Just kidding, I'll elaborate, I mean it has been a whole month since I have shared my wonderful stories with the blog world!
Last night I was one with mother nature! A few girls and I spontaneously decided to pack up from our lovely day at a Coca Cola Beach party and head to the wilderness for a camping adventure. We figured we couldn't waste a lovely summer night inside the bars, it had to be spent outdoors. So we drove out to the country to get camping supplies from my house and Caitlin's. We originally thought of staying at the beach but when we arrived to Caitlin's house to pick up her things they all suggested that we drive up the farm roads to a lovely hill. As cool as the beach sounded, the hill sounded better! From the top of this hill you can see the west coast of New Zealand, the east coast of New Zealand and Auckland city lights all in one simple rotation. We drove up the bumpy dirt roads on the farm and enjoyed the views! After finally ending my attempts to capture the beauty surrounding me, I set down the camera to set up our bed under the stars. A few loud songs heard only by the wild peacocks and bottles of wine later, we decided to lay down to look up at the stars while we chatted ourselves to sleep! I loved feeling the breeze blow fresh air onto my face while I slept. I even liked the low quality of sleep I got because each time I woke up I had a wonderful view of all the stars, then the sunrise, then sunny green hills!
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| Enjoying the sunset on the hill! |
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| The four campers taking a picture with the beauty! |
After sleeping under the stars we spent the day at the beach! Today was January nineth and it was my seventh time to the beach since the new year began! I am loving this January! I have discovered my new favorite hobby, swimming in the waves of the ocean. I am experimenting with different ways to go over the waves to have the most fun! Next time I want to bring a boogie board! Then by time I am good at that, my torn muscle will be back to normal again and I'll be able to take my surf lessons!
Yeah it's so long since I have written a blog that I didn't complain about the one thing I have had to complain about in months! A few weeks ago I tore a muscle in my rib area! The muscle was weak from a horrible cough and instead of staying in bed attempting to get healthy, I decided to take a surf lesson. It only took two minutes of practicing the surf technique on grass to pull the weak muscle completely out! You really don't realize how painful injuries are until you get them! You can bet after that pain I am appreciating my healthy self! In fact, when I was feeling my worst, I signed up for a triathlon! I figure that's a way to appreciate a healthy body, actually use it! I have wanted to do one for years and I finally signed up for one! It's a really short one for beginners but you have to start somewhere!
I've been feeling better for weeks now and enjoying life again! Oli and Sam are on holiday from school. It's a six week vacation for summer! It has been really nice! We went to the beach a few times and up to Caitlin's house to swim many times. There have been quite a few holidays in the mix such as birthdays and Christmas and New Year so that always adds entertainment! Everyday I think, man I have a rough life.
I love Christmas and New Year in the summer! It's been awesome! I got to swim in the ocean on New Year's Day. We sat by the pool on Christmas Day! I have it a little better than other nannies the family has had because I am from California and not used to the snow during the holidays anyway. The weather on Christmas Day was not far off from some Christmases I have had in California. Only we never sat by the pool in California, I am convinced it's the psychology of the fact that it's winter involved or maybe just the plain fact that it's winter? Anyway, New Year's Day was beautiful and hot! I should tell the stories of these days instead of just talking about generic weather!
Christmas Day was really nice! Nicolina, another nanny in the Auckland area, came out to Waimauku to spend Christmas with my family and Caitlin's family. She works for a Jewish family who does not celebrate Christmas so we happily included her in our festivities. She came out to my house Christmas Eve and the three of us girls spent hours in the new spa at my house, just chatting until we turned into prunes. Then we headed to sleep for a big day on Christmas. Christmas morning. I woke up to the boys opening presents. After present time, Nicolina made us Swedish pancakes for breakfast, because she's from Sweden! I really liked them, they are thinner than how I make them. She kept saying she liked how I made mine though, it's probably just the new-ness we really like better. Anyway after breakfast, complete only with bubbly at ten in the morning, we got everything together to go up the road to Caitlin's family's house for the rest of the day! As soon as we walked in the door at the Pike residence we were given yet another glass of bubbly, that you can bet was full from that moment on, thanks to Tim. After a delicious lunch of healthier-ish dishes than American meals, we chatted for a bit then all decided it was time for a wee kip. A wee kip is kiwi for a little nap! Nicolina, Caitlin and I slept off our over eating and drinking for two hours then woke up ready to eat and drink some more! After we could eat and drink no more we all played Cranium! We finally headed home at 11:00 pm after spending the entire day at their house! It was a lovely Christmas. Much different than how I've spent any of my other Christmases mainly because I was not with family but it was still a nice day! I got to Skype with my family on Boxing day here and Christmas Day in California! And three weeks after Christmas we received each other's packages!
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| The spa that turned us into prunes on Christmas Eve! |
The next weekend was a party weekend! The party started on the thirtieth for Gendie and Sam's birthday party. It was a night of chatting and drinking that ended with a hilarious walk up the road to Caitlin's to sleep (I offered my bed to a incapable driver). The next day Caitlin, Isabel and I drove four hours to the Mount to meet up with Nicolina and Sophie who had been there partying all week! Since they'd been there all week they found us a great house party to attend for New Year's Eve. It was lucky they were able to find us a house party because the cops are quite strict about no drinking at the beach party! The five of us drank at the house party for a few hours then walked down to the beach to ring in the New Year! We got to the beach RIGHT at midnight! It was a really cool beach party! We wished we had made it there a little earlier but it worked out! We got there for the best part really. We saw the fireworks and got to see a few songs on the stages they had set up! It was just what I wanted for a summer new year, a party on the beach!
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| The girls sleeping on the beach New Year's Day |
The next morning to make up for lack of sleep from the partying we took a wee kip on the beach. Actually the kip wasn't wee, it was a three hour slumber. I could tell we were slightly judged by our ever increasing neighbors but hey it's New Year's Day they had to expect some kind of hung over sleepers around. After our not-so-wee-kip we had lunch. Lunch coiencided perfectly with the European New Year! We all counted down and cheersed at noon to celebrate the time Nicolina, Sophie and Isabel would have welcomed the year 2011! After lunch and settling in at our hostel we went back to the beach for a swim and to relax some more to save energy for more partying that night! I absoltuely loved how summery New Years Day was! Most of the day was spent on the beach and I swam in the Pacific Ocean on New Years day. I for sure wouldn't do that in Calfiornia on New Year! Just before 9:00 pm that night we broke out the bubbly in the hostel and counted down and cheersed for the time Caitlin and I would have been welcoming 2011 in Calfornia!
After the third night in a row of partying I was keen to relax on the beach again but then convinced myself to hike up to the top of Mount Maunganui! I figured I probably would never have the chance to do it ever again and I already relaxed on the beach the day before. So Isabel and I hiked up the mountain while the other girls relaxed on the beach! The views were so picturesque, just like most of New Zealand. I was really glad we went to the top!
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| View from the top of the Mount! |
And that brings me to now, well if you include the night under the stars that was followed by an awesome week of "working" (taking the boys swimming and to the beach). I will be "working" for the next four days then I'm off on yes, more adventures. At 6:00 am Friday morning I am flying down to Christchurch for a nine day tour of the South Island. I prefer to leave plans open and it seems the girls I am traveling with agree so all we have planned is our plane tickets there and a rental car and a general route to take! I shall have to update the blog world on where our adventure takes us! It should be really great, I hear the South Island is more beautiful than the North Island, which I'm not sure is possible but we shall see!
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| I had to work so hard last week! We had to dig holes in the sand and build sandsnowmen! |
Oh if I don't update on my South Island trip right away it's because I'm at Kiwi Burn! It's the New Zealand version of Burning Man! I'm pretty excited. Pretty much the rest of January is going to be awesome, far better than the raining, cold Januarys I have experienced in the past. Like I said before...
My life rocks. The end.
