New Zealand Day 12

So, today we were in Hobart Tasmania, after being at sea for two days. We did a 5 of Hobart’s Best in One Day tour, which was pretty cool.

The first place we went to was the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. That was pretty cool. You could walk among the kangaroos, and even feed them. I even got to pet one. At the end of that visit, I stopped in the gift shop and got a stuffed kangaroo.

Then we went to have lunch in Richmond, Tasmania before driving around a little. At the end of the trip, we drove all the way up to Mt. Wellington. It was a bit long. I didn’t particularly care for the cold, but that’s ok.

It was a pretty fun day.

New Zealand Day 9

Today wasn’t too bad. We cruised around the Fjordlands (Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound, and Milford sound). They were pretty interesting, and I got a few pictures.

At around 3:15/3:30, my dad and I played XBOX Live, which was pretty fun. One of the games we played was Tennis, which I’m pretty sure I creamed him at. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve played XBOX before, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Now I think I know what I want for Christmas.

New Zealand Day 8

Today we were in Dunedin. One cool thing about Dunedin is that, while the architecture is all Scottish-influenced, there is no Scottish accent.

Our excursion today was a train and castle garden experience. It was pretty cool. The train excursion is great, as you get to see the interior land as opposed to the coast.

We were supposed to see a castle garden as well during the excursion, however we didn’t get a chance to as there was a power outage on the train ride. That set us back a little bit. Otherwise, it was pretty fun.

New Zealand Day 7

Today we arrived in Akaroa. Our excursion started at 11:30am today, and was a 2-hour Local Akaroa Sights tour. It was actually kind of cool, even though I don’t really remember much of the history behind the area.

I did buy a pendulum from one of the shops there. It’s a pretty Smokey quartz.

After dinner, we went to see a magician whose stage name was Adam Mada. He helped with the magic stuff on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It was pretty interesting.

All-in-all, it was a pretty good day.

New Zealand Day 6

Today we arrived in Wellington. It was really windy when we got off the ship. The excursion we did was a Highlights tour. We saw where Peter Jackson lives (LOTR/Hobbit producer/director). We also went to the Weta workshop, which was pretty cool. We didn’t do the tour though, but that’s ok. We also went to a botanical garden, which was pretty cool.

For dinner, we went to Silk Harvest, one of the restaurants on the ship. It was fun. It was a cool dinner, because it was interactive. An animation played on each table, and each time a certain dish appeared on the plate, the waiter would bring that specific dish out. It was a very cool experience.

New Zealand Day 5

Today was a pretty lazy day. We spent the day at sea, which was kind of nice. I wasn’t really planning on doing much, really. Mainly just reading.

However, we did do a tour of the kitchen to the main dining room, which was pretty interesting. After that, we had lunch, and then just did whatever until dinner. I did read for a little bit.

After dinner, we saw a show called Broken Strings. It was pretty good. Once that was over, my dad and I went up to one of the top decks and watched the sunset. That was a pretty cool experience, as it was my first time seeing a sunset.

One thing I should have done at the beginning of the day was put sunscreen on. A few hours after going back inside this morning, I started turning red as a lobster. So a tip to everyone who is planning on visiting New Zealand and/or Australia: sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.

New Zealand Day 4

Today we arrived in Tauranga at around 7:00am.

The excursion we went on today was Rotorua & Maori Culture, Geysers, Mudpools, and a concert. The concert was pretty cool. One of the dances they performed was called the Haka, which is the Maori war dance.

The mud pools were cool too. There was an odor of sulfur, however, but that’s just because of where the Mudpools are located. We did learn that the crust over the mudpools and geysers is pretty thin, and that the Maori village there is located on four fault lines. The Maori who live near the mudpools use the cracks in the crust to cook their food.

What they would do is they would build a wooden box over one of the cracks or holes in the ground and cover the box with a wooden board as a lid. They would then, in the morning before they left, put their dinner inside the box and cover it. The food would then steam-cook while they would be at work, and by the time they got home, their dinner would be ready. Overall, it was pretty interesting.

New Zealand Day 3

Today we arrived in Bay of Islands at 8:00am. The excursion we went on was a 5 1/2 hour tour of the island. We saw another Glowworm cave, Kawiti Family Glowworm Caves, which in my opinion was a lot better than the one in Auckland.

After the Glowworm tour, we headed to a rainforest. This one wasn’t really that exciting, honestly. It was just a bunch of really tall trees.

After a while, we did make it back to the ship, where we just hung out and walked around the ship until dinner. I did go up to the top of the ship and read some of The Silmarillion, which is pretty much a prequel to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It seems very interesting. I’ve never read it before, but I have seen The Hobbit and LOTR movies. If you’re interested in learning more about the world of The Hobbit and LOTR, I recommend you read The Silmarillion.

New Zealand Flight

Well, I’m currently headed to New Zealand. I’ll probably be in the air by the time this gets posted.

We left the house around 7:00am Thanksgiving morning, which is relatively early for me. I’m not really a morning person, as I usually get up at around 8 or 9 in the morning. But anyway, it took us about 45 minutes to get to the airport, arriving at around 8. The airport we flew out of is pretty small compared to other airports, with only 8 gates from one terminal.

The flight was roughly 3 hours long. I did start watching season 1 of American Horror Story, and it seems interesting so far. I did pause it after a while and played a few games on my phone, though.

After we got to Chicago, we had a 3 hour layover. One of my favorite things about the Chicago O’Hare airport is that they have this cool light fixture in one of the hallways. It is above a pair of “moving sidewalks”.

We left Chicago at around 2pm local time, spending 4 1/2 hours on the plane. I played games on my phone most of the time, so it was pretty uneventful. There was a little bit of turbulence towards the end, but it didn’t really bother me too much. It just felt a bit like being on a horse.

We arrived in LA at around 4:31pm PST, and had a bit of an adventure. It took us a while to get to the International terminal, but we finally made it. My dad and I ended up getting dinner from KFC before having to get our passports checked.

Once we boarded, which was around 6:00pm PST, we went through the whole shpiel of the safety rules. A few minutes after taking off, we ended up having dinner. I didn’t have anything, since I had already had KFC, and had already begun my fasting. I did try sleeping a little on the plane, but only got about 3 hours. I don’t really sleep well on planes anyway, so…

Netflix Shows

Well, I have about three days left until the trip. We will be traveling for approximately 20 hours, with the longest flight being a 13-hour flight from LAX to Auckland. Last night I had the bright idea to download the first season of American Horror Story from Netflix. I plan on watching it whenever I’m on the plane.

While I have seen AHS: Hotel, I haven’t seen any of the others. Since this is the case, I will start from the beginning. It will be interesting to see how far along I can get through the series. Hopefully I can finish at least one or two seasons during the plane ride. I’m hoping to be able to watch some on the cruise, if I’m not too tired from doing other activities.

If you have any shows you’re hooked on, drop them in the comments for me to add to my list.

1 Week Left

Well, the final countdown has begun. I have one more week until the cruise, and I honestly can’t wait. I did go to Walmart this past Monday with my mom, as she was looking for a couple of last-minute things for the cruise. I ended up getting a couple of things as well, as I figured it couldn’t hurt. Two of those things were a set of Bluetooth headphones, as well as a pair of those SeaBand wristbands.

The wristbands are supposed to help with nausea and motionsickness. They are cloth wristbands with a little plastic button on each one. They work using acupressure. You basically put a wristband on each wrist, with the button on the inside of the wrist. The instructions say that it will take up to five minutes or so to start working, so it’s probably best to put them on before you start traveling.

Now, the reason I got the SeaBands is because on my last cruise, I wasn’t feeling too good on one of the excursions. After that, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try the SeaBands out to see if they worked. This will be a test-run of sorts, as I’m not sure how they will work. If I’m still feeling bad, my mom did get some Dramamine.

The Bluetooth headphones for me were a bit of a splurge, honestly. While I do have a pair of headphones that have a jack, I’m still technically attached to my phone when I’m using those. And if I need to charge my phone while using my headphones, then I have to stop what I’m listening to so that I can charge my phone. So it was probably a good thing I got the Bluetooth headphones.

But anyway, my dad had recommended that my mom get a pair of Bluetooth headphones for the trip, so she was looking for a pair. After she bought them, my dad mentioned that maybe Bluetooth wasn’t a good idea. So now she has to return the pair she just bought, and try to find a pair that has a jack. But it’s nearly impossible to find a pair that will fit her, as her ear canals are a bit on the small side. Since I have my pair of headphones with the jack, I may let her borrow that pair for the trip.

2 More Weeks

It’s about 2 weeks out now until I leave for New Zealand. I finally got shoes for one of my outfits, which is awesome. Still have a few things left to pack, though. I did pack one of my water infuser bottles, so that’ll help in regards to water. I honestly can’t wait to go. The 20-hour travel time (three plane changes, and multiple hours in airports) is gonna be a bit long, but otherwise, it’s gonna be fun.

I am gonna be turning 31 the day that we’re leaving (Nov. 28), but that’s ok. It’ll be a different kind of birthday for me. Usually we’d go out to a fancy restaurant or something on my birthday, but it’s always good to switch it up every once in a while. One of my personal favorite things about having my birthday so close to Thanksgiving is that, instead of a birthday cake, I get at least 5 different kinds of pie. And I don’t have to feel bad about having multiple pieces, because it’s my birthday.

This year, though, is going to be a little different, seeing as how we’re going to be traveling. I’m not exactly sure what to expect this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my dad told the flight attendants it was my birthday. They’ll probably just be singing happy birthday anyway, since candles aren’t exactly allowed on planes.

Anywho…New Zealand, here I come!!!

It’s Getting Close

So, I have a little less than a month until I leave for New Zealand. I guess I have some mixed emotions about this trip. There is excitement, because it’s New Zealand, and it’s a new adventure.

But then there’s a little bit of stress. In this case, the stress for me is in regards to packing my suitcase. The things that are lurking in the back of my mind are: “What if I forget to pack something? What if I didn’t pack enough? Do I have this thing? Do I even need this? I’m forgetting something…what is it?”

Last Friday, though, I was stressing a lot more, although I’m not exactly sure why, since I still have a little bit of time. Thankfully I have about 99% of my clothes packed, so all I have to do is pack a couple of dresses. I do also have to pack the stuff I wear daily, as it does need to be washed a day or so beforehand.

I think another thing I’m stressing over a little bit is that I still need to get a pair of shoes for one of my dresses. While I do have a pair of black stilettos that would work, they are 6 inches tall, and my feet would hurt after about an hour of wearing them.

My backpack will be my carry-on/personal item, so I don’t really need to bring my purse. The only things I’ll really be taking from my purse are my wallet and my hairbrush. I will have a smaller backpack that I will be packing in my suitcase, so I will have something to carry my stuff in while walking around. Some of the stuff I’m going to be packing in my backpack is stuff that will keep me occupied during the trip. I do have one of my sketchbooks, some writing stuff, and some reading material. With my reading material, I do have 3-4 books, as I’m a relatively fast reader. However, I may not read too much on the cruise, as there will be a lot of stuff to do on the ship.

Now, the cruise isn’t until December 2nd, but we will be leaving on November 28 (Thanksgiving). This will be an interesting trip, as this will be the first trip I’ve ever taken (that I can remember) on my actual birthday. It will be a little weird spending my birthday traveling, but it’s also going to be fun, as I will be going on an adventure. I’m not exactly sure what to expect, as we usually go to a nice restaurant. I wouldn’t be surprised if my parents told the flight attendants that it’s my birthday. Even if I just get a cupcake at the airport, that would be awesome. I’m honestly not expecting a lot for this year’s birthday, as we would be running around different airports trying to catch our flights.

All in all, it’s going to be a fun trip.

My Completed Travel Bullet Journal

So, I’ve pretty much completed my “Travel Bullet Journal”.

What I did was this:

Since each page is a little bit different, I drew out in pencil where I wanted each box/section to go. This way, if I needed to adjust a little, I could easily erase any lines I didn’t need. Once I got all of the boxes/sections situated to how I wanted them, I labeled them (still in pencil) so that later on I would know which section was which.

Once they were labeled, I took a sharpie (the thin tip is best if you want clean lines that aren’t overpowering) and drew over all of the lines that I wanted to keep. I then erased any remaining pencil lines from the outlines to give it a clean look.

For any “section headers”, I tried to write as neatly as I could, since I wanted it to look nice. For some spots, I did use cursive. I inked over those as well.

Once I was done with the inking, it was time to add some color and fun. All of the pages have color on them somewhere, and some of the pages have a little doodle here and there to break up the “boxy-ness”.

Some of the “daily itinerary” pages don’t have the excursions for that day colored in yet, mainly because I don’t quite have the timeframes for those excursions. Those times will be added closer to the day of the cruise, so I’m not too worried about them yet.

I may be a bit biased, as I did make it, but I think it’s very cute. There are a few pictures below.

Editing Confusion

So, the other night I noticed that my dad had started editing one of the New Zealand spreadsheets I had shared with him through Google Docs. Now, normally this would be all “fine and good”, had it not been for the fact that he had started editing the “Possible Excursions” one instead of the itinerary. It was a quick and easy fix on my part, as I just copied what he had entered and put that info into the itinerary. Here’s

Pretty Productive Morning

“I think I’m quite ready for another adventure.”
~Bilbo Baggins

I had a pretty productive morning, I think. I did work on the New Zealand cruise stuff a little more, as this is a pretty decent-size adventure. We’re going to be gone for about 2 1/2 weeks, so it’s going to take a lot of planning.

Anyway, for the excursions I want to do, I figured out the price and length of each, as well as retrieved the site link for each excursion for easier retrieval in the

Another Cruise

Well, another cruise is already being planned. This time it’s New Zealand. I think it’s going to be fun. We were originally planning on going at the end of November/beginning of December, but now we’re not sure. My mom is a bit concerned, because we would be traveling on Thanksgiving Day, which is understandable because it’s a holiday. Plus, some of my family is coming down for