Meet the Ferrets.

Cute. Squirrely. Curious. Full of Surprises. Abby. Allison. Ferrets.

Abby: age 9. She's very competitive and is a killer gymnast. I swear every time she hugs me I have slight internal bleeding. In all seriousness, she is a very sweet girl who has a knack for WINNING. She cleaned house at county fair bringing home 3 purple ribbons and 2 trophies.

Allison: age 6. This girl is a big talker... I mean she talks A LOT. I love it though! She appreciates good fashion and freezey pops. She has a wild imagination. I see her making an excellent addition to a high school speech team in the impromptu and a perfect fit as a sorority girl in college.

Back to the Drawing Board

I can't believe it took me a trip across the world to realize it! It all makes sense now: my excitement for the outdoors, the high I get after a good run, how in-the-moment I get when I see something beautiful in nature and feel like a camera would get in the way, the thrill I get when I see an animal in the wild or looking up and seeing the sun's rays breaking through the clouds in the distance... I love hiking! A week into my trip, Jess took me out to one of her favorite places in Berry: Tables and Chairs. AKA - Drawing Room Rocks.

As your walking on this trail, you think to yourself, 'Who found this? How do you blaze a trail up this mountain?' The bush is incredibly thick on the way up this mountain! And the trail is constantly changing. First, its your typical dirt trail, then it gets quite rocky, then watch out for those tree roots jutting out of the ground, cross a mini Grand Canyon, splash through puddles, duck under and squeeze through the thickest bush, and you're almost to the top! The trail levels off, and you look out and see that it was all worth it.

At the top is this natural rock formation. You can see how the bigger, flat topped rocks look like tables, and smaller one surrounding them are like chairs. From here we could see out all the way to the ocean.

You could see for miles! Jess and Brad pointed out the surrounding towns:

Berry, Nowra, Kiama, Gerroa, Gerringong and ocean landmarks: Jervis Bay, and 7 mile beach... incredible.

Looking down onto this landscape reminded me that the world is so much bigger than me. Sounds like an easy concept, but often times, each of us get so wrapped up in our own reality. Everyone walking around down there is living with their own set of values, perceptions of the world and the people around them, fighting individual internal battles, or attempting to manage the external world around them. There are times when I get so tangled in my own thoughts and issues that when in the whole scheme of things is so insignificant. I reckon climbing this mountain and seeing how big the world is, just this small part even, was a way for me escape that fog. I spend way too much time worried about what other people think.

Thinking of this led me to think, 'OK then how many people out there truly care about my well being?' I mean REALLY care about the decisions I make and where my life ends up. Not too many. My family (that's all I really got), a handful of friends (I make friends quickly, and usually lose touch with them in the same manner. Easy come, easy go.), and a few mentors. Too often, I have made decisions or done things to earn a person's approval. It's one thing to care about what people think and another to worry about what people think.

When I worry about what people think, I don't actually know what they are thinking. I am only speculating and that small snowball sized thought quickly turns in massive boulder thundering around in my head. In the end, its a heap of wasted emotional energy.

Caring about what a person thinks more productive. We all care about our reputation, so take care of it! That's different than worrying about what people think. It's those people I mentioned before whose approval I really care about. Their opinion matters to me because they know who I am and the person I am striving to be. All those other people out there, are just there. Living in their own realities with their own problems.

This trip has sent me back to the drawing board. I thought going across the world would help me get past the toughest year of my life. It has definitely helped, but I don't believe it was totally necessary. Just like the bushwalk path, there are parts of life that are more challenging to pass through than others. Your abilities or bushwalking experience doesn't matter with your in the thick of it, its the choices you make that make you who you are and get you through.

We all live in our own realities and deal with things differently. Embrace your way, respect and seek to understand others way, do more caring, and less worrying. Put your spirit toward things that matter to YOU.

Crazy Contiki Tour

Before I left for Australia, heaps of people asked me, 'What are you going to do when you get out there?' My answer to them was usually, 'What ever I want! I'll figure that out when I get there.' It's awesome how the best things in life come from things that are unplanned, spontaneous, spur of the moment, or all of the above! You know that feeling in your gut that what you are doing is so right, but your head is saying, 'What the hell are you doing?' or 'What's next after this?' Then all the excitement drowns out those terrible rational thoughts that could potentially wreck your in-the-moment great time and the gut takes over and screams, 'Just go with it!'

There are a handful of things in my life that I can look back on and say, "Wow, that was one of the best things I have ever done." This Contiki bus tour up the coast from Sydney to Cairns fits quite well in that category! I didn't look into it much, just booked it when I got out here because it felt right.

Take a look at this map: Sydney to Cairns is a long way! Here is a briefing of our itinerary.

Day 1: Sydney to Coffs Harbor -->OperaHouse, Harbor Bridge

Day 2: Coffs Harbor to Byron Bay

--> Surf Camp in the morning and Cheeky Monkeys that night.

Day 3: Byron Bay to Surfers Paradise

--> Hearing stories about what I did the night before, Australia's most easterly point, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (check fb).

Day 4: Surfers Paradise

--> First time sea kayaking and snorkeling! Fish feeding, bush walking, and wallaby spotting.

Day 5: Surfers Paradise to Noosa

--> Explored Brisbane by morning, Noosa Surf Club by night. Well, we started in the afternoon which made for an interesting night...

Day 6: Noosa to Fraser Island

--> The world's largest sand island! Took a 4WD tour around the island and the coast was referred to as there highway!

Day 7: Fraser Island to Farmstay

--> Little different than home: Brahma cattle and a fierce whip cracking demo!

Day 8: Farmstay to Whitsundays

--> Crossed the Tropic of Cancer.... thats about it. Big driving day.

Day 9-10: Whitsundays

--> 2 day sail around the islands! Snorkeling, living in a postcard at White Haven Beach, and good ol' fashion sailing!

Day 11: Whitsundays to Cairns

--> Returned from the sail to Day Dream Island where we were welcomed with beautiful shell necklaces. This place totally lived up to its name.

Day 11-13: Cairns

--> Party Capital of Australia! and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef! Sweet snorkeling and just a ferry ride away from tropical Fizroy Island.

Besides all the amazing adventures and sights, the people on the trip is really what made the experience unforgettable. Its so interesting meeting people from different countries and

cultures. The things we value, the things we take for granted, the family we grew up in, and lifestyle we come from all play into who we are, how we react to events, and the way we treat those around us. Learning about these people as well as allowing them into my life was just as challenging as it was rewarding. It was a difficult balance at first knowing that these people will probably only be in my life for the next 14 days. Should I let them in to who I really am? What if I get attached? I figured out in the end, its all worth it. Working through getting to know someone new, letting them into your life, and being honest is 100% worth the heartbreak of saying goodbye and missing them. But hey, this goodbye makes for a sooner hello.

can't escape what you love

It's funny how the things that you love always find their way back into your life... its like when really great friends show up time and time again in your life. I only spent 2 months in Australia, I still can't escape what I love... fitting and showing dairy cattle!

Last week, I was just outside of Cairns getting cattle ready for the Malanda Show! It was just like county fair back in the states complete with rides, camping, dairy and beef cattle, horses, chooks, and late nights with friends!

Before the fair, I mean show, began Jess, Roxann, and I clipped a total of 44 cattle in 5 days on 2 farms! It was just like old times of the Stearns County Fair!

First stop: Eachemvale Illawarras. We stayed with the English Family, owners and operators of the 120 cow dairy. I felt right at home with them... I pretty much was! With 7 kids all within 7 years of each other and plenty of shenanigans, we fit right in!

Right when we walked in, mum was rescuing the fish from the soapy depths of their contaminated tank because the youngest, Frances, thought they needed a bubble bath! Aside from all the funny pranks by the rugrats, the English Family was so good to us during our stay with warm, homemade supper every night and coffee and biscuits all hours of the day. By the time we said good bye, I had an array of nicknames: Porky, Brownie, Sister Bella, Miley Cyrus (apparently I look like her??) I loved staying with the English's.

Next stop: Barron Bella Holsteins.

We clipped 7 cows and 2 heifers for the Cuda Family and worked with them through the show. Its so much fun to work with great cattle! They took home heaps of hardware including Intermediate Champion, Best Udder of the Show (Same 2 year old by Bolton), Senior Champion and 1st and 2nd place in every class!

To the right are Morgan and Murphy, grandsons and nephews of the owners of Cuda Dairy. First class of the day was paraders, like showmanship. They set the pace for a great day!

Showing cattle in Australia is incredibly similar to the way we do it in the states all the way from prep to finish. The best similarity was how its an event where family gathers. The people in the dairy industry here are a lot like they are at home: friendly, hardworking, always up for a good time or helping out a mate, never let you live it down when you do something stupid, but they only give you a hard time because they like you.

This experience really solidified for me how much I want to be apart and make a difference in the dairy industry when I grow up. Shouldn't be too tough, you can't escape what you love, right?