My favorite christmas song

My favorite christmas song: "1. Good King Wenceslas (Hidden Track) - Relient K"

This is my favorite Christmas song. Even i have given into the Christmas creep

http://rhaplinks.real.com/rhaplink?rhapid=5347443&type=playlist&title=Playlist&from=yahoomigratedsubs

Leaving on a jet plane...

Hello everyone, this will be my last blog from Australia.

So its Wednesday morning very early, and we are catching our cab to the airport very soon.
This has been an amazing time. I have seen more things on this one trip than many people wil;l see in a lifetime, and I count myself as VERY blessed.

I cannot wait till marid 2011.

I miss you all and will see you soon.

The crazy part of this return trip is that we leave Sydney @ 10:00 am the 24th of July and land in LA @ 7:30 am on the 24th of July.

Flux Capacitors on!!!


Peace,
Hooge

Free Day 1 in Sydney

Hey everyone!

So we had our first free day in Sydney yesterday. It was kind of wierd not having your day completly planned out for you like it has been for the last week or so, but we managed.

We started our day by taking a stroll around darling harbor. and a bite of lunch. Checked into our hotel, the novotel @ darling harbor and a beautiful place, and then took of for a stroll around Sydney. I stopped by a store and picked up a sweet gift for Em, and then we took a train to the Circular Quay.

This is the location of one of he achitectural marvels of the world, the sydney opera house. I didn't realize it, but the roo fo this amazing building is made of ceramic tile. It is absolutely stunning, We ended the afternoon with a beez neez honey wheat beer on the warf at sunset. AMAZING!

We then took a stroll back to china town, but not before we stopped and listened to a sweet street performing techno digeredoo fat painted man. Rockin awesome.

We stopped in china town for dinner, and then ended the night with a bit of shirt ball in the hotel pool.

So far this morning i have woken up and had the most amazing brekky ever. Thanks for the 5 star hotel father.

Peace,

Hooge

WYD Mass

So we had a great past couple days. We started Saturday morning with a nice early 5:45 am wake up call. Then headed up to North Sydney to begin our pilgramage walk. The walk started with a prance across the Sydney harbor bridge, and after 3 miles we stopped for a mass with all the Catholic Bishops from the united states.

Then the final three miles to Randwick Racecourse where 500,000 catholics gathered and camped out for the morning mass with Pope Benidict.

It was quite cold so i couldn't sleep and so i passed the time by walking around and mingling with all the people from around the world. This was definitely an amazing experince.

I only have a couple more days here, and while i really miss my Friends, especially Emily, I am really enjoying my time here as well.

I have already put together my savings plan for the 2011 world youth day in Madrid!!!!

anyone comeing with me?

Thanks!

Hooge

Ok Finally I can write a proper blog.

Since I have not been able to blog for the last few days, this one will be quite long i think. I guess I will pick up where we left off.

Monday!

Monday was our travel day. We arrived at southern cross station early in the morning, but not before Margret served us a traditional aussie brekky of cereal, toast w/ veggiemite, eggs, aussie style bacon, and fruit. (If that sounds familiar, it is because australian culture is very similar to American culture with two major differences. 1. they drive on the left side of the road 2. they speak with an English accent.)

When we got to Southern Cross Station, we boarded a bus and checked our luggage, and headed off on a little 12 hour journey to Sydney. We were joined on the trip but a camera crew from channel 7 melbourne and Bishop Something.

Along the route to Sydney we stopped three times to let the drivers rest, and mingle and use the toilets. Lucky for us bishop something, who by the first rest stop had earned the title Bishop Windbag, left us at the first stop. His favorite thing to do was hear himself talk. So we were happy for him to leave us.

At one stop I chatted with group from Papa New Guinea (PNG). It was the first time that I was greeted by a non American with a genral warmth about being an American. I also got a bit of a history lesson. Appearently the US fought of the Japanese troops in WWII when they were trying to take over PNG. We then, with Australia's help, helped set up a new government in PNG and allowed them to become thier own sovreign nation. They are very grateful to the US, at a time when so many countries are so bitter toward us. They are also a very poor country, and thier youth leader told me that it was "only by the grace of god that they were able to come here" It was one of the more moving experiences of the trip for me so far.

We arrived in Sydney about 1:25 in the morning and had a nice surprise.....NO Luggage! horray for poor logistics systems. Oh well it is the cross we had to bear.

TUESDAY!

Tuesday was the opening mass, and the first real taste of what World Youth Day (WYD) is all about. We arrived at an old shipping yard on Darling Harbor called Barangaroo. This shipping yard was set up for the opening mass. This place is massive. there were over 200,000 people at mass. We were in a station with about 700 samoans. (I found out that Samoa is pronounced SAH-moa rather than sah-MOA like we usually say it.) It was a great experience.

The Mass was seriously the most amazing mass that I have ever been to. The Music was provided by the Sydney Youth Orchestra and Youth Chorale. Absolutely Beautiful.

After mass we came back to Bondi Beach and had dinner at a little pizzaria with a nice bottle of Shiraz. Great way to end the day if i do say so myself.

WEDNESDAY!

We started Catacisis on wednesday with the Bishop of Lexington,KY. Whoop Go america! Histalk was on trying to define the Holy Spirit, and how we can find him. It was a great topic, and the bishop was definitely not a windbag. He also said a beautiful mass after class.

Wednesday night was just a big youth festival. We started with a trip to St. Mary's Cathedral.

This is an amazingly awesome gothis Cathedral in the middle of downtown Sydney which is not a predominately Catholic city. They also unveiled a new painting of Our lady of the Southern Cross, a great painting, look it up.

After the Cathedral we went Back to Bondi Beach for a concert with Fr. Stan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgZbP8nddhU

and His dancing Franciscans! Also with Matt Maher, look him upon you tube too. Beautiful night on a beautiful beach under the Southern Cross!!!!!!!!

THURSDAY!

Yesterday we Saw the pope! Wow i was a mere 5 feet from him.

FRIDAY!

I am tired. Tomorrow is our 6 mile pilgramage walk. I will write more about it then, but I am vey tired now.

Love you guys.

Peace

Hooge

The internet at last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Sorry it has been so long faithful reading audience. All 3 of you.

I have a lot to write, but i have an intimidating countdown timer at the top of the screen that will shut off my internet access when it reaches zero. 7 minutes from now. Spelling errors will not be corrected in this blog.

things i have seen so far.

1. 200,000 catholics celebrating mass at the same time
2. 50,000 catholics celebrating mass at the same time
3. 700 samoans gatheres all around me
4. 100 papane guineans dancing the electric slide
5. 70+ national flags
6. 50 angolans dancing and singing
7. 20 different religious orders
8. 15 priests concelebrating mass at the same time
9. 10 cardinals
10. 5 days of stew
11. 4 ugly people (there are beautiful people everywhere here
12. 3 bishops celebrating mass in 3 days
13. french p[eople kiss
14. 1 Pope Benedict the freaking 16th from no more than 5 feet away

WYD rules!!!!!!!!

More to come

PEace

Hooge