I’m feeling awesome guys.

Like full of awesome. And full of self confidence. I am awesome!

Want to know why I feel that way? COFFEE!!

So I tried coffee for the first time this week. I drank a cup of iced black coffee just to see what it was like consuming that much caffeine (I only drink water normally). It was INSANE. I felt so hyper and excited and couldn’t stop moving around for an hour. It was fun and I might keep drinking coffee just for that reason along with some others. I don’t totally love it but I’ve come a long way from my former coffee hating self who refused to drink it ever.

Coffee and awesomeness. That sums up my week pretty well. Now on to the 5 things…

Two Things I Ate Today

1. Egg sandwich for breakfast.

2. Captain Crunch Berries for a snack. (I bought cereal! I rarely do this because I love and devour it. This was a special treat and I love it!)

Three Good Things From This Week

1. Birthday party tomorrow! FUN! Good food, drinks, and company ahead this weekend.

2. I haven’t been in the gym but I’ve still be very active and felt great. I’ve rediscovered my love (or just nurtured it really) of doing things outside like hiking and biking.

3. Found a place to stay while I’m in Memphis, some transportation options, things to do, etc. Basically this week the trip all came together like it was meant to happen. Or at least that’s what the boss tells me since they’ve tried to talk me into moving back to the US since before I even left. ;) Still this week’s plan making eliminating a lot of anxiety and I’m feeling good about it.

Four Recent Thoughts About New Zealand

1. People don’t wear shoes sometimes. Okay, pretty often. I go to the grocery store and every single time see at least one if not ten people not wearing shoes in the stores. Weirds me out every time I see bare feet in the store while I’m buying groceries.

2.  The sun burns. I get sunburned almost every day if I spend over 20 minutes outside. Even if just stay inside but sit too close to a window I get pink. With sunblock on. My pasty white skin does not do well in a country underneath a holy ozone layer.

3. Easter was a big thing. I’m from the Bible Belt so I get stores and things closing on religious holidays and even on Sundays (I’m looking at you Chick Fil A). But it still surprises me that in New Zealand everything is closed on Easter AND Good Friday, or they have to pay the government extra money. But oh well, at least there were hot cross buns which are quite nice. People go crazy when stores are going to be closed for one day. The day before Good Friday and the day between it and Easter meant PACKED supermarkets. Everyone seemed to have the sudden need to shop even late at night when it’s normally quite empty. This might be a phenomenon that happens everywhere if stores are closing but I’ve only just noticed it.

4. There is a marmite shortage and people are upset. I don’t really understand the vegemite and marmite love. I think it tastes gross. But apparently the production got shut down because of earthquakes so stores are out and people are upset. The crazier ones are spending hundreds to thousands to get what is available. There was a radio commercial about “getting through” the shortage with support which I’m hoping was a joke.

The longer I live in New Zealand, the stranger it seems to me. It’s a totally different culture but with the same language and some similar pop culture. It’s sorta like a parallel universe on an island.