6 Itchy Feet

Unexpected turns at every corner

2010-04-25T14:56:00.008+12:00

A friend of mine recently reminded me that it has been awhile since I've updated our blog. And indeed, reading back through the last post I realise that it has been over 3 months. Wow how time flies when you're changing poopy diapers!

As many of you know, our expected little girl turned out to be a very spirited boy who we named Luke. The first couple of weeks were great - we schlepped him everywhere from day 4. Turns out he's a very social little boy which is a blessing because I'm not sure we'd know what to do if he was quiet and reserved!

Unfortunately, in his 3rd week, Luke turned out to have a very intense case of acid reflux. He was in so much pain that it was hard for him to sleep, but he's such a good baby that he'd hardly ever complain. Luckily, we've been able to see a GI pediatric specialist who's gotten Luke on medication twice a day and we've seen a huge improvement in the last few weeks. I think we're through the worst and look forward to the night he starts sleeping through.

Bruce's application for permanent residency is proceeding and we have an interview scheduled for mid-May. This is the last step before he's given his greencard, so fingers crossed. He's also looking for a teaching position so if you know of any leads, shout out! He's hoping to work towards his Colorado licensure or a Masters at the same time, so I'm thinking it will be years before he is ever bored again.

I'm hoping to take a year off from work to stay with Luke and we also want to buy a home in Denver before too long. Many, many changes in our lives and we look forward to many more. Knowing Luke, he's going to keep us guessing and jumping at every moment. I imagine it won't be too long before he's walking as he's already able to stand on his own at only 3 months. Lord have mercy!

Overseas Experiences to Baby Booties

2010-01-08T09:40:00.012+13:00

Seeing as how I haven't updated the blog since last May, Bruce and I thought it would be a nice idea to have one post to review 2009 (and might I say what a crazy year it has been!)

We completed our training to be ESL teachers in December 2008 and were looking forward to spending 2009 in Taiwan, S. Korea or Vietnam. However, after finding out the airlines made a mistake with our tickets instead of going straight to Asia, we returned back to the lovely summertime in New Zealand.

We quickly realised that no Asian country would give me a visa from New Zealand and after 3 short weeks, I had to return to wintery Denver, while Bruce remained in Auckland.

Being true to our itchy feet, Bruce spent the next two months hiking and swimming in NZ while I took a trip to the Yucutan Penninsula of Mexico with my mother. I managed to convince her to snorkel in the ocean, swim in cenotes, climb ancient Mayan ruins and plaster herself with salty mud!

Finally, our visa's for South Korea came through in late March and by early April, we both headed to Incheon, eager for our reunion. Perhaps too eager as just a short while later, we discovered we were pregnant!!! Definitely a surprise to us, we decided to have the baby in Korea and ask the grandmothers to come out and help us while we finished our contracts. Course, things don't always work out how you plan and between 12 weeks of bronchitis, losing 10 pounds in 2 weeks and not receiving enough help from the Korean doctors to get better, Bruce and I decided in June that it would be best for me to return to Denver for medical care. It was a sad day when I got on that plane not knowing when I would next see Bruce.

We immediately applied for permanent residency for Bruce in the U.S. but thought it best he stay in Korea where he had employment until his greencard came through. True to US government style, it's now 2010 and we're still waiting.

Bruce was able to come out for a visit in October when we had the ultrasound and learned we were expecting a baby girl! After 2 weeks, he returned to Korea where he began working for a program called the Island Program. For 3 to 5 days a week, he would travel to remote islands on the Western coast of Korea to teach English in the villages. He has truly loved teaching and really excelled at connecting with the kids which is why he is looking forward to getting licensure here in Colorado.

Deciding we (meaning the arrival of the baby) could wait no longer for his greencard to be issued, Bruce resigned from his job in Korea in early December. He spent two weeks with his family in Auckland on his way to Denver and on 21st, I happily picked him up from the airport. None too soon either as doctors were convinced I could have the baby at any time with as many contractions as I've been having.

It's now 2010 and we eagerly anticipate her arrival (especially me!). Her official due date is 20 January, 2010 and we expect this coming year to full of milestones and adventures of a different sort. Don't get me wrong, I still want to travel, but as you can see we've changed the title of our blog from Itchy Feet to 6 Itchy Feet!

One Step at a Time

2009-05-02T23:29:00.004+12:00

Settling in here in Korea hasn’t been easy for us, but we’re happy to report that we’re actually able to sleep at night having moved into a new apartment with windows that close. Plus, we’re the happy owners of two chairs which means we’re really living in style now!
Bruce is finding new ways to entertain/teach his kids and loves the giant Legos he gets to play with during the day. I was asked to cover for a sick teacher who does an after-school program at a public school, so I’ve been taking the subway and a bus (1 ½ hours each way) to get to Shin Song school. I like the lesson planning and most of my kids are great, however, a few I could easily term as distracted monsters.

True to our hopes, we’ve been able to get out and about to explore a bit. Last weekend was the celebration for Buddha’s birthday and we met up with our friend Jin who lives in Seoul for a great lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant. Later, we attended the lotus lantern parade and festival which was definitely a colourful affair. We even brought some of the colour home, as a Buddhist monk was kind enough to give us his lantern. We soon found 4 more and you wouldn’t believe the stares we got on the one-hour subway ride home!

Definitely NOT ‘Land of the Morning Calm!’

2009-04-20T17:30:00.007+12:00

I’m happy to say that after only two weeks, I can completely agree with the Korean government’s decision to change the country motto to ‘Dynamic Korea’ rather than ‘Land of the Morning Calm.’ I can say this with such force as I have routinely been awake at all hours of the morning thanks to the fun of jet lag and also because the window in our apartment doesn’t quite shut all the way and we’re only 5 floors up from a 6 lane street.

We’re still getting into the swing of things after our first full week of teaching at ICEV in Incheon, which is about an hour out of Seoul. We spent our first weekend getting acquainted with our surroundings (ie getting lost every time we left the apartment), found our way to a fish market selling manta rays and other indescribables, and wandered our way into hunger where we met bulgogi and bibimibap. Yum!

We met up with our friend Penny’s sister, Sarah, who has been living in Korea for the past few years and thankfully is fluent in Korean. She whisked us around Seoul one afternoon from a cherry blossom festival, downtown Gangnam, and a Buddhist temple, to the biggest mall in Korea. Yes, Koreans do love their shopping and as soon as our airfare is reimbursed, we’re planning on partaking of the pastime ourselves! First thing to buy? Something to sit on in our apartment. We’re getting tired of either sitting on the floor or getting crumbs on the bed!

Teaching has been a whole other experience: I've decided that it's probably not a good thing to take 35 kids who have just eaten chocolate rolls and juice and lock them in a room with one inexperienced and extremely naive teacher. I learn fast though and got straightjackets ordered right away. I wonder what next week will bring?

Really though, where to?

2008-12-26T09:05:00.005+13:00

Merry/Happy Christmas everyone! I can't believe how long it's been since we've posted anything. With a dial-up connection, it's often a more enticing option to bang my head against the wall.

We've been in Denver almost two months now and are certified ESL teachers having completed our CELTA course on Dec 3rd. I won't bore you with the details, just suffice it to say that not even the neighbours knew we were here as we were in class from 9am-6pm and had 5 hours of homework every night. Since then, we've been leading a conversational English class with three Korean students from our CELTA course - they've been nice enough to put up with us every afternoon for several hours.

I wish we could give you more details about where we're going to end up next year, but unfortunately the visa process is a bit more difficult when you're A) not married to someone from the same country. B) not living in your 'home' country. C) formerly known as 'Indian' and D) having to rely on government systems that shut down throughout December and January.
We do know that we'll be in NZ on the 8th of Jan until starting our new jobs as teachers in some Asian country in February.

Let's take a vote: were do you think we should go? South Korea, Taiwan or Vietnam? Let's hear your reasons (and getting rid of us isn't a valid one!) and you get extra points if you promise to visit!

Time for a laugh

2008-10-26T10:39:00.007+13:00

With only 4 days left til we leave the country, we thought we'd comment on "the state of things." By this of course, I'm not meaning the panic that is starting to set in as we realise how much we have left to do and how short of time we have to do it. No, by "the state of things" I really mean the current condition of Bruce's pathetic wardrobe. Yes, we live in the bush and spend a lot of our weekends working, but come on - how long can a person go before they give in and get a new pair of jeans???

To Do List

2008-10-04T20:32:00.005+13:00

Just for kicks, we thought it would be entertaining to post our To Do List. These are those things that are vital to finish before we leave the country on 29 October (only 3 weeks left!). Plus, this way I'm guaranteed not to lose the list:

1. Rent house.

2. Sell car.

3. Damp proof basement for storage of extra stuff.

4. Clean awning plus South and North side of house.

5. Paint ceiling in sunroom and plaster/paint ceiling in bathroom.

6. Stain and hang 4th blind in sunroom.

7. Strip and paint wood on S side of house.

8. Massive works in the garden.

9. Finalise gardening/property management details.

10. Finish underfloor insulation.

11. Clean under sunroom.

12. Cancel internet, VOIP, Genesis, Telecom.

13. Buy tickets to Hong Kong.

14. Change insurance for tenants.

15. Get woodburner/flue cleaned.

16. Pack belongings.

17. Clean gutters.

18. Add more pages to passport.

19. Mail info for Bruce's visa to Kentucky.

20. Finish sending out invites for bbq.

21. Buy vacuum-sealed bags.

22. Get builder to look at joist.

23. Schedule skip hire for stuff to get rid of.

24. Change address for everything.

25. Mail SR booklets.

26. Fix garage door...

So, as you can see, we won't be getting bored any time soon. Wonder if we'll actually get it all completed?? Guess I should get started instead of procrastinating by making this list.

Relief for itchy feet!

2008-09-16T20:22:00.007+12:00

Just when the weather and garden start getting good, we decide to uproot and move onwards! The hyacinth have had their day, the daffodils are in bloom and hundreds of tulips are on their way. It's finally hitting 15 degrees on a regular basis and summer is around the corner, but no, why would we be content to chill out in the beautiful NZ sun, having bbq's at the beach and swimming in the ocean?

Instead, we've finally made the decision to sell our car, rent out our house, go for a two month visit to Colorado and then move to Hong Kong for at least a year. While we don't have a job placement yet, we're hopeful that Hong Kong will be the location for us, but we've also put South Korea and Japan on our list as well. All we know is once we're there, we'll be teaching English and travelling through SE Asia (maybe even further!)

Why now, you may ask. Why not, I reply. Seriously though, we've been considering it for some time, and with our jobs ending in just over a month the timing seems perfect. And no, for all you real estate agents out there who are reading this, we're not selling our house! ;o) We love the privacy, sun, birds and bush that we can have here, and after a year in the most densly populated city in the world, we might just be ready for the R&R this place can provide.

Thanks to all our friends and family for your support, it really does mean the world to us. The only way to cure itchy feet though is to scratch and who knows, before the end of next year maybe one of our posts will be in Cantonese!

Our adorable nephew!

2008-08-19T20:01:00.004+12:00

We finally have a photo to show everyone Keean (pronounced Ian with a K) Alan Fox who was born August 16 Colorado time at 9:17pm. We're so proud of you Lisa and hope that you're getting the massive rest that you deserve. Can't wait to meet the wee bugger!

Hmmm, it's been awhile...

2008-08-18T20:12:00.005+12:00

Well, I'd like to tell you about my new nephew, Keean Alan Fox born August 16 and weighing in at 8lbs 4oz. Alas, I don't have any photos to share yet so the next post I'll make sure to include his photos.

We've had a lot of ups and down the last few months. I'm sure you don't want to hear about our search for jobs or the rain that will never end. Seriously, we've had 42 inches of rain this year! No rain will stop a good party though and we had a great time celebrating Adrian's 'special' bithday in late July. We managed to have a big family dinner and David and Sandie flew down from Auckland to suprise the birthday boy. I will never forget the look of shock on his face when he walked into the lounge and saw them. I must admit though, inviting them down was actually motivated by a certain selfishness as we always have a great time visiting with them.

Spring is around the corner and that means the crocus and daffodils are blooming and our trip to the States is just around the corner. We're looking forward to our visit, but also thinking we'll need a break from our break as basically every day of the 5 weeks is planned. Between a TEFL course, photography course, wedding, 30th birthdays, 80th birthdays, and so much more - it's going to go way too fast!

Eccentric Embelishments by Bruce Part 1

2008-05-23T17:31:00.005+12:00

“Scientist discovers “Sex Rocks”

Ever find yourself asking, “What’s next?”

Well, I’ll tell you. A recent article in the medical journal Wild Things has reviewed human reproduction and now proposes the theory “Sex Rocks.” In this theory, Dr. James Boulder discusses how new technological advances can promote the well-being of women (when are they not well?) which should be of utmost importance in this modern age.

Dr. Boulder relates the anecdote that brought about this theory. “My wife, let’s call her Pookums, is extremely terrified of giving birth, therefore we are as of yet, childless. One day she turned to me and said “Dooky, I’m terrified of giving birth!” What else could I do but find a solution to this problem?”

Fearing that unless he came up with a remedy he would be sleeping in the garage or worse yet, the doghouse, Dr. Boulders put his enormous brain to work and viola- Sex Rocks! Thanks to Dr. Boulder, millions of women across the world will now never know the pains associated with childbirth.

At a recent presentation in New Zealand, Dr. Boulder revealed this new way to give birth and explained the process of “Sex Rocks” to a stunned but thrilled audience of women.

Not wanting to confuse you, dear reader, with all the scientific jargon, we were able to take a picture of a live birth in progress, which I believe does ample justice in explaining the process.

For more information on this revolutionary discovery, please see Moeraki Boulders.

Lake Tekapo photos

2008-05-12T11:39:00.008+12:00

My Mommy's Coming!

2008-05-12T11:01:00.012+12:00

Umm, sorry about that but she's already come and gone and I'm just a bit behind the times. Anyway, I wanted to catch you up on where Bruce and I have been over the last few months as you can see I've not written about anything since Easter which was only just written a few days ago. It's been a really hectic but great time.

Mom arrived on the 4th of April and after handing out the many presents that she had packed in her suitcase including Twizzlers and my new camera (thank you so much, I love it!!), we got stuck straight into the garden. Planting 1325 bulbs at final count is no mean feat but we did it and come this Spring, our garden will be overflowing with beautiful flowers. So, if you're in the vicinity, stop on by this Spring and have a look-see.

All 3 of us headed down to the South Island to do a bit of exploring. We first headed to Lake Tekapo where my friend Vesna got married. Can you imagine a sweeter, more romantic place to get married? It was just amazing. The autumn colours were beginning to change and we managed to get off the beaten path and see some amazing views.

The South Island is absolutly gorgeous and over the next several posts I'll take you to some choice spots that we visited. If you've been there before, hopefully you'll bear with me. If you've not been there before, I hope you find it as inspiring as I have done.

Once Upon A Time

2008-05-08T10:03:00.008+12:00

Dusting away the cobwebs of my mind's filing cabinet, I found a good story to tell you...

A long, long time ago (ok, it was actually 48 days ago) a handsome prince descended from an ancient rajasthani family in India decided to take a long sojourn to a far away land known as Ohakune to begin a new adventure. He packed up all his belongings, stole a beautiful princess from neighbouring lands and drove his rickshaw for hours and hours til he arrived at what appeared to be the ends of the earth. Here there were no people, no civilisations, and no showers or cooking apparatus.

Throwing the beautiful princess into a small floating vessel and ordering her to paddle, the two set off to explore these unknown lands. For days and days they toiled down the mighty Whanganui River with only feral goats and the birds for company. However, after a bend in the river, they discovered all of the native inhabitants of this strange land were on the river for their annual Easter pilgrimage. Befriending two of the natives, Lucy and Ian, the prince and princess learned new and wondrous things. They found to truly survive such an arduous journey, one must take careful preparation beforehand in order to have at least two different flavours for every meal.

Suddenly, realising he had been slightly poisoned by his evil brother back at home, the handsome prince fell violently ill and began to desire his own cosy creature comforts. He lay down in the floating vessel and slept. Upon waking, his fairy godmother appeared and offered him a strong elixir, promising him the poison would slowly leak from his body through his nose. With many thanks, the prince and princess set off again down the churning river through rapids and whirlpools in their small, extremely-difficult-to-steer vessel.

They passed amazing sights such as the Bridge to Nowhere and set up camp in precarious places amongst the natives who seemed to think sandflies, hauling heavy barrels up steep hills and swimming in frigid water was great fun. The prince did note that the natives didn't smell nearly as bad as his beautiful princess did, having gone without bathing for so long.

At long last, the couple reached the end of their adventure and toppled out of their vessel, desirous of chocolate, Twizzlers and a hot shower. Looking to his princess with a wide smile on his face the prince said, "Well love, same time, same place next year?" The princess nodded gleefully and replied "you betcha, but next time you get to do all the paddling!"

$100 of underware!

2008-03-28T08:27:00.008+13:00

And not just any underware... we're talking THUNDERPANTS underware - guaranteed not to ride up your bum!!!

Right, so what am I on about anyway? A couple of weekends ago our friends David and Sandie came down from Auckland for a visit. On Sunday, the four of us and several friends from The Rock participated in the annual Round the Vines in the Wairapara which is a fundraiser for the local school. Basically, it means you get decked out in a funny costume and then walk 10 kilometers through vineyards while sampling some fantastic wines and eating way too many grapes, finally finishing with a picnic in the park.

Our whole group went as Ward 13, and David, Sandie, Bruce and myself went as South Station. Sandie went as the pharmacist, prescribing drugs for patient David who was lying on the bed (Bruce and I). See our wheels?? At the end of the day, spot prizes and awards for best costumes are given including weekends away, nights at local cottages (Penny and Adrian won this), bottles of wine, and adventure activities. The big moment came, and YES! our names were called! We proudly stode forward to claim our prize and what did we get? $100 worth of Thunderpants. I'm not joking!

Actually, I find I'm quite attached to them...

Smoking hills and lunar landscapes

2008-03-11T11:25:00.008+13:00

The Tongariro Crossing: supposedly one of the finest 1 day walks in New Zealand. And after Saturday, we can attest that it is! Simply put, it's like no other place I've been to. Not only does it have the lunar landscape, it has red craters, smoking hillsides, smelly sulpher, conical volcanoes, crystal clear blue and green lakes, and what seemed like millions of people.

After attempting this walk two weekends ago only to have it cancelled due to windy weather, Paul, Bruce and I were keen to get an early start and met the shuttle at 7am. The Crossing is officially over 19 kilometers long, but we took an extra side track to climb Mt. Tongariro, one of the three volcanoes found in the National Park. We had hoped to climb Mt. Ngarahoe (Mt. Modor to those of you who are Lord of the Rings Fans) but alas, Bruce and I weren't in as good of shape as we hoped.

We climbed Devil's Staircase, crossed our first crater, gazed up at the perfect cone that forms Mt. Ngarahoe (pronounced Nar-a-hoe-ee), climbed the crater rim, walked along the ridge and up to the summit of Mt. Tongariro, passed the Red Crater, scaled down the side to the Emerald Lakes, passed the Blue Lake, crossed our second crater, and then wandered through the bush for a couple hours. In all, we walked 14 miles and shed a few pounds along the way.

If you ever get the chance to do this challenging tramp - DO IT! Although there are so many people you'll think you're in China, it is completely worth it and something you're not likely to soon forget.

If you'd like to see some more amazing photos, check out Paul's gallery at http://www.pominnz.smugmug.com/gallery/4480603_yeLK8#263549573 and marvel at the beauty that is Tongariro National Park.

And the fun continues...

2008-03-03T09:05:00.008+13:00

What a great weekend! Bruce's sister, Sheri, and her boyfriend, Royden, came for a visit this weekend and we had a great time showing them around. Of course we did the usual things tourists do when visiting Wellington such as the fantastic museum Te Papa and taking the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, but we also did a few of the more unusual things one can do.

After a huge pancake breakfast on Friday, we drove out to the Wairarapa to see a glowworm cave that is located on private land. In the past, the farmer that owns the land has been kind enough to let locals onto his land and through the cave to view the glowworms, but unfortunately for us the cave is now closed to the public and it appears as though the land is for sale.

We pushed on though, and decided to climb Putangirua Pinnacles which is quite a sight to behold. Following the two hour walk, we drove on to Cape Palliser where there is a great lighthouse and seal colony. I've had to relinquish my camera along with my job, but our friend Paul has been kind enough to allow me to 'borrow' some of his photos for our blog.

We didn't climb the stairs up to the lighthouse, but next time we're out there we will because the views must be amazing. Penny and Adrian know how amazing the views are - this is where Adrian proposed!

The seal colony was great as well. We saw both pups and adults lounging in the hot afternoon sun. I think Royden startled the pup with his wild gestures as the pup got up, jumped into the ocean and glided away. Soon after, numerous adults joined in the frolicking and the water was teeming with graceful seals all playing about. They look so funny on land trying to jump from one rock to the next, but get them in the water and they are absolutely magnificent.

Gone Missing

2008-02-25T12:26:00.006+13:00

I've been off work now for 3 weeks and what crazy, hectic weeks they've been! We've managed to accomplish a lot in this short time and I'm definitely looking forward to the next few months.

The weather has been cooperating this summer which means we've been able to make some major changes outside, but more on that in the next post!

While mostly it's been a great time, one not so great thing happened to us just over a week ago. Usually, we put our 1997 Toyota Corolla wagon in the garage at night, but last Friday night we went to bed without checking. Lo and behold, the next morning we go to take it to the farmers market only to find the entire wheel missing and our car propped up on two bricks! Some funny joke alright. And only $180 later we were able to replace the tire (or tyre depending on your preference), the rim, hubcap and lug nuts. Not the best surpise we've ever had to say the least...

Anyway, I'm now on a new mission to convince Bruce we should buy a different car, one with an alarm. What do you think, will I have any luck convincing him this is the one??? I'd probably have a better time of it if we didn't have such itchy feet!

The end of an era

2008-01-31T12:26:00.000+13:00

Today is my last official day as a full-time, permanent employee of Professionals real estate where I’ve been working for over 2 years. I now embark on the life of a contractor which means no steady hours (read: income) and no set agenda.

My last formal assignment was taking night photos of our building at 9:30pm last night; at least it was a beautiful evening. There have been times I’ve been out in freezing, howling wind, barely able to keep the tripod standing!

Gotta say, I’m definitely looking forward to my first day of freedom. I won’t be bored, that’s for sure. I’m planning on getting my NZ license in the morning (I know, I’ve been here 2 ½ years already and should have had it a long time ago!!), meeting Bruce for a swanky lunch somewhere, and then a massage in the afternoon. Sounds like a tough day, doesn’t it?

Cheers to a life lived well and to Bruce who’s willing to support this decision!

Grocery Store or Farmers Market? (AKA Ode to the Farmers Market)

2008-01-29T14:51:00.000+13:00

As the price of groceries (and the cost of living in general) continues to skyrocket here in beautiful Aotearoa, Bruce and I have had to make a hard decision: do we pay $150+ a week for groceries at the store or go without eating??

Luckily, some astute immigrants have come to the rescue. That’s right, the blessed farmers market on Saturday morning - now we don’t have to choose between the two! Even in the dead of winter you’ll find the market set up and it’s possible to get all your fruits and vegetables for half the price or less than the grocery store.

During the week, we went to the grocery store to get enough milk, bread, eggs, meat, cheese, chips, etc to tide us over til the weekend and spent a whopping $76 for what you see here.

On Saturday, we went to the Riverside Market and gave a nice Chinese family $8 for cherries, bananas, carrots, apricots and strawberries. No complaints here! Now if only the farmers market sold meat…

Love long weekends!

2008-01-25T15:32:00.000+13:00

This past weekend, Bruce and I took a quick flight to Christchurch on the South Island to celebrate our 2nd anniversary (only 6 months late!!)

We spent two days in the largest city of the South Island, enjoying heaps of great food, lots of sun and an International Busker festival. There were acts from all over the world, but I enjoyed the acrobatic clowns from Sweden and Ireland, Tumble Circus, the most.

Having heard that Akaroa (1 ½ hours south) is the place to swim with the smallest dolphin in the world, we donned wetsuits to go and visit the Hectors dolphins. They proved to be more elusive than thought, so alas, we will have to return another day to play with our frolicking friends.

In Akaroa, we stayed at a farm hostel which meant lots of hiking along the harbour shore and sleeping in a stargazer hut – perfect for those cloudless, starry nights, bad for sleeping in! Two of the ceiling boards are replaced with glass so you can see through and look up at the night sky, very peaceful…

All-in-all, it was a fantastic escape and we can’t wait to return to Christchurch again!

Togs, Jandels and BBQ's

2008-01-11T14:43:00.000+13:00

Ahh, summer in New Zealand. Being a Northern Hemisphere girl, having summer during winter and Christmas “dinner” on the beach has taken a bit of getting used to. No sleet, no snow, and a Santa with sunglasses…

Christmas Day becomes a week-long affair for most people. We took our cue from the Kiwi’s and spent the week in Auckland with Bruce’s family. And what did we do for Christmas dinner? That’s right, we had a BBQ on Cornwallis Beach, played volleyball and cricket, swam in the ocean and drank bubbly!

While swimming, I happened to look back at the tree-lined beach. One of the things I have truly come to appreciate about December and January in NZ is the beautiful pohutukawa trees that bloom throughout the month and Cornwallis beach was no different. Known as the New Zealand Christmas Tree, they bloom a brilliant red and are iconic of summer.

We’re lucky enough to have 2 of these native trees on our property and they are in mid-bloom right now. Our neighbour also has one which means I no longer loathe washing the dishes as at least I have a beautiful view to look at!

The beginning of the blog in the middle of the journey…

2008-01-07T14:48:00.000+13:00

Technically speaking, this journey began more than 6 years ago when I asked Bruce to join me at the local coffeehouse in Goshen, Indiana for a hot chocolate. If you had asked me then where we would end up, how we were to get there and all the sights we’d see in between, I don’t think I would have believed you.

Yet here we are, starting a blog about our itchy feet after having lived in New Zealand for more than 2 years. Looking at us, you might think we’re quite domesticated having purchased a home over a year ago and holding steady jobs to pay the mortgage. But, a storm’s a’brewin’ so watch this space for further details.

And as we all know, you can’t contain Bruce in a box, or a square of any kind. So we’ve given him a spaz-out corner and from time to time this blog will feature “Eccentric Embellishments by Bruce.”

Hope you enjoy!