Ok, I have finally gotten my technological act together...I think

Hey all,

Glad to finally be posting on the blog!  Today I moved out of my Seacoast, NH apartment and I'm currently surrounded by the ridiculous amount of stuff I've accumulated in these 23 years...I mean seriously, how does this happen?  Disgusting.  Many thanks to Mom and Dad for storing my shit for me while I'm gone.

Over the next 10 days I plan to organize, pack, etc for the days to come.  Unlike Trey and Grace, I'm not going straight to Australia.  A friend is getting married in Japan in November, so that will be a two week trip where we will hopefully get to see and do a lot!  Then I'll be back in the US with family for Thanksgiving (the last glorious American holiday we will enjoy for awhile), then I'll head to Spain - to see another friend who is teaching English there, and will subsequently return to the US for the flight to Australia.  Feeling lucky for the great opportunity presented to me and so grateful to have these girls by my side! <3  Planning to truly make the most of these experiences.

With any luck, many amazing pictures, information, and good stories to come!

Cheers!

Another reason

Just in case we needed one more reason to move to Adelaide.. Check out the weather we'll be leaving behind vs. heading into... Can't wait! 

The Countdown Begins..

45 days until we get on a plane and fly off to Adelaide! Since we booked our flights, the move has felt a bit more real each day. We have all told our landlords that we're leaving- which was very bittersweet but they are all excited for us! Sarah is done with work on Sunday (woohoo!) I gave work my two weeks notice today, (it was the happiest, most relieving feeling for me) and Grace is planning on telling her job on November 1st. The 3 of us have a lot to do before we leave! Travel Counciltations, doctor appiontments, continue working, getting Sarah to become part of the blog (seriously Sarah- what's been going on with your gmail acct?) packing, moving, fitting our lives into one bag for a year (this is going to be the most challenging part for me), etc.

We have continued our research about Australia which we hope will allow us to adapt more easily. We are thrilled to be going into summer again (yey, hopefully we won't have to see snow at all this year!) We are starting to think about things we're going to need to pack, figuring out cell phone plans, banks and all of that fun stuff we'll need to change over there. Since we have been telling more people about it, we are shocked to find out how many connections we potentially have over there. A good portion of the people we tell say "I know "so and so" who lives there that I would love to connect you with for when you're there.." which is awesome! People's reactions have also changed to "wow, thats something I've always wanted to do- good for you" or if they have done something like this, they tell you a story. Its been really nice to get positive feedback from others, its very encouraging! 

Our flights are BOOKED!!!

After a long process of debating what our flight options should be, we finally booked our tickets tonight! Sarah is coming from Spain after visting one of our best friends, Cristina; While Grace and I are going to fly out of JFK on Monday, December 9th and will be arriving in Adelaide on Wednesday, December 11th where we will meet Sarah! Woohoo! Let the packing begin :)

Inspirational shizz

Don't worry mom, I'm not a fundamentalist.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLD0P372xxQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjWD0JU92lw

"Australia..?! You're Crazy.."

...This is the most popular response we get from people when we tell them about our plans for moving abroad. Although we have not told too many people yet, (just close family and friends) everyone seems to have the same reaction. They first ask if we’re kidding, then ask if we're crazy, then ask what our plan is. Everyone is surprised that we actually do have a plan in place and that we have valid reasoning behind going.

 

A few months ago, on a long trip to Maine (to see one of our all time favorite idols (Miranda Lambert)  in concert) Sarah, Grace and I were all venting to one another about our current life situations. We all hated our jobs, our living situations, relationship statuses (or lack of...), and just all felt as if we were in an all time "twenty-something rut". No one prepares you of what to expect after college. If you think about it, you're life is kind of planned out for you until then. When you graduate college there is no longer seasonal, fun, part-time jobs that keep you content until you go back to school. There's no longer sports that keep you in shape (instead you have to pay for an expensive gym membership that you'll rarely use with your new full time job that sucks the life out of you). There's no longer "boys down the hall" that you think are "kind of cute". After college, you're on your own from your parents, broke, with a degree (that you're not sure what you're going to do with it yet), a job that you're underpaid and overworking for, away from you're college friends that were always in walking distance to see, etc. There's just a lot of change that no one prepares you for. This is how we experienced it at least...

 

When we all finally got to our destination in Maine, we were excited to all be together for a good time. The 3 of us have previously talked about moving away from our current living situations but unsure of where to go. Since we were blaring country music, sipping on Red Bull vodkas, and getting ready for the concert, Sarah threw out the idea of moving to Nashville, TN together. By the next morning, we were looking on Craigslist for places in Nashville. However, after we all got back home, we started a Facebook chat that listed each of our "moving requirements". All 3 of us wanted to seek adventure, be together, be in a warm climate, next to the water, be around people our age, and just be somewhere where we could enjoy our young twenties. From there, we were bouncing ideas/places off of one another for a few months. Nashville, Florida, Charlotte, Hawaii, California, The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, etc.

 

One morning in early August, Sarah and I were on the beach talking about our moving options. We compared and contrasted the places that we were considering and still hadn't come to a conclusion. Then, Sarah threw out the idea of Australia. She had been talking to one of her parents friends, Liz about our current situation and the thought of moving. Liz is from Australia and told Sarah how amazing it is. She kindly offered us to stay at her home in Adelaide until we got on our feet if we would consider it (seriously, the most generous, sweetest person ever). My eyes lit up and thought of how awesome that would be. We immediately texted Grace and she was down for the adventure. For the next month, we pondered about the idea and how much fun we would have.

 

In early September, the 3 of us were having a wine night at Sarah's and said we wouldn't leave until we chose a place to live. At this point, we were all at our wits’ end with work, mentally and physically drained with our lives, and just all around not happy. The 3 of us mutually decided that we wanted to give Australia a try for a year. We saw that we had an amazing opportunity in front of us that we needed to take. We're 23 and if we don’t take advantage of our youth, we’ll never be able to experience the things we want to in life. We all love traveling, seeking adventure, and just look forward to the opportunity at hand. In the next few weeks, we told our parents about our plans (very mixed responses), applied for our visas, and started to make a solid plan that would lead us to our main goal of moving to Australia.

 

Recently, since we are all officially approved for our work and holiday visas in Australia (thank you, Jesus!) we have been making concrete plans as to where we want to work, what we want to see, what we want to do, etc. There is a great website that Sarah found, called HelpX (or something like that) full of postings from people who provide free room/board and pay you to work for them. Since we want to see as much of Australia as we can while we’re there, we are currently seeking a route with jobs in each destination we plan to visit. We are going to start in Adelaide to meet up with Liz, get settled, used to the country, etc. and then continue with travel after that. We are genuinely so thankful for Liz and the opportunity we are receiving.

 

Now, like I mentioned in the first paragraph, when we tell people about our plans they think we’re insane. However, we think you’re insane for thinking that way. We are in our young twenties and want to seize our youth while we still can. Since 30 is the new 20, we have plenty of time to start careers, meet “the right” guy (if those even exist anymore), and settle down. At our age, we want to do something amazing that we will remember for the rest of our lives. When else would we EVER have this opportunity in our lives? Who knows maybe we’ll go over there, absolutely love it and build a life there. Maybe I’ll find the millionaire I’ve been looking for my whole life. Maybe we’ll find a really awesome international job that allows us to travel continuously and become successful. Maybe… we’ll hate it. Point is, ya never know until you do it! Growing up, adults would always say “enjoy it while you can…” Well, they were exactly right. No one wants to look back on their lives and think of the “what-ifs” or regrets they may have for not doing something (I guarantee every person reading this right now is thinking of theirs). Why wait? You’re not getting any younger…