Bikes, Betties and the Beautiful Beachfront

Last week, in celebration of the lovely Casey's birthday, a big group of friends and I went skating/biking along the Durban beachfront promenade, from the Moses Mabhida Stadium to Ushaka and back. It was one of those 'pinch myself is this really winter?' kind of June days, and Durban was breathtakingly beautiful. This day was one of my top 5 days of 2012 so far and I am ever grateful for the city I live in and the people that I get to live with, and fun is definitely a top priority of ours. 

Side note: I am rather stoked about the recent rise in popularity of skateboarding in Durban (especially amongst girls), thanks to the likes of companies like 'Peg.' I got to use a Peg longboard for the first time, and it was a sweet ride!  

Here are some of my iPhone pics of the day.

Girl meets world

An excessive amount of adventures have cluttered the last four weeks of my Californian life, hence my month long blogging silence. But, I am officially back and ready to tell tales of my escapades across the country. 


Tijuana, Mexico was a culture shock and a half, and after a week in the country I had eaten enough Tacos de Carne Asada to cover my carbohydrate intake for the rest of 2012. On a more serious note, it was an experience that I've waited my whole life for yet never quite knew I was waiting. There were many 'I was born to do this' moments as my team and I got to share the Gospel in some of the darkest spiritual atmospheres we've ever encountered. After seeing people healed, prostitutes loved, the lost find their way home and children meet their maker, we knew we had all had a date with destiny. 
Personally, it was week of discovering 'what I'm made of' and seeing the first glimmers of gold as it makes it's way through the process of refinement. 


Some of this past month's other undertakings have included a road trip up the Californian coastline, visiting the beaches of San Clemente and Santa Monica whilst simultaneously crossing items off my USA bucket list. Spent 3 nights in the lap of luxury at a Malibu mansion, feasting and relaxing post mission trip whilst shopping and dining in Los Angeles in-between. There aren't too many places that beat California during spring break; it truly is the land of Daisy Dukes and bikinis on top. Sometimes, I think I'd fit perfectly on a beach cruiser, wearing a straw fedora and faded denim riding along a promenade in the OC with one hand on the handlebars and the other on my surfboard at my side. Maybe one day?


A series of spontaneous events then led a bunch of friends and I up to the middle of who-knows-where in Oregon to spend the weekend at a Cabin in the snow-drizzled woods. It was a weekend of all things hillbilly; flannel shirts, shootin 'em shotguns, riding 4-wheelers and leaving pennies on the train tracks. The weekend was full of magical moments, especially seeing the contrast the snowflakes made as they fell upon the backdrop of the dark night sky. Being young, carefree and without copious amounts of responsibilities does make for some wonderful adventures of the spontaneous variety. 


Spring has streamed into Redding like the morning light through the blinds, and everything has come out to enjoy life. Lake days are the norm yet again and I am proud to announce my skin tone is getting back to it's former glory and is no longer see-through. Spent Saturday floating down the Sacramento river on  blow-up Walmart mattresses with beautiful people; yet another one of those moments when nature seems to be nodding it's head in agreement with my life. 


School ends in 2 weeks. Teary goodbyes are inevitable. Savoring what's left of life as I currently know it. Realizing how much I need sunshine and was not built to live without it. Stocking up on bright nail polish and colorful attire to match the season change. All seems so right with the world. 

(Team Oregon: Photos by Eryck Quesada)

Photobooth Fun at Love Lounge

I am part of a team that helps host an event called "Love Lounge" that is held in Redding on the third Thursday of every month. This is an open mic night and a place where local up-and-coming talent is showcased. Last week we celebrated Love Lounge's 2nd birthday, and in honor of it's coming of age, we had a huge birthday bash accompanied by many special guest artists and even a photo booth.

Here are some of the shots we snagged in the photo booth during the evening. It was wonderful. 

If you live in the Redding area or ever come and visit, be sure to come to Love Lounge and hang out with us. For more info, visit the Love Lounge Facebook Page

All images by www.Bvaphoto.com

Snapshots

TDCC BABY

Let's just say I am about to start manifesting with excitement at the thought of the events that are in tomorrow's line up.

A bunch of new friends and I, who are also fellow music enthusiasts, are all road tripping down to San Francisco to watch the Two Door Cinema Club concert. This has got the words 'time of my life' written all over it. I am more than just a little in love with this trio's vibey tunes, and cannot wait to jam like there's no tomorrow. Oh, and of course getting to see San Francisco for the first time is going to be a an experience and a half. Man, I love being a foreigner.

I am going to take an obscene amount of photos, and don't even mind looking like the tourist I am.

The concoction of hilarious friends, good music, and a road trip to a foreign city is the most perfecto recipe for a memorable day. Let the good times roll.

Birthday {slash} Farewell

On the 29th of August, I had a pre-birthday celebration slash USA farewell with some of my favorite people on the planet. It was an afternoon of blankets, trees and good company, and one I won't easily forget. The talented Julie Patrick {click here to see her photography blog} captured the memories, thanks Jules you lovely lady. 

Megs Carrie and I had a fairly successful attempt at a cupcake recipe from the "Always With Butter" blog {click here to view the recipe}

You don't know what you've got until it's {almost} gone

I will be leaving home in T-minus 7 weeks to relocate to California, and have been getting ridiculously sentimental as the reality of the trip has hit, and hit hard.

Don't get me wrong, on a scale of 1-10, my excitement levels are sitting somewhere around 20 at the moment, but on the flip side of the coin, I get a lump in my throat at the thought of everything and everyone that I wont be able to pack in my suitcase and take with me to this new land full of new adventures.

Leaving and cleaving is not for sissies. When you come from a home like mine, full of life, and lots of laughter thanks to two parents who will always be kids at heart, the idea of ever wanting leaving is just silly. I have always had a close relationship with my family {immediate and extended}, and family and home has always been a place of safety, of love and a peaceful haven, living alongside the best people I have ever known. I heard a quote once that said "what I love most about my home is the people I share it with," and this pretty much spells what home has been for me as I have grown from baby to child to teenager. My parents and my family have shaped the person that I am, and now they will watch me pack up and take the lessons I've learnt into this future that stands in front of me.

As much as I adore living at home, I have never felt so ready to jump out the nest and learn to fly on my own. Growing up is both a frightful and wonderful thing, and I have my incredible family to thank for standing behind me, teaching me all I know, and allowing me to follow my heart down the road leading to fulfilled dreams.

Sometimes the line that defines the difference between friends and family is so thin, that you can't tell where your friends end and where your family begins. I will be bidding farewell to the most incredible, hilarious, fun and flippin' fantastic group of friends that feel more like an extension of my family than a separate entity. These people, and this city in which I was born and bred, have taught me a thing or two about the definition of the word 'fun,' and in these past few months have rolled out the red carpet of unforgettable times that I'll most likely refer to as "the good old days" when I'm old and grey. So I'd just like to thank Durban and friends for making 'goodbye' that much harder, by being so darn amazing.

At this current moment, I am savoring what's left of Durban life as if it were the last bite of a favourite meal, and am soaking up the last of the good times like a sponge. I have a new found appreciation for my mom's home cooked meals, and not having to do my own laundry, because I soon won't have such luxuries.
Oh, the joys of growing older. 

Weekend Photo Gallery