Onto the Next Adventures: March 2020

Monday, 2 March 2020

Home coming

After an adventurous 18 days away, travelling to California, Fiji & New Zealand, we are finally on our way home. We left Palmerston North, NZ Sunday evening on a 9hr overnight bus to Auckland and boarded our first of 3 flights heading home. With approximately 50hrs of travel, we are looking forward to getting home; showered & in our own bed! Sleeping upright for 3 nights in a row will definitely take its toll on you! However, I (we) still think it’s worth it for all the amazing adventures we experienced while travelling half way around the world!

As an extension of our world trip 6 years ago, I finally feel a sense of completion from this vacation. Although not all the destinations were explored on our itinerary from back then, we feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have gone back to any at all!

As I sit here and write this, I smile knowing that my dad would have gave me that look that said “I see that your wild spirit’s not going to stop you from going off and travelling, but I’m proud of you for following your heart and adventurous soul.” Thanks dad❤️

And thanks to all of you who followed our blog & adventures around the world both now and then!

So now it’s come to the time that I also complete the OTNAdventures Blog and say farewell...

...or maybe until the next adventure? God willing:)))

(I’m already dreaming up the next trip!😆)

See you then!

Fiji Airways flight from Auckland to Fiji to Los Angeles.
We heard Fiji Gold helps you sleep better in an upright position 🍻

See you later Auckland. Hope to see you again one day!

Landing in Fiji, we watched as rain storm approached through sunny skies.

Upon landing, a rainbow appeared! 🙏🏻✈️ 🌈

Views over LA-one more leg to go! (LA to BUF)

Watching as the pilot made a smooth landing. Glad to be on the ground after 10hrs in the air.

Finally landed...in Rochester?!?!

We’re suppose to be in Buffalo but thick fog on the ground prevented the pilot from making a safe landing. Apparently it will be a few hours before it lifts so arrangements are being made to taxi us (and our luggage) back to Buffalo 50 miles away. Currently sitting in the airport waiting for the next adventure😆

Well...we went into this trip with an adventure so only seems fitting that we go out with an adventure! Fingers crossed our car is still in Buffalo 😳

Note: it’s currently 2am, Shawn (is suppose to) work @ 6:30am, we’re still in Rochester BUT we’re still smiling!

Onto the Next Adventure! 🚕

Update: The pilot announced it would be approx 6 hrs before the fog lifts so luggage was taken off the plane & taxis were ordered. With only one guy working at the airport terminal, we all did our best to be civil-and passengers were great. As soon as we heard the announcement, I shoved Shawn in line to add us to the list & we were on the 3rd taxi out (we call that“Amazing Race” styles). With little to no taxis available at that time of night we were lucky to be one of the first out-us and 5 others in a van taxi. An hour later we arrived in Buffalo & since I chatted up with taxi driver on the way, I felt bold enough to ask him to drop us off at our car-and he did! Makes up for the no shuttle to the airport on our first leg of our journey 😏 We jumped in the car, glad to see it still were we parked it, and crossed the boarder in no time flat. My keen driving skills (AKA speed🤫) got us home at 6am with just enough time for Shawn to shower, me pack some quick snacks & breakfast for him, to be out the door at 6:15. Now I’m off to bed! Gravol & melatonin should do the trick 😴

Finally home!!! ...55hrs later.

Sunday, 1 March 2020

Meg & Me

Meg and I have been friends for over 10 years...
Our friendship began one snowy spring afternoon at a Seedy Saturday seed exchange event in London, Ontario. Shawn & her boyfriend had been saying for some time that we had a lot in common and we should meet up and hang out sometime. Then, we meet that Saturday by fluke and ended up hitting it off right away:) Our love of food, cooking, gardening & the outdoors connected us initially, but then our continued mutual interests in all things made us fast friends.
Meg is by far one of the smartest, hardworking, loving, caring, intelligent, down-to-earth, inventive, creative, tenacious and funniest people I know! Being friends with Meg is like going to your favourite show and afterwards thinking, “can I do that all over again tomorrow?” -it’s that good. I just couldn’t get enough of her!
So when she moved to New Zealand 3 years ago, my heart skipped for the opportunity she and Don had been given but also ached for an even greater distance between us. Although she had been living in the States (Georgia & Washington State) completing her PhD for 5 years before the big move across the ocean, the distance before that only seemed a short flight away. So when the opportunity finally presented itself to “complete” our world trip journey, it was a no brainer to go visit & stay with Meg in New Zealand.

After our initial meeting and hitting it off right away at the London Seedy Saturday, it didn’t take long before we were in the kitchen cooking up a storm together & laughing until our stomachs hurt. As a side note; Meg is the one person who can make me laugh until I cry & I (almost) pee my pants😂
We spent the first summer doing all kinds of activities together; riding our motorcycles to the farm where Meg helped me work on growing my organic veggies (yes, we both had bikes!), painting the outside of our first house, making new creations in my kitchen, enjoying backyard hangouts, downtown festivals, local eatery hot spots, and dog walks around the neighbourhood. Life was good with my new friend Meg. Summers were then spent travelling up to her dads cottage in Bancroft (still a yearly tradition); hanging out on the dock on the lake, and sharing in a million laughs and great chats. Something I always look forward to each & every year. Her family has become an extension of my family and getting together with them always feels like coming home.

When I told Meg I was thinking about coming to visit her in New Zealand a few years back she was super excited, and when we were finally able to make it a reality this year, she was ecstatic! Shawn and I were welcomed after our 9 hour bus journey from Auckland to Palmerston North where Meg now lives with the warmest hugs and laughter right from the start.
Meg has made such an amazing home and place for herself (and Don) over the last 3 years here, and I’m so proud of all the things she has accomplished. Leaving almost all her possessions behind except for a few precious items that fit into a couple of suitcases from Pullman, Washington, Meg (and Don) finally found a little slice of heaven on a farm property south of Palmerston North on the North Island. They’ve gotten pretty creative with their talents; making their own furniture (mostly), many of pieces of clothing, bags & and anything else she can sew up, crafting little things around the house to make life easier (a shelf for an egg flat, paper towel holder, & clothes drying rack); all while continuing to work (Meg) and study (Don in Vet school). Don also does blacksmithing on days off and Meg has her own hive of honeybees to tend too on the farm where they rent a sweet little place.
Meg landed a great job last year working in the North Island with the honeybees and I’m so proud of all she’s accomplished in the time she has been in New Zealand. I’m thrilled to have been able to spent quality time with my friend Meg; picking up right where we left off and laughing so hard my sides hurt.