Updated on November 27, 2009
Our First WWOOFING Experience
On November 8th, Sebastien and I took a bus, County Link, from Burleigh Heads to Byron Bay. Once we arrived in Byron Bay we were picked up by the lovely Clare Hopkins and she took us to her home in Bangalow.
In order for us to do this trip for more than a month we will be using a few resources. These resources include helpx and housesitting.  Helpx helps people who are looking for help to connect with travelers who are looking for accommodations in exchange for some work. This exchange has been going on for a long time and the nickname for the people who actually come to help is WWOOFers. This stands for Willing Worker On Organic Farms. Though the helpx resource is not necessarily for organic farms.
We landed a gig with right away and with in a few days we were in the care of Clare Hopkins. She said that she put it out into the universe that she was looking for a French speaker to help her friend JP, who wanted to use his French, to build a shed. Low and behold we connected and what a treat it has been.
The first night we were in Clare’s home she cooked us a wonderful chicken meal (no I did not eat the chicken) with veggies and potatoes. Delicious! Oddly enough we sat and eat with Clare, her partner Peter, and JP and discussed Lowen, Riech, spirituality, quantum physics, and personal growth stuff. It was a wonderful treat to be in the company of like minded people.
Here are some pictures of Clare’s beautiful house and land.
Our room…
The beautiful backyard and the amazing plum tree…
The agreement was that we would provide 4 hours of work in exchange for meals and accommodations. What were were able to help Clare with included Sebastien building a shed with J.P. while speaking some French, weeding, power washing the dirt off the deck, cleaning out the refrigerator, and Sebastien helped Clare set up her blog/website. Which is beautiful and show cases Clare’s lovely paintings and art.
I felt that it was an honor to help out Clare because she was taking such good care of us. She cooked us fabulous meals and went out of the way to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. We were very welcomed into her home and heart. Thank you Clare!
Another trea was in meeting the cat, Be., J.P., Peter, and Zoe. Sebastien really liked Be though. Here are some pictures of our stay with Clare and her family.
Posted on November 5, 2009
From Arizona to Australia: The Beginning of Our Trip
On November 1st, we arrived at my mom’s friend Jan’s house. That evening we went out to dinner in Gilbert and enjoyed some creme brulee. Ummm. The next day, Sebastien did some work and I ran errands. Mitch (my car) got a good cleaning and I repacked for the 15th time. In the afternoon we headed to Alexa’s and enjoyed a nice dinner with her and Jeff. That evening we took the scissors out and started to play with Sebastien’s hair. Snip snip here and a snip snip there. (Wizard of Oz song) Here are some pictures of Alexa and my work.
The next day, November 3rd, Sebastien went to a real salon and had an expert shave it off.
After we were clean, waxed, and packed we headed to the Phoenix airport for the first leg of our flight. My big backpack was stuffed and my carry on backpack was full as well. A little heavy but doable. Our flight to LAX was about an hour with no complications. Once in LAX we had walked about a half a mile to the international gate. Qantas had a very small area for check in and the lady at the counter was not very friendly. I had to eliminate a book from my carry on because I was over the carry on limit. The most you could carry on is 7 kilos.
Once we had our bags checked-in Alison picked us up for dinner.  I am bummed that I will be missing watching her transformation over the next 9 months. After some food we returned to the airport and tearfully said “good bye”. Now it was just Sebastien and I on our puffin adventure.
We quickly made it through the security checks and headed to Chili’s for some beers. There we meet two New Zealand guys who come to the states about 4 times a year to buy old cars . They were very interesting and I only understood half of what they were saying. However, they were able to inform us that instead of our flight being 16 hours (which is what we had initially believed) it was only a 12/13 hour flight. YIPPEEEE!!! After a few laughs with them we boarded our sold out plane towards Brisbane.
I sat next to this gal who had flown from Brisbane to New York City to run in the marathon. I couldn’t believe she had flown all that way just for the marathon and then back within 5 days. She provided us with some hints and tips for getting around Aussie. The flight on a whole wasn’t to bad. We both got about 4-6 hours of sleep and the food was decent. It was a good idea to leave late at night. We landed around 8 AM on the 5th of November. We lost a full day somewhere over the Pacific.
Once we landed we gathered our belongings and conveniently took and train and bus to Burleigh Heads. Which is a beach town south of Surfers Paradise. We are staying in a Quality Inn like hotel called Outrigger Hotel. It is decent. It is a block from the beach which after we dropped off our stuff we checked out. The sand here reminds me of the sand on Coronado. Very beautiful stretch of beach. There were a ton of clear jelly fish on the beach. We asked John, the lifeguard, about the dangers of them. He chatted with us for about 10 minutes about this and that. From surfboards to his motivation in life. Again, we understood about half of what he was talking about.
We also went grocery shopping which was a shock! Food here is very expensive. We purchased a loaf of bread, hummus, some fruit, chicken, and a few other things which cost bout $50.00. A 4 pack of Guinness was $15.00. After making ourselves some dinner I was exhausted and we feel asleep pretty early. Our bed is very hard but it didn’t seem to disrupt my sleep.
Since we fell asleep so early we were up around 6:30 this morning. After doing our morning routines we walked to the beach and eat our breakfast. We noticed a dark sky far off the coast and as we watched it the darkness grew closer and closer. After about 30 minutes it was upon us as was the rain. So we returned to our hotel and was able to skype with my mom and Alison.
Here are some pictures the view we have of Surfers Paradise and the area where we are staying.
Posted on November 1, 2009
One more day till we leave the puffin nest
Sebastien and I have decided to start driving to Arizona on Saturday. That is tomorrow! We got rid of the mattress and the bike was sold. We have started to move stuff into the BigBoxes and the packing is almost organized.
Last night, we slept on the full bed. Transitioning from the California king to a full bed wasn’t that bad but I will miss the luxury of sprawling out when I sleep. There is going to be a lot of spooning from here on out.
It is finally hitting me. I had dinner with my friend Judith last night and there were moments when I became very present that I will not see her for a long time. I am going to meet up with Carina and, hopefully, Tammy today to also say “good bye”. All this is making it much more real!
Sebastien has also been making comments about leaving his comforts. This has been a very comfortable house for us. Now that we are leaving tomorrow I am realizing how wonderful this puffin nest was for our first place together. Where we got engaged. When we return to San Diego we will live up in North County so this is also the end of my time in OB.
This is a picture from Guy’s house taken about a week or so ago. Guy, Megan, and Pepa had a gathering of sorts to celebrate our engagement and to say “bye”. I tried to find a picture of our puffin nest but it was not on the mini computer. Which is what I am operating on now that I sold my other computer. Lots of minimizing going on in our lives at the moment.
I am really going to try hard to post often. My guess is that it maybe hard since now Sebastien and I will be sharing this computer.
Posted on October 30, 2009
One Week till Take Off
Today is October 27, 2009. It is Carina Espinoza’s birthday and we tried to meet up to surf today but there were no waves and it was really windy! So, I returned home and started packing. There are boxes everywhere and everything is dirty and unorganized. The BigBox storage units are here and I am eager to begin our adventure.
We had a yard sale this past weekend. We really needed to sell the motorcycle and the California King bed and a ton of other stuff.  We did pretty good on the little stuff but didn’t sell the bike or the bed. I think that we are going to take the bed to Good Will. Here are some pictures of the festivities.
A few more days till we leave for Arizona to drop off my car. November 3rd we will be on our way to Brisbane, Australia.
Posted on October 17, 2009
Will You Marry Me?
On October 5th, Sebastien popped the big question! He had texted me earlier that day saying that he was craving sushi and wanted to go to our usual sushi place (Umi Sushi). This was not unusual so when I got home from work we went to have dinner.
When we returned from dinner I laid down on the couch and was playing with my iPod Touch. While I was doing my brain exercises Sebastien came up behind me and was petting my head. Again, not unusual.
But then he came and kinda sat down on the floor next to me and said, “I lied to you today. I wasn’t craving sushi I wanted to go celebrate.” He then proceed to get down on one knee and I really couldn’t tell you what he said next because I was waving my hands and giggling with excitement.  Of course I said, “YES!!!”.
Sebastien picked out the most perfect ring for me! It is a band style ring with three rows of diamonds laying flat. I love it! We had it sized the next day and now it will not come off when I surf!
The first person we called was my GiaGia (Greek for grandmother) and she was very excited! My mom and George were coming out on Friday for my birthday so we decided to wait till then to tell them. Sebastien had told his family a few days earlier and I emailed his mom (thank you google translate) about my excitement.
As of today we have 17 more days before we depart for our puffin trip which we are now calling our honeymoon (before we get married). We haven’t yet decided if we are going to get married while on our trip or here in San Diego. Everyone is very excited for us as are we!
Any wedding ideas, places, advise is appreciated!
Posted on October 8, 2009
Tammy’s Wedding in San Fran
We went up to San Francisco a couple of weekends ago (September 26th, 2009) to attend one of my dear friend Tammy’s wedding. Tammy is one of those individuals who you just want to do anything for! She is incredibly selfless, loving, patient, and a great friend! Seb and I flew up the day of the wedding and stayed at the Bayside Inn near the Wharf. We don’t recommend room #2! Room 7 was nice though.
Carina, Alberto and the lovely Amy picked us up from our hotel and we drove over the Golden Gate bridge to Saulsalitos. This is an adorable little town that you get to through several very winding roads. Tammy and Ralph were married in this BEAUTIFUL church! The whole church was made out of this dark wood. It had a very intimate feel to it! She looked beautiful and Ralph looked happy and very relaxed.
After the wedding we were shuttled to the reception which was at a restaurant right on the water facing San Francisco. It was a very beautiful setting. Carina, Amy, and I greeted guests at the reception and helped them to their seat. All the tables were labeled with San Diego beach names. The theme was beachy and yellow. Very simple, elegant and romantic!
Sebastien and I had a lot of fun! My favorite part was watching Sebastien catch the garter! You all know what that means!!! We loved being part of that day and look forward to hearing all about the honeymoon!!
The next day we were exhausted but we didn’t fly out till 6 pm. Of course we had to be out of the room around 12 and for some reason we couldn’t sleep in. The story of my life lately. So we got up, dealt with some bathroom/shower issues, and walked around San Francisco. However, we were so tired that we ended up heading to the public library and taking a nap. Yea… Just like the homeless people do.
Posted on September 3, 2009
$2,000 Worth of Shots For A Year Long Trip
Two more months!!! Yesterday, Sebastien and I visited the Travel Clinic for an expensive appointment in which we received a plethora of information about the diseases we could encounter while on our trip.  At some point Sebastien said that “maybe we won’t be traveling for that long” because the doctor kept recommending more stuff based on the length of the time we were going to spend in certain places. For example, if you are going to spend two or more weeks in India you should probably get an adult polio and menigococcal vaccination.
Sebastien ended up getting 6 shots and I got 4 shots. We both got polio, meningococcal, twinrix ( Hepatitis A and B), and typhoid. Sebastien also got TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) and a flu shot. I didn’t get those because I couldn’t handle two more shots and I had received a tetanus shot a while back. The most painful one was the shot for typhoid. It was the last one that they gave me and I could feel it go in. Both of us hurt today especially where they gave us the typhoid shot. Yuck! I know Merry Beth’s butt is tingling just reading this. I actually took two anti- anxiety pills before the shots and I think that they only helped me from not passing out.
We have to go and get two more shots for the twinrix. One in 7 days and another in 21 days. I also have to go and get the flu and I should probably get the TDAP. We hope that the H1 vaccine comes out before we leave so that we could get that as well. But the shots were not all that the doctor prescribed.. He also gave us ciprofloxacin (which is for crazy infections) and doxycycine (which is for malaria). All and all we both spent about $2,000. Yes. $2,000. So any donations to our cause is appreciated!
Posted on August 29, 2009
Fishing and Relaxation
After Chicago we drove 4 1/2 hours up to Michigan to visit my dad. Unfortunately, the weather was not very nice which provided us an opportunity to just relax. My dad and Randee made us really good breakfasts every morning and Lars, my sister, and Matt came up for the weekend. We went trolling for fish each evening and did a bonfire a few nights. It was nice to spend some time with my dad and have Sebastien meet him. Sebastien also rode a jet ski and threw a football for the first time. Unfortunately, the jet ski broke down the first solo ride Seb took. After 5 days there we were ready to start the trek home. Our last stop before heading back to San Diego was to spend a couple of days with my GiaGia (Greek for grandma) and another evening dinner at the Davis’s. Auntie made us steak and cheese cake… oh my was it delicious!
Lars and Seb
After 20 days in the Midwest and out of our routine we were anxious and excited to get back home. When I saw the Pacific a big smile came over my face. As soon as we landed we got a cab, took the motor cycle to check the surf, and then grab our boards and wash our energies in the Pacific. It was a wonderful trip and I look forward to more puffin adventures.
Updated on August 29, 2009
Chicago
After our Door County trip we drove to Champaign, Il to visit with my grandmother. We were able to stay very long but were able to say “hi” and wish her happy 90th birthday. The woman is amazing and still travels around the country singing in her chorus group, Sweet Adelines. After a short visit we drove to Chicago to have dinner at my friend Christina’s home. Hope, Sara, Bryan, Frosty, and Beth came and we had a delicious dinner! Thank you Christina! It is ALWAYS nice to see my Chicago girls and I only wish that I could spend more time with all of them. Hope was also gracious enough to let us crash in her super sweet basement suite! We felt like rock stars. Sebastien made a new friend with Bryan and next time I hope that we will be able to spend more time with them and that their husbands will be able to join us.
The following day we visited Skip and walked around downtown. It was one of the most beautiful days of our trip! Later that evening we had dinner in Greek Town with the Davis’s, Giagia, and Nouna. It was nice to visit with them and hear about their Key West adventure! Love you guys!!!
Posted on August 29, 2009
Door County, WI
Since we came to visit my family during my mom and step dad’s vacation time they ended up taking us on their Door County, WI vacation. George, my wonderful step dad, loves the place! We all stayed at the Egg Harbor Lodge which had an amazing view of Lake Michigan and really comfortable beds. George and my mom treated us to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners which were delicious. My step brother and his wife drove up for the weekend with their one year old adorable daughter, Abby.
On one of the days we attended a local specialty call a fish broil. Basically you throw fish into a huge pot of boiling water and boil them for 10 minutes. Then the guy throws oil onto the fire and it broils over. Sebastien said that the fish was delicious but it was to bony for me.
The highlight of the trip was when George rented a boat from Sister Bay. Oh what an adventure the puffins had that day! George didn’t feel very comfortable driving the boat, since he had never done so, in which case it was left up to Sebastien and I to operate the water vessel. Honestly the whole thing made me nervous because; 1. we had a baby on board, 2. the water was very choppy, 3. Sebastien had never driven a boat before, and 4. George wanted to show off and anchor near other boats….
For the most part it was a lot of fun and very entertaining. The funniest was watching George and Nick tube. They managed to stay on even though the water was really choppy. Good job boys!!!
A scary moment on the boat, which we laugh about now, is when George wanted to anchor for lunch and I decided to go where there were less boats. Unfortunately, the anchor didn’t seem to ground well and with the windy conditions causing us to drift into the shallow and rocky shore line. Luckily, Sebastien was smart enough to lift the motor out of the water as we struggled to get the motor started. Sebastien and I seemed to be the only ones stressed about the whole thing. In the end we managed to escape near death with only a few scratches (which were to the motor). All in all, I think Abby had the best time. She smiled and laughed the most!
It was a wonderful vacation and very nice to spend time with my family.  We defiantly appreciate the time we got to spend with everyone and all the love!