Following Mckenzie

Chicago born, Vegas raised, Seattle transplant. Backpacked SEAsia with my best friend. Lived in Australia, fell in love with life. I have recently returned to the states to start a new adventure. Still a member of Team Shit Show. PSA:I have recently been hired as a freelance writer and this requires me to maintain a website of my own as to encourage clients to hire me to write for them. Due to this, I am going to only be posting to MY website from now on, so if you would like to follow my lifes and my adventures, you can do so here: sidneymckenzie.com Follow me on insta: sidneyymckenzie

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Cairns Local Adventure Guide

Hey guys! Check out my latest article - it was actually published a few weeks ago I am just slow at updating recently because I am trying to get my life moving!

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Bucket List Destinations: A Travel Guide to San Pedro, Belize

Add Belize to your Bucket List! This is my second article for the company that has just hired me to freelance write for them!  Read and share it if you can - I am trying to get all the views I can so I can keep getting more assignments. 

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Backpacker's Travel Guide to Bondi Beach: Bars, Food, and Fun!

Bondi Beach in Sydney is one of the most iconic beaches in Australia. The beach is pristine, the water is perfect for a quick surf, and the area is large enough to enjoy some beach volleyball. After the initial shock of the immense beauty of the seaside, it is hard to ignore the small town hustle and bustle that makes Bondi a popular destination. It is home to an abundance of local businesses to go shopping, get a bite to eat, and relax for a couple of drinks with some friends. With so many options, it can be difficult to know where to begin. After six months of living in Bondi Beach, there are a few places that are a must when you visit the area. Let me help you narrow down your choices so you can easily plan your trip to Bondi Beach and get a full experience.

My first ever article was published yesterday :D 

Check it out and read it, share it, love it. 

Ps. I know there a few typos, but cut me some slack. 

[followingmckenzie]

PSA

Hello, World! 

I have some good news and some bad news. 

Good news! 

I have recently gotten hired to write freelance! Which I am so very excited about. A part of my job now is to maintain a website of my own. My company requires me to do this through Wordpress. What does this mean for my blog?? 

Kinda bad news...

What does this mean for my Tumblr? It means that I am going to stop posting to this beautiful blog that I have created for myself over the last few years. I am also going to be transferring a lot of what I have written over onto my website to give it content so I can get clients to hire me. 

However - you can easily follow me and my adventures there. 

I would appreciate all the support that I can get because this is an incredible opportunity for me and I would really like to make some kind of name for myself as far as writing goes. 

AT THE VERY LEAST COULD YOU VISIT MY WEBSITE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK?? THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE. 

Also, as I said, I only JUST got hired so I am still building the website up. It doesn’t have a lot of content on it as of now, but I am hoping to change that within the coming weeks. My first official article is getting published tomorrow (yay!), so once that is published, there will be a link on my website for everyone to view it. Okay that’s all I have for you. 

Bye Tumblr, I love you and I will keep visiting you, I just won’t be posting my own content on here as much anymore. Please don’t hate me. 

sidneymckenzie.com

[sidneyyyy-blog]

I made a huge realisation in the last few days. 

I cannot count on someone who I thought would be there for me when I needed it. When I thought that I was going to have this person as a really good friend for the rest of my life, it was so painful when they weren’t there for me. In the last few weeks, my entire world has been turned upside down. I have been an emotional mess and I kept waiting for this person to be my support because they have been my entire support system in the past. 

What I didn’t realise, was that somewhere along the way, they slowly stopped being the support that they once were. This person is no longer there for me. I don’t know the last time they were, either. Which sounds ridiculous - I kept holding on to them as something important and vital to my life despite the fact that I can’t even remember the last time I was actually able to count on them to be there for me. 

I was hurting myself even more by thinking that this person was still an active lifeline for me. When I needed to talk, or needed to be cheered up, I went to this person. Because that is what I am used to doing. However, every single time I turned to them, I was disregarded, ignored, told I was depressing and unattractive for being “like this”. I was told that I was too needy and that I was bringing that person down. 

Not once was I consoled. Not once was I allowed to express myself without being put down. Not once did this person reach out to me to make sure that I was doing okay or to check on me. I didn’t see the pain that this person was causing me. I didn’t realise that they were hurting me more than they were helping me. Every time I wasn’t getting support from them, it hurt me even more, so why did I keep going back? 

As soon as I figured this out, I got angry. I got really fucking angry. Because that’s not fair. It’s not fair that I am being put down for being upset and needing someone to talk to. My entire life changed. I was allowed to be in a dark place. I was allowed to reach out for support and help. I was allowed to be sad. It’s not fair that when this person gets upset, I am there for them. I answer their calls, respond to their texts, speak to them when they need someone to talk to. It isn’t fair. I got really, really angry. 

Then something else happened. The massive realisation. I cannot count on this person anymore. I just can’t. There is nothing else to say about it. There is no reason to dwell on it. It is fact. Counting on them was hurting me more than it was helping. I cannot expect anything from them. Trust me, figuring this out didn’t come with its own whole new range of emotions, but the biggest one? Relief. I felt a massive sense of relief. This huge weight on my chest was suddenly tons lighter and I really feel like I can breathe. I know that I cannot go to that person anymore,  and now it is harder for me to be hurt by their absence and lack of empathy. 

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Self appreciation post.

Ormiston Gorge, West McDonnel National Park // Febriary 2018

Follow me on instagram: sidneyymckenzie

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He loves me. #travel #adventure #kermitsmigration #westmacdonellnationalpark #boyfriend #creekday (at Ellery Creek Big Hole,)

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Florence River, Litchfield National Park, Australia // February 2018

Instagram: sidneyymckenzie

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Crocs, iguanas, sea turtles, and dingos🐊🦎🐢 #butnocassowaries #capetribulation #holiday #australia #allsmiles (at Cape Tribulation)

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🐊🐙🦀🦑🐢

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He's my super hero, my best friend, my knight in shining armour, and everything in between. I cannot stop smiling.

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He always makes me smile like this.

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Falling with style. #bungyjumping #livinglife #happy #love (at AJ Hackett Cairns)

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It's exhausting living your dream. #happycloud #lovinglife #siesta (at Cairns Esplanade, Boardwalk & Lagoon)

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He makes me a stupid kind of happy. Rex Lookout, Captain Cook Highway, Australia // September 2017

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Always dancing. #palmcove #beach #lovinglife #adventures #happy (at Palm Cove Beach, Cairns)

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Feeling on top of the world lately. #lovinglife #travellife #happy #backpacking #relevant #view (at Fitzroy Island)