KIWI

The girls are out of school for Term 1 holiday.  So it is travel time….our favorite thing about living abroad.  This holiday we decided we would head to New Zealand.  We wanted to visit the South Island because we have been told by many local New Zealanders we have met (the Kiwi’s) that it is the most scenic of the islands.  We were also told that many of the places to visit are scattered across the island so one of the best ways to experience it is in a Campervan (motorhome).  

Tom and I don’t love to camp.  Our idea of camping is a Marriott Courtyard so this was going to be a new adventure given that we were going to be gone for a total of 10 days.  Someone once told me that camping under the stars is GREAT as long as there are 5 of them.  Ten days is a LONG time traveling with a campervan.  The only thing that gave me any sense of comfort was the fact that when I was young I took a similar trip with my family along the Eastern Seaboard in the United States.  When I think of that trip, it still brings a smile to my face; GREAT memories.

Our itinerary before the trip began was to start off in ChristChurch, New Zealand and head South.  We wanted to see Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Wanaka, Arrowtown, Queenstown and Milford Sound.  However, we adjusted the trip plan as we drove.  Plans always seem to change when your are in a camper van   You can go anywhere and see everything.  We ended up experiencing a HUGE part of New Zealand's South Island adding points of interest as we went.

I can honestly say that it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  There is a saying that says that “God took His time when He created New Zealand.”  I could not agree more.  You can see His hand in every little detail and it is AMAZING.  The people are SO friendly and just lovely.  It has stunning vistas around every corner.  We learned to really love sheep, each other and we longed for a luxurious ensuite.  Beautiful, clean, functional bathrooms are a HUGE blessing in my life.

We picked up the Campervan on Saturday and headed out of ChristChurch.  Our plans of touring ChristChurch were going to be on the end of the trip.  We stocked the tiny mini-fridge with groceries and headed towards Mt. Cook, the tallest peak in New Zealand. 

On our way to Mt. Cook, there are many gorgeous glacial blue lakes.  Skipping rocks became one of the girls favorite things of the trip.  We skipped rocks and played near the shores whenever we came in contact with a body of water, lake, sound, ocean, river, etc.  They have decided that they would not mind living on or very near a body of water.  Apparently living 20 minutes from the beach today is not close enough for them.  We need to get closer.

Now I will post a little photo journal of the trip.  It might be a little long but, I love to see photos of travel, if you don't concur, feel free to stop here.  :)  This post is a long one.

Lake Tekapo

Lake Pukaki

Mt. Cook - Highest Peak in New Zealand

Wanaka 

We LOVE sheep!

We found many things in New Zealand made out of fur and leather.
Jane thought these were "handcuffs" but, I explained that they are used as cuffs for blouses and sweaters.  

Growing a beard....not our favorite look.  :)

The Gondola in Queenstown, it is a stunner!

A view of Queenstown

We went on a 6-line Zipline in Queenstown.
The last leg is the longest and steepest Zipline in the WORLD!
We loved it.....we even went upside down on some of the lines.

Eating at the "Fergburger" - legend in Queenstown.
Their burgers are about the size of a salad plate --- Crazy Large.
We just needed two with chips to fill us up.

We went to a night of Maori Culture.  The girls really enjoyed the show and learning about HAKA.

View on our way to Glenorchy

We went on a 12 kilometer horse ride on Queen Elizabeth's Land.
It is where many of the scenes from the Lord of the Rings was filmed.
Jane is now wanting a HORSE.
She fell in love with beautiful "Harry" the Horse.

Camping north of Te Anau - It was unbelievable to my girls what kinds of delicious meals I could COOK up in my TINY kitchen.
They are truly impressed....not the best photo of me but, I was making it work.

Sunsets we saw!

Milford Sound

Two Rock Turtles kissing

Shag Point, North of Dunedin, has New Zealand Seals and Yellow-Eyed Penguins in the wild.

Moeraki Boulders - they were formed by small particles that deposited on each other.  
They are the only perfect spheres in the world formed naturally.

Who will move this ROCK?

They crack and break over time due to continual erosion.

Akaroa - little village that was settled by the FRENCH.

We had an amazing time.  It was incredible to see the Hand of God in creating this beautiful world.  It will be a trip we will remember forever and one that is definitely out of our comfort zone.  

HOME

When I was a little girl, my Grandma Lova Bell happened to love baseball.  She was a huge Dodger fan and whenever we would visit her she would chat about the Dodgers.  If a game was playing she was listening to the radio and/or watching it on TV.  She LOVED baseball and happened to pass that love onto my dad.  He played baseball, watched baseball and loved all things baseball.  He would often take us to watch baseball games when we were little kids so nothing feels as nostalgic and HOME-like then watching a baseball game.

This last weekend, the Dodgers and the Diamond Backs had their MLB opening series games here in Sydney, Australia.  We were able to attend the Saturday night game with the girls (Thank You Mr. Paul for the tickets - Best neighbors we have ever had).  

The game was being held at the old Sydney Cricket Grounds on the same complex as the stadium that hosted the Taylor Swift concert.  I was much wiser this time and we took mass transit to get to the game (train and bus).  We made it with plenty of time to spare.  It was a cool, breezy evening and we were seated about 3 rows up from first base.  The seats were perfect and the feelings that we had as we watched a little piece of Americana filled our hearts. 

Over the last few months, my children have been challenged and missing HOME.  They think of Parkmeadow Drive and the life that they had there quite often.  They reminise about the days when life seemed a little less confusing and accepting.  They wonder if it would be the same and we often say that nothing stays the same.  Time changes everything.  However, as I sat in the stadium on Saturday night and watched the baseball game, I felt like I was HOME - enjoying my little slice of North Carolinian heaven.  I have to admit that when the American National Anthem played, my eyes got a little moist.  I had no idea how much I missed my country, my state, my friends, my family and most of all my old life!  I am proud to be an American Southern Woman! 





I am happy for the experiences that we are having here.  I am grateful for this once on a life-time chance that we have to grow and learn in a foreign country but, there is a little part of me that longs to be HOME!  

The game was fantastic and the Dodgers WON!  I am sure my Grandma Lova Bell was cheering them on from Heaven because she never misses a GAME!

Grandma Lova Bell would be smiling!

THE MAGIC FLUTE

The famous "RED" steps!

When we moved to Sydney, Tom began his LOVE AFFAIR with the Sydney Opera House (SOH).  He loves to spend time near her, taking pictures of her and enjoying all that she has to offer.  He lights up when he sees her glistening white sails (I am in complete support of this kind of love affair).   This AFFAIR has grown inside all of us and we knew that we MUST take the girls to see an actual opera.  Nothing is more quintessential than seeing an OPERA inside the Sydney Opera House.

I have continually checked the website about what is playing at the Opera House and was delighted when I found out that "The Magic Flute" by Mozart was going to be playing in the Joan Sutherland Theatre.  This Opera is geared towards children and many of the costumes mimic the designs that were part of the musical "The Lion King", another favorite of ours.

I promptly bought us five tickets however, I really wanted our tickets to be in a certain section of theatre.  When you take the Opera House tour, the guides give you very specific inside ticket information regarding performances.  They have suggested that for Opera's the best seats in the house are on the mezzanine level front and center so that you can read the subtitles.  If are watching the show from the dress circle and you don't understand Italian,  you must continually look skyward at the subtitles screen.  You end up with a horrible neck ache not worth the "inexpensive" ticket price.

The girls were very excited and so was I.  I have never seen an Opera.  I happen to love musical theatre but, Operas are known for their vocals NOT their complex story-lines.  After 2 hours and 10 minutes of breathtaking Mozart music, incredible costumes, and humorous script, we can safely say that we enjoyed ourselves.  The girls loved the OPERA!  

Now, they want to go see a BALLET....Tom you are going to need to open up your wallet again! However, I think he will be willing considering it is for his girlfriend SOH and it will be another opportunity that he will get to be near her!

40 - I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

Well, I turned forty today.  Yes, I know what you are all thinking….she is too young looking to be forty but, I can definitely tell you that I feel it some days.  According to my girls, things are starting to sag (earlobes, the girls, my butt, I think you get the picture) and I am loosing my mind on occasion.  Of course, these physical and mental deficiencies have nothing to do with giving my children the gift of life and spending hours upon hours raising them however, they are worth the sacrifice. :)

I was feeling a little depressed about turning forty and not being able to go on a girls trip with my sisters and mom this year because I am just SO FAR away.  It takes an entire day to travel to the east coast….23 hours in the air. It was difficult to arrange to meet them in Hawaii (the half way point) considering some of them have little ones to take care of so I opted to spend the day here in Sydney reminiscing about the days when I was young.

When I was a young girl, we often went to Rehoboth Beach with cousins.  We loved our time at the beach and it holds many HAPPY, HAPPY memories for me.  One of the many things that we would do at the end of the trip is go to FUNLAND  and THE CANDY KITCHEN that were on the boardwalk.  FUNLAND is this cute little amusement park that sits right on the beach.  I happen to love roller coasters, fairy floss (cotton candy), funnel cake (elephant ears), snow cones, clowns and the whole feeling of an old-time amusement park.  I would climb on the rides and laugh my guts out as I got dizzier and dizzier as the night progressed.  I was game for anything because I had a iron stomach.

So when I knew that I would be spending my fortieth birthday in Sydney, Tom wanted to know what I wanted to do on my VERY special day.  He told me that we could do whatever - the sky is the limit!  I told him that I wanted to take the kids to LUNA PARK, (www.lunaparksydney.com) a small amusement park in the Sydney Harbor.  Tom happens to hate amusement parks of all kinds so for him this sounds like an absolute nightmare of a day but, he was happy to indulge me.  We spent 5 hours at the park, we rode every ride except for 2 because I don't think my stomach is a iron-clad as it used to be.

I felt so happy to share something that I love with my girls.  They commented that this was the BEST birthday celebration EVER!  They loved seeing me delight in a memory as I told them about all of the different rides that I LOVE.  Claire and Grace had the opportunity to go to FUNLAND two years ago with their cousins and they loved it as much as I did.  It must be genetic!  

Tom was the best support.  He spent the entire day in the park, photographing the monumental day, carrying our bags, offering us refreshment including drinks, snacks and hugs.  It was splendid!  We polished off the evening with dinner at our favorite restaurant that was just a short walk from LUNA PARK.  As we walked along the boardwalk, the sun was setting in sky of the Sydney Harbor, I thought to myself that  I am really blessed to have these four wonderful people in my life.  

I am going to embrace 40 and the aging process.  If things start to sag too much, I could always get a lift….maybe that is what I will do for my 50th!

This was my favorite ride ---The "HAIR RAISER"!  It is a ride that you free-fall from a height that is above the Ferriswheel.  It is new to LUNA PARK and when the girls found out that I wanted to go on it, they were shocked.  I knew it would be a challenge for me and scare me to death but I wanted to do it.  I can definitely tell I am getting older….I was scared to death and almost peed my pants - apparently a side effect of an aging LADY.

I love this guy to bits….he ALWAYS makes me happy no matter the opportunity cost!