The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. It was a massive undertaking leaving behind my life in NYC – my world for the last 7 years. Packing up an entire apartment and putting on a solo concert certainly strained my resources to the max, but I came out all the better for the stress and hard work. I not only blew others away with the concert, but I surprised myself. I hadn’t performed in several years, but my voice has never been better and I was able to sing pieces I’ve longed to sing for some time but didn’t have the power or finesse to pull off even two years ago. This project was a huge reminder that even if you don’t feel/think you’re ready, just take the first baby step, then the next, and eventually everything works out and you’ll be so glad you tried!
The happy face of triumph
With regards to packing, I succeeded in my goal of 10 or less boxes.
And all my belongings fit into my rental car absolutely perfectly. Massive thanks to John and Carolyn (who flew all the way from TX just to see me before I left!!) for helping me move out and pack the car in record time – you both made it such a smooth and painless process 🙂
Rockstars!
About to hit the road. I named the car Lesh.
I split the 17hr trip across two days – I overnighted in Indiana with my mother’s cousin who I adored as a child and hadn’t seen in over 10 years. Reconnecting with her was such an utter delight and reminded me that I don’t need to live in NYC to be happy and lead a successful, fulfilling, thriving life.
Enjoying Rib Fest 2016
I’m safely back at my parent’s house in Wisconsin and will be here for a few weeks; it’s the perfect place to unwind and get some serious work done before heading out on my travels: First, Arizona to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law, on to California to see friends, then Hawaii (island of Kauai) since it’s directly on the way to NZ. I’m aiming to arrive in New Zealand mid-November; there’s a food and wine festival November 20th near Wellington and checking that out seemed the perfect way to start my time in that beautiful country.
curioustravelertravelogues 
Hey Jules!
First, rock the f*ck on! I’m currently writing this from a hammock at Mary’s company housing in Oregon, and I’m a little jealous you already get to take off drom NYC. (But, adulting needs to happen like before I too can leave…)
Anywho, couple of things (that you may already know, in which case, feel free to ignore this :p): #1, one of the islands – I think it’s Kauai – has a no filming rule. This may apply to commercial filming only, but it’s a way to preserve the island the way it is as much as possible. #2, make sure you take part in the art scene in New Zealand! They have at least two fringes in the “winter” months, and it’s a great way to connect with people and experience local and non-local performance.
Be safe my friend, and learn much!!
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Thanks for the tips! I’m really looking forward to checking out the theatre/arts scene in NZ, for sure.
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I am glad you made it safely out of NYC! Bummed I havent seen you in almost a year!!! Gahhhh! I will just have to visit you in NZ 😉 Miss you like crazy and hope you are enjoying your many adventures. Love you! Lets chat via text, hangouts or messenger xoxoxoxox
-Michelle, R2, Arttie, Shithead (MC), and your forever boyfriend who misses you like crazy Dexxi
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❤ love and miss you crazy kids!
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Julia: I read your article in the Post Crescent about the mistreatment of elephants. I was wondering if you know of any organization that deal with this? If not, do you know of any place I can get more information? Also, do you know of any people to write to about this? Thank you.
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Hi Ric,
Thanks for reaching out. Lek Chailert at Elephant Nature Park/Save Elephant Foundation is probably the lead figurehead in elephant matters. You can check out http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/ and http://www.saveelephant.org/ for more information on the work they’re doing. You are welcome to email them at info@saveelephant.org
Sangita Iyer is also a strong voice for the elephant and recently created a documentary entitled Gods in Shackles about temple elephants.http://www.godsinshackles.com/
Thank you for reading and caring. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to point you in the right direction!
J
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