Packing AGAIN

We are in the middle of packing once again. Third time this year. But it has all been worth it.
Our wonderful friends here have thrown us a lovely farewell party. 6 months is just long enough to meet people, get settled and just start forming good friendships and then its time to go again making it hard to say good-byes.
Tomorrow is our big push day to get everything packed and done and then we leave on Monday (Canadian Sunday). We will be flying to oz (Australia) and spending two weeks exploring the rest of down under. I should have a few fun posts and pic's over the next two weeks and then we are back in Canada!!!

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited to go home or if I'm ready, and its hard to say how I feel about it really. I'm excited to go home and see family and Friends and also for the summer, but I'm sad that this time in our lives has come to an end and to say good-bye to some of the people we've met.
I really could easily live here...at least for a bit.
I will miss the great coffee, the beautiful skies, the relaxed mentality, beautiful scenery, runs on the beach and the sound of the waves, the family friendly cafes and restaurants, and barefoot locals

I will not miss the crazy round-a-bouts, weird left turn rule, expensive everything, or the awful graphic commercials,


Please remember to pray for our safety and sanity as we travel and make our way back home.
Looking forward to catching up with you all, see you soon!

Dirty Thirty

Yes, I turned 3-0 years young this week. As most people do I'm sure, I found myself wondering "where did the time go?" Well, I know one place it went and that was to the kids. Life starts speeding up around the age of 18 but once you get married and then have kids its a roller coaster from there.

We celebrated by dining at 900 ft up in the sky at the revolving restaurant in the city's sky tower restaurant. The view's of all of Auckland are spectacular which made for a nice ambiance. We also enjoyed the famous Chocolate Whiskey Cake from the Rocket Kitchen Bakery. This cake has won awards in NZ for the best chocolate cake and one bite of it and you know why.

I used to laugh silently to myself when people who turned 30 would say "its not so bad, you feel more yourself, more comfortable in your own skin. you care less about what other people think..." I kind of thought that this is what people say to convince themselves that they are okay with it. Its not that 30 seemed old but its the hype around the number and where it leads to next. Its funny as a kid 30 seems old but as you get "older" the boundary for what is "old" keeps getting pushed too.

Now that I have turned 30 I would prefer them saying these positive things rather than the advice I am receiving now, "Enjoy 30, cause you won't be happy about 40. That's when it really hits you!"

So, my honest feelings about being 30...I'm fine with it. I have absolutely NOTHING to complain about at the young age of 30. I have a wonderful husband who has been my best friend now for just as long as he hasn't, I have two beautiful daughters, I've traveled, lived in another country, have great long-lasting friendships, a promising and exciting future ahead of us as Darryl begins his practice and I have continued to grow steadily to new levels in my faith, love and relationship with God. I love the wisdom that you gain by the time you are 30.
No, I do not love the things that are beginning to occur with my body do to three decades of living life with gravity and the result of having two pregnancies but yes, I am happy and proud of myself for who I am and where I am at in my life at 30.
So, I now have become 'one of those people' saying 30 is great! I get it!

The countdown

I only have one more day of being in my 20's! I can't believe it. How did this happen?? I will have to write more about how I feel turning 30 on my actual birthday but the real countdown right now is 10 day's.
We have only 10 day's left in NZ. 6 Months goes by so fast...a year has gone by pretty fast.
I have not written to much lately b/c I have not felt inspired to write or feel like I have much to write about. We have most things that were on our list to do and see accomplished. As the cold weather has moved in, and friends have left for holidays I find myself looking a little more forward to coming home, establishing a routine again and leaving this limbo we've been in for the past year.
But all this is good in preparing me for yet another move. Maybe if we had spent a year in one place it would be a little different but this 6 month thing has reached its limit. I do miss home, family, friends... Doritos's (yes, they do not have Doritos here! :)
But today as I walked the kids to the library for the mat time, which overlooks the Ocean, and as we strolled down the street to pay our bills, did a little shopping (the shopping makes me feel better about paying bills) and then to the park on our way to the pool, I feel happy and nostalgic. We've come to know our little spot in NZ well and I will miss so many things about it. And of course, for those of you who know me, I will miss the people I've met and become fast friends with.

Coming here has been the best decision we could have made for this particular time in our lives, in every aspect. For Darryl, both professionally and in confirming his view of priority's and lifestyle which can differ sometimes from others in his field in North America. And also great for us as a family after a very stressful and intense 5 years.
It has been worth every last cent (literally every last penny) that it has cost to take this adventure and we will have these memories forever. We chased a dream that we knew was right for us as a family and not what some might of thought was right for Darryl professionally. But God has a way of working all things out for his children and he knows the desires of our hearts, where we need to be, and when we need to be there. I thank God for blessing us with this time in NZ, and for the wisdom and guidance to listen to him and trust in his plan in the midst of the tough decisions we faced over the last couple of years. Sometimes its hard to clear that space in your head where outside influences and God's voice collide.

I keep teasing Darryl saying "be careful what you wish for" because we had so wanted to get a a job back in Ottawa and are still ecstatic to have it, and to be going back to settle there, but we can actually see ourselves living here for a couple of years if we had not been blessed with the job he has waiting for us in Ottawa. If we were meant to be here he would not have been given that opportunity in. So I know God is not done with us in the Capital yet. And that is something to look forward to!

Something I will miss

As per normal for us since being here in NZ, D get's off early and wants to head to the beach before dark to get a surf in. Even though its colder here now the girls still love keeping themselves entertained on the beach. Its like their very own big sandbox I guess!
Luckily, our good friends that we've made here were off and keen too so we all headed our to our favorite black sand beach to watch the sunset and do the traditional kiwi thing and eat fish and chips on the beach! mmmmmm.

One of moments I will miss being able to do back home. Somehow, mooney's bay (city beach) is just not the same, lol.

 

 

 

 

The last couple weeks....

Once again time has flown by so fast. Its hard to belive that we only have 4 weeks left here in NZ. We still have Oz to look forward to where we will vacation for 2 weeks before heading back home.
We finally have a house rented, the one I mentioned previously that we really wanted. Thankfully it has worked out!! Its nice to have that off my mind and to be able to plan for our fall back in canada.
Tracy left this weekend. It will be a lot quieter and lonier for the girls and I without her around. We are keeping busy trying to check the last things off our list of things to do in NZ. D had an exra long weekend this week so today we headed up north to take the girls horseback riding for the first time. The great thing about this place was that both girls got their own horse to ride by themselves for the hour treck through their 130 acres of farmland. The lady who runs the place was great with the girls, staying back with them while D and I were able to do a little trotting and cantering ahead. The girls both did so well and loved the experience!!
We have a few good-bye parties coming up along with my big 3-0 but other than that we have been able to acheive most of what we wanted to see and do in NZ.