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.
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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.