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.