Sarah

Dearest Sarah, my hubs of hubs,

I'm here. I'm here. I'm actually here!!

Sydney is rainy right now, which has prompted several Australians who know it's my second day here to apologize profusely for the "rubbish weather," but that means it's the perfect time for me to write to you.

As I might have told you, my dad spoiled me and used his frequent flyer miles to bump me up to first class on the flight from LA to Melbourne, which essentially means those 15 hours were magical. I got on the plane, put on the pajamas they gave me, drank two glasses of champagne, had a delicious salmon dinner, and slept like a baby in my bed. Literally, a bed. There aren't even seats in rows up there--they're pods, staggered and diagonally positioned, and when you're ready to sleep you sliiiide it all the way down to bed position. It feels like you're in a crib on a spaceship. I woke up when they were serving breakfast and asked the flight attendant how much longer we had, expecting 6 or 7 hours, and she said two and a half. I actually wished it would last longer--I didn't even get to finish Shutter Island!

When we deplaned in Melbourne and I found out I would have to get all my luggage to go through customs and then check it back in for my flight to Sydney, I got a teeny bit worried. See, I packed for a year--three massive bags, each just shy of the 70-pound international limit, plus a carryon that was far bigger than it technically should have been and a purse that probably weighed, oh, 20 pounds. At baggage claim I almost took a couple of innocent bystanders out as I retrieved one bag, then literally just as I was wondering how the hell I was going to handle all of them, baggage services paged me on the intercom. I put a few more lives in danger as I maneuvered my cart over to the desk, and when I got there, they told me that two of my bags had been left at LAX and would be delivered to the address where I was staying the next day. I can't lie--there was a little bit of relief there, considering the circumstances. It almost felt like--shall we say--a blessing in disguise? But more on that later. (Oh yes, there's more. Suspenseful, right?)

When I landed in Sydney, I was greeted by a beautiful rainbow. That is a true story. It was probably the cheesiest thing that has ever happened, but obviously I had to take a picture of it. I did my best to block the fact that I was taking a photo of a rainbow through the window of the plane from the other passengers, but they probably saw. I don't care, it was worth it.

And so here I am. I'm still getting occasional flashes of realization that I don't quite know what I'm doing, but that's okay. They probably won't stop for a while, and that's okay too. Those moments are good for us, right? I guess they're part of the reason I'm here.

I'm staying with the loveliest, most welcoming and hospitable family. Their house is gorgeous, and the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows in their kitchen / dining room on the second floor is breathtaking. I'll have to send you a picture--it's really unbelievable. I was worried about jumping from San Diego summer to some foreign winter I've never experienced, but other than the recent (and, I've heard, unusual) "rubbish" weather, it's not bad at all. I've set up a bank account and gotten phone service, both of which were pretty painless endeavors. The only thing still missing is the luggage. Yes, we're back to that.

I called Qantas's lost baggage line yesterday afternoon to give them a different number to reach me, and the woman I spoke to told me that the bags weren't showing up in the system. However, she also told me they were going to have $400 for me to pick up at a building in Sydney for my inconvenience. This morning, I called again to check on the bags and was told that the bags were still not showing up in the system, but that they were going to give me an additional $200 since it had been 24 hours. Then a couple hours ago, they called and told me the bags were on the way and would be delivered to me this evening. So, about that blessing in disguise. I've gotta say, Qantas, you lost my bags, but I ain't mad at ya. We're all good.

More to come. As always, ALL of my love, and give my little Addy-Roo a kiss for me!

Love love,

Meagan Tara