This is my last weekend on Canadian soil for a while, and its cold and snowy. I really don't mind the snow, actually I was hoping for a good blizzard before I took off. Driving last night was a good time, finally got to use my winter tires in some treacherous conditions. I was thinking for a while that I could have saved myself some money and just driven my summer tires year round. The snow came a little late though, now I have no time to go snowboarding!
   It is my sisters wedding today and she was hoping for snow for her pictures and such. Well she definitely got snow. Its interesting that one would have to hope for snow at the end of February. This winter will go down as the weirdest one in my life so far. But I just want to wish my sister all the best with the wedding and first year of marriage. Since after today I will not see her until I get back from Australia.
   Packing for a year in a country with such a different climate than Canada is hard. What kind of clothes do I take? How many? Do I take the basics and just buy what I need when I get there? Actually that is kind of what I'm doing, I have bought what I didn't have and anything else that I need I can buy out there. I did a mock packing just to see what kind of room I would have in my luggage and carry on. My one piece of checked luggage can be 50 lb. and my carry on 20 lb. Well I had almost everything packed up and still had a lot of room for more stuff and it only weighed 26 lbs. I think I'll be just fine.
   Since I have never been on a jet before, I don't really know what to expect on a fifteen and a half hour flight, but I am quite sure its not going to be the most fun I've ever had. From what people have told me I won't have any leg room and chances are the person in front of me is going to recline right up in my face and the person beside my will be to big for their seat and probably smell bad. So thats what Im trying to prepare myself for and all the while hoping for the complete opposite. And an exit row seat, that would be ideal. At least I get a preview of the long flight when I fly from Winnipeg to Vancouver, thats only three hours. Vancouver to Sydney is a really long way, and its all over water. Deep scary water. If I said that I wasn't a little nervous about traveling halfway around the world by myself, I would be lying. But at the same time, I am so excited that I don't know what to do with myself sometimes!
  It doesn't seem real at times that this is actually happening, and happening in three days! I am going to miss the family and friends and hope that they miss me a little as well. But I will be seeing new sights and experiencing things that I would never experience here so maybe I will be to busy to get homesick! I am not that good at meeting new people and making new friends so this is going to kick me out of my comfort zone, every person I talk to will be a stranger. Now that does scare me! But, sometimes you gotta face your fears.
   My to do list is down to two things, put my car into storage and pack. The list was very long when I started getting ready back in October but I have been able to check things off without to much trouble along the way. While booking my flight online had a little trouble but that seems to have been straightened out and hopefully it all works when I get to the airport.
   I checked the weather for March 8th in Sydney, 22 degrees and sunny. Sounds great to me, not to hot not to cold. The time difference is a little confusing at first since I cross the International Date Line somewhere over the Pacific. But as of now, Sydney is 17 hours ahead of Winnipeg. After Daylight savings starts next week Im not sure. I leave here March 6 in the evening, travel for 22 hours and get there March 8 late morning, the 7th is going to be like four hours long. Shortest day of my life!
   To all those that I will not see again before I leave, Good Bye! If you want to  connect with me send me an email or facebook message!