The New Year

So let’s chat about 2009, aye? I guess I should begin on January 1st. Haha. Well Jill started off the New Year as a bum on her good friends’ Jarrod and Dlo’s couch. Thanks to a ‘what-must-have-been’ epic night of underage bar hopping with Miss Townsend, she had managed to re-gift her wallet (fully stocked with my drivers’ license(s), credit & debit cards, $10 cash, and only house key) to some lucky human being! Man she’s a generous lady.

After clocking in several hours with robotic telephone operators and mastering people watching in the Driver’s Motor Vehicle Association while she waited she was able to plant herself in the New Year.

Let’s see here. I guess looking back on it, most of her memories are now short ‘jilltube.com’ episodes from her semester abroad in New Zealand. She did manage to target some other important accomplishments (in addition to her philanthropy efforts).
One of the most ‘brag-worthy’ being her surf-status. She went from being wannabe Roxy sponsored Surfer, to a wannabe shredder with kook wipe-out status. Haha. Jill spent spring break 2009 on a Mexican-packed Nissan Altima road trip down to Cocoa Beach, Florida with some of her best mates! There she spent a week actively participating in Surf 101 with ‘Wilmington’s finest instructor’, Marissa Walch. She also served as a front shelf spectator to the coast’s local dolphin aerobatics show, sunbathed on the Hilton’s first class beach scene, and mamba-ed with locals at the sandy beach-side pubs.

She then, spent the next couple of months before her kiwi-excursion living through her personal assistant, Ms. Monthly View Daily Planner 2009. Some days of which often consisted of a 7am wake up, an 8-11am sandwich of classes, an 11:30am-4:30pm play session with 3 year old Pierce and 17 month old Mary Grace, and then off to play Dr. Scholls, better so, Dr. Omega from 6-9:30pm for her beloved John Stevens. This man being her boss at Omega Sports, Wilmington’s specialty running store.

. As the summer approached she also added opening and closing shifts at Kohl’s Frozen Custard of Wrightsville Beach, to fill in the hours on her ‘not-so-busy’ days. As if she wasn’t completely booked, she also managed to remain loyal to the Wrightsville Beach bars by paying visits on Thursday and Saturday nights with her friends.
UNCW’s Surfrider Foundation group also attracted this little blue and green-eyed girl. Participation in local beach sweeps, recycling promotion, and volunteer work involving the big blue ocean (and mountains, “which drain into the ocean” for our ski trip observation) became a large part of her life. And of course, It didn’t slope off there. Not only did she spend the last few weeks before stepping onto the giant Air New Zealand Aircraft ‘packing’ for her trip, but planning her intended wild 21st birthday extravaganza. Which I am safe to say she made it out fully-clothed and without any major reported bruises or broken bones. Must also not forget she planned an extended layover, in San Clemente, on her way to the Pacific!

Alright I’m bored with the third person here. You all must be miniature-Einsteins if you already figured out that I am the narrator and main character of this story! Hah
I guess this reflection would only be proper if you back tracked to my July-November entries. That would be the only way to get an full understanding of my Fall Semester. I’m going to be as brief as I can, only because I am getting tired of typing here.
New Zealand was INCREDIBLE! Honestly wish I was back there right now! For those who haven’t been, add it to your bucket list, and for those who have, revisit! I also backpacked around Upolu and Savaii, two islands that make up a 1/5 of the Samoan Territory, over my mid-semester break there and examined lots of different scenes of the world.

American is not the one and only! We may think of ourselves as the ‘Godfather’ of the world, or the ‘Full Monty,’ however there are so many different aspects we are missing. Whatever happened to joy of Simplicity? The Coca-Cola without the high fructose corn syrup. The days before freeways. The awesome children’s playgrounds with see-saws and flying foxes (zip lines). The appreciation of blankets, beds, and hot meals. Repetition is great and makes us feel comfortable, however how do we preserve that initial feeling of amazement? If someone has the answer, please fill me in! I’ve found one way… and that is by TRAVELING and be open to new EXPERIENCES. I guess what I’m trying to say is we have to lose ground in order to gain some. We have to allow ourselves to slip to be caught. And upon being scooped up, we should be modest and quiet, leaving room for spontaneity and the unfamiliar. That’s what I have learned anyways. I plan on approaching this next year the same way! Making sure I hop out of the hamster wheel, and fully live. Not allowing myself to get stuck in a cycle of anything. After all, that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?

Again, I’ll let the celebrities do the talking:
“As you enter positions of trust and power,
dream a little before you think.”-Toni Morrison

Cheers 2009! Hellooooo 2010!