Thanks to all who are interested in reading this blog and following my accounts of our time in Indonesia, as well as baring witness to the shifts and changes that come along the way. I hope this can become a dialogue and a place to share ideas about life and our personal journey's into ourselves. That being said lets go for it!

Ky and I left our home in the United States on October 1st, 2012 not knowing fully how everything would unfold. We had spent 6 years making a lovely nest filled with love and welcomeness on some of the most amazing land in Colorado, The Double Rainbow Ranch. Many of our friends would tell us how comfortable they felt in our home and we always took that as a huge compliment. It was a space that we loved, grew, and learned so much about our deeper selves in. Then suddenly things changed. We visited Bali and Thailand in the winter of 2011 and a big shift occurred in both of us that we had long talked about and longed for. This rooted and grounded couple pulled up their roots in the states and everything familiar and spread their wings for a huge adventure. Saying "see you again soon" to all of you was one of the hardest things to do for us in our lives, especially to our two most faithful companions Cali and Vega. But we trusted in our hearts call and lept into the great unknown. Thank god we were surrounded with such support from our parents, helping us move stuff back to Michigan, welcoming our pooches with the biggest embrace ever. And the support we have had from our dearest friends gave us the gusto to cut the logistical strings (phones, internet, bills etc.) that needed cut, trim the ones that needed trimming and strengthened the ones that would be there forever. So it was that we found ourselves at Denver International Airport saying goodbye to our beloved Garstones and all that we have known. We did our best to leave as much of our expectations behind, emptying our chalices, ready to be filled with the wisdom of the East. 



We arrived on the Island of the Gods on October 3rd, exhausted, yet wide eyed and full of adrenaline. Got through Indonesian customs in a flash and on the way to Ubud. The cabby was quiet but knew the way well so we finally got to sit back and relax and soak in the savory smells of our new home. Incenses, Balinese cooked food, fish, and trash filled our nostrils with a sensual overload. Dogs roamed the streets some with collars clearly marking them as owned while others missing clumps of hair, had dreads or mange rummaged through trash or picked apart the most recent offering to the gods from the Balinese women. Road side stands as far as the eyes could see selling fruit, paintings, carvings, art and more and more food. With only one small miss turn we rounded the corner where Vespa cafe sat and Brynn came running out into the street waving her arms with a huge smile on her face. We hugged Brynn and Matt both so tightly and then unloaded all the stuff from the Taksi. Unfortunately we didn't discover it till the next day but in all the excitement of arriving I forgot to check to make sure we had everything out of the cab and lost our new camera in the transition. Well if the cabby didn't like his tip I'm sure that he was just fine discovering our gem in his back seat. 

We spent our first two weeks in a great spot called Rumah Summangi on the other side of a rice field from Brynn and Matt's house. A small room and bathroom but there was a pool and the folks who ran it were amazingly kind and welcoming.  

Our first week was a lot of grounding and simply getting familiar with the Ubud area. Got great recommendations from B & M on restaurants, places to check out and a great spot to do yoga, The Yoga Barn. They even got us punch cards to it for our birthdays as a way of helping us to begin finding community here on the other side of the world. 

First weekend we found ourselves at familiar beaches on the east coast in Candidasa and Pandang Bai. A short drive between these places but the water is so different in each. At white sands in Candidasa the water is clear but green and the water in Padang Bai was crystal turquoise. The waves the second day we huge and tossed us around heavily, which meant if you wanted to swim you had to go out a ways because there is a good deal of coral that you wouldn't want to get tossed into. It was at this beach we got to meet many of B&M's friends, and immediately there was a feeling of welcome into the community.

Shortly after this weekend we had visitors already. Sarah and Brian arrived first and Joe and Emily the next week. Showing them around Ubud helped Ky and I familiarize even more with the area. We took them into the middle of the island to the terraced rice fields and out to the west coast of the island to a little place called Balian beach. We ate great food, heard gamalan music and saw ceremonial dance, surfed, got Balinese massages and even got some gelato. When Joe and Emily left for Kuta on the 19th, we stood there on the curb as their Taksi drove off waving till it crested the hill. Even though we have family here, Ky and I looked into each others eyes and both felt the shift totally begin to take place. We were here now, no more friends coming for a long while and a wave of emotions came over both of us. We took a deep breath, honored all that was coming up for us in that moment and treated ourselves to some more gelato :)

We committed the following week to getting some stuff done that needed completing. I had an interview with a spa here called Taksu on the day Joe and Emily arrived. The interview went great and the woman seemed to be in love with my massage work. It takes two to three weeks out here to find out if you got the job, mainly because there are Visas involved. So while I have been waiting to hear back from her I have been investigating other places in the area as well. There is a four seasons close that I plan on applying to along with other spas and resorts. Ky is getting connected with a clinic here in Ubud that specializes in women and children care, which is where she shines. 

After two days of searching we found a place to call home and drop our backpacks for now in the area of Penestanan. We have begun our Yoga practices and I am beginning to root again back into my meditation practice (Another entry to follow on this subject). We got our visas squared away till the beginning of December. Now that is all done, after we put some energy into connecting with and finding work we plan to get on our motor bike and do some more traveling.

Our feet are finally feeling the ground again in a deep way. We are opening on a daily basis to the magic on this island, within the Balinese people and into ourselves. I feel that we have given ourselves such a gift. A gift we have both been longing for since we began dating 11 years ago. We would talk about traveling to South America and Asia to see countries like Laos, Tibet, India, Guatemala, Peru and Costa Rica but something always came up and that dream was always placed on the back burner. Now, school is all done and a whole new learning has begun. I feel we have so much to learn from the smiling faces and hearts of the people who live here, and I pray that I am able soon to give back to them in a good way. This island manifests so quickly so we gotta be on our toes. 

Manifesting my destiny one day at a time. 
With open eyes, I take in all I can see. 
With an open mind, I process all I can learn. 
With an open heart, I remember my souls call to leap and trust. 
Manifesting an abundant life in Bali!