camille t pettit.

a cluttered mind written down for your enjoyment

[camilletpettit]

We bought this Ikea table for 15.00 because we were desperate for a kitchen table. It was pretty small and boring so I decided to do a quick revamp to give it a little more personality. 

We bought 1 long pine wood slab and got the carpenter at Home Depot to cut it into 3 even pieces for us. I believe the wood cost around 15.00. 

I sanded it and then stained it with “English Chestnut” stainer and we screwed it from underneath! 

I think it is much better now and eventually I want to buy some skinnier legs to screw in to it. 

[camilletpettit]

My boyfriend and I really wanted a bar when we moved into our apartment last fall. We initially wanted a bar cart but then decided everyone had one so why not come up with something different. I was on a tight budget and was able to make this entire bar for under 25.00!

I knew I wanted to incorporate copper into our bar. I love the copper trend but copper piping at Home Depot was 50.00!! TOO MUCH $$$$. As an alternative I found plumbing pipe at Home Depot for $5 each and spray painted them with copper Krylon spray paint that was under $10!

Next I went to ReStore and found a large kitchen cupboard for $4 that I got Jack to saw in half for me! I sanded and then stained it with English Chestnut stainer I had previously bought for another project, and even had enough wood left over that Jack made a little shelf for the bottom part of the bar!

Jack mounted the first half of the wood to the wall (the piece with the shelf) with wood screws in each corner, and the table top was drilled down into first piece that we wall-mounted! We fastened the “copper” pipes to the table top with old curtain rod mounts that were laying around my box of odds and ends, and that was it! Such an easy bar to make and super cheap!

[camilletpettit]

i have had such an amazing time in aus. the fact that i got to travel with two of my bestfriends meant the world to me. how lucky am i that life worked out that extraordinarily for me. i have met such beautiful people here, inside and out. ive seen breathtaking sights and have made amazing memories that i will cherish for a lifetime. jacks family has been so welcoming and loving. they have made sure that i have felt comfortable and at home since the moment i met them. i am so grateful for morag, phil, heidi, leo and doug! they are such incredible people. i am so lucky to have such a wonderful “aussie” family. the fact that i am writing this blog entry while listening to my favourite Daughter record outside on such a gorgeous day makes me realize how lucky i am to have had this opportunity. i truly believe people need to follow their bliss, whatever it may be. you learn so much about yourself and become so grateful and humble when you travel. it makes you a more appreciative human being. as excited as i am to get back home to my family and my dog and friends, it has started to hit me now that i am leaving new friends and family (and dogs) behind, which hurts. i am going to miss these people so much and dont want to take my time with them for granted because who knows when i will see them again. there are so many of you who i want to thank for taking the time to get to know me and make my experiences in australia unforgettable. i am so grateful for it.

[camilletpettit]

i cant sleep.

okay so i had a coffee this afternoon, and now its midnight and i feel like im on meth. i realized that the next time i go for a coffee it should A) be before 6pm and B) i should eat something beforehand. but nonetheless i am now wired and cant seem to shut my brain off.,. this obviously calls for ample writing time. 

so jack had his 28th birthday last friday! it was so much fun. we did a lot! we got to cruise around town in the crazy-awesome 1957 cadillac limo (my idea). and the next day we went to the shooting range and shot freaking guns! i NEVER thought id shoot a gun. holy crap. it was awesome. i wasnt half bad either. we shot a rifle, a glock (my choice), a pistol, and an old school revolver. i got a bullseye with the revolver. probably fluke but hey ill take it.

then on sunday we went to my first afl game. jacks dad was STOKED. there family friend plays for phils favourite team and let me tell you he is kinda a big deal haha. that was really fun! 

as much as i am loving australia and all that im doing and seeing, i am getting so ridiculously excited to come home. to see my family, MY DOG, my friends. and to finally start pursuing my future! i get so excited thinking about whats to come. that is totally how life should be. i never want to dread the future. that is a terrible way to go about life. we should enjoy as much of it as we can and settle for nothing short of it! i want to be successful and happy and passionate. i think ive finally found the path i was meant to be on. took a few wrong turns but it worked out for the best. i am a better person because of all the hiccups along the way. ive grown and ive learned. im comfortable with where i am in life and with WHO i am as a person and that is the most important thing i have come to realize. if you dont know who you are as a person how the hell are you supposed to find success in the future? get in touch with yourself before you start mapping out plans for your future. 

find your bliss, and the rest will fall into place. 

xoxo

[camilletpettit]

meet jack. 

trying to put into words the way jack makes me feel is extremely difficult. so i thought i would give it a go. but first, you must know how i met this extraordinary human. 

i first layed eyes on jack in december of 2013 up at big white ski resort. i was in an over-crowded bar, getting loose with friends when i happened to notice this handsome guy with a bright red beard. sadly, i never got around to introducing myself and it all became one big memory. or so i thought. on my very first day of work up on the ski hill i nervously walked up the stairs and to my biggest surprise, there was that bright red beard, and those piercing blue eyes staring right at me. it was fate that we both ended up working together. and oh my was i shy around jack, (and for me to be shy is really saying something). longest story short, it was inevitable that our personalities would attract us together. we started talking, which led to "wanna grab a beer after work", which then led to a BIG blur of some of the best nights ill ever have. im so grateful i met jack, he has changed my life in every good way possible. its the classic "canadian meets australian on a ski hill and falls in love" fairytale. and i love it. there is always lots of laughs, LOTS of beer, but most of all, lots of love! its never a dull moment with jack!

now back to it. 

jack is honestly hard not to like. he is so caring, thoughtful, hilarious, just an all around great person. he will be one of the greatest friends you will ever have if you're lucky enough to meet him. he is ALWAYS there for his friends. always. its just another endearing quality i love so much about him.

jack also brings out the best in me. he makes me brave, he challenges me, and within one year he has shown me how to follow my heart and to trust my instincts. simply put, jack makes me a better person. he is my soulmate. loving someone has never been so easy. 

so jack, if you stumble upon this post i hope it makes you see how incredible you are. like ive said before, i never knew a love like this was even possible, until i met you. i love you! 

[camilletpettit]

The 12 Apostles - Great Ocean Road, Melbourne

holy eff. this place was mind blowing. such beauty created entirely by nature. crazy how such a beautiful, natural site can just utterly humble you all within a single glance. we are so lucky.

[worldcafe]

I was, you know, writing to save my life. Very much so.

- Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! shares how music helped her come to terms with identity and acceptance. Listen to the whole World Cafe Session over at nprmusic. (via worldcafe)

[camilletpettit]

new blog.

i decided to get back into blogging. but less useless posts and more meaningful, personal ones. i've been doing a lot of soul searching while traveling and have decided to use this as my medium to get all my thoughts down. enjoy.