Toby Rocks

This is a long one...so grab a sandwich if you need to.

"...the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes, 'Awww!'"--Jack Kerouac

Let us finish this trip, shall we? I've enjoyed blogging, it helps me funnel my thoughts. I think I'll probably keep this address for any upcoming adventures. (...like Shaster and Clarice's summer U.S. West Coast Tour 2k8!!)

I give New Zealand one thumbs up. It's beautiful, and there is a LOT to do IF the weather is good. However, NZ is very much an outdoor experience. We got to sea kayak with wild dolphins and seals swimming right next to us! I also got a traffic ticket for driving on the right side of the road for like 3 seconds. Grrr. You can imagine the drama that unfolded as I was panicky, driving a stickshift, and trying to back up and into a parking spot...

Therefore, should the weather be cold and rainy, and leave you trapped in a campervan with nothing but your friend and his biceps for entertainment...you may consider flying to Sydney a day early. And we did, and it was the best decision because we got a perfectly sunny day to play on Bondi Beach. We also got to stay with Jason Grassie again for a few days, sleep well with tummies full of wine, and catch a comedy show at the opera house.

A few days later I was welcomed home by my favorite couple ever, Toby and Jane...I'm actually still in L.A. at the moment and will soar into the cold Texas air later this evening.

So, in conclusion, what is to be gained from this little experiment? Did I find what I was looking for? Do I trust God a little more with my life now that He's walked me through my dream?? In an old journal entry, I talked about feeling like a bird, not in a cage... but the kind that is so trained it just stays in the backyard in fear of possibility. I didn't go away to find happiness, I was happy in Dallas... I went away to find freedom. One of my favorite quotes from the movie, Into the Wild, is when an old man tells Alexander Supertramp he needs to get a job and make something of himself. Alex replies, "Mr.Franz, I think careers are a 20th century invention, and I don't want one." .....I love it. I wanted to get away from the mindset that making something of myself has anything to do at all with how much money and security I have, whether or not I'm married, or talented, or beautiful. I don't ever want to see money as anything but an exchange for goods and services. I don't ever want to give it any power over the way I view people and their views of me. I think the American Dream was a good idea that started out in it's purest form, as freedom...and I guess it works for a lot of people. But I'd like to spread my wings farther than my backyard. I want to make much of every little bit of time I have on this earth, and I think with the right eyes...I might not miss a thing.

When did the conflict begin in our rival against TIME? When did we develop this opposition that "wastes" time, "races against" time, or even settles comfortably into the murderous role that "kills" time? ......Folks, Father Time is not our enemy, he is on our side, encouraging us to know him fully. Each moment he leads us into a room filled with doors of opportunity, and simply asks us to choose one. He does not beg or use force, but he hopes that we will embrace him...because only he knows that the second that last grain of sand slides through the hour glass, those doors will vanish into an abyss of lost chance. There will not be a next time, or another time. Moments have life spans shorter than mayflies, and time is not allowed to be saved or bottled. It is here now, and much like the Brisbane train system...it will not wait for you to muster some gumption.

So what is it that you've always wanted to do or be? What is it thats stopping you? What is it that excites you and ignites your passion? What is it that you thought you would never be capable of? ....I had to let my heart believe that things are POSSIBLE for me. Not just for others. Stories are not something that magically comes from books, and movies. Stories are for everyone to have, and to tell. And I like the stories the best that are told first hand, from the person who was there. So I went there....Shasta and I found a door, spread our wings, and we flew over mountains and sea. Through baby steps we trusted God and prayed for the basics...and He taught us about opportunity. We left our old skin behind, and I cant wait to see all of the happenings that will lead us to shedding this new and comfortable layer. I'm absolutely in love with you Australia. You will be missed.

I'll end with a quote from a book I just finished. Kerouac is probably the worst writer I've read in a while...but he did have a few great things to say in On the Road. So I'll leave you with this bit. Here I come Texas.

"Now you just dig them in front. They have worries, they're counting the miles, they're thinking about where to sleep tonight, how much money for gas, the weather, how they'll get there--and all the time they'll get there anyway, you see. But they need to worry and betray time with urgencies false and otherwise, purely anxious and whiny, their souls really wont be at peace unless they can latch on to an established and proven worry, and having once found it they assume facial expressions to go with it, which is, you see, unhappiness, and all the time it all flies by them and they know it and that too worries them to no end."

Life Is A Highway

Its tough to recap the last week and a half but I shall try my best. These pictures are in order from most recent to last week...and they are only a small portion. Buy me dinner when i get back and I'll show you the rest.

This is me on the Buller swinging bridge. I'm usually really scared of heights, but this was kind of a joke since it was so safe and secure. So we made up games like, "No hands". It was a nice stop from driving though.











This is our trusty campervan. She IS a stick-shift and I have FINALLY learned to drive her, after 10 years of hoping to learn "someday". I kill her most of the time as I park, because I forget to hold the clutch in to stop. But my transitions are getting a little smoother! All except for that dang 3rd gear...I hate that gear.










This is a waterfall at Milford Sound. GORGEOUS! And we had this tour guide named Max that was the cutest old man and really funny. He reminded me a lot of my dad, and coincidently he LOVED to talk. Haha, miss you Daddy!













A little taste of Milford Sound. The water was more choppy than I thought it would be. And we saw seals sunning on the rocks too!













This was Hudson hitch-hiking our first day on the south island. Last Friday I think? This is also the problem with having only two people on the trip. A lot of my pictures are of him, a girl can only have so many shots with her arm held out. I'm hoping we'll share pictures the day I own a laptop...you know...should I ever decide to join this century and give up my ink and quill.






This was us hitch-hiking in the second car that picked us up with the Brazilians, Andrea and Gabrielle. They were fun, and we got there preeetty fast.











This was back on the North Island in Wellington. That's Darby next to me and her cousin/travel buddy next to her is Kedra. Did I mentioned they live in this super cool older house in the city, with tall ceilings and would floors and 5 other housemates. I miss living in a big noisy house, I need 5 of you to volunteer to live with Shast and I in Dallas in January. Any takers?? Did I mention how much I love Darby?? She is SO fun and full of energy all the time, and I have decided I must travel with her in the future.




You may pick yourself up off the floor from laughing now, I have saved the best for last. Why yes...those ARE prosthetic ears I am wearing on my LORD OF THE RINGS tour! Call me a nerd but i LOOOVE that stuff. I've also read all 7 Harry Potter Books. Now all I need is one more dungeons and dragons figurine and I can die happy. (Kidding on the last sentence).

The tour people had to cancel me on the first day due to a guide being sick...so that means I got a $90 tour for FREE the next day. And there was cake in the middle too! We went to several filming locations in Wellington and it was cool to see the stills and know we were standing in the same place as my husband Orlando Bloom. The guides also had all these secret stories from on the set that were entertaining and I have SUCH an appreciation for how much work goes into making a movie. Its ridiculous how much time and manpower goes into those. I kept my eyes out for Peter Jackson the whole time too...and alas...to no avail.

Too many stories and pictures so we'll just have to have a date soon. Deal?? We've been down to Queenstown (which was the coolest town yet), up the west coast, and tonight we are in Nelson. Tomorrow we are supposed to take a tour of the Marlborough Vineyards on a bicycle, tastings in 8-10 places so we'll see how my balance holds up whilst tipsy on a bike. We are working our way back down to Christchurch to fly out to Sydney, Sunday morning with lots of fun things along the way. I can't believe I'll be sleeping in Winnsboro, Texas in just about 2 weeks?...a LOT to happen between now and then. Its also probably time for a dip into my introspective pool as well, but I'll save that for later too and stop rambling.

XXXXXOOOOOOOO

Road Trippin'

I don't have much time to write since I am in one of those internet cafe's in Christchurch, New Zealand. Its BEAUTIFUL here. And by beautiful I mean go put on Lord of the Rings in slow motion at the Omni theatre and you still won't understand how gorgeous the scenery is in person. And sheep...everywhere! We spent last week in Wellington on the North Island with my good friend Darby. She is one of my favorite people and I was so glad to get some time with her. It's a cool city, windy and cold, but tons of cafe's and artsy things. Nice for a visit but in the end I was glad Brisbane had been my work-visa of choice.

Yesterday was a big adventure for Hudson and I. Are you sitting down mom? Don't worry because I won't need to do this again, but it was such an incredible experience....here we go...We took the interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton...and we had no way to get from Picton to Christchurch to pick up our pre-rented campervan. A train would cost $100. The minimum car rental purchase is 7 days. We had heard hitch-hiking was common here...and I was with Hudson and felt safe...so we did!!! And in record time! I'm sure I looked like an expert out there with BOTH of my bags. How embarassing is that? Who is going to pick up a seemingly high-maintenance backpacker? I wished I had a sign that said, "You dont understand...I've lived in Australia for 4 months and I down-sized a LOT!!!" ......From the moment we stuck our first thumb in the air it took 11 minutes to get picked up and they took us about 30 minutes south. They were a cool couple that liked Kings of Leon like me! The second couple to pick us up only took 5 minutes and they were from Brazil...they asked if we could help out with gas, so we gave them $15 and they drove us 2 hours...the last hitch took 8 minutes to pick us up...we even had time to argue directions and pet horses alongside the road in those 8 minutes...thats when Andrew came along and took us the next 2.5 hours all the way into Christchurch. He was a really fun guy, about our age...his stereo had gone out and he was hoping we could keep him awake on the drive...so we helped each other out. I thanked God over and over for yesterday. I went to sleep smiling and grateful.

Today is saturday. We just picked up the campervan and Hudson is patiently making me watch his foot on the clutch...because my homework is to learn to drive this mother before we sleep tonight. AAH! Before I begin this next obstacle, can I just say how stupid I think it is that they even MAKE manual transmissions when automatics exist?? I dont care that they are supposed to be cheaper to make. Anyways...Lord willing we will see Milford Sound tomorrow and do some hang-gliding Monday. I decided to postpone the sky-diving until I can do it with Shasta...hang-gliding is cheaper too. I promise pictures as soon as I have some time. They will be WORTH the WAIT!!!!!

I miss Shasta

Shit happens. Sorry for the sailor-mouth mom, but sometimes that's the best word to describe specific situations. I'm asking for your prayers, even from those of you who don't pray, I would be grateful. Some of you may be aware that Shasta left Australia Sunday to be with her grandmother in Texas. Though it was right for her to go, the timing was so sad. Sunday was the day before we would leave to start phase 2 of the trip in New Zealand, then back to Sydney with our friend Grassie, then L.A. and home in time for Christmas. I know God has His perfect timing, and His reasons...and I know NZ will always be there for her to see later...but I really wanted this for her, and for us. We've gotten so close on this trip I feel like my better-half vanished, and now I've got to harden up. Shasta is one of the most self-less people I have ever met and I just think she deserves the world and all the good things in it. Please pray for her and her family during this time.

If you could, send one up for Hudson and I as well. We are still on this journey and in Wellington, NZ right now. Tomorrow we leave for the south island, where we have a stick-shift, 3-person campervan waiting for us. I am going to try to get us out of this but they are pretty strict on their no-money-back cancellation policies...so we may be stuck with it, and I am VERY nervous to drive the mountains with a stick. But God has gone before us already, since the minute Shasta and I first talked about uprooting our Texas lives...and now is the time for me to remember that. This is where my end of trust comes into play. And, I am so grateful I do not have to bare this alone. Hudson doesn't seem to love it when I call him my "spare-tire"...but God knew Shasta would have to leave, and I guess He didn't want me flying solo on this one. So that is just what I'll do. I have to conciously place my life in His hands and trust that He will take care of the next 10 days here.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA...how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Without making this blog entirely novel-length, let me attempt to wrap up my feelings on leaving. I love Brisbane with all my heart and I will never forget how she healed me. I got to explore her beaches, rainforests, mountains and food. I got to enjoy her beauty. And best of all...she introduced me to her people.

Chayah Gospel Church opened their arms wide open to us. As I was leaving our flat and looking it over one more time...I just swelled up with tears...because I was leaving more than a flat...I was leaving what had become my home. I already miss dinner with the Porters, crying and laughing with them, Anthony's latest costume and Holly's bright smile. I keep trying to say how much they have blessed us, how much I love and appreciate them, how generous they've been to complete strangers, what a big part of God's healing on me they've been....and I just cant figure out the right words. I dont know how to show Jane that I need her to live down the road from us in Texas so that we can be best friends and I can watch Miriam grow up. I need the singles, Josh, Vic, Marco, Geoff, Beth, to KNOW what an empty feeling I will have on Sunday afternoons without them. How much I will miss communion meals together. Every person there has left fingerprints on my heart that aches when I'm not with them.

Deck's Restaurant. Do the chefs from the pub have any idea how much we love them? I dont know how to explain to Ethel how much she cared for me after I quit the bakery. I never told Jacob that he was the best co-worker I ever had. Frankie, Matty, Adam, do you know we would give you the world if we could? And my pirate Maurice, so thoughtful and sweet and made me laugh in every conversation...I just cant express the impact he had on me, and teaching Shast about gumption. There are more too. The people of Brisbane were not just cool people I met on my trip. They were my family during my quarter-life-crisis-runaway...and they caught me, and loved me, and I miss them already.

Thank you so much to anybody who reads my rambles. I love you and miss you.