Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Living Life on the Edge

G'day everybody!

I'm just briefly signing in to share with you all a very special video that is more than a little bit overdue for an appearance on the blog.  This video was made by the lovely staff at A.J. Hackett, Cairns in mid July, 2012, on the day that I went bungy jumping.  Bungy jumping was simultaneously the most terrifying and exhilarating sensation I have ever experienced in my life.  I don't even need to tell you how terrified I was to jump off this tower... just watch the video!  It takes me approximately 3 and a half minutes of standing on the edge before I finally take the plunge... it still makes my feet tingle to watch it!





That tower is exactly 50 meters high, which translates to about 164 feet.  I know that doesn't sound like much when compared to other bungy sites around the world but when you're up there, it's really freakin high!      The site is beautiful.  It's nestled in a densely forested area of jungle and from the tower you can see straight out to the ocean!  The site also boasts a 45 meter jungle swing which is a really fun option if you're not feeling up to the tower jump.

I a little bit ashamed to admit that this jump didn't actually happen until my second visit to the A.J. Hackett site... I completely chickened out my first time!  I finally mustered up the courage to go back the day the we were on our way out of Cairns.  I was just as terrified as I look in that video (maybe even more so) but after I did it, I felt so proud of myself for facing my fears and taking the leap.  After all, getting out of your comfort zone is what travel in all about!  

So, if you ever get a chance to bungy, I highly recommend it.  Just bring a good friend for moral support (I had my awesome travel buddy, Christoph -who had already done the jump on our first visit- by my side) and make sure you choose a reputable jump site with a 100% safety record like A.J. Hackett Cairns.

Oh, and while I'm at it, I might as well throw in a couple photos of Christoph and myself on the jungle swing.  I think it's worth noting that this swing goes 120 kilometers per hour... and we did it twice!





I got a t-shirt to prove it.  Yeah, I'm cool.




Happy adventuring!

Love,

Amanda

P.S.  Click the link to my Youtube channel on the left hand side of my page to see a couple more videos from my travels around Australia.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Adorkable!

Aloha!

No, I'm not in Hawaii (sad face).  I just occasionally get tired of saying things the same way all the time so I thought I'd switch it up a little.  I'm just sitting here being an insomniac so I thought I would share with you a song that I am currently completely obsessed with.  This song is called "Thieves" by She & Him.  She & Him is a completely amazing indie duo consisting of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel.  I just so happen to be Zooey Deschanel's number one fan.  I absolutely adore her style and I watch her show, "New Girl" religiously so you'll have to forgive me if she makes quite a few appearances on my little blog.



This video captures her quirky retro style so perfectly!  

In other news, I have plans this weekend to go see Jekyll and Hyde, the musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center and I could not be more excited!  I have never seen the show before but I have loved and performed many of its songs for years!  Also, I have a possible snow boarding trip coming up the following weekend.  Life is sweet right now, despite the fact that I'm fairly broke and still living at home.  There is so much to look forward to in the upcoming months!

Do you have any exciting plans this weekend?  I'd love to hear about them!

Stay classy, planet Earth!

Love,

Amanda

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Let's Begin Again

Hey there!

I'd like to start out by saying that I hope you had a beautiful holiday season and had the pleasure of spending it surrounded by family and friends just like I did!  New Year's Eve has always been one of my favorite nights of the year.  People always talk about New Year's Eve as being one of those nights that's never as good as you hope it will be but I find that as long as you go with the flow and try to enjoy the people you're with and the place you end up, New Year's Eve can be just as magical as you hope.  I had the great pleasure of spending mine with a wonderful new friend in one of my favorite cities on Earth!  And while I didn't end up exactly where I thought I would be, the place where I rang in the New Year with a kiss turned out to be just perfect.  

On a different note, yes, it has been a long time since I've written here.  Since my last post several months ago, I have returned back home to North Carolina after finishing up my spectacular year in Australia with a several hour hike around King's Canyon on my 24th birthday.  I've been spending the past few months trying to get re-acquainted with my old life.  I find that in order to write the way I want to, I need to feel ready for it and although it's hard to explain exactly why, I now finally feel like it's time to dive back in.  

So to start off this year with something beautiful, here is a gorgeous color inspiration video from one of my absolute favorite online shops; Modcloth:



Visit the Modcloth Blog... It's awesome!

I, personally, love to incorporate as much color into my wardrobe as possible and this video really makes me look forward to all of the pretty and vibrant dresses that will be arriving with the spring.  (I have a bit of an obsession with pretty dresses)

So here's to a 2013 filled with joy and love... I feel really good about this one!

Happy New Year!

Love,

Amanda