The top ten reasons why I love New Zealand.

1. Bare feet.

People will go all sorts of places with no shoes. I'm 97% sure the

"No shirt

 No shoes

No service"

 signs do not exist here.

Which is awesome because I love buying shoes but I don't always love to wear them.

Also there is no law that says you have to wear shoes while driving, which I always thought was a really stupid law anyway.

Side note: I hate my feet because my older brother, Chance, always says I have stubby toes. Which is true, but I don't need to hear it!

2. Water

It's everywhere I turn.

And it is gorgeous! Also, it provides a steady, refreshing breeze in these hot summer months.

3. Fish 'N chips. 

I won't elaborate except to say I'm going to need a gym membership here pretty quick. 

4. "Damn" is not a swear word. This makes me very happy because it's one of my favorite words ever. I like it because you can use it in every single sentence. But I don't do that because it'd be very annoying and it'd wear out. Like when you LOVE that new Rhianna song so you put it on repeat on your ipod and in 1-3 weeks time you're about to side with Chris Brown. Just kidding. That was a horrible thing to say. I do not like him one bit and Rhianna is one of my faves.

The funny thing, though, is that I made a goal to stop "swearing" completely a few months back and finally succeeded and then I get here and everyone is like "damnit!" "hell!" and I'm like, "oh no, can I say that now or would that be ruining my progress?"

The question is still being considered.

5. The words: "Oi! Eh? Ya man" and the accents in general.

Seriously, it's so much cooler than American slang. "That's sick!" Really? That's the best we can come up with? The sad part is, I say it. I'm switching.

6. Approximately 99% of the people I have met know where little 'ol St. George, Utah is. About 54% of those ask me if I know so-and-so, and about 42% have been to Utah personally. It's quite strange, but makes me feel not so far away from home.  When I first got here the conversation went something like this:

Person: "So where are you from?"

Me: "The states".

Person: "Cool, where in the states?"

Me: "Utah..." (You probably don't know where that is).

Person: "Oh ya, where in Utah?"

Me: "St. George..." (How could you possibly know where that is!)

Then they would say one of these sentences:

1. Awesome, do you know so-and-so?

2. Oh, right on, I went there a few years ago.

3. Ok, I've been to the Salt Lake, but never St. George.

4. I used to live in Bountiful.

5. Cool, I went to BYU.

So now when people ask where I'm from I just reply with "St. George, Utah". It cuts down on my oxygen usage.

7. Um, I live on an island.

8. Mail -or should i say postal- carriers ride bikes to deliver the post!

9. The simple fact that everything is new, exciting, and ridiculously different to me.

Just looking around here is even an event for me!

10. Ice cream. Best in the world!

11. The simplicity.

Coming here has made me realize how over the top Americans do everything.

12. The people. I saved the best for last.

(And yes, I know this is #12 and the title said 10 but really, I could go up to 100).

The people are amazing.

Genuine.

Accepting.

Funny.

Caring.

Exciting.

So so so nice.
I can't get over it.

In conclusion, I love it here. It's gorgeous, fun, new and exciting.

I have no idea where my life will take me next, and I have a few astounding options I really need to think over.

For right now, I am just breathing in the New Zealand air.

Unstructured.

You are about to encounter an extremely unstructured/random look into the thoughts that are passing through my grey matter at this time.

I got stuck sitting next to the stinky guy on the 3 hour plane ride from Fiji to NZ.

I could immediately smell him as I sat down in the middle seat. He was sitting next to the window which I later found out he was trying to jack from it's rightful occupant, who kicked him out when she got there. Stinky punk.

Anyway, to make matters worse he decided he wanted to remove his tennis shoes!

It was seriously so bad that I had to breath through my mouth the entire ride.

I was so grateful I spent that $9 on a chocolate bar so I could put it in my mouth and suck on it to avoid tasting the stench.

Thank you, Cadbury!

I LOVE the sound of an airplane taking off.

Immediate adrenaline rush to the gut and smile to the face.

I love living on this street.

Weatherly road, how cute is that?

I walked out the door tonight with my ipod and camera, put Angels and Airwaves on shuffle and started walking. I was coming up a hill thinking about how amazing my life is right now when the song "Everything's magic" came on.

APPROPRIATE!

just sit back and hold on but hold on tight

prepare for the best and the fastest ride

and reach out your hand and i'll make you mine

everything, everything's magic

-Angels and Airwaves

On a musical note, I love Taylor Swift.

(I'm listening to her as I write this.)

I didn't used to, but I think I was just jealous at first.

Now I realize how talented and amazing she is.

Love the lyrics, music videos, and her hair.

I wish I could sing...

Rephrase: I wish I could sing well.

I always thought stop signs were a little demanding.

I like these better.

Oh hello, beach!

What's that, you wanna be neighbors?

Well that's fine with me; you look like you'd be a great neighbor!

I love living here.

I love driving over a hill and seeing a beautiful shot of the ocean like this.

Lucky me, it happens often!

So as I was crossing the street to turn onto my street at the end of my walk tonight there was a guy probably in his 30's walking a little ways in front of me. He turned back and saw me so he stopped and waited for me to catch up. 

"Hello!" he said as he held out the bag of chips he was munching on to offer me a handful. 

I replied with a hello and a polite decline of the snack. 

The next thing he said pretty much sums up the main thought of the evening, and here it is: 

"This place you live is a piece of paradise".

I agreed, and told him I just moved here so I was quickly discovering that fact also. 

He was from Saudi Arabia and was here for a year to learn english.

He's been to Florida, and Washington D.C in the states and commented that my english was "more clear than his teacher's".

What a great way to end the night, eh?

"It can be done!" (said in a deep, quite loud, and slightly creepy voice).

Scientists will want to study me after what I am about to reveal.

Are you ready? Ok, here goes.

I have gone...

4...

months...

without...

a CELLULAR TELEPHONE!

The best part is, I'm still alive!

I know it's hard to believe but trust me. I live and breathe and I don't have any withdrawls or side effects!

I first got a cell phone when I was 15 years old and didn't stop texting for 2 years straight. It was awesome! It's amazing how blunt and forward one can be when they don't have to look the person in the eye as they "say" things. Another great/awful thing about texting is the unlimited time there is to figure out the perfect response to recieved texts.

I was about 17 when I realized that there are definitely better ways to communicate. I also started to wonder what it would be like to have a boy actually call me or even talk to me in person and say "would you like to go on a date with me?" Instead of getting a text saying "Hey we should hang out sometime."

I'm not claiming that I suddenly grew up and stopped texting or anything that ambitious, but I did learn to calm it down and dial numbers once in a while.

Now it's been 4 months of freedom from the small, yet powerful device and I just got a sim card for a cell phone over here in NZ. I can honestly say I don't really want one! I know how crazy that sounds, but it's true! I have successfully become completely used to not having a cell phone. Hence, it can be done! But it is necessary here if I want to have any kind of a social life. Which I do.

So we meet again, cellular world. Please don't cling too tightly to me.

Bad news goes first, right?

Bula everybody!

I literally heard that expression 237 times in the three days I was in Nadi, Fiji.

It means: Hello, Goodbye, and it's what you subsitute for "Cheers!" when you drink.

I had a great time in Fiji.

But.

There was one night that didn't go very smoothly. Of course, it's pretty funny now.

So I thought I'd start with that story.

The second day I was there I really wanted to go to a beach because I did a hike the day before, so I signed up for a day cruise out to Robinson Crusoe Island.

A taxi picked me and one other guy from the hotel up, and took us to the bus in town.

The bus ride was about 30 minutes, and it took us to a boat that was another 30 minute ride.

Right now I am going to take the time to describe the guy that was from my same hotel.

The girls I had dinner with the night before were telling me that he was bragging to them that he was a producer from New York and he was going to Auckland for work.

Ooh and he was friends with the producer of Lord of the Rings!

He was basically just one of those people that had no interest in the person he was talking to; he just wanted to brag about himself and his life.

On the way to the island I found out he was filming a commercial for Stouffer's lasagna. Go you, dude. I mean, I think it would be an awesome job to work in TV like that, but I also like humble people.

Later that day, I found out he was gay, which is whatever, but the guy had zero muscle, which plays into the story later. Oh, he told this joke to me:

"I don't know the difference between a sarong and a saree, and for that I am so wrong and so sorry!"

That was followed by hysteric laughter, by him.

Going on, the cruise was supposed to go from 11am-930pm, but fijians do not- I repeat- do not believe in or care about time.

"It's Fiji Time!"

That is another expression I heard over and over. If I asked anyone what time it was they would reply with, "it's Fiji Time!" and laugh, and if I was lucky, they would follow with the real time.

Well with this "Fiji Time" concept in mind, they finally got us back on the boat to go home at about 1130. I was so so tired. The night before I left was not a good night of sleep for me, between being so excited/nervous to leave,and the next night was the same as I attempted to sleep on the 12 hour plane ride. So I had went to bed 8pm the night before and got up at 630 the next morning. What I'm getting at is that it had been a loooong day, and I had never been more ready for bed.

I attempted to sleep on the 30 minute boat and bus rides, and only partly suceeded. When the bus pulled up to town we had to wait for the taxis to come get us and distribute us to our different hotels.

You can imagine the relief I felt when the guy called out, "Club Fiji, and Nadi Bay!"

We were first! Only 15 more minutes and I would be asleep in a bed!

The producer mentioned earlier, and I got into the taxi van with a couple and we headed off.

We dropped the couple off first. They were staying at a place right on the beach, and we had to take dirt roads to get there. After we dropped them off we headed off to Nadi Bay, on more dirt roads.

Lucky for me, I had driven this road yesterday to pick up a family at that same hotel or else I would have been absolutely freaking out wondering where on this earth I was.

With the rain the day before there were lots of puddles on this dirt road and I was just praying that we would not get stuck. I wanted to be asleep more than anything.

The taxi driver went through one and I was so glad when we made it to the other side, until I saw what was on the other side. Pretty much a lake.

I almost yelled out to him to stop, but it was too late. He gunned it and, of course, got stuck right in the middle.

So Mr. Taxi, and Mr. Big Apple get out and push while I attempt to drive a manual van on the wrong side of the car out of the puddle.

Ya, it wasn't happening. The bumper was completely underwater and it was steadily soaking the carpet in the back.

We finally convinced Mr. Taxi that he needed a tow truck, not just his two friends that were on their way.

Since I had been this way the day before we decided to walk. I was pretty sure it was about a half mile away and 90% sure I could get us there.

Mr. Taxi said goodbye with this advice, "turn left at the fork, do not go right".

So picture this: There I am walking down a pitch black road halfway across the world from my home with an idea of where I was going but not 100%, and I'm with a guy that has never lifted a weight in his life. I'm telling you, I could beat him up with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back. So the protection I should have felt being in the presence of a member of the male sex was absent.

When we get to the fork in the road we took the native's advice and turned left. About a half mile later we run into some people who inform us we are going in the wrong direction and we should have turned right.

What did Mr. Taxi have against us? I have no idea.

So luckily there was one hotel on that road so we went there to call another taxi to take us to the hotel.

You can imagine my relief when we got there and I headed up to my room that I was sharing with four other girls.

I open the door and immediately realize that something is wrong. The full and messy room I left behind that day was clean and almost empty.

I look over to my bed, which was made. Next to it were my suitcases stacked up and my other possessions in little stacks on the bed next to mine. It was clear I was not supposed to be in here anymore. My eyes keep scanning to the far corner of the room where I see Mr. underpants. It was a guy laying in bed in his underpants.

Next thing my senses pick up is a girl's giggle, but I couldn't see the girl! I'm sure you can guess where she was. Yes, in the bed with him.

Besides this being an awkward situation, I am pissed that I can not slide right into bed and dreamland.

So I gather my things which include: one huge suitcase, one smaller suitcase, my camelback, and random clothes and things that were outside my luggage. Trying to leave as soon as possible, I attempt to gather everything in my arms and jet, but that quickly turns out to be a bad idea. I had to take a couple mintues and tuck everything somewhere and then I continued to walk down the stairs dragging all my luggage to reception.

I am not comfortable with being harsh or rude to people, but this situation had me close to tears. I explained the situation to the receptionist and she was as confused as I was about my stuff being stacked up like that. I demanded my own room, arguing that if I went into a dorm with other people that late at night they would get many complaints, but she wouldn't allow it, not wanting to get into trouble. My only option, she said, was to room with a chinese lady that didn't speak english. Tired of complaining, arguing, and just tired in general, I accepted the room.

Bill, the bag man, helped me with my bags to the room where the chinese lady came to the door after a minute of Bill trying to find the right key.

Upon entering the room it became strikingly obvious that Ms. China did not pay for an air conditioned room, which I had. And the fan wasn't even on!

Bill walked over to the fan and asked her if he could turn it on and she said no.

Once he left and my things were settled I walked over to the fan and turned it on full blast. She strode over and in half english, half chinese, and full charades we discovered that she did not want the fan on and I did. Again, I was not in the mood to be messed with so I won that battle.

I now need to mention that the room stunk like bad rice, and I was wide awake by this time.

So thank you, mom for the motrin pm you sent with me. It saved me that night.

2011?

Yes, I am a fan of resolutions. I think I mostly just like them because they are lists and I'm a little obsessed with making lists. I'm no different from anyone else; making these long lists of resolutions and being so motivated as you write them down. There's just something about starting a brand-spankin' new year that makes you want to change everything that  you want to change, and set awesome goals.

I've never been so excited to make my resolutions than this year, though. Not only is this list going to be the most epic to date, but it's also going to be the most realistic and achieveable I've ever written. Here it is.

My 2011 New Year's Resolutions

1. Move to New Zealand (15 Days and this one gets a big ol' CHECK MARK!)

2. Find me some white sand beaches. Play on them all day. (12 days and this will be my reality!)

3. Receive my Associates degree (only 3 more classes, woo-woo)

4. Learn to surf (I will live 5 walking-minutes away from the beach, of course I have to learn to surf!)

5. Ride on a sail boat (living in the City of Sails, this shouldn't be difficult.)

6. Finish the Book of Mormon

7. Have dinner (and lots of other activities) with my ENTIRE family

8. Go to Australia (my life-long dream)

9. Watch the last half of Harry Potter!

10. Be more outgoing

11. Don't be so rushed/enjoy the little things to become a better me :)

That's about it this year! Short and sweet, and the best part, it's really going to happen, every bit of it.

Did I mention my pit-stop in Fiji?

The smartest thing I did in this whole process of moving out of the country to nanny was to get in touch with the nanny the family had before me. Here I go talking about fate again, but she lives in the same town I do. Explain that one! So we went to lunch.

I almost feel like I cheated; I don't expect to come across many problems with my travels because of all the advice I got beforehand. I didn't have to figure out things like cell phones, visas, or that tampons apparently suck over there and I should try to bring as many of my precious tampax pearls as I can.

The best piece of advice my awesome mentor gave me, though, was the fact that you can make a layover last days instead of hours. My flight goes to Nadi, Fiji, and then on to Auckland so I was going to have to chill in Fiji for a few hours. I had a random obsession with Fiji a couple years ago so it was killing me that I was going to be there and not able to do or see anything. Well, not anymore! My layover now lasts three days and I'm going to get to do some amazing things while I'm there. I'm staying at the dorms in a pretty nice resort so that's going to be awesome, but the coolest part is all the day adventures, and day cruises that they are associated with.

Walk around town checking out temples like this? Yes, please.

Hike to these highlands and visit the village? I think so.  

Day cruise out to these white sand beaches? Yes, please.

Get a nice bronzing by this pool? Don't mind if I do.

Hike out to this waterfall and go for a dip? Yep.

Eat amazing food like this and pay like hardly anything for it in American dollars? My favorite part :D

I can't wait for this adventure. Along with all these cool places to see and things to do I get to sleep in a dorm with 19 other people! It doesn't get more interesting than that!

To-Do.

I was so relieved this week when I finished my final final (I hope there are not as many f's on my final grades then there are in this sentence).

I was so ready to take a NAP.

And I did.

I gave myself 3 glorious hours of sleep in the middle of the day. I love love love sleep in the middle of the day.

When I woke up I started thinking of all the things I have to do to get ready to depart the country for a very extended period of time. Luckily I will be home for about a week in April for Chance's homecoming so if I forget my favorite pants or lucky socks or anything I won't be without them for too long.

Who am I kidding. I don't have lucky socks, or favorite jeans, and if I did, why exactly would I care when I'm in New Zealand for goodness sakes!


So here are the places I need to visit before I leave:
1. Zions National Park-hike Emerald Pools (my favorite hike there; the end pool is paradise).
2. Red Cliffs Reserve. This is a such a fun hiking place. I'll never forget laughing hysterically as Ember, Franny, and I were trying to hoist ourselves up this 3ish foot waterfall that was all slippery with wet moss.
3. The Red Mountain. Growing up a block away I have logged endless hours running around on that unique red dirt. It was the best playground a kid could have.
4. Up north. My three bestest pals will all be living up there come January. Be ready for the most fun, epic sleepover ever, girls.
5. Benja's. I love sushi.
6. Mongolian BBq. I love that ghetto fabulous place.
7. Rickshaw's. Lettuce wraps, please.
Well, everywhere involves hiking and food. I'm ok with that.



Boring To-Do List
1. Work as much as possible so I can have mulah as I travel.
2. Print off my insurance records.
3. Take family photos (Ok, this one is not boring for me, but I'm sure to hear a few groans from the men in my family).
4. Sew my dress that I have invested $20 in so far.
5. Pack. It's going to take. so. long.
6. Figure out boring school stuff. Yes, I am taking online classes through Dixie while I'm there. It might be kinda crazy, but I'm excited to have my associates when I get back.

Well this list was a lot longer when I started this post a week ago. I have a hard time finishing a post in one sitting. I've had a very productive week! Included in this productive week was finally purchasing my ticket. That might sound like a simple task to accomplish, but let me assure you it was not.
I sold my car so I could go and that meant I was not able to just punch in my departure dates and buy a ticket. No, no, I spent hours searching multiple dates; it's crazy the difference in price one day can make.

So the other morning I got on Orbitz like I do every day, and I punched in the dates. It was $1,612 which was $11 more than it was the day before. I was a little sad because hey $11 is enough to pay for my gas for the rest of my time here. Or it could be a meal. Or it could pay for internet on my 12 hour plane ride from L.A to Fiji. Anyway, I'm not even sure why I clicked on the ticket because I had to donate my plasma one more time to have enough to pay for it (oh, the things I do to get out of here). But call it fate, I did click on it, and I got great news. Orbitz had a message waiting for me, it said:, "Great news! (see, I told you it was great news) We found your itinerary for cheaper!"
The ticket was only $1,535! So I scooted on over to Chase bank and took money off my Biolife card and hurried over to my bank and deposited the money. I quickly scooted home because Orbitz threatened that this special price was for a limited time only so I had to "Act Fast!".
Act fast, I did, and the special price was waiting for me when I got home.
I fully believe in things being meant to be and all that so call me crazy but when I literally had barely enough money to buy a ticket that's on a 'special price' the days I wanted to leave, I take that as a sign that I am meant to be in New Zealand. And be in New Zealand, I will.
19 days!!!