More photos

Endeavoring for a return to normal

....although frankly, I am not sure what that is anymore. Let's have a little recap of the past 12 months or so, shall we?

Decided to move to New Zealand and began immigration process. Also started looking for jobs. Put house on market (note: it must be mentioned that this was our first house that we fixed up, where we married in the backyard, and where we birthed both of our babies in the dining room). Job interview. Offer on house. Offered job in New Zealand. Packed and moved out of house (bye bye sweet house) and into temporary living quarters. Immigration process completed with an offer of permanent residency. Packed up boxes to send to New Zealand. Quit job of 9 years. Goodbyes to dear friends and family. Fly to New Zealand. Buy car. Travel with loaded car and two weary young children down to the South Island. Start new job in new healthcare system. Find place to live. Move into rental house. Working. Exploring our new home, settling in. Dad has a stroke. Fly back to Oregon after only 3 months in NZ and 10 weeks in my job. Dad dies. Say goodbye again to family and friends. Fly back to NZ. Miss M starts school. Christmas away from family and friends. Mom visits for 3 weeks. Miss M and Mr W both start school.

And breathe.....

Live nude seals

On our visit to Farewell Spit, we hiked to Wharariki Beach where we encountered a group of seals who put on quite a show. Enjoy!

Our first visitor...

As most of you know, my mom is here for a visit. We are having a grand time. We have spent time in Kaikoura, Puponga and Farewell Spit, Nelson, and Christchurch. Tomorrow we are off to Hanmer Springs for the weekend. Not much time for writing but we can at least share a few pictures.

Arthur's Pass

A wonderful day up in the alpine splendour of the Southern Alps helped us ring in the new year of 2010. One of the highlights was our encounters with the world's only alpine parrot. That's right, an alpine parrot. The kea is a big bird and, as they are ubiquitously called in these parts, very cheeky. They will come up to you sipping a latte at a cafe and literally steal the fork off your plate just for a few avian giggles. Beware!! Also, don't leave your windows open too far when you go on your day hike. Upholstery is very susceptible to parrot beaks. The lupine was stunningly in bloom and the Waimakarari River was braided with a fresh melting of snow and a recent nor'wester storm. Nature truly rules in these parts. Also, the waterfall was a wonderful reward for a brief day hike which Miss M. managed with only an incidental bribe of ice cream. Oh, and did we mention that the day started off at 33 degrees Celsius and ended at 15 degrees. All this in the span of about six hours. Never a dull moment....

A Kiwi Christmas....

Forgive us for being poor bloggers. Per our previous posts, we have had a few curve balls thrown at us- a parent dying and a quick trip back to Oregon for Cara and single parenthood for 3 weeks for me. Cara arrived back on the 11th and went right back to work and we mostly have settled back into "normal" life in Aotearoa.

We managed to scrape by a Christmas spirit of sorts. We bought a live Christmas pine tree from the Anglicans. It really more resembled a Christmas bush or a Charlie Brown tree than the trees we are accustomed to in the land of douglas and noble firs. Our friend R gave us a box of Christmas ornaments which gave the tree some much needed x-mas cred. All in all it had its own special charm.

We played our Crosby, Sinatra and John Denver and the Muppets x-mas music but somehow the snowy, firelight images didn't mesh with 75 degrees and baaing sheep. The kids were thrilled to have some x-mas cheer in the house and enjoyed opening their presents. After all, presents in the Southern Hemisphere are still presents and Santa visited us first, which was cool.

The next day (Boxing Day, a new holiday for us yanks) was spent at the beach in Sumner, building sand castles and watching Will fall into the surf.

It has been a strange, lonely but memorable Christmas for our family. Enjoy the pics...

In memoriam.....

My father passed away on November 27, 2009 surrounded by his three children. It was a privilege to be by his side and to be present as he passed from this life. I am grateful that I was able to make the trip from New Zealand back to Oregon to be with my family though sad to have to leave Mike and the kids behind.

A dear friend sent me this and I feel compelled to share it here:

When sorrow comes, let us accept it simply, as a part of life. Let the heart be open to pain; let it be stretched by it. All the evidence says that this is the better way. An open heart never grows bitter. Or if it does, it cannot remain so. In the desolate hour, there is an outcry; a clenching of the hands upon emptiness; a burning pain of bereavement; a weary ache of loss. But anguish, like ecstasy, is not forever. There comes a gentleness, a returning quietness, a restoring stillness. This too is a door to life. Here, also, is a deepening of meaning – and it can lead to dedication; a going forward to the triumph of the soul, the conquering of the wilderness. And in the process will come a deepening inward knowledge that, in the final reckoning, all is well.
-A. Powell Davies

Thank you for all of your healing thoughts during this difficult time for our family.