And the story continues...

It has been almost a month since my last blog, so for those of you still checking, I'm so sorry to disappoint. The thought that I need to keep it going has crept into my head quite a bit in the last few weeks. I've slowly tormented myself up until now...so here I sit; ready to type. I have made it back to the "real" world. I have seen most of my family and friends, found employment and semi-reliable trasportation, and celebrated the scariest of all birthdays thus far. It is the summer of my 30th year, and I've found myself back in the beautiful humidity of Michigan.

From Christchurch, I did yet another transpacific flight and made my way back to San Francisco to visit my old life for a week. It was so wonderful to see everyone there and enjoy the spectacular views of the bay. Although, it was a bit of a shock for me after four months away. The frugal living I've been doing has definitely ingrained itself into my head. In the six days I was there, I only made it out a couple of times. Knowing that I would spend money every time I left the house kept me humbled on the couch for a lot of my time. I was able to be productive in the end of it all though, as I cleaned out the majority of things from my good friend's garage. If I have to be in the states for over two months, I want everything in one place. I bought a cheap (and enormous!) bag from the flea market and filled with 50 pounds worth of things to take with me to Michigan. The rest of it went to Good Will...I hope someone can find comfort in the things that I used to treasure.

Me and my ginormous bag made it to the airport and I was quite a sight getting to the checkin counter at SFO. Luckily I was able to arrange a ride, and thank goodness it was hours before my flight. I stood on the curb and weighed my bag and found that it was eight pounds over, causing me to throw out and rearrange things with everyone and their small, compact suitcases laughing at this ridiculous traveler trying to get a bag larger a person into the airport. In the end of it all, I got the bag at the EXACT weight required and carried on two overstuffed backpacks, one complete with scuba fins sticking out, which the security people had a heyday with. It was not a day of travel that I'd like to repeat anytime soon, but something tells me I probably will at some point in the next year of my life.

Since I left for Europe last September, I've had "B Day" in my head and the date was May 8, 2010. It was the day that I had to Be Back for my Best friend's Bridal shower. There was a point or two, especially when in Thailand, that I just wasn't sure if I would be able to make it...but I did, and three days early to boot! I arrived in Michigan on May 5th and took off running.

After two long weeks of sitting on couches in New Zealand and San Francisco, I was ready to be productive. Getting to Michigan was the time that I would be able to look for a job, work with Kelly on her wedding and see my family and friends (i.e leading a normal life). All of this being possible because I have a definitive plan (the only real one I've had in a long time) to be here for more than two months.

After my arrival, the turn of events went something like this:

May 5th: Arrival and reunion with Debbie in Ann Arbor
May 6th: Transported to Royal Oak (with monster bag in tow). Purchased vehicle (push bike).
May 7th: Job search began
May 8th: B Day -- Bridal Shower
May 11th: Job hunt resumed
May 12th: Job acquired, start date: May 17th

I have to say, I might just be the luckiest person in the world. Whenever anyone has questioned me about how I will get by after all of this ridiculousness, I always say "it will all work out the way that it's supposed to" or "it will all fall into place." I read the book, The Secret, once. It's all about the benefits of positive thinking and visualizing your goals. I thought it was a crock then, and I still kind of do, but something in that realm of thought seems to be working in my favor. I stepped foot into a state with double digit unemployment and zero percent of the population without a car and managed to procure employment in less than a week. To top it all off, my resume looked something like this:

March 2010 - May 2010
Divemaster Trainee, Koh Tao, Thailand

November 2009 -December 2009
Customer Service, La Brisa Loca Hostel, Santa Marta, Colombia

September 2005 - September 2009
Asst. Operations Manager, Credit Suisse, San Francisco, California

Yes, I actually put that on my applications. I had two interviews at an upscale restaurant three miles from my new abode and I got the job with my stunning personality. I work all day shifts, which is so nice considering the bike rides home at 3am would've been rough (but I would've done it). Last week I trained for five days, and today was my first being out on the floor on my own. I made my first little bit of money that now resides in my wallet. It's nice to see some positives in the bank after eight months of withdrawing money from the ATM. I'll be working almost every weekend while I am here, so I've had to prioritize my time. I will get all of the days off I need for the wedding festivities. But things like concerts, up north weekends and my birthday all needed to be taken off the list. These were hard decisions, but made for very good reasons.

Just before my first day of work, I wandered into the scuba store that I've been eyeing since my arrival. They were having a sale and I needed a dive computer. That is the only thing I wanted when I walked in on that fateful Sunday. I stepped into the store and immediately got consumed by conversations about diving and gear. There was a video of a whale shark showing on the flat screen against the back wall. There were wetsuits, BCDs and regulators that I could touch and play with. Basically, it was full of so many things that I miss about being in Koh Tao. I was there for an adrenaline-filled hour and a half and walked out with a costly new set of scuba gear. I now have everything I need with the exception of wetsuit and tank. Both of those can be purchased anywhere in the world. The conditions that I could be diving in vary too much for me to make those kind of investments now. So there is my reasoning behind missing out on some of the finer things during Michigan summer, I need to make that money back asap.

Speaking of finer things....It has finally happened. I've turned the dirty thirty. Last Friday night, it was celebrated the low key (well, kind of) way. I had to work on Friday afternoon and then again at 7:30am Saturday morning, so a rockin' night out on the town could not be had. Kelly planned a sushi happy hour to be followed by drinks at my favorite local dive. What I thought would be just three of us that evening turned out to include a few more that I have not seen in too many years. Although some of them weren't aware it was my birthday until a few minutes in, it was still a festive evening and I had such a great time. I was supposed to be home and in bed by 11pm at the latest and only fudged that by making it to a taxi at 11:30. I fell asleep quickly and felt on my game for a nine hour day of work on Saturday. It was the perfect way to ring in a new decade. I was so happy to see everyone there.

Since then, it has been work, work, work. I was at the restaurant all weekend and then did some computer work for my old boss yesterday. The weather has gotten hot here and the humidity is kicking. It's finally summer and I'm spending too much time indoors, but it's all for the cause of getting back to Thailand.

On a better note, I went into the shop to pick up my new gear last night and got some exciting opportunities out of it! First off, my new BCD and regulator are beautiful. They're so fresh and new, I just love them. I'm scheduled to head to the pool tonight to test them out and see if I like some of the features they gave me. It's a little different than the kits that I've been working with, so I'm a little on edge about whether I want all of this high tech stuff. Either way, it won't be difficult for me to change things around. While I was there chatting things up with the owner and his wife, he asked me if I'd be interested in assisting on his Open Water course on Thursday night. It's only a pool session, but it's exactly what I've been doing in Thailand. He's an SSI instructor, and I'm PADI certified, so it will be wonderful to see the way that the other half works. They're essentially the same program, but they teach different techniques to their students. Although I'm doing it for free, it's something that I love. I am so stoked about this opportunity and I'm hoping to make a good impression so that I can do more during my stay in Michigan.

There is the last month for me in a nutshell. It's been busy, but I've made it through without too much hassle. My laid back mentality seems to be keeping me sane at the moment. June is going to get tough with bachelorette parties and upcoming weddings, but it will all be so much fun as it's happening! There are still so many people that I need and want to see. There are some gorgeous Michigan summer days to be enjoyed. It's all still part of the adventure. I refuse to let the story end here.