Tweeters

Hi, my name is Katie. I'm 23 years old, living at home now and it's been almost a year since my last sub-tweet...

The years 2011 and 2012 were rough... learning years in the world of Twitter.  Or like why tell anyone directly about anything when you have anywhere from 45-150 followers to discern the meaning of your quotes by the famous people, who I'm sure you're not entirely sure if they said that, or if you really buy into the saying that's situationally appropriate, but you might hit that star anyways.  Tonight I almost did it again. 

I'm entirely too old to be on twitter tweeting about feelings. Like why cryptically subtweet in 140 characters or less when I have an infinite amount of space to be cryptic and mysterious thanks to blogspot, I mean, am I right... to write? .... oh that's no what Wikipedia is for? Sorry, my bad. 

 I've come out really strong in 2013. I have really. Communication is key, and weird cat pictures and jokes about being a single-twenty-something-living-at-home with those cats have gotten me more followers. You're welcome, Internet. 

I wrote this down, and I wrote it down for a reason.

'Things have a life of their own,' the gypsy proclaimed with a harsh accent, 'it's simply a matter of waking up their souls. '

Stop, Crack and Roll

I just got off the phone. It's one of those nights where I thought I would sleep immediately and should be exhausted after a day of doing absolutely nothing productive. I hung up the phone thinking that I coulda been cooler or I could've not talked about that thing or maybe it was fine and he'll still want to talk to me tomorrow. Maybe. 

There was this real conversation that happened, and then after was the conversation that could happen to the he on the other end of the line, or to you that's reading this very second. A hypothetical one that opens the flood gates to something or to everything. All the things. 

This is how it goes. 

Me: What do you want to do? 

You: Uh what?

Me: What do you want to do? 

You: Um, what do you mean? 

Me: What do you want to do? Anything. Think broad terms here. 

You: Ha... Okay... I don't know. 

Me: Do you want me to go first? Fine you idiot. I will. 

I want to write down everything I WANT to do so that 1) it isn't stuck in my head anymore and b) so that I can be accountable for the life I think I want at this very moment in time. 

I want to write. I want to write. I want to write. And then after, maybe be proud about it. I've been avoiding this entire blog for MONTHS because I couldn't bear the thought of my thoughts in front of my face. Isn't that the silliest thing you've ever heard? It's like I'm sitting at a desk, looking outside a window at all the potential (or just looking at all the possible attempts and tries and good efforts) and I'm wondering when I'm going to get up and go outside and play. It's beautiful out there. What am I waiting for? The adventure has begun, there is no use stalling it until something more exciting comes around, get a move on girl. 

I want to be okay with my body, because exercising is irritating and so is being 'gluten free' but somebody has to do it... And that's probably not going to be me. I live for ice cream and doing an extra lap at the gym( that's a complete lie). But really....Self confidence and body confidence are two very different things and too often they get confused.... And sometimes the lack of either or makes me cry. Hard. 

I want to move to California, or New Zealand or somewhere else. I want to live somewhere, someplace that isn't here. It's not a cliche to want a lot of stamps in my passport, it's a right. No pun intended, but I intend to exercise that right. People move across the world everyday to start over. I don't want to start over, I just want to keep on going. 

I want to be funny. I want to laugh, laugh with, be laughed at. Cause it's okay. 

I want to sing all the time. Cause it's okay. 

 

I want to watch documentaries because they give me opinions on things I didn't even know I should have opinions about. (They're not only conversation starters but after I watch one, I can know things about life inside the Russian prison system that you'd never even think about. Think about THAT, why don't you?)

I want to follow my 7-10 year plan. I want my parents to die of old age. I want to die of old age. I want people to buy my e-book that could go on sale anytime between the years 2016-2045. I want to play an instrument. I want my children to be readers. I want a bicycle with a basket. I want to stay weird forever. 

I want to do all things I want to do. Maybe I even physically, literally, emotionally need to do all the things I want to do.

What do you WANT to do? What in the fuck all above is holding you back? What is keeping you from what you truly care about? Stop with the bull hockey . Put that old newspaper down, push the cat off your lap and get up off the couch and want for something. 

... As I preach from my very own bed, in my very own bedroom...everything I want feels so far away sometimes, you know?

You that's reading this can I tell you one last thing I realized after all the gushing? I think the window is cracked.

Perks

This one moment when you know you're not a sad story. You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you're listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment I swear, we are infinite.

----The last lines of the Perks of Being a Wallflower. Lots of feelings happening. Lots of things to write about, to catch up, to do. It's taking some time, but I'm almost here again. 

Just awhile

Look y'all, I'm back. 

It's been a weird, funky and bumpy road since New Zealand--- I've been home almost twice as long as I've been away. Nothing's really happening. I'm not really anything. I thought I would be. 

FORTUNATELY.....I'm here. I'm back at Camp Burnamwood. And I made a paper mâché tree. Here, I feel like I know myself again. 

I'm directing High School Conference this week--- I've come full circle, from camper to counselor to full on director. It's a little surreal and then there's that thing where I made a paper mâché tree. 

The theme of this week is 'Rooted in Love,' and after a some (A LOT) of help the idea of creating a tree for an aspect of love came about. There's the Trunk of Trust, the Branches of Prayer, the Roots of Forgiveness, the Justice Leaves (GET IT LIKE THE JUSTICE LEAGUE?!) and the Fruit of Hope. 

 I'm writing about the 'Branches of Prayer' this eve. 

For the nights worship, we were given a little piece of paper and a pen. On it, we were tasked with writing what we are thankful for. 

I wrote simply 'This year means more to me than anyone will ever know. THANK YOU' 

2013 has really learned me good. Even though right now, I'm so unsure and insecure....I think back to my rock, and I remember where I'm standing. I'm underneath my favorite stars, standing in my favorite place.... And I remember that everything is okay. Everything is going to be just fine. 

 

Months

Holy shit fire.  

The dream-like state I was in after my feet landed on US soil was actually the jet lag-like fog my brain drifted and wandered around in for close to a week and a half after I got home. The whirlwind of an adventure and true traveling romance that began back on Valentine's day is and was exactly just that, a complete whirlwind and even now, a month later, I'm not quite sure is even real.

'Katie, now that you're home, what the fuck are you going to do now?'

A Skype interview with Roundabout U

Through the power of editing magic, it looks like I skyped with Olivia Medovich in the Roundabout U studio at Murray State University. Secretly, I know that that was not the case.

 Terrible interview on my part (7AM New Zealand time and nerves), but still happy to be apart of the Roundabout U Family!

Check out the interview here, or don't if you have a happy life to lead, or like stuff to do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hUPa0jasZw&list=UULLBhCxGxrhTF88VzjsWM8w&index=19

A Week Home

I haven't been feeling particularly creative or wordy this week. Between the jet lag and the zombie like state I've been in, it didn't feel appropriate to put into words the feeling of being home. I'm starting to feel human again and now's a good time as any to try.

Spending the first TWELVE hours back stateside in the San Francisco Airport was less than ideal. Of course we had the opportunity to go out and explore our default favorite city in California (Meaning this is the only city in California we've ever seen...by air). But... we didn't. The FOURTEEN hour flight from Auckland and the overall depression of the adventure coming to a close had creeped into our brains. I'd accepted the fact that we were back in the USA, and I know LP will agree with me when I say, we were not at all happy about it. So we sat our asses down in that airport and couldn't believe our horrible luck....we were almost home.

Did we even leave? Is 6 weeks gone? Was the whole experience one long, wonderful dream? Were all the things we saw, were all the people we met...even real?

A resounding 'YES!' filled my ears.

But sitting in that airport, miles and miles away from Middle Earth was like the rainy day after a whirlwind romance comes to a end and you can't function.

I turned to food to fill that rainy void (and 12 hour boredom), more specifically I turned to Reese's Pieces, even more specifically... I turned to 4 bags of Reese's Pieces. And a few bags of Doritos. No, it didn't help and right now I would like to formally apologize to my body for the hideous display of no self control.

It's officially one week later and I'm back in the Bluegrass and I'm having mixed feelings. Now that it's over, I don't really know what to do with myself other than to dive right in to what I was doing before I left...internships, waitressing, social media things--baby sitting... I'm really doing what every college graduate does with the college degree at one point in their life and that is to do exactly nothing with it. I promise I will, just not yet.

The real, big, elephant-in-the-room question is yet to be answered,
          'Katie, now that you're home, what the fuck are you going to do now?'

Okay, I can try to answer that in 5 'Uhs', 'Huhs' and 'Wells' or less. Here it goes...
Well (1), you see that uh(2), now that I'm home, I uh(3)...huh(4).....well(5), I live with my parents. 

The truth is.... the truth is.... the TRUTH is is that I have absolutely no idea.

I can do anything. I can move to California. I can move to NYC. And now, after this adventure, applying for a working holiday visa and heading strait back to New Zealand is a very SERIOUS contender. Because why not?

In the very telling end scene of Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, (how many times have we established over the course of our relationship that I am a nerd?) Watson types the words:

The End. 

The very last shot, it changes.

The End?

It's not at all, y'all.

My Big Day in Middle Earth

Continued from 'I found myself on a tour bus heading strait to Middle Earth.

Nerds Unite in Middle Earth.

My last day in Rotorua I booked a ticket to Middle Earth. I mean yeah it could be argued that, 'Katie, haven't you been in Middle Earth for 5 weeks already?' Well, sure yeah, Middle Earth.. Narnia, a few other enchanting places.. but no... I really booked a ticket to Middle Earth. I got on a bus and it took me to the Shire.

Yeah, you guys, I mean that Shire.

Before the Hobbit, before the LOTR Trilogy, before the Shire even existed, the Shire was a sheep farm owned by the Alexander Family. Now, back in 1998 (RIGHT? 1998? Shooting for LOTR didn't even begin until 1999), when Peter Jackson was scoping out potential shooting locations, he comes across the Alexander Farm by air. From there, he asked very nicely to use their farm. They accepted and PJ swore the family to secrecy by way of some very legal binding documents.

It wasn't just the Hobbiton set that was a big secret. It wasn't even until the first film was released that the great and powerful Kiwis of New Zealand even knew that their country had been completely transformed into Tolkien's Middle Earth.

The Shire was created. And they did real good. 44 Hobbit Holes, Bilbo and Frodo's house, Sam and Rosie's The Party Field, The Green Dragon... it's all there.

A nerdy life is a happy life. Anyone who tries to deny it is a dirty, rotten liar.

Here's the Truth

I have a confession to make, when I said before I was going solo for a week? Well, that was only a little bit true. If you've been following LP's blog at all, (and honestly if you haven't, she's a way better writer than I and you might enjoy yourself more. Read her side of the story here: www.reconnoiterlife.blogspot.com) you'll know that she spilled the beans about her solo adventure. Hers involved a lovely Professor of Architectural Drafting from one of the universities in Dunedin. She was brave about it, I thought it would be fair if I was too.

It's true, that I hopped on the Interislander Ferry by myself, it's true that I stayed in Wellington by myself and then took a bus to Rotorua. I took a day and I found Hobbits, but that's for another post.

I don't know what it was about me being on my own, but all of a sudden I turned into someone who couldn't hold a conversation with a new person without becoming a mumbling, bumbling idiot. Didn't happen for me and the nice old lady on the ferry, definitely didn't happen for me at the hostel in Wellington when I was cooking in the communal kitchen surrounded by people interested in having a conversation.  My first 24 hours of solo adventure I kept to myself. No serious awkward moments, but maybe just a few weird moments because... well, me. It seemed like LP took all all the 'cool' with her to reunite with the Professor in the South Island. Just kidding...I'm not cool.

But really, Rotorua is where things got a little less, uh, solo-y.
Well, there was this guy. I mentioned him once before awhile back. It's that guy. He's the guy. And we met up in the not quite so bustling city of Rotorua.

Let me get strait to the point, this was a far cry from LPs romantic getaway (please, please read her point of view here www.reconnoiterlife.blogspot.com ): with the Professor.

But, after a several months of self doubt in the dude department...this guy, that guy I mentioned before and mentioned again, made me feel like a girl. He held my hand walking down the street and more than once, he put my hair behind my ear. No pressure, no strings and we drank the best damn margaritas of my life. I don't know if I'll ever see him again, and if he happens to ever stumble across this post, I have no idea if he'll be flattered or creeped out. Because, let's be honest, it could go either way.

Thank you for the memories, Washington.

So my solo adventure was less than solo. We said our goodbyes and I found myself on a tour bus heading strait toward Middle Earth.

Solo adventures

And then the three heroes went solo.
I drove Bruno Timberlake Mars from Kaikoura to Picton this morning then hopped on the Interislander Ferry.


The Canadian's still hanging in Kaikoura.
LP is in Dunedin.
And me? I'm being socially awkward and weird in a hostel in downtown Wellington. Just making friends everywhere I go, except for here cause I think I'm making people uncomfortable by just like ...breathing.

Tomorrow I'm waking up at the crack to head to Rotorua because I'm looking for hobbits.

Rock Solid

I grew up going to a church camp nestled in Eastern Kentucky near the small foot hill town of Irvine. Camp Burnamwood, for many a week in the summers of my childhood and full-on sticky summers in my early adult hood, it was my home. It's a safe and welcoming place to all.

It's Presbyterian, I don't know if that qualifier is in any way shape or form relevant-- but to me it's important.

Anyways, the point of even mentioning Camp in the first place is because the Candian and I explored the beach at Kaikoura a wee bit on our first night, to stretch our legs after a particular long drive from Dunedin. The scenery here, like the rest of this country, is unreal.

The beach wasn't like anything I've ever seen before. Instead of smooth sand or even jagged, uneven rocks beneath my shoes, my soles slipped over smooth dark stones all along the coast.

We do a search for the best, most perfect, smoothest rock. It's here she tells me that she and her mother collect heart shape rocks for each other and that her mother might pee herself with excitement over the millions, billions and trillions of the heart shaped possibilities.

Continuing my search, I look down and see a hint of white snuggled in with all the dark. I pick it up and roll it around in the palm of my hand. It's perfect. It's mine.

It's here on our little jaunt I start telling her about Camp Burnamwood.

Now I'm not a particularly religious person-- at least I don't think I am. I'm open to a bigger picture. I believe in science. But the kind of spiritual worship I participated in the foothills of those Appalachian mountains back home have stuck with me. It's there that I become completely affected by something bigger than myself.

Holding my perfect white rock in my hand, I'm telling her how it reminds me of a certain week, at a certain age (neither of which I can remember) where we (the campers) were tasked with finding a little rock or stone from the creek bed and bring it for the last night of the week. The ramifications being: it could not be any larger than the palm of your hand.-- the whole idea being that, 'God is my rock.' That night after the rocks were collected, they were placed in a big pile, I picked up a new one and read the words, 'Here I am.'

I squeezed my little white rock and looked down at it and though to myself, 'Here I am.'

Here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

At those words, everything and anything that I have ever been affected by or felt-- ever-- the good, the beautiful, death, the ugly--all hits me at once and I start to cry.

All of a sudden this humongous intangible idea becomes tangible and it fits in the palm of my hand.

I cry because I'm here in New Zealand, because of graduation, because of a break up. I cry because I know my family is proud of me. I cry because I'm scared of what happens next. I cry because I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I cry because I'm exhausted. I cry because I'm homesick. I cry because I need to shower. I cry because I love my friends. I cry because everything... EVERYTHING is in the palm of my hand.

I cry because my little white rock screams at me,
"Here I am, you idiot! Here I am and there you are and everything is going to be okay. Just hold on to me. I'm here."

It's so simple, little white rock.

Three Way Separation

Our three heroes made it to Kaikoura yesterday, where sea meets snow capped mountains in one big explosion to the eye. It's unreal.

Driving here yesterday, it all kind of hit us at once that coming to this country has been the best decisions of our lives and that ending the adventure so soon is absolutely heart breaking.

But does it really have to end? The answer was a loud 'HELL NAW.'

The three of us are coming back in 2014, all in our own ways.

For the Canadian it may be in the form of Midwifery School or alternative medicine.

For LP, it may be in the form of a working holiday visa or grad school.

For me...Do I apply for the working holiday visa? Do I move here? Do I stay here? Do I completely change my plan? It's been my plan for years, and it's terrifying to think that it could all change.

In regards to this idea that we're coming back here, with one week left, the three heroes are splitting up... Even LP and I.

It's true.
The three heroes with their trusty steed Bruno Timberlake Mars end their journey together in Kaikoura.

The Canadian's staying in Kaikoura for a few more days and going to finish the North Island at her own pace and her own time.

LP is going back to Dunedin. She and I will happily reunite in Auckland on Thursday.

And me? I feel like need to reevaluate my entire future, while also going to Hobbiton.

It's the end of the adventure for the three heroes, but really, it's just the beginning of their friendship.

Birthdays and Single Digits

Today is the Canadian's birthday. It's my first Canadian birthday celebration. Do Canadians sing 'happy birthday'? Do they like cake? I don't have any maple syrup, and there's not hockey game. What do should we do, eh?

Just KIDDING, you guys. Canadians are human too.

Actually, LP and I are sitting in a coffee shop called Strictly Coffee near our hostel waiting for the birthday girl herself. We have a few things planned for her and knowing her she's going to fight it and love it all at the same time.

Today's our last full day in Dunedin, tomorrow morning we drive up the East coast to a town called Kaikoura. And since it's on the coast, there's a 86% chance that I will be kayaking again... Because apparently I can't get enough of it.

We back track down the coast on Saturday to experience Christchurch, aka Farmers Market (my people) and another Rugby game... Because apparently I can't get enough of it.

Sunday is back to the North Island and it's going to be tough to pack in everything we want to do in the North Island in quite literally 4 1/2 days; less than 24 hours in Wellington, a day to hike Mt. Doom (YES THAT MOUNT DOOM) and a day in Hobbiton (YES THAT HOBBITON)

We're in single digits of how many days left there are. I might cry.

Here it goes.

Dunedin Dunedin Dunedin

Dudes,
Wait one month is gone already? How'd that happen? Time flies when you're flying.

With now a little less than 2 weeks to go on this adventure, we're extending our stay in Dunedin even longer. It's nice not to be on the to ALL the time. With the exception of being in Sydney for 6 days, this the longest I've been in one place for month. We need and needed to land for a couple of days.

What started as a 2 day stay,turned into 4 days, which then has turned into something else entirely. This time last week, by today we would be back in the North Island getting reacquainted and friendly with the Windy City, Wellington.

But, nope. We're still here.

I can't quite put my finger on what I like about this city. It's nestled in the eastern corner of the South Island. I haven't been out of the city for a couple of days... Actually I haven't gone further than 8 blocks in any direction since we blew in-- in our Silver Stallion, Bruno Timberlake Mars on Wednesday.

Friday night we attended our first RUGBY GAME, and it was the most brutal, animalistic thing I have ever seen. It was bloody, and sweaty and man those Rugby shorts are short. I guess I'm a Dunedin Highlanders (highlanders because of the Scottish heritage happening down here... I assume) now. They didn't win the game against the Wellington Hurricanes, but it was still such a spectacle. If there's a chance of going to another game while I'm here, I'm going to take the opportunity to search and seek out my future husband... I mean to enjoy the sport. But really it's such a fun time.

We scoped out the Otago Farmers Market at the Railway Station on Saturday morning and tomorrow (Monday) there's a good chance we will be touring the local brewery (probably another wino experience-- I'll have to keep my facial expressions in check and not throw up) and the CHOCOLATE FACTORY TOUR (I'll have to keep my facial expressions in check and be cool ).

You guys know Cadbury Eggs? Like the best chocolate you could get in your Easter basket growing up? THAT FACTORY IS LOCATED HERE IN DUNEDIN AND I MIGHT DIE FROM CHOCOLATE. Yes, I probably will die from chocolate... Nothing else. I'd like my overdose to be simple, to the point and obvious.

Anyways, just a short update. Still way more to see and more to talk about.

Until then,
Katie

That Awkward Moment When - a collection from the Road Trip Edition Part 1

That awkward moment when you have to keep reminding yourself that Kiwis drive on the left side of the road.

The awkward moment when I'm not allowed to drive the car because I can't remember that Kiwis drive on the left side of the road.

The awkward moment when the Canadian doesn't book a hostel and sleeps in the backseat of the car, Blue Ivy.

The awkward moment when you're hiking and you get passed on the trail by some speedy geriatrics.

The awkward moment when the steepness of the hill outweighs the once in the life time opportunity to see a receding glacier...remember global warming guys.


That awkward moment when you're driving along down a steep hill and your start to smell something burning.


That awkward moment in Dunedin when the only kiwi that has hit on you in 4 weeks has a chin strap beard and keeps telling you about his farts because he ate at some chain called Lone Star.

That awkward moment when the Canadian casually invites everyone in the hostel lounge to go out for drinks and the only one who responds is the one guy you don't actually want to invite.

And then the awkward moment when you see that one guy you didn't want to invite roaming the streets outside the bar because he didn't quite get a good look at you back at the hostel.

The awkward moment when you're at a cute cafe in Riverton on the Southern Scenic Highway and you have to go the bathroom, like really have to go. And on your way to the bathroom you grab Marie Claire magazine off a nearby coffee table. The awkward moment when while you do your business, you're reading about the costume design in the new film Anna Karenina and someone comes into the bathroom. The awkward moment when you don't want to get caught with the magazine so you leave it on the back of the toilet. That awkward moment when you see who is waiting to use the facilities and its your waitress and she's about to find out what kind of business you did.

Actually, the awkward moment anytime you have do serious business.

The awkward moment when 2/3 of the car has to pee at least 75% of the time on long road stretches with zero opportunities for potty breaks.

The awkward moment when 2/3 of the car continues the trend of having to pee at least 75% time every night at the current hostel.

The awkward moment when you try and use a gas station bathroom without buying gas and you get yelled at. It's scary and so sad.

The awkward moment when driving in a parking lot or as they say here 'car park' and... Forget that Kiwis drive on the left side of the road.

That awkward moment when one of your british roommates looks like a sexy distant cousin of Robert Patinson and he casually slips that he has Mono and hepatitis into casual conversation and all your future dreams are absolutely crushed.

The awkward moment when taking a rest stop at a playground the Canadian 'accidentally' flips the bird to a bus full of young school children.

The awkward moment when you're kayaking in Milford Sound and the sandflies ruin all of the selfie-pictures.

The awkward moment when a giant herd of cattle is in the middle of the road, but then you makes friends with the Farmer and his attractive Farmer's son. That's my kin.

The awkward moment when you give your number 3 business hurricane names while going down the alphabet in the middle of an Indian restaurant. Appropriate?

The awkward moment when you get not only one but TWO saddle sores on your ass during your nerdy 3 hr LOTR ride.

The awkward moment when you pretend to know about Rugby to people who actually know about Rugby.

Awkward moment when you try an be an adult and go on a winery tour and you realize that every sip you take of the wine you make a face that looks like you're going to vomit. It's a cute face. Just stop pretending you know about wine, Katie.
........

To be continued...

And the Road Trip Continues

You guys, I can't reiterate enough that one of the best decisions of this trip (besides coming on this trip, of course) has been renting a car.

YOU GUYS, 3 girls from the North American continent (aka the three heroes) have driven the length of the South Island in New Zealand.

We made it to Dunedin on the South Eastern coast yesterday afternoon. I'm in love. So is LP. We love it so much that we are changing our already loose itinerary.

The original plan when we got Blue Ivy back in Nelson 7 days ago was that we would spend 2 nights in Dunedin, 2 nights in Christchurch, drop the car in Picton, immediately hop onto the ferry to the North Island. Finally spending a few days in Wellington since we missed it the experience on the way down.

No on car #2, we're extending our stay in Dunedin from 2 nights to 6 nights, we're extending our time with Bruno Timberlake Mars the sweet Nissan...but most importantly we're sticking with the Canadian.

We are not ready to separate. At this point I think it may be physically impossible to break up Blue Ivy's Gang/ Bruno's Bitches. What started as a casual hop in the car has not only turned into a serious-full-on-real-road-trip but a serious-full-on-real-friendship. 7 days and counting, hundreds of miles, 2 cars, a radio adaptor for the iPods, Beyonce, Mumford, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars and the South Island. It's just working. When that day comes when we do actually have to go our separate ways.... I don't even want... i can't even think about it.

LP and I have a little over 2 weeks left and after Dunedin it's just one big question mark.

Ain't life grand?

ByeeEE

PS in other news, the three heroes will be attending their first ever Rugby game tomorrow night: the Highlanders vs. the Hurricanes. I'll let you know if I find my future husband.

Milford Sound

Heroes in Milford. This is what you thought you were gonna read about earlier... Tricked ya.

Milford Sound. That's where this posting is coming from. It's nearly 4 1/2 hours from Queenstown, and it's only during parts of the year when you can actually get here. In the winter, the weather and snow makes it likely for AVALANCHES to happen. Yeah, I know, terrifying.

To get to the sound, which actually it isn't even a sound, it's a fiord, you have to drive through a tunnel. This is no ordinary tunnel. This is deep blasting, down hill for a few km... Like some sort of Disney world ride or...dare I say it? A dwarf tunnel scene out of LOTR or something ( never stop the nerd).

After the tunnel, the drive continues downhill for another ... 12-15 miles maybe? Bruno's brakes got a seriously hot workout, we know this because we could smell them the entire drive. Better Bruno than Blue, I guess.

I did another kayaking trip. The first one was in Abel Tasman at the top of the South Island. Now, I'm in near the bottom on the West coast on the South Island and I really just couldn't help myself. I loved it. This one was 3 times as long with an even earlier wake up call at 6:30am. It was so worth it. Catherine and I woke up at Dawn's crack and have absolutely no regrets. This is the best way to see Milford Sound. NOT MAD ABOUT IT.

On Monday I did a 22km horseback ride in Glenorchy, on Tuesday an 18km kayak tour in Milford sound and then the three heroes of North America are going to Dunedin on the East Coast. That drive could take anywhere from 6-10 hours depending on the route we take.

Dear sweet lord baby Jesus Allah Buddha Zeus, please be nice to my body.

Bruno, take us to Dunedin! SAFELY!

A Short Nerdy Horsey Post, I'm sorry.

What do I say about the drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy? It's one of the most staggering drives. The mountains were craned from glaciers and just completely shoot up into the sky, it's amazing.

On our drive, we happen to take in a few stragglers... I guess they were hitch hikers, but instead of hitch hiking from the side of the road, they hitched a ride from our hostel so they could hike a trek out of Glenorchy. See what I did there?

Now, on to the horses. A horse trek is something both LP and I wanted to so from the very beginning. Kentucky girls and horses mix really well together... Unsurprisingly. We found a company called Dart Stables that incorporated terms and scenes from LOTR into the names and trails of their treks.. So obviously... Nerd life for life.

NATURALLY WE SIGNED UP FOR THE. TRILOGY LOOP.

I rode a horse named Eden. The ride was heaven and he liked to go fast. I saw the Misty Mountains, and a mountain located in Isengard. NOT MAD ABOUT IT.

The scenery in this country is already unreal, but then to see the real life version of what you've seen on the silver scream, I mean... What?!

The Red Skirt That Was

This is my post to and for Lauren Perry.

Lauren Perry doesn't think she's pretty. She's doesn't know she's pretty.

She's had an interesting couple of years to say the very least and most of it was a dream-like-not-really-real some what of a disaster kind of couple of years... But she's gotten through it and she's figuring it all out and she's in New Zealand.

Poor girl's been married, divorced, had her heart stomped on by some idiot guy, but you know what? None of that even matters because she's actually DOING SOMETHING. She's here and they, yes they and the rest of the bullshit is back in the states.

But I digress... To what this post is really about. This post is about a skirt. It's about a skirt that woke Lauren up. It's red, and spins and looks killer on her. She put it on and a light bulb went off.

I don't know if the skirt is some metaphor or simile or ...hell a sudoku puzzle for how far she's come, how much she's grown and how much she's accomplished but the red skirt is big time. The red skirt is here to stay.

Lauren Perry is a pretty girl and now she knows it.

Rest in Peace Blue Ivy

The adventure begins again for our three heroes, this time we meet them in Milford Sound.

But wait, how'd they get there? Rewind.

Queenstown, New Zealand, the party place for the Kiwi Nation. There's also great cafe, pubs, shops, and all the adrenaline filled activities you can possibly think of, sky diving, bungi-jumping, world's longest swing, jet boating...there's skiing and snow sports in the winter... none of which I participated in because:
A. I like my body to stay connected.
B. I also like my body to stay connected with its bank account.
C. It's the end of the summer here, hence no snow sports.............

The cafes were a particular hit because everyone on this road trip adventure gets excited when even the slightest mention of food is made. Cat (Canada) has a book of especially delicious cafes across the country, so of course we made our way to the ONE cafe mentioned by this book our very first morning in Qtown (I haven't heard anyone actually call it that, and we probably should call it that :( because it's unflattering and sounds like the word 'q-tip)....Actually, let's just leave it at Queenstown.

Queenstown was and still is a big hit for our heroes. I think if I'd ever been to Colorado (and it's on my list) , Queenstown kind of has an Aspen-y or like, Vail-y kind of vibe. It's busy all year round but especially in the summer and winter.

We really just soaked up the general feel and culture of it all. We felt very adult when we went to a local Winery, actually tried the wine, toured a wine cave and ate cheese. Yep, big girls. We took a gondola/ski lift ride up to the top and got the birds eye view from everything about bustling Queenstown below to the GIANT, ROCKY, POINTY, BEAUTIFUL mountains that surround it.

So on this road trip we've had our trusty, busty girl, Blue Ivy. She's white, she's lovely, remember she can turn on a dime but...BUT we did notice some interesting noises she was making in and around town that she hadn't made on the journey down the West Coast. Obviously this is cause for some worry... The highways here are not like the highways at home and if something were to happen none of Blue Ivy's gang has a New Zealand cellphone. So, worrisome.

Monday, we get up early to head to Glenorchy (this gets a post on its own) for our LOTR horse trek. (I know it really seems like I don't want a nice boy to hit on me but I really, really do).

Once back in town LP drops in at Omega Car rentals for a little check up... Turns out, we brought her in at a good time. They said it was something to do with her shock absorbers or you know something... But I think her brakes were gonna go soon.

RIP BLUE IVY YOU WERE A NICE GIRL.

Now we are driving a very handsome Nissan we haves named, Bruno Timberlake Mars. Again, please refer to Google or Ask Jeeves for more pop culture references.

Bruno got us to Milford Sound with stunning results. He has a better sound system, he's newer, he's roomier, he, like Blue Ivy is a very sweet Asian, and he's SILVER.

I'm sorry Blue Ivy but we like Bruno better. Please don't haunt us from Rental Car Hell.

A car named Blue Ivy, a biography.

I think taking a big road trips are a right of passage.

Maybe it's to the beach, or the mountains, or if you're feeling really crazy, maybe it's a trip to Grandma's house.

I've gone on trips with my parents and I've gone on trips with school or for church and in college for club sports. But this far in my life, and at the time in my life, they don't count as rites of passage into the real adulthood or out of the weird ways of teenage-dom. Some of them were vacations, some were field trips and some were completely obligatory and very far from the 'big road trip'

As a be-speckled, brace-faced 11 year old, I had this idea that my own big road trip would be across the USA in a remodeled VW Bus (11 year olds are into cliches apparently) with my best friend. We'd see the Gateway to the West in St. Louis, search for Dorothy in Kansas, stand in 4 states at once at the bottom left side of square state Colorado. Then there was the Grand Canyon, San Fran, maybe to Oregon because what the fuck do two 11 year Kentucky girls know about the Pacific Northwest anyhow? Maybe we'd go East instead of West? Or South or north? But the plan was always this:
1. Get the fucking bus.
2. Road trip.

Too easy right? Wrong. Haven't gotten the fucking VW bus.

Fast forward about 10 years. The big cross country road trip was and is on my list of things I'd like to do. Only now at the age of 20 going on 21, I think I want to blog my way across America. You know, see the sights, smell the smells, SEE MY HOMELAND.

Fast forward to right now. I'm 22 going on 23. I'm in New Zealand and 2 days ago we rented a car. Why is this awesome?

1. I'm under the age of 25 and in the states there would be no way for me to rent a car by myself.
2. We are road trippin' in New Zealand.
3. I repeat we are road trippin' in New Zealand.

There's no VW bus in my story, not quite anyways, in this story we have a late 90's Toyota Corolla. And in honor of Beyonce and Jay Z, we have named her Blue Ivy. If you do not understand this 2010s pop culture reference, please refer to my good friend Google.

In 2 days, Blue Ivy hasn't been without her ups and downs. She drives like a charm, her turning radius is absolutely stellar but her battery may or may not have died yesterday.

2 days after the initially renting, we've seen the Glaciers, Franz Josef and Fox, and now we are in the adrenaline, and alcohol fueled city of Queenstown.

These are my rites of passage. I don't know what the passage is to yet, but I'm figuring it out.

Together with our new Canadian friend Catherine (we met her 2 or 3 posts ago) we've set out on quite literally the road trip of a lifetime. And at this point, 2 days in, the United States doesn't stand a fighting chance.

Why hostels remind me of summer camp

-Bunk beds
-There's always someone that snores
-Sometimes you have to walk a long way to the bathroom
-Shower shoes (flip flops, thongs, jandals)
-There's always music playing
-When the bell rings, or the fire alarm goes off, everyone wakes up
-Shower caddies... And you know someone always forgets their clothes and sneaks around in their towel
- Thin walls and the movie, Wet Hot American Summer
-Open screened windows and singing cicadas
-Big porches, garden areas with plenty of room to sit and relax to just chat
- All the possibilities for activities? Wanna kayak? Hike? Swim? No problem!
-Meal times are frenzied and hectic
-Sometimes, there are bugs
-The grill and or BBQ
-Thin walls and the movie Wet Hot American Summer
-Meeting new people and making new friends

And finally I've mentioned this before but the over all sense of community and camaraderie. Everyone can relate, everyone has at least one thing in common... Even if that one thing is the same address that night-- you're never alone and that's pretty cool.

Abel Tasman 2

I hiked, I walked, I boated, I kayaked, I ate, I peed, I SPFed...not bad Abel Tasman National Park, not bad.

It's 7:30pm and I'm ready for bed. Am I doing it right?

Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman is a famous guy in New Zealand. He's not a kiwi, he's actually a Dutch guy. He's the guy who first saw this land in the year... He first sighted these islands back in... Yeah nope, I have no idea. I promise he's important though.

LP and I are going to hit up the national park named in his honor. We are separating for the day, she's going to trek for 8 hours while I'm going to hike for about 2 and kayak for about 4.

Wish us luck, y'all.

PS we are staying at a hostel called the Laughing Kiwi in a city called Motueka, just for reference as to where we are.

Deep thinking Nelson

On Monday, over pizza in a restaurant called Stefano's, we made a list. It's not necessarily a bucket list--- I mean it is but, it's little more personal than that I feel.

The list shows how different LP and I are, down to our toes. It's written out in my notebook so you know it's completely legitimate.

The picture of the list is below, and for safety and otherwise personal reasons I didn't want to type it out legibly.

After our pizza we walked up the hill to Kiwi style catholic cathedral, which isn't too different than American style cathedrals. The stain glass was gorgeous, the organ was gigantic, but what struck me the most and what might stick with me the most was the labyrinth painted on the floor.

Labyrinths are like mazes, with the exception that there are no dead ends, perfect for...spiritual thinking or reflection. I'm not especially religious, but this labyrinth I feel like I can relate to....

On the plaque before the labyrinth read the words:

Walking into the Answer.
At the threshold of the labyrinth, embrace the words;
"This is my opportunity"
Ask yourself:
"Do I have the courage to move on?"

I thought back to my freshly written list in
my notebook and repeated those words in my head over and over.

Katie, this is your opportunity.

Of course I have the damn courage, it ain't going no where.

Bikes and Mexican Monday

So actually no rental car from Picton. We booked another bus ride on our InterCity bus passes and headed to Nelson.

We are into this habit of finding out about things like...free shuttles to places like, I don't know ..our hostel... Only after we've walked for 30-45 minutes to get there. No big deal, we're leading an active lifestyle now, so it's okay.....

The Hostel in Nelson is called The Bug. I can see where you might be worried about me, after the great bug attack in Kings Cross in Sydney. Nope, different kind of Bug... Of the Volkswagen variety, and I'm not mad about it.

This hostel has free bikes you can take out on the town--Nelson's a little more spread out and more easy to navigate and get around with two wheels.

I think the last time I was on a bike, like a real one, not the at-the-gym-tryna-get-swole- stationary-bike... Maybe when I was in my early teens? I'm not a smooth operator when it comes to any kind if athletic ability, assessment.. I have no hand-eye coordination etc. I barely meet the minimum of those things at any point in time. Needless to say... This Farmer and bikes have a lot to learn about each other.

We had some sweet roommates at The Bug-- Max from Washington State and Catherine from Victoria, Canada. Our first night we biked (please see above paragraph) to the local grocery store and picked up wine and beer, biked back (again see above paragraph), and just had a grand ole time. ---That's the beauty of staying in hostels. The awesome sense of community and being home.

We celebrated Monday night with our own NZ version of tacos--- proclaimed Mexican Monday for all. Delicious.

A Day in Picton

LP is a get up and go kind of person...she wakes up early and 10 minutes later she is ready to go. She does this everyday... Everyday. And everyday I wake up a little bit later and take my time, everyday.

LP got up at the crack of dawn today, as per usual and ventured off and I haven't seen her since.

Two weeks together 24/7. And today For the first time , I was on my own.

Picton, a town of 4,700 people... A far, far cry from the one million people in Auckland and the 200,000+ people in Wellington.

So, Picton used to be a whaling town, and now it's the starting off point for the South Island.... I think it's come along way for it to be a tourist point. There's a lot to do here from walking the tracks around the Harbor and Queen Charlotte Sound, to kayaking and taking a ride on a sea plane.

I actually watched a kiddie sailing lesson for about 30 minutes. There were 8 or 9 kids all in their own tiny sail boats, all doing something completely different, all getting a little frustrated and all highly entertaining. Their instructor was in her launch boat, yelling and hollering...very reminiscent of Murray State Rowing and Coach Weaver out on Kentucky Lake.

Picton, I like you.

Next item of business on the agenda today-- to rent a car or to not rent a car? For how long? Where should we go next?

ACE car rentals seems to be the popular one-- $40 a day including insurance? I think yes.

An Ode to Doug

I know this story of guy who decided to see the world---not just read about it or talk about it, like really see it. He drove a car from the States to Panama, he hitch hiked from one end of South America to the other, he's been all over Asia, Europe, and parts of Africa. He decided to the see the world with absolutely no regrets.

Sometimes you gotta step out of line and take your feet somewhere new.

He did, now it's my turn.

Thanks Daddy, I love you.

The Interislander

We said our Goodbyes to Wellington, we'll be back soon .

We've made it to the South Island! We took the Interislander Ferry, which as of 2012 marked the 50th year that the company has been transporting people back and forth between the North and South Island. My dad used the very same Ferry system back in the 70s, with the exact same Route -- the Cook Strait. Kinda cool... Actually kind of awesome.

He told me on his trip he blew his lunch 20 ways until Sunday...so I was kinda worried.

On my side was that the ferry my dad used was retired sometime in the 80s... Ferry technology?

I didn't blow my lunch 20 ways until Sunday. I didn't even get sea sick, that could be because I took a motion sickness pill and because the weather was absolutely pristine. There was no chop, there was no nothing. The water wasn't glass but it was pretty damn calm.

Here's a glimpse of what's to come from the South Island. Thank God.

The Awkward Moment When-Wellington Edition

The Awkward moment when you check into your hostel in Wellington, looking like a bunch of scrubs.

The awkward moment when you check in to your hostel and the guy at reception starts talking about UK basketball... You start talking about Murray State's undefeated season.

The awkward moment when he looks up at both of you quizzically and asks, 'booked for Double Share ?'

The awkward moment when you open the door to your room and you realize that 'double share' doesn't mean 2 twin beds, it means one double bed.

The awkward moment when you realize LP's hat is from Rolex 3 day event.

The awkward moment when you go downstairs to ask what the wifi password is and the same reception guys asks you about your rowing shirt.

The awkward moment when the reception guy asks about your girlfriend.

The awkward moment after he asks about your girlfriend when you try and explain and end up sounding like you have a girlfriend anyways.

That awkward moment when you wonder why you haven't been questioned about it sooner.

For the record, on the record, I like boys, dudes, fellas, gentlemen.

Sorry ladies, I know I'm a catch.

No More Auckland

I don't like Auckland, I don't hate Auckland but I definitely do not like Auckland.

In a country of 4 million people, Auckland hosts 1 million of them.

I love city life.. But these Kentucky girls have about had it with the city. After the Bay of Islands trip we said goodbye to our new friends from Stray--several of which I hope to bump into again on this adventure --and got to our hostel on Ponsonby road. Ponsonby road is a bright light in Auckland, lots of shopping and plenty of food.... But still in Auckland.

We stayed only one night in Auckland... So I guess Wednesday night? Thursday we hopped on a bus with our brand new Flexi-passes and 11 hours later made it to Wellington.


Now it's Friday and Wellington is completely booked up for the weekend. Instead of spending the next few days exploring Wellington (aka GOING TO HOBBITON... I might cry) we are getting on the Ferry to the South Island and I swear to god I'm gonna throw up all three hours.

I am a fan of Wellington already, an I'm looking forward to coming here on our way back through to explore (aka GO TO HOBBITON)

Northland and Stray Bus

Bay of Islands, the center of everything to do and every place to go up at the tip top of New Zealand.

Kind of tacky, lots of touristy, but that didn't take away the overall beachy- kiwi ambience.

We booked the 'Patch' tour with Stray bus travel -- which is one of the bigger backpacking travel companies on both islands. We booked 'Patch' as test run to see if we wanted to book a bigger tour with them.

I wasn't completely sold on the idea of a bus tour with 30 ish other travel backpackers-- but for the price and what we got to do, we decided to give it a shot.

Stray Tours and all the rest of the New Zealand Bus Tours have different packages and itineraries for both the North and South Island-- all different prices and all different amounted of time. It's a convenient way to see the country but it's all super planned out. Part of my hesitation to do the tour was it felt like it wasn't me in charge of my trip-- it was some company... Anyways we gave Stray a whirl.

We made our way on a bumpy Stray bus up to the Bay of Islands and had first night guaranteed accommodation ( All Stray Bus Tours guarantee at least the first --which is extremely convenient during the high season, which confidentially LP and I are in the tail end of).

We roomed with a few Dutch girls, a German girl .................and two Scottish guys........... Ladies, please let that sink in.

Our first night in the Bay of Islands we were welcomed with a 4:30ish am fire alarm. The thing about fire alarms in the States and I assume other countries as well... First responders are there within minutes. There were no cop cars, no fire brigade, no nothing for our AM fire alarm.. Fortunately there was no fire... But still Bay of Islands is not a large place and that alarm was so damn loud. The 'fire' was some idiot who tried smoking in the room apparently.

Our real wake up call was for 6:45, another Tour Bus picked us up (the US now I'm referring to are the people who boomed with Stray, the Kiwi Experience etc) and took us on an adventure up even more North.

Cape Reinga is close to the most Northern part of NZ, and as I mentioned in the last post, a very spiritual place for the Maori culture. Cape Reinga is the crossing over of the dead- spirits of the Maori. There's a light house there at Cape Reinga, and a few coastal walks--- but with out tour we were there for 45 minute and 45 minutes only. So.

Our tour included this thing called 'sand boarding', heard of it? It's exactly like what it sounds like... On the western part of the North are these absolutely massive sand dunes, I'm talking 6 or 8 stories high. You get a boogie or body board and it's just one big slide. Of course getting to the top is the toughest part. Sand is extremely hard to walk on up hill. And the those dunes are really freaking high.

I get to the top of the dune and feel like throwing up-- it's so high!!!!!! And I looked down. Don't ever look down. It's terrifying and exhilarating all at once. The ride down was quick and easy (that's what she said? )

Then it was on to 90 mile beach, which is actually more like 90 km beach, which in New Zealand it's actually considered a road/highway.. It's on the map like a road. The beach is super wide. Driving on the beach in NZ is nothing like driving on the Beach in say.. Daytona Florida. First because its basically deserted, second, it's not trashy-- literally, figuratively, physically.... Etc.

I did get a little sunburn (sorry Mom). And the general consensus about the Stray tour was.. It's a nice way to get around and it got us up to the Bay of Islands but the idea of an Itinerary that wasn't completely our own and kind of getting the feeling that we were cattle being herded (some may disagree that we aren't cows..... we are just nice girls) . This is a very successful company on NZ but the way they did things just wasn't and isn't the way LP and I want to use our time.

AND FINALLY....Of course the only picture I got of this experience on my phone is. The picture of the BEST food I've eaten on this trip so far... Fish and chips.

Stray and Bay of Islands

So, we hopped on our 'Stray' tour bus this morning. Our bus driver is a kiwi, his name is Scratch, he's bald and he drives like a maniac.

Our full bus day took us from Auckland up to the Bay of Islands. It's absolutely gorgeous and I'm having a hard time finding the humidity.

Tomorrow, we take a day trip to Cape Reinga. Up there it's a very spiritual place for the Maori culture. Very much looking forward to it.

Will also be sand boarding(?!)... Or surfing on sand dunes. Sounds dangerous. But okay... I'll try it, considering I paid for it.

Here's a look at a vista in Bay of Islands.

City of Sails

Here's the thing about Kentucky girls.

The city is nice for awhile-- the sounds, the smells, the people-- all of it is nice for awhile. After being in Sydney for 6 days, being surrounded by people 24/7, then coming to Auckland, it's time to get the hell out of the concrete jungle... Kentucky girls need their hills, valleys and mountains.

We spent the better part of Friday at the airport-- avoiding Sydney. We were absolutely sick of it. We seen as much as we wanted, and spent way too much money doing it.

The last few days in Oz, I felt bit under the weather and actually-- I'm maybe at 80% health right now. I don't know what it is, maybe it's the constant motion of this trip-- not really settling in completely, getting up early and then just going, going and going.

Anyways,

So now we've made it to Auckland, otherwise known as the City of Sails. Walking to the Harbor, we saw thousands of boats at the docks, a few were out in the bay. I think Auckland may be the Dan Francisco of New Zealand. It's got ocean views, plenty of hills and a vibrant night life with clubs, pubs and everything in between.

As for our first night out in Auckland, it just so happens to be the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival in Albert Park (as in King Albert and Queen Victoria, google them, lovely monarchs).

The Festival was absolutely swarming with 18-20 crowd... Should mention that 18 is the legal drinking age in NZ... The lights around the park are fine, but it's PACKED and uncomfortably so. We perch on a little hill over looking a fountain with a light dragon in it with a few other.... Hundred.. Maybe even thousands of people. We set up shop and just wait for these lanterns to be let loose... Then we wait some more... And then we see a lantern floating up into the sky... And a few others. AND THEN THERE WAS A FIST FIGHT.

And that was the extent of our Lantern Festival. Way to go Year of the Snake.

So today, to the people who are actually reading this blog (Thanks Mom and Dad) it's SUNDAY. I still cannot kick whatever it is that has been bringing me down-- so we had a lazy day. No city adventures, no weird interactions, just absolute LAZINESS. And before you get all mad because I'm in a foreign country and taking a personal day-- if you will-- I slept most of the day and am about to pass out tonight. Sometimes you get need a recoup or two, ya FEELZ?

So tomorrow, Monday, LP and I booked what's called A Stray Bus Tour... Heading up to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, which is the northern most tip of New Zealand. The bus is leaving around 8, only problem is, is that on our receipt it says for one passenger... Fingers crossed.

Now that we're here it's almost overwhelming all the places we can go. We are so ready for the South Island though that we may detour parts of the North island to get there. Ah!

And finally, this is a disclaimer: INTERNET IN NEW ZEALAND COST 10¢ FOR 1 MEGABYTE OR SOMETHING RIDICULOUS. So probably no more Skype/ Face Time unless its an emergency or if the wifi is completely free.

With that there's a good chance that I will have a bunch of posts built up for when I know wifi is cheap and post them all at once.

Like this one... It's Sunday in NZ when I'm writing it , who the fuck knows when I'll post it.

Okay, bye.


***its Monday at 4:45***

Farewell to Oz

I just woke up on our very last day in Sydney, Australia. And honestly I can kind of feel a sense of relief that it's the last day.

Sydney has been an absolute....whirlwind. It's also been expensive, exhausting, intimidating, and wonderful all at the same time. I see myself coming back here one day for a nice visit and chat, but Australia has a lot more to discover and I wish we'd had the time and the funds to explore it all.

Sydney is just the start of what this journey is supposed to be all about. This trip, from the very beginning has been about New Zealand--- but even more than that it's about self discovery, life experience and I don't know... finding myself? Is that too cliche? Maybe.

This is the first time in my entire life where I haven't had any real obligations or commitments. I'm being dependent on myself. I don't have to go to class, or worry about homework, or a work schedule--for the first time ever there's a huge blank space in my calendar and I can fill it with whatever I want too. How freeing is that? Or terrifying? Or fill in adjective here.

Already this week, we've met a lot of really wonderful people--from all over the planet. Most are traveling along, but some are traveling together and I think that independence is so important to expanding your outlook on nearly everything.

Thank God, Allah, and the old Gods and New that we are here.

See you in New Zealand, my friends.

Swedish Proverbs

To update, I didn't bring up that I was a cat lady, and I tried super, super hard to not say the word 'y'all.'

It was really fucking hard, but I managed it alright.

The adventures at HQ will be some of my favorites from the week in Sydney--those happenings are as follows:

There was a mission to find a bath towel for LP, that turned into a 4 1/2 excursion all around Sydney that ended up with one of the Best views at the Harbor from the Pylon Lookout on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. (Pictures at the bottom)

We were introduced to 'Goon'-- which is the backpackers version of boxed wine-- think of the brand Franzia... Disgustingly delicious and stupid cheap.

The sexy scandinavians. That's all I can really handle saying about that.

Rachel from Belfast, Ireland with a pretty excellent southern drawl , and Mags from Scotland who has a serious love for Las Vegas. Together we made 'the Goonies' or the 'Goon Squad.' Obviously original names.

Drinking games.

Oh and the very sexy Australian.


Anyways, Backpackers HQ in Kings Cross turned out to be our favorite hostel. Wake Up! Is great, but the community at Backpackers was absolutely wonderful and is exactly what I think we needed.

After our weeklong adventure in the land of Oz-- the land Down Under, I am so much looking forward to really starting our trip away from the hustle of an international city.

Australia, I WILL be back one day, but for now....

To AUCKLAND!

Sydney Aquarium

Just a few quick photos from our adventure to the Sydney Aquarium...

They had a dugong which is exactly like a manatee and I you know any thing about me you will know that manatees are my very, very favorite water dweller. And also a manatee was my very first Beanie Baby (RIP Manny).

To the pictures!

Kings Cross

Here in Sydney, we are essentially a day ahead --15 hours. IM LIVING IN THE FUTURE.

Anyways...

We checked into another hostel today called Backpackers HQ in a part of Sydney called Kings Cross. It's probably close to a mile away from the Wake Up! Sydney Hostel on Pitt Street. It's not so urban and so far, so good.

There is an 80% possibility that in our shared 10 bed room-- there are 6 people of the male persuasion.

3 of those 6 are from Sweden. They are tall, blonde and beautiful and I'm all like, I'm blonde too but I have too many pictures of cats on my phone.

There's all this sexy Scandinavian testosterone floating around and I don't even know if I can handle it. I'm on the top bunk above a Swed named Linus.

KATIE, FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE PLEASE BE COOL .
Please, keep your cat photos hidden and keep the word 'y'all' from slipping Ito casual conversation.

There's also a lovely girl named Rachel from Belfast, Ireland.

Beaches and tacos? Recipe for my favorite day

So Bondi Beach.

Gorgeous weather, gorgeous ocean and gorgeous people. And me and LP are all like sweaty and American.

There's a coastal walk that goes from Bondi (bon-die) to Coogee Beach-- I wanna say it was 4.4KM? Hell I can't remember but it was absolutely... Gorgeous. Bondi, Coogee and all the little coves and beaches have beautiful vistas and views. The locals use the walk as a training ground to be fit and active and skinny... And just gorgeous. They literally flew by us walking (yes), running, sprinting and there we were-- just sweaty an American.

I should have prefaced this costal walk and say-- it is not by any means ,flat. It's steep and there are stairs --not complaining just commenting. It's 100% worth the sweat -- because the views are spectacular.

Back in Sydney, we bonded even more with our roommates from Wake Up! Sydney. We are finally being social! We have friends! It's not just us out here in the big bad world outside Kentucky.

It's kind of amazing how much you actually do bond with some people on the road( because I'm obviously a veteran). T you're able to make friendships with them because you share this huge thing called independent travel. It's a big deal. Everyone should do it.

And as I mentioned in my last posting, all the girls ( from USA, AUS and GB) swapped in-country sayings/ phrases-- and tested out accents.

My favorite might be 'wanker.'

The Australians' favorite might have been , 'and not a fuck was given that day'.

Most of us were moving on the next day, and decided to all get dinner together. We had Mexican food. No matter the country no one can turn down a good taco.

Cheerio for now.

Catch up

We tackled Sydney again yesterday after 12+ hours of sleep, a snack or two and a new lease... Literally ... On the whole beginning of this trip because we didn't feel like death from the jet lag.

We explored the Royal Botanical Gardens (think Central Park in NYC on crack) and got lost a few times and made our way down to the Sydney Harbor--- Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. both completely spectacular.

We've made some friends in our hostel-- 2 girls from Melbourne, 2 girls from GB and Philip from France-- all kind of doing their own independent travel.

LP and I and the rest of the girls at around last night trying to do the others accents-, not the most successful venture-- it's a work in progress.

Right now taking advantage of the free wifi at the Bondi Beach Pavilion. Over the next few hours we'll be doing a beach walk from Bondi to Coogee Beach.

Don't worry Ma, I packed my sunscreen.

This is Sydney?

So far I'm not so sure about Sydney. Maybe it's the jet lag talking-- or the hunger-- or the general anxiety that comes from being in a strange place.

Our hostel is right smack dab in the middle of everything. It's just 10-30 minutes of walking time to lots of what Sydney's known for. And because of jet lag I can't remember anything.. The Olympics in 2000 right?

Today after a Chinese brunch (which we ate at the food court in a mall somewhere-- and then got stuck in because it started pouring rain) and short rest in our hostel we decided to keep the jet lag train moving and walking down to Darling Harbor. Huge Harbor, lots of places to look out and enjoy the view-- the Australian Maritime Museum with its battle ships and submarines-- a pirate ship even.

So I'm soaking in the view and I look over and BOOM, there's a Hard Rock Cafe and a Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (Steve Irvan, if you're reading this, as I walked by the Eagles were playing over the sound system there--- and so yeah-- go Steve). IT WAS SO AMERICAN and it made me so mad. STOP IT SYDNEY. I just left the states

Also, I was told that there was a big Asian population in Sydney. If by big that person meant 'every person I've seen in this city so far is Asian' -- then yes.

LP and I coined the term 'Austra-Asian' . I don't know if that's a real thing or wildly inappropriate to say out loud.. But it's happened and it's happening. So many Asians, so little contact with Australians.

Wait this is Sydney, right? We didn't actually land on the Asian continent right?

Looking forward to what else the next few days brings us. More exposure to Sydney tomorrow. For now me and LP are barely staying awake. It's close to 7:15pm here--- we haven't really slept in over 48 hours.

So maybe if this post doesn't make sense, just blame it on the jet lag.

Picture(s) attached are of Darling Harbor.




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Post about Jet Lag.

A little big of leg room can go a long way. After sitting on a bitchin' Air New Zealand AIRBUS(!!!!!!) for close to 13 hours... LP and I have made it through the 3rd leg of our Journey to Oz and Middle Earth!

FREE WIFI FOR 30 MINUTES.

After a few solid hours of sleep on the plane, a pee break and a $4 vanilla latte , we are siting at the gate in te Auckland Airport . So far I don't feel like complete shit, which is surprising because its 12 noon... yesterday...back home in Kentucky. We skipped Feb. 15 all together , which is what happens when you time travel... Because you know, time zones...

Anyways, Sydney next, where hopefully our backpacks will have made the journey from San Francisco. Fingers crossed. Wish us luck!

-K