sail through life

This is what I wrote in my journal while we were out sailing:

The weather lets you know whether or not you sail. Waiting, being patient. Can't force it or change it. Just going with it.

Act when the time is right, put up the sails at the right time to take you in your desired direction.

You have some control, but not complete. Just like life.

More to come on this adventure.

Pick your wave and look cool

On the first real day of our tour, we stayed at Surf Camp. I wish I would've grabbed a few pics of where we stayed... because it's going to be hard to believe when I tell you about it. 4 people to a room, no carpet, barely any room to pass the other girls staying in my room, sliding doors that closed crooked, a bathroom with no shower curtain, and on top of all this, it was down pouring the entire time we were there and about 50 degrees out. I didn't mind, I wasn't there for spectacular accommodations, I was there to cross out a line on my buck list: Learn To Surf.

When I came to Australia, I expected every Aussie man to be super tan, have beach blonde hair, and be carrying a surf board where ever they went... I finally found those guys at surf camp! Our instructors were super laid back and partyed with us the night before lessons and made the whole experience heaps of fun!

The best surf is in the morning, so we were all up before the sun. At least I thought we were, its not like we would've saw it anyway with the how intensely it was raining! We got out to the beach and had a really quick lesson on how to paddle out, pop up, and look cool. Looking cool and howling like a wolf made up the majority of the lesson, technique was very secondary... I only noticed this when I was paddling out and thinking, "What the hell am I actually doing out here??!"

The waves were coming in so fast, one after the other, crashing into my face. They were so tough to fight! I was getting really worked up about not catching every good wave that came in. There were so many great ones to catch! We all had to take our turn, not just one person could catch every wave.

Same way in life: there is no way you can take advantage of every single opportunity that comes your way. Pick the ones that work best for you, big or small.

One instructor noticed how hard I was fighting the waves and offered to help out. He was like, "Don't get pissed like you are, just pick your wave, let it come to you, and RELAX! Don't tense up. You got this." After I put a smile on my face and worked with the ocean instead of against it, success found me! I popped up on the board a couple times, put my arms out, and looked cool, just like they told us to on the beach! I completely forget all the technique, and just went out there and did it, and it worked!!

Right now in my life, I am stressing out a lot about my future. I look over my transcript and think, "Who would ever hire this kid?" I worried about not having enough experience, or missing an opportunity. So many paths to take and am I doing everything right to ensure a strong future for myself and my future family? This is the stuff I loose sleep over. I fear that I won't have a purpose or make a difference when I grow up.

I don't know what waves are coming my way. I don't have total control over those waves either. I trust in God that he will put some stellar waves in my ocean and I need to have faith that he will guide me through the rough ones that crash in my face. I have to trust his will for me. Fighting the way God has laid out for us is like fighting the waves while surfing: totally unnecessary. God wants us to be happy and enjoy the life he has in store for us. It's a waste of spirit to fight it, just ride it!!

This experience taught me not to stress out about catching every wave. Pick your wave, fight for it, don't tense up, and ride it till the end... oh yes, and look cool doing it.

Love. My. Life.

Having an AMAZING time on this contiki tour!!! Hanging with some of the best people from all over the world, meeting super friendly locals, seeing wildlife and nature, learning new things!!

catching waves

Last night we stayed at Surf Camp in Coffs Harbor! It was so awesome! I am travelling with a Contiki tour group for the next 2 weeks and its EXCELLENT so far. All of us are in the same boat, up for meeting new people, trying new things, and have a ball doing it!!

It has been out of control raining here and was pouring down while we were surfing, but it made it AWESOME! The waves were really intimidating at first, but you just gotta jump over, pick your wave and ride it in. It was more exhusting than I expected, but I got up a couple times.

I am meeting some super great people out here, I <3 my life. I am so blessed. I only have 15 minutes of internet at this hostel we are in, so thats all I have time for now!!

crushed grapes.

The other day, Jess and I went on a mini wine tasting tour. Seriously, we live near everything out here. From beaches to dairy farms and rain forests to winerys.... Unbelievable.

As we were taking our time tasting, we got to know the tasting host at the last winery. She couldn't have been only a few years older than me. We found out that she spent some time in Oklahoma and Texas touring with a band as country singer. It had always been a dream of hers to be a country singer so she headed to Nashville. When she was there, she met people who had been waiting for up to 20 years for their 'big break' in the music industry. "I can't waste my life like that," she said.

There are many times in my life where I have fallen short of my goals. It's always tough to accept at first, like I'm not good enough or worth the time and energy of others. There's one person in my life that has always come up with the right things to say in times like these, my sister Rachel. Recently, she said to me, "Hey, this dream didn't come true. It just means now you can move on to the next one."

Really, we can't waste our lives looking back at goals we didn't achieve, such a waste of spirit. At least you had the guts to take a risk! Instead, channel that energy to discovering whats next in your life. Learn from the process you attempted to accomplish that goal, take the good, leave the bad, and adapt it to fit the next one.

Move, reflect, then move again.

trying out my sea legs

The Skipper (captain) of the Jervis Vessel #3 got on the intercom gave a run down of the morning... telling us about the area of Jervis Bay, what we might encounter today, tea and crumpets available on the main deck, come and chat with the marine biologist on board, what to do if you become sea sick. Did you know that you should look at the water when you feel sea sick? Doesn't that sound ironic? They say the worst thing you can do is to close your eyes or put your head between your down. Its best to look out to the water or focus on land. I don't know why I got into such detail on that, I didn't even get close to being sea sick.

It was my first time at sea, and it was literally breath taking. Its not like we were on a speed boat, but looking out on the vastness of the ocean and taking in the fresh, cool air was incredible.

Skipper said he saw the spring of a blow hole and so we set sail in that direction. I must have missed the part where he said, "Please do not stand or jump up on the rails." When I saw the first whale, I was like a kid on a leash at the state fair! I was hardly able to control myself! I jumped on the first rung of the rails, leaning over the edge as if I was going to jump in there with them. We stayed along side a family of 3 humpback whales for about an hour as they surfaced and flapped their tails, it was like they knew we were watching.

After all this excitement, I went down to the where Skipper and the marine biologist were stationed, I think it was called the Bridge. Marine Biologist Scott was like a walking encyclopedia when it came to marine wildlife and their migration habits. He shared with me that the male whale we spotted had some usual markings on him. To an inexperienced whale watcher as myself, the markings were simple black stripes on his under side. Scott identified them as scars from a scuffle this whale got into with some boat's motor blades. He reckons that he got good enough photos that he may be able to match them up with other pictures taken up the coast to track this whales migration.

The most interesting thing I learned from Scott is that a whale's tail fin is like a human finger print. Each one is unique to each whale and can also be used for identification as part of the research he was conducting.

When we were pulling back into the bay, we spotted some dolphins close to the harbor. It was a great capper to a great day.

no sign that says you can't!

I finally figured out what all this rain is good for... WATERFALLS!!

I think my adventurous nature is rubbing off on Jess because when I woke up on Wednesday morning and she was like, "Grab your coat! We're going to Fizroy Falls!" Too right then!

The hike took us around a valley where the falls were cascading into. I think hiking is going to become one of my new hobbies, just loved it. Going at your own pace, being your own guide, no one to tell you, "Hey, don't jump over that fence!" or "No, you can't climb those rocks! It's dangerous!"

This waterfall look out area is the Grotto. There was a fallen tree blocking my path, huge rocks jutting out the sides of the cliffs, and uneven steps to watch out for. Down the way, I was singing to myself that song from Sesame Street, 'Can't go through it, can't go around it, let's go over it!'

It was the shortest waterfall of but the most fun! I jumped the railing because there was no sign that said you can't, and went all the way around the fall and climbed all over the rocks in front of it, so awesome!!

Think about water here for a minute. Something we know about it is that is flows down the path of least resistance. Pretty easy concept. It

flows from its source and on down to wherever the rest of the water collecting. It's a simple life for a raindrop.

Some people go through life like a raindrop falls to earth and flows down a waterfall. They do enough to get by, stay under the radar, do what others expect of them... Yeah, this will get you through life, how fulfilling is it? I like having the approval of others, I am definitely one of those people. But sometimes it gets to a point where it just isn't doing it for me and working to please everyone else but myself is exhausting. On top of that, a total waste of spirit worrying about what people think. It's tough to advocate for yourself, but if you don't do it, who will? Stand up, choose your direction, and hold steady. Stay true to your heart. There's never been a time when my gut instinct has let me down.

It's easy to sit in the passenger's seat of life like a rain drop just rides down the river. It takes courage to take control, be the driver of your life, and sometimes choosing a way of more resistance because it's true to who you are and what you stand for.

Get out there, make your own path, live your own life! There's no sign that says you can't!