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What's Next

Planning for our next big adventure...
If anyone has any travel suggestions for Australia or New Zealand please let me know. Where to go, see, do... On a budget.  We are trying to plan for a trip of epic proportions.  Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and Nepal.  I love travelling, but I'm hopeless at the planning, price checking, deal hunting aspect of it all. Any tips would be much appreciated.  Please and thank you!

The Fair

Since living in Arizona, I had yet to go to the fair, county or state.  This year was the year.  Even though the rides paled in comparison to Six Flags Great America where I grew up going every summer, it still gave me a sense of nostalgia and feeling like a kid again.  We weren't much fair goers, but there is something to be said about any kind of ride.  The butterflies in your stomache as you anticipate what it might feel like to be whipped around from those great heights.  The adrenaline when you step up to that contraption and put your life in it's hands.  One ride broke down as we were about to go on. After a two hour wait, we were not going to leave and they did get it fixed.  We are alive to tell the tale. 

Overall, it was a good time.  The Indian frybread helped.

After the fair experience, we thought why not take it to the next level.  We were in California for the weekend and were going back and forth between a hike and going to Six Flags Magic Mountain.  It took all of us indecisive girls about a week to actually come to a decision.  Magic Mountain it was.  Now in hindsight, why did we even have to think about it?  We hit pretty much every major rollercoaster and the lines were minimal.  Thank goodness!  Although, every ride seemed a little bit faster and more intense than I remembered.  Nothing I couldn't handle, but I think I'm getting old. 

Great!

Beach Day

Any day that involves the beach is a good day. 

And then end the day with a Sprinkle's cupcake for the drive home!

Brunch With The Black Keys

A number of celebrity's attend Coachella every year, so we were always on the look out for someone who looked familiar.  In a sea of Raybans and sunhats, it would've been very hard to spot anyone and we didn't.  But we did have brunch with the drummer of the Black Keys.  Okay, technically we didn't eat at the same table, but we did eat at the same restaurant.  We waited for a couple hours to go to Cheeky's, because Yelp said we had to.  It was worth the wait, just for the Acai Spinach Smoothie alone.  

Drummer's have to wait along with the rest of us.  No special treatment there.  This picture was taken right before they started drooling over our food through the window!  Yup, that's right.

We Came, We Saw, We Coachella'd

Let's talk of happier things, shall we?  I think I'm finally coming out of my slump, which I spoke of yesterday.  We won't speak of this again for a very long time, I hope.  Sometimes all you need is a little weekend away to get the juices flowing and to feel recharged for the coming months. 

Just a little weekend away, but what a weekend it was!  Coachella!  My first real music festival.  There were a number of those "am I really here?" moments.  The Black Keys, Florence and The Machine, Feist, and Gotye were some of my favorites. There were so many great shows it's hard to even name them all here.  There is something about live music.  The feeling of comraderie you get with your fellow concert goers, even when squished up against each other in over 100 degree weather.  It's just a crazy feeling to be with thousands of people and all enjoying the music, singing along, bobbing your head, jumping for joy.  To be completely and utterly lost in music is a high that can't be beat by most.  I want to go back.  Right now if I could.  There's always next year. And now for a picture overload!

Thoughts on giving up, getting bored, or what have you

                           

And so it goes.  The growing tired, getting bored, or giving up.  Most recently, the guitar that has been sitting in the corner of my room, beside the unplayed violin.  The empty sketchbook.  The notebooks with two pages full of ideas along with nonsensical musings and the rest untouched, blank white paper.  There are many found crammed onto old bookshelves or stuffed into dresser drawers.

Now this blog.  What would you call it?  If dead air is to radio, then dead space is to this blog.  The nonexistence of it.  Quiet.  No words or voice.  Life somehow got in the way.  Or I let it get in the way, which is the more likely conclusion.

My life has felt like one unfinished project.  A friend brought out this bitter truth to me the other day.  She said how I always start something, whether it be as simple as a new game on my phone or more involved like this blog.  The point is, I start it and then as fast as I had started move onto the next thing.  Just drop it cold turkey; quit mid game.

I don't know if this is a horrible fault or makes me interesting.  Always wanting to learn, experience, try, taste, explore.  Never being satisfied with the now and looking for the next.  On the other hand, never devoting myself to one creative outlet in order to get really genuinely brilliant at it.

Except writing.  I wouldn't call myself brilliant.  It's that thing you hold on to that makes you feel like home even if you are miles away from anything familiar.  That is writing to me.

And travel.  It makes my heart hurt with just the thought of it.  It's a burning desire that can't be squelched, no matter how hard I try.  I don't try too hard.

Writing and travel is coming back.  And so am I.  And maybe I'll pick up that guitar. And this blog...