There’s truly no place like home, and after a few long years, the prospect of reconnecting with my roots filled my heart with joy, especially since our summers are typically whisked away by wildfires. With Aaron tirelessly battling fires in Ontario, I seized the opportunity to dedicate a week celebrating Zoey’s early 8th birthday alongside my parents, who were camped out at my brother’s Idaho haven.
Todd has devoted countless summers to transforming his getaway into a dream retreat, and this year was no exception. With our dad— the official “professional”— by his side, Todd seized the moment, building a magnificent lean-to on his pre-existing structure. Each morning unfolded with the promise of shared labor as they worked on that project while Mom and I cherished precious playtime and storytelling with Zoey, all against the backdrop of stunning scenery.
When the boys reached a point where lunch beckoned, it was our turn to share cherished childhood memories with Zoey, introducing her to the thrill of shooting a BB gun and mastering the bow and arrow under Papa’s expert guidance. I even crafted a delightful birthday scavenger hunt, a labor of love that brought immense joy to both of us.
Our adventure included a serene visit to the river, watching others float down while sharing a sweet ice cream cone from town. Yet, as always, the moments with loved ones slipped by too swiftly—filled with laughter, radiant morning sunrises over steaming coffee, card games, storybooks, and Zoey’s entertaining concerts. As we savored every second together, the bittersweet moment arrived to bid adios, holding on to the promise of our next reunion
Aaron and I consider ourselves worldly travelers. But in the next paragraph or so, you will read where we made some major oopsies and probably need to be downgraded to “most of the time” great travelers. The night before our departure, Aaron tried to check us in online, but there was an issue with his passport. I figured we would just go a little earlier in the morning and we would figure it out at the airport. Aaron had a sinking feeling as we knew his passport only had 2 more months until it expired. We started doing some research. Why didn’t we do this before we booked this destination? Well, that’s oopsie #1. French Polynesia requires 6 months before expiration on your passport to enter. I was confused why we would be allowed to buy our tickets, entering our passport information, and not be able to travel so I wasn’t worried—Aaron was!
After a sleepless night, Aaron decided to call the US Embassy (located in Fiji) that was in charge of French Polynesia. As it turns out, Aaron was right! If you don’t have 6 months on your passport, you are not allowed to enter. We pled our case, told them our situation, why we were working in Australia, and killed her with kindness. She said she would see what she could do and would call us back. After maybe 45 minutes, she told us to email this Chris guy Aaron’s passport, our itinerary, and our tickets, and he would handle it. We thought we just hit the jackpot and saved about 8k in lost vacation bookings! We got ourselves ready and headed to the airport, awaiting the document letter from Chris. After 2 hours of waiting, our only option was to try and call this Chris guy. He ironically picked up the phone and he thought we were traveling the next day. Aaron said, no, we literally leave in 4 hours. So with no time to spare and about 25 minutes before they closed check-in, we miraculously got the letter and headed to board. We were so relieved and excited! We couldn’t believe what just happened and that we pulled off the inevitable—well, Aaron did!
After Aaron surprised me with a first-class upgrade, we headed for Auckland. I was still on cloud nine that this vacation was going to happen. We would have a short 1-hour transfer in Auckland and then off to paradise. We landed in Auckland on time, but we noticed there was a lot of rain. We had to run to catch our next flight, but got there when it was boarding and went to our seats. Once we got settled in, we noticed the rain was really coming down. After almost an hour delay on the plane, Aaron started looking at outgoing flights and noticed many had turned around. Departure was set for 6:40 pm and at 10:30 pm the captain came online and said there would be no flights leaving Auckland as the airport was flooded. It was a complete shit show; they told us to get off the plane and find a place to sleep inside the airport as everyone was locked in for the night. We went up to the Air New Zealand lounge and got settled in for the night.
To make a long story short, the airport was shut down for 3 days, we lost Aaron’s AirPods and Bose headphones on the airplane, barely could find hotels in Auckland as the flooding impacted everyone, and after day 2, Aaron luckily went ahead and found us a flight or we would probably still be there today waiting on a rebook. We canceled a few of our reservations and everyone was willing to work with us, which was amazing. Once we finally arrived in Papeete (at 1:30 am), we realized we were a whole day off and one day early for everything—you know, that thing called time change—oh yeah! Nonetheless, we finally made it; we had 8 days in paradise and we can laugh about it all now!
After a day in Papeete, we jetted off to Bora Bora, one of my bucket list places to visit. We had to take the ferry over to Moorea as our flight left from there…we were playing catch up with some of our previous bookings before the Auckland setback. The flight from Moorea was 45 minutes, and we had to wait for a quick weather storm to pass at the airport before we could land. Once we landed, you can see why this place is absolute paradise. From the luxury overwater bungalow resorts to the colorful turquoise crystal clear waters below…the natural beauty of the island just set the mood. Our 3-day stay consisted of renting scooters which took us around the island and in full view of Otemanu, stopping along the way in the major settlement of Vaitape, snorkeling with black tip sharks and stingrays, eating the most amazing seafood, attending a Polynesian luau, and much-needed relaxation…in paradise!
It was hard to imagine another utopia such as Bora Bora, but Moorea proved to be just that. The island was definitely more laid back and much more reasonable than our previous stop, without giving up its surreal scenery. We had to take the ferry back over (which by now we were pros). Once we arrived, we couldn’t check in for about 5 hours, so we figured since we were also professionals at renting scooters, we better get going. So after dropping our luggage off at the hotel, we rode around the entire island (50 miles), zipped up to the Belvedere lookout giving us panoramic views of the island’s peaks, stopped by Opunohu Bay, and traveled through Cooks Bay, whilst stopping at yet another incredible lunch spot overlooking the ocean. The overwater bungalow had the best snorkeling out of all the places we went, so every day I went out for a few hours…it was absolutely breathtaking and I saw different fish every time…truly one of the most amazing things I have witnessed. We had a few Mai Tais for our buddy Nancy Pants and just enjoyed being in true paradise. Life is good and we are humbly blessed!
Little did Aaron and I know this would be our last winter for a while working in Australia for bushfires and flood relief, which I am excited to share more about in a later blog post! Normally, we arrive in Victoria and prepare to respond to bushfires around our Mansfield home base, but we were thrilled to be called in early to assist with flood relief in New South Wales. Our relief efforts took us all over the beautiful state of New South Wales, providing us with the wonderful opportunity to explore and discover new surroundings and environments, which was a delightful change from our usual time spent in Victoria.
We had a few days off this time around to go and explore other parts of Australia so we took advantage of having that time away and headed off to the Gold Coast for a few days and then up to Cairns in Queensland. The one positive about working 24/7 and working all over the globe we are able to collect hotel points along the way. We were able to score an amazing hotel room right on Surfers Paradise Beach.
After a quick trip to the Gold Coast, we made our way up to Cairns. Our first stop was the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and the Kuranda Riverboat Tour, where we floated just a few meters above the stunning tropical rainforest in the Barron Gorge National Park. Next, we zoomed over to Fitzroy Island for a chill day soaking up the sun and playing in the sand. To wrap things up, we went on a fun croc spotting adventure at Hartley’s. North Queensland is home to the biggest and most dangerous reptiles out there, and we definitely didn’t want to miss seeing those guys!
After spending a few days away, returning to reality reminds us that we’re concluding our final Christmas in Oz and bidding farewell to what may be our last bushfire season in Australia for the foreseeable future. Our time in Australia always fills us with joy, and it truly feels like a second home to us. The warmth of the people, the stunning landscapes, and the rewarding work draw us back year after year. As we leave this beautiful place, it will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Until we meet again, dear Oz… please remain the kind and welcoming haven we’ve always cherished!
To celebrate Aaron’s birthday, we decided to tick off another destination from my bucket list. It’s a win-win situation: Aaron’s birthday and my bucket list! Alaska has always been a dream destination for me. My parents have taken cruises there multiple times, and the sheer beauty of the land is simply breathtaking.
We spent a day in Vancouver to fully celebrate Aaron’s special day. Then, we boarded the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas for the next seven days. Our itinerary took us along the Inside Passage, stopping at Skagway, Haines, Juneau, and Icy Strait Point.
Juneau, the state capital, may have only 30,000 residents, but it’s incredibly remote. This town, created by the gold rush, is filled with outdoor activities. We decided to take a bus to get closer to the Mendenhall Glacier. After a walk to the glacier, we indulged in some delicious Alaskan crab to satisfy our hard-earned appetite.
Skagway, another gold rush town, is much smaller compared to the other stops on the Inside Passage. Here, you can immerse yourself in the 1800s through its well-preserved historic relics. Aaron and I took the train through the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, which was a scenic and authentic way to experience the local sights.
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