Life is Good

Today is Sunday. We awoke this morning to two happy kids barreling down the stairs and coming into our room and then going downstairs to watch cartoons together. Dano and I laid in bed and talked for a bit and listened to the kids giggle and talk about the shows. We got up and when I was making breakfast I looked down stairs to see the kids sitting on the same couch snuggling under a blanket. They are good kids. They get along, they talk to each other, they enjoy being together. Dano and I sat at the dining room table and had breakfast together and my parents drove in the driveway. Mom and Dad dropped by to deliver an apple pie that Mom had made before they went and met friends. We have begun our Church Search. We went to Sprucedale United this morning and were pleasantly greeted by my Grade 8 teacher! Also my principal and his wife (Abby's teacher) and their daughter go there. It was so nice to feel welcomed into a church. Our search will continue here in Chatham. After church we got a few groceries and then went and picked up cousin Emma who was staying in Chatham last night. The kids played outside all afternoon while Dano and I put together a wonderful roast beef dinner. Dan's brother and wife and cousin came over for dinner and it felt like we were home. Today I feel like we are home. It feels right.

My last post I was missing NZ and everything about it but life is good here. The feel of today and last few days feels good. There is a commercial on TV right now, 100% New Zealand...advertising NZ. It does tug at our hearts. It shows Milford Sound, penguins, oceans, mountains...all the things that we absolutely love about NZ. I cannot say that when I see that commercial I don't feel somewhat sad that our time there, for now, is over. I do feel more settled and am content here now. I truly feel blessed to have lived in such a beautiful, peaceful place. Our family, our marriage, our lives are better because we made this adventure happen.

The end,
Samantha

The End

I have been dreading this last post. I have been putting if off. It is very hard for me to write this as I do not want our NZ adventure to end. I have an empty feeling inside of me. The feeling reminds me of how I feel after closing night of a musical or the day after a wedding. Of the four of us I have been the one that has had the hardest time settling in. I am very glad to be home, to see family and friends, to see our kids hang out with my parents and their cousins. Sam and Abby are loving school, Dano is loving his job. Life is good. But I have this longing feeling in my gut. I am not a crier....I am not. Since we have been back there have been two nights that my eyes have leaked while falling asleep. Even while writing this blog I am getting a little weepy.

NZ has changed our lives. Dan and I were in ruts in our jobs, our life balance was out of whack, too much energy went into worrying about work. Sammer was struggling socially at school feeling like a target each day. As a family we were busy busy busy, just getting by emotionally. NZ has changed all of that. Our 20 months in the south has taught us so much. We found a simple life. A life I want to live forever. The people we were blessed to meet are less stressed, less frazzled people. They put family first, have modest homes and enjoy the beauty of their country. They generously share their holiday homes and are warm hosts. Our Kiwi friends are special people.

I absolutely love NZ and will always hold our time there dearly. The mountains, waterfalls, ocean beaches, penguins are breathtaking and I miss them. We were blessed to meet so many friends in Pukerau and Gore. For now, it is time for us to reconnect with our family and friends here in Canada. Chatham is home again. It does feel good to start planting our permanent roots here. Spending time with the special people here, sharing our new outlook on life with them, continuing to live the simple life, having less and keep doing more is how we will live our lives.

My Kiwi Adventure....by Sammer

This was one of the best things that have ever happened to me. In NZ I have grown in size and as a person. I have gone out of my comfort zone by doing things like bungy swinging, rock climbing and flying on an airplane for 13 hours! I also petted a seal (don;t ask) and I got up on stage and performed a Canadian Comedy act for Eistedfod at St. Peter's College. These are all things that I never would have done before coming to NZ.

The scenery was breath taking and beautiful. Milford Sound was awe inspiring. Te Anau was such a cute little town and Porpoise Bay was the best beach to be at! I learned how to boogie board on waves and swim with dolphins! The Penguin Place in Portabello was so cool, we were a foot away from a penguin. My favourite penguin was Sam.

One thing I love about the South Island of New Zealand is how laid back everyone is and everyone say HI or waves to you. I feel like I fit in really well in NZ, everyone likes everyone for who they are.

Our schooling wasw great! At Pukerau School there is so few kids that the teachers had time to talk and get to know each kid. Everyone knows each other too. Gore was the closest town to us and it had a beautiful Main Street. There are so many little shops too. We felt safe and happy walking around Gore.

Our time in NZ has helped me understand the guy I want to grow up to be. It has changed me I know that.

Thanks NZ,

Sammer

Flights back to our home country... by Abby

Right now we are on our first airplane back to Canada from Dunedin. We got free cookies, free Kiwi lolliymix and Air New Zealand hard candies. When we get to Auckland we have 8 hours in Auckland. We are going to rent a car and go around Auckland. I am looking forward to going am home! I felt scared at first but now I am excited. I really want to see my cousins and Aunts and Uncles. I am also looking forward to seeing my own room. And there will be lots of kids around our neighbourhood for me to play with.

Right in front of me is a baby and it's mother with an older brother. The baby will not stop yelling at his mom thai it is not fair you take of the baby and not me.

Mom just met a friend in teh Auckland Airport, Tara. She is going to Las Angeles and back to BC. Tara was a Gap Student at the high school mom worked at. Gap mean swhen you get a year off school so you go to a different country and work anywhere you want.

There is only 2 more flights counting this one to get to Toronto. After that Grandpa Horton is going to pick us up and drive us back to our new home. There is 20 minutes until we board our plane to Vancouver. We are going to Gate 5. We have gone through security and Dad had to get a double check for anything bad in his two bags. It is 7:04 and we get on the plane at 7:30 so we have 26 minutes left.

We are in Vancouver airport!! We have switched airlines to Air Canada from Air New Zealand. We have just got back from our 13 hour flight. It was tiring but we made it...I watched Miley Cyrus, The Best Of Both Worlds concert, Hannah Montana The Movie and High School Musical 3. For tea I had Moraccan Lamb, kumara and peas and for pudding we got chocolate chunk ice cream.

We are now on the plane that goes from Vancouver to Toronto. We have TVs but Dads will not work and we have to buy earphones. Luckily we have our own. I am watching Monsters VS Aliens. We have an hour until we get to Toronto. I can not wait to see Grandpa Horton. Flying over Toronto I can see all the city lights. There is a big orangish redish ball. From the airplane you can see every light on the road. Here is our timetable that we flew to get home:

August 12, 2009
Dunedin - Auckland 1 hour and 30 minutes
Auckland - Vancouver 13 hours
Vancouver - Toronto 4 hours 30 minutes
Toronto - Chatham 3 hours (driver, Grandpa!)

We are home now and we are all safe. We lost a hockey bag somewhere along the way but I am sure we will sort that out. I am happy to be home, but I think I will miss NZ a lot.

By Abby

Dan doesn't feel like blogging tonight

So I will......again. The kids are tucked in bed and we are sitting at the dining room table with two laptops on the go. Dano is enjoying searching up Cogeco services for when we go back. He has thoroughly gone through a list of channels we will get, the speed at which our internet will flow from our finger tips and that I can make long distant calls to all of North America at no extra charge. He loves that crap.

Two weeks ago we created a list of items we had to sell before we leave NZ. Happily we were able to list our stuff on one page. Within two weeks of our list being posted at my high school, Abby's school and here at the camp we have sold most of our things. Our lounge set it gone, we are using the ones that were here when we arrived. Our receiver for our Freeview is gone, so our TV gets no channels. The TV, stand a DVD player will be delivered to it's new owner very soon. Besides Sam's bike and a few small items we have rid ourselves of things that will not be making the trip home. It feels good once again to be down to having very, very little.

Our Kiwi friends have been calling and setting up dinners with them before we leave. Jude and Peter George are friends of ours that we met through our kids at Pukerau School. They had us up to their house for tea. They have 3 kids, Katelyn, Rueben and Olivia. Our kids get on very well with them and our meal and visit was easy, delicious, full of conversation, noisy at parts and felt like we were saying "see you later" rather than "good bye". Our church held a farewell service for us and another family going to Sudan. It was lovely, a light finger tea followed. Stacey and Robert Young had us and the George family up for tea as well, the Georges were leaving for a vacation to California the next day. I am sure we will see Robert and Stacey at our doorstep in Canada one day, we hope! It would be wonderful for Sam and Abs to see their friends James, Libby and Sam Y again. In fact, I am betting that they will be our first kiwi friends to make the journey!

This has been a particularly trying week at school for me. Most of the Senior Management Team and all of the Deans were away Monday - Wednesday at training, which I did not go on as I am leaving. Myself and two SMT were busily hopping around the school. It has been interesting but exhausting at the same time. You would think that the moon had been full for 4 days in a row!

There have been two young families and an older couple staying here at the camp. They are part of a MMM New Zealand, a Christian organization the does property work at churches, camps and schools. The husbands have been lining the dining hall. The families live in giant trailer buses. I will try to get photos of these, they are like nothing we would see in North America. The bonus is that our kids have had the pleasure of having 7 kids living almost right beside us. Ernie and Michelle Pene have 4 kids, Daniel 13, Alix 10, Grace 4 and Mouse or Michael 2. Sammer and Daniel have become good mates. The kids are home schooled by their mom and for the past week Daniel has met Sammer when he gets off the bus at the end of the day. Alix and Abby get along great. Alix came to Alexandra with us last Saturday for Dano's last hockey tournament. She even got to witness Abby puking 2 times on the way, car sickness is bad in NZ with the twisting winding roads( and Dano's driving.) Alan and Rosina Mitchell have 3 daughters, Virginia 14, Erin 12, and Josie 10. For the last 3 weeks Abby, Alix and Josie have been like three peas in a pod. They bought rings together and had a little ceremony where they all put them on, signifying their friendship where ever they are in the world. It was cute! Grace 4 and Mouse 2 are so cute. At any given moment their adorable little faces might appear in our glass door. Many days I come home to them sitting on the couch beside Sammer and Daniel who are playing Mario Kart on the Wii. Both Grace and Mouse have little salad plates in their hands driving the Mario kart. And Sammer and big brother, Daniel encouraging them on as they drive with a plate. Very cute.

Tomorrow is Friday and I am thankful for that. Sam is planning to have a friend, Andrew come over after school. Abby will need an early bed, she has had a busy week. Her class does water safety and swimming lessons three times a week, she is still dancing and getting ready for an exam that she will not be here for. She practices hockey with Sammy and Dano too. She is usually zonked by the time Friday rolls around.

We have less than 2 weeks left of our Kiwi Adventure, it feels a little surreal. We plan on getting our blog made into book form. We hope that this will make a meaningful Christmas gift for the kids and we will get one for us to have. The deal is that every blog I have written Dano will read aloud to me as we snuggle into our bed, and likewise for me. He will doing most of the reading!

Until next time,
Samantha

EARTHQUAKE!

We had an earthquake tonight! At about 9:30pm Thursday July 15th the earth shook. Dano was sitting at the dining room table, the kids and I in the living room watching Karate Kid III with our new friend Daniel Pene. Both Dano and I thought we were having dizzy spells at first. It was amazing! The feeling of the whole house gently swaying was unreal! The hanging lights were swinging. Our friend Daniel has lived in New Zealand his whole life of 13 years and this was his first quake too!

The quake had a Richter magnitude of 6.6. To give an idea of where we are in relation to the quake, Gore is 60km north-east of Lumsden.

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/5729011/geologists-to-keep-watch-after-big-quake/

Buying Tickets Home

It is almost 8am Wednesday July 15. Dano and I are sitting at the dining room table, eating breakfast with laptops at our finger tips. We are purchasing our tickets home online. The kids are asleep as it is winter holidays and there is a feeling of peace and relief that our decision to return home is but clicks away. We will be flying from Dunedin August 12 at 9:45am and fly to Auckland. We will have an eight and a half hour lay over in Auckland, which is good with us since we did not get to Auckland we plan on check our baggage and then getting a cab to see the sights. Then we board in Auckland for the big flight to Vancouver. It is the red eye flight and Air New Zealand does it beautifully. They have excellent food, excellent staff and we look forward to all flights but especially the long one. Once in Vancouver we only have and hour and a half to clear customs and get to our next flight taking us back to Toronto. We will end up flying into Toronto at 11:28pm August 12, after 30 hours of travel. We will stay in a hotel once we land in TO then my Dad and Dan's brother Mark will come to pick us up the next morning and bring us home.

We had dinner down at the dining hall last night. There are 3 families living at Camp Columba in buses and trailers. They work for MMM, Mobile Mission and Maintenance. The husbands are builders and they are lining the inside of the dining hall. The board of the camp was here too for a meeting and to discuss Dano's replacement. While sitting at the table the Chair of the Board leaned over to Dano and I said, "what would it take to make you stay?" We joked about him twisting my arm and that would be all it takes. This is such a weird feeling. I know that we want and need to come home. We need/want our kids to know Canada, their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. We want to be close to our fantastic friends. BUT, we will miss New Zealand. I have said before that our move back will be bittersweet and that emotion is becoming very real. There are so many things that NZ has given us. We have met many wonderful people here and will always have friends from across the world! NZ has given Dan and I the change we needed in our jobs and brought us closer in our relationship. It has provided Sammer with the much needed freedom and sense of belonging to grow into a happy, easier going boy. And Abby has continued on her path of strong personality and leadership. But the biggest thing that NZ has done for us, is made us a tight family unit again. We have not had the demands of all of the things that pulled and tugged at us back home. We have consciously chosen our life here. It has just been us and we have seen things and done things with just us. I feel closer to my children and to Dano than I ever have. People ask us what we will miss about NZ, my answer is always "the scenery", because that is the easy obvious answer. It is stunningly beautiful here. The real answer is that I will miss the pace of life here, less demands, less running around, simple, non materialistic way of life where the four of us enjoy being together. We talk more here, we rely on each other, we look forward to coming back together after being away at school/work, we enjoy each other's personalities...so that is what I will truly miss! It is hard for people to understand this and I hope and pray that this sense of family closeness will stay with us even when we return. So, yes it is tempting when the Camp Columba chair of the board, and my principal at school asks what they can do to make us stay...very tempting!

Now for the SWEET! We are looking forward to so many things back home. The kids are ready, Sam would have come home with my parents had we let him. Abby needed the rest of our time here to digest this whole move. This sounds strange but we have become closer to many people back home since we have been here, some people that I never thought. Through facebook, our blog and emails it has been special to "refriend" some people. I feel very good about coming to Chatham to be near friends and family that have kept in touch with over our adventure. I am also sooo looking forward to teaching Kindergarten, working for Ken Gregory and with Cheryl. I am not sure I would have got a move out of Grand Bend if we did not take this detour in our life. Dano, too is looking forward to what lies ahead. And the kids...although they have a wonderful time with the NZ school system we are all excited for them to become part of McNaughton school. They are already making sleep overs with their cousins, and talking about kids that might live in our neighbourhood (which they have never had before). Since I left for university twenty years ago (HOLY CRAP) I have not lived in Chatham, it feels right now. Looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Until next time,
Samantha

Mom and Dad leave NZ, 33 days left for us

Mom and Dad left this week after a wonderful 3 week visit. It was cold while they were here but we had a great time anyway. A few of the highlights for me were Dad and Sammy skating together at the Gore Arena while Dano and I did our concession booth volunteer time. It was so nice to see the Sams skating around, playing together on the ice. Another favourite thing was realizing that every time Mom or Dad was sitting still on a couch or chair one or both kids were directly beside them, leaning on them or sitting on them. I guess they were making up for lost time. Also Mom and Dad played Pepper with Dano and I most nights. At first the men would beat Mom and I every time. Mom would get frustrated and call Dad and Dan names. Dad would find places to hang the score sheets around the house which ticked Mom off. It was funny. By the end of the trip Mom and I won two nights in a row. A beautiful way to end the trip.

Unfortunately at the end of their first week here Abby came home with the flu and was in bed with fever, coughing, vomit and all the delightful ailments that come with the flu. I then came down with it too. Mom and Dad tried not to get it, Dad spent most of the time that week with his sweat shirt pulled up over his face so he had a filter to breath through. We joked about getting surgical masks which maybe we should have done as both Mom and Dad had a day of chills, aches. Mom is a walking pharmacy so she immediately started popping her pills while Dad stuck to his Fisherman's Friends. Being sick did not stop us from seeing places and walking around New Zealand.

We rented a 12 seater van from our church and took Mom and Dad to the airport in Dunedin. We needed the space so that they could take back 3 extra pieces of luggage for us. Now that they are gone it feels like the end for us. The day after they left the kids brought out our luggage and began sorting through their clothes. Sambo and Reena joked that they were taking the kids home with them and that Dano and I would follow in 35 days. Sammy was ready to go with them. He is ready. His room is packed up, his toys sorted and everything of his fits into two pieces of luggage. Abby is a different story, she needs to say official goodbyes to her friends and teachers. Her room is completely pulled apart and she is having a harder time sorting through her stuff. She takes her time with these things. We have not even talked about her stuffed animals yet, but I fear that she would rather part with clothes instead of her animals. As for me, I am very happy to return home with two suitcases of my stuff. I have clothes that made the trip that will not return with me. Things like bedding and shoes and bags are my things that take top priority. I cannot live without my brown micro fleece blanket that keeps me warm each night.

This afternoon I talked to our new land lady. She is an English lady that came to Canada with 9 suitcases and 3 kids. She has been so kind to us and keeps saying that she knows what it is like to start over with nothing. She has arranged for there to be 2 single beds for our kids, there are plates, glasses, cutlery, couches, a sectional in the basement and a pullout couch. We have been so fortunate that people have been offering to give us things that they do not need anymore. It is so wonderful to know that we are coming home to a house that will have the necessities. Thanks to everyone that has helped us out!

A weekend in Te Anau with Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad left Friday afternoon to go ahead of us to Te Anau. They went to warm up the holiday home. We followed them up after work. Friday night we got there and had a wonderful time. The holiday home belongs to a family that plays hockey with Dan. Te Anau is beautiful even on a weekend that the clouds hang low in the sky and there is a damp chill in the air. The adults played a lot of Pepper while the kids lego-ed and played together. We ate well, of course and we walked a lot too. Mom and Dad stayed at the holiday home while Dano, the kids and I came back Sunday night. Mom and Dad are going to Milford Sound Monday then to Riverton, Monkey Island and Gem Stone Beach on Tuesday. They will be back with us Tuesday evening.



I spoke to the lady that is renting us our house on Grand Ave back home. It is nice to have housing sorted and organized. There will be a few peices of furniture left in the house, and seeing that we sold everything to come to NZ we are glad! Mom and Dad have been telling us about friends that have offered stuff to furnish our home...we are so appreciative! Mom and Dad will get the keys to the house August 1st but things can be put in the garage in July.

I have also spoken to the Principal of McNaughton school. Abby will be going into Grade 4 and Sammer Grade 7. Mrs. Ellacott was telling me about all of the things that goes on at McNaughton school. I think it will be a good fit for the kids.

Until next time,
Samantha

Sam's Comedy Act

Sam signed up for Eistedfod....that does not even sound like a real word to me. We had no idea what it was. Sam come home a few weeks ago and told us he was going to do a comedy act on stage about Canada. Eistedfod is a cultural celebration that his school puts on each year. Kids choose to do skits, sing, dance and entertain. Our Sam thought he could create a funny few minutes about Canada. Dan and I had a moment when he shared his plans because this is not the boy that we left Canada with 18 months ago. The whole idea of standing up in front of an auditorium full of people is not something that Sam would have done. He wrote a script about how Canadian kids have different pets that Kiwi kids. The story was about how he and his dad were out in the Canadian bush and they came across a moose and a beaver. Watch and see for yourself...




We are so proud of him...he was fantastic. Mom and Dad got to be there to see him, it was truly a special thing!

Mom and Dad arrive!

Mom and Dad flew into Dunedin today. They arrived at 9:10am this morning and we then we took them to Kaka Point and Nugget Point. The day was overcast and somewhat dreary but that did not matter. We had a fabulous time showing them a few of our favourite places here in NZ. The kids were so excited to see them, it has been almost a year and a half since we have seen them. We came home and celebrated Father's Day.
I have missed them and I am glad they are here.


Until next time,
Samantha

All Blacks

This weekend was a good one. Friday night began with us going over to Martin and Sarah Murrell's house for dinner. I work with Martin at Gore High, he is the Wood Tech teacher and Sarah works with some of our special kids at the school part time. They moved to NZ from Wales last year and they are here for good. They just bought a house in Gore, a beautiful home on a hill with a glass room over looking the Mataura River. Stunning! Martin and Sarah have two gorgeous girls that our kids connect really well with. Tegan and Meri are great girls. From the moment we walk in their door the kids play, giggle, run around, imagine, squeal and have a great time together. We will miss them! After a wonderful meal of homemade pizza and chocolate cake we shared what our lives were like before NZ. They talked about coming to Canada to stay with us. I really hope they do. We will miss the Murrells.
Saturday began with a much needed sleep in. However, my friend Katie lent us PlayStation Singstar and I was awoken by Chad Kruger belting out "ARE WE HAVING FUN YET, YET, YET.... (It was Dano singing and I was not impressed). We had a fantastic time with Katie's Singstar! The Red Wings game took precedence from noon until 3pm. We listened to the game on the computer through speakers. I de-moulded windows while we listened, Dano and the kids laid around the living room and listened to every moment. Too bad the Penguins beat the Wings.
We left for Dunedin at 4pm to get to Carisbrook Stadium to see the All Blacks(New Zealand's national rugby team) play France. Shelly and Phil Taylor bought tickets for us and we met outside the stadium. The crowd was interesting and the game was too. There are many things I do not understand about rugby, but I do know that I would watch those men do almost anything as long as they wore their shorty shorts and tight t-shirts! The All Blacks lost 27 - 22, but it was exciting!



Reena and Sambo arrive next weekend and our preparation begins! It is getting hard to remained focused on school and work lately. Even Sammer has started saying things like, I wish I could not got to school today and do something else. I know how he feels because I have made a mental list of things we have not done yet, the Rail Trail, Stewart Island, Doubtful Sound... I would much rather be out biking over viaducts or tramping through the most southern island instead of going to school each day. We do have a few things planned when Mom and Dad are here. We will have lots to post about when they get here! Stay tuned!

Until next time,
Samantha

June already...

Man, our time here is flying by! We spent last weekend at a holiday home near Dunedin in a place called Taieri Mouth. It is along the Southern Scenic Route and right on the ocean. Dan spoke at a church a while back and a couple in the congregation approached him and offered their holiday home. We took them up on their offer and spent a winter weekend at the ocean. It was spectacular! We taught the kids to play Bonanza and they picked it up really quickly. We had a fantastic weekend!




This past weekend we went to a party for a girl that works at Camp Columba. The kids brought our Wii and the kids played games while the adults chatted. We left the party to drive to Queenstown because the kids had two hockey games Saturday. The weather was supposed to wintery so we thought we would head up the night before. The drive to Queenstown is breathtaking during the day, but at night with the moon light kissing the snow capped mountains...amazing! We stayed at Lakeland Holiday park in a bunkhouse. In the morning we opened the drapes to see a giant snow covered mountain out the sliding glass door. I will certainly miss the New Zealand scenery! The kids lost both games but they played well. Abby even had a shot on net. The drive home was just as beautiful with clouds and snow against the mountains. I hope you enjoy the pictures.



Until next time,
Samantha

80 days and counting

I have to say that the fact we are only 80 days from departing New Zealand is a little bit unsettling(80 days is based on an August 12th departure - not confirmed but very likely). 80 days is not a very long time and we are all starting to realize that this great adventure is soon to be over. There are still a few things that we hope to experience before we leave so we will have a busy last few weeks.

We have some good news about Samantha's teaching position. Until this past Friday, Samantha was still slated to teach at Grand Bend Public School. The first round of transfers had not resulted in her being moved. Friday afternoon, Saturday morning for us, Samantha received an email that informed her she would be teaching Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten at Tilbury Area Public School. This was her first choice from the postings this round. She gets to work for her favourite principal, Ken Gregory and gets to work with an old friend, Cheryl Chinnick who is the other Kindergarten teacher in the school. Samantha is very excited about working with the JK/K kids. She has enjoyed dipping her toe in the secondary school environment but has decided that elementary school is where she wants to be. She will now have taught every grade in elementary school.

It is the thick of the hockey season here. Last weekend I played in the Senior Non-checking round in Gore. The kids were away with friends and Samantha dutifully sat in the stands and cheered on her groom. Then this weekend the kids had two games on Sunday in Dunedin. We departed home at 7:15 a.m. for a 9:15 game and then a 2:30 p.m. game. The team won their first game but played really poorly, very sloppy and no jump. Thankfully after a couple of hours off, they played much better but lost. The Open Grade(full contact) team had two games immediately following the kids' second game. I don't normally play Open Grade because Samantha is afraid that I may break some ribs or get a concussion or get in a fight but she graciously agreed to stick around and I would play the first one. Then she agreed after the first one, with numb toes and a cold nose, that I may as well the second on since we were there. Samantha has froze through 12 hockey games over the last three weekends, which included 3 games on Mother's Day, and for that she gets my vote for wife of the year.

Below are some pictures from this weekend's hockey and from a wedding that we attended last weekend. Hope you enjoy them.

Mother's Day weekend

We left Friday afternoon for Dunedin. Dano had a hockey tournament to play so we arranged to stay at a holiday home in Purakanui which is near Dunedin. The holiday home was amazing with a gorgeous view. We hope to book this home and take Mom and Dad there when they are here.


Dano played 6 games of hockey in two days. That is a lot of time spent in a cold arena. The kids were so good, they hung in there with me. During one of Dan's games the kids skated on the rink beside the ice Dan was playing on. During the 5th game the kids and I went to Moana Pool and played in the wave pool and went on the water slides. We had a good weekend, even with hours spent in a arena.



We are in the midst of making plans for our return to Canada. I have been applying for jobs and should find out soon about where I will be placed. Housing is something that we are trying to sort out. If there is anyone that knows of a rental home with 3 bedrooms in the Chatham Kent area, Aug 1st, we would really appreciate your help.


Did I mention it was a lot of hockey this weekend?
Until next time,

Samantha

15 1/2 weeks!

We were sitting at the kitchen table tonight enjoying a lovely steak dinner and conversation when the reality struck us that in less than 16 weeks we would be back in Ontario. As I think about this reality and look back at the week that was, I am really pleased that we are still exploring, seeing new places and having new experiences.

Sam went to camp this week and loved it. He had some mates from youth group in his cabin and he had some neat experiences during God Time. Abby and Samantha had a relaxing week that included lots of Little House on the Prairie. Tuesday morning we woke to a basement full of water. A hose popped off the pressure pump in the basement sometime in the night. It's too bad we are both deep sleepers, it would have been nice to hear the pump running and put a stop to it before there was 2 inches of water in the basement bedrooms and a river running out the garage door. The best part was that it wasn't all that stressful and we were able to get it mostly dry. We did call in the professionals to get the carpet and underlay completely dry.

The flood and Sam at Camp


A while back Samantha was told of a place called Gemstone Beach. She heard tales of gems and semi-precious stones scattered around the beach. Abby has been very keen to visit this spot. This weekend we did. We left with a bag full of stones, some wonderful pictures and many nasty sand fly bites. The sand flies look like harmless little gnats but bite and leave nasty red welts. At first they itch like mosquito bites but then the marks and the itchiness persist for days and are incredibly irritating.

From there we stopped by a spot called Monkey Island. According to our friend Treana it is called Monkey Island "because they used to unload ships there and the thing they used to get from the ship to the land is called a monkey." It was a lovely little island and a beautiful sandy beach. We saw some guys with a surf board paddling themselves around while standing up. Not sure what they were doing but it looked cool. One thing we will definitely miss when we leave is the scenery. It will be tough to get used to the flat land of Chatham-Kent after seeing the rolling hills and distant mountains all of this time.

Gemstone Beach and Monkey Island

Camp, Triathlon and Hockey

It's been a good week here.  A certain weight has been lifted off of our shoulders now that our departure is public knowledge.  We are delighted by the generous offers of help from friends and family in preparation for our return.  The one big piece that is left for us to figure out is housing.  We have some leads that we are following up and are certain that we will have it figured out before we touch down in Ontario.

This past week was the first week of this school holiday.  Abby went to camp and had a great time.  Samantha and Sam spent some quality Mom & son time together but both were glad for Abby's return Friday afternoon.  I took part in my second triathlon.  The swim and bike parts seemed to go better but the run was still very tough.  I am now planning to enter the Bulldog Triathlon at Rondeau the week after our return.  I am undecided about what length I will try.  It will depend on my training between now and then and how well my body adjusts to the new time zone.  Our week finished with a Sunday evening hockey game.  Sam and Abby are on the same team this year and it was a real gift to watch them play together.  Sam had a fairly productive game with 6 goals and Abby was thrilled to touch the puck.  It should be a fun season of hockey.

Enjoy the pics.

Bittersweet decision...

Four months today we will be saying good bye to our New Zealand friends, colleagues, teachers, employers and students. We are coming home.

I have been on a Leave of Absence from my teaching assignment in Canada. I got an email over the Christmas holidays saying that my leave would not be extended and I needed to be back teaching or resign. After the initial shock and anger Dano and I started talking about the future and what was important to us. We did not decide immediately to return home as our life here is wonderful. NZ has given us so much. The scenery and landscape alone makes me want to stay. But the friends and people we have come to know, the wonderful way of life - simple and relaxed, are the things we will always hold dear. Teaching here has given me the perspective I needed to refresh me enough to still want to teach. I will be applying for a transfer to teaching jobs in the Chatham-Kent area in May and June. Dano has come to the realization that a career change is necessary. He has a lead on a position in the Chatham area.

Last Thursday on our way home from school Sam had been quiet, deep in thought and as we rounded Dead Man's Curve (I just call it that because Dan does not slow down when he takes it) Sam pipes up and says "Mom, coming to New Zealand has been the best thing that has happened to me in my life." We shared a few silent knowing glances and finally he followed that up with "But I am ready to go home." I think that is how we are all feeling. Abby was the one that had the hardest time settling in here, calling this home and feeling like she was part of her school. She will be the one that has the hardest time leaving too. Already she has had weepy moments at school as she had been chosen for a Computer Leader for next year and she is the Head Librarian and "who will take over that job?" There is certainly something to be said about the kids and how school lets them grow. They are more confident, more relaxed and have time in the day to have conversations with their teachers. Kiwis "get it" when it comes to educating their children.

Once again we find ourselves planning to pack up 9 suitcases, travel across the globe and make a home with almost nothing. It is exciting. Having less and doing more has proven to be a good thing for us. The possibilities seem endless. This time though we are blessed with friends and family who will be there to lend a helping hand.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in August.

Until next time,
Samantha

Easter Weekend

Friday and Saturday were lazy days in our house. We all laid around, played a little and watched more Little House On The Prairie episodes than I can count. The kids are loving LHOTP and so are Dan and I. Mary is blind and she has married Adam, they are running the blind school in Winoka. Albert has joined the Ingalls in Walnut Grove, baby Grace is starting to walk....okay enough about that.

Sunday morning we got up and decided to go to Kaka Point. Sam made tuna sandwiches, we packed up the car and drove to the ocean. It was a glorious day. There is something about the sound of waves that just makes me feel right inside.



At Camp Columba there was a group in all weekend and they were celebrating dinner tonight with a traditional Maori Hangi. Maori are the native New Zealand people. They have a rich history which the Hangi is a part of. The dig a hole in the ground and build a fire in the hole. They lay rocks or metal pieces on the fire, get them really hot. Then they remove the burnt wood and ashes, put the rocks and metal bits back in the hole and place the veggie and meat on the heat. They use flax as a layer on top of the food them wet paper or rags. Then the hot rocks heat the food. Tonight's Hangi was very interesting, not my favourite flavouring for food but a very interesting nonetheless.



We are on a two week school holiday and we will have a special edition mid week blog so stay tuned.

Until mid week,
Samantha

A long week...

I am not sure if the Year 9 Dean job that I am doing along with 5 classes of year 9 students puts me officially on Year 9 overload, but man, did they try my patience this week. Adolescents are a funny breed. I jokingly (not really) speak of Me-itis with them in class. Me-itis is an ailment that most adolescents suffer from. It involves thinking about and talking about only yourself. I challenged my classes this week to take a count of how many times they used the word "ME" and "I" while having a conversation. By Thursday I thought we were making progress, many of my students were shocked at how many times they speak of only themselves. But my dreaded Friday came. And in the afternoon I had organized all 88 students to come to the hall to watch a movie, The Mighty. Our previous progress with Me-itis came to a screeching halt! I am so used to putting in extra effort to fun and special activities and my Grand Bend kids responding with natural and genuine gratitude...that was not the case. It is a darn good thing that we are four days away from a two week holiday.



All the surrounding country schools, including Pukerau Primary had their Swimming Sports Day last Friday. I was not able to go, you know what I was doing, but Dano went to cheer on Abby. She raced three races. The breast stroke, front crawl and flutterboard back kick. Abby is a strong swimmer and she did very well at the day. She got two firsts and a third. Here are some pics of her swimming day.




This weekend there was a group of ladies at Camp Columba and Dano and I catered for them. Altohough it is autumn here in NZ, Saturday was more like a late August summer day...sunny, hot not a cloud in the sky. Sunday was supposed to be rainy, gale winds and cold. It was not, another sunny warm day and I am not complaining. 11 weeks until Mom and Dad are here!

Until next time,
Samantha

An uneventful week...

From Collages

Dano and I are sitting at the table, he is filling in hockey travel weekends. Both Sammer and Abs are playing on the Pee Wee team, Dano is their coach. The Senior Men's team that Dan plays on travels as well. We are a little gobsmacked at the looks of our calendar for May and June. It looks like we will see places such as Alexandra, Dunedin, Queenstown, Naseby and Tekapo. Although it does seem like a lot of traveling we are pleased becuase we get to see places we would never had gone in the winter in NZ. Ironically, when Mom and Dad are here the kids do not have any games. Dan has a game and there is a tournament at our Gore Arena so we will be involved. I cannot wait until they get here!

The weather is definitely autumn now in New Zealand. The days have been sunny and warm and the nights cool and clear. Yesterday we did many jobs around the house, cutting grass, weeding gardens, adding oil to the cars...stuff like that. It was a dry windy day and the laundry was dry in no time! This whole idea of not having a dryer is like second nature to us now. This morning we got up and Dano was speaking at a church on Lumsden about camp. The drive to Lumsden is amazing, hills and mountains all the way. The scenery is something that we will never grow tired of here. We came home to gale winds...and when I say gale winds...I mean really, really extremely strong winds. Like doors slamming, windows being sucked open and shut, whistling, roof creaking, random items whizzing by the windows....like Southern Ontarians have never seen!!!!! While the kids and Dano were public skating I went for a half hour power walk in this crazy wind. It was not pretty. My hair was such an issue I am sitting here typing with a doo rag tightly wrapped in an attempt to tame the mane.

Oh yeah, Dano and I watched Weekend At Bernie's Saturday night and laughed our tails off. Brian Cofell will always be Bernie Lomax to me. Flopping around like a standing corpse, Brian is hilarous!!!! (miss you Cofe)

Until next time,

Samantha

Triathlon

A few weeks back the kids entered a try-athlon. After they successfully completed it, I vowed that I would tackle one. I'm trying to develop an action habit so I picked a triathlon with a really easy short distance option that was just four weeks later and decided I would enter it if I felt I could complete it. It consisted of a 400 metre swim, 12km bike ride and a 4km run. Three weeks ago I started training by swimming laps for the first time in 17 years. It was as hard as I thought it might be and I really struggled the first week in the water, trying to do front-crawl for 20-30 minutes straight. I kept having to do a few lengths of breast stroke to rest my arms. Thankfully after 3 weeks I was able to swim 1.2km in 30 minutes. At the same time I started jogging, very slowly. I worked up to almost 4km but was concerned about how I would be able to run that far after swimming and biking. My other concern was that I would be using my mountain bike with big knobby tires through the city streets. I tried to find a road bike to use but was unsuccessful.

This triathlon also had a kids event(100m swim, 4km bike, 2km run) and Abby was keen to give it another go. Sam was nursing some sore ribs from a game at school so he sat this one out. Samantha is getting ready for a duathlon in a couple of weeks so played the role of photographer at this one. Abby had a great go and was finished before I had completed my bike leg. I did alright too. I can claim a first place finish in the short distance open division for men - I was the only one in that division! In the end the time didn't matter for me, it was about whether I could finish or not. I was pleased that I was able to jog the entire 4km and still stand up after I crossed the finish line. I am targeting a triathlon in 4 weeks time. I'll have to see how the training goes for this one. We are all doing the Wai Tri duathlon option in two weeks time. It should be fun.

Abby turns 9 and the Highlanders lose.

This Friday the 13th our babygirl turned 9 years old. She invited 5 friends over for a party and 2 stayed the night. It was a success. Sam got invited over to James' while his sister Libby was here at Abby's party. Mom and Dad arrived at Holly's in Texas and Abby opened their gifts while on webcam. Thank goodness for webcam! Although I really missed them after we hung up. Dano and I gave Abs tickets to the NZ Ballet troupe coming through Gore this Thursday. Abby is still totally crazy about Little House on the Prairie and Reena, Bovins and Nik and Ger gave her the set of books for her birthday. She is already half done the first book!

Saturday night we went to the Highlanders rugby game. A new canadian friend, Chris Howey came with us to the game. He is teaching at Gore High with me and he grew up in Aylmer. He is a funny dude. We met at Hell for some excellent pizza then on to the game. The Highlanders tried to defeat the Chiefs but were unsuccessful. We were amazed by a few things at Rugby Park. Firstly, they sold 6 packs of beer that people can purchase and take to their seats. A few people had 3 six packs in hand! Secondly, the hotdogs they sold were those giant floppy corndog looking things dunked in tomato sauce. (Giant bloody...well, you get the picture) Thirdly Chris and I were "thunderstruck" (also a favourite song down here) by the clothing Kiwis are wearing! It is like they are living in the 80's. Skinny jeans, leather high top Nikes, leggings and short dresses, the mullets were out of this world!! Some kids are even dying the long hair down their necks blonde. Chris was noticing the "steps" in the sides above their ears too. The fashion is definitely a step back twenty years. Teenage boys even wear skinny jeans. So bizarre!

Until next time,
Samantha

Mountain Bike Race

I've always wanted to try mountain bike racing. Just after we arrived in New Zealand I bought a mountain bike, planning to do some training and enter a few races. Thirteen months later I finally entered my first race. The Meridian Energy White Hill Wind Farm Classic was Saturday afternoon in Mossburn about 90km from Pukerau. There were three options for the mountain bike race: a 22km full race, an 11km recreational ride and a 6km Kiddies Canter. There was also a 13km cross country run. There were over 500 participants. I entered the 11km recreational ride thinking it wise to ease into this new venture. Sam and Abby decided to give the Kiddies Canter a go. Samantha was our number one fan and our official race photographer.

It was hard. The 11km course started on a reasonable uphill grade which I was hoping would level off after the first bend. It didn't. The grade doubled and before long the mountain bike ride, became a mountain bike push. The majority of the riders proceeded to push their bikes for the next 4km. I guess they define recreational a little differently than I. It is especially discouraging to get passed by runners while pushing your bike. The only consolation was that I knew the second half of the race was going to be easier on the bike. 1 hour and 16 minutes after starting I crossed the finish line. I finished 20th in my category, 30th overall in the 11km race. I also finished behind at least one runner and two riders from the 22km race. I have a long way to go but was pleased with how things went.

Sam and Abby finshed their ride. They found some of their hills a little challenging but continued pushing away. Neither of them would say that they particularly enjoyed it but were pleased at the end. Sam finished 17th in his race and Abby placed fifth last. The great thing is that when we arrived in New Zealand, Abby refused to even ride her bike. She was still have traumatic memories of her mother running over her after a wipeout at Rondeau. To go from that to riding a 6km race is fantastic.

The kids and I are looking at entering a triathlon in two weeks and then the whole family may enter a duathlon in 4 weeks. We'll keep you posted.

Abby's School Camp

New Zealand education includes outdoor education and out of classroom experiences in their curriculum. Each class goes on school camp that usually consists of 3 nights and 4 days away. I love the fact that NZ values outdoor ed and out of the classroom experiences, they really "get it" when it comes to educating children. This year Abby's class went to Dunedin and the focus was The Extremes. I was granted 2.5 days off to go along with her. This is something I find so wonderful here, that my administrators see the importance of working mothers balancing their lives. My Rector said these words to me..."Sam, how would we do it if we did not let our working mothers go on camp with their kids?" Anyway, Abby's teacher/principal Mrs. Watt planned this school camp to Dunedin around the theme of The Extremes. So the kids got to go to The Albatross Colony, The Aquarium and St. Kilda's beach while staying two nights at a boy Scout Camp. They did work at tables in the dining hall around their experiences. I arrived the second day and they kids had settled into cabins, had done a stream study at the camp and ocean safety at St. Kilda's beach. While following directions to get to the camp I was to look for the ford, then turn right into the camp. I was looking for a ford....like an old Ford truck. Instead I found what Kiwis know quite well, a ford that is two bits of concrete thrown onto treacherous fast moving water where a driver can take a high road and avoid water, or take the low road and splash through white water rapids. Feeling like a pansy, I wimpered , gripped the wheel, accelerated and opted for the dry ride! The concrete did not look safe, solid or sound. However the next morning another parent, in a 4X4 truck zoomed beside me and showed me how a ford is done Kiwi-style.
We toured around Dunedin, 5 vehicles, 16 kids, 6 parents and Mrs. Watt. The Cadbury Factory, the Botanical Gardens, a shopping mall where the kids were given $5 to go on their own, in pairs to by a souvy. The Otago Museum was were we slept the final night. After hours of playing in the Discovery Zone, the Museum provided pizza and drinks. Then we were off to see the Butterflies. The kids got right up close and butterflies even landed on them. The best part of the whole trip for Abby was that night. Jamie, the dude who was our guide told the kids to get their PJs on and ready for bed. They set up their sleeping bags in the Discovery Zone and then we went on a pitch black museum CREEP! The kids were hilarious! Some were crying out of fear, other thought it to be great! Jamie made up this story about a mix up with the alarm systems being turned on and we had to be silent, and we had to go in the complete dark. So, linked in a line we ventured out through the museum in the dark, up stairs, around corners...it was so much fun! He took us up to the Animal Attic where he told a story about the animals coming alive in the night. HILARIOUS! After a look around the animal attic and another dark creep back down to our beds the kids went to sleep. Abby and Sophie slept beside a giant floor piano, you will see in the pics. There was lots of time for the parents and Mrs. Watt to chat and partake in some refreshments.
The last day we got up and went to Moana Pool where the kids got cleaned off. There is a wave pool that we spent most of our time in as well as a lazy river. Then back to the school where parents were waiting to pick up their kiddies. I was so happy to be able to go on camp with Abby. It will be something that we both remember forever. Sammer and Dano had a great time with us away too. As an exhausted Abby snuggled into her own bed she told me that she had the best time this year at camp because I was there. She also said that she was glad to back in her own bed and all of us together again. She slept 12.5 hours that night.

Here are some pics of Abby's school camp.



Until next time,
Samantha

Sam and Abby do a "Try"athlon

Invercargill is the next large town to the south of us. It is the size of Sarnia and we go there when we need to go to the "big city"! Invercargill hosted a Tryathlon for kids and Sam and Abby showed an interest. We were a little surprised , but thrilled when the kids said they wanted to do it so we signed them up. The whole idea behind this event was to TRY and give it a go.

Abby's Race

Abby's age group began first. There were four girls that are all daughters of teachers that work at Gore High. They know each other and they raced in the same start. Abby was nervous and having Sian, Hariet and Meri in the same group was good for her. All of the kids started in the pool. Sam was down from her and he kept looking over at us waving and trying to get us to tell him when Abby was in the water. When Abs took to her lap he was standing and yelling and cheering for her. It was emotional for me as a Mother. Abby does not always enjoy biking or hiking and her mood can sometimes become...well, foul. Today was brilliant for her. She worked hard with a smile the whole way! We are so proud of her.

Sam's Race

Sam started after Abs. Dan stayed and got pics of him. Our one camera does not like the lighting in the pool...you will notice some fuzzy pics. Sam had to do 2 laps of the pool and Dano reported that he swam hard...we joke that he looks like a jellyfish in swimming lessons, but not today! We bought Sam a bike last Easter and he has grown so much this year that bike is too small. He has been using my bike and he is loving that. Sammer had a spill during the bike while trying pass a little girl. He wiped out and got right back on. Sammer put in a great effort and is keen to do another! We are so proud of him!

There were 600+ kids doing the race today. It was amazing.

Until next time,

Samantha

The Schlegel's Visit

Gord and Susie Schlegel are from Grand Bend. I taught with Susie for all the years I was at Grand Bend School and her husband, Gord was the principal at the neighbouring school. They are both retired and on a vacation to New Zealand. I am so glad they are here, they are fun and they are so much like my Mom and Dad. Their personalities are very similar and it is the next best thing to having Sambo and Reena here with us. Susie taught Sammy when we was in Grade 1 and she is one of his favourite teachers. Both Abby and Sam has enjoyed having them here too. Mr. and Mrs. Schlegel are fierce Wii oponents!

Gord and Susie arrived in NZ and began their travels on the North Island. They called and left a message that they were in the South and would arrive at our home this past Friday. On Thursday afternoon they drove up and after a strange conversation they realized that they had been a day off as they were using a 2010 calendar! It worked out for us as they got to stay an extra day. So as we went to work and school Friday morning, Gord and Susie came along to see the kids' schools and they came to see Gore High with me. Then they spent their Friday exploring The Catlins. One of the reasons I love knowing the Schlegels is that they love life, everything they do they embrace and see the positive. They came home Friday evening having loved their day. The Catlins is one of our favourite places in NZ too.

Saturday we planned to do The Moonshine Festival and The Southern Shears. The kids went to a friend's house and Dan and I and the Schlegels went to the Moonshine Festival in the cold, drizzle of a day. We layered up and tried some moonshine, listened to fabulous bands, ate southern food. We enjoyed haggis, bubbles and squeak, wild boar wraps, lamb sweetbreads, pistachio cheesecake and southern ale. The weather put a bit of a damper on the day but we had fun anyway! (Does anyone know what sweetbreads are???)

Next we went to the Southern Shears and it was fascinating!!! The shearers were awesome! They sheared a ewe in less than a minute. We were so fortunate to be there as one of the competitions was special. Last year's champion of a certain grade was killed in a car accident and his family had made a special Maori Trophy. There were a bunch of Maori kids there, some of my students too...and they did a Haka for this year's winner. It was extremely emotional. I will try to video the students practicing the Haka at school. They do it on Wednesday and I always go and watch. It is beautiful. It moves me, I love watching it. Anyway, after the shearing we came home, warmed up with pizza and played Wii until the wee hours of the morning.

A weekend with Cathy & Jeff

We have had a fantastic weekend. On Friday night we welcomed my sister Cathy and her boyfriend Jeff. They arrived in New Zealand February 5th and are leaving on March 3rd. We were thrilled to have family with us for the weekend. After two very full-on weeks of holidaying, Cathy and Jeff were ready for a slightly slower pace. We willingly obliged. They didn't arrive until after ten on Friday night and before we knew it it was one in the morning. We were all looking forward to a nice sleepin on Saturday, but Doreen, my dear, sweet mother-in-law had other plans. She woke us with a phone call well before our waking hour. It was a good phone call though. Doreen and Sam are about to book their flights to visit in June. Samantha can't wait to see them!

After a lazy Saturday morning with a big breakfast of bacon, fruit-filled pancakes and eggs we loaded up and headed to Porpoise Bay. Porpoise Bay is our favourite spot in New Zealand. It is a great place to spend the day at the beach. The kids love playing in the waves on their boogie boards. Jeff and Cathy had a great time in the waves too. The dophins were out and swimming nearby but no one touched one. Afterwards we headed over to see if there were any penguins at Curio Bay and sure enough there were. We ended up having a very close encounter with one that was coming in from sea. Cathy loved it as you will see from the pictures. We finished the day with some fish and chips and seafood chowder at a roadside stand before heading for home.
Gore and Porpoise Bay

Penguins


Sunday started with church for some of us and then we planned to head to Dolamore Park in the Hokonui Hills for a hike and to look for a geo-cache. Samantha has been fighting a cold for the last week and didn't feel up to a hike so she stayed home and slept. It was a really nice afternoon for a hike and the kids were excited to search for a cache. The hike wasn't as leisurely as we had thought it might be, it was a very steady uphill climb and after we found the cache the kids, especially Abby, were ready to head back down to the car. But there was a sign that pointed us towards a lookout, only 15 minutes further up the trail, so off we went. The steady uphill climb became steeper and Abby just about didn't make it. With some encouragement, lots of tough love and several short rests, Abby managed to get to the lookout. She wasn't sure that the view was worth the effort but since the return trip was all downhill, her mood improved significantly. We returned home to find Samantha rested and feeling better, enjoyed a final dinner with our guests and then headed to the flying fox and the concrete slide here at camp for a little adventure to finish Jeff and Cathy's stay with us.
Hokonui Hike


We will be sad to see our guests leave in the morning. I think that Abby will be especially sad to see her Aunt Cathy leaving. Abby and her Aunt seem to share many similar characteristics. It has been interesting to watch them together this weekend. We are looking forward to more guests again next weekend. Susie and Gord Schlegel, former colleagues of Samantha's, are in Rotorua on the North Island right now and are planning to be here in Gore by Friday in time for the Hokonui Moonshine Festival. You will have to check back next week to hear all about that.

First week of school and Waitangi Weekend

We all made it through our first week back at school. Sam started at St. Peter's College in year 7. Abby is at Pukerau again in year 5. I am at Gore High teaching year 9 English and Forward Thinking and I am a Year 9 Dean. Sam has to wear a uniform at his school which he likes and he looks so smart. Abby is very happy to be in Mrs Watt's class again. The week went well. The kids started swimming lessons, Dano and Sam started guitar. This coming week Abby will start piano again as well as ballet.



Today the forecast called for 29 degree weather, hot gale winds....where better to be than the beach? So we called our friends, the Murrells and drove down to Porpoise Bay. Martin and I teach at the high school together. He and his family moved from England 6 months ago. Sarah, his wife and Tegan and Meri, his daughters are fun gals to hang with. Sam and Tegan go to school together and Meri and Abs get along beautifully. We met at the beach and it was incredibly windy...excellent for boogie boarding.



Saturday I was in a miserable place, homesick and ready to fly home! It has been over a year since I have seen my Mom and Dad, Holly, Gerred, Lillie, Hunter, Owen, Wyatt, Jane, Wayne, Lisa, Brian and Robyn, Sally...and so many more people. Luckily my sweet groom used his spidey senses and saw that I was in that place and encouraged phone calls and a nice long walk. I am glad to say that I am feeling better. I still really miss all those people, especially Mom and Dad, and I cannot wait for them to get here in June!



Until next time,
Samantha

Summer Holidays are coming to an end...

It seems weird to have summer holidays from January to March, but I can say that I have not had that dull dreary feeling that I usually feel each year back in Ontario. Dan's parents flew home this week after a month long stay with us. I feel for them as they have to readjust their bodies to the dark and cold of Dresden! It is Saturday here and we can expect clear skies "a fine day" with a temperature of 25 degrees. It is only 11am and I am already sweating! The nice thing about NZ is that there is usually a breeze. Today we are going into Gore to get groceries, get Sam's uniform shoes for school, then we are off to our favourite Porpoise Bay.

Here are some pics of our trips to Te Anau and Queenstown. We spent last weekend in a holiday home in Te Anau. It was beautiful. The weather in Te Anau changes very quickly and you will see the skies behind the mountains that are sunny and bright then cloudy and rainy. The kids did get into the lake and played a bit.

Dan's folks flew out of Queenstown so we rented a flat there and spend the last couple of days with them in Queenstown.

Next week I am back in the school, preparing for the Year 9s. The kids will come with me for a few of the days, we have hair appointments booked and school supplies to get. Next week the boys start guitar again and Abby will begin Ballet. I have decided to NOT teach tap this year. I will be busy enough with my new responsibilities at school and my left knee is becoming bothersome. Not sure if I will need to have it done at this point or not.

Now that the summer holidays are over our routine in life will get back to normal. As well, our blog will get back to a weekly post. Thanks to everyone who follows our blog, your comments are greatly appreciated.

Summer Holidays

Our summer holidays have been very nice. We have seen and done many things. Abby got the Little House on the Prairie DVDs for Christmas so we have been watching episodes of that. Holly and I used to set the table each night and watch LHOTP. I do remember many of the shows and the stories. However, Pa/Charles Inglalls is a yummy man, I do not remember thinking that when I was a kid. Abby and Sam love Carrie, the youngest of the girls. And they are bugging for a dog which they will call Jack. I am so glad that Abby is into LHOTP as I was not enjoying the Hannah Montanna shows she was watching.

Janet and Phil, Dan's parents drove to the North Island for about 10 days. Dan went back to work and the kids and I enjoyed some time at home. I borrowed a sewing machine from the high school and Abby has made herself a skirt and a sundress. She patiently awaited Grandma's return as they are working on a pioneer dress, just like on Little House. Sam is avidly reading the Harry Potter Series. He had now finished the second book. Tomorrow we will go to the Library and he will get the third out. Abby has gotten into the Little House in the Big Woods. Again, this is doing wonders for our "anti -sass" campaign!

Last weekend we headed out with our picnic basket to Roxburgh. We went to pick our own cherries and apricots. Roxburgh is an orchard area north of us. We found Pinders Pond. It is a beautiful place where we had lunch and swam after we ate our lunch. The pictures that are below are of that day.

Jo and John Gardyne live about 20 minutes north of us and they are sheep farmers. Jo is on the board for Camp Columba. They had us over last night to see some of their sheep sheared. Jo and John 7000 sheep. They hire a "gang" to come in and shear their sheep. 4 guys were on the stage, sheep were waiting in stalls behind them. These guys were amazing! One of the men sheared 350 sheep that day!!! Sammy and Dan tried their hand at shearing as well. Sam had John at his side coaching and instructing. Sam tipped the sheep and dragged her onto the stage. He did a great job. Dano got his sheep set up and away he went. The poor sheep, she got cut several times. Their skin cuts very easily...and we were sure that Dano's sheep was made fun of by her friends after her bad hair cut!!!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

On Christmas Eve we attended an evening service at Calvin Church in Gore. It was a retelling of the Christmas story aimed at young families. The kids really enjoyed it. We allowed Sam and Abby to exchange presents on Christmas Eve, a Horton family tradition. Sam gave Abby a Hannah Montana gift set that included a journal, pen and CD as well as a Kooky Pen. Abby gave Sammy the game Sketchy. Christmas morning was full of excitement and fun. Grandma and Grandpa Horton gave the kids a Nintendo Wii - they were thrilled. Grandma and Grandpa Richards gave the kids Mario Kart for the Wii, their new favourite game. Lots of gifts from all the aunts and uncles. The kids were thrilled to be remembered even though they are on the other side of the world. It was a little strange to have Christmas in the summer but we managed.

Christmas Eve and Morning


Christmas Day

Mom and Dad/Janet and Phil's First Two Days

I have a confession to make, we were late to meet my mom and dad on their arrival at the Dunedin Airport. We had a really smooth morning, everyone was ready to go in lots of time but somehow I had miscalculated the time we needed to leave our house by and we ended up at the airport 15 minutes after their flight had landed. This worked out great because it gave them time to use the rest rooms, find their luggage and head out to the pick up area - this is what I tell myself to ease my guilt. They arrived at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, December 21st. We had lots of day left so we headed out to the coast for a bit before returning home. The next day we headed to Dunedin to take care of some immigration issues and then to go to Penguin Place in the evening. A full first two days in NZ for Mom and Dad. On their third day we rested.

Arrival Day



Dunedin and Penguin Place

Happy New Year

There has been a lot that has happened since our last blog post. Abby had her dance recital, the kids had their end of year school production, school ended for the summer, we went and cut down a Christmas tree at a gold mine, my parents arrived-they are here for a month and we celebrated our first Christmas and New Years in New Zealand. There are slide shows for most of these occasions and then some of other things that we have done since my parent's arrival. I will post two slide shows here and then there will be some other new posts with more slide shows in each. Enjoy and have a happy new year.

Dance Recital and School Production





Christmas Tree Hunt