Melbourne
Grams Dar walking Hozier Lane in the heart of Melbs, looking super hip and trendy as per usual. Is it possible for your grandma to be cooler than you? I think after you scroll this post you'll decide the answer is definitely yes.
CHIN CHIN. Eat your heart out, fellow foodies.
I talked this popular eating establishment up and up until Grandma Dar agreed to eat here. In Grams' top 3 choices of eats is probably Maccas (Aussie nick-name for McDonalds) so you can imagine her dismay when the menu only included things like, "Seared yellow fin tuna w. Thai basil, pink grapefruit & ginger salad, chilli jam & coconut" and, "Isaan-style crazy hot BBQ chicken w. smoked chilli & roasted shallot nam prik". Slightly different than a Big Mac, I suppose. Bad news? She was not plesased + it may have been $25 a plate. Good news? I got two plates of pure deliciousness. mmmm.
Pardon the language.
Melbs is spilling over with artistic spark and creativity. Not sure what the story is behind this piece, but I believe that to be a beautiful aboriginal boy and I love it. 
Because it's always time for...
St. Paul's Cathedral in the CBD. The last time I hopped off the train and walked out to see this sight I was so proud to be a wannabe Aussie. Jeeze I love this place. This street is full of thousands of people going to work, grabbing a bite to eat, playing instruments in the street and giving me something Ben Franklins can't buy, that city buzz. You may have also noticed that sign hanging on the front of the cathedral. It reads, "Let's fully welcome refugees." Good on you Oz.
Flinders Street Station in all its old-school glory. If buildings could talk...
Just have a moment for yourself to take this all in. IT'S A DONUT ON TOP OF MY SHAKE. WHAT IS THIS WIZARDRY?! 
Melbourne, Victoria's parliament building. It's a looker.
Cairns/The Great Barrier Reef
Saw the whole thing, dude. First you were all like "whoa", and we were like "whoa", and you were like "whoa..." Finding Nemo in real life folks.
lolololol. When did my grandma get so cool?! We had to wear these Gucci wet suits because it was stinger season and no one wants to get peed on. For those of you who aren't in the know, apparently pee and vinegar help jelly fish stings. Glad I didn't ever need to test it out.
These scenes brought to you by the Great Barrier Reef.
I had to...
Millaa Millaa Falls
OKAY. This has got to be the cutest grandma you've ever seen. Oh my heck. 
"Want a thing-a-ma-bob? I got twenty!" Little treasures brought to you by Hideaway Bay. Had the whole beach to ourselves. 
We got stumbled upon this shack on an almost completely vacant beach and a random dude said we could borrow it. I didn't ask questions. Pretty sure we only saw maybe 5 other people the entire time we were on this beach. One of them had a dog that he claimed was the most expensive dog in all of Australia because it could sniff out termites. hahaha gotta love the human race.
While I don't have an "insta-husband", I do have an insta-gramma and I think that might be better.
Airlie Beach/The Whitsunday Islands
If you're seeing this and your over the age of 60, don't get ahead of yourself. She's taken..
I think besides getting adopted into a sea turtle family and swimming just inches over the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsunday Islands were my favorite. There are 74 small islands that were once believed to have been mountain tops until the end of the ice-age when the sea levels rose and turned the tips into islands. Our tour guide taught me that. Not sure how valid that explanation is, so do your research people. Despite how these little peanuts came to be, they are sure to bring out your inner adventurer.
I know you're not going to believe this, but #nofilter, no editing . Pinky promise. View from our hotel in Airlie Beach.
Hill Inlet lookout ft. Whitehaven Beach: Ranked in the top 5 beaches in the world.
Crazy hair, don't care.
Whitehaven Beach ft. a yoga pose and a super model insta gramma.
Grams Dar and I took a boat from where we were staying in Airlie Beach to Hamilton Island. The island is so small it was probably made for ants and can be crossed by golf cart in about 10 minutes. Love this pic of grandma Dar. She's looking so glamorous. I think she's got this whole blogger thing down.
Typical tourist photo.
Excuse me while I purposefully bury myself in all Oz feelings. Honestly, been putting this post off for a bit now. For starters, I don't like to do much unless I can put my whole heart in it and it's tiring giving your heart away. Secondly, this will be my last post of Oz photos for the next while and I know I'm a bit dramatic, but the thought of that sends my heart into panic mode. When I think of my little beans (Lu, Finn and Jeebs) getting bigger without me and all the birthdays/ weddings/gatherings and squeezes I'm sure to miss out on, I can't help but feel all sorts happy-sadness. You know, the kind that makes you cry and smile at the same time. Cry because you miss it, but smile because you had it and you know somehow you always will. Missing mi amigos Australian & that includes you, Chartres clan.
And I'd be super ungrateful if I didn't thank my Gramsy here. Who else's grandma volunteers to fly across the globe and get forced into the activities of a 23 year old for two weeks? No one else's grandma. That's who. I googled it. Thank you for the laughs, the snorkeling, helping distract me from reality (leaving half my heart on that massive island) and being such an example and future #grandmagoals. Love you.
Also, you know how sometimes in Relief Society they do a "good news minute"? hahaha. This is like that. So I'd like to raise my hand and announce that I have taken a job offer and will be teaching 5th grade next year for Granite School District! Sometimes I wonder what the devil I've gotten myself into, but even during those times a hushed peace can be felt. Here comes my next life adventure, exploring the human minds of 10-11 year olds and making about 30 new best friends (assuming they all like me). Bring it.
