a flight of stairs and exit the stairwell just about at full speed in order to intercept him. What a spectacle I was! One thing that SRC has found really fun to do during videos is to sine the laser pointer in my eyes. With the really strong laser pointers he can shoot it clear to the back of a huge ballroom. He thinks he is so funny. Meanwhile I am not partially blind because of it.

Once again, at the conclusion of the event we made our way to the airport. It is so interesting to me the difference in airport across the world. Some security people must think I am crazy because I go through a series of questions: Laptop out of the case?; Shoes Off? Shoes in the bin or on the belt?: Jacket off? Liquids and gels out of my carrying on?; and for good measure Do I need my ID again? I loved the Melbourne airport because the only thing I had to do was remove my laptop from my bag. It was wonderful and made the process so speedy.

March 27, 2008

Auckland, New Zealand

Well, now. This is where they have been keeping the good looking men. In Australia I began to wonder what all the hype was about the gorgeous Australian men I would see. I did see some attractive men but it wasn't until New Zealand that the real men appeared...at least my taste of men: tall, defined features, muscles abounding, etc. I have a friend who has said, "Chelsea, you only have to smile and you will get what you want". So, I put that to the test...could I get one of these fine looking men to notice me and perhaps engage in a little bit of a flirty conversation? Now, anyone who knows me well enough knows that I would never have that thought go through my mind and in light of recent events in my life and a certain someone, I would especially not try to engage in flirty conversation with a man. Well...then again. But, I am serious about the good looking men! Wowza!

We had the shortest amount of time in Auckland so I really can't tell you much about the city except that it was very, very green. The weather was wonderful! The hotel was amazing and the ballroom was huge! This was the largest events of the four with 650+ people attending. The audience was highly engaged in teaching each other and in what SRC was teaching. It was a great experience!

At the conclusion we drove to the airport and boarded a plane to Wellington...where my life would be forever altered.

March 28, 2008

Wellington, New Zealand

Over the past 2+ years many people have asked, not in these exact words but similar, "Where is your favorite place?" Until now my response would be, "Can I do it by continent?" I did not have a favorite place. I can tell you that, hands down, Wellington, New Zealand is my favorite place. I don't know exactly what it is about it but I could live there in a heart beat. It is beautiful and the overall feeling there was amazing to me. Below are some pictures taken from a harbor near the event venue. The weather was amazing during the day of the event so every chance I had I went outside. Along the water there is a running/biking/walking trail and it was here that I saw more of the good looking men that I spoke of earlier. I could tell they were athletes...most being rugby players. Some were HUGE in stature...very intimidating.

The event was well attended and the audience seemed eager to learn and gain as much as they could from being there. At the conclusion of the event we went to dinner with the even host, Red Carpet Ltd. team. This group had been with us for each event on this trip and it was so fun to be with them in a relaxed, casual atmosphere. We laughed and learned more about each other. SRC stayed for dinner and then excused himself so he could return to his room for an early night. I enjoyed myself so much and really hated to say goodbye to this group. You spend enough time with them and learn to appreciate each other and the amount of work that goes into these events. For them it was the end of a long period of preparation and travel. For me and SRC it meant we were onto the next country...Malaysia.