Thanksgiving

This year, being in NZ where they don't celebrate Thanksgiving was strange. I had to use some of my annual leave to get the day off for starters. The other weird thing about it was having it on a Friday, which meant it was truly Thanksgiving in America. The entire day I had the urge to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone but I controlled my excitement. It was Amanda and mines first year actually being in charge of the dinner, SCARY! We did several grocery trips always seeming to forget one thing or another. Amanda even had to call around to different grocery stores to see who had the biggest turkeys since it's not really a big time of year for them. It was also tricky being in NZ because they didn't have all of the ingredients we needed but we made do. Mom sent us Thanksgiving decorations which definitely help to set the tone. Brigid came down from Auckland and Lisa came up from Christchurch and we put them to work in the kitchen. We had another friend in charge of the pumpkin pies and they were superb!We hosted 15 people for dinner and it was a great success.  It was really nice sharing our thanksgiving tradition with fellow kiwi mates who have never experienced it. 

Always an Adventure

I had quite the adventure the other day. I had an appointment somewhere I've been multiple times however; I was coming from a different direction. I had two options, back track about 15 minutes to get on the right motorway and take the way I would normally go or use my trusty gps on my iphone. I figured, let's just go with the iphone, step out of my comfort zone and don't be silly and "back track." Well, next thing you know, I am in the middle of a forest, no cell service and not a person in sight. My friend said, and I quote, "I bet that was an anxiety fest." And yes, yes it was! She knows me too well. During my drive I went through several emotions and thought processes. First, I was feeling accomplished, I didn't know where I was going but I knew I could do this. Then about 20 minutes into the forest I did the "wait a minute, what am I doing?" I could either turn back now or continue on the narrow single lane road that they use for two-way traffic knowing it had to come to an end. Turning back meant I for sure wouldn't make it to my appointment so I carried on with another sense of accomplishment. As I continued down the road I started to worry that I was the only one out there. The hysterical laughing began for how ridiculous I was being. I managed calm it down and figured it's just another adventure. As the trip continued I started to I think how lucky I was that I had the catering in my car just in case I got stranded out there. With that, I'd be set for at least a few days. About another 20 minutes passed when I FINALLY ran into another car. I was so thankful to know I wasn't out in the forest by myself so you better believe I stayed on his ass the rest of the way. I was able to relax a bit at this point and I tried to enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding me. As the drive continued I honestly thought I was going to end up at the top of the north island. The little rendezvous lasted about an hour but actually felt like the entire day. When I popped into the little town of Waikanae I had the biggest sense of relief. Being in Waikanae also meant I had overshot where I really needed to be. Needless to say I was a just a wee few minutes late but I made it to my appointment.
 
This brings me to the question though, is it really necessary to try new things when you know something that is good/ works?

Seasons Changing

I knew moving over here in April probably was not the best timing on my part. It was finally starting to warm up at home and I chose to move to NZ where things were starting to cool down. Well I have survived! We are starting to get warmer days and more days with sunshine than not. It has been a long time coming. I'm not going to lie, it brought me great satisfaction when I heard they had their first snow fall of the season at home while I was sitting and enjoying gelato on the waterfront.

Winter is by far my least favorite season. Don't get me wrong, I love the SNOW and how beautiful it makes everything, but with the beauty also comes the hassle of driving in it, ice, and storms causing days with power loss which to me = NO FUN! Luckily, New Zealand winter here in Wellington was not too intense however it seems to have lasted forever. I was here to witness the First snow fall in Wellington in the last 30 YEARS! Unbelievable! Of course the year I move here it happens. I have never met so many people who have never actually seen snow fall. My first thoughts were how that was even possible. I guess you just don't think of things like that when they are your "NORMAL." It's like my fellow friends who live in the middle of the USA and have never seen the ocean. That just seems ludicrous to me. Enough on that tanget, needless to say the faces that day/ week were priceless! The other strange thing about that was getting snow fall in August?? And speaking of that, I'm still unsure how I feel about having a summer Christmas! I love the years when I've woken up to snow covered trees and spent the day staying warm with hot chocolate. This year will be spent basking in the sun and barbecuing. Weird!

Moving over here in April also meant I'd miss Fall this year. This is probably my favorite season. I'm absolutely obsessed with Fall colors and all the leaves falling. I miss the days living in Chico when there would be HUGE piles of leaves and no room to park because there were just so many. Instead I guess I've overlapped on spring. That hasn't been a total disaster. I adored all the little baby lambies and calfs I'd get to see on my drives. The baby lambies were definitely my fave seeing them hop around so awkwardly.  They were just so cute but way too distracting. Sadly, now they're all turning into plump grown lambs and cows. This can only mean one thing, Spring is coming to an end and SUMMMMMMEEERRRRRRRR is finally moving in!

 I've got one of the best views in Wellington in a house that has windows in the living room that completely open up to let all the sunshine pour in. There's a great running path along the water front which I hope will keep me busy this summer. I have also been eying all the fun water sports I want to take up this summer. I'm even thinking about giving sailing another shot! Should be a fun summer!

FYI: Man Drought in NZ

Sadly Dan Carter is engaged and off the market!

Sonny Bill Williams 

Dan Carter

For those of you who are worried that I'm going to meet the man of my dreams here in NZ and never move back, rest assured the chances are slim to none. An article came out in the Taranaki Daily news that referred to the "Man drought" in NZ actually being more like a "Man Desert." Let's just say depressing. But really it's actually quite funny. According to some polls there are only 24,000 eligible men that are straight, single and earn more than $60,000 while there are over 50,000 eligible women. Sonny Bill Williams to the left was one of NZ's most eligible bachelors until recent reports of a girlfriend. I guess I was just a little too late.

And below is the lovely Dan Carter who is also taken. So why does it seem like the men always have a much wider selection? I remember going off to college freshman year and finding out the ratio of men to women was somewhere around 1 to 7.
Unfortunately it was too late to change schools. Needless to say I am happy to see that my friends are doing their best to change that ratio.Way to go Lauren, Sharice, Raquel and our soon to be momma Molly for trying to even out the playing field.