cobwebs.

So, I was at work the other day. It was a Monday morning at 10:30AM and I was serving a group of guys their third round of Carltons. As I was setting the beer glasses down (who aren't used to being used until at least after 11AM) I said something along the lines of, "Cheers! It's five o'clock somewhere!" My response back besides the laughter was, "oh... we're just clearing the cobwebs from our heads from this weekend". I couldn't help but think about how fantastic that explanation was. If only beer could clear all the cobwebs we have caught up in our minds, huh?

I don't mean what I'm about to say to hurt anyone, but picking up my life and moving was by far the best decision I think I've made to date. My mind was clear back home... I didn't even have the opportunity to have cobwebs in my head working at Quest and living in Columbus. Not to say my life was boring, because it definitely wasn't, but it just wasn't challenging... it didn't confuse me... it provided me with a path that was clear and straight. Strangly enough, I couldn't wrap my mind around going down that path. I pictured the next five, ten, and twenty years and could see exactly where it was going. I despised that. I wanted confusion, chaos, challenges, foreign places & people, and situations in which cobwebs were inevitable. This probably sounds pretty messed up to some people - who'd want that? Who would have a fantastic life ahead of them and pick to trudge through the unknown? Well, me for one. And I was lucky enough to have a best friend on board for the ride :)

Tomorrow will be my 8 week anniversary with this beautiful place. The longer I stay here, the more I love it... and the more it leaves my old life behind in the shadows. Instead of looking behind or looking around, I keep looking at the future. What do I want to do! Where do I want to go? The options seem endless and I haven't felt this excited in... well, ever! One of my first posts was about how I was searching to find what it really mean to be "free" (ehem, Zac Brown Band). I think I'm starting to come across it... I feel like the scene in my favorite movie, "Almost Famous", when Russell Hammond is on the roof about to jump in the pool screaming, "I AM A GOLDEN GOD!" Although, fast foward that scene 40 years and take away the drugs.

I mean this with all the love in the world... but I hope that all of you have cobwebs of your own to sort out folks. That your life isn't easy or simple. That it pushes you, challenges you, confuses you, and most of all - amazes you.

xoxo.

Sliding Doors

I want to start this VERY overdue post by saying what most of my friends and family already know, I do not believe in fate. There is zero part of me that can comprehend the existence of some sort of higher power directing all of our actions and life-altering decisions. I'd like to think that my choices, and subsequently - the outcomes of those choices, are mine and mine alone. However... that being said, I've started to think about how unbelievably strange the sequence of millions of moments that lead us to where we are right now are. Our lives are like flip books, made up of tons of tiny flashes that in whole, create our lives as we know it. Okay, I'm getting a bit carried away - aren't I?

For example, Patty and I recently got back from a trip to Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast where we were visiting our Aussie friend, Corey. It’s crazy how a simple seat assignment on a 13 hour plane ride would result in 5 days of wakeboarding, hot tubing, tons of truth & dare Janga, and meeting some absolutely amazing people. As I said before, give a group of kids some wine and champagne and no matter what their nationality... they’re bound to wind up being friends. This first time however, it wasn’t outside of Beachcombers… but a billion feet in the air flying from L.A. to Auckland, NZ. There’s nothing like rope swinging into some pretty smelly water, having your first meat pie, and waking up in a penthouse overlooking the ocean that brings you together. That, and the hours of roadtripping listening to Aussie hip-hop. "Cocaine... propane..." What IS that song!?

Honestly, there’s really nothing I love more than meeting new people and getting to know what makes them different than anyone else I’ve ever met. I really do believe I fall in love a bit with every friend I make, as corny as that sounds. And that’s what this trip has really been about – meeting people and growing from all the experiences that they’ve had, and the ones that you have together. But I have a bone to pick with the universe. I’ve recently had to say my first good-bye (shout out Ken Davies) and that was nothing that I was remotely prepared for. Nobody ever warned me that the life of a traveler could be so tough at times! I guess I just never realized, or really thought, that I’d ever have to leave these incredible people at some point. It’s kind of like college where I just assumed everyone I loved would move to the same city and we’d be together forever. But this time it’s even harder, because it’s not just different States that we run off to… but different countries all together. As fantastic as my international web of people is becoming, I’m a bit heartbroken every time I realized that we will all eventually wind up where we started – apart.

There's a street in the CBD that has a "Living Wall". It's a particular side of a brick building that has tons of pieces of paper tied to bars on it's windows. On each piece of paper there's a message about someone in particular, or a general prayer for people, who have passed away. I think it's purpose is to keep these individuals alive by remembering them... and writing to/about them. If you think about it... each photograph we take, moment we jot down on paper, or image we have engrained in our minds are ways that we keep the friends we meet on our travels with us, always reachable. I know it's not really the same as The Living Wall, but there are some parallels in the importance of remembering people... and keeping them close to us.

All of this deep thinking I've been doing brings to mind two movies - “Serendipity” and “Sliding Doors”. Both of these really focus on all the little things in life that either bring us together – or pull us away from one another. Life is made up of all the actions we take, or the ones we decide against... and where we end up, who we end up with, and who we become are all thanks to those tiny choices. It makes my brain hurt a bit thinking about all the courses that my life could have taken. I couldn’t be happier about where I am right now, but don't you always wonder… what if?

"No Shirts, No Shoes, No Problem..."

Imagine this. You get up... you even get dressed in pretty clothes and somewhat match... you attempt do something with your hair and put on a bit of mascara. If you're a girl, I mean. Then you figure out how to get to a surprise going-away party 40 minutes away. You walk, get on the tram (even buy a ticket for once), walk some more... figure out where the bus stop is, and wait.

So the bus never comes. By the time you would get to the party (shout out Alli Restko), you would only be able to be there for 10 minutes before having to truck all the way back to St. Kilda. So, you turn around. Limp your way back to the tram stop and catch the #16 back to a familiar street, get off, see a favorite cafe, order a skinny mocha and some water, and sit down. You take a deep breath, turn on your iPod, and notice your shoulders are no longer hunched, your stomach is no longer turning, and you have a feeling of... relaxation? An hour to go before you're back at work and the sun is shining - it's even warm. One hour to do absolutely nothing and it feels like you've never experienced that sensation before.

Now, I realize that is a bit dramatic - okay, even more than a bit. However, try standing on your feet for 11 hours a day (not an exaggeration) for 5 days in a row. You'd be a bit grumpy, a bit stiff, and a bit worn out - don't you think? So this glimmer of 60 whole minutes to sit by myself and (literally) put my feet up was absolutely amazing. It's the little things in life, right? After my coffee, I wandered down to the beach and saw the potential that my gorgeous suburb has. Kids were building sandcastles, the freezing waves were making everyone scream and laugh, and couples were lounging on towels - soaking up the sun. So I took my shoes off, stripped out of my sweater (I had a t-shirt on Dad), and rolled up my jeans. Life could be worse.

Waitressing is amazingly fun, tiring, hilarious, stressful, entertaining, physically painful, and perfect. It is exactly what I needed. You know when something happens to you... and for once, you understand that it is supposed to happen at that exact moment? That's how I feel about my job right now. Life here was getting... a bit stuffy, a bit routine. Getting hired on at Beachcombers for 50+ hrs/week is definitely a big responsibility, but everything that comes with it is fantastic. I usually work the outside patio, which is 15 feet from the ocean and I get to see the red, pink, purple, orange, and yellow sunset every night. The people are, exactly what I needed. They are funny, so friendly, very supportive, and - comfortable. Being the oldest of four, I am very used to teasing and being teased. And as weird as this is, I miss it. The guys I work with do a great job at helping me out with that part... and the girls are just awesome. We had to work until almost 2AM the other night, and after we got done cleaning up the restaurant and polishing the "cutlery" (aka silverware) we were able to sit outside and each have a drink. It's just so cool that a group of 20-somethings from all around the world (England, Ireland, Germany, Australia, America, Slovenia, Canada, etc) are able to connect on such a basic, and familiar, level. Everyone, and everywhere, is so uniquely different - but I've realized that if you put a random group of 12 together on a gorgeous night somewhere in the world... and give them some wine, they'll get along just fine :)

So when I'm getting stressed about having to work 11 - 13 hour shifts, and my feet are killing me, and I wish that I was somewhere grabbing a beer instead... it's nice to look around and see people ordering the $140 seafood platter wearing nothing but swimming trunks and sunscreen. It's okay if everyone assumes I'm Canadian and asks what Provence I'm from, or looks at me strangely when I don't know what "serviette" means. I have people who will set out my cutlery when I forget, and who can explain to me the difference between a "lemon squash", a "lemonade", and a "lemon slice". I get a free meal every day and there's never a shortage of interesting conversations. Shout out to Barack Obama who has come up quiet frequently... him and the NY Jets for some reason...

... To working for the weekends, my friends. Or for me... Thursdays and Fridays!