5 Reasons You Should Travel Solo At Least Once

Maybe this is a nature vs. nurture situation. Maybe it is just within certain people's natures to travel solo, or maybe only those who were reared to be independent can travel solo. I don't care who you are, where you're from, or what you've done; everyone should take a trip by themselves at least once in their lives.  It might be like Green Eggs and Ham where you don't know you like it, because you've never tried it!

Just try it before you decide you do not like it.

A lot of people do not believe me whenever I tell them I'm going somewhere by myself. Seriously. They do NOT believe me. Lying about travelling alone makes no sense to me, but then again, me travelling alone seems to not make sense to them either. Whenever I manage to convince someone I am really going somewhere all by myself, they always say "Oh my goodness. I could never do that.", "Why?", or  "How do you do that? You're so brave/crazy. I could never do that." I don't think I've ever told someone, and had them respond with, "I've always wanted to do that!"

I took my first solo trip when I was 18, and I spent the summer backpacking Britain. My dad is from England, so my parents weren't too worried. I often look back and wonder what they were thinking. Did they really have that much confidence in me, or did they genuinely not think about the dangerous possibilities? Granted, if I ever felt lonely, scared, or bored, I had family and family friends to visit. I've been lucky enough for my parents to have taught me to be independent. I felt more than ready for my first trip alone; I could never have anticipated how much it would change me. Did my parents know something I did not?

1. You are the truest version of yourself, when no one is watching. 
It is probably the most liberating feeling to go somewhere where no one knows you; no one has any expectations from you. Everyone you meet is a stranger. You can reinvent yourself every time you meet someone if you want. What you will discover is, being in these new strange situations reveals a person you may not have realized was hiding within yourself. It allows you to discover these little pieces of yourself that have never had the opportunity to come out before.

Something to know about me: I don't drink. I remember, on my first trip alone, going to visit a family friend and her offering me a beer. She said, "Don't worry, I won't tell your parents." I knew she wouldn't. I knew what I did on that trip at 18 would probably never get back to anyone I knew, especially my parents. I also knew, I was not that person. I learned so much. I learned I am super uncomfortable with meeting new people, but I also learned I am really good at meeting new people, when I just do it. I learned how much I love to read in public places, i.e. parks, restaurants, trains, airports, etc. I learned that people in foreign countries are always in a state of disbelief when I tell them I do not have a boyfriend. I learned how much I hate tourists, especially American tourists. I learned the kindness of strangers and that gentlemen still exist. You will learn so much about yourself and about people and the world around you when you travel alone.

2.There's no comfort in a growth zone, and there's no growth in a comfort zone.

Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” It's not always the most comforting thing being in new situations or being around people you don't know, but you will grow. It's not always the most comfortable thing going to a hostel for the first time in your life and trying to figure out how everything works. The most important thing you need to remember is...You will get use to it, and you will love it. As you are willingly placing yourself in new situations, you will really learn the meaning of carpe diem, because everyday will be a gift just for you. Everyday will be a blessing for which to be grateful.

3. Escape the co-dependent society we live in, and be alone. The person you will spend the most time with in your life is YOURSELF, so start to love to spend time with yourself. 
In this day of technology, it is as if we cannot do a single thing without having to tell the whole world and wait for their approval. People go to restaurants with friends, take photos of their food, and wait for others to "like" what they are doing. That's called codependency. Codependency, "in broader terms...refers to the dependence on the needs of, or control of, another" (Wikipedia definition) In this society, we are co-dependent on the approval of others; we need it; we depend on it. It is so freeing to leave that all behind, and be alone. If you are saying that you cannot go on a trip because your friend(s) cannot come with you, you are limiting yourself. Why can't you go? If you want something bad enough, you shouldn't wait for someone else to tell you you can have it. I am a true believer that you have to love yourself.  I can go somewhere and still enjoy it without having a friend with me. I don't need someone with me to appreciate the beauty and peace of new places or experiences. I think that is an experience everyone should try once in their life.

4. The people you meet, who you probably wouldn't have spoken to if you were with a group
Maybe it's just me, but I find a lot of people do this. When you are with a group of friends, you are with your group of friends. You normally do not go out of your way to include new people or strangers to your group. I went to Milford Sound in New Zealand by myself. It was a bus ride out to the area before the cruise, and they stopped multiple times along the way to get out and take photos. If I was with a friend, I would have had a person to sit next to and take my photos. Instead, I had to find someone to take photos for me. I found a really cool guy who was also travelling alone. We sat by each other and took photos for each other. We then met a girl on the boat who was travelling alone. We had a great time talking, sharing our life stories, and having so much fun. It was like we had been best friends forever. When you are travelling, you bond so quickly with friends. It's so wonderful and beautiful.

5. Freedom. Do what you want, when you want.
Don't get me wrong. I love planning trips for me and my friends. I love it. True love and friendship is compromising and changing travel plans to make everyone happy. Nevertheless, there is pure freedom in doing whatever you want. One day in Germany, I walked around for a while, then spent hours having lunch and reading at a table, while drinking hot chocolate. It is something I would have never done if I had people travelling with me, but it was a perfect day for little old me. You can change plans last minute. You can be as impulsive and spontaneous as you want without having to check if it's okay with someone else. It's freeing.

Even after you read this you are probably thinking, "But Natasha...."

But Natasha, isn't dangerous to travel alone, especially if you're a girl?
Nowadays, there are legitimately dangerous places and dangerous things. I'm not saying to go travel Syria or Afghanistan alone in this political climate. Read the news. Be aware of travel alerts. Avoid North Korea if you are an American tourist. Please be smart and be careful, especially as a female traveler. Don't get drunk in foreign countries when you are alone. Don't get drunk in foreign countries at all is my personal recommendation, but if you cannot help it, at least have someone who is going to be sober enough to make sure you get to your hotel/hostel safely with all your belongings. I knew a girl who left her wallet in bars when she got drunk and never found them again. I've had a friend lose my camera because she was super drunk in Mexico. I've been pick-pocketed in Madrid, but that has not stopped me from travelling alone. It makes me travel smarter. I try not to be out at night when I'm alone, especially when there aren't many people around. Invest in a money belt. Always be aware of your surroundings.

But Natasha, I want to be able to share what I do with someone.
Share it with someone. Take photos and share them when you get back. Make a friend where you are staying. Make friends on the tours you are taking. I went to Belize on my own, and did a scuba tour and a tour for the ATM caves. On the ATM tour, I met this British girl who was travelling alone, and we had the best time together. We were immediate friends and the repertoire we had was amazing. I had someone to share the amazing experience with. On one of the snorkeling tours I went on, I actually met a girl who was going to be on the same flight as me home, so we decided to take a taxi together to the airport. Just because you don't bring someone to share the trip with, doesn't mean you won't find someone along the way.

But Natasha, how are you supposed to meet people travelling alone?
My number one recommendation to meet people is hostels. No, I did not misspell the word "hotel". Hostels. Hostels are meant for younger travelers who want to meet people. Most hostels have common rooms to socialize. It's a great opportunity to make new friends, share a meal, and make plans for the next day. If you hear that some people are doing something cool, talk to them; most of the time, they will be more than happy to let you come along.

But Natasha, I don't have the money.
Save. Save your pennies. Put away a certain percentage of each paycheck. If you haven't traveled before, make a goal. Write it down and tell your friends so they can hold you accountable. You can do anything you put your mind to.

But Natasha, I've never traveled alone before; I wouldn't know how to do it.
Don't get me wrong, I think everyone should take a solo trip once in their life, but I'm not saying it should be the first trip outside your home country that you've ever taken. If it's your first big international trip, go with someone if it makes you comfortable. Start small. Take a weekend to a different city by yourself.

But Natasha, if I go, I'll probably get robbed.

This is me after checking my purse for the billionth time for
my stolen wallet.

Honestly, it's a possibility. I'm not going to lie to you. I've met people who carry fake wallets in case they are robbed. Personally, I think you're more likely to be pick-pocketed then outright robbed. I have been pick-pocketed. I was mad; I felt violated, and as someone who thinks they are pretty well-traveled, my pride was wounded. My friend and I had our wallets stolen at the exact same time, and we didn't realize it. It was on the metro in Madrid, and we only found out because my friend had her metro pass in her wallet and couldn't find it to exit the metro. Buy a money belt. Keep money in your bra, if you are a girl...or boy...no judgement. Touristy areas are always where you need to be most aware. There are certain cities known for pick-pocketers. Be aware. I was not. They will try and distract you in order to pickpocket you. Never leave your bag unattended. It was really upsetting, luckily I had only 20 euros in my wallet, my drivers license, a few personal items, and a credit card, which I quickly cancelled, so no major irreversible damage was done. Now, I have a really great story, and I know if I'm ever robbed again, I will live. I'm a survivor.

But Natasha, I don't have enough vacation time.
You don't have to plan a large vacation. Have a three-day weekend getaway. Leave after work Friday night, and come back Sunday night. Do what you gotta do; be you.

But Natasha, I'm scared/nervous. 
It's okay to be nervous. It's okay to be scared. The idea is to conquer your fears and nerves. I think there are two quotes that can apply here. Marianne Williams once said, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." I also think the 4 lines I love most from "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley would be great too:

"I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul...
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

John Lenin Wall in Prague

Disclaimer: Don't get me wrong. I love travelling with my friends and family. I love planning trips. I love it all. I also love doing little trips by myself, just to get away for a bit. You can do both; you don't have to choose. These are just the opinions of myself and no one else. Opinions not meant to insult or offend anyone's upbringing, lifestyle choices, or anything.

Harry Potter Taught Me to Read

3 Facts of My Life.

1. I love reading.
2. I love Harry Potter.
3. I used to hate reading and refused to read Harry Potter for a very long time. 

This is at Universal Studios Florida

 I was surfing the net the other day and came across this article about Harry Potter books.  There were a few points which made me fall in love with in the article.

1. "Initially, I was determined not to read them, convinced that something so popular couldn't possibly be good."
2. "...there was something about growing up with the series that will forever define my generation. We are a group of people who believe in the impossible, in the power of love’s ability to protect and create, in silly things like jelly beans that taste like dirt and earwax, in bravery wrought through friendship and the need for a few basic spells to ease our way through daily life."
3. "Every controversy Potter created made it stronger, particularly because no one could refute one incredible truth; it was getting children to read."

Can I just say: I've had a theory for the past few years, which was: knowing a person has read Harry Potter, tells you a lot about that person. I'm always terrible at explaining it, and have offended a few people when explaining it. I think point two sums it up perfectly.

At the end of the article, she starts talking about how intense the Harry Potter fandom world became, creating midnight *book* releases, theme parks, movies, etc. It got me really excited. I think the last point rang most true to me. I went searching to see if there was any proof to back up that statement. I came across this article in my Googling. Really, I don't think there is a study or anything to back up whether or not Harry Potter "created a generation of readers", but I can say....it taught me how to read. Well....to clarify...it taught me to love to read.

Let me tell you my story of how Harry Potter taught me to enjoy reading again. When I was little, I liked to read. I read Madeline books, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Amelia Bedelia, The Boxcar Children, etc. In the 4th grade, I attempted to read the all the books on the Texas Bluebonnet Award List. I do not recall if I accomplished this goal or not, but I did enjoy reading. Then I went into middle school. This began my period of not reading. I attribute this literary dark period of my life to required school reading. I think I forgot that reading could be fun. Middle School had us reading really boring books, like The Old Man and The Sea. I remember having to read this diary of a girl living in the conflict of Yugoslavia, which had been compared to The Diary of Anne Frank in regards to the idea that it's a young girl's diary during a time of war in the area. Goodness, for a 12 year old, who wants to read that kind of stuff? I stopped reading. Or maybe I stopped reading in 5th grade, when popularity was a concept that became important to me. (side note: it's sad that 10 and 11 year olds care about being "popular", is it not?)

My siblings loved to read. Everyone in my family reads. I did not. Maybe that also contributed to it. Everyone did it, and I wanted to be different. Who knows? Harry Potter was first introduced into my life in 1999. I remember walking past the Scholastic book fair in the library of Middle School with girls in my class, and someone mentioned that the 3rd Harry Potter book was out, and they wanted to buy it. Ok. Whatever. Later that year, Saryah got the first 2 Harry Potter books for her birthday. This is how Harry Potter first entered our house. No one had read it in the family yet, as far as I know. Who was the girl inadvertently change my life forever? I have no idea. In 2000, I remember a girl at church, Brette, talking about it. I didn't understand how someone could like a book so much. I thought it was weird. To be honest, I was a little judgmental. Now sometime between Book 4's release date, July 8th 2000, and the release date for Quidditch Through The Ages March 1st 2001, I read the first Harry Potter book. 

Saryah had been the first in the family to read Harry Potter. My parents read Harry Potter. Everyone in my family read Harry Potter. Everyone tried to get me to read Harry Potter. I refused. #stubborn This had been an on-going process. To be honest, I probably should have wrote in my journal the day I read the first Harry Potter book, because it was life changing. I didn't. I was a tween and didn't do stuff like that. #regret

Hogwarts at Universal Studios in Florida

Needless to say, I read it and loved it. I caught up on all the HP books. Reading became fun. It wasn't a teacher in school telling me what to read, when to read, and how to read. It was a story that you could get lost in. I went to midnight book releases and midnight movie releases. I will never forget the nights having drinks and snacks next to my bed in preparation to lock myself in my room and read Harry Potter after leaving the Barnes & Noble midnight release. I will forever remember the exhaustion that came from going to a midnight movie showing after standing in line for hours to get a good seat, and still having to wake up early to go to work or school the next day. 

The moral of the story is I hated reading...but because of Harry Potter, I'm obsessed. Like this buzzfeed, especially #1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 15, 17, 19. Okay, So I wanted to just choose a few, but all of them are 100% true. So I only chose a few. This was an accomplishment in and of itself. Congratulations me!

My name is Natasha, and I am a reader. 

Willkommen bis 2014

New Years Resolutions (aka. To Do List for 2014)

I was looking back and was pretty pleased with myself for having accomplished many of my goals in 2013. I think this is the best way for me to put up my resolutions because it's good for me to look at it throughout the year and see how I'm doing. This is the first year that I've done that. It seems to have worked out pretty well.

1. Become PADI Scuba Certified - looking at this place
2. Enter Raffle for SNL Tickets
3. Go to Boston
4. Urban Survival Class
5. Run a nine-minute mile. (if my knee doesn't kill me first)...or find a new physical activity
6. Work out my arms more, so opening heavy doors is not a difficulty. 
7. Become so comfortable with my body that I could work out in a sports bra and yoga pants if I wanted.
8. Start dating again. Maybe put some effort into it.
9. Make a lemon meringue pie successfully. 
10. Learn about architecture and how to pick locks

After making this list, I realized, I haven't made any goals about really bettering myself. I was a little disappointed in myself, because earlier last year, goals about becoming a better person would have been some of the first things I thought about. Sadly, as 2013 progressed, it became more of a "Me" year; I mean this in the "I just want to have fun" sense. It was a fun year where I was able to do a lot of things I've always wanted to do. 2013 was the year to "Just Do It", and I loved it. I wanted 2014 to be a little like that too, but I have a feeling it will not. 

I've been a little more anti-social and introverted than usual over the past few months, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. Sadly, this wild ride of fun was put to a stop. I've been called to be Activities Co-Chair at church. Really, this is a good calling; it just goes against my recent track record of avoiding any socialization. It was like God said to me, "Natasha, I gave you your time to be anti-social, but now it's time to stop." Of course, He is right. I think 2014 is going to be a Back to Basics kind of year. Do the simple things in life, because 2013 was a wild and crazy ride for me. 

1. Be more social. 
2. Work on the Christlike attribute of humility. Seriously...it's hard being this amazing ;)
3. Be more prayerful
4. Go to the temple at least once a month
5. Read and/or listen to the scriptures everyday
6. Be more loving and forgiving, especially towards those I have purposefully avoided in 2013 due to the constant negativity they bring into my life

I have this feeling that 2014 is going to hold some big decisions for me. I really can't explain it, but I'm super excited for 2014. 

Decision 1: buying my very own car. 

Look out world, here comes Adult Natasha. I leave you now with my fav song at this time. Happy New Year world!

I Believe in a Thing Called Love

This is a love story. This will also be a "Natasha Story" as my high school bffs call it, meaning it will be a really long story and will take forever to get to the point. This love story starts on Sept 26, when I had to wake up really early and was miserable having to leave my wonderfully comfortable hotel bed to go to an early meeting, after staying up to work on a presentation I was going to give, but never ended up making changes to it, since my calculations were not making sense. I realized that I was a little Europe homesick. I have a group message on Whatapp with some of my friends from studying in Spain in this group. Becca tried to comfort me in my distress from the day saying, "don't worry, we will be in Guatemala soon. your job is paying for it!" and I said "I kinda want to switch Guatemala for Germany." She said "I'm okay with either, just as long as we go somewhere" wow. that was one of the greatest and easiest change of plans. It got me pretty excited. I was on cloud nine. Sadly, even though I was in a great mood, I was having some bad luck. Nevertheless, this news put a spring in my step all weekend.

I left work a little early to go pick up Teri Jo from work and start our weekend. It was gross stop-and-go traffic all to the airport. Bah humbug. The traffic wasn't as terrible as anticipated, so we arrived early. This was good because I was getting hangry for some food. The flight was good, and I got to start The Spy Who Loved, which is a biography about WWII spy who kept on blowing my mind with her quick thinking in super intense situations. We got to the LaGuardia pretty late and got in the taxi line, only for it to be ridiculously slow. The New Yorkers in line were getting very vocally upset and verbally assaulting the worker over the line. I was part amused and part horrified. Luckily, we got a taxi without any bloodshed, but after a super long wait.

We got to the hotel we were staying at, the W in Time Square. Teri Jo's friend is a chef for a super fancy hotel in Boston, and got us a friend-rate. So we walked into the hotel, and the lobby/check-in area is on the 7th floor. The 7th floor is also a club. There were people dancing,and great music. We checked in and got into a different set of elevators to get up to the room, except you have to insert your hotel card to get to the floor you needed. Teri Jo was having major problems with the key card. lol. I used my hotel expertise to get us to our room...and the room was super swanky with a beautiful view of Time Square. I hoped in the shower so I could sleep in a little more the next morning since we were going to get some CRONUTS!!!

Saturday morning began with waking up, putting on my red lipstick, and grabbing a scarf to keep me warm in the chilly weather...at 5:30am. We got a taxi to take us down to Dominique Ansel's Bakery, and figured out where it was at from the line that had already formed. We took a seat on the side walk and attempted to stay warm, and made a friend. She worked in fashion design for bathing suits at Target. She was pretty cool, and we became friends for the 3 hours we were in line. The bakery is pretty small, so you go into the bakery in groups. We were in the second group. There was someone waiting in line in a sleeping bag, napping. There was also another person with an office chair, which they claim they found outside by and took it to the line with them. lol.
We were waiting in line for the cronut inside the bakery. I spotted Dominique, and the New Yorker girl we became friends with said that he was really friendly and took pictures with tourists. I finally got up the courage to ask him for a picture. He looked at me and said, "No". My face dropped, and I said, "Oh. Ok." to which he smiled and said "of course! How can I say no to a face like that?" with a smile. He came from around the counter and took a picture with me and another one with me and Teri Jo. His French accent just melted me. I loved it. The cronut flavor of the month was fig. Honestly, you say fig, and I am not impressed. Oh snap. it was tasty. Was it as life-changing as everyone makes it out to be? Maybe not so much. But the experience of it all made it all worth it.  I ate a cronut and ate a few bites of a frozen smore. I'm pretty sure I was about to die from a sugar coma. Luckily, I got some milk to balance out the sugar. It was great. We then took a walk to the subway station. On the way there we walked past the Dash store, and I thought of Saryah. I didn't even notice it, since I'm super unobservant, but Teri Jo pointed it out to me. We got to the subway, only for me to realize, I don't understand the differences between the metro tickets. It took a few minutes and we just chose the $10 fare ticket you can reload with more money later. We hopped on the metro, switched lines to go up to Time Square. After a few stops, we started to suspect that we were going the wrong way, except we only were sure when the train went above ground and across the bridge into Brooklyn. It was ridiculous. But I couldn't find a map of where we were on the metro, and I didn't have signal in the underground metro to follow where we were on my phone. It was quite ridiculous; it's the first metro that ever got the best of me.

We miraculously found our way back to Time Square before heading off to book a bike tour of Central Park. Sadly, it was booked, so we had to go on the 1pm tour. Since this was the case, we went back to Time Square; Teri Jo wanted to see the Disney store (she's one of those Disney lovers). We were talking and saying how we would love to just love seeing another play on Sunday afternoon before we leave, even though we are going tonight. I was kinda happy that Teri Jo was so cool with this idea, because I could honestly come up to NYC and watch plays all weekend and be as happy as a clam. We went back to the bike tour place, and it was pretty fun. The biking was relaxing and nice. Teri Jo was getting a little annoyed with me always looking behind me to make sure I haven't lost her. She called me out on it, so I stopped. This backfired, because when we got to the lake in the part, she was not there. We lost her. She found her way back, but it was not unreasonable for me to check on her. She walks really slowly, so I wanted to check on her on the bike too.

I had texted Dan earlier in the week to tell him I was heading to NYC and how I wanted to meet up. We were texting to meet up. We finished the tour, and he called. The funny thing was, when I picked up the call, I thought, 'Why is a British person calling me?' and then I remembered...hahaha, it's my cousin; he has an accent. (i honestly forget my dad has an accent most times)

Teri Jo and I went to a little coffee shop on the corner, to meet up with Cool Cousin Dan. Plus, it was almost 3:30pm, and we hadn't ate any lunch. I needed a sugar level boost. Dan met up with us, and we had some great catch up time. I was teasing him about wearing a helmet as he was biking around. He said it was because he fell asleep on his bike one day and fell off. He really is the coolest. He introduced me to the concept of traveling the world for a year. I thought if I ever took time between jobs, it would be for two months or something, but when he said a year, it was like a light-bulb turned on in my brain and in my heart.

really cool art on the side of a building off the High Line

We went down to High Line to walk the trail. It was on a list of things to do that Saryah sent me. It was really beautiful, and was a nice place to walk. We were pretty hungry, and Dan recommended a pizza place off the line. We went, and it was delectable!!!!! The wait was a little longer than was desirable, since they didn't have any slice immediately ready. Nevertheless....sooo good. Dan and Teri Jo ate it so quickly, that I tried to eat it faster, and I'm pretty sure I burned my tongue. Dan then had to go get ready for a wedding reception, and Teri Jo and I needed to get back and get ready for our night on Broadway. I ended up passing out on the bed, while Teri Jo got ready. Teri Jo and I were headed off to two different plays. Teri Jo had the dream of going to Newsies on Broadway. I never had that dream. I was willing to go, but honestly wasn't too excited about it. Luckily, Teri Jo is pretty cool, and was like "you don't have to go to the same play as me" so i took that out like a Nox spell and went to Once. Oh my. Lindsay went to see this when she went to NYC last and told me how amazing it was. Before the show, the cast is on the stage singing Irish songs. It was brilliant. Then when the first song came on it, was soooo hauntingly beautiful. I was captivated. It as a totally British ending. I loved it.

After the musicals, we met up and walked around Manhattan at night, after Teri Jo got her pics with the Naked Cowboy. It was part amusing and part disturbing. lol. The walk was super relaxing and beautiful.We walked around for a while. We went to get some cupcakes for a midnight snack. We went to Rockefeller Center, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, NYC Public Library (they were having a black tie event in the library. i wish i was invited), and Empire State Building. It was a nice walk, even after being sexually propositioned by random guys I smiled at in a car.

We woke up and took a taxi to go to church with the Young Single Adult congregation in the Manhattan temple building. The bishop's wife was super nice to us. Everyone in the congregation looked like models. It was ridiculous. We took off after sacrament meeting to go to brunch at a restaurant Dena recommended. It was sooo good. Plus, there was live jazz playing. The ambiance was pretty legit. We then went down to see the Freedom Tower. I forgot to get us ticket to the 9/11 memorial beforehand, but the line to pick up those tickets was super long as well.

After the Freedom tower we went to Battery Park. It was beautiful. We got a ice cream and lemoneade as we sat on a bench and just relaxed. We were relaxing and waiting for Ben to show up #multitasking I honestly wanted to find a patch of grass and lay down to soak in some sun. Sadly, Battery Park seems to be more of a plant part rather than a grassy knoll park. Ben finally showed up, and we saw each other across the memorial and Ben started dramatically slow running toward me, so, of course, I had to join in the fun. Don't tell Ben, but I had forgotten how much I love that kid! I finally got to tell him, in person, how I've joined him in the i-dont-want-to-get-married-anytime-soon-slash-i-love-being-single club. I think Teri Jo was a little overwhelmed by the energy and excitement that Ben and I created. I had to explain to her that we were kindred spirits. Teri Jo told Ben that I was like a black widow, killing everyone who might be possibly interested in me. We caught up, we caught a taxi back up town to make it back in time for the musical Teri Jo and I were going to catch before our plane out. On the plane we were joking and having too much fun. I dont remember what the joke was, but I said one of my twisted humor jokes, and teri jo said "that is dark". ben said something along the lines of "there is no darkness with natasha, because she is the light". omg. I almost died. It rivaled my super cheesy comment to him i made earlier, which I do not remember, but it was too perfect to pass up. Ben dropped us off at the First Date, literally, right before it started. I miss that kid.

First date was amazing. I was laughing so hard with the first song. It is a "musical comedy", and when I heard that, I wasn't sure what to expect, and my expectations were pretty low. OMG. TOO FUNNY! It was as if anything awkward or ridiculous happened on a first date, it was in this musical. It was great. The best part...Zachary Levi. He is amazing. His singing voice was great. He was the voice of Flynn Rider in Tangled, and you always think that that Hollywood changes voices to make it better, but his voice was exactly the same as in the movie. Afterwards, we met him in real life after the play. We waited at the stage door, and the cast came out to tell everyone it was his birthday. We sang Happy Birthday to him, and he went around signing things for people. I got him to sign my ticket and play bill. The girl next to me bought a Flynn Rider doll (action figure?) for him to sign (the box, not the actual doll). There was another girl who was telling him how she asked her friend to get something signed from him and it didn't happened and she tweeted him. He responded that he received the tweet and wanted to talk to her and how grateful he was that she came, so he could sign her stuff. It was then time for photos. I got a photo with him, and as I walked away, I looked back at him, made eye contact, and I fell in love. It was beautiful. Maybe it's true love, or it goes to show how I can only love people who are unavailable. We'll see. See....I told you it was a love story.

It ended on a great note. We took another walk, feeling high off the love in our hearts for Zachary Levi. Taxied our way to the Newark Airport, because NYC metro and trains confuse me to no end. We ate sushi and slept on the flight back. The end. 

I love being a Love

Auckland was great. I loved being there. I was told that people usually love it or hate it there, but it is said people only hate Auckland because they're small town people. Truth. I'm a city girl, and I loved it.
I loved the bakery bread we ate with meals. And Uncle Malcolm making sure I had my toast and butter with my breakfast every morning. I loved how Aunt Mary was so sassy with everything she said and did. It was a great time to go there and get to know more of my family. The Loves, my gran's family, moved away from each other a while ago. It was a 6 week boat ride for Uncle Malcolm and Aunt Mary to come from Scotland to New Zealand. Crazy. So I love it when I meet a fellow Love and get to know my dad's aunts and uncles because they are sassy Scottish. It's defiantly where I get some of my more stubborn personality traits. Plus, there's always that nagging feeling wishing that we got to get the last name Love too. So cool! But one of my Love cousins told me one time that a lot of people don't believe that's really her last name. Oh well.

Anyways, it was great to be there and meet my family in New Zealand. It was sad leaving. But Saryah will be there for a bit longer and enjoy it for me as I go to Germany for the summer.
And the pic above is of me, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Malcolm making hearts. I think Uncle Malcolm had the most difficult time doing it :) but I wanted to do it because we're Loves.