The US open, from the grandstand.

The spectacle.

...The infrastructure for the event, all on the beach.

...

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Incohesive Ramblings II.

So. In between documenting the events, shenanigans and good-times shared with the folks during their time in California, I have neglected to post any recent happenings over these past pew weeks. I realize this, and apologize. Indeed, I have struggled to find much time to write as of late – but more about that later. For this post, I am going to write it in a sort of bullet-pointed format, so to fill in the gaps as thoroughly and concisely as possible. Please bare with me…a bunch of stuff has happened.

- The job.

In my post a month or so earlier, I Mentioned the growing uneasiness we had in regards to the future of our jobs at the Hyatt Regency hotel. Our positions were only seasonal, and, if we were to be given the boot a the end of the summer, we would again be out of a job, and back to the drawing board in terms of finding our feet here in the US. Indeed, amidst the current state of the economy and the subsequent job shortage, I quietly questioned my mental stamina to be able to do it all over again. After a bit of debate, Paul and I figured that we should approach our boss about our future at the hotel immediately after my parents left back to New Zealand in order to give us a bit of time to figure out our financial situation if we were to be out of work soon. On the contrary, if we miraculously did work something out with the Hyatt, the next option would be to perhaps purchase a car, which would give us some much needed space and freedom - as well as for the first time being completely self-sufficient and independant in the US.

we nervously scheduled a little chat with our boss over the phone. He sounded surprisingly cheerful and optimistic, as if he'd figured out what we were going to ask him. A time later, he casually strolls up to the pool hut where Paul and I were stationed. "So, what did you guys want to talk to me about?" Paul and I look at eachother, glaring and considering who is going to inititate this potentially difficult conversation. I begin to open my mouth before the boss cuts me off, saying "If you guys were wanted to talk about keeping your jobs, I've had a chat to the other supervisors - and they want you to stay. So, if you'd like, you can stay working here until your visa expires next year." Paul and I were again speechless. "Really?! no way, that's AWESOME!" we exclaimed in joyous unison. We realised that this would be undoubtedly a significant moment in the future of this adventure. It has effectively 'set us up' with what we are doing and what we will do, not only in terms of living location, but in regards to friendships, connections and pretty much everything else. Thank you God, thank you.

- The car.

Pretty much right after the family left here, Paul and I figured it was high time to purchase a car. And, with the news that we were to keep our jobs past the summer, we figured now was a better time than ever to trade-in a few greens. The feeling of freedom and being able to go anywhere with the rental car reminded us just how important it is to experience as much as we can while we are here in the US. Obviously, the gameplan wasn’t to buy the raciest model available, but something that was affordable and reliable enough to take us through until the end of April 2010 with the expiration of our visas. Incidentally, the first car we checked out we happened to purchase. It was a local sale, within biking distance of our house in Huntington. The girl selling it was heading overseas and needed to get rid of it, so we ended up picking it up at a fairly decent price - albeit just within our minimalist budget. She's a white 96' Nissan Sentra with 179,500 miles on the clock. Beautiful.

The car has been so important over these past few weeks. We have been able to attend to church again and see our friends and get further connected with the Big Guy, something that has been really refreshing for us. After a month or so of straight work and being constricted to the Huntington Beach area, we now have the freedom to follow up on invitiations and really travel and explore the greater California. Soon, hopefully this will extend into further ventures throughout other states in the continental US. We can't wait.

- The US Open.

Soon after my family departed from America, the US Surf Open, one of the country's premier surfing competitions, came to town. As well as attracting a few of the world's best surfers to the event, It also boosted the population of Huntington by another 500,000 people. Beach space suddenly became hot property as the oceanfront became a hub of surfers, tourists, hippies locals and bums mingling in the summer sun. The infrastructure for the event was impressive. Giant grandstands were erected to facilitate the hordes of spectators keen to check out their favourite surfers in action, as well as a huge skate park and bmx vert section for the less ocean-oriented. A few pros turned up for the event too - Andy Irons, CJ Hobgood, Rob Machado Bruce Irons, Tom Curren, Mick Fanning - as well as the legend and one of my all-time heros: Kelly Slater!

The event lasted for about a week, and was blessed with a swell that the contest apparently hadn't seen in years. A video for this is nearing completion, and will be up soon. So stay tuned!

- The future?

So, what next then? Well, that's exactly what we are trying to figure out now. The fact is, there are a number of things that we would like to do - but due to time and financial constraints, it is unlikely that we will be able to do them all. The issue really lies with what the heck we are going to do after our visa expires for the US at the end of April next year. Will we go to the UK and obtain a working visa there? If so, then we will need to bank a reasonable portion of our earnings in order to fund that adventure. Also, this option neglects the fact that we may get American girlfriends while we are over here, which would obviously change things a bit. Will we go back to New Zealand or Australia then? Again, a possibility. Indeed, this option may be more financially viable, but do we want to go back home yet? Hmm, not sure. But for me right now, something inside tells me that this adventure will continue for a wee bit yet.

Ideally, we would love to stay in the US past the end of April when our visa expires. Why? As odd as it sounds, it just feels right. Obviously, we will continue to look to God for direction on the subject. Our theory is that through hard work on our end, and prayer so God can answer on His end, we will meet somewhere in the middle, and figure out just what He has in store for us. We have already done a bit of research, and have come to the somewhat vague conclusion that the chances of having our visas extended are slim, but not impossible. If they were to be extended, we would have another 6 months of work and travel in the States. If not, we have figured out a couple of options. After our visa expires, we are allowed another month of legal 'travel' in the US, however we will be not able to work. On top of this, we figure we could perhaps head back up to Canada for a bit, touch base with some friends, before heading back down here and getting a 3-month 'green card' - basically a temporary visitors' visa. This gives us another four months of stay in the US, although we would not be able to work - hence the need to start planning now. Anyway, at this stage these are only loose thoughts, but will undoubtedly follow one of these paths when we hear the Call. So pray for us.

That's about it from me. I hope you've enjoyed being (finally) up to date with our happenings, and, um, mostly silly antics. I know I hound it, but please keep watching this space. There are a bunch of videos in the works, and hordes of photos that need to be filtered through for your enjoyment. I'm going to really try to post more regularly. If I don't all is not lost. If you think this place has been neglected, you might be right. Forgotten? Never! I am always on the lookout for new ideas and stories to keep this baby rollin'. So PLEASE bare with us, you guys are ALL an inspiration.

From California...

..Later.