...going on adventures

So on our adventures we will be doing a Contiki Tour. Our tour starts in New York and finishes in Vancouver.

http://contiki.com.au/tours/260-grand-canadian-start-new-york-city

Something that I think is great about doing this tour is the fact that we will touch base in a variety of places. That way if we find somewhere that we absolutely love we can then go back later.

Just a short blog to share.

Looking forward to the future.

Love,

Josh and Karen

...beginning to get organised

This post I have been wanting to publish for a very long time. In fact it has been started long ago and I simply keep adding to it each time I open up my blog with new information I want to share. I have not been able to post it before now because of the nature of the news. I think too often we get so excited about our good news that we share too soon and too often those plans fall through or simply don't eventuate. In our case it wasn't that we thought it wouldn't happen we just felt that it would be bad form to shout our news from the rooftops (or the internet) without even having the respect to first tell our employers. So therefore we have kept this life changing news to ourselves despite dying to share it with you all. However in the words of the wise (or at least Mary Poppins) lets begin at the beginning, what a lovely place to start.

For a long time Joshua and I have talked about travelling. Something that both of us have always wanted to do even before we met each other. Then over a year ago now we started talking a bit more seriously about the possibility of living overseas and working. I'm not sure how we decided on Canada exactly. I think it was simply a combination of "I really would love to go snowboarding" (Me) and "Lets do something that not everyone else does" (Josh.) Anyway as you can guess we decided on Canada.

So almost a year and a half ago now I decided it might be a good idea to pick up some work at a pub because I thought the bar work would help me get work while I was away. Bar work was something that I had never thought of or could imagine myself doing. However turns out I loved it. I loved working with my Breakers Family so much that it made me question whether or not I still wanted to go. But Josh and I together talked this through and came to the conclusion that you never regret going but we may regret not going.

We sent off our applications for our Work Permits and while we were in Laos we recieved the approval. A very exciting day it must be said. Our friend Jesika works at Flight Centre so she kept an eye out for cheap flights and when one was advertised she let us know and we booked.

More recently we booked our United States leg we are flying to Las Vegas first up and spending the week there. Then we will fly back to Los Angeles and spend a week there. After that we will jump on yet another plan and fly over to New York where we will spend a week exploring. After this week is up we will depart on our Contiki Tour. More on our Contiki tour later.

Needless to say but we have a lot to be excited about. We can not wait to update you further about our adventures.

Love to you all,

Karen and Josh

...the end of an era

Change is good. Change is a part of life. And I think that how we approach change and how we react to change is a good indication of who we are. Things have changed at work. New owners means new directions. Which is great they are passionate and friendly and generally lovely. But it is hard. Trust and faith in a person and in a person's character takes time. And with time comes growing pains. I think the owners will make work great. I think it will be amazing. Already they have started making steps to change things.

I wish my old bosses all the best in everything that they do in the future. They are smart intelligent men who have a great intergrity and strength to them that will ensure that anything that they do will surely succeed. I also want to thank them for everything they have done for me. In so many ways I have who I am and who I have become all because they took a chance on a green no experience girl and took her on and she became Bar and Cafe Manager. I wouldn't be who I am without them. I wouldn't have the strength I now have without them. They have in so many ways impacted my life in ways that I am sure they don't even realise. So to the Murphy's... Thank You.

Welcoming the end of an era because it surely brings a new one.

Karen and Josh xox

...thirty before thirty

So Bucket Lists are a funny thing. For the last... oh forever I have attempted to write a list. Honestly I suck at it. I don't know why I am so bad at writing goals. I don't know where along the track I figured making goals and achieving them isn't a good thing. Don't get me wrong I like to achieve but I forget to dream. Something happened the other day that changed my mind. Joshua being Joshua has our planning in a plastic folder. All of it. So as I flicked through the book I had a feeling of I can't believe this is my life! I can't believe I am going to be doing this things. I had always dreamed of it but Joshua and I are actually going to be doing it!!! Little old me :)

So here it is Thirty before Thirty. But I have a confession to make because this is Joshua and my blog his goals are in there as well. Some are obviously mine others are obviously not. But I do have a four years less than Joshua to achieve them. So I better get on to that.

1. Regular communication with loved ones a. letters b. email c. facebook and d. blog.
2. Snowboard.
3. Live in another country.
4. Find a job I love.
5. Kiss under the Eiffel Tower.
6. Bungee jump.
7. Buy a book shelf.
8. Find a home.
9. Stay a week in Margaret River and visit the wineries.
10. Do something even though it scares the hell out of me.
11. Watch the AFL Grand Final in a Vancouver pub surrounded by Aussies.
12. Gamble in Vegas with a 1k bet.
13. Fit into my jeans again (don't worry this is my goal not Joshua's).
14. Order of a menu... that I have no idea what it says.
15. Visit Paris.
16. Gallipoli for Anzac Day.
17. Own a small business.
18. Play sport.
19. Work overseas.
20. Watch a sunrise...
21. ...and a sunset.
22. Go on a gondola in Venice.
23. Go to a Broadway show.
24. Run with the bulls (this is a Joshua one... I will sit on the sidelines and drink wine).
25. Drink a carton on the river in Vang Vieng (and again Joshua I would only get alcohol poisoning if I did this :) ).
26. Go on a picnic.
27. Camp under the stars in our swags.
28. Learn to speak French... well at least a few phrases I am sure it will be handy when we make it to Paris :)
29. Go to Greece and enjoy the blue waters and white houses.
30. Be happy.

Oh and yes I do see the common factor of travel in many of these goals. But it is a good thing considering our future plans.

Hope all your plans and goals come true as well.

Love,

Karen and Josh xo

...adding a little bit of melancholy

Today I was thinking. About our future plans. Josh and I have so much to look forward to. I haven't talked much about it as of yet. Honestly I am waiting for the right time to go viral with our news. So today I was feeling a bit melancholy about it all. Like I said last blog Joshua and I have been working saving our money and while I acknowledge that we need to do this for this period in time it has gotten me down a bit. I feel as if I am waiting for our adventure to start instead of living an adventure. I don't want to be the person who lives as if their life is on hold. I have too much good stuff in my life to be that on hold person. So while I acknowledge that this time in our lives is meant for saving and waiting it is still my life and still part of our adventure.

Loving the adventure no matter what,

Love,

Karen and Josh xoxo

...my favourite holiday photos

Just a quick post today to share two of my favourite photos from our holiday.

Much love to you All,

Karen and Josh xoxo