Welcome to the space where I come to play! I park the really fun stuff here that publishers won’t print in magazines and books! Feel free to comment and join in the fun.
I looked down at Isla's head. It was teeming with bugs.
If you're a parent you've undoubtedly opened your kids' Frozen backpack and found that disturbing letter from the school announcing the presence of head lice at the school. Please check your child accordingly.
Read MoreIt was nice to see an 8 year old conclude that there might be more to life and happiness than your next iTunes purchase.
Read MoreIt’s the people, the heart and the story behind the place that define an experience. And as much as it aches to say goodbye, and causes the occasional snot-storm, – that’s what this trip is about.
Left and Leaving.
Read MoreThe way I see it, we’re banking experiences. At the end of the day, my happiness is defined by what I’ve seen and done and how those experiences have shaped me, not by the kind of car I drive or the type of countertops I cut my carrots on.
Read MoreI’ve been posting on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter etc. about how great this whole Gap Year adventure has been. But who wants to read about that, right?
What you really want to hear about are the unsavory aspects of picking up and taking life on the road for a year. Time to offset the amazing adventure with some of the hitches.
Read MoreBefore I left on this adventure, all I could see was what we were sacrificing. I had yet to see and understand the multitude of experiences we would be gaining.
Read MoreI Just spent 90 minutes in a sensory deprivation chamber. “What is that?” you ask. It’s just a pitch black, saltwater coffin that you seal yourself into for an hour and a half.
Sounds like fun to me.
Read MoreWe have drawers full of boring Santa photos, so this year we decided to jump in on the action and do a little photobombing and not tell our kids.
We'll probably go on the naughty list for this. What else is new?
Read MoreDiversify your friendship pool. Avoid surrounding yourself with a bunch of like-minded people with the exact same views and interests, who are in the exact same stage of life. This might be one of the best pieces of advice I got when I was younger.
Read MoreFirst of all, I need everyone to know that it’s like stabbing myself in the eye with pins, or having a drill break off in my tooth in the middle of a root canal writing something that contains no humour whatsoever. Anybody who has followed my writing over the years knows that I sometimes write about some uncomfortable shit, but my secret weapon has always been to wrap it in funny, the same way you wrap asparagus in bacon. Humour and bacon can make the most unsavory things in life taste awesome.
Read MoreA drill bit wedged in my jaw. A huge chunk of cork hanging off my nipple. Body modifications that didn’t go as planned.
I was sitting in the dentist’s chair, gripping the leather arm rests, my jaw cranked open, enduring, as best I could, a root canal.
And then things went wrong.
Read MoreSeriously? You’re ordering spring rolls? That’s your research plan for Asia?
My New Zealand travel planning isn't much better; I rented the TV show Flight of the Conchords. (I think Brett and Jemaine are giving me a pretty good sense of what Kiwis are like.) I also picked up a couple of bottles of New Zealand malbec.
Meanwhile, Rob, has been feverishly booking flights, accommodations, hikes, camping, car rentals and activities all over New Zealand — the first leg of our family's year-long trek around the world.
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