Australia Day 6

Today we headed to tour the Sydney Opera House.   There is a lot of history in just building it.  The place is really amazing.  We of course asked about the day Oprah was there and they said people came from all over to see her.  After our tour we headed to Paddys Market for some shopping.    A huge indoor swap mart with tons of bargains.  

After everyone scored shopping we headed straight for Blacktown to play some ball.   The fields were mostly dryed up except for the olympic field.  We are hoping for it to dry up before Sunday so the girls can end the week playing in the field where they played in the Olympics in 2000.

First kangaroo we saw

 This is for Sydney (Tayors best friend)

Listening to the info at the Opera House

 View from inside

 Lots of interesting information

 Everyone scored shopping at Paddys Market

Tori * Taylor * Molly

 Showing their numbers

 So cool to have USA on her jersey

Taylor hits a triple :)

 First Team they played

USA Team

After our games they would cook us a meal..... It was very cold at night, the fire pits were great!!!

Another great day!
xoxo
Tami

Australia day 4 - 5

Today Wednesday, woke up to yet another rainy day but that didn't stop any of us from seeing this beautiful place.  We started off the morning with heading to Blacktown where the team had a quick practice.. just batting and the pitchers pitched since the fields had many puddles of water in them.   While the team practiced the 4 ladies on the trip went with Brad (our Aussie tour guide) to get some groceries.   We had a quick lunch, then headed to the Blue Mountains.  Unfortunately we couldn't see anything.. the fog was so bad we could barely see each other.  Good news is we will go back another day so we will get to still do this tour.
We headed back to our apartments  to get changed and then drove down to Darling Harbour for some dinner.   Brad order a plate of kangaroo for  everyone to try and one of the girls got a crocodile burger which everyone sampled as well.   I really didn't care for either,  I am sure it was all in my head.   Today seemed like a long day on the bus back and forth since we didn't get to see anything.  The girls didn't seem to mind much they kept singing and dancing in the rows of the bus.   The also kept  trying to talk Australian while they would tell Brad to talk American.   Its a big laugh for all of us!!!

Blue Mountains are below the map of what we should see

 The fog was so thick

 Taylor * Molly * Alicia

 These big black birds are everywhere and they make the silliest sounds

 Inside one of the little shops

Our bus with equipment in trailer

 They drive on the right side

 Skylar * Molly * Taylor * Jenna

 The fields were a muddy mess

 Taylor, Molly and Tori in the locker room

 Tori

Harbour at night before dinner

Thursday we headed over to the Darling Harbour where we took a ferry over to Circular Quay to go sight seeing and view the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  It rained off and on all day but the sun did peak through the clouds occasionally.   We walked all over Circular Quay and even crossed the bridge which started pouring down rain midway over.  Most of us were prepared with umbrellas but that didn't matter, we all got pretty wet with the sideways rains coming down.   It was a great walk anyway and so beautiful since were so high up we could see for miles.    We headed to lunch and most of us tried their Meat Pies.   I had an Australian Beef Pie.  It tasted like roast and gravy in a pot pie.  It was really good.   After our 8 mile walk for the day we headed for the bus and to Blacktown for some practice.  The team was suppose to have a practice game but the fields still had standing water.   They did some fielding in the grass and went over plays.    We then headed back to our apartments and the girls got together in a room as the 8 adults went for some dinner and beverages.

View from the ferry

Some of the houses along the bay were huge

 Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House

 View of the city

Entrance to Coney Island (kinda creepy)

The team... great group of girls

Shelley * Molly

Eating on the patio and it starts raining

 keeping dry

 Sydney Harbour Bridge

Fields too wet to play

 Trying to get some fielding in

Another great day in Sydney

xoxo

Tami

Australia - day 1-3

Well we made it to Sydney Australia after a long day of travel. It is Tuesday here, we lost Monday in flight.  We started off leaving Phoenix at 5:15 arriving in LA at 6:25 pm.  We had a 4 hour layover which all the girls from all over met in LA so they had time to get acquainted.   We boarded our plane at 9:45 and sat their until after 11:00 because we couldn't arrive in Sydney until 6:00 am on Tuesday.   It was a nice flight although very long.  It did seem to go by faster than I thought it would.  I did seem to sleep a little bit, more than I thought I would.  Taylor slept most of the flight.

We arrived on time and by the time we went through customs it was after 8:00.  They made all the girls take out their spikes and the customs washed them.  Something about our dirt could have some contaminations that they don't want.   Anyway we got on the bus after all that and headed to Australia's most famous beach, Bondi Beach.  The tour guide, Brad, dropped us off and we had a 45 minute hike along the trail which was along the beach line.  It started off raining pretty hard but quit and we all dried with the long walk that we made.   It was a gorgeous walk along the Sea.

We had lunch and then took a drive to see the Sydney Bay but it was too cloudy to see it very clearly.

Our flight from Phx to LA.   There were 6 players on this flight.

All the girls minus two and the coaches.

 Excited to leave for our trip

Girls playing hacky sack waiting for our flight

Bronte Beach

 It was cold and windy

The water was so crystal blue

More to come,
Xoxo
Tami

Dance recital

Tatum had her dance recital today at 2:00 and then again at 7:00.  She signed up late, in February, so only had time to learn one dance but she did a great job.   She had so much fun she wants to be in 9 or 10 next year like most of the girls were.   We enjoyed the whole show, I love to watch any kind of dance anyway.   We are very proud of you Tatum and you were very beautiful tonight.

Cameras weren't aloud in the auditorium so got one before