November- My 28th Year

Just a note: This entry starts from the most recent events to previous events that have occurred throughout the month of November.

I love the month of November.  Here are some reasons why:

1. It's my birthday (yes, I don't mind getting older, bring on my late 20s)

2. About 20 other people I know have birthdays in this month (and I'd rather celebrate them than celebrate mine).

3. The seasons are changing(usually it means santa ana winds, fun surf, pumpkin pie which is my favourite, and tons of family, but this year it means warmer weather, some surf and graduating from school with a teaching credential-my mom told me to mention that:))

4. It means that Christmas is almost here, followed by the new year (which means a new beginning).

5. Lots of food, I love food (pumpkin pie especially).

6. Lots of friends and family around (this year I am blessed to have my buddy Lana out in Australia for a visit, more adventure photos to follow and entice you to book your ticket over here).

Here are some photos of my favourite month of the year (as mentioned before, they start from newest and go back to older shots).  Enjoy!

It takes a lot of patience to capture lightning. Luck was on my side. But why are there three 9's in the middle of the picture, bizarre (or maybe they are just upside-down 6's, yikes).  This photo was taken after I barely escaped from my soccer game unscathed from the surrounding lightning.  It looked like the world was about to end.  Did you all know that when it rains here, it pours.  Not like California's drizzle.

My roommates gave me the most beautiful pink waratah flower.  I think it is my new favourite flower.  So...I took some pictures of it.  No it doesn't grow on this tree, I was just trying to be artistic.

Me posing with my birthday flower. I look like I am a bridesmaid.  What a goof ball. 

I've been lucky to know these two girls for the past 8 plus years, who knew I would finally be neighbours with them.  This was my pre-birthday dinner.  I can't believe how much I look like my mom in this photo.    

Alberto (a friend on my indoor soccer team who is married to a friend on my outdoor team, in case you were thinking otherwise) shares the same birthday month as me, so...he made a paella (he is from Spain, yay someone to speak spanish with) with rabbit in it.  uh... I ate the vegetarian version:)

This is the view from the hillside near my house in Byron Bay.  It looked so much more amazing in person, but I think this is a pretty great indication of the beauty surrounding my home (and hopefully it makes you want to come visit me)

The beaches near my parents house in Australia.  

I hope that you are all happy and well.  They don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, but that only means that I must remember to be thankful every day of the year.  I miss you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday season.  I feel so blessed to have all of you in my life wherever the world has taken you!!!   Until next month.....

happy days in byron bay

Some of the things that are big in my life right now:

1. It hailed the other day. As you can see from the following photo, it literally hailed golf balls. And this photo was taking several hours after the storm hit. Two of my roommates cars were severely damaged, along with 75% of the residents of Byron Bay. Reportedly, there were tennis ball size hail drops (if thats what you would call them) near my parents house in Coff's Harbour.

2. I have just started to become involved in a bit of volunteer work (only in the beginning stages, I hope it leads to some work in an orphanage in Kenya) for an association called African l.e.a.f., which is an amazing association that sponsors orphaned children in Kenya. An Afro-cuban band calle Chukale came out and played at a local venue while my friends and I sold raffle tickets. The band played for free, but we cornered everyone as they walked through the door so that they would donate $2 to the cause. We all snuck away from the raffle ticketing and got our fill of afrocuban dancing. Here we are showing off the fantastic prizes.

3. Mr. T himself has become the security guard at my house. Do I really need a fourth male roommate to watch over me? So I guess you don't need to worry about me, I am safe. I pity the fool who tries to get past a man geared up with snickers bars. 4. My good friend Robyn turned 34. I loved celebrating her day. Lots of good laughs. The day began by paddling out into shark infested waters (complete with a visit from the surf rescue boat and a search helicopter warning us of the sighting of two large sharks), walking into a field of bindies (thorn like blades of grass that can bring you to tears), and many other ridiculous things kept me entertained.
I just have to point out how much concentration has been put into racking up the pool balls. Can anyone pick up what is wrong with this picture. No, it has nothing to do with Robyn trying to distract Fiona.
We must get them just right since we don't have a triangle to help us out.
Even Robyn has stopped mucking around to help Fiona organise the pool balls. This all took about five minutes to complete (which explains why there are so many pictures showing the evidence, classic). Maybe you missed it too...The triangle is facing the wrong direction.

I made the mistake of telling the girls that, as a kid, our living room didn't have a couch, but a pool table. Here I am showing off the technique that was perfected in a couchless living room. Thanks dad.

When i grow up...

Last week I borrowed my friends camera and set off to unleash (or simply find) my creative side. I have been pretty busy with my student teaching, so the following photos are a result of my 15 minutes of creativity (and are all taken at my house). As hard as it is for me to sit still, I am really thinking about reading a book on photography. I am open to any suggestions that anyone has, since I have come to realize that 99% of the people I know are brilliant artists, photographers, musicians, etc. Hope this message finds you happy and well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting ready for thanksgiving

It is spring here, and I just found this flower in my backyard.  Just waiting for the plumeria trees to blossom.  I'll send photos when it happens.

The sunrise yesterday morning at my favorite surf spot.  No waves, but absolutely breathtaking skyline.

This morning out in front of my house.  Again, no waves, but a beautiful sky.

My house in Byron bay.  See the plumeria trees?! Can't wait for the flowers (You know you are getting old when you are anticipating flowers blossoming).

Some friends from school (lismore, which is an hour from my house) came to Byron bay for a fun evening out on the town.  I was the grandmother as always, checking out before midnight.  But I did have a few drinks, I have provided evidence (below) just for those of you that don't believe me:)  

It's almost turkey time, I have had my eye on this wild turkey.  You might see some photos of me chasing it soon. 

sharky waters

Main Beach Byron Bay at sunset
I am still alive (in case you were curious). I am busy trying to keep my head above water and avoiding being buried by school work. Once the torture of creating websites and student workbooks is over (three more weeks), I can relax and start my student teaching (well, maybe that will be a bit more torture in itself, yikes). I will be teaching a stones throw from my house in Byron bay (which will help me contribute to saving the environment, which I have single handedly destroyed by driving an hour in each direction to school this semester). The school is similar to the Waldorf schools in California (they call it a Steiner school) and I am looking forward to the experience. I am hoping that this round of teaching is less like a boxing ring than the last school. I don't think that any desks or swear words will be thrown at me this semester, but I'll get back to you on that one. The weather is getting warmer and people are beginning to come out of hibernation for the long awaited summer (this also means its getting crowded). Since I am solar powered, this has been an advantage for me (except for the fact that it lowers my desire and patience to sit inside a classroom on a computer). I have been running salt water through my veins on a regular basis, and a little bit of adrenaline as well. Sharks are becoming a frequent occurence in the water this last month, but I still can't get used to them. Today, while fishing with mom and dad, a 3 foot shark mozied on up to the boat to check out what was going on. He gave the boat a little nudge with his ferocious teeth and hung out for a while. I fed him a bit and he was happy. I made sure that he got a good look at me, so that when he is 8 feet long, and swimming alongside me, he will remember. Hopefully he will tell his friends too. Becky is not food! oh wait...i fed him, so now he associates me with food....Great! Other than that, life is good and I hope it is the same for all of you. I have a summer break coming up, you are welcome to come visit:) Until then, take care of yourselves and have wonderful days!

Triathlon

Although these photos have nothing to do with my triathlon, I think that lifting this little guy has given me some of the strength training necessary to give me that extra edge. When conditioning, it is important to be able to laugh. Making a baby laugh, while holding them and snapping a photo, takes that conditioning to a whole different level.

Half way through the triathlon (if you look to the right of my head, you are looking at where I live. Just a short path from that beach). I'm just living the dream:)
Acacia is really excited in this picture because she has just spotted a whale.

I am off and running again. Well, except for this annoying cold that hit me like a Mac truck last night. But I refuse to let it stop me. I have settled into a new home in Byron bay with 3 wonderful boys, a new bed, a new bike (at a bargain price of $20) and a trail leading to the beach (which I can proudly walk by myself even though my eyes are constantly on the lookout for snakes). What else could I ask for. I have already jumped into the thick of things in the school portion of my life, but have decided that it will not keep me from my sanity. So, I am literally up and running again. I have devised a scheme in which I can be a focused student as well as getting back into my triathlon training (not your traditional triathlon, but it does involve trails, biking and my most favorite thing of all, the ocean). This won't be difficult due to the fact that the boys I live with are even more active than I am. I know this is hard for some of you to believe, but it's true. Although, I am attempting to keep up to some extent. So...yesterday, Acacia and I took our bikes, rode to the trailhead (not like the trails in California, but it will have to do), hiked to the lighthouse, rode home, went longboarding (I have finally gotten over my fear of them) and then hiked in to a little secret spot to shortboard. Being the adventurist that I am, I tried to pull the stunt that whatever the boys can do, I can do. Bad move, but I got a laugh out of it. My roommate, jumped off the rocks onto his board and did some fancy trick. So, I followed him, not realizing that the water was only a couple of feet deep. Nice one Beck. Landing on my knee in the sand felt amazing, but I quickly bit my lip and started paddling out. One of my finer moments, no doubt. I forget that I am no longer ten years old and invincible. Well, live and learn. I hope you are all happy and healthy! Much Love, Beck.

Safe and Sound

Just a note to let you all know that I have arrived back in Coffs Harbour relatively unscathed (except that my body no longer wants to be in a seated position, it wants to be in a straight line/horizontal and in a proper bed).

My flight from San Francisco to Sydney was delayed 24 hours due to an engineer strike. I have learned to find the humour in these types of situations and to remember to just go with the flow. Plus, it takes a few bad flights and delays to apreciate the really great flights. In February, on my flight to Australia, I was running to the restroom every couple of minutes to be sick (for 13 hours). On my flight home, I scored three seats and lots of sleep. Two very contrasting experiences. This flight was uneventful except for the 24 hour delay part. And the interesting people watching. People do crazy things when things don't go their way. One woman even yelled at the flight attendants and complained about waiting for 24 hours(which everyone else on the flight did as well) and not getting the exit row seat she wanted. I guess you can learn a lot from people like that. I wonder what my next flight will be like:)


And just one more thing....just so all of you who are enjoying the warm summer weather know...it is really cold here!! BRRRRRRRRRR........ So enjoy it and take care of yourselves.
Lots of love, Becky