The Journey Continues....

We've been having a blast over the past month and a half travelling around Australia and South East Asia.... We're both doing really well and are loving the adventures! So much has happened that it would be pretty tough to fit it all in the blog, so it leaves alot to talk about when we meet up with you! We've had some pretty crazy adventures from diving in the Great Barrier Reef to catching a symphony at the Sydney Oprah House, sleeping in a 49 degree campervan, rescuing a Balinese puppy, ripping body parts open on coral reef on some of the best surf breaks in the world, fighting monkeys for our bananas, and heaps more. There's some new pics that we've thrown on of some of our travels, and we'll do our best to keep them coming. It can be a little tough sometimes finding a place with constant power, let alone internet, but we're discovering and enjoying little bits of paradise everywhere we go. We're on an island in Indonesia right now called Lombok, and we're about to head South to check out the surf down there for about a week. After that we're back to Bali for a few days and then off to Thailand! Hope you guys enjoy the pics...

New Pics

We've uploaded a new album with a mess of pics from the past month.... hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year

Happy 2010! We started the year off in a pretty mellow fashion, relaxing and enjoying the beach life. We've now had our first hot Christmukkah/New Year and it was sweet. We spent Christmas day on the beach, went out for a little surf, had a barbeque and enjoyed some Christmas spirits. It's definitely been a bit different from what we're used to.... no snow, numb toes, frozen snot on the face, or being so white that your skin is translucent. It's always tough being away from loved ones during holidays, but thanks to the miracle of Skype and the internet it's a bit easier - being able to chat and see pixelated images of them.

It's always nice to hear stories of Christmukkah miracles, so we thought we'd share our little miracle... Before we left Canada we got an iPod touch which has been one of the handiest tools for travelling. It's been through some life threatening times during our travels. The first incident happened while we were on the plane from Fiji to New Zealand. We were enjoying some tranquil tunes during our flight when we discovered little ants crawling up our arms. We had a closer inspection and found that we had some stowaways trying to escape their island paradise that had built their home in the ipod. We took it upon ourselves to quarantine the ipod in a vomit bag from the plane and fumigated it as soon as we landed. There were about 87 casualties. Poor little guys. Anyway, after the fumigation the ipod seemed to work fine and had escaped a fatal encounter with the Fijian ant storm. The second incident happened just after we landed in Australia. We were enjoying some nice cold wobbly pops when the ipod found its way out of a pocket (no need for names) and landed on a solid stone floor. We were a bit worried that we had lost our little travel mate, but it came through with only a minor crack in the glass that runs diagonally across the entire screen. Once again, the our little ipod escaped a near fatal encounter and worked just fine. The latest incident happened in Brisbane when a friend brought a bottle of cheer that we had left at her house to work and delivered it into one of our backpacks (again, no need for names). Not knowing that there was a near full bottle of cheer inside the backpack sitting next to the ipod, the unnamed party accidentally dropped the bag and heard the sound of breaking glass. He then opened the bag and found our little ipod drowning in a pool of vodka. Fine, I'll claim responsibility. So, I spent the next week trying to coax the ipod back to life, but all that happened was a view of bubbles that lit up through the cracked screen. We (I) had finally killed the ipod. We decided not to toss it just in case... you never know right? We were about to buy a new ipod for our travels just last week and I thought I would double check the deadness of our current one before we laid it to rest. Unbelievably, the little thing lit up and is alive and well. I have no idea how this thing has survived the amount of abuse that it's been through - being infested by ants, having its face smashed and going into an alcohol induced coma. Our next purchase will be a little coat of armor for it. And that's the story of our Christmaukkah miracle.

So, Happy New Year to everyone! We've put up a new slide show of our festivities Down Under for your enjoyment.

Where We're At

We wanted to take the opportunity to shoot from the heart and let you all know how we've really been doing and not just what we've been up to...

I want to start by thanking my family for supporting me and Josh in the time leading up to us leaving. When I think back to the few months before we left Canada I just get this feeling of heaviness. It was so stressful and hard and there were so many obstacles to overcome, but it was 100% worth it. Giving Marley up was the hardest thing Josh and I have had to do together. The pain and guilt I felt for months was so much to handle. It was a selfish act, and I remember questioning if this was the right thing for us. It was. I still think of Marley Monkey often and will always love and miss him. But we needed this.. I needed this, and our experiences are proof of that. I know we made the right choice and I am so thankful we are where we are now. Here is an update from me….

I remember my sister-in-law asking me before Josh and I started this journey if I thought I would change on this trip. I knew this trip would change me, I just didn’t know how or what. This is what I have experienced so far. Fiji was our vacation. We had one week of bliss, relaxation and peace. Much needed. New Zealand was such a fun road trip. We got to spend quality time for 3 weeks in a car. We had so much fun just hanging out together, enjoying each other. It helped prepare me for Australia and travel. We chose Brisbane because of a lovely couple we met in Fiji and settled there for 8 months. I had so much fun in the city. Having the opportunity to manage a big night club was great experience and I took a lot from working at Fridays. It was fun, hard work and challenging. My love for hospitality remains!

Josh and I were talking about the significance of each place we have been and even the time frames. Brisbane was a big party…For both of us. We met some life time friends and experienced a party life style together. We were always doing something, going somewhere and soaking up all the fun there was to be had. Sharing the same group of friends has been really cool. There is like a safety circle and we all look out for each other. Finding a group like that has made me so thankful for friendship. Some I know I will see again, others have been a gift in my journey for a time.

The timing of leaving Brisbane was so perfect. It was so fun, so hard to leave, so good to move on. Coolangatta is so quiet. It is the essence of peace. My spirit is happy and I feel alive. I wake up in the morning, walk across the street and am in awe of the beauty that surrounds me. I love the ocean. I love the sand. I love the beach. It feeds my soul. Everything has just slowed down here. It is very mellow. I often feel like I live in a little cottage and am on holidays (I guess I am!) Surfing has been so much fun as well. The thrill of getting up and letting the wave take you is epic. I have also got to do what I love, run on the beach. In the morning the water is so beautiful and I just get to spend time by myself. I have learned I need that for me.

I had this picture of what Australia would look like, before I came here, and this is it. Coolangatta. I have seen dolphins almost everyday. There are always people in the water waiting to catch a good wave. The beach is full of people, all enjoying the same beauty we all appreciate and love. My love tank is full. I can say that for sure. This journey has been perfect and as I see it unravel I realize that even the timing of each place, and what is in store for each stop has been for a specific purpose for Josh and I, individually and together.

The other day I woke up in Coolie and felt so sad just missing my friends and I started to cry. Giving myself freedom to feel what is inside has helped me accept who I am and also has given me more power to say that it is okay and I am entitled to feel and hurt and be sad. It was so cool to step back afterwards and see that. Something else I have learnt is to enjoy NOW! Just to be in each moment and enjoy every piece of it for what it is. I find I enjoy my days more and am more grateful for what comes my way. Thinking about all of this stuff made me realize that I have changed. I look forward to discovering more of who I am and what is in store for me. I have no idea what is next besides where we are heading geographically, and I look forward to what next place entails for us, so bring it on!

Our plan is to leave Australia the last week of Feb. and spend my 26^th birthday in Indonesia. We would love to surf there, so we will probably bring our boards. From there we will do Thailand and then to our family in Israel. So much to look forward to!

I am so happy. I am so thrilled that Josh and I are doing this together. We have such a great companionship and my love for him grows everyday. Marriage is good. We are lucky that we had an opportunity to do this together. It is a beautiful thing to see the person you love more than anything grow, change be and experience. This is a trip of a lifetime and we are in the front seat.

- Simone

This trip has been incredible for me so far. It’s been an adventure straight from the time that we moved out of our house until now, and I’m stoked that it’s going to continue. It’s cool looking back over the last year and seeing that every stop along our journey has served a purpose for that particular time in my life, and that it has been what I’ve needed. When we left I wanted this to be a self discovery journey and I’m definitely discovering a lot about myself, but also about my wife and building a stronger relationship with her. It’s been amazing experiencing this journey with Simone, and learning to have the freedom for each of us to do and experience what we need individually and together.

When we decided to embark on this adventure, there were some pretty stressful, intense times – I think I may have even grown my first gray hair from them! I can honestly say though that it has definitely been worth it. This trip needed to happen for me, for Simone and for our relationship, and the timing of everything that has happened so far for us couldn’t have been better. I’ve met some amazing people and made some wicked friendships that I’m very thankful for. Friends that I know will last a lifetime and who I know I will see again. We’ve had the opportunity to truly travel together (for anyone whose hasn’t had the pleasure of travelling for an extended period of time with their loved one, you get to know them in ways you never thought possible!), and through that have grown together.

This little chapter in our journey is incredible – being in Coolangatta and enjoying the sun and surf and focusing on just being and relaxing. It’s so good to not have any external influences dictating what I should or should not be doing, and just being able to enjoy and do whatever it is that I feel or need. Allowing myself to have the freedom to feel and do whatever I may need at any particular moment is very freeing. I’m learning that I need to continue that throughout my life, and I can see the positive effects that it has not only on me but also on those around me. It’s amazing watching Simone learn and grow in such a positive way at the same time. I’m extremely thankful for this journey and how it is benefitting my life and my relationship with my wife, and it’s a great feeling knowing that this adventure is going to continue. There have been some pretty difficult days being away from my family, but this is a time that I needed to take for me and I’m very grateful for the love and support that my family and loved ones have given.

- Josh

Life in Brisbane

It's been a while since we last updated our blog and posted new pictures we just realized, with the help of my little sister who of course wasn't giving me a hard time about it. There have been a ton of happenings over the past couple of months, but mostly just life in Brisbane. This is our last week living in Brisbane before we move down the Gold Coast to Coolangatta. It's definitely going to be hard to leave our friends and lives here, not so much the cockroaches.... but we're really looking forward to the beach and the surf. It's pretty insane how fast time has gone - already 8 months living in Brisbane! We've had just a few crazy times and made a ton of epic memories. Now on to the next chapter in our journey.
We've thrown on a few pics of our last couple months living here..... and we'll try and be more regular in keeping this updated.

Byron Bay

So, we decided that we needed a vacation where we don't work from our vacation where we do work and chose to go to Byron Bay. After looking into it, we thought that renting a car would be the best choice for transportation for our trip. The catch was that the car we ended up getting was a little Hyndai Getz with a manual transmission. Not a big deal right? Well, the thing is that everything to do with vehicles and traffic is on the opposite side down under. At the first intersection where we had to make a turn I hit the ticker and the windshield wipers started going like we were in the middle of a monsoon. I got a little stressed and needed to turn down the music to focus on how to fix this minor problem. I quickly turned the knob and we ended up on my favorite station... static radio. Trying to focus on shifting on the other side was a bit of a challenge when the light turned green, but we did eventually make it out of the intersection and down to Byron Bay safely.

Our time in Byron was incredible. It's a sleepy little surf town with amazing beaches and a cruisy atmosphere. It was like taking a step back in time with old school VW vans rolling around, hippies smoking their special cigarettes, ma and pa shops everywhere, and little kids running down the beach with their surf boards past naked boobies and schlongs - it was pretty impressive how many unshaved nudies there were. I swear some of them backcombed their pubes to get a little extra volume. We spent most of our time at the beach... either passed out on the sand or surfing. Simone went surfing for her first time and and was kicking bum and taking names. Nights consisted of trying to get sand out of some very odd places, salt water spewing out of our noses, and going out to hear the local music talent. It was pretty stellar.
We both had an amazing time and we can't wait to get back in the surf.

the Zoo

We decided to make the trek up to Austrlia Zoo on Monday - great choice. We got there after spending a couple of hours on the train where they thought it would be a good idea to set the temperature to cryogenic freezing level to make the trip as comfortable as possible. For some reason, after having your body frozen for a considerable amount of time it seems that your bladder becomes full to the point where you fear standing up. We love Brisbane public transit.
Once we arrived and discovered that our pants were still dry, we had an incredible day. Australia Zoo was Steve Irwin's (the late Crocodile Hunter) creation, and his wife and two kids are still up there running it. They've set it up with massive areas that you can walk through and chill with the friendly animals which was pretty sweet. We got to hang out with kangaroos, koalas, a camel, and some other cuddly creatures. Carrying on Steve's tradition, his family prefer to hang out in the 'animals that could kill and/or eat you' areas. We got to catch them feeding a crocodile by hand - who the hell does that? - and posted a vid at the bottom of the page. We also got some pretty sweet photo opps with the other animals that we put on the side of the page... enjoy!