Recently a few friends have expressed to me that they have been following my blog. And not only that, but in following my blog, they have even been a little bit inspired! Inspired!? Talk about inspired!! Each time I hear that someone is enjoying reading my ramblings it genuinely makes my day so much better! It is wonderful to have created a platform for my many thoughts and rambles, but to know that someone actually enjoys what I have to say, well, that's the dream! Thank you to Kate, Melsa, Christine and Kelly for taking that extra moment to share  this news with me! It was very much appreciated!

Dream. That's an interesting word isn't it? Dream. All throughout our childhoods we are taught that we can do anything, and to always remember to dream. And dream big! So, why is it that as adults, suddenly our dreams become unattainable. Who makes them unattainable? Is it your boss? Your bank account? Society? Your debt and mortgage? Or is it just, you? 

And by you, I mean fear. Fear of failure. Perhaps fear of success? Fear of truly being happy and doing what you want to do, instead of what you need to? Fear that maybe you don't really know who you are, and what you want? Everyone is unique, and has their own fears. But what I don't understand is why it is so common to simply settle for what you're supposed to do, instead of seeking what you want to do, your dream!?

My theory in an attempt to combat these fears..."why not?" When presented with an opportunity, I ask myself, why not? All the "nots" that I come up with are usually fear-driven, so I take them out of the equation. And to be honest, the answer becomes pretty clear! 

If you want to try something.. why not set yourself up in a way that allows you to try it? Surround yourself with the things and the people that you would need to make your dream happen. I have reached out to my entire network, and beyond, asking for advice, tips and tricks on our upcoming travels to New Zealand. I have been met with fantastic responses. So many people are more than willing to lend a hand, an ear, an afternoon or an email address, in order to help out another. It's truly amazing. And I think it should utilized and celebrated more often.

And just trust yourself! Believe that you truly can make your dreams come true. Whatever those dreams may be! And even if those dreams are ever-changing, as I feel that mine will be, go with the flow. Trust that you are, or can become, adaptable enough to create the life that you want. Because really, who else is going to do it for you? 

Do you have all of these^in your life? On a daily basis? Readily available for you to pull on at any moment that you may need them?  If you do... wow! Good for you! If you don't, welcome to the other 98% of the world. (rough personal estimate of course) 

It would appear, in the news, in the way people flock to reality TV shows, in the amount of things that people buy that they really do not need, that people may be not be as happy as they could. But what could be the cause of that? 

Consider these thoughts for a moment:

Mental Preparation... for what? For continuous stress? For overwhelmingly uncomfortable places? For crowds and crowds of people you've never met. For accents, and different foods, and weird weather? For the most amazing experience you may ever have outside of your comfort zone? How does one mentally prepare themselves for the unknown?

As I sit, sipping my morning coffee, contemplating this trip that is about to begin, I can't help but dive into the thoughts of, are Luke and I 'traveler' material? I have done some traveling in my day. I am no-where near a self-proclaimed 'traveler'; however, I have lived out of a backpack for some time, and I have roughed-it in a few foreign countries. Luke has not. 

Curiosity #1 - I have a general understanding of what to expect.. and how to expect the unexpected.. and I believe that Luke does too.. but how much can one truly know and anticipate the unexpected without actually having experienced something similar in the past?

Guess how we plan to find out... by doing. Luke and I have both spent many many years of our lives working towards something, whether it be post-secondary, our careers, saving money, etc. For the first time in our so far short but full lives, we are both consciously choosing to step back, take a break, relax, and allow ourselves to PLAY!! This decision is one that I am most proud of. It takes a lot of work to:

a. prove to yourself that you can make it in the real world enough so that you are comfortable taking a break from the real world. 

b. remove yourself from the real world with enough confidence in yourself and your plans that you are truly having an adventure.. just.. for.. you! It's about self exploration. About self  realization. About fun! 

As I allow myself to dive further and further into planning every little detail about my trip, I can't help but spend most of my time still thinking of what to bring.  After pretty much months of contemplation.. I opted to purchase my very first pair of Lululemon pants! 

i'm pretty tight with my money.. so near $100 on a pair of pants is a big deal for me!! :D
So, yesterday I set out in the rain for downtown Victoria, gumboots on, money in hand, ready to complete a first! Go me!

I decided on a pair of crop pants, basically a set of really nice, thick tights. My goal with these pants is to get my full monies worth and genuinely wear them nearly every single day on this trip! They are very versatile. If paired with boots and a long sweater.. boom.. dressy. If paired with running shoes and a big shirt.. boom.. exercise gear.. if paired with socks and a cozy sweatshirt.. boom.. lounge-wear.  


They are incredibly comfortable and so far my consumer satisfaction is phenomenal!  Come on travel date! I'm ready!

So last night I decided it was time to start the preliminary stages of packing. It has been an ongoing concern of mine that I would get over-excited, as I tend to do, and bring waaay too much and all the wrong things. So I've been doing some research.I've been asking everyone I know, "what the heck and i going to NEED?"

The problem with this system is... everyone travels different!

Yes I'll be taking a backpack and be 'roughing it' a bit, but we're also going to be living in New Zealand, likely for an entire year. I'll be working, playing, relaxing, missing home.. there are a lot of items that could assist with each of those activities. However.. I am NOT going to be that girl who has the backpack, the suitcase, the travel bag, etc, etc, etc.

My goal with packing... pack light and enjoy a minimalistic lifestyle!

Living in one place for an extended period of time, with lots of space in your home for decorative pieces, extra items, etc, it makes it very easy to continuously accumulate more and more stuff. But in the end.. it's just that.. stuff.  No one really needs any stuff.

So.. with this trip.. I will take myself to a more simple lifestyle where all I need are some good comfy, useful clothes, my laptop, and my man! :)

Just over a year ago I found myself at a crossroads in life, not feeling as though anything was compelling me to stay in the beautiful city of Victoria, but also not sure if packing up and travelling around by myself was the right move. Lucky for me I had a mentor that helped me see through the urge to flee and I stayed put for one more year. In this past year I have learned an incredible amount about myself both professionally, and personally. I knew a trip was in my future, I just didn't know when or where. So I took those few dollars I had been saving and put them away, continued adding to them, with that thought that one day, they would be necessary. 

that day has come :D and I couldn't be happier. 

There is one major component to this trip that I didn't realize I was missing a year ago.
And I learned this at the Noodle Box. 

One lunch hour I was pleasantly greeted by my boyfriend at work and we decided to go for lunch at the Noodle Box. After waiting for food, casually chatting about life and work and how our days were going, we sat down to chow down. In between mouthfuls, as is usual, I was jabbering and nannering on about everything and anything that popped into my head. I went off on a tangent for a bit about how I was going to go to New Zealand.. this was my destination.. I could feel it.. it was coming, and sometime soon! Then it occurred to me... If I were to go to New Zealand and embark on this vast journey on my own.. Luke wouldn't be with me. 

So then, without really thinking it through, out came the words "come with me!"  

Luke hesitated a bit, came up with a few weak reasons as to why he shouldn't and then *poof* we entered planning mode! When could we go? How long could we go for? What would we do? How much money would we need? and on.. and on.. and on..

This was the beginning of the trip sweet dea and dukey take on the kiwis
and it all began at the Noodle Box.

I'd say the very beginning of our actual trip planning began on a Saturday morning, sipping coffee and silently giggling to ourselves about the prospect of actually embarking on a move across the globe. Luke set out to call his boss and break the news, I browsed every and any New Zealand website I could find and we continuously passed glances of excitement between each other. Life couldn't be more exciting.

Than it dawned on me... to leave the country, one must have a valid...

PASSPORT!

So, we both enjoyed one more calm sip of delicious weekend morning coffee and *poof* we turned on Extreme Dea and Dukey  mode. I grabbed every piece of identification I could find, we piled into the car, grabbed Luke's information, and then searched and searched and searched for parking downtown Victoria on a Saturday. After finally finding a spot, we literally ran to the mall, searched out the passport office at the top of the building, got told very rudely that we are 'no exception and everyone must wait in line', took a number and *poof* sat down to wait. dum de dum de, tick tick tick... we really began to feel the morning caffeine going to waste at this point. 

So after hours of waiting, filling out the paper work, waiting, re-filling out the paper work, and waiting some more, we finally were able to complete our passport renewal applications. Lucky for us I trusted my intuition that it was worth it to wait all day and hand the application to a person, rather than fill it out, likely wrong, mail it off, and then have it returned a few weeks later learning that you now must do it all over again. This played a crucial time-saving role when it came time to apply for our New Zealand Working Holiday Visas.