Hello Again

I have seriously been slacking on this whole blog thing. I love doing it but I don't sit in front of a computer all day like most people I know (I'm sure you are guilty of blogging at work). Blogging would have been the perfect thing to do to waste my time at work ha.

Highlights since I last posted include starting my jewelry class, an awesome concert, and a new tattoo! Pics of all three to come but I only have the concert ones available now.

Since moving to New Zealand I have been introduced to all kinds of awesome new music. There is seriously so many cool and interesting artists here that I didn't even know existed. Their music is equally cool and interesting and most of it you can't even find on itunes.

Like Six 60, for example. AMAZING band and they aren't even signed! I was lucky enough to go to their concert on Thursday. Aaaand at the San Francisco Bath House (awesome venue, not just because of the name :)

My favorite song:



I went with my friend Jo from work and we had a blast







They also covered California Love which was amazing



I can't wait to go to more NZ gigs!

Roadtrip!

This past weekend I took an awesome roadtrip to Taupo with my friends Lauren and Nat. We had one of those uber-girly -scream-music- at- the- top- of- your- lungs-jump- in- the- ocean- with- your- clothes- on- drink- too- much- wine- and- eat- too- many- sweets kind of weekends. Love it.




{I didn't even set my camera to "black and white" for this one!}





Crazy girls









Weekends like this remind me of when Allie and I used to roadtrip up to see Miss Mary in Ashland. Such amazing times. Miss you girls!

Feeling Homesick Today

When I left home over 2 months ago I never really thought about the little things I would miss. I obviously knew missing my family and friends would be at the top of the list, but I surprise myself and kind of chuckle at the other little (and sometimes weird) things I miss about home on a daily basis.

In no particular order...

• Driving
• Pizza and salad Mondays with my parents
• The view from my cubicle at good ol salesforce
• CHEAP magazines (they cost around $15 here!!!)
• Anthropologie (shopping online just isn't the same)
• Ryoko's
• Knowing where the best craft and bead stores are and being able to hop in the car and go immediately once the inspiration hits
• The Alameda Flea Market
• My fuzzy blue blanket
• My bathrobe
• Sunday brunch in the city with friends
• Having a bathtub side to put your leg on to shave while in the shower (I'm sure you all understand)
• 24 and Project Runway
• Watching the seasons change from Winter, to Spring, to Summer...

To counter-balance all this homesickness I will also make a list of things that I love about NZ

• The fruit - unreal crunchy apples and AMAZING pineapple
• The slang - Bru, Sweet As, Choice
• New hip hop artists to listen to
• Being able to do a nature hike right outside my backyard
• SUMMER
• Cute new shops and boutiques to explore
• Walking everywhere
• Sunday food markets by the water
• Bars open til 6am
• Hot accents
• Finally getting used to looking right when I cross the street
• Constantly meeting new people
• Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
• Picnic Bars
• The Te Papa Museum Store

I didn't even make those two lists the same length on purpose! It's a good feeling to know that for everything I miss from home there is something I love about being here. I guess that's what being away from home is all about. Finding new loves to replace the old, even if they are only temporary.

Beer Fest!

Yay! I remembered to take some pics at the beer fest this weekend!

Shoe Love

{images via anthropologie.com}

Fun Days

Or nights, really. I like to call them days though, seeing as I am nocturnal now :)

Me and my boss. Yes, that's a slide in the middle of the city at 5am.



My fellow bartenders



New friend Angie



Some table dancing fun



Lauren getting her groove on



These are a special treat since I usually forget to take pictures when I am out on the town. I am trying to get better though. Stay tuned, hopefully I will remember to take some good ones at the beer festival tomorrow!

Dear Santa...

..... too early?

{Image via anthropologie.com}

My Little San Fran

Wellington is such a beautiful little city. It reminds me so much of San Francisco it makes my heart ache and feel at ease all at the same time. Here are a few pics of my little San Fran

My house



More SF-like houses



The Marina Beach



The Embarcadero




The Bridge



Just kidding. I wish!









My new little city by the bay... I love you Welly!

The Great Debate

Whenever I travel my Little Angel and Little Devil battle it out in every cute boutique, bazaar, and market. The Great Debate usually goes something like this:

Little Angel: "Now Kat, be good, you don't have a lot of money and that (shirt, necklace, ring, notepad...) is much too expensive."

Little Devil: "No way! How many times are you going to be in (insert country name here) and have a chance to buy something THIS unique and amazing?!"

Little Angel: "That's true, but you need to save your money for practical things like food and rent!"

Little Devil: "Just buy it! You have a job and you get paid on Tuesday!"

Hmmmmmmm...


guess I'll push the grocery shopping to next week...




How cute would my new shirt look with this orange flower corsage from Ban.do?!

It also looks cute with my orange Pigenhole earrings :)

A Bit of Back-tracking

Alrighty, trying to get the hang of this whole blogging thing. I realize that I only ever read blogs that are updated consistently. Must. Update. Consistently.

Although I have now been in Wellington for over 3 weeks (what?!) I decided to back-track a bit for this post and throw up a few pictures from my 22 hours in Beijing, 2 weeks in Australia, and 10 days in the South Island.

I had such an amazing month of travel! I went from -17 degrees (Celsius that is, sounds more dramatic that way) in Beijing...



To a whopping 43 degrees Celsius (109 F) in Oz! I have been to this Land of Oz before, so beautiful! I got to revisit a few places I had been and also hang with my awesome friend Lucy (and her amazingly cute dog, Dexter) who I met in Croatia this past summer!



Then I was off to New Zealand! I spent a day in Wellington while I waited for my awesome Aussie friends, Karen and Alex to pick me up in our rent-a-car.

And to back-track a bit more, I randomly met Karen and Alex during a crazy night out in Greece this past September...



Then randomly bumped into them in Barcelona two weeks later! What a small world it is.



To finish off their 7 month trip around the world, Karen and Alex headed to New Zealand for their last 3 weeks before heading back to their home in Oz. We had kept in touch since our Holiday in Spain and planned to do a road trip of the South Island once they arrived in NZ.

Amazing. We did everything from wine tasting to jet-boating and saw the beach, glaciers, and a rain forest all within a 30 minute drive of each other.



Ah. I love traveling.

Not exactly NEW zeal...

Zeal: fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor
Synonyms: intensity, passion

It really is an old zeal I have for New Zealand. Ever since I traveled here years ago with this lovely lady and our high school choir, I have been wanting to come back.

And not only did I want to come back to visit, I wanted to come back to LIVE. Something has been pulling me, pushing me to get back here; an itch I haven't been able to scratch until now.

10 years later, here I am! After much planning, debating, side-line traveling, and saving of course :) So, I quit my job in San Francisco, headed to Europe for 2 months, came home again to properly say goodbye to friends and family, and bought a one-way ticket to the Land Down Under.

After 22 hours in Beijing, 2 weeks in Australia, and 10 days in the South Island, I am finally here in Wellington (Southern most tip of the North Island for those of you who are geographically challenged). Windy Welly, except for the actual wind, is my perfect little home away from home. A bite-sized San Francisco. I love it here even more than I thought I would. A beautiful, clean, fun, funky and cool town disquised as a city.

It's funny how dreams, projects, passions, and desires nag at you and don't let you sleep until they are full-filled in some way (or is that just me?)... because now I am here and a huge part of me feels at peace. Like my life here has just been sitting and having tea, patiently waiting for me all this time. Is that because I think I am supposed to be here for some other-worldly cosmic reason, or am I just obsessed about getting what I want out of life and now I can rest because I can check this next thing off of my list?

I guess I'll find out :)