let it snow. let it snow. let it snow.

I arrived home on December 4 and on December 6 I headed to Greensboro to visit my sister. It was freezing cold, but I got to see my sister and her family and I got to roadtrip. I packed up my car with enough outfits to last me a month if needed and hit the road. My mom offered to ride with me instead of my dad, but I explained that I planned on blasting my music and putting the windows down. She hopped right into dad’s car.

That drive was glorious. It was freezing but I had the windows down. I loved the feeling of that cold air rushing across my face. And I missed my Bose sound system in my car. It’s beautifully loud and makes driving so worth it. I got on 70 and just drove. As I passed my old exit in Chapel Hill I was tempted to veer off and drive down Franklin Street, but I knew my sister was waiting for me. I pulled up in front of her house and started running to the door. I was greeted by Logan and Kendall waiting for me. He turns 3 this month and he said “I’m so glad to see you Aunty Kennan!” He is so smart and I can’t believe how much I missed him.So far it’s been lots of family time and lots of reunions. I’ve gotten used to living out of suitcases and not getting much sleep. My sister had surgery right after we arrived so my parents and I stayed around to help her with the kids. That means getting up around 5am and getting overly excited about naptime. I’ve learned a lot having to take care of two little kids. Mostly I’ve learned that I don’t want kids anytime soon. Since then my parents have left and I’m enjoying getting to spend so much time with my sister. It’s been years since we could hang out like this.

My first trip to Target was overwhelming. They had Target in Australia but it was expensive and didn’t have the variety we have here. I was like a kid in a candy store. I spent entirely too much money but all on things I didn’t know I couldn’t live without until I saw them. Shopping at Express was fabulous as well. I got some white tank tops I couldn’t live without and a gorgeous faux leather biker jacket. I’ve always wanted one and this one was a perfect fit.

Last weekend was the much-anticipated reunion with my roomies. We couldn’t all be there, but we got 5 out of 7 together. We had drinks and caught up on each other’s lives. We headed out to 42nd Street Oyster Bar and finished up at Nappertandy’s. It felt like I had never even left. Big news: Since our glorious reunion, two of my roommates have gotten engaged!! I guess wedding season is upon us.

On Friday, I saw my first snow of the year. It was beautiful, and it kept coming down. I had planned on attending a tacky Christmas sweater party that night. The snow, however, changed our plans. Instead, in my beautiful outfit I headed to Chumley’s with some friends. We couldn’t drive all the way to the party, but we still had some fun in the snow and some drinks. Saturday I got up early and played in the snow with my family. We threw snowballs, built a snowman and attempted snow angels. Luckily Target is close by and I was able to pick up some boots. My sneakers weren’t cut out for 6.5 inches of snow.
Saturday night was yet another tacky Christmas sweater party, but this one wasn’t snowed out. The outfits were glorious and with our game of dirty Santa gift exchange, I ended up with my very own leopard print Snuggie. I’m currently snuggled up in it and I have no idea how I ever lived without one.

The job hunt is going well. I still haven’t actually heard back from any jobs, but I’ve met with a recruiter here and have applied for some really great jobs. I’m still not sure where I’m going to end up but hopefully I’ll have a better idea sometime soon.

let the reunions begin . . .

The flight from Fiji was a breeze. The Fijian man next to me kept trying to talk to me, but once I focused on my movie he finally stopped. The only downside was that the movies were just playing continuously so you couldn’t pause or start a movie; you just had to jump in. After watching Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (which was hilarious) I popped a prescription sleeping pill and slept for a good 5 hours. By the time I woke up, we were practically to California.

Once we landed I turned on my cell phone, which I haven’t done in 5 months. Thanks to all my loving friends I had ONE voicemail. Yes, one. In their defense I did say in my voicemail message that I was out of the country. I got to call my sister right when we touched down and it was so fun to finally be able to call people on my cell phone and hear their voices! Customs in LA was a joke and they didn’t even look at our bags. We got to our hotel easily (and for free!) and relaxed for a few hours in the hotel. Unlike our Fijian hotel, these beds were heavenly. After a shower I passed out for two hours and recharged my batteries.

We have family here in California through my sister’s husband. We don’t get to see each other often because we live on opposite coasts so they drove up from Newport Beach to take us to dinner. They decided to take us to Beverly Hills, woot woot! We went to a restaurant called The Ivy, which is very famous and adorable. We had so much to catch up on and were at the table for about 1.5 hours laughing and telling stories. On the way back to our hotel, they drove us through Beverly Hills, down Rodeo Drive and by all the fancy shops. It was fabulous reunion and something we wish could happen more often. In January they move into their new house so we’ll plan a trip to visit again soon.

Back at the hotel mom and I rented Paranormal Activity. It was the stupidest movie ever and really not even scary. Dad was mad that we wasted $13. Although the beds were comfy, I had a restless night stressing about everything I have to get done when I get home. Between finding a job, reunions, holiday parties, storage units, doctors appointments and finding a place to live, I’m gonna have a busy December. Mom and dad had no problem sleeping and dad even slept in until 7am. We organized our luggage, weighed it for the last time, had a quick breakfast and then we were off for the airport again.

Here is my vent about American airports. As Americans, our airlines are screwing us. On Australian and New Zealand airlines such as Qantas and Air New Zealand, you are not charged for bags. On the flight, you are offered fabulous food and a drink of your choice (including alcohol aka wine, champagne, liquor, beer) FOR FREE. Then, they come through again on the flight and offer you ANOTHER free drink. The seats are more spacious and the atmosphere is much more friendly. Now, to America. Our original flight from Nadi, Fiji to LA was canceled so we had to spend another night in Fiji, courtesy of our airline there. Because of that, we had to push our flight from LA another day which was a $150 charge per ticket which supposedly US Air is going to comp. Today is the last leg of our international flights, on which you are allowed two 50 pound bags each. Because we stayed the night in LA, they now consider our flight home as domestic and charged each of us $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second. BUT WAIT. My reservation was done a few days later than my parents, in which time they changed their fees so for me it was $20 for the first bag and $30 for my second. Grand total $130 for luggage. After weighing each of our bags, we then had to carry them to another area to load them on the extra machine. That lady was a peach, but with her job I can’t really blame her. We had no glitches in security, but considering you strip down and can’t even take a bottle of toothpaste, we were ready for American security. With mom’s knee replacement, she’s getting used to getting frisked at airports every time she sets the machine off.

When I got off the airplane in Charlotte, a huge smile crossed my face. Just to my left was one of the places I’ve missed most: Bojangles. I went straight for a chicken supreme dinner with sweet tea and it was everything I’d imagined it’d be. We had a short layover in Charlotte and then boarded the plane to New Bern, NC. It was a small plane and extremely loud, but it got us there in one piece, which is all that mattered. New Bern airport is adorable. There were rocking chairs to sit in and a huge wooden statue of a bear. There was only one belt for luggage. Mom and I got the bags while dad went to pull the car around. When he paid the parking bill ($138 for 3 weeks) the lady gasped because she’d never seen a parking bill that high.

Unfortunately for us, my mom had left some milk in a cup in the car . . . for three weeks. So as we loaded into the car, I had to hang my head out the window because it smelled so rancid. Driving with the windows down eventually helped and we sang Christmas carols all the way home.

Seven loads of laundry later, I finally have all clean clothes. Tiger was ridiculously excited to see me and hasn’t left my side yet. Lucky and Bear keep following me too. I missed having animals!! Jet lag hasn’t been so bad and we were even up a little late last night having drinks and dinner with my parent’s friends. I’ve repacked and I’m ready for all my travels upcoming. Between visiting friends, job hunting and dealing with everything I left behind 5 months ago, its going to be a long month.

I’m off to Greensboro today to see my lovely sister and her family. Then it’s reunion time with my loves!!!

Homeward bound

Checking out at Vomo was sad. We’d gotten to know a lot of the people and a lot of the guests. We had lunch on the beach and saw some sharks right on the edge of the water sunning themselves. After lunch we had to finish packing and check out. Our boat ride to the main island was an adventure in itself. Our driver gunned it the whole way and with the choppy water it was kinda painful. I laughed most of it off, but mom and dad were not pleased. He even hit a wave so hard that the water poured over the bow and we all got wet. I couldn’t stop laughing. Papa dukes asked the driver to slow down but he always sped right back up. By the time we got to the marina (45 minutes later) dad was fuming. Right when we got to the dock, the manager of the marina was there to ask for our drivers name because the police were waiting for him in the office. Evidently he also sped through the marina and was being issued a ticket. Karma much? Finally we arrived at the Sofitel Hotel in Denaru, Fiji.

The entire trip we’ve stayed at 4 and 5 star hotels and they have all been fabulous. Our favorite has been the Sofitel in Brisbane. It had lush beds and everything you would need at a hotel and more. We assumed this Sofitel would be the same, but we were wrong. It is a 5 star hotel, but by Fijian standards. Our beds were practically roll-aways and one of the most uncomfortable beds I’ve ever slept on. We had a delicious dinner on the waterfront and watched a movie in the room before trying to get some sleep on those beds. Dad couldn’t take it and dreamed about airplane seats because they’d be more comfortable than these beds.

Somehow, mom and I must have been tired because we slept until 9:30am when dad finally woke us up. We had to check out of our hotel by noon, but we weren’t getting picked up for our flight until 7pm. That’s a lot of hours to kill. We checked out, had breakfast and then headed to Nadi Town for some shopping. Nadi Town is like a little India (according to my mom who has actually spent some time in India). The people at the shops are in your face trying to sell you things, not to mention all of the people in the streets as well. It is also quite dirty. But, we made the best of it and did some shopping for Christmas. One shop we went into took us towards the back for a traditional welcome. I knew what was going to happen, but I figured the parent’s reaction would be worth it. He had us sit down and told us we were going to have traditional Kava. He showed us the powdered Kava, which he poured into a sack. He then poured water into a big bowl. He placed the sack in the bowl and then mashed it with his hands, which turned the water a milky brown. Mom’s face was priceless. It is rude to refuse Kava, but my parents would have none of it. I, of course, decided to give it a go. I had to clap, say “Bula,” drink the whole cup and then clap three times. It was revolting stuff and my tongue went numb instantly. I like being open to new things, but maybe I shouldn’t be open to ALL new things. Dad’s response was that I better not complain about wherever we had lunch because I just drank a finger bowl. What was I thinking?

A few more shops and then we headed to Curry House for lunch. The owner was very nice and showed us the fresh catches of the day. We ordered two large lobsters with fixins and big ice teas. The lobsters were delicious and the tea was such a relief from the heat. The owner also brought us some homemade curry to try. He said it wasn’t hot. He lied. My mouth was on fire and I had to finish my tea and some of my mom’s. We were polite though and spread it around so it looked like we ate some. After finishing up shopping we headed back to the hotel. Mom and I changed into our swimsuits and sat by the pool. We saw the ground oven where they cook the meat for dinner on hot stones under the earth. They wrap the food in tinfoil so it doesn’t get dirt on it, but back in the day they just used palm leaves to wrap the food.

We watched the Fijian dancers, swam in the pool and had some ice cream before it was time to get ready to head to the airport. We loaded up our 6 ginormous bags for almost the last time, checked in and went through security. They confiscated my Sean John perfume because it wasn’t in a plastic bag, but the security guy gave me a squirt so I’d smell pretty on the plane. We just had a fabulous cheese pizza and are now waiting to board. Around 1pm on December 3rd we will land in LA. That night we’re having dinner with the Tomalas’ and then the next morning we will finally be home. Soooo much traveling but it’s been worth it.

All good things must come to an end . . .

Day 5

Dad woke me about 6:10am and asked if I wanted to come along kayak fishing. I said “Of course” and made him wake mom to come too. We got to the activities shed right before 7am and no one was there. The equipment shed was open though so we could get to the things we needed. We pulled out three glass bottom kayaks, three paddles and then loaded up our kayaks. Then our little pod headed out to sea. We didn’t have high expectations for the kayaks, but they were amazing. The reef comes so close to the surface and you could see perfectly through the glass bottom. Mom and I rode around hunched over checking out the coral and fish life. Dad fished off in the distance but wasn’t having any luck. I had the spinning rod on my kayak and threw it some, but the fish just weren’t biting. I did drop my lil line in right by the kayak and attracted groups of fish each time. They were just curious about my shiny green fly. Mom and I also saw tons of baby Sea Kraits (sea snakes) on the coral. Most of them were just a few inches long, but with that many babies, I am sure they will see a lot more snakes on the island in the future. After about an hour and a half I had my fill and headed back to shore. We cleaned up our equipment and headed to breakfast. Dad was slightly frustrated about the fishing, but once we got some food in him he got a little happier.

He, of course, had to give the fish another go so mom and I lounged on the beach. Eventually it got pretty toasty so I decided to do a little snorkeling. Mom came along and we had fun pointing out fun creatures to each other. I showed her it was safe to pick up a starfish and she picked up four different ones until I told her to stop tormenting them all. Daddy was catching some small fish so we got a picture of one of his catches. After getting wrinkly and soggy we headed back to shore and went to lie by the pool. It was another scorcher of a day so we didn’t last outside of the water very long. Eventually all three of us were propped by the edge of the pool reading our books. At one point, dad fell asleep and face planted into the side of the pool. That woke him right up, haha. We decided it was time for a boost with lunch and some fun drinks.

After some more time by the pool, I wanted to go snorkeling again. This may be my last time on the reef for a long time so I really want to remember it well. Dad fished and kept a watchful eye and I ended up swimming out pretty deep. The reef was just too pretty to stay in close to shore. I saw a much wider variety of fish and even happened upon an eel. After that, I desperately wanted the underwater camera so I swam back to shore. Dad didn’t have the camera so I had to go all the way back to the pool. He had lost his belt and wanted to check by the pool for it so he walked on the shore while I swam right in the surf. Right before I was getting out to walk up to the pool, a little black tip reef shark swam in front of me. I followed him but he was skittish and I was so mad I didn’t have the camera yet. I ran up to the pool, found dad’s belt, grabbed the camera and jumped back in the water like a fish that was meant to be there.

I wanted to find the eel again to get a picture so I tried to retrace my path. I got close, but couldn’t find the exact spot I’d seen the eel. I gave up and decided to just enjoy the reef and take some cool videos and pictures. Just then I swam right over an eel, entirely too close for comfort. I slowly backed up, and then thrust my camera down to grab a quick picture. I also tried to get videos that would show you what it was like to swim on the reef if you never have. If I was still enough, the fish weren’t even bothered by my presence and would school around me. I would ebb and flow with the tide along with them and just became part of the scenery. There are little black fish that get pretty territorial over their holes. One was playing with me so I took a video of him challenging me and laughed to myself. I was out on the reef for a good two hours today. It’s so easy to lose track of time and get caught up in all the different colors and fish to look at. I looked in crevices and around corners and really wish I could have gone diving at least once. There were two Asian couples swimming the reef as well. I had on just my snorkel, mask and a bikini. They had on full upper body suits, life vests, snorkels, masks and flippers. I took a picture cause it made me laugh. Finally I figured I’d gotten a fabulous workout from all that swimming and swam back in towards shore.

Again, dad walked along the shore and I swam in the shallows. I was hoping to see the sharks again but I figured it was unlikely. Then dad called out that there was one straight ahead. He was swimming towards me and I stayed still with my camera out and ready. This little guy was quite curious and got a little too close. When he was about a foot from me I splashed to scare him off. I then jumped right onto the beach and told my dad that was a great way to end my snorkeling adventures.

Tonight we had drinks by the pool and met two families. We met a couple from New Zealand and a family from Brisbane. The family from Brisbane knew the street I lived on. What a small world! Dinner tonight was authentic Fijian and the tables were set by the pool. We got to pick from Fijian dishes, which were all delicious. The bats flew overhead and the guitar playing was fabulous. We ended the night with Kava infused coffee and hot chocolate and a rendition of “Sweet Caroline.” Tomorrow we leave the island and head to the mainland for another day before heading back home.

What an adventure it has been . . .

Day 6

I had big ambitions for this morning. I set my alarm for 4:25am so I could get up and hike the mountain so I could watch the sunrise from the top. Unfortunately, it’s a little hard to see when it’s still dark outside, not to mention the large screeching bats all around. I lost my courage and decided to just sit on the beach for a while and look at the full moon over the water. It was gorgeous. It was completely quiet except for the crashing of the small waves and the sky was clear. As I was looking at Orion’s Belt, I turned and saw a shooting star. I sat on the beach for about 30 minutes watching the moon change from white, to off white, to deep yellow. At first it looked like the “man in the moon” was upside down from this angle. But the more I stared at it, the more right it seemed so I couldn’t be sure. About 5:30am I finally headed back to the house after seeing yet another shooting star.

I got back up at 7:30am determined to climb the mountain. I had some issues finding the trail, but one of the cooks showed me the way. It wasn’t a bad hike. I pretty much climbed straight uphill but it only took about 15-20 minutes. The views from the top were amazing. I could see the entire island from the mountain, the beaches around the edges and the through the clear blue water to the reefs below. I spent about 30 minutes at the top admiring the view and taking great pictures. It was also quiet and I got a chance to clear my head and just look at all the beautiful things around me. Another guy had run up the mountain when I was walking down so we said hello. I then made my way back down the mountain. Most of you are probably aware of my issues with direction, but on the way back I tried to take the route that leads somewhere from our cabins. I thought I’d found it, but I ended up deep in the brush with sharp painful grass cutting my legs. Not an ideal situation. So I retreated and went back the way I’d originally come. Only I could get lost on a teeny island. I made it back to the room about 9am and got my mom up for some breakfast. We met up with papa dukes, ate and then lounged by the pool. We check out at 4pm today and then we’re headed to the mainland. We get a full day in Nadi tomorrow and then our flight home leaves tomorrow night!

Back to reality . . . see you stateside!