First things first: I am thrilled to report that Emmett had NO back pain or problems whatsoever during the entire 14-hour flight from LA to Brisbane! I credit this to the physical therapy exercises he diligently does every day, which has made his core incredibly strong. Yay, Emmett! Way to go. You’re my hero!

V-Australia is an interesting airline. From Abba’s “Dance with Me” pumping through the lobby of the check-in area to the funky neon glow mood lighting in the plane’s cabin, everything felt borderline edgy without being pretentious, and fun without being kitschy. Despite a slight mix up with the vegan meals (they gave mine to the guy across the aisle who ate it even though he didn’t order a special meal) and the guy who sat next to me who smelled like he had already been on a plane for 14 hours (insert a couple of gags here), it was an overall pleasant experience, as much as a 14-hour flight in Economy class can be. In case anyone cares (that would be you, Heidi), I watched two movies—An Education (which I thoroughly enjoyed…great music, wonderful costumes, and good acting by all) and Julie & Julia (which I also liked a lot, surprisingly...of course it had to do with food and writing so why wouldn't I like it?!!).

We deplaned to humid, sunny weather (for a second there I thought we were in Kauai), got our rental car, navigated our way through morning rush hour while getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, somehow made our way to our Brisbane accommodations (Paradise 9), and are now heading out for a day of walking adventures. More on that later.