Life, in all its glory

 The hip bone's connected to the, birth bone....
.....
....Ok, ok. So maybe there is no birth bone. Maybe its actually the fusion of pelvic, ishium, and sacral bones that make up the pelvic girdle which facilitates the mechanism of normal labour. And maybe my head is about to explode due to the amount of anatomy and physiology crammed within it.

I have nearly 5 weeks left of the regularly scheduled midwifery yr 1 program. It's hard to believe it's coming to a close so quickly. I feel like the pace is so fast that I am barely able to grasp a concept before rushing on to understand the next. Never mind leaving time for anything to soak it or percolate or solidify in my brain, there is no time for that. Within the last 6 weeks, I have written 4 term papers. The topics were Sustainability in midwifery practice, Maori health and the Treaty of Waitangi, Nutrition for the childbearing year, and a case study on the childbirth experience of one of my clients. I am currently working on my 5th (and thank God, final) big assignment of the year, which is a portfolio of evidence, proving that I have achieved several competencies set out by the NZ college of midwives and modified for first year students. I go in tomorrow morning to review the portfolio with my student practice facilitator, who will then give me feedback from many of the women and midwives I have worked with this year, and will give me my final mark for the particular class that the portfolio represents.
 Oi.
Honestly, I think the worst part of all of this is not remembering half of what I've written. How can you, when there is just SO MUCH to do?
 Although, it's not like I haven't been distracted by other aspects of life as well.

 Stevens been living up in Wellington since the beginning of October. He was here in Dunedin with me for about three weeks before he got a job and moved up there. Our current 'plan' (if you can call it that) is that I will be moving up there as well once I'm done for the year here, and will be transferring and completing 2nd and 3rd year in Wellington.
He's been looking for work down here in Dunedin since he moved, but so far every opportunity has fallen through. The doors are not opening, as it were.
 Needless to say it's been a bit stressful. Steven hardly knows anyone up there apart from the folks he works with, and is definitely feeling the same pain that I felt back in February when I was first left to fend for myself in Dunedin.
 It's not easy. He wants to be here, and I want him to be here. But it seems like there may be a bigger plan in the works than either of us are aware of.

  It also won't be easy to leave this beautiful city that I have called home for the past 10 months. I really, truly love it here. God has blessed me with an abundance of real, authentic friendships, with opportunities to serve in my church and in my wider community doing things that I simply love to do. And every couple of weeks when I crawl out of the school library for some company and fresh air, I am completely amazed once again by the beauty that surrounds me. I am still discovering new beaches, mountains, coves, rivers, forest walks and everything in between and hearing of many more such spots that I haven't been able to get to yet, all within just a few minutes of my back door. Add to this the joy of friendship, the smell of campfire and the roar of the ocean waves and yes, it makes it very hard to leave.
 Also I think there is more to it than that. There is something about establishing yourself as an individual, away from the safety and security of family and familiar faces and places.. There is something about new growth..Spiritual, personal, humbling, it-hurts-but-you-know-its-good-for-you type growth, your-mom-and-dad-aren't-here-so-you-have-to-do-it-yourself type growth...I guess really it's growing-up type growth, that kind of attaches you to the place and space that facilitated it.

 I truly, truly believe that God can take every and any situation, no matter how bad it may seem to be, and bring good out of it. Even if we cannot see what that good is initially (or sometimes ever in this life), I believe deep in my core that His promises are true, that He is a safe and good God, and that He can use all situations in our life for His glory. I am so incredibly thankful for this year, and that He has shown me the truth of such things. I honestly felt like it was the worst decision I had ever made coming over here and letting my husband leave me alone in a foreign country last February. I was distraught, upset, confused, and didn't know why it had to happen that way. I couldn't see the forest through the trees, and couldn't see past the end of my nose to realize that maybe God had bigger plans for me this year than attending to my immediate happiness and comfort. It's amazing how much it takes sometimes to make us truly see and appreciate our relationship with God. I'm ashamed to admit that it literally took Him removing every aspect of comfort from my life for me to ''get it'', and begin to rely not on my mom or my husband or even my precious puppy for love and companionship, but on God and God alone.
 It took some time. Time that I would not have given as completely or as willingly if I had been living with my husband. That much is true, and is not something I would have, or could have, realized or admitted last February.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I am trusting God about this move to Wellington. Although it will break me in a lot of ways, and it will undo a lot of work I have put into building my community around me this year, I have to remember that the last time I was broken, God provided and filled my life in ways I never could have imagined. Although it will be hard, I want to give Him the opportunity to show me whats next. I want to be willing to be broken, displaced, and maybe even a little scared. Not knowing what next year will bring means that I can leave it fully and completely in the hands of the One who not only knows whats best for me, but also whats best for my husband, my marriage, our life together and our hearts to serve and glorify Him.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Jeremiah 29:11

 

 

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?
   ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
 Matthew 6:25-34

Wellington

<3

Baby, get ready (written January 1st 2011)

2010. Over and done. Never to be repeated again for the rest of time (thank God).
2011. It has a future-ish ring to it, doesn't it?

The new year brings with it so many new things. New hopes, new fears, new resolutions, new determination.

New reflection of the past year and the memories it holds, both good and bad.
New anticipation about what this new year will bring.

I am so excited for so many things this year!
I really can't wait to meet my classmates and teachers and start school..Because once I've started I'm just that much closer to being finished..To being a midwife!!

Three years from today, January 1st 2014, I will have caught multiple babies. I will have gotten up in the middle of the night to attend a woman in labour. I will have learned more about the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and childbirth than I can even imagine at this point. I will have already loved and hated almost every aspect of my future job and life, probably often at the same time. I will feel confident and knowledgeable about current research and common obstetrical practices. I will be able to share this knowledge with new parents, and if I cannot answer their questions myself I will know where to look to find the answers. I will know the importance of nutrition for pregnancy and breastfeeding.

I do have a few very good memories from 2010. New friendships were grown, and  a few very special old ones rekindled. We brought home our dear doggy, traveled to Belize and saw Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, and Carrie Underwood in concert. We watched hockey games, walked our dog, ate food. We loved and were loved by our wonderful families, who we have been so blessed to live close to.

Old year, we will miss you, but won't forget. New year, so much in store!

What would a girl do without her friends? (written mid January 2011)

I wrote this post in January, and really have no idea why it never got passed the "draft" stage!! I probably just forgot to hit 'publish':)


 I am so richly blessed in the friend department..I felt honoured, sad, joyful, and teary this afternoon as I gathered with my lovely West Coast Doula ladies (www.westcoastdoulas.com) for a bit of a farewell party. Everyone brought such delicious. homey food to share, and we visited about life and birth and of course New Zealand and midwifery.
 As we shared food and life, I couldn't help but think about what an amazing gift this year of West Coast Doulas has been to me. What a huge blessing and preparation-in-disguise it has been to be a founding member in such a dynamic and caring group of women! I have learned so much, and now feel so supported in my decision to follow my dreams. Support really is worth so much more than it is given credit for!
 I had very few words this afternoon, and I still have little to say but thank you. It means so much more than I can say to know each one of these caring women.

Before my meeting with the ladies we spent some time in Nanaimo and attended our church out there early this morning (www.themeetingplace.org). Heard such a relevant message about fear..and about how our biggest fears in life are often based around what we feel is our reason for living... The fear of losing what we hold dearest and closest is what haunts most people. By placing those fears in God, by making him the thing we hold closest in life, the power of fear disappears as God will never leave, nor can He ever be taken away.
Quite relevant for me anyway, as I'm facing some of my biggest fears in leaving my precious family <3
I hope God can teach me to love him more, and to make him the thing that I hold nearest and dearest.

Ok...

So, I sounded kind of full of myself and my opinions in that last post.
 It was really not meant to come across that way.

It's not my intention to offend or insult anyone else's choices..I am just seeing and learning and doing so much new stuff on a daily basis that I feel like I need a place to vent my (albeit ethnocentric, slightly outrageous, one-sided and yes even egotistical) opinions!

..Maybe I need to include a warning in the blog heading!
Or maybe I just need to keep my observations  to myself.

Long overdue.

Clearly the best way to start a new blog post would be to apologize for the length of time it's been since the last one. But, knowing how much you all love me and have long ago forgiven my horrible blogging skills, I'm going to skip that part.

It's nearly mid-July. It's been 21 weeks (147 days), 6 hours and 57 minutes since I watched my husbands plane fly out of Dunedin airport.

Not that I want you to feel sorry for me or anything ..........
......
...........nah. I'm not one for sympathy:)

Honestly, these past 5 months have felt like the longest and the shortest of my life, combined. I know that sounds impossible but it isn't, trust me.
I've spent time mostly on school, sometimes on fun, and every now and then on something completely random like wasting time on facebook;)
I've learned many clinical skills (was the last one I wrote about really donning rubber gloves? That almost feels embarrassing!) such as blood pressure auscultation, intermuscular and subcutaneous injections, IV medication administration and venepuncture (yes, that means taking bloods).

 I have also written several assigments and two exams, and have spent nearly 200 hours in the maternity ward of the city hospital. I know more about breastfeeding than I thought was possible without experiencing it, and have now perfected the art of folding cloth 'nappies'.
Apparently I say 'chups' instead of 'chips' (although I still can't hear the difference) and my 'awesome' has a definite kiwi ring to it.
...I even like vegemite! (shh. don't tell my husband.)

Yes, it's been an experience. I watched the epic rise and fall of the Canucks 2011 season from a litte sports bar called the 'baa'. yes. The Baa Bar...The two words sound exactly the same coming from a kiwi...just like 'Bear' and 'Beer'.....Anyway...
I've been to a steam-punk gala in a cute little town called Oamaru, and have been a tourist in the well-known Queenstown for Winterfest, although much to our disappointment the snow didn't turn up to meet us there.

Speaking of snow, it came blustering down out of a giant dark cloud for the first time in Dunedin, today. Well, the first time this year, anyway. It's the first time in my life that I've seen it snow in July...and to be honest, it wasn't that much more remarkable than when it snows in January!


 Basically, every day Ive been trying to focus on every day, and having been trying not to get too ahead of myself thinking about the fact that there are still 2.5 years left between me and midwifery. Each day has enough trouble of it's own, I have discovered over and over again.

God is faithful. Even when I am the most sleep deprived and the most stressed and the most just missing my family more than anything in the world, He is still here, still caring for me in ways that make me laugh out loud and just shake my head at His amazing provision and continued guidance and support.
I would not still be here without Him, I can tell you that much with absolute certainty.

At the moment I am looking forward to getting a few major projects behind me (if anyone is interested in the Mechanism of Normal Labour, let me tell you a story....) because I am going HOME for three weeks on August 13th!!!! I will be attending a wedding of some very dear friends, saying a MUCH needed hello to my amazing family and sweet puppy dog, and will be returning to NZ on September 2nd..HUSBAND IN TOW....Thank you Jesus, his work visa has finally come through. Steven will be joining (and STAYING WITH) me after the summer (/winter) and I simply cannot wait to share my life with him again. Living on your own is quite a funny thing after nearly 4 years of marriage..I can't imagine the adjustment that separation of any kind must be for people who have been together for even longer than that. NO FUN, let me tell you! Lots of growth, change, strengthening, and reliance on God, but not very much fun at all!

Sorry this has been quite bland and to the point, but it is well past my bedtime and I have an overly-full day of presentations, prayer meetings and yoga to look forward to tomorrow!

I will try to include some fun stories or other interesting elements in the next update:)

Love to you all and I hope you are enjoying the summer sunshine as much as you possibly can.
Warmest Blessings,
Kait.

Right now

Right now I am enjoying my brand new electric blanket that I bought on sale for a mere $42. That's less than 40 cdn, and a small price to pay for warm toes at nighttime, let me tell you.

Right now I am wondering what possesses me to stay up until 1am when I was nearly falling asleep at 8:30pm..The dread I maintain of sleeping usually stems from the dread of another day looming ahead, and considering that tomorrow is Monday I suppose the dread on this particular evening is valid. I have promised myself to not ever, no matter how far behind I am or may possibly get, do any school work on Sundays..so I am always a little bit sad to see them go.

Right now I am grateful for where I live. I never thought I'd find another place that I'd feel as blessed to call home as Ucluelet. That was an awkward sentence, but it's true. As I drove out on the peninsula today, with a car load of friends and chocolate, I couldn't help but be in awe of the beauty of this place. A gentle autumn breeze pushed us along as we climbed rocks, explored the beaches and tunnels (left over from WWII, there's tons of them!), and basked in the sunshine. It was simply a gorgeous day, and this place I'm learning to call home is simply an incredibly beautiful place to be. How amazing is God?? That out of the entire westernized world, I end up at school in such a lovely place..Does He know my heart that well? Does He really know how the ocean refreshes me, how the trees and the sandy beaches inspire me, how all the funny birds and sheep make me laugh, and how the clouds on the horizon lift my spirit every day? Oh..how thankful I am.

Right now I am missing my family..I could just imagine how the apple pies my mom and little sister were baking filled the house with warm cinnamony smell this afternoon, and how the house filled with bustle and chaos as siblings and relatives arrived this evening.

Oh I miss long evenings of tea and scrabble with my parents. And I miss leisurely saturday morning breakfasts with my Whitworth family..warm little pancakes piled with blueberries, followed by walks with the kids and dogs in the sunshine..does it get much better?

But right now I am tired. And I will go to sleep praying for the ones I love far away, and giving thanks for the incredible blessings the Lord has given me right here. Such sweet community, such sweet conversation, such sweet afternoon sunshine, and such sweet sales on electric blankets <3

Take your cue from the sheep.

IT'S COLD HERE!!!!!
 If you're from Dunedin and reading this, you're probably rolling your eyes with that "I told you so" expression and pulling your woolies more tightly around you, as another gust of wind blows a draft through the crack under the door.
 I was pretty sure it wouldn't phase me. I mean, I'm from Canada!! Land of the cold! Or at least land of the wet are miserable. I've grown up where it's normal to walk to work in the pouring rain and gusting south-easterlies, normal not to see the sun shine more than 4 hours between December and April, normal to need gumboots and a touque. I was so used to the rain that I didn't even own an umbrella at home! Oh, what, it's raining? So what? Throw on a hoodie and walk to the Co op anyway!
 I was naive to think I was prepared. I was naive to think that with my cotton hoodies and bright red boots that I wouldn't even notice winter. Ppfft...bring it on I thought, I'm from Canada!
 Hahaha.
I'm from Canada, and I'm FREEZING.
The temperatures have been plummeting over the last couple of weeks. It was quite a sudden turn, really. And to be honest they haven't even gotten that low...I think today we were looking at a high of 12 and low of 7.
 There is something about New Zealand cold that I have never felt before. You know the difference between Calgary-cold and Vancouver-cold? How it can be -10 in Calgary and feel more comfortable than the +5 of Vancouver at times? It's because of the dampness of the coast, I think.
 Well, it's like that, but worse. It's like there is the damp-cold of Vancouver, and then there is the DAMPER damp COLDER cold of Dunedin.
How long will you pay attention if I just keep ranting about the weather? It's really quite something. I've been sleeping with a hoody and socks on, and today I went shopping for WOOLIES.

 The sheep really have it figured out. So do the people here, actually. I have never seen 100% Merino wool clothing (even if it is second hand) for so incredibly cheap!!  4 cardigans, 3 long sleeve shirts, 2 skirts, 1 pair of boots and $75nzd later, and I think I'm set (for a couple of months, anyway!).
(..ps on the thrift shopping thing.. KIM FURNELL, I was thinking about you the whole time <3. I was actually picking up piecing of clothing thinking hmmmm...Grey cardigan, $3, thrifted..Yes, Kim would be proud.)

Besides complaining and being cold, I am actually doing a lot these days. I've done 8 out of my 19 hospital shifts, and can do a lot more than put on sterile gloves, let me tell you! The normal stuff is taking blood pressures, temps, pulses, etc, giving oral medications, hooking up fetal heart monitors, palpating abdomens, bathing babies, and helping a LOT with getting breastfeeding established. I'm pretty sure I've seen and learned more about breastfeeding in the last few weeks than the rest of my life combined. Do you know how many different methods, tricks, and alternative feeding techniques are used in order to ensure babies get the breast milk they need?? It's amazing!!!

 The best part is visiting with the new parents in the hospital...I've met lovely people from all over the world! A couple from France, a few from Germany, from North America, Asia, and of course from all over New Zealand. The diversity is exciting and fun, you never know who the next couple will be or what their story is.

 Speaking of stories, there is no end of them at Queen Mary Maternity. Whether its watching them unfold yourself, or listening to the midwives chatting at reception, or the interns in the hallways, or the families themselves, there are ALWAYS stories being told. I have learned true things and untrue things, heard of extreme cases of incredible beauty and incredible pain. Highs and lows, joys and heartbreaks..The intimate moments of life such as birth and death bring people together and talking like nothing else I've ever seen. They build bonds and bridges between worlds and lifestyles..It doesn't matter what else is going on in the world, outside of that hospital ward, when a new baby is being born or the team is working on saving a life. Incredible, and often overwhelming. I leave shifts feeling like I can't believe that I'll be paid for this one day.

 There are the stories that make you rethink your path though. The calloused stories from experienced midwives who warn against getting too involved..Who have given everything they have and more to a profession that has sucked them dry. These kinds of depressing stories or warnings I am careful to tuck away into the recesses of my mind. They are the kinds of things that will help shape me into the midwife I want to be. As someone wise said to me a few days ago, "Never underestimate how much you can learn from others experiences." 

 Outside of the hospital I have a full load of coursework, textbooks to read, essays to write, group projects to work on. I am currently getting started on research for a presentation on the lay midwives of the 1920s. Another project I'm working on in a group is on the Le Leche League of NZ, their history and how/what support they offer women.

 Beyond school I have a lot happening as well. I am involved in several groups and projects at my church, including recently being asked to be a part of the leadership team for the Young Adults ministry. I'm on the roster for holding babies during the services on sundays, and am on a team with a few other women putting together an after-school program for elementary school kids in a low socio-economic-status district of the city.


...I was planning on writing more but have become distracted with editing and organizing my essay due in the morning, and about a million other things that are staring at me. SO, my apologies for how informative and  unexciting this post has been. I will try to make the next one more fun!...and maybe even include a few photos, although I haven't been taking many of those lately either..(man, if only full time school wasn't ACTUALLY full time..:p )
 Love and hugs and all of those happy things to you from me. xo!

Thoughts and musings of life at the moment

 Check out my Picasa albums:

https://picasaweb.google.com/101068086910679384837/TheBeginningAndCalifornia2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ21jtupot_SpQE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/101068086910679384837/DunedinOtagoUniversityButterflyWorldAndOtagoMuseum?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ_v2_Xa2o670wE&feat=directlink


https://picasaweb.google.com/101068086910679384837/MyNZBirthday?authkey=Gv1sRgCOOA2cHNgd6Qdg&feat=directlink

 Right now they are locked so you need the individual links to view the albums...I'm trying to figure out how I can keep them locked and private but still give you access to all of them with only one link. Maybe its not possible with Picasa, and maybe if anyone knows anything more about photosharing they can share their info with me:) I'm kind of done with Facebook for the moment as far as being "the answer to all information sharing and online photo storage needs"...because its just not. And for those of you that think that posting on my facebook feed about this blog in which I posted links to my photos is THE SAME THING as posting the photos directly onto facebook, well, you're wrong. And that's all I have to say about that.

 Anyway, my point wasn't really to start a conversation about facebook or my love/hate relationship with it. I just wanted to share my photos with you:) I'll try to remember to add links here on my blog to new uploaded albums. And HOPEFULLY I have most of your email addresses so I can share that way as well.
 -----------------------------------------

Steven left for Canada on Wednesday. Yep. He just moved me to a foreign country and left me here. Away from all of my friends and family, with loads of work to do and no end in sight and no promised date of return. I  could make it sound pretty nasty of him, it wouldn't be too hard.

But it would be lies. Because the truth is he worked every day of the last 4 weeks helping me to get set up, doing paper work, buying a car, organizing cell phone plans, bank accounts, visa and school applications, etc etc etc. The list goes on and the list isn't really the point. The point is that he used a years worth of vacation time to do all of that and then flew back to Canada within a day of his leave running out to return to work. He's applying for his visa while he's home working so when he comes back he can immediately (hopefully) find work here and continue to support me in accomplishing my goals.

Ummmm.....Maybe I just have a selective memory, but I really don't remember what I did to deserve that. Never mind the fact that he was the number one motivator (besides God doing what He does very well within my little heart and mind) in getting me to actually get my butt out of my comfort zone and make this move.

Pretty freaking fantastic, that's what he is.

..Just sayin'.

In other news....
MY STUDENT VISA APPLICATION WAS APPROVED TODAY.
 That's right. Every one of you still holding onto that last straw of hope that I would be returning home dashed with despair and yet ridiculously happy to see you (and my dog) this April, it's time to let it go. (oh. maybe I'm just saying that to myself for the first time. Turns out I *might* have been holding onto one of those last straws myself..Time to give that to God with every other aspect of my life I've had to hand over during the last 4 months, apparently.)
I will be here, for better or worse, until December 8th.

The earthquake in Christchurch happened on my birthday. We did not feel it, although almost everyone else I've talked to did. We were touring a fort built for WWI way out on the end of Otago Penninsula when it struck, and were actually in a sort of underground bunker at the time. We didn't feel it. But the rest of the country sure did, in one way or another.
 I don't think I've ever been so close to such a large-scale natural disaster. Let me tell you, it's pretty different from being across the ocean from it. There isn't an afternoon that goes by that you don't hear something new about it, or people comforting each other. The entire country of New Zealand feels like one harmonious community. Everyone knows everyone, and if they dont then they know someone who does. It's incredible to see a country pull together the way it has. Christchurch looks like it has gone through a bombing raid, but there are thousands upon thousands of volunteers down there, and even more people sending money, food, blankets, toilet paper, and flashlights. It won't fix it, but it will support those who were hurt by it.
 They are saying that this earthquake is actually an aftershock of the big one last September. I was speaking to a student from the University doing his PhD in Geology today, and although his specialty is volcanoes he has a few good friends working on studying the earthquakes in and around ChCh. This one didn't actually surprise everyone. I guess after every major quake there is at least 1 aftershock that is only 1 magnitude less in strength. ChCh hadn't seen one that strong yet since September, and I guess everyone was just hoping they'd get away without it. Unfortunately basically the worst case scenario happened instead. I've heard many people say that they have friends or family who are just leaving, and not going back. It will take years and years for the city and the country to get over this. We continue to pray that God can take this situation and turn it into something that can one day be looked back upon as a stepping stone to something bigger, something good.

Anyway, it's very very late and although it is Saturday tomorrow I do have several modules of Professional Calculations to work through (can't you hear the joy in my voice?:). Thanks for bearing with me as I processed the last couple of days...Good thing this writing stuff is as therapeutic for me as it is informative for you! Double win.

Love and blessings!


P.S. Just in case any of you are super worried about my husband-less state in a far away country, let me assure you that God is definitely holding up his end of the bargain as far as taking care of me goes. He has blessed me with some really amazing new friendships. The kind that are just exactly what you need right when you need it. The kind that offer not only hugs of encouragement, peppermint tea and chocolate, but the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice to watch when some real comfort is needed (I kid you not, I didn't even bring it up). Our God is a great big God, who incredibly can care about the smallest details of our lives even while sustaining His people through war, His children through starvation, and His countries through natural disasters..
Wow, what?! Thank you, Jesus.
 

Theives Alley Street Market, and the silly little dog that barks

This is Alex. Our upstairs neighbours are dog-sitting it. I say it because I have a hard time admitting it is a dog. It's smaller than our cat. And sounds like its dying whenever they leave it at home, which is why we let it into our space. (we let it bark for over 2 hours the first morning...it did not stop.)

Bustop...

Me, apparently looking like a medieval hippy..I was told this afternoon that I looked the part to join the Medieval club and was invited to a feast on March 13..which apparently includes archery and leather book making....fun? I think so.

ASHLEY! This one's for you...Aren't you proud, I'm using a glass jar :) My husband thinks I'm genuinely insane, btw....

The Theives Alley Street Market Waffle Hut...kind of like Beaver Tails (if you've ever been to Mt. Washington), but waffles instead.

Wooden furniture for sale at the market that I think Dad and Jonny should make: Because its amazing. AND is just wood, rope, and copper. Very classy and very cool.

Market fun

OH the candy floss: amazingly, sweetly delicious and plentiful

Steven preferred the Samosas...We're different like that:)

Picture-licious

Just a few photos of the last couple of days. We went on a Speights brewery tour courtesy of our Cameron family (they gave us a gift certif. for christmas). It was nice to get out and do something fun after a week of paperwork, schoolwork, and other such things. 

We spent Sunday afternoon with the young adults group from the Dunedin city Baptist Church that we've attended for the past two Sundays. It was nice to hang out with some people our own age, and to see the beach! I've missed it. I couldn't stop thinking about my puppy dog and how much he'd love it!

On our walk this afternoon we ventured into McNZ's, in search of the kiwi burger we've heard stories of..We didn't find it, but we did find more fat and carbohydrates packed into one meal than we usually eat in a whole day... I think it's been almost 5 years since I've eaten a McDonalds meal, and now thankfully I've had my fill for another 5. Good times:)

This is Andersons Bay, a 15 minute walk down the hill from where we live. It's another 30 minutes to walk from here to get downtown, or a 10 minute bus ride.

And because so many of you have asked so many times, here's a few of our new little home. It's getting cozier daily with the addition of unpacked pictures being hung and personal belongings being scattered about.

And finally this is me, So Happy that you're here reading my blog!

xo!