Bye bye Brisbane

Had a very fun but very sad last week at Red PR. They are an amazing group and I had a fantastic exchange experience. They even threw me a "sing star" karaoke themed going-away party, which was hilarious. I will really miss everyone!

This weekend my parents came for a visit, which has been great. We took a trip up to Noosa to the beach, have eaten at some great restaurants around Brisbane and today made a visit to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. You can check out a pic from our day at http://photo.koala.net/1110013861.htm

Thanks for everything, Red PR. I love you guys!

Surf, Air and SurfAir

From my weekend at SurfAir on the Sunshine Coast - bliss!

My Top 5 Aussie Terms

1. Bogan

2. Heaps

3. Lollies

4. Maccas

5. Hooroo

Please refer to http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html for the exact definitions, but I'll attempt to use them all in one sentence for you now:

"I'll look like a fat bogan if I keep eating heaps of lollies and maccas."

-Britney Spears (circa the atrocious Kevin Federline days)

Hooroo,

Ashlee

Doomsday?

So, apparently since I've left Atlanta, all hell has broken loose in terms of the weather. The rain hasn't stopped in over a week, there's flooding, and it's basically total chaos. My husband Ryan informed me yesterday that a huge tree fell on our house, and the poor thing has had to deal with it all by himself. See picture - it basically is taking up our entire backyard, but luckily didn't come through the roof or hurt anyone!
While I was secretly glad I was missing all of this, and was basking in the glow of the Brisbane sun, today I am basking in the glow of the red dust that is now covering the city. Check out the article on the latest conditions down under here: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26113759-952,00.html

I have no idea what's going on, but I'm guessing that my absence from JS has thrown off the entire universe. Or, it's just a weird coincidence. Whichever.

Plains, Chains & Automobiles

My first week of work at Red PR has run quite the gamut starting with attending a client meeting at Elements at Springwood, a site of a future upscale retirement community. It is in a beautiful location and on the grassy area right next to our event there were several kangaroos hanging out and watching us.

On the other end of the spectrum we attended the Subfusco fashion show on Friday night, which was held at a chain factory...yes, you read correctly. It was a very trendy crowd and I definitely need to step up my attire while I'm here!

Saturday finished with a lovely drive to the beach on the Gold Coast. I'm spent.

Hi, I'm Ashlee????

My first day of work at Red PR was great. After waking up at 4:30 a.m. I was pleasantly surprised that I made it through the entire day without getting too exhausted! That could have been because of the mass amount of sugar I consumed at the Australian tea they had upon my arrival, however. The office is in a great area and since it's smaller than I am used to, I feel like I will get to know everyone really well.

The main thing I have noticed in my few days here is that everything Australians say sounds like a question to me. By the end of the day I found myself saying things like, "I need to get sunscreen because I'm going to fry???" and "I can't believe how early it gets light here???" or "I really need some caffeine???" That said, everything they say also sounds much classier than in the U.S., so hopefully Tracy won't pick up "might could" or any of the other grammatically incorrect sayings from the South.

I might could stay up until 8pm tonight for the first time since I arrived.

Booming Welcome to Brisbane

My first day in Brisbane was so fun, and luckily the jetlag has not set in too badly yet. First Tracy and I attended a birthday tea for one of her best friends, who were all so welcoming. I ended the night by meeting my new boss, Fleur, and her husband. We went to Fleur's parents' amazing river-front apartment to watch the fireworks that were a part of the Riverfire event they have every year in Brisbane. Probably the best fireworks I've ever seen and definitely in one of the most memorable settings. Thanks to everyone for making my first day so great!

Veg, I Might

For those of you who think I'm super organized, the following images may be disturbing. I'm typically never a procrastinator, but when it comes to packing, I hate it. I was going to pack yesterday, but instead watched nine consecutive episodes of Gossip Girl Season 2 in the attempt to finish the entire season and in hopes my hair will miraculously look like Blair Waldorf's before I leave. As a result, our guest room currently looks like this. XOXO

60 Days till 21 hours

There are just 2 months till I leave for Brisbane, Australia as the second Jackson Spalding (JS) employee chosen as part of our exchange program with Public Relations Organisation International (PROI). After starting at JS as an intern in 1999, it's been 10 years and I'm still loving every minute there. Now, I'm lucky enough to say that I'll be working at Red PR from mid-September to mid-October, which will be Spring in Brisbane (Atlanta's Fall). Make sure to check out their website - you'll see I'll definitely be sporting some red lipstick and red heels (which I'm happy to report, I already own).

While I'm there, Tracy Stephenson from Red PR will work at JS, and everyone's really excited for her to get here. I hope you enjoy my journey as much as I know I will. Just 60 days till my 21 hour flight...