G'Day Everyone

Well my around the world trip ended last night when I landed in Miami after flying back from Australia. I spent a week down there after arriving from Spain. A week is never enough time to spend at home but I had a great time and definitely packed a lot in over my short stay.

I was in Ayr/Townsville for the first 5 days. I spent a lot of great time with my family. It was great to see my 3 nieces and nephew. It had only been around 2 months since I had seen them but its amazing how much they change. On Sunday, my sister Katie and her husband Troy had their two girls Christened. I am a Godmother to both which is a very special honor. It was a beautiful ceremony and the small gathering at the backyard bbq went well into the night. Lots of fun!

Also while I was up in NQ, I was able to attend a NQ Cowboys football game. I hadn't been to a game in a few years so it was good to go...however the boys didn't perform very well and were quite easily beaten by the Melbourne Storm. They are having quite a few injury problems and haven't gotten off to the greatest start to the season, so it will be an uphill battle for them to make the final 8.

On Monday I traveled down to Brisbane.  Back on Australia Day, January 26th, it was announced that I was to receive the Order of Australia Medal. On Tuesday, my family and I attended the Investiture Ceremony at Government House. There were 23 awardees who received either Order of Australia, Bravery or Service Medals. Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency Penelope Wensley AO was on hand to present us our medals. It was a very official occasion and was a little overwhelming. I'm still in awe of the fact that I would ever be considered for such an honor. After hearing some of the awardees stories of bravery and their service to the community, it inspires me to try and have an even bigger impact on society. It was very special to be able to share the occasion with my parents, both sisters and both Grandmothers.

So now I'm back in Florida for a few days and then I'm off again to play in Mobile, AL next week. My nieces decided to generously share their cold with me :) so I will be trying to get well before I fly again. Check out the pictures below of my Investiture.

Take care,

Karrie