To my Telecom family, farewell and I love you all.

 
 To my Telecom family,  where do I begin, just over 9 months ago when I walked into that tiny little training room on the 2nd floor I had no idea what to expect. It was the beginning of something so foreign to me, a new job in a new country surrounded by new people made up of all different cultures. I don't think I have to tell you that as a country boy from Mississippi, it was a whole new experience for me, but from that fear and anxiety grew great admiration and respect and even better friendships! I honestly can not begin to tell you all how much you mean to me, most of us have made memories that I will never forget as long as I live! We have joked, laughed, and even cried together. You have all literally been my family over this past year, and I can not begin to list all the fun times we have had during working hours, while we should have been dialling and others outside of work. I also can not believe my time here is already come and gone, it feels like only yesterday Lindsey and I were back home packing and ready to set off on this new adventure in our lives, and now we find ourselves in that very same position. We have our eyes wide open and our arms stretched out ready to embrace the next chapter in our life, while we are not sure what the future holds for us, we are absolutely sure who holds our future. As we wait on that chapter to begin we can not help but sit and reflect on the ending of this amazing story in our life. As the time draws near for us to leave New Zealand, and for me to leave you all at Telecom I can't help but feel bitter sweet.

     To all of my TEAM LEADERS I would just like to say a special thank you for not firing me!! Lol! All of the help and support you have all given me over the past months has been amazing. You are truly deserving of every blessing life has to offer. To Luvy and Charan, "Momma and Papa" you two were there for me in the very beginning, way before I became a Telecom ROCC Star!!! I will never forget that last day of training when you two walked in to listen to our scenarios! I knew right then that Luvy was going to be trouble hahahaha....I Just never knew you would be this much trouble!!! Charan, what can I say man, you have been almost like a brother to me at times. I have so much respect for you man it is not even funny; I have no doubts with your determination and drive you will go far in life, but I must say,...buy 1 size bigger in the pants! Lol! I think you will feel better and I know all of us will!!! Hahahahaha! Just messing with you man! All of the TL's have been awesome, and very helpful. I really do just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart!

   To my Provisioners, wow, I think that best describes some of the situations I have gotten myself into with you guys!, Pooja, you have been with me through training and stuck by me the entire journey here at Telecom. We have laughed more than I believe anyone else has at Telecom, along with Janet. You all are absolutely amazing and I know the sky is the limit for you all.

   To all of the Managers/ Campaign specialist and whom ever else sits over in that area next to the break room lol!!!, I would also like to thank you all as well. I know some/most of you probably do not know me, but I am the loud, slightly chunky, white American that has been hanging around for the past nine months with a big smile on my face. Working hard (sometimes!) and enjoying my self and everyone else (all the time).  You guys were always there for me if I ever had a question, concern, or idea! You all are truly the top, of a winning team.  It has been my honour and privilege to have the opportunity to work for such a wonderful company, amongst even better company! If it is true what they say about great teams starting from the top down, then ROCC will always be in great hands! Thank you all again for everything.

   In life there is nothing worse than something great coming to an end, wondering why people shift in and out of your world. Goodbyes never seem to work, so instead I will share a quote that my father shared with me just before he passed away "Never put a question mark, where God has placed a period". Thank you all again for everything I love you all with every inch of my heart!

Cheers,
Raymond (Ray) Triplett
Raytriplett25@gmail.com
Keep in touch!
 

Andare (v. to go; to travel)

Well, lots of great things have happened since I last updated all of you on our journey! Lindsey and I both took a long weekend trip to the Coromandel; we wanted to go check it out so we decided to do so before we leave. The weekend was very relaxing and allowed us to see many more beautiful natural sights that New Zealand’s North Island has to offer! Our favorite had to be Cathedral Cove, followed closely by Hot Water Beach! Both reminders of Gods ever present hand on this beautiful earth!

Cathedral Cove

Hot Water Beach

Cathedral Cove (my tripod works ha!)

  

Aboard the Endless Summer

I also started and since finished my long awaited sailing classes. The lessons were so much fun, and so informative! My instructor Penny Whiting was amazing; she is a great sailor and is one of the funniest people I have ever met! She actually lives half of the year in the states sailing huge yachts all over! I told her if she needed any help crewing on one just to let me know and I would be there! The weekend the classes started the Volvo Ocean Race came into Auckland! We were the finish line for the Fourth leg of the circumnavigation race! It was an amazing sight to see these huge racing yachts come in from their 20+ days at sea; the Groupama yacht won this leg of the journey. The Viaduct was full of activities all week and it was fun to ride in the racing simulator and watch the 3D movie of their life at sea! Lindsey and I also got to see all the boats start the 5th leg of the race with a 40 minute loop around the harbor then they headed on their way to Brazil.

Sanya

Volvo Yachts leaving the harbor

Other exciting news, this Saturday will be Lindsey's and my last day at work. That's right it has almost been a year since we moved here, so with time winding down we will be flying to the South Island this Sunday for a full on adventure! We will be joined by Lindsey's sister Megan and her husband Sean, as we all climb into a camper van for a week long road trip! And for those of you who know Lindsey and Megan I will give you a second to pick your jaws up off the floor!! Lindsey has recently seen a term called "glamping" which she says means glamorous camping! I have a feeling she is in for a rude awakening! We will be flying into Christchurch, then driving to Dunedin, then to Queenstown, and back to Christchurch. We will be back in Auckland for a few days before we pack up and start our journey home! We fly from Auckland to Sydney on April 7 and will be there for a week before we return home on April 15.

Dat ders an R.V. ( What we will really be doing)

What Lindsey thinks we will be doing hahaha!

That is just a quick recap of some of the things we have been up to over the past month and a few things that will be coming up! We are both so excited to see the South island and will be sure to update everyone as often as possible, but I am sure we will be without Internet for most of the trip so we will do our best!!!

Cultural Day!

Cultural day at work today, everyone dressed in authentic cultural attire and brought a dish that represented the culture of their land! Well, not sure what cultural dress would be for a boy from Mississippi, I just decided to wear jeans a plaid shirt and boots. I am sure you can see were I was going with this, all I lacked was my cowboy hat. Although I had a hard time trying to decide what to wear to represent my culture I had not problem thinking of something to cook! I introduced my team to peach cobbler, and they all loved it! Just a little taste of the south!

Time Flies By...

It's almost February...where did the time go! We cannot believe that we have already been here close to 10 months. I guess it's true, time does fly by when you are having fun! This experience has been wonderful and we have had an opportunity to learn so much. We have met some amazing people, not only from New Zealand, but from all around the world. We look forward to being able to visit them in their home countries at some point. I think trips to Egypt, France, India, Malaysia, Ireland, and England would be a blast!! 

The past few days in Auckland the weather has been amazing! Is this Summer finally? Ray and I were able to get in a few beach days before he went back to work from a month of holiday time. We have truly been blessed with opportunity here. Both able to find a job, whether in our fields or not, we have had experiences we will never forget. 

I know many of you are wondering what we will do next...so are we!! We passed up the chance to live here permanently in order to still be flexible and travel some more so I guess that's what we will do. We will be heading back to MS in mid April and are very excited about seeing family and friends. We are very overdue for a catchup. We miss home! 

Lots going on before we head home we have some visitors coming to NZ for a visit!! My sister and her husband will be here the end of March and we are so excited! We are flying to Christchurch and renting a Campervan...yes I said Campervan, and traveling around the South Island for 6 days. This should be quite an adventure! Of course we are all in planning mode and trying to determine what excursions we will get into. In Queenstown, referred to as "Adrenaline Capitol of the World", we hope to find ourselves doing things like white water rafting, jet boating, skydiving, canyon swinging, etc! Heaps to do so I know we will have a hard time deciding! 

When we return from our trip we will be packing and moving from New Zealand. This will be a very bittersweet time for us. We will be stopping for a visit in Australia for a few days which we are very excited about! We have never been out of the airport in Aussie so we are really looking forward to it. We will spend the first few days in Sydney as tourists. We then travel North to stay with our friends, Debbie and Steve. We will be there for Steve's birthday so it is going to be a fun celebration! We haven't seen them since Hawaii in June so we will enjoy catching up. 

Just wanted to bring you all up to speed! We have lots to see and do before we move! We of course are not going to be able to see it all...had to leave somethings for our return visits! 

I guess it's time for me to leave our balcony where I have been soaking up the sun for the past few hours and go cook dinner! 

Lindsey 

Our Life....Month to Date

Well once again it has been too long since our last post, and lots has happened.

We have been busy working, trying to save money, but also found some time to take another short trip to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. We decided to head North this go around and booked a few nights in this amazing B&B in Kerikeri called the Bed of Roses, I know romantic right!!!! So we rented a tiny hatch back and hit the road towards the Bay of Islands. We drove through some beautiful scenic drives and saw so many breath taking views (pictures posted on FaceBook). The second day we woke up and had the best breakfast at the B&B and headed to Paihia, here we caught the car ferry across the bay to the little town of Russell (the first capital of New Zealand). We wondered around the town center had some great Fish and Chips, went to the top of Flagstaff Hill and looked over the entire city and bay. We decided to drive back, which was considerably longer than the ferry. I should have known when the GPS asked if unsurfaced roads were ok, that we should have reconsidered. The drive was long and very very very curvy!! I thought I was going to get sick, not to mention the curves were on a "dirt road" hugging the side of a mountain. I am not sure if it was from the worrisome drive or just too much fun for one day but when we made it back to The Bed of Roses we both needed a nap! After waking up refreshed from our naps, we went for our anniversary dinner at the Pear Tree. It was great food and drinks and was the perfect way to celebrate our first year married! On day three we planned a long drive to Cape Reinga, which is the most northern point in New Zealand. This drive was long but absolutely the best. The views were indescribable, as you get closer to the Cape out of no where you see these huge mountains of sand to the west, as far as you can see. The large sand dunes disappear into the Tasman Sea, and at the Cape you can see this distinct line in the ocean where the Tasman meets the Pacific. This experience was almost spiritual it is surely a moment I will never forget. The next day we started our journey home, that's right back to the real world!

Now fast forward a couple of weeks. As we began the anticipation of Thanksgiving Holidays, we received word from home that my Grandmother had suffered from a heart attack. Of course this put Lindsey and I both in a state of suspense, not knowing what the coming days and weeks would bring we prayed and hoped for the best. Unfortunately what we thought was best was not what happened, and on our Monday November 21st my sweet Mama Mazie was called home. Always having been the person to get our family together for Thanksgiving, this year was no different. With exception of Lindsey and myself everyone came home to celebrate her life and all the love and joy she brought with it! She was like no other and will forever be missed by so many.

Even with the sad news of Mama Mazie's passing, Lindsey never stopped planning our first Solo Thanksgiving. I knew she wanted it to be special but given the week we had just been through made her want to make it the best. She spent the entire day Wednesday cooking away in our TINY kitchen, with 2 electric eyes for a stove and a miniature microwave size oven. She cooked dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cream corn, and picked up some sliced turkey from the deli (whole turkeys are WAY to expensive here). She also cooked 2 deserts: a pumpkin spice bar/cake, and some Mississippi mud brownies. The food was amazing and not sure if it was the circumstances that made it one of the most meaningful Holidays I have ever had or if it was just because it was our first one alone, but regardless it was one of the best and most humbling Thanksgivings I have ever had! That pretty much brings us up to date, and now I am just lying here trying to let my food settle before I go get some dessert!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving From Down Under!! Love You All!!!!!!!!

Ray 

Halfway Gone!....Halfway Home?

Well, we made it!  Just over six months ago we packed all our clothes and headed out on what we were sure would be one of our biggest adventures.  So here we are halfway through our initial commitment to this journey; which, just so everyone knows, our parents thought we would be home by now.  It seems like only yesterday that we left everyone behind and now just six months out I can say we have truly learned so much.  We quickly realized that, much to our dismay, the parents were in fact correct when they told us money does not grow on trees!  We now fully understand why you turn the light off when you leave the room and also no need to turn a faucet on and walk away while it is running; yes, we are growing up.  We live in a one room apartment that cost as much as a luxury monthly car payment, yet it is a weekly expense.  We both have been able to maintain jobs, mine a temp position that is still going strong; Lindsey’s a more permanent part time roll.  We have for the most part, made a little life for ourselves and are enjoying it to the fullest.  We have been on several adventures, with more in the works.  We have been through our first ever Rugby World Cup, and even managed to squeeze in a couple of games.

 The seasons are finally starting to change here for the better.  We are trading in the cold damp days of winter for the dry and warm days of summer.  Everything is so green and beautiful, the weather is warm but not hot and no humidity, comparable to Mississippi.  Even better than the weather, I am even more thankful for the leaves on the trees.  I say this because our neighbor across the street is rather large and refuses to wear pants or close his blinds, and now thanks to Mother Nature we now have natural window coverings.

All in all, it truly is shaping up to be the best decision we could have ever made; having said that we do miss our family and friends more than we can say.  We are slowly coming to terms with not being home for Thanksgiving or Christmas; a first for both Lindsey and I. The only thing I think that will help make it easier is the fact that it will be the middle of summer here, so maybe we will not even know we missed it!

It is also hard to believe it will soon be one year since I married my best friend!  Time truly does fly when you are having fun and we are having a ball!!  We are truly blessed to have found each other and equally as blessed to have such amazing families.  Not everyone’s family would have been so supportive of a move around the world, but thankfully we both come from families that are not afraid to let us make our own mistakes!

So after six months we are still alive and well, and still dreaming big.  We greet each new day with a passion for what it could become.  Along with our dreams we continually look to the future and how we see our life going. Where do we want to live?  What do we want to do?  How can we make sure that we always keep this passion we have for life?  So with that said, we have a few options to decide on.  One of my dreams has all ways been to learn how to sail, and maybe even one day own my own sail boat and  sail around the world, well not literally, just from place to place. This dream may be closer than we realized; I will soon be enrolled in sailing classes here in The City of Sails, Auckland, New Zealand!  So with a passion and plenty of ignorance this is sure to be a fun journey.  Another option we are playing with is not coming home in April…… Pause for reflection.  Rather than coming home we may hop across the ditch and spend 12 months or so in Australia!  Oh by the way, we have not told our parents about this option so…. SURPRISE!!!!!

These are all options and decisions we will be making over the next few months, but all the while enjoying and living in the moment.  My parents always told me, don’t worry about it, you have the rest of your life to work!  Unfortunately for them, I actually listened to this bit of advice. While most of you probably think we are crazy and do not know what the hell we are doing; I have to say it is one of the best times of our lives. 

Ray 

   

Our "New" Dog

Well, as all of you know...I love animals!! This is probably the hardest thing for me here. Our visa requirements will not allow you to travel with pets. Somehow I got away with bringing Ray!! Not only will our visa not allow pets, neither will our apartment! Darn!

So Ray decided that he would surprise me the other night with our new dog, "Shadow!" He has always wanted a Great Dane and now we have one. He is the perfect dog!!

I know we are crazy and apparentlly easily amused!

Enjoy! L

Martha's Backyard

We recently visited the "American" store everyone keeps telling us about. We heard about it when we first moved because they stock lots of American products you can't buy at the supermarket! I was so shocked at all the items they had...didn't realize we missed them until we saw them.

We really didn't need anything, but since we made the trip we picked up a few things. We got a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese, Kraft Tuscan Italian Salad dressing, Quaker Cinnamon and Spice Instant Oatmeal, and of course a Twinkie!! We had to throw in the Twinkie because they were so popular at the store. All the kiwis there were buying one!

I know these items were random!! We had so much fun rummaging through all the products. The prices were double if not more then if you were to buy in the States...this is probably why we didn't buy much more! Crazy!!

Ta!

Lindsey

Pancake Disaster

So I decided to get up on Saturday and make pancakes! Not such a good idea, they turned out to be terrible...or at least looked terrible.  Thank goodness they didn't taste as bad as they looked. I was practicing for a new souffle' pancake recipe I found. I at least thought I should try the pancake part first. I am not sure that I will ever master a perfect pancake, but I will continue to make them from time to time. I never could get the right temperature or timing, not sure which!  I was going to make them for Ray before he left for work, but he decided he was going to leave early. 

I know he is glad that he did not stay! Hope this makes you laugh! 

I saw this medal at a store here and that I thought I deserved for my cooking skills Saturday morning! Perfect! 

Lindsey

Life at the Grand Chancellor

To start our first week off we saw Porn Stars, Ron Jeremy, and Michelle "Bombshell" McGee in the elevators. Crazy to see them in person. It was definitely one of those "double take" moments! I guess they were staying at the hotel for an event here in town.

As I mentioned in the previous post I have been doing some cooking lately. We had our friends over for dinner this past week as a "Thank You" for helping us to move. I made homemade lasagna and raspberry brownies. My mom gave me her recipes for the lasagna and I spent quite some time at the supermarket trying to decide exactly what to get.  The cheeses here are a little different so I did some experimenting with the recipe.  The lasagna noodles were also very interesting.  They were "no cook" noodles and they looked like paper.  I was a little hesitant, but this all I could find. Ray and I pondered as it was cooking if it would taste any good....and they did! I had never seen these before but apparently they are pretty common. The brownies were something I saw on My Kitchen Rules, an Australian competitive cooking show. It was so much fun! The kitchen is a little small so I had to compromise and clean up while cooking. It was not as much fun without all the mess! I didn't feel like a real cook!

 

We also purchased a picture from them as the apartment was bare and not welcoming.  We are starting to hang things which makes it look much better.  Melody took this picture here in NZ! We love our new piece of art!

I will try and continue to post about my adventures in the kitchen! Until then I hope that my journey will inspire you to try new things!

Good o!

Lindsey 

Routine

Ray and I both have been working lots lately, which is great in many ways.  We are learning heaps about our jobs and are enjoying them and are also saving money towards our adventures around New Zealand!  We have Sundays off together twice a month.  Last Sunday we took a ride with our neighbors to the North parts of Auckland to see some of the beautiful beaches along the Hauraki Gulf as well as to the West to see some of the black beaches along the Tasman Sea. Very fun! They planned a picnic lunch for us which was great...a little chilly but such a great view of Snells Beach!

Red Beach

Snells Beach

Murawai Beach Domain....So windy sea foam was blowing everywhere and looked like snow!

As we noted previously we would be moving into a new apartment...and we have! With the preparation of the move came cleaning and packing up our apartment. Thanks to Melody and Cole we didn't have to lug 7 suitcases and lots of accumulated stuff across the city. They offered to help us since they have a car. I do have one funny with this I must share. I was over at there apt visiting the night before we moved and I managed to fall down there stairs.  I had socks on and slipped on the carpet and slid down about 8 steps trying to catch myself....so embarrassing. They didn't laugh, but I know they wanted too and I am sure they did when I left. I am still finding bruises from my clumsiness!

View of the Sky Tower from our apartment

We are excited about the new apartment not only because of the location, but most of all more storage!  It is located in the Hotel Grand Chancellor so we have use of all the amenities including a gym and a pool! 

Our new set of wheels!! Thats right we finally have our own mode of transportation....for our groceries and other findings, that is!  Melody and Cole gave this to us since we will be trekking to the supermarket each time as we moved about 10 blocks from the nearest store.  We are very fortunate to have this because we always wait until we have nothing left to eat before we go....I hate grocery shopping!

Many of you may find this next topic pretty funny! I am having to prepare and cook about 90% of the meals we are eating for dinner. I get home from work around 6 and Ray doesn't get off until 8:30 so that leaves me to make the meals at night. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to be in the kitchen by myself.  I have always disliked cooking, but I am getting better and more comfortable.  Ray has been really supportive of what I have made.  He says things like, "that is the best pork we have had since we got here!" I am learning how to cook things other than chicken!! Yay for me! I'm sure he is just trying to boost my confidence. I am hoping to try some fun recipes on my days off so I will let you know how they go.

We are looking forward to the Rugby World Cup coming up in about a month.  Our new apartment is very close to lots of the entertainment.  Hoping to catch some of the games at some of the local pubs nearby.  We are studying up to try and better understand the game. It's serious business around here!

Cheerio!

Lindsey

The Bitter and the Sweet (such is life)

Where to begin, as many of you may have known Joe, Lindsey's Grandfather, had been ill for several weeks. His struggle gave way in the morning hours, on June 25; just a couple months shy of his 85 birthday. Even though I only knew him for 6 years I can confidently say he was one of a kind. He was always a joy to be around, talk to and was truly an inspiration. Over the past years as Joe's health faded and things did not come  quite as easy to him some things never wavered, the love, respect and admiration he showed to Mrs. Martha (Gran Gran)  his wife of 64 years. This, along with many other great memories, will stay with Lindsey and I throughout our life.

 

Joe and Gran Gran at our Going Away Party in Brandon- April 2011

We were so fortunate to have been able to make the trip home to share in the joy of memorializing Joe Herbert Sanderson. This gave both Lindsey and I the chance to share in the celebration of his life. Joe, never one to mind what people thought, truly did live life "His Way."

Even under these circumstances, Lindsey and I thoroughly enjoyed our time back in Mississippi and being able to spend time with both of our families. We also kinda enjoyed the heat, sorry I know some of you probably would like to hit me right about now but it is really cold, wet and windy here. I, no doubt, loved going to Louisville and getting to see my Mom and her amazing yard and gardens, it is truly amazing what all she can accomplish. I think Lindsey enjoyed getting to see all her babies (cats and dogs) more than anything. Some days I think she may have missed her true calling because she sure does love animals.

 

Some of Mom's beautiful work!

GiGi...the sweetest "mean" dog you will ever meet! 

Stevie...Our first child. He's very bad...thank goodness the grandparents love him too!

 Teddy....Gran Gran and Joe's cat

We have now been back in New Zealand for a week and heaps has changed. I am on my third day at my new job and am really enjoying it. It is nice to finally be able to leave the apartment and actually have someplace to go. Hahahaha! Not to mention anticipating finally getting a pay check. Also, Lindsey and I are still in search of our next apartment. This process started just after we returned from Hawaii almost a month ago and given the speed things go here in Auckland we hope it will not be another month before we find one. So we hope to be able to share new apartment pics with all of you soon.

May God continue to bless us all, and as my Dad always said, "Never put a question mark, where God has placed a period."

Until we speak again,
Love, Ray

Lots of Traveling

As usual we are way behind in posting. We have been traveling quite a bit. I recently accepted a position as a Sales Associate for Harrowset Hall Limited. A fine linen and bedding store in Newmarket, Auckland. Very cool store with lots of interior items to chose from...makes it hard not to buy and actually bring home my wages. I am really liking it a lot!! Work is about a 15 minute bus ride or 35 minute walk. Great location!  Ray had an interview this week and got a call back today. He has a follow up evaluation tomorrow. Fingers crossed that he will get the job! I know he is ready to find something with a regular schedule. You can only do so much people watching on Queens Street.

Beautiful daffodils one of my "workmates" gave me. Very thoughtful!!

As many of you know we traveled to Hawaii for Megan and Sean's wedding. Ray and I had never been to Kauai, it's absolutely amazing and cannot wait for our return visit. The entire weekend of wedding festivities were a blast. Perfectly organized and lots of fun! The weather was quite frustrating especially for an outdoor wedding for the days ahead.  However, it did allow us to see the raging waterfalls. We did lots of fun activities from kayaking to hiking the first 2 miles of the Na Pali Coast. The rain cleared just in time for the wedding day festivities to begin. The ceremony was so special. I just loved the Hawaiian ceremony, it was very sentimental and touching. So excited for Megan an Sean. It was a great time to get to see family and meet the Garvey family and all of M&S's friends. Great family!!

View of the coast from the hike

Mr. and Mrs. Sean Michael Garvey....I love the way he is looking at her. So sweet!!

Can't wait to see the photographers photos of the wedding events.  Two beautiful people and amazing location!

Hideaways Beach

We returned to Auckland to begin apartment searching as our current lease expires towards the end of July. Apartment renting is quite limited this time of year as the Rugby World Cup is fast approaching in September. We have seen some great and not so great places. Hoping to get this all squared away soon.

So now you can see what I mean about lots of traveling. We have been using the bus, train, our legs to walk all over this city, and very long plane rides!

Miss you all very much and hope all is well with each and every one of you!

Cheers!!

Lindsey

Settling in as a Kiwi

As usual....we are really slow in providing new post.  Lots has been going on since we last chatted. We have been continuing our job search and touring around the city and surrounding suburbs. The job search is going pretty good. We have had several prospects, just waiting for the right thing to fall in place. 

We have met a great couple that live in our apartment building from the states. They are originally from Washington State and have lived all over the world. Melody and Cole are a wonderful couple and a great inspiration for us. They have been married for 28 years and have 3 children. They moved a far distance to England when they first got married and have continued to live around the world in many places such as, Canada, Hong Kong, Texas, New Zealand.  They are setting off on another adventure in October as Cole has received a job transfer to Cairo, Egypt. It's pretty interesting all of the places they have been and where the will continue to go. We are so fortunate to have met them and have enjoyed all of there stories about living all over. 

They introduced us to the church they attend, Auckland Bible Church, and we really like it. We have met some really great families from all over....lots of Americans surprisingly! Everyone has been very helpful with our job search and telling us about all the local places to shop, and what to do. The grocery store(supermarket) is always fun. Trying to figure out what something is or what to buy that would be similar to what we use back home. 

This week we have been to Mission Bay which is a cute little town on the beach about 15 minutes from our apartment. Its in the direction of our walk in the mornings. The view of the Hauraki Gulf was amazing! I had to get my haircut and highlights!! Something I love to do...so fun and relaxing! 

We also went to Mt. Eden which is a summit 200 meters high and is the highest natural point in Auckland, therefore, the 360 degree views were breathtaking. The hike up was pretty funny...no real travel paths as there are many ways to get up. We climbed steps that had been built and followed the very narrow trails created by humans or even cattle...not really sure. When we reached the top of the volcanic grassy crater the view of the city was unreal. We really enjoyed Mt. Eden, it is one of the most famous landmarks and was created 20-30,000 years ago. 

We are really enjoying it here, but at times it's really hard to be away from friends in family. My grandfather, Joe, is having a tough time lately with his heart. He was diagnosed with aortic stenosis and atrial fibrillation years ago and it's giving him a lot more problems recently. Please keep him, my grandmother, my mom, and our entire family in your prayers. He is at home comfortable with 24hr care which is good.  The past few days have been hard, but he is doing better today. Everyday is a blessing! For those of you who don't know him, he's a real character! Full of himself and lots of jokes. He will turn 85 in August! Please pray for comfort, strength, and understanding!

As for this next week we are off to Kauai for my sisters wedding. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and spending time together. It's going to be such a fun time. I know that it is going to be absolutely beautiful! Haven't been to the island if Kauai yet so we are getting excited about all the fun things planned. Congrats to Megan and Sean! 

Lindsey

Our Life for the Past Few Weeks: Somewhat Busy

It has been 3 weeks since our last post, so I would like to apologize to those of you who actually read this. We have been somewhat busy. We are finally getting settled into our apartment and trying to make it feel more like home. We have been on the hunt for jobs as well. We have applied to more jobs than we care to count and have received numerous rejection emails and phone calls. The business world here is pretty slow during the winter season so jobs are pretty scare apparently. We are applying for all types of jobs to welcome a new challenge to our adventure!! I have been on one interview while Lindsey goes on her third on Thursday. We are not letting this “slow” start get us down, but it is discerning when you apply for a job and they contact you back to let you know you are over qualified for the position; which has happened to us both on several occasions. Never the less we press on and the hunt continues.

Don’t be fooled we have also been having fun, as well. We have done just about every “free” activity you can do in the city, which is not a lot, and also had several small low cost adventures.  Every morning “we” start our day with a 6 ½ mile walk to Mission Bay. I say “we” loosely since some mornings Lindsey is unable to get me out of bed. This walk is a perfect way to start your day; it is a beautiful winding walk along the waterfront of Okahu and Mission Bay. The views of all the sail boats in the Bay are amazing and the morning sun gleaming off the water is other worldly. After the walk we come back to the apartment and cool down before getting changed and thinking up things to do with the rest of our day. 

Some of our small adventures that we have taken include: A trip to the Auckland Domain, A walk to the Viaduct, A ferry ride and hike around Devonport, a trip to One Tree Hill/Cornwall Park, an interesting bus ride to the beautiful Auckland Botanic Gardens and a train ride to the village of Remuera. More in depth posts to follow on all of these adventures along with some photos. 

So as you can tell we have been somewhat busy. We have plenty more adventures planned and cannot wait until we can fill you in on how they have go, but until then we are just hoping for a job that will allow us to stay and actually get to do them. Hahaha!

We love and miss you all and hope to hear from you, if we have not already; and we can’t wait to see the Anderson family in two weeks in Hawaii for Megan and Sean’s wedding weekend!

Ray