Hey hi hello! First, happy belated new year to everyone. I hope so far, you've received all good things! As for me, I just returned to Sydney after being home with the family for one month and spent the next month in New Zealand (if you're reading this you probably saw my abundance of pictures). I’m splitting up my update on the two months just because they both held really incredible stories and people. Also, you shouldn’t look at a screen for as long as it takes you to read both of them!
If you know me, you know being home with my family made my heart really happy. Yes, I was spoiled rotten by my everyone. Grandma & Mom always accommodated my vegetarian meals and I got to help cook lots. When my Dad and I cooked we made a strict ‘only 2 people in the kitchen at a time’ rule. It was fun to be given the authority to control who enters the kitchen, but Grandpa didn’t listen very well. The weekend I arrived home, Allie was on her search weekend. 2 days just with my parents was awesome, then I had the opportunity to surprise her when she got back which made both of our reactions rather grand. After we drove back to the house together and gab about all search things which was really special as I got to remember my search experience.
Christmas with my cousins, the Elliott’s, was a blast. They bring so much fun when they come over and it makes me appreciate the craziness of Christmas. Plus, Gavin always says 1 or 2 random/odd/silly/funny comment that makes my stomach hurt from laughing so much. My Aunt CC & Uncle Larry came to visit as well! We hung out for the last 2 weeks I was home and went to Leavenworth for a weekend. It was a pleasure seeing my German Uncle Larry enjoy the little German town. He always buys the best sweets. Enjoyed life bonding with my Aunt lots, I feel like we get more similar every time we’re together and we compare pictures where we look identical. Lucky me though—as I’ve gotten older she’s become such a source of guidance and that’s something I’ve just come to recognize/appreciate.
Seeing my best friends was a hoot. (Does that saying make me sound old?) Almost as soon as I got home, I drove to Missoula to see Annaliese. Shocked I was willing to go even deeper into the cold, but it was incredible to see her again. If you know her, you know how contagious her laugh is. My stomach hurt by the end of our days on end together. Seeing her family was also really lovely. Her parents are so welcoming and her brothers have finally started to accept me into the family and stop being awkward (6 years later). Plus, her dad always stocks the best food and her Bernie’s mountain dog, Gus, is so excitable and so cute. Annaliese is also willing to discuss her previous depression with me which is so enlightening. Fortunately, I don't think I've ever struggled with any mental illness too much of an extent, so when she explains what coming out of her depression is like it always blows my mind how strong she is. Through awareness of what that experience entails and knowing I still can’t comprehend the intensity, I feel as if my understanding of the people of the world continues to grow. As much as I enjoy learning through my travels, it’s a good reminder that there’s a lot to learn from my favourite locals. Annaliese is in Barcelona studying abroad right now, so of course, I'm planning that trip. It's a fun challenge to come up with those funds after blowing all my money on New Zealand, but it's a trip we've always wanted to do together so it'll be more than worth it. She's going to show me the highlights of Spain and we'll spend 4-5 weeks wandering Europe. I hope one day my travel bug starts to fade because it's where I direct 90% of my money at the moment.
Liv went to Florida for the first half of her break –so lame. But as soon as she got back we picked up as normal despite being away for a full year. She's always up for an adventure and the way we effortlessly chat about life is really helpful for honestly checking in with each other. Her sister, Paglia, is also fun to have around because she's super goofy and she and Liv are such a funny duo. Liv and I did our conceal and carry weapons permit together with my dad. It was really fun going out to the range with them and we learned so much. Liv looked like a badass too which was fun to watch. At the end though, I realized I wouldn't be able to register for my permit since I wouldn't be in the country when I turn 21 and there are lots of regulations I couldn't get around. I guess that is a good thing but still bummed. Liv's mom always makes guilt-free food. She's such a good cook and I meant to learn how to make a proper sourdough with her while I was there but didn't plan well enough. Very high on my list though! She was also my inspiration for starting my own kombucha (if you don't know what that is, http://bit.ly/kombucha_).
The last couple of days my Dad helped me pack my backpack for New Zealand and Mom helped me put together my suitcase. It was not easy. I honestly don’t know how I accumulate so much stuff but I promise one day I’m going to commit to a minimalist purge. When I looked at everything I thought I needed for my backpack, I had no idea how I would make it all fit. Luckily my dad helped convince me to toss out lots of nonsense. He was right about everything (naturally) except taking 1 swimsuit. Who likes putting on a wet swimsuit?? So, I took 2 and I don’t know if I was trying to prove something or if I was truly content with my decision, but I’m standing by it. I truly don’t understand my mom’s ability to organize. My suitcases ended up weight like 49.5lbs and 48lbs…seriously how she made it fit is some kind of sorcery. Mom goals.
So that's a halfway decent summary of how lucky I was to go home for Christmas! New Zealand to come :)
