Travel Tuesday: New Zealand (Meet the Author) + A Giveaway!

It was always my dream to live abroad when I was growing up in California. I had bad dating experiences in California and read in a New Zealand tour book that the country’s population at 100,000 fewer men than women. I wanted to have some me time and an adventure. New Zealand seemed like a good place to do so. Although I intended to have a solo adventure I ended up meeting my husband a Scottish man in New Zealand. 

I consider myself an accidental author. I didn’t go to New Zealand with the intentions of writing a book about my experiences there. I had funny experiences that I had trouble believing were true. I wrote the stories down to stay sane. I wrote situations down that were happening around me and shared them with friends. The stories made people laugh so I decided to organize the stories into a book and publish in the hopes to make others laugh too.

One of the first people I meet was Colin Mathura-Jeffree from New Zealand’s Next Top Model. I had no idea who he was or that he was on TV when I meet him. He is friends with my former flatmate. We had a steep staircase that I kept falling down. Colin taught me to walk like a model so I wouldn’t fall down the stairs.

In New Zealand, I had a lot of culture shock. One of the most memorable moments was learning the meaning of the Kiwi slang word “rooted.” One night I was brushing my teeth with my flatmate and I said, ‘I’m really excited to live in this house because I have been traveling a lot and I just need to settle down, stop traveling and get rooted’. He was choking on his toothbrush and asked me if I knew what that meant because it had a completely different meaning New Zealand than it does in the States.

I had the opportunity to write and perform for Thomas Sainsbury the most prolific playwright in New Zealand. I performed a monologue about my jobs in the Basement Theatre in Auckland. The funny thing about that experience was Tom kept me separated from the other performers until it was time to perform. I was under the impression that all the performers were foreigners giving their experiences in New Zealand. All of the other performers were professional actors telling stories that weren’t their own. At first I was mortified, but the audience seemed to enjoy my “performance,” laughing their way through my monologue. After the shows we would go out and mingle with the audience. People would ask me how long I had been acting. I would tell them, “I wasn’t acting; I have to go to work tomorrow and sit next to the girl wearing her dead dog’s collar around her neck.”

I love making people laugh more than anything else. I feel very grateful when readers understand my sense of humor. I plan to divide my books by the countries I’ve lived in. My next book will be about attempting to settle in Scotland.

About the book Getting Rooted in New Zealand:

Craving change and lacking logic, at 26, Jamie, a cute and quirky Californian, impulsively moves to New Zealand to avoid dating after reading that the country's population has 100,000 fewer men. In her journal, she captures a hysterically honest look at herself, her past and her new wonderfully weird world filled with curious characters and slapstick situations in unbelievably bizarre jobs. It takes a zany jaunt to the end of the Earth and a serendipitous meeting with a fellow traveler before Jamie learns what it really means to get rooted.

About the author, Jamie Baywood: 

Jamie Baywood grew up in Petaluma, California. In 2010, she made the most impulsive decision of her life by moving to New Zealand. Getting Rooted in New Zealand is her first book about her experiences living there. Jamie is now married and living happily ever after in the United Kingdom. She is working on her second book. 

Getting Rooted in New Zealand is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482601907

Jamie Baywood can be followed on the following sites:

Facebook.com/jamiebaywood
Twitter.com/jamiebaywood
Pinterest.com/jamiebaywood
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7069448.Jamie_Baywood
amazon.com/author/jamiebaywood

Now you have the chance to win her eBook Getting Rooted in New Zealand!

Just fill out the entries in the rafflecopter below. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open worldwide.  

Casetagram Giveaway

We are so excited to share an awesome giveaway with you all! This one comes from Casetagram and we are head-over-heels in love with their awesome products!

You can create your own custom case by importing your Instagram photos and placing them onto some really cool templates on their website. The hardest part is deciding which photos to use because the possibilities are endless. You'll love creating your own customized work of art.

Casetagram is the world's first social design service to make customizable cases for phones and tablets using Instagram and Facebook photos. Casetagram provides an easy-to-use platform to bring personal photos to life, making it more customizable than ever. Shoot it, Place it, Case it. 
They also ship for free worldwide and have apps for both iPhone and Android.


To enter, fill out the Raffelcopter entries below. Be sure to check out the Casetagram website and browse through their store where you can find all sorts of pre-made case designs.
Casetagram is also offering an exclusive discount for all Relatively Offbeat readers! Take 10% off your purchases until Christmas day by using promo code OFFBEAT. Remember: they make fabulous holiday gifts!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Casetagram products are compatible with iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. Giveaway is open to all readers worldwide.

Recipe: Homemade Peppermint Latte

It has almost been a whole year since I've been a barista! That being said, I will never lose my passion for coffee and espresso. There are too many conversations I've had over café con leche in Spain, or deliciously brew coffee from my favorite coffee shop in Grand Rapids, Madcap, that I wouldn't change for the world. Here is a classic recipe for a peppermint latte which seems to hit the spot once it snows outside. Feel free to add chocolate to it and you have a Peppermint Mocha!

Peppermint Syrup:

1. Combine 2 cups water with 2 cups sugar (I used Equal for one of the cups) in a saucepan over low heat

2. Once the sugar and water combination is dissolved, add 3 teaspoons of Pure Peppermint Extract

3. Let simmer for a few minutes

4. Pour into a dispenser for easy access and pouring

How to make a Peppermint Latte:

1. Pull a shot of espresso or brew very strong coffee

2. Add the Peppermint Syrup to your liking in a coffee cup

3. Add your espresso or coffee

4. Froth your milk, or simply warm it up in the microwave-I used an automatic frother because I was being lazy

5. Add your milk + any other yummy decorations!

6. Put on your favorite Holiday Movie

7. Enjoy!

Okay, so number 7 isn't required, but it is definitely recommended!

What holiday drinks are you serving up this time of year?

xoxo, k

p.s. Laura and I entered a photo contest for Equal! Check out our photo here and like it!

Recipe: Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes

This year for Thanksgiving, I tried a new potato recipe. I'm usually your standard mashed potatoes and gravy kind of girl, but I felt like experimenting with sweet potatoes for something unique. Although sweet potatoes have never been a favorite, I have a lot of family members that are big fans. And, I must say, this year I was too.

Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 pounds sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup of half and half

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cinnamon

additional maple syrup, if desired

 Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Boil sweet potatoes in water for approximately 15 minutes, or until you can poke a fork into them easily. Drain and let cool. Slip off potato skins and beat potatoes with electric mixer until no lumps remain. Add half and half, maple syrup, butter, salt, and desired amount of nutmeg and cinnamon. Continue mixing until mixture is fluffy. Drizzle additional desired syrup on top of potatoes for presentation and added flavor!

 Enjoy!!

xoxo,
Laura

Laura's Month of November via Instagram

I'm a few days late on this post due to having an insanely busy weekend. I'm sure most of you can agree that the holidays are usually anything but relaxing. I cannot believe it's December. Winter is officially here, as the snow has fallen on the ground (and melted, and snowed again) and Christmas lights are twinkling all over downtown GR! It really is beautiful. 

Anyway-- here's my recap of November. 

 1. I enjoyed the final days of Autum scenery.

2. The Steve Rivers Band played again at Back Forty downtown; most fun I've had watching them play and dancing with friends/family. 

3. I was invited to attend a weekend event with Tieka and Maurices with some amazing bloggers. We kicked off the weekend with dinner at Grove.

4. I attended another event hosted by Tieka w/ Frances Jaye in downtown Holland.

5. Enjoyed some wine tasting at Robinette's Apple Haus.

6. I visited Steve and his family in Ontario, and they threw us an engagement party. :)

7. I met up with some old dance friends from SDA and we went line dancing in West Olive. 

8. Attended the best Friendsgiving with amazing pals in Grand Rapids. 

9. My cousin's son turned 1, and I was there to celebrate his puppy paw-ty. 

Bring on December! I usually dread the winter months in Michigan, but I'm already full of Christmas spirit this year. I think that's because I'll be working so much during the holidays, so I want to make sure I get a head start on feeling the magic of Christmas. Plus, the park across the street will be filling in the ice rink soon, and it's always so beautiful to watch from my office. 

Cheers!

xoxo,

Laura