In 2017, Zach and I stood alone on the edge of the tide pool known as Queen’s Bath that’s located on the small island of Kauai, Hawaii. We saw the warning signs about drowning and nervously stood at the waters edge, hesitant to jump in. From behind us, another couple appeared with cool accents and we agreed to all jump in at once. (Ya know, safety in numbers) On the count of three, Zach and this crazy Australian girl jumped…. Her husband, Brendan and I did not…. Once the coast was clear and neither Zach or Amy were swallowed by sharks or the sea, we proceeded to jump in. We all had a good laugh at how easily Zach and Amy jumped, and how Brendan and I left them for potential bait. And that my friends, is the start of our friendship.
Over the next two days, we met up for rum tastings, dinner (where we literally shut down the restaurant and they turned off the lights on us), star gazing, checking out each other’s Airbnb’s and discussing rental car damage waivers. We learned that Brendan and Amy were married that May, and had planned a two year tour of America, with the Hawaiian Islands being their first stop. Once they arrived in California, they bought a van, lovingly referred to as “Vinnie” and made this their temporary home for the next two years.
Since Hawaii, we’ve been fortunate to follow along their adventures, via Amy’s Instagram (@gypsy.t.e.a) . We’ve also been lucky enough to join them in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and having them come stay with us in Maryland three times! (Old Bay is very convincing) There will never be enough blog space to write about how much I adore Amy and Brendan’s kind souls, adventurous nature and ability to not get sick of each other after two years doing van life together. Ya’ll are the real MVP’s.
Since their remarkable two year adventure is wrapping up in America (to be continued via van life in Australia, and then Europe), we thought it would be fun to document a veryyy small portion of their adventures here in Maryland!
Zach and I will never be able to thank Amy and Brendan enough for giving us new life perspectives, teaching us to enjoy more little things and knowing when to just ‘go for it’ and do what fuels your happiness. (We’ve also learned some great Aussie words/ phrases, which is an added bonus!)
We cannot freaking wait to visit them in Australia and continue our shenanigans across the world.
Cheers to the best mates around!
