A Biggie!!!

Get ready for the post of your life. I have been so slack in my blog updating, so now I'm going to treat you all to an extremely long, picture-filled post!

I'm bursting with excitement! Why? Because...

Exciting News #1. My sister Jessica is getting MARRIED to a fabulous guy named Jeremy :)! I'm so happy for them and can't wait to be help them out with all my maid of honour duties! Who doesn't love a family wedding?!

Exciting News #2. My brother David is coming all the way to New Zealand to visit us!!! IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS! I dream about it I am so pumped! It still gives me shivers when I think about it- I miss him after a year of being away from his boisterous laugh and award-winning smiles! Sam is already planning a guy's hunting trip for him.

Exciting News #3. My cousin Rachel is ALSO coming to visit us! Aren't we spoiled?! And she has promised to pack some Kraft Dinner in her suitcase as well!

Exciting News #4. This is one of the most exciting bits of news. All of Leah's paperwork has been APPROVED! WHOO HOO!! She is over the moon excited and we are officially counting down the days. Her student visa was approved only 3 weeks after we sent the information to the Canadian Embassy in Australia. Now it is REAL and we can let the planning begin!

Exciting News #5. We can begin counting down the days because we JUST BOOKED OUR TICKETS! And found them for a reasonable price despite all the hype about oil lately. (Just as a side note, did you know that we pay $2.20 per liter of gas here in NZ?!) So the flights are booked and we arrive back in the home country on June 21, Lord willing. I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY ARE ACTUALLY BOOKED AND WE ARE 88 DAYS FROM FLYING HOME!!!!!!!!!!! So excited (I really can't think of a better word- sorry for the overdose) to see you all again!

Exciting News #6. Sam got a new toque! He wanted me to include this minor bit of information :). Leah gave it to him as a belated birthday gift.

We are so excited about all of these things! But we want to give God all the glory because He truly has answered prayers and opened doors for us, especially with Leah's paperwork. We were quite nervous about whether all of her stuff would be approved, but we needed to trust that God would do what was best as we waited for news from Australia. Prayers were lifted to God to show us His will in this area. The quick reply from Australia was such a blessing because we could then go ahead and book our flights. We feel overwhelmed by God's protection and care for us during our time here in NZ. We know he is a faithful God, and although these events have brought us great happiness, we hope to have the same joy and trust if He brings situations into our lives we don't understand or find less 'desirable'. Because our God is worthy to be praised and served, even if things in our life don't seem to fit our plans.

Leah is looking forward to meeting her 'new' family in person, experiencing a Canadian school and trying to survive a cold, Canadian winter. Oh, and riding Joel's new dirtbike... if he lets her :).

Speaking of Leah. She is such a joy in our lives. I couldn't imagine life without her. She just fits. I received a very special birthday card and present from her a few days ago. Her gift is in card writing- special notes that touch your heart. I'm excited for you all to meet her in person.

Alright, now for the pictures. There are lots of events to update you on, so excuse the randomness. I am just gonna add pics as I think of a new tidbit.

Softball:
Its finally over. Too long of a season in my opinion. Here are our final team pictures. They told us to have a serious face, but apparently I was the only one who took that seriously.



Trip to a beautiful gorge near our home- we couldn't resist a dip in the river!












Around the House: Although many of you may think our time in NZ is pure vacation, you are actually wrong :)! You just don't get to see all the pictures of us performing the more mundane tasks in life! I found a couple randoms to prove life in NZ is not all fun and games: laundry, garden work and baking with Leah and her sister.







For about a week we had a Dutch girl named Mieke stay with us. There are always so many people traveling through NZ. Leah met her at a church young people's meeting and discovered she was sleeping in her car! We didn't like that idea so we opened our home to her and she fit right in! It was actually really nice because she was an easy visitor- I usually came home from work to a prepared dinner, clean house and warm baked goods.





Leah and I went out to celebrate her approved student visa! Two of my students play in an orchestra, so I bought some tickets and treated Leah to a night on the town. It was a beautiful concert held at the 10 O'Clock Cookie Company.






Pics of the house. I woke up one morning to hissing air balloons floating above our bedroom window. I had to get up and take a few shots.







I celebrated my second NZ birthday! God has blessed me with so much this past year: health, family, love, employment. Time seems to move much more quickly the older you get. It reminds me to re prioritize- there is nothing more important than serving the Lord with joy and knowing Him more. I want my life to be infused with Him- not just Sunday worship or Bible study, but every aspect of my life.

My students planned a surprise party for me- something they always enjoy just as much as the birthday girl :)! We also went out for dinner as a family and there are a few pics of us enjoying some Thai food at a local restaurant. Mmmm.... Pad Thai! Some church friends also surprised me with gifts on our front porch: flowers, canned peaches, cards, etc. It was a very special birthday!

















A popular sport out here is netball. Leah plays every Wednesday night with some youth from the church. That usually means a pit-stop at "Mackers" as well. Sam introduced "Bloody Knuckles" to them and they think its a fascinating game! Notice them trying it out in McDonalds.








I accompanied the students on their annual college class trip. This year we went to Rotorura, an area north of where we live that is characterized by thermal hot springs, geysers and other natural wonders.

Sam did not come with this year, so he spent the week working and eating out at other people's homes. He was rather spoiled I think!

NZ Army Museum: We had a fantastic tour guide who really made WWI and WWII history come alive for the students. I love seeing that happen!




Some dam: Sorry, can't remember the Maori name for it.




Camp: We stayed a wonderful Christian camp. It was on the lakefront of Lake Rotorura, an old volcano crater that is now a lake. The camp owners prepared delicious food and kept the place meticulously clean and organized.








Bus Ride: The bus ride is always an interesting experience: hyper teens singing "This is a song that never ends" over and over and OVER; interactive and competitive bus games; quick stops at unhealthy fast food joints; and harrowing, bumpy treks through wilderness areas. Oh, I can't forget to mention the highs you get from squirts of boy's spray deodorant. Nothin' like a 'fresh' bus! Occasionally, you do find time to get in a quick snooze :).







Maori Village, Natural Geyser and Hot Mud Pools:











I'm horrible with names. Um... some cool building that was originally used by doctors who gave relaxing, therapeutic hot baths. They used water from the natural springs in the area.









Gondola and Luge Ride:
I know as a teacher you are supposed to love the museum trips the most. Education. Education. We don't have class trips simply to have fun.

I have a confession: the hi-light of my trip was the LUGE RIDE! It was heart-stopping, exhilarating, PURE FUN! You basically plop down into a steel go-cart on wheels, with little or no instruction except for a quick hint about where the brakes are. Then you choose a track- beginner, intermediate, advanced, and of course you head straight for the advanced.

Just so you get the general idea, you fly downhill in a cart with wheels on a concrete path that is littered with surprise jumps, dips and sharp corners. All the while you scream at the top of your lungs and wonder why you ever decided to fork out 5 bucks for a 1 minute ride of terror down a steep incline- during which you don't even have a chance to enjoy the gorgeous view of Rotorura lake because you are simply trying to stay alive. And then once you get to the bottom, you brag about your "sweet air" to the other students, fork out another 5 bucks and do it all over again! By the end of the day, I was keeping up with the fearless guys and burning rubber around the corners. It was definitely the best activity I have ever done on a school class trip. Epic. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because I was too busy enjoying the luge, but here are a few of us going up the gondola and hanging out as a group. Notice my smile on one of the pics.






Paddle boats on Rotorura Lake:





Hike and Spontaneous River Dip:









Other Randoms from the School Trip:









Ok. It's late and I need to get to bed! Hopefully you enjoyed this update :). Looking forward to hearing from you!