Zola: Summer Adventures

I have 3 more precious days of freedom before its back to the books here in Australia. This is the time for last minute beach trips, finishing up summer reading, and trying to stop my nail polish from chipping, because it's no longer worth redoing it. I long for the day I can have a purple mani at school!

It's been such a stellar summer. If you've been reading my posts this month, or you're following me on Instagram (@zolablog) you'll know I've been on a few adventures this January. I promised I'd catch you up on my travels, and after some camera complications, I am finally ready to share my trip(s) with you all!

We spent the first days of 2014 tucked away in a coastal town about 45 minutes from Byron Bay. Our schedule was swim. read. shower. repeat. for about a week. It was just so relaxing! We took a few trips into Byron too. The apartment we stayed in was very modern and spacious. I enjoyed having my own bathroom too! A luxury I'm not used to at home. I didn't take too many photos, but here are a few.

the view from the headland

relaxing by the pool

kite flying on the beach at Byron

Wayne and Sav's birthday dinner

tie dying up a storm

After barely surviving the drive back to Sydney (with no air con!) I spent little over 12 hours at home, before setting off on my next trip - My youth groups' Summer Camp. Camp is something that people talk about, and look forward to for months and having never been on one, I thought it was time I did. After a seemingly eternal bus trip, we arrived at our campsite. It wasn't as... clean as I had hoped for, but we embraced it. The reason I love camps so much is because of all the new people you meet, and this camp did not disappoint. I met a few great friends, and enjoyed hanging out with them by the beach. I was also given a disposable camera, which excited me. A lot. I finally received the pictures yesterday, and I realised I was not as good of a photographer as I thought. I managed to get my finger over the lens in some photos, but I was stoked with how the others turned out. (I scanned them in, so enjoy the terrible quality!)

bonfire night

the gang enjoying the sunshine

tribe wars - GO NINJAS!

beachin'

all smiles :)

queen of the donut

prayer on the headland

the view

Camp was exhausting, and when I came home I was dead. I literally just flopped into bed, and stayed there until lunch time the next day. But of course, my travels were not over yet! So I tossed my belongings from one suitcase to another and hauled my tired butt to the airport. 3 friends and I zipped up to QLD to visit a close friend who has recently moved up there. I caught up on sleep quickly, relaxing by the pool and watching reality TV. We did lots of walking around the area, with Milo the dog in tow, went to the beach, watched movies, and went on a shopping trip. I loved seeing where my friend was living, checking out all the places they hang out, and really just living the QLD life.