Closing Up Shop

I'm at the Kansas City Airport and have an hour before my plane heads to Belize with a connecting flight in Houston. The plan was to meet Sharon and Jon for their connecting flight in Houston en route to South America, but I just found out that our flight time has been bumped to an hour earlier. We were really hoping to see each other since I missed her wedding in London two days earlier. I was 100 per cent committed to going, especially since I'd never been to London. However, nine months ago, one of my best friend's from Lufkin, Emily, asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. Of course I had to say yes. But her wedding was in Missouri on the 1st September, whereas Sharon's was in London on the 31st of August. One of my best friend's from college, Marco, was also getting married two weeks later in September in LA. The timing couldn't be better for a trip back to the States.

Committed to going to these two weddings, Dave and I booked our flights in February earlier this year. Since we had already been to our homes in Texas and Canada in December 2012, we decided to forego visiting our families and go on an adventure elsewhere – Belize and Guatemala. These locations sound random, but they have been on my central america bucket list. Belize has the second largest reef in the world and Guatemala has the most excavated Mayan ruin at Tikal. Scuba diving in the Caribbean Sea and cultural history is a winning formula for my kind of holiday.

To make things even more interesting, Dave and I moved from Elizabeth Bay to the beach at Coogee (15 minute drive SE from Elizabeth Bay) two weeks prior to our trip. It was an easy decision to make since we had lived in the Elizabeth Bay/Potts Point/Darlinghurst area for the last three years. Dave had also taken up beach volleyball and the prospect of moving to the beach was irresistible for us both. Since the end of July, Dave and I spent 3 weeks going to unit inspections, submitting 30 page applications, getting turned down and finally finding the perfect place on 4/11 Hill Street on the north side of Coogee, overlooking the town and the ocean. There were bleak moments when we would have to compete with other applicants by outbidding their weekly offer, but it was worth the wait. The only issue we had was filling the larger unit with furniture. So two weeks before we took off on our trip, we dropped two grand on furniture at IKEA. Sounds like a lot, but we haven't bought furniture since we moved to Australia, so it all evens out in the end.

To top it all off, I resigned from my job three weeks prior to the trip. I had already taken annual leave for the trip, but after much self-reflection, I knew this would be the best time to cut ties and move on. So on top of trip planning and the big apartment move, I was closing up shop with my company whilst looking for new jobs. I didn't end up securing a job. A lot of people advised me to not quit until I found something else, but in my heart and in my gut, I knew this was a good decision for me.

The week prior to the trip, was hectic. I was having last minute catch ups with friends (especially Sarah – my close soccer friend who is going travelling for nearly 6 months), building IKEA furniture, letting recruiters know I'd be away and cleaning out my desk. It was a surreal feeling cleaning out my work desk. I had sat there for two years. I even found the very first notebook I used to take notes on how to use our email marketing automation system and recording Google Analytics stats. As the first marketing employee, I had built an entire marketing department from the ground up in those two years and here I was leaving it all for my successors. I feel good about leaving though. My legacy has been set and the company will do just fine without me. I will definitely miss all the colleagues who have become friends over that time.

This adventure is exactly what I need to start the next chapter in my life. I'm excited to see how it all unfolds!

Rooting on Team USA

I've been an expat for 5 years now. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was finalising my visa for what I thought would be a year in South Korea teaching English. Fast-forward two years and Dave and I are moving to Australia and we haven't looked back except with fond memories.

So when I get the chance to show some national pride, I go big...because I'm not ready to go home.

In June, Dave and I scored some tickets to the Canada vs USA hockey game being played at Sydney Olympic Park. We jumped at the chance to see not only one of Dave's favourite sports, but also showcase our love of country to the max. So we painted our faces. 

Game-time Accessories

Fantastic Face Paint Artistry by Dave

The Perfect Patriotic Pants

From Chicabooti (a store in The Galeries)

When I found out about the game, I knew I had to find the most patriotic outfit. Surprisingly, the stores in Sydney featured American themed clothing this past winter. Every store I went to (Cotton On, Factorie, Supre etc) all had American flag vests, shorts, scarves, t-shirts and pants. I couldn't resist a pair of American flag skinny jeans. For $30, not too shabby. I convinced myself that I'd wear them again.

Before heading to the game, I celebrated Lauren's 30th birthday at an afternoon tea party at the swanky Darlinghurst establishment The Victoria Room. Can you believe the transformation? And this was all done on the train ride!

A House Divided

The USA Clown

I didn't mean to scare our friend's child!

We expected mediocre hockey. There was no way the top NHL players were coming out to Sydney for an exhibition match. What we got instead was the third string guys. And did they put on a show! The atmosphere was electric. The announcers were Canadian and American - voices we hadn't heard over an intercom in so long. The arena was covered in what looked like red, white and blue confetti, but was actually fans sporting their country colours. Every time the USA team scored, Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA blared over the speakers. And when either team scored, pyrotechnics would go off next to the goals. It was a true spectacle. But when one too many players took to the ice, and fights began to breakout, we knew this was indeed a spectacle. It didn't matter though, the event was so entertaining and over-the-top. It was truly amazing to see that American and Canadian ice hockey had found its way to Australia.

Ready to Walk at Olympics Opening Ceremony

The biggest day to show-off USA pride can be none other than the 4th of July. I put on my red Banana Republic skirt and a white and blue oxford button down shirt from Uniqlo and walked proudly into work waving my flag singing Born in the USA. It was pretty obnoxious, but I felt as the only American in my office, I had to do it. My colleagues enjoy my 'Americaness' and often embrace it. They once threw a Thanksgiving lunch and this day an Independence Day morning tea.

Italian Bake Goods for the 4th of July

Happy Thankspendance!

Our American friends in Sydney threw a 'Thankspendance' party in July to not only celebrate the birth of our nation, but also the feast you would be eating at Thanksgiving since in July it's as cold as it would be in November (remember I'm in the Southern Hemisphere and the toilet water flows the other way). The Patriotic Pants made an appearance. I'm definitely getting my money's worth now.

Go Team USA!

My soccer team didn't do so well in it's race to the grand final, but our club's All-Age Women's 2 team did reach the semi-final stage. Supporting my American friend Lauren and of course being a superfan that I am for the club, I went the obnoxious route and wore the Patriotic Pants again! This time I paired it with some of the tinsel from the hockey game and looked like an American Christmas tree. The crowd loved it. These pants are the gift I gave myself and they just keep on giving!

I never planned on being an expat for 5 years and am not sure when I'll return to the good ol' U S of A, but while I'm away, I will definitely keep chanting U-S-A!

You Can Run Faster Than You Think

City2Surf 14 km Finisher at 74 Minutes

I was entered in this year's City2Surf 14 km race and I was not prepared. This was my third year running the race. The first year, my goal was to finish. My second year, I was running it on the back of completing my first half marathon in May and quit training after. I surprised myself with an 81 minute finish. This year, I had no preparation except for 4 km morning runs around Rushcutters Bay, the occasional 5 km run from Milsons Point to the Sydney Opera House and back and playing soccer. I was hoping I would get to the finish line under 80 minutes.

The night before the race, my colleague Jess invited us to her new apartment in Rushcutters for a pre -race pasta party. I couldn't avoid having wine, but I only had a small glass. Dave and I left at 9pm so we could get to bed at a decent hour. After all, we would have to be up at 6am.

We met Jess and Dave's colleague Zach with the other Green group starters (sub 90 minutes). At 8:05 am, we began walking towards the start line and decided we would all run separately - I have huge anxieties around running with people. After the first kilometre, Dave and I began the gradual incline at Edgecliff. This is where I thought to myself, "Next year, I'm wearing a costume and walking it." As much as I convinced myself that I wasn't ready because I hadn't done any proper training, it was too late now. I was jogging through Edgecliff, Double Bay, Rose Bay and meeting the course's biggest challenge: Heartbreak Hill in Vaucluse. I knew that once I was done with Heartbreak Hill, the rest of the course would be mostly downhill and manageable.

The one thing that I had this year that I didn't have in previous years was a new pair of running shoes. Dave had worn down his Asics running shoes playing indoor volleyball, so two weeks before the race, we went to Rebel Sport. Running shoes, well all shoes and apparel, are overpriced in Australia. We instead went for the bargain bin and found two pairs of his and hers Brooks trail running shoes for $80 each! They aren't meant for running on pavement as you would in the City2Surf race because they have minor spikes. They were bouncy and made us feel light and fast, so we decided to run in them although we hadn't properly broken them in. I would pay for them later with a sore foot preventing me from running again for a week!

We blazed up Heartbreak Hill (I give credit to the trail runners). My biggest struggle was recovering once I was at the top of the hill. For the rest of the race, we knew we wouldn't stop and finish this race with confidence. Afterwards, I signalled to Dave to grab a Gatorade out of the hands of the volunteers. This was the first time I had ever taken a drink during a race. It sounds crazy, but I have always had the notion that it would slow me down. I was wrong. That sip of Gatorade hit me with that bit of sugar to perk me up after the gruelling hill.

With 3 km left, I looked at my watch and calculated that we could reach the finish line in under 75 minutes if we ran the last 3 km in 20 minutes. Luckily the last 3 km are downhill. We picked up our pace because we weren't going to let this opportunity pass us up.

Once you conquer Heartbreak Hill, the most defeating part of the race is the finish line. You're coming downhill at North Bondi and you have 1 km left. You can see the finish line, but it's deceiving. In the last 500 m, you have to take a turn back towards North Bondi. At the 1 km, I slowed down. I was exhausted  from my legs pumping so hard throughout the race. I also knew that if I didn't recover, I wouldn't be able to sprint around the bend and the last 500 m. I had concentrated so hard since the 3 km mark that I couldn't even wave to my soccer coach who cheered me on from North Bondi. I had a goal and it was to make it to the finish line at 75 minutes.

I strode as far as my legs would take me and sprinted as fast as I could in the last 500 meters. Once I stepped past the line, I bowled over and starting heaving and gagging. I was told to move aside (although the announcer kept telling people to help runners if they look ill). Nothing came out thankfully. I looked down at my watch and calculated that we did run it in less than 75 minutes! I wouldn't believe it until I saw the final result online. My $5 knock-off Casio watch from Cambodia tends to lag. Jess found out her time in a text message, which you could have signed up for when you registered. Damn! Next year, I will sign up for the SMS service.

The next morning, I received an email that the results were online and I quickly looked, while I was sore in bed. Dave and I ran it both in 74 minutes! My goal was to run it in less than 80 minutes and I smashed it! Next year, I'm going to have to aim for sub-70 minutes so I can move into the Red group. My drive will never let me just wear a costume and walk it. Bring on City2Surf 2014!

*It should be noted that I played 20 minutes in my soccer team's last game of the season that Sunday afternoon. I know - I'm crazy.