Namaste and $26,200

I am the opposite of the sterotypical zen like yoga person. I would like to think that I am a very positive person but I'm opininated, impatient and rather easily annoyed. I am like the anti-yoga. My idea of a workout consists of high impact work outs that leave one sweating from head to toe. If I am not out of breath, close to out of breath or short of breath than to me it is not excersice. I love basketball, running and a cold beer. I do not drink green tea smoothies and think wheatgrass is something one would use on their yard. I have tried yoga twice. And what I remembered it was difficult and boring. And I could not tell if I was burning off breakfast or just burning off time.  The first class was in  KC at a large fitness center that we belonged to. My class was filled with large breasted beautiful ladies that were there more to be seen than to work out. My second class was here in NZ that was all about closing one nostril with a finger and breathing out of the one open nostril while saying "Ommmmmmmm". It took everything I had not to bust out laughing. Are these people serious? I thought that the OM was a myth but apparently the OM is actually very important. So I had decided that yoga was not for me. In comes Sarsha. She is a yoga teacher and the Mom of one of Lindseys good friends. She is a beautiful women, inside and out. She just reeks of yoga when you meet her. Calm, gentle and free spirited. I just knew I had to give yoga another shot. So here I am 4 months later and totally hooked, I am now a yoga loving wanna bend like a pretzel kind of gal. Let's be honest, I do love the social aspect and we do have lots of fun. However, I am in awe of the bendy ladies around me and not sure if I will ever be able to do some of those poses, but I get what the fuse is all about. I think I like it so much because I am so bad at it,  but yet I love a challenge and love learning new things and who know maybe one day I will be able to touch my toes without bending my knees.
Sarsha teaches yoga up at her house. Here are a few pictures of her house and where I go to practice my new favorite activity.

Sarsha's home and the yoga studio is in the back

They built this separate room for the Wwoofers. Wwoofer's are folks that are  traveling the country  and are willing to work for 4-6 hrs a day in exchange for a free night of accomodation and food. The work could include anything from sowing seeds, gardening, making compost, milking, or cheese and bread making. Cheap way of traveling , and yet a cool way to experience life in other parts of the world. 

The out house in the back of the house.

Her beautiful yoga studio behind her house. To me it is just how a yoga studio should look, inviting, calming, not flash but yet simple and natural in its design. And the fact that it is located in one of the most beautiful places in the world probably helps a little...

The view from her house and yoga studio. Doesn't get more zen like than this!

We had our school Gala last month. The last school Gala was held 7 years ago, so this was a huge event for the school. A New Zealand Gala is kinda like a school field day/carnival all rolled into one. It is a fun, family, friendly fundraising event that was put on by the FOOS (PTO) commitee. We had food stalls, auctions/raffles, games, crafts and entertainment. The whole community came out to support our school and over $26,000 was raised in a little over 3 hours. It was impressive accomplishment for a school of 300 kids.

This was the Zorb Balls, the most popular game we had. 

This was called The Magic Carpet Ride, the second most popular ride. As you can tell from the picture it was a piece of fabric pulled by a car that the kids rode on. Let me repeat that one more time, it was a piece of fabric pulled by a car that kids rode on!! They loved it and the line was 20 deep the whole Gala. Brad and I were trying to envision this happening in the states. First, you would have to sign your life away. Second, safety gear would be required of all body parts. Third, there would have to be a safety talk about what might happen, what could possibly happen, and what to do if all that did happen. And fourth, there would have to be some type of extra insurance purchased by the school to safe guard themselves from getting sued if something were to happen. So basically this would never ever happen in the US, but Kiwis with their attitude of "she'll be alright" are able to pull off some Dodgy activities. Another reason we Love living here!!

I was hoping to see some more carnage on this, but boringly enough nothing no one got hurt or fell off, and all the kids had loads of fun. 

One of our food stalls.

Art work done by the students that went for a premium price. 

Football game

Toss the Coconut Game

Quad bike rides. 

Fairy Tent

I also mentioned in the last blog that the year 7 and 8's were going to have their outdoor activity week so I wanted to post a few of those pictures as well. This was the dam dropping, talk about a dodgy activity. But the kids loved it and honestly so did I. It was fun and exhilarating, with a tiny bit of danger thrown in. Keep in mind that the kids missed a whole week of school for activity week, they just got to play with their friends while being pushed to their limits. Too bad this is not part of the curriculum  for every school system. I witnessed kids refusing to do this activity but after some deep thought and lots of encouragement from peers and parents, they went for it. One of the girls I took down was crying she was so scared, but after we had made it to the bottom, she was smiling from ear to ear and asking to do it all over again. Priceless.

Even Dad took the day off to be a part of dam dropping. 

These next few pictures are of the mud run. Which smelled and felt more like mud/cow poo run. Some of the kids were loving the throwing/slinging/hurling mud at each, the parents and teachers. The others kids politely put a smile on their face received the allocated mud balls to various body parts and counted down the minutes until they can get clean again. Skyler (and I have to admit I was right there with her) fell into the later of the two catergories. I asked her at the end of the run, if we should bring Dad, Lindsey and Owen on this trial. She looked at me as if I were some giant blood sucking alien and just kept running.

The last few moments of being nice and clean.

Heading up the river to the mud pit

Disappearing up into the steep trail. 

The track down to mud hell....

MUD FIGHT

S

Skyler is standing off to the right hoping that no one spots her.  And I was  hiding behind the bushes taking photos  (it was water proof but I told no one that as I hoped they would take mercy on me).

This was a mud slide. The Mom in the jeans managed to stay clean the whole hike. She did this by turning into the exorcist every time a muddy kid looked as if they were going to slime her with mud. It was the kind of day that one just had to surrender to being covered in mud and getting soaking wet,   and not be bothered by it, or you too would  have your head start spinning and smoke coming out of your ears. 

And a few last photos of what we did during the kids two week break. We were quite keen on going on a road trip but the kids just wanted to stay in town and play with their mates. So that is what we did and enjoyed every minute of it!

This was a great bike ride we went on with 2 other families. It was 17 km round trip, a perfect distance for young kids. We had a 5 month old black lab puppy with us, so I volunteered to run with Samie, the puppy. It was great fun, and it took me back to 12 years ago when I use to run with our yellow lab, KD, when she was a puppy. She was a hell of a dog, still is actually. She lives with my parents in KC. It is a great match, as my Dad enjoys exercise as much as I do, so he takes her out everyday for a walk, they go home pop their vitamins, have a snack, and lay down for an afternoon nap. It is a win win for all.

I am holding Samie in my arms

Brad running back with Samie.

Owen and his mates at a Surf Comp. 

Enjoying a beautiful sunset on the beach

I wanted to end my post with a tribute to our good friends Orlagh, Arvind, Aoife and Connor.   They are our good friends who moved here a year ago from Australia, and we had to say goodbye to them last week as they headed back to OZ to start a new chapter in their lives. It may seem odd to some to hear me use the term good friends to describe someone you have only know a year. But that is what happens to families who are sharing the same experience living abroad. We are all a long way from our families, and friends back home and all we have is each other to rely on. The bond can sometimes be instant and fast because we immediately know what the other is going through. So we react/respond to their needs/emotions almost as if they are family because it is all we have. So to make a long story short, this is how we felt about this sweet family. The kids became best friends, and we spent many days hanging out together. Orlagh even talked me into going tent camping with her one night, and that is not an easy feat. But with her, I forgot about the fact I was sleeping in the dirt, having to pee in the middle of the night not once but twice, and getting a few sand fly bites. We wish them the best of luck and look forward to seeing them again.

The Endless Summer

We have had the best summer here in NZ, locals say they can't remember the last time we had a summer like this one. It has been day after day of perpetual sunshine, beautiful waves and happy shoeless children. We have taken full advantage of the weather and been to the beach almost everyday. Some days two or three times. The kids enjoy going to the beach after school and meeting up with friends for a boogie board, surf, or just a play in the waves. The weather is great news for those of us who enjoy spending time in the water, but not so great for the farmers who rely on the rain to help support their livelihood. The Island was declared a drought zone, the most widespread drought they have seen in 30 years. There was  a fire ban as well as  a water ban these past few months. The usual lush, wet landscape now has some brown areas peeking through.  

It is April 10th as I write this and the water temp still feels like February, but there is a little bit of a chill in the wind, and the smell of fall is in the air. Fall in the states brought about college football games,  apple cider, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Fall in NZ is a warmer wetsuit, puffy jackets, rugby and extra cups of tea. 

We had a busy summer with family out to visit. Brad's parents were here for two weeks in January, my parents came out for the month of February, and then Brad's step mom and half sister were here the beginning of March. I love having family/friends come and visit us. We are so spoiled with where we live, it is so easy and fun to be able show off this beautiful country.

Mom and Dad and I snuck off to the capital city of Wellington for a few days .  

So lucky to be able to spend a whole month with Mom and Dad!!

Heading in to freezing cold waterfall with Aunt Maggie!

Cold but happy they braved the waterfall as well. 

Grammy Joan, Owen and Skyler

Brad and Maggie

Checking out the swell

Skyler has taken quite an interest in surfing this summer. She has gotten quite good and is keen to go out everyday if the swell is on. She has won a few competitions along the way and is wanting to continue her surfing throughout the winter. She makes us proud with her tenacity,  determination and bravery. There have been days she is out surfing that I myself would not of considered going out because the waves are so big, and it would of scared me to death!! But out she paddles to try and catch a few waves, even with the waves beating her up she still manages to ride a few. Brad and I go out paddling boarding whenever we get a chance. Brad is quite good, and I still spend a lot of time in the water swimming next to my board. I WILL get good at this sport, I just need a few more years!!

She made the local paper because she won the year 7 intermediate  school surf competition. 

The celebrity being interviewed by the local paper. My favorite quote she said was  "the reason she likes to surf is  the feeling she gets when she is riding a wave."

Skyler proudly showing off her first place certificate. 

Oakura Boardriders surf competition. 

Oakura Boardriders Surf Team

Having a night swim and a night surf. 

We have had many gorgeous sunsets this summer.

First day of school. Sky is a year 7 and Owen is a year 3.

Lindsey's first day of  High School. This is the only picture I was allowed to take on the day. 

Lindsey and her horse Buddy. Lindsey is very passionate about animals and just enjoys being around them. She is riding once a week, but we are about to up it to twice a week, and consider leasing her a horse as well. Not sure what we are about to commit to, but feel the urge to encourage her to explore her passions just as we do the other siblings. Yes, it would be so much easier (and cheaper) if she wanted to be a basketball player or cross country runner. However she happiest in the presence of animals and since we cannot have pets in rentals, we have to look outside for her to get her fix. 

We went camping with some good friends and spent the afternoon at the 3 sisters. A beautiful part of the coast that has beautiful rock formations. It is a natural kids playground, they wanted to spend more time playing but with the tide starting to come in, we had to get off the beach. 

Kiwi entertainment. A hill at the campsite, where kids of all ages slide down on their bums , screaming the whole way. It got better at night as some parents felt the need to partake as well, it was some good people watching!!

Mt. Taranaki from about 100 miles away. 

These are the year 7 and 8's who just had an athletics day (track and field). Keep in mind the tracks here are made by a lawn mower, and the field is just a dry grassy area. The track is by no stretch of the imagination mowed to specifications. There is quite a sharp turn at one end, and a little bumpy in some stretches. Some of us notice these minor inequalities to the track but most do not, especially the kids. They go out and do their best, bumpiness and all.

The  kids are just finishing up term 1 of the new school year. It has been an active term filled with many outdoor activities and sporting events. Some of the activities have been Beach Clean up day, year 7 and 8 swimming competition, year 7 and 8 athletics day, year 7 and 8 surfing competitions, and the Weetabix triathlon. And next week the older kids have their outdoor adventure week and they will be doing everything from Mtn. biking, canoeing, a mud run and dam dropping. Brad and I both signed up to help out with the week of events but we are especially looking forward to the dam dropping! All of these activities that I just listed happen during the school day. Now keep in mind that some of these activities cover their PE curriculum. They do not have a PE teacher, nor a music teacher nor an art teacher. Their grade level teacher is responsible for covering those parts of the curriculum. The other events are just part of the reason that the kids love going to school here in NZ. School here is not just about reading, writing and math, it is more about developing a well balanced child. And in order to do that emphasis must not only be placed on academics but also the social and emotional well being of each student. And how does a school do that? They have fun, they do not stress out the kids with a bunch of homework or all the standardized test the kids back in the states are required to take. They let the kids go down to river for the school day, pick up some trash and have a sausage sizzle with their friends, or they let them go and compete in a triathlon during school hours, because they understand the benefits. It has taken me close to two years to understand this and appreciate it. But we see the benefits of this school system every day and not just  with our kids but our friends kids. Most of them are just happy, well adjusted, confident kids who are not afraid to try new things. And really what more could you want out of your kids? 

Skyler getting ready to hit the water for the year 7 and 8 swimming competition. 

Our friend caught us a crayfish, and this is what he looked like before we ate him. It was delicious, a lot like a lobster but sweeter, and more flavorful. 

Camping with our good friends the Bishops.

Check out the price of this American chocolate.

 Skyler turned 11 last week and we had her friends over for a minute to win it party. No one had ever heard of these games, so it was a huge hit for the kids. The kids loved the Oreo game and the toilet paper rolls on the arms the best. I think it has caught on in the village and  hope to hear of some more parties developing as a result.

The Oakura kids representing the school at the Puketi Puffers trail run over the weekend. I did my first 7 km trail run, and have found a new hobby. Running on a narrow, windy, and hilly trail through the rain forest was exhilarating. It has me hooked and I am already looking for my next race. The kids did a 2km, and had fun as well. 

Owen about to enter the water for the Weetbix Triathlon.

Skyler trying to stay warm before her swim. 

All 103 Oakura students (300 students enrolled at the school) who did the race.