"I Followed My Heart And It Led Me to the Airport."

Quick update in life. I quit my job. Sort of. October 6, 2019 was my last day at Quickcare full time after 4 years there. I am currently PRN (as needed, or as I like to say similar to a substitute teacher).

Took 10 days to visit family when my sister and her family were in Missouri. It was so great to have the family all together and get to interact with my favorite nieces!

Despite being PRN, I’ve been putting plenty of hours in still to make some moo-lah as it leads me to the next exciting thing to report: a friend and I are traveling through Australia and New Zealand for one month! We leave in one week.

Why these countries? Why not. But really, it’s mainly because my highly extroverted, adventurous friend suggested it while I was between jobs. She went down to PRN as well and a trip was born. New Zealand has always been her dream. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef has been mine. So we are doing both!

This picture is from the Jazz Festival summer of 2013. The board prompt said, Before I die, I want to… and I answered “snorkel the Great Barrier reef.”

Wifi may be limited as we travel, but don’t worry, I'll share plenty of pictures and a blog post or two or three about the trip when we get back.

• Week 1 will include cities in Australia: Cairns (Great Barrier Reef) and Sydney.
• Week 2 will be the north island of New Zealand including Cathedral Cove, Hobbiton, Rotorua, visiting a glowworm cave, Tongariro National Park, and WETA Workshop and Te Papa cultural museum in Wellington.
• Week 3 and 4 will find us on the south island with activites including visiting two national parks (Abel Tasman and Fjordlands/Milford Sound), time in Queenstown, Christchurch, kayaking, whale watching, hiking a mountain, and whitewater rafting.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

-Our longest flight will be Dallas to Sydney - 15 hours.
-We planned the trip ourselves and not through an agency or travel program.
-We are lodging in hostels and Air BnBs.
-Yes, we are renting a car. And yes, they drive on the opposite side of the road.
-The trip is paid for from savings and we are not charging expenses.

So, you can now consider yourself updated. Until next time.