Category: USA

Hiking New Zealand’s Kepler Track, Part 2: Luxmore to Iris Burn

Published on by Mariana1 Comment

If you haven’t already, make sure to read Part 1 here!

It was only 7pm, but I was so exhausted from the day’s treck I definitely would have been in bed if it wasn’t for the Ranger program. There were around 50 of us in the hut that night, and we gathered in the common area to listen to the Ranger give us a run-down of tomorrow’s walk. We could hear the wind howling outside, but inside the wood stove was doing its job and keeping us all cozy. At 7 on the dot a sprightly, middle-aged man introduced himself as the ranger. We all quieted to listen. Continue reading “Hiking New Zealand’s Kepler Track, Part 2: Luxmore to Iris Burn” →

Hawaii Honeymoon Part 4: Ticking Off the Honolulu To-Do List

Published on by Mariana3 Comments

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Still high off of our wildlife viewing day on the water, Tom and I awoke early on day 5 of our honeymoon. We had read that Pearl Harbor limits the amount of visitors in a day, and had heard horror stories of tickets sold out before 10am. And so we set out not long after dawn for what we knew would be an emotional but important morning. Continue reading “Hawaii Honeymoon Part 4: Ticking Off the Honolulu To-Do List” →

Hawaii Honeymoon Part 2: Wave Watching on Oahu’s North Shore

Published on by Mariana2 Comments
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Views along the road to the North Shore

After our back-to-back crater climbs on that first day of our Honeymoon, Tom and I retreated to the beach to rest our shaky legs. Taking in the gorgeous scene from the comfort of my lounger, I overheard a couple nearby discussing the North Shore with some friends. They were saying the biggest waves of the year were predicted for the next day. We hadn’t thought much about how to spend our Sunday, but that eavesdropped conversation stuck with me. By dinner time we had decided the next day’s plan – we wanted to see the famous waves ourselves. Continue reading “Hawaii Honeymoon Part 2: Wave Watching on Oahu’s North Shore” →

Hawaii Honeymoon Part 1: Ballistic Missiles, and Craters, and Panic Attacks – Oh my!

Published on by Mariana1 Comment
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Views from Diamond Head

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii. But to be honest, we landed on Hawaii as our honeymoon destination without too much thought. My parents gifted us use of their Disney Vacation Club points as a wedding gift, Disney has a resort in Hawaii, and Hawaii was (kind of) on the way back to Melbourne from Colorado. Tom and I briefly experimented with the idea of trying to add some sort of backpacking adventure in South East Asia to the trip, but it wasn’t feasible with the amount of leave we both had from work and the logistics of crossing an ocean with a giant wedding dress (my gown would be needed again for our reception in New Zealand a few months later). So just like that, Hawaii it was. And after saying goodbye to our family and friends who traveled from all over to meet us in Colorado, we packed up and headed towards the Pacific. Continue reading “Hawaii Honeymoon Part 1: Ballistic Missiles, and Craters, and Panic Attacks – Oh my!” →

The Best Day of My Life: Our Winter Mountain Wedding

Published on by Mariana7 Comments

So, I have a confession.

I was one of those girls.

You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones with the secret Pinterest boards. The ones who binge watch all the wedding reality shows on TV. The ones who dream about their wedding – the dress, the setting, the ring, the guy – their whole lives.

I know it’s very cliche and unoriginal, but it was me. Continue reading “The Best Day of My Life: Our Winter Mountain Wedding” →

3.5 Years Later, Shut Down Again

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During the last big government shutdown in 2013 I was working for the NPS as a Park Ranger. As a direct result of the shutdown I decided to leave the NPS and switch careers completely. Continue reading “3.5 Years Later, Shut Down Again” →

Where I’m From

Published on by Mariana5 Comments

Recently I celebrated my one year Melbourne-versary – that is, the anniversary of my arrival in Melbourne one year ago. I came into this adventure hopeful, but unsure as to how I would cope living so far from home, and how I would do with this giant unknown. Over the last year however, Melbourne has completely won me over with her special southern charms. I’m all settled into life down under these days. Continue reading “Where I’m From” →

2016

Published on by Mariana2 Comments

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How has 5 months gone by so quickly?? 5 months with no new content on this blog. It turns out moving and getting to a know a new job, city, and country takes a lot out of you. Continue reading “2016” →

5 Reasons to go BACK to Walt Disney World

Published on by Mariana1 Comment

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After finishing grad school, I knew I wanted to go home to decompress for a while. I wasn’t ready to head straight to Melbourne or do any sort of crazy celebratory trip. I just wanted to work on letting the stress of school leave my body by doing as little as possible for a few weeks.

But I knew there was one thing I had to do before leaving the Northern Hemsiphere for a while: I had to go back to Disney World. Continue reading “5 Reasons to go BACK to Walt Disney World” →