Hello America

Arizona

3rd May – 18th May

So... when I started Blogging, I had high hopes. I wanted to write a daily Blog, which is a really great idea, in theory. I actually do enjoy Blogging, but it’s like writing a diary - you get busy and you forget to write all the great things you have done. That’s basically what has happened to me. I’ve been having such a good time I haven’t had time to write about the good time I’ve been happening - I’ve fallen really behind on my Blog entries and the idea of writing week’s worth of Blogs is killing me... So instead I’ve just decided to do an overview of my first few weeks in the U.S of A, land of dreams and hope and all that jazz.

Basically I arrived in Arizona on Sunday the 3rd May at around dinner time. The family I was staying with came to collect me from the Airport and the kids had drawn me a big poster, it’s actually really good, it features Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Piglet. We then went back to their house – it’s in Tucson Arizona in Oro Valley and it’s really lovely! It’s a really beautiful area – I was really surprised by Arizona, it is so green and pretty – totally not what I was expecting. Yes, the greenery is mainly Cactus and other desert plants, but it’s still very green! There is also a lot of wildlife – which I did complain about (Arizonian animals like to eat and bite people) but I did really enjoy seeing Rattle Snakes. I’ll actually talk about the animals later, so back to Blogging about Arizona. I had a really great time there; it was so nice to be in one place for a while, with a family, doing regular family things. I love every day activities. Skydiving is great, but nothing beats a family trip to Walmart! I’m going to Blog a little differently – I’m going to have all my favourite activities or events as little side headings and I’ll just write about each of them – so you hear all the great things I did in Arizona, without reading 14 different boring entries! Think of this as Greatest Hits of Arizona album.


Greenery and Animals

I’ve already spoken about these so I don’t really need to go into a lot of detail. Basically, Arizona is a lot greener than I thought it would be. I was expecting it to look like an old western movie, where they come out of the Saloon and have a showdown. That didn’t happen. I know, try to contain your disappointment. There were also a lot of animals. I saw lots of creepy Lizards, lots of Quail (which are surprisingly small and strange looking – they looked totally different in my mind. How exactly did Dick Cheney manage to shoot someone in the face, thinking it was a Quail? I won’t even answer that.), quite a few Bunny Rabbits, which I was very glad to see, there so cute! I saw a Coyote, they have really big ears, I would quite like to have one as a pet and we also saw a deer, which I hear is pretty rare! We saw a Grey Squirrel, Bull Snakes and Rattle Snakes! Exciting stuff! I also saw a lot of birds, mainly big birds of prey, they were probably Hawks or something, but there were a few that could definitely have been Eagles. I think. I’m not really a bird expert, despite what some may say. Oh, one wee story about snakes – a Bull Snake got into the garage, but they’re good snakes, they eat the Rattle Snakes. I saw two Rattlers, I think it was the same snake, but twice. The second time we saw it, one of the kids spotted it and we had been standing right beside it! Alison (the girl I was staying with) called the Fire Department and they came out to the house to take the snake away! How crazy is that! I was so flipping excited!

These don’t really count as animals, but we went to a Pet Store and saw all the animals – they have puppies! Like real doggies in the window. Just like the song! I was ridiculously excited. My favourites were, two Miniature Daschund’s one was a black and tan long haired and the other was a red short haired. I also saw a Cockapoo, which was lovely and two beautiful Huskies! There was also a Boston Beagle, which is a Boston Terrier and a Beagle mix and it was so beautiful, there was a little Beagle puppy, which I love love love! I’m all about Beagles!

My favourite bit of wildlife in Arizona was definitely Stitch. Stitch is a Miniature Daschund and she is the reason why we have Kelso. When my sister went to Arizona a few years ago she stayed with Alison and her family and they had just gotten Stitch. Heather saw how awesome Stitch was and she told us, I then did some research (I’m all about the research) and we decided that a Miniature Daschund would be the dog for us! A few dog shows, some begging, a million phone calls and a trip to England later and we were the very proud owners of little King of the Hill, originally called Otto, but known as Mr Kelso to his friends. Anyway, Stitch is roughly the same age as Kelso and she’s a little different – she has long hair but she gets shaved so her hair is all soft and short, she is also Daple couloured, which means that she’s basically black and tan, like Kelso, but she has little bit of grey and light brown through her coat. She’s also shaped a little differently, bone structure wise. American Daschunds are actually pretty different to well bred European Daschunds – they have longer legs, they aren’t as barrel chested, their wee noses/snouts aren’t as wide, they are more pointed and they don’t seem as long to me, but I think that’s just because they aren’t as close to the ground. Well that’s what I think and I bet you really don’t care! Anyway, Stitch is great! I love her! I wish I could have taken her home! She’s just so well behaved compared to our little beast – she’s so chilled out, she just lets the kids play with her and she doesn’t freak out. She also sleeps in her own little bed in the garage and has set meal times. She goes to the door when she wants to go outside and she doesn’t bark in the house. She even sits on the tile floor, something Kelso would never dream of doing! Stitch and I became good pals, we watched movies together and sunbathed together. Good times. Dogs really are man’s best friend. I can’t wait to see Kelso, my little Gentleman! If you don’t know me and if you don’t know Kelso, then you probably won’t understand anything I have said, you will probably think I’m a right freak (like a crazy old cat lady, but with dogs) but if you do know me and Kelso then you will know that we’re tight. I think he’s great and I think he’s pretty fond of me. Right, I’m going to stop talking about my dog.


Food

The next highlight of my trip was obviously food. Alison made really nice food and we also ate out a lot. We went to In-n-Out Burger, which was so yummy. We also visited a few Buffets, which are Gods way of showing us that he does actually love us. We went to a Pizza Buffet and we got salad, pizza obviously and dessert, which included brownies, cinnamon rolls and apple pie pizza, which was really strange because it tasted just like the apple pies you get at McDonalds. There were also free refills, which I think are just the best. Drink will be the death of me, not alcoholic drinks, but Rootbeer, which is my favourite drink in the world (along with Fanta Exotic, they are tied for first). If you are ever in Arizona then you need to go to Sweet Tomatoes. It is probably my new favourite eatery, but they don’t have them in Utah, where I’m going next, so that’s pretty crappy. Anyway, when you go into Sweet Tomatoes you get yourself a plate of Salad – I filled mine right up because you can only get the Salad once – they had all the classics including my favourite, Caesar Salad and then this Won Ton Salad, which is just amazing. I also got a whole pile of Red Pepper because it is my all time favourite. Once I had destroyed the Salad Bar we paid, got our drinks and were seated. I got some Strawberry Lemonade, which was so amazing – I’ve never had anything like it and even the Strawberry Lemonade I’ve had since isn’t anywhere near as nice! Sweet Tomatoes also has Pizza, Pasta, Soup and fancy breads – these are all you can eat and I really did eat as much as I physically could. Walking after was not a possibility – I think this is the only time I have been grateful for the American Car Culture, where everyone drives everywhere!

Another great discovery was Ranch Fries – crinkle cut fries (like our McCain Oven Chips I guess) covered in Ranch Sauce with Bacon sprinkled over the top. Oh. My. Life. They are amazing. I’m actually bringing Ranch Sauce home so I can make these bad boys! They actually reminded me of a Spice Island Kebab with Kebab Sauce, so that was nice! Americans haven’t mastered the art of a Dirty Kebab!

I am also now partial to a Vanilla Frappuccino – there’s no coffee in it, so I guess it’s just like a vanilla milkshake, but it’s so good! We made a trip to a place called AJ’s, it’s a supermarket, but so much better – even better than M&S (but don’t tell anyone, they might not invite me back for Christmas)! There’s a Sushi Bar and a Pizza place inside the store – we got the Pizza and it was seriously good. We also made a trip to a place called Cost Plus, which is another Homeware Store thing, but it sells international food – so I stocked up on a few Wispa’s and some Fred Ferkles, which are exactly the same as Percy Pigs from M&S. I kid you not. I was very surprised to see them, so I did the natural thing; I spent a ridiculous amount of money on junk food. Some things never change.


Picnicking

I didn’t know that picnicking was actually a word, but apparently it is, so I won’t complain. Anyway, the day before Mothers Day we went for a picnic. We drove from Oro Valley, through Tucson and then up to a place called Mount Lemon, making a few stops for pictures on the way. It was a really beautiful day and the drive was great – you really got to see just how green Arizona can be. It was also nice to see a different side of Arizona – the higher up we got, the less cactus we saw! There were even normal trees! There is a little town on Mount Lemon and it’s really nice, really quaint and yet full of richies. My kind of place! We went for a little walk and then we had our picnic, with real food, like steak, yay! It was actually a really nice day, and a really nice part of Arizona, so yep, if you’re ever down that way, I suggest a visit to Mount Lemon and the surrounding area – you never know, you might even see a Bear!


Swimming and Sunbathing

Basically my entire holiday was spent doing three things, Swimming, Sunbathing and Eating or a combination of all three. As I have already described some of my eating habits I will now tell you about my other pastimes. Alison has a pool – which is really handy, I could never live in Arizona if I didn’t have a pool, it’s just too hot! So I took full advantage of this - I was in the pool as much as possible and when I was tired of being the graceful swimmer that I am, I decided to sunbathe. At first sunbathing was really nice, I would read books, but because I read books far too quickly I had run out of things to read pretty quickly, so it wasn’t as fun so I didn’t spend as much time sunbathing as I should have, which explains the lack of a tan. Well, I am tanned but I’m not a different ethnicity, Mediterranean for example, as I hoped. Despite this huge disappointment, I still managed to have a really good time, sometimes it’s nice to just relax and do absolutely nothing. I would know, I’ve perfected the art.


Twilight

If you know me, then you will know that I have absolutely no interest in the “Twilight” Books. I don’t want to read them and I wouldn’t waste money going to the cinema to watch a movie about Vampires and Warewolves. Well... it seems that I was wrong. “Twilight” isn’t a waste of my time or my money. It’s actually the opposite – it’s a great way to spend a few minutes or a few hours, or even a few days and if you really want you can read it over and over again, replacing the name “Bella Swan” with “Gina McCune”. Or not. Whatever.

Hmm, I sound like I’m obsessed – I’m not actually, well, I sort of am, but I’m pretending that I’m not because I want to seem a little bit cool. I will regret saying this later but I actually really like the books. Sure, they’re not exactly Shakespeare but that’s what is so good about these books. If I want to read “Coriolanus” then that’s exactly what I’ll do, but honestly, sometimes it’s nice to read a book with “regular words”. It’s nice to be able to pick up a book and totally loose myself in the pages – sure they aren’t as profound as other book, but who cares? Sometimes it’s nice to get through a book without the help of my trusty Pocket Sized Thesaurus, not that I ever used one in school, I just pretended I knew what I was talking about. No change there.

At risk of losing all my street cred (because I have so much) I will say that I really enjoyed the “Twilight” Books. They were nice, easy to read books and I now understand why they appeal to so many people. Basically the perfect guy falls in love with an ordinary girl. A girl that is so ordinary, she could be anyone, she could be me or she could be you, but she’s more likely to be me because I quite fancy Edward Cullen. He doesn’t just like or love her, he adores her and he would literally do anything for her, she is his every thought and that’s why girls love the books so much. It gives them hope that one day they will find someone that loves them as much as Edward loves Bella. It also appeals to older, married women, because it’s the story of a love that never has to end, which is what most people want, even if they won’t admit it. As for men and husbands, they hate “Twilight” because it gives women unrealistic expectations. Which it totally does. Or does it? Maybe not, maybe that kind of love is a possibility for us all. Maybe we will find our Edward, the one person who lives just for us. Or maybe I have unrealistic expectations because of the book and I’m now starting to believe that it is possible to find my very own Edward who I would love for ever. Maybe I’m talking complete rubbish. Yep, I think it’s the last one.

Anyway, what was I saying before I started talking complete rubbish? “Twilight”. So yeah, the “Twilight” series is actually really good – I was pleasantly surprised. The books were really good and I would definitely recommend them, I’d warn you first, they are designed to appeal to the thirteen year old girl in all of us (even in a few boys), but that’s not always a bad thing. It isn’t fun being a responsible grown up all the time, not that I would know, but I imagine that it’s not all that great. I strongly recommend watching the movie, but only after you have read the book, because the book is so much better than the movie. Just so you know, the actor that plays Edward Cullen is called Robert Pattinson and he is a god. Fact. He was sculpted by the angels and I think I might be in love with him. You should really go look at his face, it will make your day so much better. Flip, I’ve written quite a lot – in summary, “Twilight” is not rubbish, it is really quite good, it will make you feel like a thirteen year old girl, even if you are a boy, you will fall madly in love with the fictional character of Edward Cullen, you will want a boyfriend, you will watch the movie over and over again, pausing when Robert Pattinson comes on to the screen, you will realise how attractive he is, you will secretly wish Vampires were real and that you had one as a boyfriend and you will understand everything I have just written.

So, in conclusion (I feel that I need to conclude this Blog as it has been so vague and pointless) Arizona was really great! I had a really nice time, sunbathing, swimming in the pool and just chilling out in general! I was really surprised by how nice Arizona actually is and I would definitely go back! If you’re in this neck of the woods then it’s worth the visit – especially if you get up to the mountains and actually see how nice Arizona is! I didn’t manage a visit to the Grand Canyon, but I guess that just means that I’ll have to come back. I hope you’re listening daddy :)

Xx

My New, New Favourite Place.

Remember how I said that Cathedral Cove was my new favourite place. Well, now I have a new, new favourite place. Let me explain.

Today began like a normal day. I woke up at a nice, normal hour, I got a nice, normal shower – which actually wasn’t all that normal. Remember how I put ridiculous amounts of Sudocrem on last night? Well, turns out that Sudocrem just doesn’t come off. So I sat in the shower, trying to get as much off as possible – it didn’t really work, upon close inspection you can still see it! So after my not so normal shower I decided that I would walk to Huka Falls. So I got myself all kitted out, in my comfy clothes, which make me look like a total idiot. Really. I was wearing some of my favourites – my navy BYU shorts that I am sure everyone has seen, I literally live in them, my green ward t-shirt, which I think is quite snazzy, the bright green would also come in handy if I fell off a cliff while walking to the waterfall – I would be easy to spot! I finished it off with my wicked cool North Face shoes and a hat. Oh, let’s not forget the rucksack! I actually looked so ridiculous. All that was missing was a big walking stick.

For once I was actually quite prepared, so I stopped off at a local cafe to get some lunch – I got a Caesar Salad, which was not like any Caesar Salad I have ever eaten – it had chicken, bacon and lettuce, which is pretty normal, but then there was broccoli and carrots and seasame seeds, among other strange things. I also got a raspberry and white chocolate muffin. Yummy. Once I bought lunch I headed up the Spa Rd to get to the falls. I had checked out my map beforehand so I knew where to go and after a nice, entirely uphill walk, I spotted the river! It was HUGE! Like a real, proper river that you see in the movies, it was massive! So basically I just followed the signs and the paths and found the start of the walk! The Lonely Planet Travel Book says that the walk from the town centre to the falls is about an hour and a half. I started my walk at 11.30am and got back to the Hostel at 4.50pm. So that was slightly longer than suggested. However, I did stop for lunch for a good long while and I took about a million pictures!

Anyway, back to the walk. It was really lovely and I’m so glad I actually got off my backside and did it! It was the nicest day – sunny and hot, but with a bit of a breeze! The river was so clean and clear and everything was so green! Awesome! When I eventually got to the actual waterfall part, the Huka Falls, I stopped for lunch. I found a little path that went off the walking track, so I headed down there and came out on a little ledge. It was a really nice spot, so I decided to have lunch there! I was the only person about so that was nice – but I did consider how bad it would be if I fell in – the water was sooo fast and crazy, so I’m actually quite glad that I didn’t go face first into the rapids! After eating some lunch (and feeding the little birds that were having dust baths near me) I went to the information centre and changed into my swimming suit. Then I started the trek back, which seemed easier and shorter than the walk there, which is strange because it was uphill at times. As I was coming to the end of the walk I was pretty warm so I decided to have a wee swim! The popular place to swim was full of attractive guys who were drinking beer and there were a few skinny girls in their bikinis. I didn’t want to embarrass everyone with my super hot Sudocrem covered legs and awesome swimming skills, so I decided to find my own little place to swim. Just around the corner from the attractive boys there was a nice little coveish area so I went for a dip there! I didn’t want to be too adventurous with my swimming, in case I ended up in the middle of the river and couldn’t get back to the shallows, so I stayed close to the edge. Also there was some sort of river bed vegetation growing when it got deeper and I didn’t fancy swimming through that. Fear of the unknown and all that jazz. But it was nice to cool down in the river; there were two ducks who had no problem swimming around me, so that was quite cute. There were also LOADS of tiny little fish, who were really well camouflaged against the sand (alluvial silt, I think, I can’t say I really listened to the Rivers section in Geography – Mrs McKillme taught that - em, k, so ) at the bottom of the river. So I wasn’t sure if I thought they were cute or creepy – maybe a bit of both.

After my bracing swim/paddle I dried off and walked back to the Hostel, which was so much nicer as it was downhill. The backs of my feet were really quite sore because of my wicked awesome North Face shoes, so I was mad about that, but my pumps saved the day. I don’t know what looked worse – my outfit with hiking shoes or with pumps. I’m thinking pumps. Gross.

Back at the Hostel I just chilled out – read my book, listened to music, started to write this – all the super fun things I do, but don’t really Blog about because then you would think that my life was actually really boring! I think a few cups of Peppermint Tea occurred that night. Tonight was my last night in Taupo. I actually really like the place! It was a nice, chilled out place, for me anyway. The town was big enough to have everything you would need, but it wasn’t too big, in the sense that it was an impersonal city. I walked home from church on Sunday, which gave me the chance to have a nosey at the houses, so it was nice to see what it would be like to live there, as a family. The houses were my kind of houses – nice, neat and tidy. Lovely. I really enjoyed Taupo, even though I didn’t do all the activities Taupo is famous for – skydiving, bungy jumping etc. Taupo was exactly what I needed it to be. It’s definitely worth the visit, and like everything here, it’s what you make of it!

xx

Salad is Nice. But Nothing Beats Sunday Dinner.

Today was a good day! I got up nice and early, got a shower and actually blow dried and straightened my hair! I must admit, straight hair feels great! I feel clean and well groomed, for a change! While it is nice to have straight hair – I don’t think I will be making it a regular thing, it takes too much time and I’m still seriously lazy!

You are probably wondering why I cleaned myself up – It was because I was going to church in Taupo! There is a church pretty close to the Hostel, so I thought it would be nice to pay it a visit. I got ready, had nice straight hair and put a pretty dress on. I then got a taxi to the church, so I wouldn’t arrive all sweaty and gross and besides I didn’t really know how to get there. The church was in a nice area and it looked pretty good, plus it was a beautiful day so everything looked amazing! Sadly, all my efforts to look attractive were wasted – there was nobody there to appreciate my efforts! The entire Branch was made up of families with young children. I only stayed for the first hour. The people were nice, the Bishop and another man came up and said hello to me, but I thought it was interesting that one of the speakers, who spoke entirely about how important it is to befriend people investigating the church didn’t bother to say hello. Typical. But that actually really annoys me. Why stand at the front of a church, talking about all the people you have brought into church by showing them kindness and friendship, when you won’t even talk to a girl, who clearly has never been in your Branch, or even your country. It makes me so mad. Practice what you preach and if you’re not prepared to do what you have said you will do, then shut up, sit down and stop pretending that you are so spiritual that you are about to be translated. Can you tell that hypocrites make me mad? Because they do. One of the few people that actually talked to me was a lady, who I think was an investigator – she came to sacrament and after I chatted to her, while she had a smoke. At least she doesn’t lie about how she lives her life. Now I think about it, the first speaker was really annoying and he was saying some questionable things. Idiot. But obviously not everyone is like that – the church members in Paihia were the nicest people I have met in a really long time!

After church I went for a walk along the Lake, which was really nice. I called home, got the goss, then went and got some lunch. I had the nicest Caesar Salad...mmm! The place was recommended in the Lonely Planet Travel Guide, so I thought I would pay it a visit. I like my Caesar Salad to be quite spicy, which this one wasn’t, it was quite creamy, but still really amazing – there was stacks of Chicken and Bacon, which is always good! Then after lunch I went and bought a book – which I didn’t really want to do, because I hate spending money on books. Like I love having them and I like to own books, but I read them so quickly it seems like a waste. I’m on Chapter 21 of the book, “Look Me in The Eye” by John Elder Robinson, a man who grew up with Asperger’s syndrome. His brother wrote the book “Running With Scissors” which is meant to be really good. It’s really quite interesting – he had a really difficult life, which was only made worse by his Asperger’s, especially because nobody knew what Asperger’s was when he was a child - he wasn’t diagnosed until he was an adult. I love a good book! I really want to read Jeremy Clarksons books, they all look really good and I do love a bit of Jeremy. I’ve read one of his books and I really liked it, so I may have to invest in the next one soon! I also really want to read “The Secret Life of Bee’s” – I loved the movie and I’m sure the book is even better! I also really want to read Richard Attenborough’s Biography, written by one of his best friends, it looks really interesting and I do love the Attenborough family! I think I might have to leave it for a while before I start buying all these books, there really expensive – I’ll have no money left!

After buying my book I just walked about town for a while, walked along the lake, came back to my room, read some of my book and then went to the “Pak ‘n’ Save” to buy some Peppermint Tea. I bought some tea, some sugar cubes (because cubes are more practical than a big bag of sugar that would spill everywhere, plus we all know I’m fond of the odd sugar cube) and some rice! I also got a mug to have my tea in, which I think is a pretty good idea. If I have my own mug I can have tea whenever I want – I can drink it in my room and I don’t have to worry about bringing it back to the communal kitchen when I’m done! I also bought some plastic spoons for 30cents! Genius? I think so.

After my trip to the glorious “Pak ‘n’ Save” I came back to the room, switched beds – I was originally on the top bunk, but now that the American girl is gone I have changed to the bottom bunk, which seemed like a good idea at the time. I say at the time, because I’m not so sure that I’ve made the right decision. I hate being on the top bunk because it’s a hassle to get in and out of, also there is no place for your mug of tea or your phone, so it’s difficult to set alarms. The bonus of being on a top bunk is that nobody can see you when you sleep, unless they stand up all night watching you, and if they do that then I think you have a bigger problem than having to climb a ladder to get into bed. Also if the person below is leaving early then they can fiddle around on the floor, packing their stuff and it won’t bother you. The good points of being on the bottom bunk is that it’s easier to get in and out of, you can set your phone and tea on the floor and it’s at arm’s length. The bad points, people can see you while you sleep, it’s less private and people wake you up in the mornings. Hmm. What to do?

After the bed making saga I had a nice cup of Peppermint Tea. I was surprised to learn that the only ingredient in Peppermint Tea is actually “Peppermint”. That is actually it! I thought they would have thrown in some other rubbish, but apparently not. Good old Twinings! I knew Stephen Fry wouldn’t endorse a product unless it was great (he does the Twinings adverts). The sugar cubes were also pretty fantastic. Reminds me of the good old days, stealing sugar cubes from Harry’s – who needs desert when you can nick an entire bowl of sugar cubes? And that’s what I’ve done pretty much all night, drank tea, read my book and now I’m Blogging about this highly exciting day! I hope your day was as great as mine!

Oh... One last thing... Today is Mothers Day! I’ll be celebrating by ringing home and hanging up so Esther calls back and I don’t have to spend any of my monies! Mummies are a great thing to have and I would really like mine to be here, drinking Peppermint Tea with me (and if she was here I wouldn’t need to drink Peppermint Tea for dinner). But thanks to the wonders of Telephoneular Communication, I can talk to her, even if I am a million(ish) miles away.

Xx