Yeah... yeah.. YEAH, I know it's been a long time

Greetings.

Thought I would take the time today to sit down and write an update. Although, really, I think most of you now know the goings on in my life.

Let's see. After being made redundant and having two months off, I am back at work at a new job. It has been harder to go back to work than I had thought. I am finding the new job a bit boring, as I was so used running around and around being busy busy busy. And standing around in one place is making my feet so sore - so not quite sure what to do about that. (Comfortable, good looking, AND supportive shoes are EXPENSIVE)

I am getting excited for my next move. This one should be the last for a while, and yes, of course I will send out the address to everyone so you can keep sending me fabulous American things.

I have been really enjoying the use of my new camera. There are lots of things to take photos of and well, I just like taking photos. I was able to get some nice ones of Ashlee, Tracey and Sunny.


This is at Kelly Tarlton's an underground sea-life thing. Ashlee loved it!


Sunny and Ash hangin' out



(And that is, sadly, the most recent photo I have of myself - since I am usually the one taking the pictures - even with my digital camera)

Summer is nice. I am enjoying the sun and some hot days. It wouldn't feel as hot if it weren't for the humidity (which is like 100%) The new work place has no air con - and it gets a bit hot and sweaty some days. GROSS.

Ah... not that it really matters but I am growing my hair out - maybe not to the point that it was before, but a bit longer.

Hmm, can you tell that I am struggling with things to put in this blog?

This weekend is Auckland Anniversary weekend - that means lots of festivals, street performers and even some fireworks on Sunday night. Me, I probably won't be going far, my feet are way too sore! Hah.

Any way, as usual, MISS you all. Maybe I will start writing more often - but that's not a promise.

Another Update

Hello,

So. All of your nagging (all of you) to get me to write has forced me to log on to the internet and update this blog.

Nothing too new here in New Zealand. It is bloody cold outside with lots of rain, but no snow. Luckily we live in an apartment with central heating, unlike last year, so it is a bit easier to stay warm.

The job and hotel are ticking along. We are opening up a new property next year which means a lot of preparation from our side of things. Some days I really enjoy it. Some days, not. I guess that how it goes though.

Ashlee is big and talking and putting half sentences together. My favourite thing she does is imitate the fire truck sayingjavascript:void(0) "noooonaaaw nooonaaaw" (though we tell her it sounds more like nee naw - she just won't listen)

Four friends and I just bought these pajama type things to wear at home when it is cold. You won't be able to read anything on the site, but it's funny to have a look at them. Guess which one I have? (p.s. for those of you that are less tech savvy than others, hover over "have a look" at them and you will be able to click a link to the website :o))

I am still really looking forward to my trip home in September. Some days I can't believe how fast time has gone by. Other days, it feels as if September will never come.

Anyway, that's all from me. Miss you all.

Oh my it's May

Lot's has happened since my last post.

To start. Sunny and I went for a trip to Wellington and Christchurch. Wellington, the capital,
was ok. still really pretty, but really windy - nice for a little visit. Then we went to Christchurch. I really loved it there. It was really pretty - still small, but had lots in it. (like.. city stuff) They get snow - none when we were there - but it was much cooler than Auckland.

We rented a car while we were there, so were able to see a lot of surrounding attractions. We went to Mount Cook (which was incredibly freezing). And to a small town called Akaroa. We also went and rode some cable cars, that had a great view of Christchurch and surrounding areas.

That was just for a long weekend, but was a really good trip.



I applied for this new position at work and got it. That's pretty cool, it's been interesting.. or something, so far. We'll see where it takes me.

Sunny and I also moved back into town. With the new job, I have different hours, and she will be doing lots of odd hours for the month of may... Too much of a hassle for both of us to be living so far from the city. So just one week ago we moved back into the city. I am really loving it so far.

We live on the 24th floor of a (37 story high) building that used to be a hotel.



We got a furnished apartment, since last move we sold most of our stuff.

Ashlee's birthday is tomorrow, She'll be two - which is hard to believe. But pretty cool. She had her birthday party yesterday - lots of little kids = Carnage.

Anyway. Guess that's a brief update - more to come... sometime. ha.

Mid March Already

Can't believe that March is nearly over. Kind of glad in a way, this has been a long feeling month and I am quite ready for it to be over.

Most things are good here.

These are some photos from a party at work that was to "thank" our clients. It was complete with a DJ, custom made drink by "cocktail artists" and some really small, and not even that tasty, snacks. The theme was "bringing sexy back" - we are re-designing our logo and a lot of things about the hotel. We're even supposed to get new uniforms one day. (That would be a nice change, since the ones we were now are nasty)

I have submitted the application to stay in New Zealand for another year. I am counting on the coming through. If all goes to plan, then I will be back for a visit in September! I can't wait!

...hmm... otherwise, I may be back at the end of April.

Ashlee is so cute, and learning to talk more and more every day. She can now say "Sunny" which she used to think was the same thing as "funny" (and would just laugh) and then she would just avoid saying it - but now Sunny is the flavour of the day!



Any way - nothing too exciting. I did cut my hair today and it's a bit shorter than I had anticipated, but... hopefully I will get used to it.

:)

Been A while...

...and probably would have stayed that way, were it not for Aspen updating her blog.

Guess a lot has changed since the last time that I was on here, over a year ago.

The job is going pretty good, this Sunday is my one year of being at the hotel... and I'm not sure I have ever been in a job for that long. In fact, I haven't. So that is a small kind of achievement for me. Most days I seem to really enjoy the job - I guess we all have our days when we are over it, though.

Since moving back to south Auckland, Sunny and I haven't had time to do much. Last weekend we decided to take the weekend off and do a little road trip to Bay of Islands. It was pretty amazing. We were really lucky and the weather cleared up for us on Saturday. Sunny surprised me with a cool plane/van tour of the northest point of New Zealand. The tour was an hour plane to a place near Cape Reinga... We sledded down sand dunes and got attacked (i mean, it came out of nowhere) by a wave on the beach... and saw a beautiful lighthouse where the Tasman and the Pacific met. Then we hopped back on the plane for the ride home. Unfortunately, both of us were so motion sick that we couldn't entirely enjoy the ride back, but we both made it without vomiting (much).






This week we went to a Fall Out Boy / All American Rejects concert. It was pretty good. There were lots of little teenage girls there " I LOVE YOU PETE WENTZ" (gag) I got feisty with these about 12 year olds that were a bit out of control... really. We actually stayed at our hotel and took the day off - that was cool. Actually felt relaxed.

Any way...

Guess that's all that I have to say right this very minute.

p.s. I also and reading the Twilight series... and even saw the movie. yayyyaaaaaa.

The Warmest January I've ever had.

Hi All,

I realize (thanks, Mom) that I haven't written in a long time. Lots of things have happened since November!

In December, both Tracey and Ashlee made visits (many) to the hospital for ear, dehydration and mastitis. The whole month was quite crazy and all over the place. And poor Ashlee. I can't imagine having to deal with a sick baby (sorry 'bout that, Mom and Dad). Luckily, every one is back to their healthy normal selfs.

Aspen and Murry visited, and that was really nice. It was good to have some of my family around during the holidays. We did some fun things. We took a little trip down to a place called Rotorua. It's a pretty tourist-y place. There are many fun things to do. We stayed in a nice enough hotel and all experienced a bit of the Maori culture while attending a dinner with the traditional hangi (meat that is, essentially, cooked in a pit in the ground) and the haka. Murry was fortunate enough to get to participate in the haka, which one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen, as it involves yelling and slapping your knees and chest!

We went to a place 30 minutes from Rotorua called Wai-O-Tapu which was pretty far out. There was a geyser and all kinds of different hot pools and such. And we saw this sweet bubbling mud pit! We also visited the museum there, that was in a really pretty building and drove around for a look at all the different things to do. On the way back to Auckland we stopped at the Waitomo caves. It was pretty neat, we saw some glow worms and got to tramp through some (only mildly clausterphobic) caves with different formations and whatnot.

Christmas was good with the family. We had a barbeque and opened presents. It was odd to be able to wear a short sleeved shirt and skirt for the day. I got some nice things and some things to remember NZ by.

I must say that time is moving by incredibly fast. Faster than I might like, perhaps, but I can't really slow down time, now can I? I have tried and tried and tried to find a way to stay here, but it just isn't looking so promising. I could if I got a job and then got sponsored, but... I don't think I will take that path. As of now the plan is to return to the US and go back to school. I never thought I would see the day, and to be honest, probably wouldn't unless I thought I didn't need it. It will be alright, though.

I have also been some neat places in the past month. We went to a beach, called Piha, which was really beautiful. Big waves and darkish sand. It's nice for kids, too, because there are pools to the side that are warmer water that they can play in. Ashlee loved it. Also went to One Tree Hill, which actually should be called No Tree Hill, because there isn't one. Apparently some Maori activists took it down a bit ago. Went to the zoo yesterday. It was a neat one, it wasn't all just concrete that you walked on, which was nice.

Anyway. Other than that, things are good. Ashlee is growing heaps. She's got such a personality, she's pretty nosy and likes to talk a lot. I think it will be a bit difficult to leave her. But on the other hand, I am excited to return to home. I guess we'll see how everything goes!

I'm going to be an Auntie!

That's right. To a little boy! Sad, though, it won't be named after me. Though Aspen has agreed that if she's not having a girl by the sixth child, they will name it Lawrence, so there's still hope. ;)

All is well here. I am finding myself becoming more and more attached to little baby Ashlee. She is now just over 6 months old and seems to be learning new things all the time. This week she just learned to wave. And I'm working on mumma, dadda and nana. We'll see, we're not making much progress with that. She also started solids last week. That is exciting. Today we tried blueberries and apples for the first time. She wasn't very impressed by them... and it looked like she had grown a beard with it all over her face. Hah.

Only one month until I get to see my sister. What an excitement that will be. I am looking at all kinds of things that we can do. I will get to be a tourist with them. Yay.

Tracey's got all kinds of job stress now. Help to run a hotel looks to be quite hard and stressful, I don't know that it would be quite my forte. I think I am quite lucky with this "job" now, and I absolutely love it. The family here is also really great. I feel more and more each day as if I am a part of it, instead of this extra attachment, which is definitely nice, being so far away from my home.

Still juggling around many possibilities for the time when I return to the U.S. - many. That is the only stress in my life, thanks, Mom, for giving me your MUST PLAN EVERYTHING gene. Really, love that one.

I might cut my hair off. What do you think? eh? eh? Like shoulder length. It's been a LONG time. And probably the last time it was that short was not on purpose (I seem to recall letting Aspen cut my hair - and that was my first mistake) Any way. Who knows.. I certainly don't, and so I guess no one else probably does.

Anyway, nothing really too new to report here, infact I am struggling with coming up with this much. Sadly, this small bit or writing has taken me a long time to write. Psh. Hope that everyone is doing well.. miss you all.

Yeah, yeah, I know

Yes, I know it has certainly been a while since the last time I posted on this thing. But not as long as Aspen... so there!

In just 4 short days, I will no longer be a teenager. The big 2-0. I guess I am mostly over freaking out about it, but it definitely seems weird. And weird to be celebrating my birthday in a different country with no family. Lucky for me, though, Tracey and Ian are like a second family, kind of. -Speaking of which, they are all on a mission to find me someone here so that I don't leave. Watch out!

Tracey just started a new job as a revenue manager for the "hippest hotel in auckland" (check it out if you want http://www.thequadrant.com) So now I have Ashlee at home most days, as opposed to going into town so Tracey could feed her. Last week was our first week of it. It wasn't too bad, things went rather well. Although I know that Tracey was missing her baby, as you would.

Ashlee is doing really well. It's amazing how much she grows in such a short time. It's cool to look back her "old" pictures, when she was just a month old and such, and see the difference. She certainly looks like her mother and has inherited her looks as well. She's really good at giving the frown look. She also says "boooo" when she is crying. Tracey is convinced that I taught it to her. It's really funny and cute when she does it. She got her second hair cut last week. I protested a lot against the hair cut, it looks fine though. She just looks like a mini version of Friar Tuck.

I guess there's nothing really TOO exciting here, that I haven't probably told you all about already. I am doing this class at the gym called Body Jam, which is like a dance class. Very enjoyable, and I am looking forward to taking my sister to it when they get here.

I am definitely still looking forward to Aspen and Murry's visit here. I have been looking and planning for different things that we can do! And sometime after they leave, in January probably, I am looking at going and doing some travelling of my own. Christchurch and Wellington (the capital). Maybe some other places. Flights are quite cheap here, though, Pacific Blue just recently put their airline in here to do domestic flights, so they have all kinds of promotions going on.

Summer is nearly here, while I hear some of you are getting snow. (hah! suckers!)Finally I get out my skimpy skirts and crop tops - not! Anyway... that's all I've got. Hope everyone everywhere is good. Miss you all!

Just for you!

Right. Well here it goes (Mother, dearest).

I have been sick, it seems, for the past two months. I am currently trying to fight this most recent one. Yay for blocked ear and sinuses, who doesn't want that!? Although, it did make me feel a bit better the other day to find out that I am not the only one who has gotten this double-whammy cold. Glad to hear that other people are suffering too, psh.

Sadly, though, Ashlee and Tracey caught a bit of this cold. There is nothing more sad than a little baby that is sick. She wouldn't smile for days and was just generally lethargic. She bounced back from it a lot quicker than I have, though, which is good news.

Things, besides this sickness, are still going really well. I might even goes as far as to say that I at this point I don't want to leave. I still have about 7 months to go, though, and I suppose I could change my mind about it all. It's hard to know what to do, or even what I WANT to do sometimes. The baby is really good, she has just learned to sit up on her own, at 4 1/2 months old! She's so strong! Ashlee and I have been spending a lot more time together now. She will, more or less, take a bottle now. Some days we spend most of the day at home, and other days we either drive or take the train in. I get the funniest looks, really, with a baby. You'd be surprised. Some people are all clucky but others give me the looks of death with the "why is someone so young and clearly unmarried having a baby" Really. Weird. I am mostly unphased. What do they know any way!? hah. (but not so great for picking up a kiwi boyfriend... shame:D)

What else, what else? I am really looking forward to Aspen and Murry's visit for Christmas. Have been thinking a lot lately about what I will do when I return to the U.S. - looks like I will have to go back to school again. I certainly don't really want to be working retail again. We'll see, there are a lot of things to think about.

I rarely feel homesick anymore. Although, I must say, I do feel really homesick when I am sick. I need my mom, shirley temple movies, and some sort of motherly yumminess. I haven't really made a network of friends here, but know enough people and feel as if I am social enough. I guess I've never really been the social butterfly type any way, though.

Yeah, well I guess that's all I really have to say. Nothing to really update here. Just plugging along. Miss you all!

It's been a long time...

Hello!

Sorry it has been so long since I last put up any kind of post on this website... I have been a bit, well, busy. There has been much going on!

Ashlee will be 4 months this week. Crazy! She is growing constantly, and is (as the descrete people put it) very healthy. Which means that she is a little chubber. She talks constantly. Lots of oohs, ahhs and ggggs. I am quietly confident she will be talking by 6 months. Hah! She has a very stong neck and legs, and has just learned to roll over. So cute!

I have had one or two of my own adventures recently, too. I gave snowboarding down here a shot. It was a totally different experience than anything I have ever had. The mountain we went to is called Mount Ruapehu. There are two sides to this mountain. Turoa, more popular with the snowboarders. And Whakapapa (said fuckapapa-really) which is an easier mountain and more popular with the skiers. Any how. We went to Turoa side. Sadly on the day that we went, the weather was terrible. The wind was amazing... the strongest wind I have ever been in. The whole process of renting out a board was quite different too... mostly just way more hectic - but hey I got a "thanks love" out of it all, which is also something we don't hear in the US.

Tracey is now back at work, and starting today, it will be our second week at a new schedule. The first week was alright - except for one disaster of a day. Often we take the train into town and Ashlee loves it! She is absolutely mesmerized by the fastly moving terrain in the backround. It is very cute. This is one of the times that she chooses to talk. I either get looks like "Aww how cute" or "Will you shut that thing up" - either way... I don't care.

Finally, finally, I am going to get to have a spring! Two winters in a row has made for a long year. Though, thankfully there is no snow in this part of the country. This country is easy to fall in love with, I think. There are many positive things about it.

Anyway - I suppose that's a nice little update. Missing everyone!