First Whanau

whanau: (n -maori) Family

This past weekend our we had our first visit from family members to New Zealand. Nelson's dad's sister and her husband and his brother (did you get all that?) came to visit from California.

Even though I had never met them before it was still fun to show off our garden, our little home, and our town. They stayed here at Solscape for two nights to get over their jetlag before heading out to conquer the Milford Track.

We loaded them up with home-grown food and thought we could give them a little warm up for their trek on our own mountain, Mt. Karioi. (Note to self: test out hiking tracks before attempting them with family.)

Our little adventure begun at Te Toto gorge. We then climbed up through a meadow and walked along a ridgeline towards the summit.

We thought we had hit the most adventurous spot when we came to a 5 meter ladder.

We were wrong. The track got narrower and the trail got bumpier. We stopped to have a little lunch after two hours to consider our options.

Groups of sweaty hikers kept passing us on their way down telling us how close we were to the lookout. We pushed on.

But when we hit the sheer cliff that you had to scale using chains, we decided that we had had enough. Karioi, you win this time, but we'll be back.

Bob and Suzanne were gracious enough to treat us to dinner that night and then they headed off to Taupo and beyond the next morning. Perhaps we scared them off? Don't worry other family members, if you come visit we promise we wont try to make you climb a cliff.

Bob, Suzanne, and John. Thanks for the hours of great conversation, the good kai, and for giving us some whanau love in person.

Double Booked

Sometimes life just isn't fair... like when your computer breaks and then your fiance has to go away to a conference for a week and he leaves the same day that your monthly friend comes along and you have cramps so bad you can't even stand up and then the wedding venue sends an email saying that oops they've double booked your venue.

Wait. What?

Oh yeah, the reason why I haven't posted this week is because I have been having a melt-down. Well, technically several meltdowns. One via Skype with little sister, one via phone with Nelson, and several on my own. These lapses in sanity have been prompted by an email from our wedding venue letting us know that our date was no longer available.

Their timing is impeccable. I had actually sent out the last few Save-The-Dates that morning.

This post was supposed to be about our amazing Save-The-Dates, created by the incredibly talented Shari Amos. It was supposed to be about how I was so excited to send them out that I couldn't sleep the night before. It was supposed to be about doing our first wedding project and having it come out perfectly and just how we (I) imnagined. It was supposed to be about getting emails from people telling us what they were going to grow for our big day. But its not.

It is now about me trying to be a calm and peaceful soul. It is about me trying to roll with the punches. It is about being thankful that Skype is only video and not sensory, because I really would have pummeled that camp director in person.

What will happen? Where will our wedding be? When will our wedding be? Is it all ruined (like I was feeling yesterday)? Or is it just clearing a path for a better thing to come along (how I hope to be feeling tommorrow)? Stay tuned. Only time will tell.

Wrong date, wrong venue, but they were just so very pretty.

Te Maunga Karioi

The rise and fall of sunset in our back yard. Took me a while to get the camera settings right, and just as I got it figured out, it was over. Asi es la vida.

Day of All Days

Sunday morning down to town for the Raglan Creative Market. Bought some of Liz and Rick's famous pesto and Nelson bought a surprising amount of french bread (to go with the large amounts of beer and hummus he bought earlier in the week?) Then back home for my first present, a personal reading of two brand new short stories by an up-and-coming author.

Surprise! Sunday afternoon picnic with friends.

Chocolate covered strawberries and solar-cooked veggie chili.

Twister. I may have used my ample toosh to tilt the playing-field. But, hey, it was my day.

Clear out ladies, let the men have a go.

Monday morning bike ride into town to stop at a few of our favorite places.

Whaingaroa Organic Co-op.

Roll-ups Fruit Yoghurt.

On the way back up the hill an impromptu visit with Dominique, Paul, and baby Rafael.

Home just in time for Nelson to cook my favorite dinner. Baked ziti (with homegrown spinach, zuchinni, red peppers, and garlic). I made the garlic bread. All cooked in a very hot earth oven.

Showered with special gifts. Some below and some unpictured.

Feeling so happy, so loved, and so ready for this new year.

28

The first moment of my 28th year. This one is going to be special.

Out the Mouth Part Deux

Not sure what is going on, but for the second time in two weeks we have found ourselves down for the count for twenty four hours, using the toilet bowl from the wrong end of our bodies.

We were forced to make the housetruck into a makeshift infirmary with a mattress on the ground to give us equal access to the puke bucket.

After a day in bed and a kind delivery of soda water and saltines from Baywatch Kyle, we are feeling nearly 100%.

The culprit? Raw strawberries from our garden (we think).

Out the mouth, I'm tired of you.

You are not welcome in our house(truck). Please go away.

New Year, Old Friends

Happy 2010! It is still unbelievable to me that it actually is 2010. Wasn't Y2K not that long ago? Oh right, it was a decade ago. Wow.

We rung in the new decade with Jess, Jason, and Sammy who came to visit from Korea (where yes, they do eat dog, but only one variety). Jess and I last spent New Year's together in 2004ish at Big Boulder Lake singing karaoke with the Gallo fam. She's our first home friend to see where we live. It was so fun having her here and meeting her beautiful family, but was also kind of like one of those dreams where all these people you know from all different places are suddenly all together in the same place. Someone from Genesee here in NZ? It messed with my head a little.

Mildly disappointing that there was no karaoke to be had this year (Jess does a mean version of Tina Turner's Proud Mary). But we tried to make up for it with tipis, pizza making, and surfing.

All Native North Americans, except Sammy. She's a Native Korean.


Holy giant fern leaf!


Venturing down jungle paths with a stroller is exhausting.

Happiest baby ever. Talia Hardie may be her best competition for smiliest baby.

Jess is a momma!

Nelson's first surf of the year.

Jess's first surf ever.


Real men wear tights and hold babies.