Colorado Sunrise

Ahhhhh Colorado, it's good to be back. Like really really good. Even better since Janelle's by my side. We like kickin' it snow style.

So I'm pretty sure she's loving it so far. I'm basing this conclusion on the fact that almost everyday she says "that was the best day ever" and also the fact that whenever we drive around a corner and she sees a new mountain or a fresh patch of snow she utters an almost breathless "wow"

So between a private serenade from the Casa Bonita Mariachi Band, The Johnny Night: Johnny Rockets followed by our new best friend Johnny at The Hard Rock swinging us free "Johnny's High School Reunion" cocktails, resulting in a hilarious "movie night with Bella", a superbly entertaining basketball game courtesy of the out of time band and the out of sync cheerleaders, Elisha & Dan's Chili's initiation, the most gangster night of our lives- complete with Colorado locals Meese & 3Oh!3 shimmying while they woot wooed, a trek up to the mountains to buy a mountain load of Mac cosmetics before free falling with MJ, JT, Guns 'N' Roses & obviously Tom Petty playing in the background as we tubed down the crazy snow covered mountains (nice snow-ver-alls Elisha), and last but certainly not least, stumbling upon a copy of the not yet released 500 Days Of Summer... Well I guess I'd have to agree with her. That was the best day ever. Wow.

And apart from all of that, the 9 days of Chrismukkah have begun. 8 days of presents, followed by 1 day of many presents. We are up to day 5, and our gifts for each other so far have been freakishly similar. We know each other way to well. More presents tomorrow, hooray!

Happy Holidays People!

Be safe & be happy... and be jealous, cause we are having too much fun.

"And as long as it's ok with you I think I'll stay right here... Happy as a clam I see the glimmer in your eyes, hold you through the night and watch that Colorado sunrise." 3OH!3

City Of Blinding Lights

Janelephant is HERE!

After a hideously delayed flight, a missed bus to NYC, and a lot of "oh my gah, I can't believe you're here" we managed to use our little aussie accents and get ourselves on a later bus.. and we were on our way. Hello 4:30am, it's time to fall asleep, only to wake up to..

"I CAN SEE THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING!"-Janelle.
"Are you sure, it might've just been a big bank." -Dan.

We had arrived.

Ah yes. Time for some Starbucks. Holiday drinks all round. We had a killer day. After we were successfully caffeinated, we made our way to The Empire State Building. Seriously. Good View. On so many levels. (Right Janelle?!) And then we roamed around aimlessly, just taking it all in. NYC just gets better & better with every second. Hard Rock Cafe Times Square. Oh yeh. And dude. That is one seriously massive Christmas Tree. And the amount of people lining up to see it- MADNESS. So so so good to see KAT & SHHAMES. Especially loved stumbling across the rooftop bar & stealing someones private table. Ha. But nothing beats the cowboy bar. Except for maybe everything in the whole world. Too funny. We'll always have thermals. Cocktails at Planet Hollywood with Robert Pattinson's hand prints. Ah yes. Again.

Sleeeeeeeeeeeeep. Big shout out to Papa Smith for hooking us up with a massive kick ass hotel room on the Brooklyn Bridge. Holla!

Morning Snapples in Central Park, kickin it in the rain, followed by an OH SO ROMANTIC carriage ride. I proposed. She said no, due to the fact that she likes boys and I'm her cousin. Fair. And then... 5th avenue. Hello most amazing window displays in the universe. Oh. I'm in love. Tiffanys is like soooooooo much bigger and better in NYC. We tried so much on, took lots of snaps, and spoiled ourselves. Sorry credit card. Then some wining and dining at Trump Towers. There is something incredible about purchasing a bottle of water with Donald Trump's face on it. YOU'RE FIRED. Taxi! Last stop, Broadway. I'm gonna say it, Rock Of Ages was the best musical I've ever seen. Songs by Journey, Bon Jovi, Mr Big, Pat Benatar, Europe, Starship, Foreigner, Poison & REO Speedwagon. We were in our "I wish we had been teenagers in the 80's" element.

I've said it before. But this time I mean it.

BEST.

WEEKEND.

EVER.

Janelle- welcome to America...

"And I miss you when you're not around, I'm getting ready to leave the ground.. Oh you look so beautiful tonight, In the city of blinding lights." U2

California

It's not what you think.

California MD.

Once again, no, not what you think. I'm not talking about a doctor named California.

California, Maryland...

It's where my host family has been re-located. And I'm so bored. It's pretty. But that's about it. It looks like Forks. But let's be honest ladies, Forks without The Cullens and Jac-abs, is just a forest. And I haven't spotted any Twi-like talent as yet. This place makes me LONG for an afternoon at Marion. Yes, Marion. THERE IS NO MALL HERE. Boo.

So, I'm done. They're gonna try and find me a new host family to work for, but if they can't... Well, then I'll be seeing you a little sooner than expected Australia. I love the USA, but there is no way in hell I gave up a year of cuddles with my baby Gugs, a house on the beach & the bestest friends imaginable for this place. Ef that.

So stay tuned for updates, DG may be coming to a city a near you soon!

"Distance ripped us farther and farther and farther away... I'll see you soon, just say that you want to see me too. Come back from California." COPELAND

Was It A Dream?

I just met Jared Leto.

I.

JUST.

MET.

JARED.

LETO.

My brain is about too explode.

Jordan Catalano was most certainly the inspiration for the title of my blog. I cannot believe after 15 years of adoration I just met him. The world spins right tonight. Happy.

So clearly I just got back from the 30 Seconds to Mars show. And I don't even know what to write. So I'll just say this. Everything was perfect. The Kill acoustic. Then The Kill not so acoustic. Kings & Queens was one of the best songs I have ever heard live. Without a doubt. Jared's vocal was flawless. A Beautiful Lie blew my mind. And as I hovered/stalked/waited patiently outside it began to snow. It was positively beautiful. I love these little moments of perfection.

"Was it a dream? Was it a dream? Is this the only evidence that proves it..." 30 SECONDS TO MARS

Friday I'm In Love

Due to the epic tale of "The Flu That Stole Thanksgiving" I found myself celebrating that blessed holiday (that I honestly have no idea about- thank you pilgrims for something... IGNORANT) a day late. But considering I really had no idea what I was doing, let's be honest once more and state that I know more about Slapsgiving than Thanksgiving, it seemed ok to postpone the celebratory yam session.

And it was well worth it.

Combining the fabulousness of pouring endless amounts of brown sugar on a vegetable (yes, yes, I only just figured out that a yam is in fact a sweet potato), with the biggest turkey I've ever seen in my entire life, CINNABON, and the wonderful, wonderful shopping extravaganza known as Black Friday (yes I needed another iPod, it was on BLACK FRIDAY SALE, and all my tunage doesn't fit on my other three. Don't judge me), we had quite the "Thanksgiving"

Yep. I liked it. Look out Australia, this time next year I'm making you all turkey and sugar covered vegetables.

Sugary sugary vegetables.

Anyway. All I really care about is the fact that Janelephant will be here in eleven American sleeps. And I'll be seeing Jared Leto in one.

GIVE THANKS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqpPFT-F-bs

"I don't care if Monday's blue, Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too. Thursday I don't care about you, It's Friday, I'm in love. Monday you can fall apart. Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart. Oh Thursday doesn't even start, It's Friday, I'm in love... You can never get enough, enough of this stuff, It's Friday, I'm in love." THE CURE

The Fever

Of course I'm sick on Thanksgiving. Boo. I'm so not thankful for that. Not even a little bit.

But I am thankful for the ability to snuggle up in sweat pants on the couch with pink lemonade to watch THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE. I have a new goal in life. I want to be IN the parade. Maybe not as a giant balloon. But. I need to get on one of those floats and wave. I just gotta.

Til then, I guess I have these things to be thankful for...

-15 sleeps til I get to jump on Janelephant
-Starbucks holiday drinks
-2 more episodes of GLEE
-Jacob Black
-21 sleeps til Chrismukkah begins
-My parentals
-Walmart
-5 sleeps til I'll be standing in the same room as Jared Leto
-Snickers Ice Cream Bars
-35 sleeps til Mayer Hawthorne & John Mayer help us ring in The New Year in Vegas
-Black Friday Sales
-Never having to see that gross guy from Johnny Rockets ever again
-7 nights at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas baby
-Skype
-Scrubs season 8
-Big Red
-Owl City's Ocean Eyes

And lastly... Absolutely everyone and everything I took for granted back home. I love you. I miss you. And I now appreciate you more than ever. And as much as I love this crazy country, I can't wait to get back to you.

"When the summer is gone it won't be long til someones got the fever creeping inside. When the city is moving and the eyes of yours are moving and you just can't stop, you just can't fight it!" THE ACADEMY IS...

High Times

Well it's been awhile between drinks...

But it's been worth it.

I've pretty much spent the last week at the airport. First stop, Cowboy Land, TEXAS. I'd love to tell you stories about mechanical bulls and ridiculously high cowboy boots, but unfortunately, all I really saw was the inside of Chillis, Walmart and our hotel... The joys of travelling for work.

But never fear. ARIZONA is here. Or at least, I was there. Enter the best weekend ever created.

So so so friggen good to hang out with Jeremiah and his Mrs... (or as they are now, and forever will be, Mama Bear & Papa Bear) Between hitting up some Saved By The Bell action, $1 drink specials, In & Out (animal style y'all), Tootsie Rolls, the best burritos known to man kind, a quaint little Landon Pigg show, the worst episode of SNL ever, a killer party playlist, the car wash dance, and the biggest Corona I have ever seen, well, I'm gonna go ahead and say it was perfection at it's finest. Needless to say, I think I might run away from my host family and hide from immigration in Mama and Papa's hot tub.

DID I MENTION WE MET LANDON PIGG?

And by met, I mean stalked. Quite possibly the sweetest person alive. One day will wed. Until then, I'm just gonna go to sleep watching Whip It every night.

Quotes that sum up the trinity of party:

"You should take a picture of my foot, cause it's wasted."-Mama
"My beer's a man eater"-Papa
"We should get some burritos and just leave em in the car"-Mama
"I'm so Edward Cullen"-Baby
"It's called the Jonas brother disco stick!"-Mama
"When you've got something to say, just twitter bitch it!"-Papa
"Rinse your mouth out with cactus."-Mama

"And I wish I could explain, but I just ain't got the time, so I'll show ya, watch out now, here it goes!" LANDON PIGG

Waiting For This

Let's travel back in time, shall we?

Way back before I had a clue about anything. Way back before I discovered the art of a full scalp bleach, a mani pedi, Mac Cosmetics, Steve Madden, other alcoholic beverages than UDL's, Brunswick Street, iTunes & iPods & iPhones... Way back before I found all the things that made me ME.

Way back before drama. There was Hanson.

Year 9. 14 years old. My room was covered, roof to floor, wall to wall, in Taylor Hanson. I donned Hanson apparel, accessories, my first house key was attached to my Hanson keyring, I owned every Smash hits, TV Hits, Popstar, Albums, Singles, Videos (yes, pre DVD era)

I was obsessed. And slightly unbalanced.

Yes.

My first love.

Dictionary.com tells me that the meaning of love is, "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person."

And that pretty much sums up my second year of High School.

So when they toured Australia a few years later, I found myself thinking I was way too good to go see them. (and by too good, I mean too embarrassed) I had moved on. I had fallen out of love.

But that's the thing about first love. There's something about it. Every love there after stands to be compared. And in comparison, future loves never quite make the cut.

So here I am. In Denver, Colorado, 12 years later, returning unabashedly to my first love. Yes. That was me. Front row last night at the Ogden Theatre, hyperventilating as Taylor Hanson reached down to take my hand. Breathe.

It's pretty easy to get lost in the crap our lives are made up of. But if I could go back to that 14 year old girl, before she faced many a heart break, I'd tell her to enjoy the good moments. No matter how cheesy and lame they may seem, if those moments make you smile, well, just smile. Cause those cheesy, lame dreams may just come true.

Even if it's 12 years too late.

"Without a doubt girl you're ahead of your time... Cause I know that you've been thinkin' bout it, and I know they think you're out of your mind. All of this time, I know that you've been waiting for this." HANSON

Halloweenhead

I like Halloween.

I've always liked Halloween, but Halloween in the USA. Well. It's slightly better. And by slightly, I mean a whole lot.

Halloween Eve was spent with MJ in Imax, quite possibly one of the greatest/most devastating films of all time. After every 5 minutes, Elisha and I just looked at each other in disbelief that we would never see the man live. (and then proceed to laugh at the tools who would burst into applause sporadically)

By the way, dinner at the OUTBACK, unable to get drinks cause my ID was AUSTRALIAN. Yeh that makes sense.

And then there was Halloween. October 31st, I like you. We made Jack O Lantern pizza. And by "made" I mean, I got in the car, put on some Death Cab and went to the pizza store, picked it up, and put it in the oven. I was so sad to slice it up, cause it was so pretty. Trick or Treaters were TOO CUTE. Little munchkins in their Star Wars and Ghost Busters costumes. Priceless.

And then we were off. Wig. Check. False Eyelashes. Check. Fangs. Check. The GLAMPIRE & The SAILOR were ready to hit downtown. Starbucks cups in hand, it was taxi time. (and thanks to Nastia's brilliant idea from last weekend, there was no actual Starbucks in said cups) We beat the system! Danced all night, Petrone in hand, met some "interesting" people, saw some "interesting" costumes, and pretty much had a really good time. Hooray.

Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses are the best things ever.


"I've got a halloweenhead. Head full of tricks and treats, it leads me through the night time streets..." RYAN ADAMS

The Ice Is Getting Thinner

So it's been snowing. Lots. And it's so good! And I learnt something yesterday. Snow is freakin' cold!! Who'd of thunk it. I woke up yesterday and bolted outside, barefoot, in an attempt to see what jumping into a rediculous amount of snow felt like. And ironically, I still do not know, due to the fact that my feet went so numb, so fast, I didn't actually feel anything. 28 hours later and my feet are still a charming shade of blue... (ok, I might be slightly over exaggerating on the colour of my feet, but still.)

The weirdest thing, is that even though it's been snowing the past two days, and EVERYTHING is completely white, it's super sunny today. Colorado, I do not understand you. How can it be freezing one minute, then sunny the next. You confuse me. By tomorrow, all this snow will probably have melted and I'll be taking the kiddies in shorts and t-shirts to the playground. Mental.

So it's official. I'm a winter girl. Gap sweaters are my newest best friend. We hang out lots. Steve Madden is also up there- props for designing the coolest ugg boots ever. And a big shout out to Walmart, for having everything I need in one place. You make my life so much easier.

I wanna live here forever.

"We're not the same dear, as we used to be, the seasons have changed and so have we... And the ice kept getting thinner with ever word that we'd speak." DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

King Of The Rodeo

Yesterday I felt like my mother's daughter. Total farm girl. Hello hay rides, carnival food & a giant pumpkin patch...

So Halloween is just around the corner, and I'm a bit excited. Get your GLAMPIRE fangs ready.

Yesterday we trekked up to whoop whoop and hunted for pumpkins to carve. I've never seen so much pumpkin and kettle corn in my life. Granted, I didn't know what kettle corn was until yesterday, but I still saw A LOT of it.

Anyways. I had to bite my tongue. Numerous times. Cause the amount of cowboy hats that were taken for a spin... Well, there was just way too many to count. But. I'm guessing those cowboys and cowgirls probably aren't sporting the freshly sunburnt look that I am. So that brings us to a grand total of: 1 cowboys, 0 Dan.

Dang it.

More halloween madness to come...

"Cowgirl King of the rodeo, let the good times roll, let the good times roll." KINGS OF LEON

Typical

2 months without my own car.

How typical Dan- I hate driving when I have complete access to one, and now, I'd kill to drive everywhere, everyday.

HA.

Apparently I'm getting one very soon. HOORAY. Til then, I'll continue to drive that giant 4WD, trying desperately not to get it impounded while parking downtown for Mutemath concerts!

(SEGWAY)

So. Mutemath. Last night. So insane. So good. So so so so good. Killer dance moves provided by various band members (and supporting band members, no one can move quite like As Tall As Lions) One of the most mental encores I have ever witnessed. So much broken equipment. Better use of a keytar than the steller Justin Timberlake. I kid you not. And if I closed my eyes (which I didn't, um, I wanted to SEE the show)I swear there were moments where I could hear Sting. Incredible vocal.

The twi-hard moment was pretty funny also. You see, Elisha pointed out to me a bunch of girls in the front row looking super unhappy. I'm pretty sure their eyes were saying "why am I here"
We continued to laugh at their lack of enthusiasm throughout the evening, and I predicted that the only reason they were there was because Spotlight landed on the Twilight Soundtrack. I was correct. Second song of the encore and these little ladies came alive. It was like they actually thought Edward Cullen was about to fall from the sky. And I'm not gonna pretend that hearing that song live didn't make me feel like I too could walk into a school as a ripe old vampire, sporting some kick ass sunnies, and just be uber cool at everything. But that didn't make it any less funny.

I love Denver Diner.

Life continues to be crazy. Unpredicatable. And just whatever. Here's to happy moments.

"Come on, can't I dream for one day, there's nothing that can't be done. But how long should it take somebody, before they can be someone... And I'm feeling like it's now or never, can I break the spell of the typical." MUTEMATH

Who Says

Today I'm reminded of why I'm so lucky.

For every jerk who thinks it's there place in my life to write an email detailing what they think is wrong with my family, there's a whole bunch of people who choose to write an email of encouragement. A text message. A "Ping". A facebook comment. A "like". A tweet. A skype chat, just to say they're there.

So many people contacted me in response to my last blog entry, and I just wanted to say thank you. The road really doesn't seem so long when you've got people standing by your side, walking it with you. (Especially when you're on, like, a million social networking sites!!)

Wait. Do I still have a MySpace??? Meh.

I can honestly say, I would not be progressing, growing, and just living without the amazing support of my friends. There is no one like you. You show me how to be a friend. And I thank you so much for that. In the last year I've had the amazing opportunity to discover who my true friends are, and what true friendship means, and I'll never forget a minute of it.

One of the things I'm loving about being so far away from you all at the moment, is that I'm really appreciating what I so easily took for granted. If I haven't said it enough, THANK YOU.

Janelephant, Sh-danners, Krystal-mas & Red. 4 of the bestest friends a girl could ever ask for. We've all been through so much together. You guys are everything I want to be in a friend. I miss you all so much. You have put up with so much, you actually rule the world.


"Who says I can't be free? From all of the things I used to be. Re-write my history..." JOHN MAYER

Wait It Out

So here goes. A serious one. You may not want to read this one. Just gotta get this out.

Well, the main reason I'm on the other side of the world right now, is to breathe. It's been such an intense couple of messed up years. And time is passing, it is getting easier, and for those of you standing back watching what is my life unfold, it may seem like I should be over it. Like I should be ok now. Like maybe it should stop hurting. And not to be brat, but if that's what you're thinking maybe you should stop reading (AND STOP SENDING ME NASTY EMAILS), cause guess what? You don't have a friggen clue.

Not to be a whinge. But. This is the purpose of my trip. To process. To forgive. To move on. To understand. To understand that I'll never understand.

And I am. I'm processing. I'm forgiving. I'm moving on. I'm understanding that no amount of processing, forgiving & moving on, will ever allow me to understand.

And that's ok.

So clearly I'm having a hard day. First tears in 48 days. Not to shabby for the overly emotional being that I am. It's all itunes fault. HA. Just when you thought you'd deleted everything, you realise, not so much.

But it's all good. Dealing with everything. No matter how much it hurts, I know that each day it's gonna hurt a little less. And it's ok that it's taking me so long. Cause I'd rather deal properly. No point pretending right? Right.

When everything first started going down, every morning I'd wake up & say "one day closer to the miracle"

Now I wake up & say "one day closer to leaving all this behind"

It's really just that simple. One day at time. And I'm so lucky & blessed to be having new experiences, I'm so thankful. And truly happy.

And at the end of the crazy day, I love my family. I have and will love them through everything. Nothing in this world could change that. And I really miss them. And I wish I had been strong enough to stay. But I'm proud that I was strong enough to leave.

I'm gonna be just fine.

"Where do we go from here? How do we carry on? I can't get beyond the questions. Clambering for the scraps in the shatter of us collapsed. It cuts me with every could have been... Everybody says time heals everything, but what of the wretched hollow, the endless in between?" IMOGEN HEAP

Blown Away

Soooooooo. I've meet some really cool people. And they may or may not own guns.

I'm leaning more towards may.

Which is strange to me, but over here "everybody's doing it"

Seriously. Everyone owns guns. It's like majorly legal. And crazy. And I can't quite wrap my head around it. But apparently, it makes people feel safe. We just shoot cans. But other people. Well I guess they shoot each other. Frick. Anyway. I don't want one. I just like to hold them and take photos so I feel badass.

It's the little differences like this that make this country "special"

Other special differences include:

Malls open til 9pm every night.

Drive through Starbucks.

Movie screenings after 10pm.

Full House re-runs 4 times daily.

Alcohol in the supermarket.

Ranch on everything.

But the strangest difference I've stumbled upon? Showing ID when you use a key card. What the heck?

"Hi, I'd just like to chuck this lip gloss on my credit card, oh dang it, I forgot my passport. Shoot."

So odd.

But people are really nice here. After they spend 10 minutes checking your ID, they spend the rest of your shopping trip asking about kangaroos & Hugh Jackman. I assure them that neither have ever lived in my backyard. Shame. Speaking of guns...

But anyway. Having the bestest time. Learning lots. Unlearning a whole bunch of other shiznit.

Feeling like I may just be getting back to my old self. And very happy to be still standing. Thank God for fresh starts. Thank God for a lot of things...

"Days, I've missed so many days. In a world that has become an unfamiliar place... When revelation calls.." SHINY TOY GUNS

Falling Slowly

Snow.

26 years in, and I finally see me some snow. (No, we are not counting that brown icy stuff we found on top of some random Tasmanian mountain when I was 14)

Unfortunately, I took a lot of beautiful pictures on my camera without the memory card in it. Not cool. Luckily I had my camera in one hand & my iPhone in the other, snapping away like I'd just bumped into Jared Leto, otherwise I'd have nothing to show for it.

Now, it's only September, Fall has just begun, so there's gonna be much more snow to come! They're talking snow storms on the 4 o'clock news. What's with 4 o'clock news? I can wait. It's so darn cold and I love it. I'm a little scared about driving in the snow- cause if driving on the opposite side of the road, on the opposite side of the car, with deer & elk & squirrels running across the road randomly doesn't scare ya, the freakishly random snow storms will. (Oh yeh, and the other day on the way back from Monolith Festival, we pulled over to this car accident that was caused by an OWL swooping someones windscreen. Seriously. Wildlife. What the.)

Luckily for said wildlife, I still drive like a grandma.

It's pretty safe to say, enjoy your stinkin' hot summer holidays Australia, I'm havin' me a white Christmas!

SNOW ANGEL OUT.

"Falling Slowly, eyes that know me and I can't go back... You have suffered enough and warred with yourself, it's time that you won." GLEN HANSARD

Long Distance Call

Well, since we spoke last, I...

Hit Downtown Denver, Petrone shots + dancing to MJ & ACDC = good times!

Skyped a lot. Missing my Janelephant & fam a whole lot this week. Twas well wicked to have a date with my Janelle, and to be joined by her mingy minga besty- miss tanny chops herself- Soph. We read each other our countries latest Rolling Stone. We are actually that lame. AND. I got to see my babies, I think Lij is getting used to seeing me on a computer. OH I MISS THOSE KIDDIES.

Ventured out stag to Monolith Music Festival. Met some of the greatest people in the world.Yay team Colorado, you're so friendly. The "don't take rides & beers from strangers" rule does not apply here. I'm still trying to figure out what makes an organic hot dog organic, but who cares, when you're standing next to the drummer from The Dandy Warhols, don't question the hot dog.

Loved loved loved Passion Pit & Phoenix... And The Mars Volta were so damn entertaining.

Got really angry at Kanye for being a douche bag.

Stayed glued to the CW.

Kicked it with the ladies at The Hard Rock, cocktails & cherry cigars all round. Gosh I love my life.

And lastly, got really friggen sick. Apparently it is not wise to work all day & play all night. Pfft. Whatever. All I know is when you get sick in the ultimate land of sugar (I swear it's like living in a real life game of candyland here- I've got halloween oreos & chocolate chip cookie dough pop tarts coming out of my ears) you are rewarded with mini peanut butter cups. Now that's some good medicine.

"Far gone but your long distance call and your capital letters keep me asking for more. Long time no see. Long time no say." PHOENIX

A Dustland Fairytale

Welcome to the greatest night of my existence.

Big Call.

But seriously. The Killers, under the stars, at Red Rocks, the maddest amphitheatre in the entire world, Brandon Flowers running up, jumping onto a rock in front of my face, obtaining a SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT toothbrush...

Oh. My. Gah.

Insane.

I could go on. And I probably will. And I know I've seen them before, but seriously, Australia, your venues suck. Red Rocks may possibly be the greatest place I've ever been to. And that dang amphitheatre did those boys justice. The sound quality was absolute perfection. The stage was madness, fireworks and confetti just shooting out of who knows where, cause it certainly wasn't falling from the non existing ceiling. Masses of people just dancing, not a bad seat in the place- being short can't hurt me here!

And.

To add to what in my mind, was utter perfection, The Killers leave the stage, after encore, and as they walk out, Henry Mancini's Moon River strikes up. Moon River, under the stars, as Brandon Flowers walks away, leaving behind a trail of sparkles and a very happy Danielle.

"He looked just like you'd want him to, some kind of slick chrome American Prince, A blue jean serenade, moon river, what you do to me." THE KILLERS

Brand New Day

Today was interesting.

I went to church with my host family. It was so different to anything I'd ever been to. It was a Methodist church, so very traditional & super small. But. Despite me being out of my comfort zone (that seems to be happening quite a bit lately), I definately realised something...

See, I took the time to look around, to read people's expressions, to try & interpret their body language... And you know what? When you take the time to look around, you often SEE things. I saw people with hope & contentment. And that wasn't a result of some flashy service, a huge crowd, or even because it was "expected"

It was because they were free.

Freedom can look very different to different people. I think we so often get stuck in trying to be "free" in a place where we are really restricted. How can one be free when they are bound?

So in my ongoing journey of discovery, today I learnt this: No matter what you believe, and no matter how your faith is outworked- believe what you're saying, serve where you feel called, and never let anyone tell you what to believe or how to believe it.

You may sing 50 year old, boring as heck hymns, you may kick it in a modern church where you can dance around, but whatever way you express your beliefs, just make sure you actually believe what your life is saying. Cause really, at the end of the day, it's between you and one other person.

And everyone else can stick it!

"Make your past your past... It's a brand new day, for the first time in such a long time, I know I'll be ok. This cycle never ends, gotta fall in order to mend." JOSHUA RADIN

Free Fallin'

Well I'm getting there.


Crazy-ass week, which is not even remotely a bad thing. Looks like I may have to go cowboy hat shopping (or even just cowboy shopping), cause my host family is 99% sure that we're moving to Texas in the next month. Woah. Didn't see that one coming. Lucky I'm a big fan of change!


Really do kinda feel like I'm falling into some unknown, unplanned, big load of who knows what. So odd. And refreshingly scary. Cause if I've learnt one thing in my 26 insane years, it's to never allow yourself to trust the comfort of what you see as your reality. Who knows how real it is anyway? Right. So throw away trust. Throw away comfort. And just embrace whatever it is you find yourself in. Even if it's a big fat mess.


So me and Colorado are enjoying our fleeting romance. Met some classic people already. And with the revelation of my romance having an expiary date, we are killin it as much as possible. It's amazing how many margaritas & mani-pedis you can fit into a month.


The best part about falling on your ass? Getting back up again.


"She's a good girl, loves her Mama, loves Jesus, and America too... Gonna free fall out into nothing, gonna leave this world for awhile, and I'm free, free fallin'..." TOM PETTY

A Sunday

Well. It's Sunday. And today was fan-freakin-tastic. My employer works for NASA (so if Christi-Ann can go around saying she worked for P Diddy, I can now say I work for NASA) And today, my lovely friends at NASA booked out an entire theme park for their employees & families.

Booyah.

So we hit Elitch Gardens, Denver... and it was insane in the membrane. Uber fun. Who needs the royal show? Am I right ladies?! Bah. Cookie Dough Dippin' Dots rule. Kickin' it with the kids was so good. Dancing around to Eric Hutchinson & The Jo Bros. Ahhhh so good. Carousel? Again? Works for me.

Life is swell.

Skype. I love you. Thank you for making it possible for me to give my Mumma the forks from the other side of the world. Genius. (Insert anniversary well wishes to the olds here.)

Today I learnt: Convenience is key.

Exhibit A- Drive through ATM. Exhibit B- Starbucks inside grocery store.

"On a Sunday go once around, because when the rides done, the hopes that you've carried, they fall out from your hands & back to the ground" JIMMY EAT WORLD

Breakfast In NYC

I could live forever if I had an endless supply of bagels and Snapple.

Ok, so, I've just left New York, after 5 super intense days of Au Pair training and acting like a crazed tourist. Oh. My. Gah.

I think I want to live there forever and ever and ever. So yeh. Bagel in one hand. Snapple in the other.

I made a new best friend. Times Square. He's just so pretty and bright and brill. Together we danced to Gaga, joined team Lauren, and hung out with Edward Cullun's prom suit. Mmmmmm.

Favourite contradiction of the week- "girls, let's spend the entire day learning about gross germs and bacteria, and then head back to the communal showers where everyone's water runs together." VOMIT.

Good times. Good new friends. Bad showers.

"Breakfast in New York, and I know that we're dreaming..." OPPENHEIMER

Butterflies & Hurricanes

So here we go.

Welcome to the next 525600 minutes of my life.

For those of you who aren't super good at math (or living your life vicariously through RENT), I welcome you to the next year of my life.

August 2009 marks a goodbye. And a welcome one at that. The last 525600 minutes of my life weren't so hot, SO, I decided to do something about it.

So goodbye crazy year. Hello happiness.

Next week, I get my ass on a plane, and head to a new country, a new job, a new bunch of people, and I start again.

And I’m so freakin' excited. And a little bit scared. And a whole lot of nervous. But mostly just excited.

Hooray for 525600 minutes of awesomeness.

“Change everything you are, and everything you were, your number has been called” MUSE