The 'Couve

The last few days before my flight to Vancover I am ball of nervous excitement. I packed, and repacked my bags three times, cleaned my tiny house, rushed through some laundry and before you know it I'm sitting in a pleather chair at the airport terminal, leg bouncing up and down while I wait "patiently" for my flight.

I was due to arrive a few hours after The Professor, so when My plane finally landed I found my way to our lodging for the next few days. I grabbed the key he so kindly left at the desk for me and lugged my gear up to our room.

Shouldering the door open I drop my stuff just inside the room. And what's this neatly stacked on the bed? A collection of New Zealand themed gifts. ::grin:: (Readers: I think he likes me just a little...) Some of my jitters subside and I quickly set about a quick post travel clean up, give my hair a quick straightening and out the door I go.

The Professor has informed me that he and his traveling companion are having a few "wee" pints at a bar called Yaletown Brewing Company. And off I go.

A short 10 minute stroll from the hotel later and my feet pull up in front of the bar. After a tiny panic attack of, "Crap, what if we don't recognize each other...", I rolled my eyes at myself as I spotted him immediately sitting at a bar table to my right.

With every step closing what had been a half a world of distance, I stride as confidently as I can over to their table. As I slide into my chair, I lean in for a kiss, a hug, anything....and what do I get? A hand shake. And that adorable grin. Then I remembered that a couple of weeks ago we had made a bet based off of who would cave and kiss the other person first. As we are both fairly competitive people, that hand shake was a challenge. Well....fine. Challenge accepted. Grr.

ENTER: Captain Awesome

Initially polite and great at carrying conversation, 30 seconds later and I cant figure out why I had been nervous to meet him. After 30 minutes and a few beers I discover that this man is HILARIOUS. No other word for it. Just having casual conversation with him eventually has you roaring with laughter. He is dead set on seeing a raccoon (as they don't exist in NZ), he'll probably never turn down a proper challenge and he's also a hell of a line dancer as it turns out.

Yaletown Brewing Company not only brews their own beer, but also has an excellent kitchen staff as well. The boys had enjoyed some "amazing sliders" before I arrived, and I helped myself to a delicious wedge salad. The ordering of which created a flurry of conversation as wedge salads have not yet made it to popularity in New Zealand.

Other Items Found In Canada That Kiwi's Love

Caesars

Beer Everywhere

Drinking with every task

Fireball Whiskey

Costco

Giant Trucks

Lift Kits

Slow Pitch

Poutine

Buck Hunter the Arcade Game

Recycling

Things Found In Canada That Kiwi's Don't Like

Massive Mosquitoes

Reverse Light Switches

Incorrect driver position in vehicle

No On/Off switches on plugs

4-way stops

Root Beer "tastes like mouthwash"

High water line on toilets - makes for a difficult stealth pee

A short night out finds us all back at the hotel, The Professor and I get back to our room and I happily lost our bet.

Day 2

One thing that I had not really put much thought to would be the interesting cultural differences between New Zealanders and myself....

Cultural Difference Number 1: Kiwis like to wander. 

I had taken about 10 minutes that morning and poked around on the Internet to find a nice place for breakfast. It was conveniently located about 2 blocks from our hotel. We strolled that direction in the morning, I mentioned the location as we neared....and promptly passed it. I am naturally confused, as I have evidential proof via reviews that the food at this initial location is both cheap AND delicious. 

The Professor attempts to explain this activity of wandering to me, but Captain Awesome sums it up beautifully when he says, "You gotta get the best one, and what if the best one's the next one."

Therefore, we wandered around the downtown Vancouver area for another 30 or so minutes. 

We finally landed at a waterside cafe called Provence and sat down to eat. I devoured a chorizo scramble and a mocha (Cafe Panama's in Wellington was better!) Good food, great conversation and hilarious stories (I will never eat sausage again) to pass the time, and before we know it, it's time to saunter back to the hotel to meet up with the groom for next weeks nuptials....

ENTER: John Wayne

John Wayne scares the shit out of me. He is a quiet, contemplative man. His presence commands a sense of respect that you only come into contact with as a child...on days when you did something wrong...and dad was coming home from work....and your mom says something like, "Just wait until your father gets home." 

Until you drink with him, and then you realize that he is a very kind, friendly, thoughtful man. Its also adorable how much he loves his fiancé (now wife), but more on that later...

We meet up with him back at our hotel and ended up boarding a Hop On, Hop Off tour bus to take in the sights and layout of Vancouver. While aboard, we are introduced to his parents, The Prophet and The Chef, and also his aunt and uncle June and Keppel.

The bus took us through the famous Stanley Park, where we took a quick break to look at totem poles, along the waterfront, and through areas like Gastown, Chinatown and over to Granville Island.

Hop On Hop Off Thoughts

Stanley park is massive

Double decker buses are overrated

Chinatown is an interesting 

area...

Gastown has some really neat architecture

After our hop on hop off adventures, we had a rough idea on the layout of the city. Plans evolved to have a birthday celebration for John Wayne's mom, The Chef, so we were to meet up with everyone at a restaurant close to their hotel called The Ticket. 

We enjoyed a fantastic meal there, celebrated a bit, said our farewells for the evening and went over to a sorts pub to watch what may be the only UFC fight that I have ever enjoyed watching. Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman were pitted against each other that night. A was defending his championship if I'm not mistaken, and for some reason was acting like a cocky douche bag the entire time he was in the ring.....that is until he was more focused on his act instead of his fighting, dropped his guard, left his hands too low and got cold cocked. Massive congrats to Weidman!

Afterwards, we somehow make it back to Yaletown Brewing for a few more drinks and riotous conversation. Leaving here starving, we find our way to a cheese steak shop and the kiwis are introduced to the wonders of the famous Philly Cheese Steak.

Hotel. Bed. Sleep.

Day 3

Another breakfast stroll brings us to a restaurant where we refueled for the morning. After a short walk we make it over to the waterfront again and a nice stroll along the harbor leads us to....you guessed it...more beer. Steamworks Brewery to be precise. While their drink menu looked amazing, I was alcoholed out for a bit so I struck out on my own to explore nearby Gastown. 

I found a delicious Indian restaurant, enjoyed some amazing lamb korma and feeling a bit tired taxied back to the hotel for a quick nap. While I snoozed, the boys made their way to Granville Island and explored the markets there (I was kind of sad I missed out on that one, the pictures looked pretty neat!).

Day 4

Waking up early, I attempted to go on a jog with The Professor and John Wayne in Stanley Park. Unfortunately, I'm woefully out of shape and my knees weren't to pleased with the pounding they were taking, so I ended up walking through the park instead. Best decision ever! I could've kicked myself for not bringing my camera though!! I took walking trails past Lost Lagoon (gorgeous), strolled through a rose garden, past a film crew and made it back to the totem poles (which I must say are way cooler in the early morning air with no tourists about). I snagged a cab back to the hotel to discover that i had way overestimated the boys run time, they'd been back for at least 30 minutes! Whoops!

A quick change and we rallied to go out to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. If you're ever in Vancouver, I highly suggest either of these places. The suspension bridge was really neat from a visual and engineering stand point, and your ticket in also includes a cliff side and tree top walk. Buses run daily from downtown Vancouver. 

Grouse Mountain was equally neat, a really cool Birds in Flight show, lumberjack demonstrations and stunning views from a mountaintop cafe. Buses also run back to Vancouver from here, dropping you back at the waterfront area of town. 

On our arrival back to town, The Professor and I walked down to a nice corner patio bar and enjoyed a few drinks and some crab cakes. I'll have to admit, it was pretty nice to steal him away for myself for an hour or so. As he was the best man for the wedding, his time was limited schedule wise. This was something I assumed ahead of time so I enjoyed every moment I could get.

We made it back to the hotel a bit late for dinner (after all, lateness is a choice, and if you're not 5 minutes early you're late.) and once we had all congregated in the lobby, off for our last night out in Vancouver.

Return to: "Get out."

It's Ya-hoo, not Yee-haw

A short flight the following morning has us landing in the Calgary International Airport. Everyone except for John Wayne was in the same flight (his took off a few minutes before ours). So a herd of kiwi’s and one crazy American meander over to baggage claim, snag our respective suitcases and head towards the pick up area. As we walk out of the airport, a car majestically appears in front of us and out hops John Wayne’s fiancé, The Fox.

You can’t help but immediately see why he loves her so much; as she may be the nicest, most adorable person you’ll ever meet. Plus, she’s got to be crafty (like a fox) to get a native born kiwi to leave that ungodly beautiful country and his wonderful family (whom I already love at this point) for the other side of the planet. And if seeing it isn’t evidence enough, just stand in a room with the two of them for any length of time and you can feel it.  These two are the perfect compliment to one another, but I digress.

The Fox collected the first round of passengers and The Professor, Captain Awesome, John Wayne and I hopped in the second car piloted by the Fox’s mother. Our car, as it turns out, was a little finicky when it came to operating for extensive periods of time. For example: a 45-minute drive from Calgary to Strathmore. It made it’s opinion known by promptly loosing all power not once, not twice, but three times while we cruised at rather fast speeds along some of the straightest roads EVER.  

Not to fear! Our unwilling chariot’s owner was only a phone call away! And apparently this was not a new issue. Just turn it off, half way turn it on until the buzzing sound stops, turn it off, turn the key backwards, then halfway on again, point your tongue due east, curl your left big toe and BAM, she’s up and running.

When we arrived at Camp Acer (more commonly known as John Wayne and The Fox’s house), The Professor, Captain Awesome and I were shown to our shared abode for the next 4 days. A sweet ass RV. 

YES. 

You read that right. 

SWEET ASS RV. 

I am, of course, excited as I’ve never stayed in an RV before, but have always wanted to. Scratch that one off the bucket list. The Fox had cunningly borrowed this particular model from a relative and had kindly parked it in their back yard for our use. Freaking genius.

Now my darlings, the following are a series of factual events that occurred that evening. No amount of literary fluff is needed, so we’re going to do this thing bullet style…

• Slow pitch softball is a BIG DEAL in Strathmore.
• As is drinking beer whilst playing said game. (Go Caboozers!!)
• Websites are great for storing information about games, ie. weather conditions, cancellations, etc. 
• There are three important ingredients to a nice night of slow pitch
1. Dinner should be fast and easy to cook
2. Check the website before leaving the house
3. Designate a place for the car keys to stay when no one is in the vehicle

Needless to say, the important ingredients were not exactly following to mixing instructions....We were running late already, forgot to check the website, the game we were going to ended up being cancelled, and when we arrived there and found this out.....we also discovered that the keys were locked in the car. Along with all of the gear, and more importantly...all of the beer. Issue. 

ENTER: MAF

This man has some long hair. Not just your average silky locks though. We're talking Metallica when they had long power hair. It is also rather important to note that he is heavy metal music in human form. A real life, modern day, Canadian metal disciple. And he can smack the shit out of a freaking softball. 

Coincidentally, he also owns one of the neatest coolers, and even better its full of beer. We are all best friends immediately. After a relaxing evening at the ballpark enjoying some slow pitch observation (as another team was playing). We returned home to rest up for the next day.

In the middle of setting up for the wedding the following weekend, we also got to play tourist in the city of Calgary. What might be the ultimate Calgary experience you ask? Why, The Calgary Stampede of course! 

We spent basically an entire day there, taking in the sights, eating interesting fried items and the highlight event, watching a real live rodeo. Complete with chuck wagon races. I've seen most of these events on TV at some point in time, but you really do gain a whole new appreciation for what these men and women do when you see it live. Especially the bull riders. Those guys are NUTS.

Over the next few days I had a lot of great conversations with a variety of different kiwis and Canadians. John and The Fox both are blessed with some absolutely fantastic families and friends. Regardless of whether they were visitors or native to the area, everyone involved with their wedding was incredibly gracious and helpful. From offering extra rooms to house people, to making sandwiches to feed work crews at the wedding site. It was a huge and very impressive team effort. 

Turnaround - Take Two

My flight was set to fly out Sunday morning, so Saturday morning was my last little moment with The Professor until I make the big move later this year. He and the boys, along with the rest of the visiting kiwis, were driving to Banff later that day. John Wayne's family was touring the city while the boys were going out for the big stag party. I said my farewells that morning and The Fox and I drove to her grandmothers home where I would be staying the night (as she lived near the airport). 

Her grandparents have got to be some of the sweetest most loving people. I was welcomed into their GORGEOUS home with open arms, offered a glass of wine and a comfy chair over looking the lake behind their property. Yup. True story. While there, they discovered that my mother (who is a fantastic seamstress) has taught her daughter wonderful things....like how to tie the perfect bow. Oddly enough, bows are in high demand when a wedding's coming up, so we made a little bow factory right there in their living room.

Chit chatting as we worked, we talked about all of the fantastic details that were going to be involved with the upcoming nuptials. I was so sad that I had to leave, as it sounded like it was going to be the most perfect day. Expressing my disappointment at my looming flight home....they said "Well, why don't you just stay?!" It took little convincing. A quick plan was formed, as The Professors birthday fell on the upcoming Monday. So I turned into extra helping hands for the wedding and a birthday surprise for the best man. ::grin:: 

I ended up heading back to Strathmore with The Fox, planning to go out with the girls initially, but changing plans last minute to stay home and enjoy a book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I can safely say that I read this book at a perfect time in my life. The Fox had also read (and loved it), giving me great advice to read it with a pencil, underlining things that grab your attention. Genius. I encourage you to read it. It wont take long.

Side Note: The next morning.....The Fox is in the kitchen. Looking for cheese. But it is nowhere to be found. Issue. They had made nachos last night when they got back. So there WAS cheese. Last night. Issue. A whole block of it. GONE. The Fox ate a whole block of cheese. A week before her wedding. ISSUE. 

Fast forward to Monday. We are back in Calgary, headed back to her grandmas to meet everyone for lunch. Mind you, no one knows that I'm still here. We arrive and wait for the caravan to show up. And this is where I start to get nervous. The "what ifs" parade through my train of thought. I do my best to stuff that all to the back and ignore it. Casually placing myself in the kitchen, out of view from the front entrance, I wait as the cars pull up out front. 

When you walk in this house, you attention is immediately drawn to the floor to ceiling windows on the far wall, showcasing the lakeside views. You don't see in the kitchen until you've walked past the counter. So that is where I wait. Grinning.

Poor professor. He'd said his farewells, helped me load my things in the car, and probably immediately started growing his beard out. I cant confirm this, but I also assume that he was looking forward to having a bed to himself. 

Nope.

His face was priceless. Walking past the counter, still captivated by the view, he finally turns his attention to the kitchen. Eye contact. Double take. Triple take. "Wha? What are you doing here?" Followed by my favorite half grin. 

"Happy Birthday!" I say with a smile on my face. 

And the man who hates to be the center of attention, is now the center of attention as everyone around us is grinning and laughing. 

Return to: "Get Out."

Canola, Kiwis and The Best Cat's Ass Ever

The following week is a blur. Mowing, moving, stacking, cleaning, setting, eating, drinking, sleeping. Multiply that by 5 and you've got the week down.

In between everything, I got to spend a lot of time with the ladies contingent of the New Zealand representatives. The boys were doing heavy labor. The gentlemen were driving supplies and people to and from the wedding site. So the ladies were in charge of hospitality. Preparing meals, keeping the house clean, receiving guests, etc.

The closer we got to the wedding date, more of their family and friends began arriving. Including Caesar & Cleopatra (please refer to the addendum in Turnaround), as well as:

ENTER: Doug and Pattie
Good good people. Excellent gene pools too because they have the cutest kids!

ENTER: The Scientist
He is so smart it's almost frightening.

ENTER: The Blonde Nugget
This child may perhaps be the coolest kid I've met in a long time. He is 3. He is very blonde. He is a tiny adult. He also loves butter.

Wedding day rolls around and I head over to the RV that Caesar, Cleopatra, Doug and Pattie are sharing. As we pulled up, I was immediately stricken with some serious RV envy. This thing was a mansion on wheels. Complete with working kitchen, TWO giant beds AND even a straightener.

We all get ready together and drive over to tent city to begin the festivities. Pulling up to the ceremony site, I was struck by the enormous effort compiled by this group of people. What had been a field in the middle of nowhere with knee high grass, had been mowed, baled, remowed and transformed into a small city of weddingness. A massive tent, complete with draping and chandelier dominated the landscape on the crest of the hill.

It, however, paled in comparison when you took in the ceremony site. Gracefully laid out in the valley, it was flanked to the right by rolling canola fields (a cheery bright yellow flowering crop) and on the left stretched a small pond delicately framed by cattails and reeds.

I feel that I need to stress this next part:

This day COULD NOT have been more perfect. The only thing that made it more perfect were the two people that we had all gathered together to celebrate with. They don't just love each other, they are there for one another, they care unconditionally for one another and they balance each other beautifully.

The ceremony was stunning. I don't even know these people and I'm crying while they read each other their vows. Hell, its 3 months later now that I'm FINALLY writing this and I'm tearing up just thinking about it.

Their photographer? Fucking awesome. Post ceremony the wedding party slipped away to take a few photos. The photographer had 20 or so pictures loaded on an iPad that circulated at the reception. Brilliant idea because I cannot tell you how many weddings I've been to, or even been IN and not even seen the photos.This girl does some seriously gorgeous work. Want proof? Here's her website: Meg Courtney Photography

The reception was unreal. Following a short break after the ceremony where guest freely mingled amongst one another, a delicious meal started things off right. The MC's were hilarious using a scavenger hunt to release the tables to eat. After dinner came the speeches. Beautiful words that described the bride and groom in ways that I cant even do justice. Each speech was perfect in its own right, and each one captivated the crowd completely. Beyond that, energetic people, plenty of booze and a giant dance floor. You really can't go wrong. We were there until close to 3am. Captain Awesome OWNED that dance floor, line dancing and all.

The following day, post wedding clean up ensued, followed by the construction of a MASSIVE water slide ending between the arch set up for the ceremony.

Return to: "Get Out"

The Most Hilarious Dinner

The day after the wedding The Professor and I went out for dinner with Captain Awesome, The Scientist, Doug, Pattie, John Wayne and The Fox. (Side note: That may be the oddest sentence I've ever written...) What ensued resulted in conversation and stories (also known as yarn spinning) that left us all doubled over in laughter by the end of the night.

[I've been sitting here in a cafe for a few minutes trying to think of the best way to write this post out. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that there were so many little stories that were hilarious in their own right that haven't made the blog yet. So this entry will not only be dedicated to the most hilarious dinner ever, but also to the mini hilarious moments that haven't been mentioned yet. To those who were present: if I've missed anything of note, add it in the comment section. I think I will again revert to "bullet style" typing...]

- I was promptly introduced to the arcade game "Buck Hunter", which coincidentally can now be found at a bar in Dunedin, and I was disappointed to learn that my Halo skills acquired in college were in vast disarray. I couldn't hit an imaginary water buffalo to save my life. Pitiful.

- Another first time experience: slushie pints. D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. Mix beer with some sort of fruitie slushie... sounds ridiculous, but I swear its wonderful.

- "Phil Dunfie is so fit that he doesn't have calves....he has cows."

- "Root beer tastes like mouthwash."

- During dinner, The Scientist tells us a grand tale of being sent on an errand to buy baby clothes for a friends baby shower. Keep in mind, this man is a genius. He arrives at the store, peruses the baby area and comes home with a t-shirt in hand. When he presents it to his wife for further inspection, she is confused. The t-shirt he bought was basically doll clothing. It was TINY. As we are laughing at his retelling he looks at us gesturing with his hands that he has "no idea how big babies are!"

- The Little Blonde Nugget, who served as the ring bearer in the wedding, was a constant source of entertainment. Upon entering our camper to explore, he turned to Captain Awesome and said in a very stately voice, "This is a very comfortable home." He then retreated to the back bedroom, climbed onto the bed and said, "If you need me, I'll be in here."
Also, at one point he was leaving a room and said, "I'm just going to get a drink, I'll be two...maybe two and a half minutes."
His father said to him, "You have five minutes." To which the Little Blonde Nugget replied, "Can we make it nine?"

- The second week we were in town The Professor was invited to play slow pitch Tuesday night. Apparently the skills required to play cricket are fairly useful on a slow pitch field.... he fielded a ball off of third base and flung it to first so quickly that the receiving player almost didn't see it coming. His first round at bat? Smashed it. After the game, the team held a quick initiation for him. An ice cold can of beer was placed on each base. He was instructed that for each base he made it to he was required to shot gun the beer. Standing at home base with an easy grin on his face, the ball was thrown and he powered it over the fence and into a field never to be seen again. And I thought the button down shirt was attractive.....that by far topped it.

- Post wedding ceremony, The Professor and Captain Awesome were taught how to correctly line dance by the ladies contingent of the bridal party in the middle of a field. Definitely one of my favorite photos from the weekend...

- At some point during the reception, Captain Awesome found what appeared to be aviator goggles. I have NO clue where he found them, but it definitely enhanced his dance moves.

- Cheese Update: After we had all returned to our respective countries after the wedding, I received a lovely message from The Fox. In closing, she mentioned that she discovered a block of cheese in the freezer door when we left. Apparently, post nachos it was mistakenly placed in the wrong door...

Return to: "Get Out"

I feel like confetti....

This last year has been unreal. I don't know if I'm frantically searching for something or if my gut reactions are pulling me towards something huge. Wonderful. Frightening. Electric. Suck-your-breath-in-through-your-teeth-and-dive-into-freezing-water.

I keep trying to slow my mind down and enjoy the next few months. Taste every bite of food. Smile more (if that's humanly possible). Walk places. I'm trying, in vain, to train myself to savor my life. Maybe if I try hard enough I can develop some sort of photographic memory that not only catalogs sights, but also scents, feelings and sounds.... Things are going to be very different the next time I'm in Kentucky, so I want to catalog as much as I can.

It's just nearly impossible to do with my head and my heart shouting at me to move. Move! MOVE! The to-do list in my head is growing at an alarming rate...

Everyone knows manual focus is cooler...

My dad has this camera. He used to take it out when he was younger and snap photos along Kentucky back roads. I remember when he gave it to me, I was a teenager and didn't have a clue how to operate such a complicated piece of photographic equipment. Loading the film was one thing ... but then you had to figure out how to hand advance between shots, not too far - not too short. How to adjust for lighting. How to frame subjects. How to focus.

That was when I fell in love with the manual focus. You could shoot "artistically"... that is, when you weren't trying to figure out how to operate the rest of the camera. It required hand-eye coordination to reach that sweet spot where you had that bird sitting on that fence post perfectly in line. (Of course it took you longer than 5 seconds to get it there so 9 times out of 10 the bird had already found something more interesting and flown away.) This camera has little finger grips patterned all the way around the barrel of the lens. They effortlessly grip your fingerprints as you swing the focus in and out until you had it spot on.  You could feel the mechanics. Feel the glide. Combine that with what you were seeing through the viewfinder and if you moved slowly enough and concentrated really hard .... you could almost feel the focus.

Now....imagine that feeling. Hold it. You're line of sight is spinning in and out trying to grip onto something, anything that focuses clearly. Work...no. Travel...no. Running...no. Monotonous tractor work....ahhhh, there it is.

My dad is a farmer. He will always be a farmer. Even when he's retired. He'll be a retired farmer. As one of his children, I grew up here amongst grass, crickets, dirt, fresh air and summer winds. I understand, to some extent, what he loves about what he does. But its never more clear to me than when I get to work alongside him. There is something about the steadiness, the monotony, the air, the sun, something...that just gives you the answers to all of life's problems. "You can solve the worlds problems from a tractor," he says, "that is until you turn the engine off, then it all slips out of your mind."

My conclusion: Hay fields are giant labyrinths.

There is a theory about labyrinths today. That walking (whether a large scale one that you actually walk in, or a small scale piece that your fingers "walk") one can be used as a form of meditation. "As a meditation tool consisting of a walkable single line path, a labyrinth can be a source of solace and can quieten a distracted or over-reactive mind. When troubled by disturbing emotions or unfortunate events in your life, walking a labyrinth can help resolve your inner discomfort and still your mind enough for you to get clarity of what is going on (wikihow)."

I've been feeling a little off kilter lately. Second guessing myself, questioning things I'm normally rock solid on, etc. Just an overall feeling of insecurity, for no reason I might add.

I was helping dad with a hay field on the back of our property. Its a lovely field, secluded, bordered with large trees and a pond to one side. As I start cutting grass to bake and dry and in the sun, I end up making and sweeping back and forth pattern. Easy turns on the ends, methodically cutting my way across the expanse of the field. With each row completed, my head clears a bit more, dropping guards on the more complicated things that I'd pushed to the back burner. I begin to slowly sift through the shit that has been rolling around in my head for the last year. Self confidence, relationships, travel, goals, love, health, etc.

My life had been on auto focus for the last few years (New Zealand excluded). It was easy. Push button. Click. Memory created. I had lapsed into what I hate the most - living a life on the path of least resistance. Pffft.

That's right....PFFFFT.

Manual focus, my darling, my love. I need to relearn how to use you. How to see the whole picture by looking at the subject. How to frame my life. How to make memories with forethought, strength and beauty. Not memories lacking soul, cookie cutter in frame or out of focus.

I keep having flashes of dreams lately. I'm decked out in my polka dot dress and flip flops. On a beach. With this lovely, intelligent, hilarious man. Just walking. And its delicious.

Take a deep breath...

Oh, pre-storm evening walks...I do love you so.

Last night, I went for a stroll around sundown, the grass was just starting to turn green and you could smell freshly plowed dirt in the air. I love that smell...it's heavy, fresh and warm all at once. The sun slowly setting highlighted the storm clouds brewing in the distance.

You can always hear a storm coming. Birds stop singing, your breathing seems louder, the whole world seems to go quiet. There is a palpable energy to the air that makes me feel like I am walking through a force field. I knew this energy before I even saw the clouds. Its been humming through my blood for the last three weeks.

Something is changing.

My maiden voyage at cross continental travel was a huge catalyst for change in my life. I knew it as soon as I got off the plane in Kentucky. I was in my home state again, but it wasn't home anymore. I loved New Zealand. Absolutely fell head over heels for the entire country. The food, the people, the air, the sea, the walks, the beer, the glorious mountains. It all felt like me. And that felt so....good.

Before KFarm and I had even started heading back towards Auckland for our flight home, we had discussed coming back on working holiday visas. As soon as I landed, I took a hard look at my finances and made some quick decisions right away. If I was going back, I wanted to go back ASAP. I needed three things:
1. My dog.
2. Finances to actually be eligible for the visa AND fly myself and said dog across the globe.
3. A job to support myself when I arrived.

At that point in time, I had 2.5 dogs, 1 cat and 3 horses. This would have to change. So I began cleaning house. Mia went to a therapy dog trainer, Penny Cat found a great new home where she gets attention and has plenty of covers to burrow under, and I am currently in the process of selling my Clydesdale and finding a free lease home for my trail horse. Just dropping one dog and one cat made a huge difference in my stress level alone. I didn't feel rushed to get home to let the puppy out, or have to worry about having cat litter. My bills are growing even smaller :)

1. The Boss is coming with me on my global adventure. This means lots of super fun testing for customs requirements. Good thing I work at a vet clinic....

2. My goal is 10 grand in 7 months. If I don't eat out often and successfully sell the Clydesdale, this is a completely attainable goal.

3. The job hunt is in process people. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I can feel this part of my life coming to a close and a new book slowing beginning. A storm is coming my dears, I just wonder if it will end with a rainbow or a hurricane.