....now the party don't start, till I walk in....

Friday, January 22nd, 2010.

Countdown to LA: 1 day!!!

Countdown to Sydney: 12 days.

Wow. Time has flown so fast we don't even know what to do with ourselves anymore. It feels like forever ago we sat down with a list of themes, determined to find the best one for our goodbye party. When we settled on "Almost Famous", we weren't sure we'd be able to pull it off. Truthfully, everything we know from the late 60's/early 70's we learned from that movie (among a few select others). While it may not our era of choice for music, we learned that the clothing definately was!

The turnout was amazing, all of our closest friends came as well as a lot of people we hadn't had the chance to see in a while! Nothing like a going away party to reunite you with long lost friends!

With the cosumption of alcohol and the fact that we were leaving, we were positive the tears would be flowing along with the Champagne. Surprisingly though, we didn't shed too many tears!!! I still think it hasn't hit us yet, we are so focused on going to LA that it really just feels like an extended vacation. All that will change as it's our last night in Canada and there is still so much to do and so many goodbyes to be said.

That being said, I really should get back to packing. We will update from the airport in the am.

Perpetually dreaming,

Linds & Naz

...don't you wanna be the life of the party?.....

Thursday, January 14th, 2010.
Countdown to LA: 9 days!
Countdown to Sydney: 20 days!!

As our time in Canada winds down, I am starting to feel more and more physically prepared, and less emotionally prepared. I have finally starting packing and getting everything together for the move. But I just can't seem to get myself together. I am nervous to leave behind my comfortable life, with familiar friends, family and places. It will be odd to not run into an old friend at the coffeeshop and spend 20 minutes catching up over a Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte (soy, naturally).

That being said, there are still a lot of things that still need to be done. We have the best of intentions to do them but an odd thing has been happening to us lately. For some reason, even the most simple, mindless tasks has been tainted by roadblocks that makes it take longer than it should. This is frustrating because, as stated before, we procrastinate a little. We leave things to the last minute so when something happens to delay that, it affects everything else we've pushed to the side.

We are, however, making progress on this front and my list of things to do is slowly dwindling down. I highly doubt we will accomplish everything by Jan 23rd, but I will do the best that I can.

Now, onto our goodbye party. We decided on our theme a while back while watching Almost Famous. We felt that the late 60's/early 70's was a neglected time in terms of theme parties so we decided to change that! So, bring on the tie dye shirts, fringe vests and peace love and happiness!!! Our party will be the reincarnation of Woodstock and all the good things that era brought!

Naz and I are making jello shots and our famous, crowd-pleasing, intoxicating Sangria. We are meeting up to compile our playlist, which is a feat in and of itself. Any suggestions of great party songs? It can be from the hippie era, or any decade for that matter. Just stuff that will ensure everyone is dancing and singing drunkingly....

Perpetually Dreaming,
Lindz

....she's a brick.....Hooouuuusse.....

Tuesday, January 12th, 2009.
Countdown to LA: 11 days!
Countdown to Sydney: 22 days!

O-M-F-G!!! 11 days......eleven short, hectic days. Thats all we have left in Canada and we need to put our "house hunter" hats on. Our list of prerequisites has grown exponentially from our first blog post way back on the eve of Halloween. Since then we've discovered that our house MUST include the following:

-internal laundry
-2 bedrooms
-close to the city (and beach, and Uni and clubs and restaurants, etc....)
-on a high floor to deter bugs and spiders
-partially furnished
-under $600 per week (we will be starving students/driftes after all)
-in a "un-sketchy" part of Sydney
-NOT in a quote un-quote quiet neighborhood
-hot neighbors, preferably brothers (double preferably twins - only if we can tell them apart, if not, who cares? Its all fun)

So with this list in mind, we set out on ANOTHER search of the perfect apartment....so far, these are the top 2 contenders:

Apt #1:

Pros:
-furnished
-very pretty
-we LOVE the one red wall
-cheap ($575 per week)
-in the heart of the city
-2 floors

Cons:
-the bond is high (over $3000)
-the tiles in the kitchen (we plan to re-tile)
-the couch (but we can get a cover)

Apt #2:

Pros:

-the pullout couch

-close to the Uni

-downtown

Cons:

-theres someone lurking in our kitchen!!!

-high bond

Next step: finalizing our goodbye party on Saturday. There is soooo much to do!! We need to organizing the playlist, guestlist, drinks, decorations, drinks, costumes, food and drinks.....we promise to keep you updated on all the fun!! Did we forget to mention the theme??? It's "Almost Famous", think, hippies, woodstock, rockstars and band-aids.....2 words come to mind : Penny Lane....

Perpetually Dreaming,

Linds & Naz

...they'll name a city after us and later say its all our fault...

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010!!!!

Countdown to LA: 18 days.

Countdown to Sydney: 29 days.

Happy new year!

It all seems real now (as it should, only 18 days to go!). I think it really started to hit me after my family trip to the Dominican Republic. DR by the way was beautiful. The clear ocean, the white sand and time spent with my family. I got to go parasailing and swam in a real cave for the first time in my life. Not to mention started a pretty awesome base tan for the year ahead.

Now, the fear, anxiety and excitement has taken over. Anxiety mostly about the many many many things I have yet to do (apply for my visa, pack, open a new bank account, pack, get an OHIP letter, pack, buy a laptop, pack etc.). The fear of leaving everything familiar and secure that I've been around all my life and starting over from scratch. And the excitement that I'm finally doing what I have wanted to do for 23 years! Now, whoever said moving half way around the world was easy.....?

I've been getting sick, I keep hearing bad news, and everything is taking a lot longer than I thought. Everyday just seems like a bad day but I know it is completely worth it and that's what is getting me through it all. Though I must say I would be having a complete nervous breakdown right now (we're talking 5150s and strait jackets) if it weren't for Lindsay. She has to deal with my daily mini erratic breakdowns along with all the stress she's under. So I'm sorry and thanks for keeping me (relatively) sane Linds! Couldn't and wouldn't be doing this without ya <3>

Now its time for a new year and a new life. Luckily, we got to spend New Years Eve with some of our friends for the last time in who knows how long...

Some pics for your viewing pleasure:

This quote by Alan Cohen is what I will be taking with me into 2010:
"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power"