Impatience at its finest, obsession at its best.
I’ve decided to try doing Classy in Philadelphia’s feature, Where In The World Wednesday!
Most of my recent travels are from while I was in Australia, so this week’s photo is of me ziplining in the jungle by Cape Tribulation:
Upside down! I am such a daredevil.
We had such a great time that morning! It was a short but steep hike up to the beginning point, and then we were all hooked up to cords at the first platform. One of the instructors seriously just shimmied up the rope to the first platform on her own, everyone else had to be hauled up!
The views from up in the rainforest are so beautiful, here’s a photo taken of one of the platforms:
I was a little scared this high up...but the view was beautiful!!
I am finally an all-Apple girl! I already have an iPhone and a Nano, but after much begging/oratory prowess my parents agreed to buy me this beauty for Christmas/Graduation (I’m also paying for a portion):
13-inch Macbook Pro. It's love.
I’ve only had it for a little over a week, but I already love it. I’ve used Macs before at internships, so it wasn’t too difficult to transition from Dell, but I’m definitely still learning. I love all the touch-pad movements and the backlit keyboard, and the screen is just amazing. I also got the data transfer package, so all my music and documents are filed away where the should be.
I think my favorite application is definitely Stickies. Whenever I’m browsing online or reading blogs there’s always things I want to bookmark or write down to research later and little lists I want to make. I already have little stickies for things I need to buy, return dates of my favorite TV shows (Big Bang Theory! Bones! Modern Family! And more ashamedly, Biggest Loser! The Bachelor!) and a list of possible restaurants to go to when my parents bring me back to Boston this weekend (Got any favorites Bostonians?)
I would probably shoot myself in the foot before I would buy another Dell- in the 3+ years I had it, it refused to connect to the wireless internet in my parents house. My apartment, yes. BU campus, yes. Never my house. I am not a patient person, and this drove me INSANE every time I came home for break. Moral of the story- Apple=happiness.
Also, I won’t lie, I feel like one of the cool kids now. Hehe.
I read a lot of blogs, most I never comment on or link to, but I read them faithfully. One blogger whose posts I always look forward to reading is Brandy. I know not many people read this blog, but I’ve copy/pasted a message from her below, in hopes that someone will read it and pass on the message.
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My name is brandy. And I have a blog.
And a plea.
I use my blog to showcase the crazy I meet everyday, share the stories of the kids I teach and document my love for tequila, dairy products and the abdominal muscles of Ryan Reynolds. Rarely do I talk about personal issues on my blog- as personal as the dude that I adore (who I actually met through my blog- single ladies, let that be a very good reason to blog, the possibility of meeting someone as wonderful as my man), but I need your help. And it involves my dude.
He’s a guy who made math comics for my class, so they would love learning about addition. He’s the kinda guy who sends my friends gift cards when they are having hard times, who remembers every story I ever told him, who was the first person I celebrated with when I got a teaching job. He’s the guy who sent flowers to me at school- dozens of my favourite pink roses just because he loves me. He’s a guy who has spent a year patiently explaining (and re-explaining) everything there is to know about football during the important games when silence is preferred. He’s made me word puzzles and comics and stayed up late playing Scrabble with me (even though I beat him almost every time). He’s listened to me cry about school and family and jobs. He is everything I never knew I needed and everything I always knew I wanted.
The holidays have hit us hard. He’s recently been told he may have something called multiple myeloma- an incurable cancer, that gives a person an average of five years of continued life. Though this news has came as a shock, he continues to be exactly who has always been- spending his time worrying about me, rather than worrying about himself. He’s the most selfless individual I know- (he stayed late on Christmas Eve to work, so his co-workers could leave early) and a post like this would never be something that he would promote or encourage but when I’m overwhelmed and feeling helpless, the blogging community has always given me tremendous support and comfort, two things I desperately need at this time.
As I write this, the future is uncertain and we aren’t sure what’s happening. He’ll need to see an oncologist soon, to verify what’s going on in his body. My hope is that everyone who reads this think positive thoughts and if you are a person who prays, could you add him to your list? (You can refer to him as ‘brandy’s hot awesome dude’). If you don’t pray, please keep him in your heart.This cancer is only a possibility and I believe that the prayers and positive thoughts of people can make sure it never becomes a reality.
I want to give a big thank you to the blog owner who scraped their original blog plans and graciously put this up. My goal is to get as many people as possible to see and read this post. If you are reading this and want to help, copy and paste my plea into your blog or send a link through twitter, so more people can keep him in their thoughts. I would be so very grateful (even more grateful than I am to my friend who first showed me the picture of Ryan Reynolds on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. If you haven’t seen it, google it. You. Are. Welcome).
I realize this all sounds dramatic, a Lifetime movie in the making- but this is life. Right now. And I’m throwing away any hint of ego and am humbly asking for you to pray or think kind thoughts. If you are able to pass this on, thank you and if you know anything regarding MM- please email me (my email is on my blog). This isn’t a call for sympathy or a plea for pity. It’s just one girl hoping you can think positive thoughts for the person she adores. If my current heartache provides you with anything, let it be with the reminder that life is short, love is unbending and no one knows what could happen next. Maybe it is silly, but I really do believe that positive thoughts can make a huge difference. Thank you for reading this and if you haven’t already? Please tell someone you love them today.
I did.
Yet again I have abandoned my blog. In my defense I was busy finishing up my internship and classes in Australia, and then too lazy when I finally got home to do anything but watch TV and read mystery novels. But I think I’m back. Maybe? Kinda sorta. We’ll see.
My favorite movies of all time are without a doubt The Sound of Music and Meet Me In St. Louis (Grease is a close but not that close third).
I’m obsessed. I know all the songs from both films (not surprising since I own the soundtracks), have read the behind the scenes book about The Sound Of Music written by Charmian Carr (aka Liesl in the movie) and watch both movies multiple times throughout the year. They are my go to movies for any mood.
With that said, every time I watch either of the movies, I wish I had the following in my closet:
The first is Judy Garland & Lucille Bremer’s dressing gowns from the opening sequence in Meet Me In St. Louis. If I had something this pretty to wear after I showered, I would never wear real clothes.
P.S. Judy Garland is flawless in this movie; I prefer to remember her like this.
P.P.S. I couldn’t find great pictures but you get the idea.
Lucille Bremer & Judy Garland
Same idea but in color
Next up is Liesl’s dress from the “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” scene in Sound of Music. Again, it’s kind of hard to see, but if you’ve ever seen the movie you’ll know the dress.
It’s so pretty…
Considering there is a good chance I cannot purchase either of these outfits at my local mall, if anyone wants to make them for me? That would be great.
Blog soon,
Lauren
Don’t get me wrong, I love Australia, but wow do I miss Boston and America in general. Australia has loads of things to do, eat and see but nothing can replace the comforts of home. There are a slew of reasons why I’m excited to get home (which is both Boston and Syracuse, NY), but here are just a few.
1.Fall! I have always lived in a state that had every season, and fall is my absolute favorite, especially since my birthday is at the end of October. But even if my birthday fell at a different time of year, I would still love the cold, clean, crisp feel of the air in fall and the changing of the leaves on the trees and all other things fall.
2. This goes along with fall, but apple picking is one of my favorite things to do and I completely missed it this year. I love going to the orchard, picking the apples and wiping them on my shirt then eating them right then and there. I love taking a peek into the cider room and buying a gallon to take home even though you can buy it at the grocery store. I love inhaling a freshly baked apple cider donut and then still buying a caramel apple to take home (If you want to have a hand at making donuts yourself, I found an awesome recipe for apple cider donuts by Deb from Smitten Kitchen). I complained nonstop for weeks about not getting to go apple picking so I WILL be going next year, I don’t care where I am, I will get to an orchard.
3. Breaking out the winter wardrobe. Probably about 75% of my clothes are fall/winter wear, which makes sense, because winter lasts from approximately November-April in Central New York and Massachusetts. Normally I moan and groan about winter just a few weeks in, but there is something exciting about breaking out my boots and coats and scarves and getting all cozied up to go outside in the snow and the wind. Yesterday I had a marathon browse of Piperlime and J.Crew and I am lusting after the following:
Lark Wool Jacket from French Connection
Paige Tall Riding Boot by Frye
Cashmere Lined Gloves in Warm Burgundy from J. Crew
I also broke down and used birthday money to purchase a bag I’ve been lusting after for months, the Linea Pelle Dylan Zip Tote. I got it in the Dark Olive color from an Ebay “Top-Rated Seller” (which basically means they are trustworthy) for a seriously killer discount. I never would have bought this bag full price, I just got lucky that the sale was ending and the bids were still low. Go me! I am just imagining the coat with the boots and gloves and bag all together, sigh. Too bad the others will never be mine unless I find some seriously good post-Christmas sales or save my pennies when I start my new internship in January. Here is the bag:
It is fabulous, no?
4. All things pumpkin/cinnamon/spiced. For the love of gingerbread, do I love fall comfort food. Pumpkin and peppermint lattes, pumpkin bread and snickerdoodles, the list is massive. Every year my mom’s friend makes this DELECTABLE pumpkin roll that is basically like pumpkin bread slathered in cream cheese frosting and rolled up into a log, which is then cut into slices. Words cannot describe. I will be quite sore with my family if I get home and this roll has been consumed without my help. And when I get back, I absolutely plan on making these: pumpkin whoopie pies.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Website
5. Thanksgiving. Favorite holiday. I have a pretty good sized family, and this is the first year since starting college that I will not get to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my dad’s side of the family. What is even more depressing is that it’s actually at my house this year and I haven’t been in Syracuse for Thanksgiving in 4 years now. Luckily BU is stepping in to try to give us Australia kids a good holiday meal, but I’ve already got a recipe lined up for next year, if I’m allowed to contribute a dish to the feast my mom and aunts put on. Personally, I do like turkey, but Thanksgiving is all about the sides- stuffing, mashed and sweet potatoes, corn, peas, cranberry sauce, rolls, the lot. What’s your main event? The turkey or the sides?
6. This is the first item not having to do with fall, but it’s definitely the most important. I miss my family. I know I am in college and I am used to being away for months at a time, but it’s really hard to have to plan to call home in advance. With the crazy 16 hour time difference and our schedules, I only get to talk to my family every few days, and I really miss being able to just pick up the phone and call my mom or call my dad while he’s at work (sorry Dad, I know I don’t do this often enough even when I am home) or text my sister. When I’m in Boston, I know that home is a bus ride away, but here going home for the weekend is not even an option. I’m loving my semester here; I’ve done more traveling and had more amazing experiences than I ever thought I could, but nothing replaces home. There’s a good chance we’ll be at each other within a week of my being home, but the good thing about family is you know they are always going to be there when you need them.
Typical picture of my sister and I. I think this one is circa summer 2006 or 2007 up at Fourth Lake in the Adirondacks.
Blog soon,
Lauren
This past weekend I went on a class trip to the Hunter Wine Valley, located about 2 hours northwest of Sydney (I think). We left on Sunday morning, and it was not looking like it was going to be a nice day. By the time we reached our first stop, Tyrell’s Winery, the rain had decided to come out and play. We all darted inside to start our first tastings, and I was immediately overwhelmed as we tried wine after wine after wine- 9 in total I believe. If this is what the weekend was going to be like, I was not going to protest.
After Tyrell’s we headed over to get some lunch at the Hunter Valley Gardens, which we discovered (the next day) is a lot prettier and more pleasant to walk around when it is not pouring rain and mud is not oozing into your sandals. After lunch was winery #2, Drayton’s. Earlier in the semester we watched a DVD about how their winery had been devastated by an explosion that blew up a building and took away one of the Drayton brothers, as well as severely injured their winemaker Will. Despite what happened just a year ago, Drayton’s is back up and running and was an awesome tasting, one of my favorites. We tried everything from young Semillons (white) to a delicious rose to a fortified wine with the catchy moniker “Dr. Jurd’s Jungle Juice.”
Drayton's Winery
Entrance to Drayton's
The last winery of the day, Tempus Two was by far my favorite of the weekend. By the afternoon the rain had let up, the skies had cleared, and we were left looking out at this:
My life is terrible, I know.
Tempus Two has an awesome cellar door (store where you buy wine right at the winery- I wasn’t familiar with the term until recently), and we did a tasting of 13 wines in a private tasting room:
Private tasting at Tempus Two
Lots of yummy wines.
The bottling at this winery was also my favorite- check out the metal labels:
Tempus Two also had a “Smelly Cheese Shop” where a lot of people got baguettes and I tried some seriously intense bleu cheese, but didn’t buy anything because I had gotten some Cookies ‘N Cream fudge back at lunch…mmmmm.
That night we stayed at the Hunter Valley Mercure, which was seriously just awesome. Delicious buffet style pasta and pizza dinner, a free glass of champagne as a “welcome” and free wine at dinner, and then going to crash after our rough day of wine tasting here:
CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW COMFORTABLE THESE WERE
Gardens at the Mercure
The next day we started the day with a 10 a.m. champagne tasting at Peterson’s Champage House. The views were beautiful, and all the sparkling wines were delishh. This was another one of my favorites, especially as there was a chocolate shop attached and I snagged a couple of truffles on the way out. Here are some shots from Peterson’s (P.S. Pretty much all of these photos are stolen from Taryn because as a general rule, I am much too lazy to document my life. Sad, but true.)
Peterson's Champagne House & Vineyard
Yummy crackers and cheese, but soon to be covered by nasty flies. I hate flies.
Trying to smell the "nose" of the champagne...I'm trying to get better at this.
Sam, Myself and Taryn
After Peterson’s was Tamburlaine, an organic winery where we tried about 6 organic wines. To me they taste the same, but it was interesting to learn about what goes into becoming an organic winery and growing the grapes organically. We even got to try a raspberry liqueur- and they gave us mud cake to pair it with! (Mud cake is basically like a fudgy chocolate cake, and it’s very popular in Australia.)
Next up was another lunch at the Hunter Valley Gardens and then Brokenwood Winery, where we did our tasting in the barreling room:
Brokenwood barreling room
After Brokenwood we quickly stopped at De Bertoli’s Winery to try a few wines and then it was back on the bus for the ride home. Not a shabby weekend, minus my pocket being a little lighter. I learned a lot and can’t wait to try what I bought!
Molly, Me, Lucy, Taryn & Sam at Brokenwood
Blog soon,
Lauren
I am loving this song at the moment. The first time I saw it was in a vodka commercial, I think Bacardi, so I cannot claim to be one of those people who uncovers amazing music that nobody knows about. Usually I 1. hear songs on TV/in movies and/or 2. hear it on a friend’s iTunes and then go download it. (That’s actually kind of a lie, usually I write the name of the song or artist on little bits of paper which end up all over the place and I subsequently forget about them, until I either a. randomly run into one of the bits under a book or possibly behind another Post-It or b. hear the song again. Wow, ramble much?)
Anyway, I recently rediscovered the song and am in love. The album went straight onto my iTunes wishlist (we’ll see how long before I go back to my bits of paper).
Blog soon,
Lauren
1. Google Reader. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I have been addicted to my Google Reader for a long time, but recently I have really made an effort to find new blogs, especially food blogs. Unfortunately, all this makes me want to do is cook delicious things, which is somewhat impossible considering my ‘kitchen’, if you can even call it that, currently consists of a refrigerator, a sink, a microwave and a toaster. Boo, UniLodge Sydney.
Some of my favs: We Are Not Martha, 17 and Baking, Erin Cooks and The Clean Plate Club
2. Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Instant Nail Hardener: This stuff really works. My nails have been seriously awful since I’ve gotten to Australia, maybe because I’ve been harder on them with all the traveling, etc., but something needed to be done. Since all beauty/nail care stuff is about twice as expensive here, I had my mom send me some of this in a package. I immediately slapped on two coats, and my nails already feel better just a couple days later. It’s shaping up to be a permanent fixture in my makeup drawer.
3. Glee! I’m sure I am not the only one who is crazed over this show, but it is just so. good. And I? Am always up for a little drama/comedy/romance with musical numbers thrown in. Mr. Schuester is just awesome, as is Emma, and after that rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’ I am fully in love with one Noah Puckerman. Every week the show tops itself, and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us in the next few episodes before the hiatus.
Quinn Febray and Rachel Berry! (Image found on Fox.com)
Blog soon,
Lauren
I have been a seriously awful blogger since, well, forever. I am sporadic. I create blogs, I cancel them, I create them, I forget about them. Sometimes it’s because I’m too busy, mostly it’s because I’m too lazy.
So, to address the question, ‘where have I been?’, here is an answer:
View from the Bronte to Bondi Beach cliffwalk
The famous Bondi Beach!
Sydney Wildlife World: Terrified of the birds constant arrival and departure. They flew way too close to my face for my liking.
At Echo Point overlooking the Blue Mountains
On the Great Ocean Road outside of Melbourne. AMAZING. Most stunning views I have ever seen.
Oh, you know, the usual...feeding a wallaby.
Yes, I am ziplining, or as the Australians call it 'jungle surfing', upside down. Yes, I felt sick post-zip.
Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. This one is post scuba-diving and post being stung by a jellyfish- I have the scars to prove it!
Swimming at Whitehaven Beach...the sand is so white and fine you can clean your jewelry in it!
This is from my 21st birthday last week. It has nothing to do with my travels, but who cares I'm excited!
So that is a super mini-update of what I’ve been up to. I can’t exactly complain. I’m in a program that is split in half, so the first half was primarily travel and class, but I’ve now started an internship with a public relations firm in Sydney, where I work 4 days a week. I’m also taking a class on Australian wine, and we have a trip to the Hunter Valley wine region this weekend, so yay for that!
Blog soon,
Lauren
I'm a 21 year-old Boston University senior about to start my last semester of college! My major is public relations, my passion is new media, and I have a serious love for lemonade and iced coffee (cliche, I know). 