Summer Holidays in Sydney

Let's see...I have quite a bit of catching up to do!

After my week long Muse-fest in November, I starting enjoying the warm, beautiful summer weather in Sydney. I took a day sailing class in Sydney Harbour. I'm not an expert or anything, but at least now I know the difference between port side and starboard side. :-)
December was full of Christmas and birthday celebrations. I had 4 holiday parties to attend for work...I don't think anyone got too much actual work done during those 2 weeks! :-)
Christina and Kyle arrived on Christmas Eve. It was so great to finally see them again! We had a wonderful time. I showed them all around Sydney. We went to the wineries in Hunter Valley and a cricket match at the SCG. They even managed a few side trips to the Blue Mountains and the Great Barrier Reef. For New Years, we met up with a few of my friends at Cremorne Point. We had a nice little picnic spot and had an amazing view of the fireworks. Absolutely the best fireworks display I've ever seen! Their time here went by too quickly though, and they returned to Florida on 5/Jan.
Since then, I've just been getting as many beach days in as possible. It's so gorgeous here, especially in summer. I'm going to the Big Day Out music festival again this year. Rage Against the Machine are headlining...I can't wait!!! The next day, the 26th of January, is Australia Day. There will be loads of events going on all over the city. Should be a fantastic weekend.
I've also been preparing for my upcoming trip to Nepal (7/Feb-2/Mar). I purchased all my gear this past weekend which put a nice little dent into my bank account, but it will all be worth it. I'll be trekking to the Everest Base Camp, which will take 2 weeks. It will be a hard, strenuous trip, but I'm told it is one of the best treks in the world! (I'm not crazy enough to actually attempt to climb to the summit though! :-) After 2 grueling weeks in Nepal, I'm stopping in Bangkok for a week before heading back to Sydney. I don't think I'll stay in Bangkok, though. I've spent all day trying to decide on the details of this part of my trip...I'm going to Phnom Penh, Cambodia and then to Don Det in the 4,000 islands area of Laos. I really loved traveling to those countries last time, and these are areas that I didn't see the first time around. I've very excited to be traveling again. I can't believe I've been in the same country for 14 months! This must be some sort of record! :-)
I will have heaps of photos and great stories when I get back, and I'll be sure to post them as soon as I can.
Hope everyone is doing well. Wish me luck on my Everest expedition...I have to admit it is a bit intimidating, but I know it will feel amazing to conquer it!