Apparently we need to update. Sorry peeps, it just doesn't seem as exciting when you are working working working and doing nothing new. But here is our update anyway :)
Our first week we worked our butts off. Mainly we are in Mermaids, which is the a la carte restaurant, we always work the lunch hour then we have at least an hour to an hour and a half break before working our dinner shift. Dinner varies. Sometimes we work Mermaids dinner (which is soooo hectic) and sometimes we will work Tavern (Fishbowl is the name) where we get to dress up as......wait for iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttt!
..............Pirates!!!!
Woot Woot! I love dressing up. The kids that come in are always so enamored by us and we get to have more fun there. Although the curloo's (the skinny tall birds, picture to come soon) always find their way inside and hiss at everybody. The kids chase them around too.
And most Fridays and Saturdays (some Sundays) we will work an event (which means a wedding!). We usually get the morning and afternoon off on those days because the weddings always end around 11:30 and we still have to tear down and clean so we get home between 1 and 2 in the morning.
The first week, we were so sore and our feet hurt so bad (first of all, because we are out of shape, and second, cuz our shoes that they make us wear have no arch support!) oh well, Linds got some new shoes once we got paid and my feet don't hurt as much (I think I'm getting used to the shoes, they've stretched out a bit).
We arrived at one of the busiest times of the year so we are only getting a day off during the week (spent mostly sleeping or laying by the pool and doing laundry). We haven't gotten a day off together yet so we haven't thought about going anywhere on the mainland (also need to get a few paychecks in).
Although, we did manage to take a morning before an event to go to Airlie on Saturday and went to the farmer's market!!! Got a donut each while we walked around. Pretty sure that's where most of our gifts will come from as there are so many vendors with some pretty cool things. Linds and I got sushi for lunch and spent most of the morning and afternoon in the sun which probably contributed to both of us getting sick that night. Both of us got sent home (everyone was so nice about it and got someone to drive us in a buggy straight to our door). But by the next day we were better and ready to work again. (found out there's a bug going round the staff village which we probably got from Jeff, our event supervisor, who went home sick the day before too).
I (Brittney) am working a new venue tonight. Waterfalls is our buffet and they offer different themed nights. I'm pretty sure tonight is seafood night and while it sounds delicious it's also $70 a person (yikes!) so I think most people may go to Fishbowl tonight to eat. We'll see.
Linds got the day off, we both work only tom night and then I get Wednesday off and then we only work Thurs night. An easy first half of the week compared to the last two.
Hung out with some of the staff last night after work and had one of the chefs from Mermaids say we are doing really well and the other chefs like us (so far at least) which was amazing and wonderful to hear!!! :) Just got to keep up the good work.
Alright, that's about it. We'll try to take some pictures of all the birds, lizards, and some more Joey's for you. Maybe we'll do a photo shoot one of our mornings off so you can see our shining faces :D
Thank you for all your love and support!!!!!!
We love you xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Brittney and Lindsey
P.S. If anyone wants postcards just message us on here or on facebook and we will send you one!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Week One Pictures
Hey everyone, so we posted a whole album of pictures on facebook through my (lindsey's) account but I just wanted a few so you can check out a few.
We took a bunch during our flight to L.A. and then the rest is in Airlie beach and then Daydream Island.
We took a bunch during our flight to L.A. and then the rest is in Airlie beach and then Daydream Island.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Paradise
We are working in paradise :)
Everyone we have met is so nice and helpful. We have already made a few friends. There are kangaroos everywhere (which we seem to be the only ones excited about) and also.....bats! Which we found out walking the boardwalk last night.
It was a full moon and even though there were some clouds, they were scattered enough you could see the moonlight on the water, the shadows of the bats flying overhead, and the kangaroos munching on some grass along the paths.
We are still a bit off with our time here. Going to bed early and waking up early, but we start work today so hopefully that will keep us up a bit later.
We are sorry we cannot post any pictures yet. No fear though, we are taking dozens each day. I'm sure you all will be bored with the same view we keep taking pictures of everyday.
Induction was yesterday which meant a lot of slides about do's and dont's, but also included a trip to Lover's Cove which is the best snorkeling site around the island and a fish feeding excursion. The Resort has a few live reefs with a variety of sea creatures including stingrays, two reef sharks, and a lemon shark named Bruce :)
After a few months of working we will be able to take some day trips around the Whitsunday's. At the moment Linds and I are focusing on learning our new positions and working as hard as we can. When we get a day off together we will go back onto the main land and hopefully buy a few necessities (i.e. snacks, chocolate, our own internet).
There have also been mentions of whale sightings which keeps our attention drifting back to watching the surrounding ocean as often as we can. I hope we get to see some in our time here. The only thing that will take some patience in getting use to is the birds (they are so loud, especially at 3 in the morning). Seriously guys, there is one that wails like a little child in the middle of a grocery store when they can't get what they want.
Anywhooo, that's all for now. Hope everyone at home is doing well and as always, thank you for all of your support and love.
Britt and Linds
Everyone we have met is so nice and helpful. We have already made a few friends. There are kangaroos everywhere (which we seem to be the only ones excited about) and also.....bats! Which we found out walking the boardwalk last night.
It was a full moon and even though there were some clouds, they were scattered enough you could see the moonlight on the water, the shadows of the bats flying overhead, and the kangaroos munching on some grass along the paths.
We are still a bit off with our time here. Going to bed early and waking up early, but we start work today so hopefully that will keep us up a bit later.
We are sorry we cannot post any pictures yet. No fear though, we are taking dozens each day. I'm sure you all will be bored with the same view we keep taking pictures of everyday.
Induction was yesterday which meant a lot of slides about do's and dont's, but also included a trip to Lover's Cove which is the best snorkeling site around the island and a fish feeding excursion. The Resort has a few live reefs with a variety of sea creatures including stingrays, two reef sharks, and a lemon shark named Bruce :)
After a few months of working we will be able to take some day trips around the Whitsunday's. At the moment Linds and I are focusing on learning our new positions and working as hard as we can. When we get a day off together we will go back onto the main land and hopefully buy a few necessities (i.e. snacks, chocolate, our own internet).
There have also been mentions of whale sightings which keeps our attention drifting back to watching the surrounding ocean as often as we can. I hope we get to see some in our time here. The only thing that will take some patience in getting use to is the birds (they are so loud, especially at 3 in the morning). Seriously guys, there is one that wails like a little child in the middle of a grocery store when they can't get what they want.
Anywhooo, that's all for now. Hope everyone at home is doing well and as always, thank you for all of your support and love.
Britt and Linds
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Safe and Sound
All flights went well.
I (Brittney) would say 'let's not do that again' but....... we gotta get home somehow. I do have to admit, it wasn't too bad. we both managed to sleep the first half of our 14 hour flight and then watched some movies the rest of the way. Still, economy seating is cramped!
Proserpine airport is also the smallest airport I have ever been to. Literally one run way that you turn back around and come back on to get to the small little building. Shuttle from there dropped us off right at the Base Resort/hostel that we are staying at. Our room is pretty cool.
Going to rest, eat, sleep (hopefully), then do some exploring. Tomorrow is our journey to Daydream and we probably won't be able to update till we get our internet squared away (may take a week or so) so love you all and thanks for all the prayers and well wishes :)
I (Brittney) would say 'let's not do that again' but....... we gotta get home somehow. I do have to admit, it wasn't too bad. we both managed to sleep the first half of our 14 hour flight and then watched some movies the rest of the way. Still, economy seating is cramped!
Proserpine airport is also the smallest airport I have ever been to. Literally one run way that you turn back around and come back on to get to the small little building. Shuttle from there dropped us off right at the Base Resort/hostel that we are staying at. Our room is pretty cool.
Going to rest, eat, sleep (hopefully), then do some exploring. Tomorrow is our journey to Daydream and we probably won't be able to update till we get our internet squared away (may take a week or so) so love you all and thanks for all the prayers and well wishes :)
The City of Angels
We landed here in L.A. about an hour ago. Got some food, and found a spot at our gate, but now it's another 2 hour wait before boarding and then take-off an hour after that.....
The flight here went well. Watched Hercules, then the plane was playing the new Star Trek :) so watched the end of that movie. The plane was only half full too so we were able to spread out, and no one sat behind us so we could lean our seats all the way back. yay :) It was also a very pretty view, because the sun was setting right over the canyons or whatever we were flying over so we took a few pictures (that we hope to post after we get there and get settled). Also took some pictures of L.A. because it was all lit up.
We are really tired right now though, and we are just trying to stay up until we can get on the next plane and sleep (hopefully) half of that 14 hour flight. We we're hoping to maybe take a nap before but it's not very clean here and we don't fancy laying down on the crumbly stained floor.
Hope to get some form of wifi after we arrive in Australia, but if not, and if you're worried we didn't get there safely, then our parents will know :p No worries though, we are sure everything will be fine. Just pray that we don't go crazy on this flight and make it to our hostel in Airlie Beach.
Love you all,
Lindsey and Brittney
The flight here went well. Watched Hercules, then the plane was playing the new Star Trek :) so watched the end of that movie. The plane was only half full too so we were able to spread out, and no one sat behind us so we could lean our seats all the way back. yay :) It was also a very pretty view, because the sun was setting right over the canyons or whatever we were flying over so we took a few pictures (that we hope to post after we get there and get settled). Also took some pictures of L.A. because it was all lit up.
We are really tired right now though, and we are just trying to stay up until we can get on the next plane and sleep (hopefully) half of that 14 hour flight. We we're hoping to maybe take a nap before but it's not very clean here and we don't fancy laying down on the crumbly stained floor.
Hope to get some form of wifi after we arrive in Australia, but if not, and if you're worried we didn't get there safely, then our parents will know :p No worries though, we are sure everything will be fine. Just pray that we don't go crazy on this flight and make it to our hostel in Airlie Beach.
Love you all,
Lindsey and Brittney
Friday, September 13, 2013
Last Supper
So I (Lindsey) was making dinner tonight, and I think my cookware is upset I'm leaving because it tried to sabotage my braised brisket by shattering the glass lid when it was in the oven....thankfully I just strained all the glass pieces out.
 |
| The pie server was to lift it off the pan and the baking sheet slid under it so it wouldn't shatter any more over the food. |
Cold days
Just enjoying the fall weather....
 |
| Left- Brittney's Caramel Macchiato Right- Lindsey's Chocolate Chai Tea Latte |
Last Night Home
(Contains flight info, resort address, skype info, and free smart-phone app info for international calls)
It is September, Friday the 13th (eeep!) and we are just about finished packing. We have even weighed our bags just to make sure we are below our limit :) pretty exciting when it says 49.2 lbs! Technically we are both allowed two bags plus a carry on but we don't really want to deal with four pieces of luggage, two carry ons and two pillows, plus our purses. If we need to we can always buy another duffel before coming home.
We'd like to just post what our flight schedules are and what time we should be arriving plus our address for the resort (just in case).
Okay, so we leave the 14th from Indianapolis airport at 6:40 on our flight to L.A. We have a few hours there before getting on our flight from L.A. to Brisbane (pronounced Briz-bun, not like Bane from Batman). That flight is going to be about 14 hours (ugh). And once we arrive we must go through customs (hopefully quickly because we only have a short layover there before we must get on yet another flight).
From Brisbane we fly to Proserpine which is the town closest to Airlie beach where a shuttle will be taking us from the airport to our hostel (we already booked the shuttle and hostel online and have confirmed both because dealing with that when we are tired and grumpy would not be a good idea).
We are going to try our best to stay up and acclimate ourselves to the time change as best as we can but who knows how that will go. We need to stop by our new bank to confirm activation of our accounts before getting to the resort that is one stop we need to get done before sleeping.
OH! I (Brittney) have a smart phone and if anyone else does too there is a free app (Viber) that allows free international calls and texts so if anyone wants to download that and I'm in your contacts (if not just ask me on facebook and I'll send you a private message with my number) we can chat whenever :)
Our skype info: Brittney Wheeler (brtwhlr90) or Lindsey Wheeler (lwheeler7896). I'm not sure exactly which one you should use to find us but our pictures are up there too so shouldn't be too hard :)
The address for the resort is: Daydream Island Resort and Spa
PMB 22
Mackay QLD
Australia 4740
(Just put our name(s) above Daydream if you'd like to send any mail)
Alright, that's a lot of info and hopefully the next couple of posts will be more exciting and with a few pictures.
Love you all and thank you so much for your support!!!!
Britt and Linds
It is September, Friday the 13th (eeep!) and we are just about finished packing. We have even weighed our bags just to make sure we are below our limit :) pretty exciting when it says 49.2 lbs! Technically we are both allowed two bags plus a carry on but we don't really want to deal with four pieces of luggage, two carry ons and two pillows, plus our purses. If we need to we can always buy another duffel before coming home.
We'd like to just post what our flight schedules are and what time we should be arriving plus our address for the resort (just in case).
Okay, so we leave the 14th from Indianapolis airport at 6:40 on our flight to L.A. We have a few hours there before getting on our flight from L.A. to Brisbane (pronounced Briz-bun, not like Bane from Batman). That flight is going to be about 14 hours (ugh). And once we arrive we must go through customs (hopefully quickly because we only have a short layover there before we must get on yet another flight).
From Brisbane we fly to Proserpine which is the town closest to Airlie beach where a shuttle will be taking us from the airport to our hostel (we already booked the shuttle and hostel online and have confirmed both because dealing with that when we are tired and grumpy would not be a good idea).
We are going to try our best to stay up and acclimate ourselves to the time change as best as we can but who knows how that will go. We need to stop by our new bank to confirm activation of our accounts before getting to the resort that is one stop we need to get done before sleeping.
OH! I (Brittney) have a smart phone and if anyone else does too there is a free app (Viber) that allows free international calls and texts so if anyone wants to download that and I'm in your contacts (if not just ask me on facebook and I'll send you a private message with my number) we can chat whenever :)
Our skype info: Brittney Wheeler (brtwhlr90) or Lindsey Wheeler (lwheeler7896). I'm not sure exactly which one you should use to find us but our pictures are up there too so shouldn't be too hard :)
The address for the resort is: Daydream Island Resort and Spa
PMB 22
Mackay QLD
Australia 4740
(Just put our name(s) above Daydream if you'd like to send any mail)
Alright, that's a lot of info and hopefully the next couple of posts will be more exciting and with a few pictures.
Love you all and thank you so much for your support!!!!
Britt and Linds
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Pre-departure preparations
Hey everyone!
This is our first official Australia travel blog post!
It is the Tuesday night before we leave....only 4 more days home before our two day flight to Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia! More specifically, we will be working and living on Daydream Island Resort and Spa. The Whitsunday Islands are a part of the Great Barrier Reef.
Here's a link to check out the resort :) daydreamisland.com
Preparations are a little more complicated than packing and jumping on a plane.
We had to apply for a visa, get travel and medical insurance, an international drivers license, book flights, shuttle and hostel reservations, as well as the most important part, actually applying, interviewing and finally getting a job in Australia.
The little details are important too. Contacting credit cards and banks, exchange currency, cancel gym memberships, downgrade phones, research Australian phones and internet (very important), and buying uniform worthy shoes are among the many things we could overlook.
The whole process actually started when a company called Work Enjoy Australia came to my (Lindsey's) school last winter. They basically helped me find a job but also with applying for the visa and other things. After about two months of talking with WEA, Brittney decided to join me! By June, we had both passed our application (resumes, and references were required) for WEA and were waiting for an email that we had a job interview. Finally, at the beginning on July, we received an email that a "great job opportunity in the Great Barrier Reef wants an interview with you both!" This was exciting news because we were staring to worry that we wouldn't find a job so we could leave in the fall.
The first interview went well, although we were both freaking out because it was over Skype. We wrote a list of questions to ask after we did as much research as possible about the resort. A week with no word was making us worry. Then Hayley (our WEA correspondent) told us that we did great and they want a second interview, a phone one this time, with the Events Coordinator. This one, was shorter and gave us more of an idea of the job we would be doing.
Another week went by.....then the email came saying "Congratulations!" Welcome Aboard!"
By this time, it is the end on July and they want us to be there by September 17th. The first thing we had to do was book a flight, which takes two days to get there, so we figured fly out the 14th, get there the 16th to have a day to rest, and then get to the island on the 17th.
Well we only have a few days left at home, our last days of work and then lots of packing!
This is our first official Australia travel blog post!
It is the Tuesday night before we leave....only 4 more days home before our two day flight to Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia! More specifically, we will be working and living on Daydream Island Resort and Spa. The Whitsunday Islands are a part of the Great Barrier Reef.
Here's a link to check out the resort :) daydreamisland.com
Preparations are a little more complicated than packing and jumping on a plane.
We had to apply for a visa, get travel and medical insurance, an international drivers license, book flights, shuttle and hostel reservations, as well as the most important part, actually applying, interviewing and finally getting a job in Australia.
The little details are important too. Contacting credit cards and banks, exchange currency, cancel gym memberships, downgrade phones, research Australian phones and internet (very important), and buying uniform worthy shoes are among the many things we could overlook.
The whole process actually started when a company called Work Enjoy Australia came to my (Lindsey's) school last winter. They basically helped me find a job but also with applying for the visa and other things. After about two months of talking with WEA, Brittney decided to join me! By June, we had both passed our application (resumes, and references were required) for WEA and were waiting for an email that we had a job interview. Finally, at the beginning on July, we received an email that a "great job opportunity in the Great Barrier Reef wants an interview with you both!" This was exciting news because we were staring to worry that we wouldn't find a job so we could leave in the fall.
The first interview went well, although we were both freaking out because it was over Skype. We wrote a list of questions to ask after we did as much research as possible about the resort. A week with no word was making us worry. Then Hayley (our WEA correspondent) told us that we did great and they want a second interview, a phone one this time, with the Events Coordinator. This one, was shorter and gave us more of an idea of the job we would be doing.
Another week went by.....then the email came saying "Congratulations!" Welcome Aboard!"
By this time, it is the end on July and they want us to be there by September 17th. The first thing we had to do was book a flight, which takes two days to get there, so we figured fly out the 14th, get there the 16th to have a day to rest, and then get to the island on the 17th.
Well we only have a few days left at home, our last days of work and then lots of packing!
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