First Night

Dessert and Fruit Bar
Frank and Laurie Cannon, and the Sushi Bar....

The restaurant from the front


Close..

Far Away...

Bryon and I with Donald and Kara Jones. Hello Madison and Mallory!

Al Annexstad CEO and Chairman of Federated Insurance...(Don't think he knew I was taking his picture....I was pretending to get the big boat in the background...)

Tonight we had dinner at the Waterfront restaurant. It was overlooking the Harbor, and we were able to get photos in front of both the Bridge as well as the Opera House. The menu included sushi, vegetable rolls, salmon kabobs, lo mein, beef ribs, beef kabobs, fish and chips, wontons, a pastry and fruti bar as well as a cocktail bar that lasted two hours. All food was great, and if I had to pick a favorite it was definately the fish and chips! We had great time, but are now ready to CRASH!!!! WE HAVE NOT SLEPT IN A BED IN MANY HOURS!!! THIS IS GONNA FEEL GREAT!!! First thing in the morning is a breakfast buffet at the Weston Grand Ballroom, and then the business meeting will take place at the city recital hall. (P.s. Aussie time: 8:28 p.m. Feb 4th and SC time: 4:28 am. Feb 3rd) More to Come!

BRIDGE CLIMB TOMORROW!

G'Day Mates!

View from the Room..

View from our room!


Monorail that goes through Sydney..

Bondi Beach

First entry! Wheww.....it has been a long time coming for this entry. What a looong past few hours we have had. It started in Columbia with a 2hr flight to Philadelphia, then a six hour flight to San Fransisco, then a 14 hour flight here to Sydney Australia! We have arrived safe and sound, and full of amazement! It is beautiful here. After landing here (8:30 a.m. Aussie time and I dont remember SC time.. I just know we are a day ahead.. right now it is the 3rd.) we got on a tour bus and rode around downtown Sydney. It was raining when we arrived, but it soon dried up and turned very hot and very humid. Much like that of SC weather in the summer. We were taken around on a tour bus for about 3 hours looking at all kinds of buildings, Bondi Beach, the Harbor Bridge, and the Opera House just to name a few. At 12:30 we were taken to a light buffet style lunch (8:30 p.m. SC time) with sandwiches, pasta, and an assortment of pastries. The bus picked us back up, and we headed to check in to the Shangri-La. We were not supposed to check in till 3, but they had our rooms ready around 1:45ish. The room is awesome! I will post some pictures of us with out view in the background it is amazing! (How many times can I use exclamation points in this entry?!!!!!) Bryon and I unpacked, and walked down to the street to look around. We bought some post cards so be on the look-out those of you at home :0) We are now getting ready for the dinner party tonight. It is being held at the Restaurant on the rocks. I will post photos of that later....gotta go get ready! (p.s. time here: 3:55 p.m. time in SC 11:55 p.m.)

Working on the Demo Upstairs

Step One: take down all of the ceiling tiles

Step Two: tear up the carpet

Step Three: Take up the playwood subfloor that has a thousand nails per square inch

Step Four: Take off the wood paneling walls (revealing more tongue and groove hart pine:0)

Step Five: Take up hart pine floor, take down hart pine walls, take down hart pine ceiling. (We have not gotten here yet. We are going to re-use it in another area of the house and are really excited to find it under all the walls and ceiling tiles.)

Signing the Construction Loan

Yesterday we met at Ronald Vaughn's office in downtown Lexington to close on our Construction Loan. We are very excited and are able to get what we asked for! I just hope we will be able to do everything we want to do without running out of money. We have some money that we have saved that can be used too, but hopefully we will be able to get all the main things done without a problem. We are very excited! :0)

Dining room has been painted, and now I am working on curtains. Pictures of those to come when I have completed them. Color: Bungalow Blue from the Eddie Bower Collection