I’m trying to bang this out really quick before I head off to a game night tonight so it might be a little chaotic. I’m also fighting off a migraine so the functioning of the brain is not all there. Let’s GO!

I’m still sans car *moment of silence* so the exploring has not picked up much. I’m more insane than y’all thought by just moving to New Zealand because I also decided now was a great time to start a business. So this week and the next few weeks are going to be pretty work heavy as I try to get things set up with that while still working full time. The sad thing about starting your own business is that no one is paying for doing so, even though you’re technically working. Once I get things up and rolling though, I’ll be able to just sit back and watch the money roll in (insert clip of my dad telling me that’s not how being a boss works). I officially registered with the state of Montana and already have one employee ready to start – shoutout to Emily! – so the big thing now is to get some clients. So if anyone knows of some authors looking for assistants, send them to Sticky Note Studios!

The logo I spend WAY too much time designing (but isn’t it so fun?!)

I did have 3 exciting things happen this week so settle in for a little story time. This first one is a little more tragic, but I’m keeping and upbeat attitude about it. I’ve been looking for a car, as you know, and I saw this guy with a good marketplace rating and a nice looking car so I set up a time to go see him. He lives down south so I hopped on a bus and took the 1 hour 45 minute journey down to him. I got to his house only to find not only nobody home, but the Facebook listing deleted and no response to my messages. I hung out for a little bit to optimistically give him time to respond, but no dice. So back 1 hour and 45 minutes home I went. Nothing quite like wasting 4 hours of your day when you have 500 things to get done. But I did get to see a different part of Auckland and got a story out of it so it’s all good.

This second one was a lot more fun, but perhaps no less tragic (for someone). A guy from the ward asked me out so we were texting a bit back and forth this week before we went out to play pool. We met 2 other people from the ward there and I had a total blast… with the 2 that weren’t my date. Those of you who my fam know that trash talking is something that’s always part of games. Honestly, if you aren’t being sassy during a game are you even having fun? We played 6 different game, switching partners every 2 rounds. I won 3 of the 6 games and was unfortunately the reason my team lost the last one (sunk the cue ball while shooting for the 8). At first it was a little awkward – those of you who know me know it can take me a minute to warm up – but soon we all loosened up and I started handing out insults like I was Oprah. The vibes were high and one of the guys and I were smack talking each other like we’d been doing it for years. Unfortunately, said guy was not my date. My date was not having good luck and lost every game, except for the one where I sunk the cue ball (which, let’s be honest, doesn’t feel like a win as the other team) and it was kinda bumming him out. We went and got some food after at an Asian food court and I had the sweetest butter chicken I’ve ever had in my life. So far, 0 for 2 for NZ Indian food. At this point you’re probably wondering where the tragedy part of this story comes in since I had such a great time. Well… I had a great time in spite of my date, not because of him. He’s really nice, but things were so awkward between the two of us and the vibes were not there. I know part of it was because he was feeling nervous – you never fully act like yourself when you’re nervous – but I had gotten the sense while we were texting that he just isn’t the one for me. That thought was only solidified during our date. If you go on a double date and you’re vibing a lot more with the other guy there then the guy that asked you out, that’s telling. Sadly, I think he felt that, but instead of reading the room and calling it a day he doubled down. Another thing those who know me will recognize, the more someone pushes the more I pull. The way to get me to absolutely not want to do something is to push me to do it. So the more he pushes for us to be a thing, the more I pull away so we are absolutely not a thing. At church today he was stuck to me like velcro, which was just so awkward. Now I need to rip this velcro apart and set him free to find a lady love that wants to be with him. Doing that is never fun so wish me luck!

The sweet ambience we got in the private room (the only table they had left available)

That might’ve been a little TMI about my dating life, but I’m writing this blog mostly for myself to look back on later so oh well. The last big thing was the Ward temple trip. I carpooled down with 3 other people in the ward (well, technically 2 people in the ward and one random guy visiting from Australia who somehow knows people here…) and had a blast. People split up a little at the temple to do their own thing and then we headed over to the institute building afterward for a little bit. There were some snacks and games set up, but people mostly were just chatting. I didn’t get home until after 11pm because the temple is 45 minutes south, but it was so worth it. I’ve been so grateful for all the people who have been willing to give me rides so I can make it to the ward activities!

Auckland temple (you can see some people from my ward there on the right lol)

Well, I’m off to the game night with my girl Keisha so that’s it for this week! Enjoy these random NZ things I got some pics of!

1. The bridge you go over to get to the North Shore
2. The CHRISTMAS decorations already out… why?

1. The awesome cart escalators at Costco to get to the parking garage
2. Free fruit for kids you can find in any Woolworths (Woolys as I’ve learned the locals call it)

1. Funky little bars you have to push through to get inside grocery stores
2. Waiting for a bus on my way home from church today (in my knee length dress while the wind was 24 mph and it was pouring)

1. A cute little walkway so you still know where you’re going when the sidewalk ends (I think in the States there’s more of a “go with God” attitude when there’s no sidewalk)
2. A funky tree I pass on the way to the bus stop. I don’t know what’s happening here… maybe the tree was cold.

1. A main street on the west side. It looks like just a fun little square people can walk around in, but cars actually drive through here. Learned that the hard way.
2. A pretty little wooded area right next to Costco