So Who Wants to Know What I've Been Up Too?

So this is an insane and cool predicament I’m in… well sort of. I mean It’s been over a year since I last posted. But this post is also a cause for celebration! It’s my 300^th post. Like holy fucking shit! Seven years and 300 posts!

I wish I had posted more. I mean I never even caught you guys up on the rest of my trip! Shit so much has happened and I’ve neglected you all immensely. Well not that many have been paying attention anyway. But this is still like my therapy, it’s a place to let shit out and relax and just say whatever and not be judged. It’s a platform that I feel like I can inspire people and just tell my store. I like telling stories. And I like telling my story.

Telling your own story is something you rarely get to do because everyone that you know has seen your story evolve and watched you become the person that you are. And here… here almost no one knows me. No one knows what shit I’ve been through in the last year. No one knows how depressed I’ve been. No one will judge me on the fact that I’m now gearing up for a trip to Europe where I will be totally selfish.

I’m going to Europe because I feel so trapped and suffocated in my life. I had a boyfriend for the last year and I can honestly say it wasn’t a relationship that benefited me. I learned a lot from it but I’m ready to move on. I’m ready for a new adventure and that’s what I’m off to next month. It’s been over a year now since I’ve had a huge European adventure.

Speaking of European adventures… After Oslo I went to London

Because everyone knows I can’t resist London…

I also can’t resist Trafalgar Square and it’s for an other post but I decided to show my love for Trafalgar in 50 pictures of the square. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon.

I went to Dover to finally see the White Cliffs that I have wanted to see for years!!

And I went to Worcester…

And got a Tattoo!

Then I went to Spain to visit Ana..

And I went back to the Lighthouse that I’d been at four years before and I couldn’t help but reflect even then how much my life had changed…

And then of course I had to go to Barcelona to visit Lenka!

I took a mini Gaudi tour of the city… but that’s another post as well I suppose.

And after Barcelona I went to Paris…

I’d met an amazing French girl while I was in London. We were both staying at the same hostel and she liked my blue hair. So we started chatting and I ended up staying on her couch while in Paris. I met up with Damien’s Sister and we went clubbing. And I lost my wallet. But then I got it back.

And Paris grew a little tiny fond spot in my heart….

After Paris I flew to Ireland. One of the families that I nanny for in the states moved there for 6 months for the dad’s job. So I went to see them.  And we had a fucking blast!

I got to see Cobh again…

They stayed in Kinsale and the town is so pretty…

And I got to see Cork.

It was an amazing trip and it was lovely and I didn’t want it to end. But well shit from home just started weighing me down. Things were really going to shit with the house and all that. And I was still worked up about my dog Charles.

He ended up getting pretty sick and on October 30^th we put him down. It was really hard and upsetting for me because he was my dog more then anyone else’s. So that was really really hard. But then so much changed so fast.

My dad and older brother moved to Mount Holly. Christmas sucked, I spent the morning with at the time boyfriend. Then I put together furniture at my dad’s house and had dinner with my brother’s girlfriend’s family. It was nice but…

Christmas had always been my favourite holiday. It had always been an amazing kind of day and all about family and food and I knew it had to end sooner or later because us kids would all find significant other’s but I still didn’t want it to end and to actually have what I considered an “adult” Christmas sucked.

But I got over it. New years came and went. And the rest of the year really just molded together in a blur of shit and work and drama. 

But in the less shit bit of it all I went to Denver with Jameson, who I was dating at the time. It was a fun trip. So I saw Denver...

And Rocky Mountain National Park.

I went to Canada for the first time and saw Niagara Falls! 

And I went to visit my mum in Texas. That was a bright spot in it all

And my best friend Sheridan came out from Nebraska and we had a grand adventure and saw Boston!

But those mini trips weren't enough to stave off the suffocation of routine. Then just a few weeks ago I decided enough was enough. I needed to clean my life up. I’d been in a constant depressed mood and I was tired of it. So I broke up with my boyfriend and really started to do more of what made me happy.

Since I’ve moved in with a friend. After losing the High Bridge house I moved in with my little brother for ages but then he got engaged and I wanted them to have the house so I moved in with a friend. I’ll be couchsurfing for a few weeks soon because I feel like it. I’ve had more time for myself and to do what I like…

I started writing a new book! And I got a third job. But it’s a fun job. So I nanny for two families on Mondays. Tuesday through Saturday I’m at the shop. And Friday through Sunday night I work at a haunted hayride.

And holy shit I realized since I haven’t blogged you all aren’t aware that I’ve had a “real” job sinc e I got home from Europe!!!! My little brother Hunter works as a mechanic. And two days before I’m home he messages me and asks if I want to be the Service Writer (aka glorified secretary). And I was like yes totally. So he was like okay come in for an interview Monday. I got Saturday night. So I was in for the interview Monday and I started Wednesday. And I’ve been working there ever since!

It was good money and I saved up and paid lots of bills and all that good stuff. I finished writing my young adult vampire novel while at work. So really it was perfect because I didn’t have a lot of work to do so I could write and read. And now it’s just annoying to work there. All the drama is killing me so Tuesday was my birthday!! I’m 26 yay!! And I also quite my job. I gave my boss my one month notice!

I figured I had to do it soon because I take off on November 14^th! So he knows I’m not coming back and it was good to finally let everyone know what the fuck I was doing. Because I’d bought those tickets over a month ago!

So there you are essentially caught up on my life without all the boring whining! And I couldn’t be happier with how it’s all fallen into place. I leave for Copenhagen on the 14^th. Why Copenhagen? Well I’ve never been and the plane ticket from JSK to COP was only $172!!! Yes one hundred and seventy two dollars on Norwegian air! From Copenhagen I fly to Rome and Rome to Prague for Thanksgiving with Lenka! And then I’m looking for a Hostel job in prague so I can chill there for a while. Otherwise I might go be an au pair in Milan… So we shall see! For now I’m leaving the door open to adventure and I’m sure it will all turn out just grand!

Cheers,

12 Flights 7 Weeks: London Round 2

By now if you don’t know that I love London then just know now that London posts are always a mass of fangirling! Because London will always have a very fond place in my heart!

I got into London Victoria in the early evening and I didn’t do too much other then check into my hostel and walk over to Trafalgar Square because honestly I couldn’t be in London without being to my favourite place!! But other then that I didn’t see much because I wanted to go to sleep early as I wanted an early start. I had big plans of walking the whole city the next day!

And that’s just what I did.

I started the day at the Imperial War Museum. And I must say it was a really cool place. My favourite part was the World War 2 section. But I learned a lot about the First World War as well. And to me it was even more interesting to see it all from the British perspective because I obviously grew up the American version of the conflicts. So it was doubly educational to me.

I walked along the embankment to Saint Paul’s on my way to the monument! 

And I saw the Globe!

I’d wanted to do something really cool so I climbed the monument! All 311 steps!

And it was a lovely view to be honest. Not the widest view as the monument is only    tall. It’s not the Shard after all. But I’d never been anywhere high up in London. So it was fun to get pretty pictures from a new perspective.

I wandered over to the Tower of London for the first time ever. The Poppy Instillation commemorating the First World War was up and it looked stunning! There were a whole lot of people there though.

Then I decided why not head up to Kings Cross. I hadn’t seen Platform 9 and ¾ since my visit in 2011. So I started the hike up there… saw an original Banksy on the way

And got rained on.

But I still made it and Geronimo got a photo opp with Hedwig. 

More on this cutie later though. He’ll get his own post at the end of all of this.

And since I was in the same general area I headed over to see North Gower Street.

I had a fangirl moment. And seriously contemplated moving because yes that is a To Let sign! But I hustled myself along because it was still raining!

I wandered back to my hostel to pick up my pack. I was headed to the airport!! I was staying over night in Stansted because I had an early flight and I hate getting up at 2am to catch a 6am flight. Plus I love sleeping in airports! And I was ever so stoked about my next leg of travel! After all 15 days in Morocco seemed like an awfully grand adventure and I was ready to get started!

Cheers,