12 days of adventure

We are out and about for a 12 day adventure trip including camping, hiking the Tongariro crossing, sky diving, glow worm sighting, canyoning, sea kayaking, wineries and chillin on the beach!  We hired a van for the trip.  It's myself, Wingnut, #2, Carly (Canada), and Molly and Carol... who are my first visitors from the States!  Excited!  Should be awesome and will update when I can.  Cheers and Happy New Year!

Holidays!

Well good bye West Coast and hello Holidays!  Holidays as in Christmas and new years... and also Holidays as in vacation for a few weeks.  We left Barrytown last Friday for a trip up through Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson, Wellington and Hamilton.  I am currently in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty on the East coast of the North island.  Its not the chilly-air, wrapped up beside a fire, Christmas Vacation playing on the DVD, poking fun at my brothers, cooking with mom, having an TAB (Tasty Adult Beverage) with dad, and Christmas carols 24-7 on all the radios...but it will be nice.  I have some great friends and a family that I will be spending it with... So although I will not be with my loving fam (whom of course I will greatly miss laughing and conversing and being with), everyone can sleep soundly as I will be very well taken care of!  I know everyone was worried!  Ha!  But truthfully, take advantage of the chance you have to share meals and hugs and presents and love...after all...Tis the Season!   

Meri Kirihimete! 

Beneath the Surface

We’ve all heard the expression, “Beauty is only skin deep!’’  Today I am inviting everyone that follows my blog to take a look beneath the surface.  This pertains to many things we encounter on a daily basis... individuals, places, situations, etc.  Sometimes it takes a little while to know the true personality of a person or place...or when you look deeper into things, you will discover a side or aura that you didn’t know was there. Other times it takes a situation in order for this beauty to present itself. For example, the beach here in Barrytown is covered with rocks... gray rocks... the beach just looks gray.  Then on a jog one drizzly morning...yeah the same drizzle that brings most people down into depressing funk like the Monday blues...the rain exposed the most beautiful of colors!  That’s right...the gray rocks were all of a sudden exploding with many deep rich colors when you actually took a closer look.  Once wet, the rocks true colors were revealed and it was a great treasure.  So, today I invite everyone to take a more in-depth peak at things.  You might be surprised at the beauty you will find when you dig deeper and look beneath the surface!

One week!

One week from tomorrow my stint here in Barrytown (Baz Vegas) is complete.  It's been a great ride filled with the following:  meeting people from all over the world, hanging with the "Wild West" locals, cooking many meals, leading fitness circuits on the beach, bartending for the Stray bus dress-up nights, lots of manual labor including digging a sand volleyball court, shoveling and gardening, calm strolls on the beach searching for green stone (Jade) and lots of laughter.  From here, I will be heading North with "Number 2" and "Wingnut" for the holidays.  We have heaps planned and some good times ahead.  My working experience will be on hold for a while as I will be enjoying a little traveling with these two and a few others.  Christmas, New Years, tramping, kayaking, swimming, beach-chilling, concert-going, skydiving, glow-worm spotting, canyoning, and much more are some of the adventures that we may experience.  Thanks for those that have been following my blog thus far.  Stay tuned for some great pics and more great commentary.  Sweet as!  Bird

Birthday!

Welp, just celebrated ye ole Bday!  Below are a few thoughts of 

mine about our annual number stamping:

Birthdays are a fun reminder to celebrate your existence and be 

thankful for being born!  

Many people run away and do not like their Bdays! "WHY"...I say! Why run away from it? It's only a number.  

Instead, embrace the fact that you have made it this far!  

I am proud to say that I am 34.  

Thirty-four... sounds like that's getting up there! "Rubbish!" You 

are only as old as your attitude (which means I am about 12! Ha!) 

Most people dread getting older... I think life is getting better with everyday that I am fortunate enough to live through. "Everyday 

above grass is a good one!"  

Oh my, I am in my midthirties...isn't there a set plan that I need to be adhering to?...Corporate workforce...house owned...married...

settled down...etc.?  

Everyone's life is different and it's interesting to figure out where 

your journey is taking you. Everyone has a unique story... I find 

that out more and more everyday traveling! 

Some of us are fortunate to have met that significant other, have 

beautiful children, loving life in a more permanent environment.

Some of us like to take the road less traveled... and that is great 

too.

Whichever lifestyle you live and how ever old you are...remember to embrace each Birthday with open arms! It's a blessing and one of those things in life that is perceived based on your attitude.

I once heard, "It's not the years in your life..but the life in your 

years that counts!"

So Cheers for Birthdays... 

I am in my Thirty-Fifth year of existence and loving it!

"Life is one fast-moving train, and you have to jump aboard and 

hold on to your hat and relish the sweep of the wind as it rushes 

by. You have to enjoy the journey, it's unthankful not to."