Getting Ready

Out trip is getting closer and closer!  We have so much anticipation for the trip.  Wondering what new things we will learn.  All the new friends we will make.  All the beautiful place we will see.  We only have five more days in Redding.  That means we have to have everything ready and packed for the next five months by Thursday.  Of course, we will still have a few days when we get to LA to finalize everything but the majority of the preparation needs to happen this coming week.  It's a funny place to be because there is too much time to completely pack everything but we have the gitty feeling of wanting to see the packs full, zipped, buckled and on our backs.  This week we spent some time going through our backpacks and day packs to see how much space we have and what we need to bring.  Here are some pictures of the organized chaos.

For those wondering what I(Eddie) was up to with that knife and backpack here is an explanation. The old backpack I'm cutting up was an older LowePro camera bag. It's a great pack but was created before the laptop era and so has no room for my Mac Book Pro. Therefor, I decided to extract the great foam material and padded velcro dividers from the old pack and add it to my North Face pack. That way I can transport all of the expensive electronic and camera equipment safely, together in one pack. Let's just hope it doesn't get run over by a campervan or caught under a stampede of sheep. -Eddie

We have had a lot of fun contacting the people we are going to stay with in New Zealand.  We have been browsing and reading about all sorts of people and families who all sound so amazing.  It's hard to pick only one or two from each region. So far we have planned our first five days with a friend of Eddie's in Auckland.  We will be working at a Bed and Breakfast for a week or two starting on February 10th so this week we also searched for host families to work for and stay with for the three weeks in between.  We found two that we have e-mailed and are awaiting the response.  We will plan the rest of our tip as we go once we get to New Zealand.  

We're looking forward to spending New Years with some friends and spending our last days with our Chico friends at Max and Kelsey's wedding.  It's the last time we will see everyone before we leave Northern California.  Can't wait!  We miss everyone already.

The Journey Begins...

Concerning Eddie and Devon

Devon and I have yet to leave for New Zealand but our journey actually began about a year ago. It was November 10th, a wednesday, when I got a phone call from my Uncle Joe. He was offering me two tickets to a Kings game and all I had to do was find someone to go with and pay for the gas. I quickly obliged and began considering who I was going to ask. Of course I though this would be an excellent opportunity to ask Devon out. It was exciting enough to be considered a date if it went well and low key enough to pass it off as a fun hang out if things weren't clicking. I think its safe to say that things did go well and we have a pretty cool story for our first date. However, the best part of that night was not the game itself but in fact the conversation that came about during the hours spent in the car. It still debated who asked who first. In my version, Devon asked me what I planned on doing after college? My answer went something like this, "I don't know...but I would love to travel and possibly go to somewhere like New Zealand." Devon's response, "NO WAY! I was just talking to my best friend Lindsey about a work exchange program in NZ!" Thus the first conversation and idea of us* going to New Zealand was born. As our relationship developed so did the idea of traveling to New Zealand. As each month passed we began taking our nervous-excited-firstdate-dream-idea more and more seriously.

Fast forward to today, Devon and I have our roundtrip tickets, visas, and passports ready to go for our trip. The road hasn't always been easy. Both Devon and I had to think long and hard on whether this was really something that we could conceivably accomplish financially. This trip was going to take a large investment of time and money. Devon had to get 3 part time jobs working at Trader Joe's, Marriot Hotel, and counseling several clients on their personal nutrition. I fell into a full time job at Kohl's and through a lot of hard work and saving we have managed to save enough to make our trip a reality. The decision to embark on this trip had more than just financial ramifications. We had to take into consideration the effect it would have on our future. All in all it was a a big decision that undoubtedly would determine the course for at least the next year and possibly the rest of our lives. Overall we have been incredibly blessed by God who has given us so much to be thankful for. Thank you to all of the family and friends who have supported and encouraged us and our trip, we appreciate it deeply. Thank you to all the acquaintances and random connections who have helped and inspired us. Both Devon and I are very excited to experience this great adventure and through this blog share it with all of you.

Here's the trip broken down by the numbers.

1-8-11: Devon and I leave the north state for L.A. to visit her family before we leave.

1-14-11: Our flight leaves at 10:30p.m. from LAX

1-16-11: We arrive in Auckland, N.Z. at 12:50p.m.

6-5-11: We leave N.Z.

20:1 - The ratio of sheep to people in N.Z.

-Eddie