So I’ve been lucky to have gotten two temp assignments these last two weeks. First was at a mechanics garage, answering phones, booking appointments, processing payments, picking up parts… This week I’m at a concrete company, transcribing applications. Both jobs required heavy writing. Like hand writing. I know that I’ve preached the glories of handwriting letters and all, but I haven’t written this much since high school! My writers bump is out of control, and my tricep hurts because I grip the pen too tight!

The reappearance of my writers bump has got me thinking though, do kids these days get writers bumps? Do they even know what writers bumps are? I usually love writing, but I have to be honest, I’m looking forward to the weekend and not having to pick up a writing utensil for a few days.

Also, my ring finger is a bit numb.

So, completely a last minute trip, but I’m here in Southern California. It’s weird coming back after living here for so long, not because it seems like things have changed (which they have) but because I no longer have a home here to return to. It’s weird that I have to worry about where I’m going to stay.

I’ve been staying with my brother for the last week and a half, and while he has a great house in a quite neighborhood, he’s literally a million miles away from everything and everyone.

The reason I’m here is because my grandmother (my dad’s mom, and my last living grandparent) was hospitalized with pneumonia, and this was it, her end of days. So of course, I book a flight and fly up 48 hours later. Thank goodness fares were cheap, not that that matters, but it helps, ya know?

Anyway, she recovered and is back in her senior home, complaining about everything and anything, so I’ve been going back and forth between my brother’s house and my grandmother’s apartment. I’ve been putting on about 160 miles a day. And while I love it (there’s no way to do that much driving on Oahu unless I go around the island a couple times), I am getting a little tired. Looking forward to going back home on Friday and just doing nothing for a few days.

Now that all the family drama is done with (not going to write about that, cause really? Who wants to read that?!) I’ll get to hang out with my friends. Which is what I’m doing this weekend! I’ll be staying in Orange with Scottie, my old roommate and my oldest friend. Our other roommate Steve is coming over ( I think) so it should be just like old times, which means my liver better be prepared!

I hope to go to the Getty sometime next week. I miss it and it’s wide open gardens, and it’s massive collection of gorgeous art.

Not much more to say, so I’ll leave you with one of the funny moments that happened while I was with my 90 year old grandmother.

Nurse: Are you continent or incontinent?
G-Ma: No, I’m Catholic

I almost became incontinent laughing so hard from her response!

Until next time, wishing you all health and happiness!

Well, so far the only one I haven’t been able to do yet is the active one, but I’m going to blame that on work, and since I work for several hours on my feet, never sitting down, I’m going to count that as a half credit towards working out. Going hiking later this week, so that should also count for something.

I may have bitten off more than I can chew with the amount of pen pals I’ve taken on, but only time will tell. I’ve got a couple in Canada, one in NYC, one in Florida and one across the pond in England. Not to mention my original 6 pen pals… I swear the post office needs a frequent buyer program, or at least a friends and family discount! Postage is getting expensive!

I’m still writing a bit every day, working on updating a few older stories as well as working on two new ones that I’m going to try to finish and hopefully self publish as an e-book or perhaps even just a collection of short stories. Who knows.

Enough rambling for now.

xoxo

Turned 30 today. Not at all where I thought I’d be for this ‘milestone’ birthday, but that’s not really a bad thing.

When I was young I used to have this delusion that I was going to graduate college at 22, find a great job, the right guy, get married at 25, first kid at 27, next kid at 29… The only part of that I kind of accomplished was finding a great job, or rather a handful of great jobs.

Looking back on it (because on top of it being my birthday, it’s also the time of year for reflection right?) I’m glad my life didn’t turn out the way I thought it would when I was still in high school.

If it had, I probably never would have gotten to travel to the places I’ve been to, or met the incredible people I’ve been blessed to encounter on my journey.

Had I met Mr. Right 7-8 years ago, odds are I never would have ended up working for RDS, which took me all over the country and even to Canada and London. Without that job, I never would have met the incredible people like Claudsie and LB, friends that I don’t talk to often, but when we do get together, we just pick up where we left off. Had I never been forced to get a passport to travel across the pond for work, I probably never would have had the guts to go to Italy alone for my 25th birthday.

Traveling alone is an AMAZING experience, I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to travel with friends and loved ones, but there’s something about the freedom of being alone without having to worry about anyone else’s schedule that’s absolutely exhilarating. I wasn’t a part of any tour group, and enjoyed the peace and wanderlust of being able to get lost in the ancient cities of Pisa and Florence without anyone else’s agenda but my own. I can’t wait to return someday.

I never would have had the opportunity to earn miles and hotel points that allowed me to stay in Paris for New Years, the year I went to Italy for my birthday. I never would have had the chance to ring in the new year standing underneath the Eiffel Tower with an amazing group of people that I met only hours earlier, and still have contact with to this day.

I never would have gone to Cancun with one of my best friends, spend 3 nights at an all inclusive resort, drinking and lounging by the pool/beach, just having a blast relaxing in one of the most beautiful beach cities in the world.

Had I been married with a kid at 27, I never would have met Kayla, and been introduced to an incredible group of strong and brilliant women, who’s impact on my life, however brief have made a lasting impression that I will carry with me always. I never would have traveled to Vancouver to check out the incredible city and indulge in the absolutely delicious Nanaimo bars.

I never would have had the opportunity to take my dad to London 2 Christmases ago, I never would’ve had the chance to see him fall in love with a city that I could see myself living in someday.

I’m not saying that had I gotten married, and had two kids by now that I’d feel like I missed out on some great adventure, but I don’t think I’d be as content with life as I am now. I still have this incredible urge to travel, to see the world, and that itch would be much harder to scratch if I had a husband and kids to worry about.

Sometimes I look around and see people younger than me, married with kids and settled in to their lives, and while that’s great for them, I’m glad it’s not me. There’s too much I want to do/see before I think about settling down.

So while I was younger and thought that I had to have my life sorted by 30, now that I’m here, I realize what’s the rush, as long as I can provide for myself and keep a roof over my head and food in my belly, I’ll be just fine.

So to whoever is out there reading my rambles, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and may everything you deserve in life be yours.

So, it’s been nearly a year since I’ve written anything here, what a horrible blogger I am!

The year has been surprisingly full considering I am funemployed there have been trips to the east coast, a visit back to Los Angeles, trips to Kauai and the Big Island… golfing once a week… not to mention an exposure to a great many things my island home has to offer. I had originally wanted to only stay here for a year, but it looks like I’ll be here for 2014, plans pending I’ll be in Europe for 2015. I also hope to be a better blogger.

Instead of making that my early New Years resolution, I’m going to start now, count down the last of my days in my 20’s. I’m the last of my friends to turn 30 and enjoy rubbing it in their faces that they’re older than me! Looks like I won’t get to do that for long.

Anywho, gonna go watch the end of the Panthers/Saints game now.

Until next time!
Noelle