pancakes and sunrise

before the festivities began. hanging out at macca's. (mcdonald's)

yesterday, april 20th - the 21st, vanessa, sajetha (my roommates), anthony (a friend of ours), and i watched the sunrise at bondi beach. before you act so shocked, it wasn't all that bad & it wasn't my idea, i just went along for the ride.. but, i'm really glad i did. it was an experience of a lifetime.
it all started at 12 when anthony & i met sajetha & vanessa at the circular quay in the city.

the first part of our night/morning we spent at pancakes on the rocks. this was the second time i had been and it was just as amazing as before.. this time i got the "strawberry jam" pancakes. two buttermilk pancakes topped with strawberry jam, cream, and ice cream. they were sooo good!
we hung out there for a bit because it was only around 2:30 and the sun didn't rise until 6:23am on the 21st.
on the way to pancakes, i taught them the game "20 questions" and they played it for like 3 hours straight while i fell asleep on the table, for about an hour. :)
vanessa & i were tired after eating.. we all cleared our plates. mmmm

around 4:30, we got up and headed to the bus stop to bondi beach. the bus came at 5:17 and it took the whole bit of 45 minutes for us to get there. we stopped and took pictures in the random Londonisque phone booth and we enjoyed the walk as well..
after we got to the bus stop, we met up with people who were headed out to there jobs, like civilized human beings 'normailly' would do. :)
we were trying to hurry at this point though because we didn't want to miss the sunrise, thank goodness we didn't.

when we arrived at the beach, it was really dark, the waves were outrageous, and the winds were strong.
after standing in awe of the gorgeous view before our eyes, we found a spot on a grassy hill of the beach, and set up shop, waiting for the sun to rise. if finally did but, unfortunately, behind blankets of clouds. we were only able to see the light from the sunrays.
along with the clouds, came sprinkling for a bit. thankfully anthony & sajetha had umbrellas because we would have froze even more than we already were!

while they went for a run on the beach, i laid and watched the ocean.
i am now going to try and put into words the feelings i felt as i lay there with the vast, gorgeous ocean in front of me. it was a combination of frightening and breathtaking. the ocean is one of the most dangerous places on earth (for many reasons) and i experienced it yesterday while watching the waves. they were so violent against the shore in a peaceful way. i felt 100 percent at ease while i was watching the waves but i was more than happy to be as far from the beach shore as i was. i felt connected with God and so minute against His vast creation.
as the minutes crotched on the sun crept through the sky bringing light to the world. the waves died down, the weather warmed up a bit, the sharks left the shallow waters, the surfers ran in, and we packed up and headed back to the 'real world'.

the beautiful ocean and morning sky.

the journey home was an interesting one. one full of laughter from sanity and lack of sleep. we must have looked silly amongst the packed buses and trains full of business men and women. we laughed at everything and then fell asleep as soon as we landed a spot in an empty seat.
i truly enjoy my roommates company and i am so glad they invited me to go. it was a once in a lifetime experience and i am so thankful to our Creator for allowing me this opportunity.
such a beautiful, frightening, peaceful place to watch the sunrise.

xoxo
dustialynn