December 30, 2008
First, Happy birthday mom!!!
It's been a few days and so much has been going on and internet access has been coming and going.
Can I just tell you how awesome it is to have an open-door policy in our home? People just come and go as they please. Neighbours, other friends, friends of friends. It's just so cool to constantly have people hanging out and wanting to hang out with us. Does that sound egotistical? I bit, I guess. But the feeling is amazing to have so many people just want to come around and you wanting them to come around. Matt comes yelling down the street as soon as he's off work or Rick comes tromping in whenever he wants to go surfing with a buddy, or Jess comes running up the stairs whenever she wants to play games and have a few drinks and laughs. It's so great. We'll be making a bbq on the patio for us three and the next thing we know we're feeding 6. And it's all give and take. We go over there to watch tv, we use their internet, they lend the boys their boards. It's all symbiotic and it feels so life-enriching to live in this way. Everyone is always happy and everyone is always in for a good time.
Last Monday, the 22nd, our friends Nana and Ian, from Auckland came to visit. We also got an e-mail from our friend, Gentiana, saying that she'd met this knew young American boy wanting to come to our neck of the woods and asking if we'd get in touch with him, so we invited Chris over as well. Monday Ian and Nana arrived and we hit the beach and the boys spent hours surfing while Nana and I soaked up the sun. Later we made some of the best burgers ever. The boys have seriously mastered the burger and it's SO cheap here! It's like $5USD for just over a pound of minced beef.
Anyway, we had a blast and the open-door rotated more as Jess, Rick, and Matt came over from next door and we continued to play games and have a blast. By the way, the three previously mentioned people are our neighbors. Originally we met Matt, and he introduced us to his sister Jess and her boyfriend Rick.
The next day we did a lot of the same and we played mini-golf. Which here is a lot like regular golf on a smaller scale...and I sucked, but it was a lot of fun.
We made burgers again...we do that about every night now.
Christmas Eve Ian left to go visit his family, but Nana stayed around and played for a couple more days. We had a great night Christmas Eve with the regular group and we went up the street and met more people up the street and hit the town in style. And drank wayyy to much, but it was incredibly fun and we had a great time and a lot of laughs.
Christmas day we just hung around a lot and hit the beach. It was a slightly up and down day. I was sick, but I still had a nice day. It was up and down because we miss our families and it was sad to not have Christmas or Hannukah with the fam, but it we had plenty of people around the keep us entertained.
Boxing day was insane!!!!!!!!
I've tried looking up boxing day and you get a million interpretations. Basically it's the biggest shopping day of the year and it's the day that everyone in the entire country apparently decides to come to the Mount---aka--our house. We are rather glad that we are heading out of dodge for new year's. It's really become insane. People are everywhere! They've blocked off our street so that only residents can park there. People have put "parking $%" signs in their yards and are letting people park all over their grass.
Nana left on Friday and we had a couple days of down time and quiet.
Oh, I forgot to mention that we like Chris a lot and have invited him to move in to the spare bedroom, so now we have a 4th member of the house. I love it! It's like growing up! Three boys..how do I always manage that?
Oh, I forgot to tell you the best story!!! ***WARNING*** Expletives to follow, so if you don't want to read something a dirty cop said to me scroll down to OKAY TO READ NOW!!!
So, it's chaos in our city right now and drunk driving is a problem, so they have random compulsory breathalizer check points all over the city. I'm proud to say that I'm responsible and have never driven drunk, but this also means that I've never had to take a compulsory breathalizer test. So, I'm driving us to the video store and I have to stop at the check point (before that moment I didn't know these existed here). I've only seen breathalizers given on like TV, so I assumed I blow into it.
I roll down my window and the cop sticks this thing in my face and so I blow. As I'm blowing he says "name and address" And then pulls it away all quick and says "No! you say your name and address! U darn americans always try to deep throat these things!!"
So, we wait for it to restart and then I say my name and address. The thing beeps and says "no alcohol" and I go along my merry way. Laughing my head off and in compelete shock at the comments the cop made!!
OKAY TO READ NOW!!!
That was the first time I had to do it. A few days later I drove everyone (6 other people) into Tauranga for a night of drinking and dancing to MAtt's DJ abilities in a bar. He's really very good. So, as we were leaving, I pull out of the parking lot and there's a friggin check point with a line a mile long. It finally gets to my turn and there's people getting pulled over right and left. I was freakin out! Of course I hadn't been drinking, but I had a lot of very loud people who had been. Anyway, we got through that one, get around the corner, over the bridge and there's another one!!! I had to take two breathalizers with in a minute of each other! I was like "what do they think, I've taken a shot as I drove around the corner?" Anyway, the guy looked at me, looked in my window at all the loud people and wouldn't show me the breathalizer screen. He asked if I'd been drinking. I giggled and said "No. I'm just in charge of making sure these goofballs get home safely." He laughed, the machine beeped the all clear and he waved me on. That was a fun night.
Yesterday Gentiana came out to play in Tauranga and today we drove down to the south end of Lake Taupo to the Tangariro National Park. We're staying at a lodge called the Park. She used her connections to get us two private en-suite rooms for the price of only 1. And tomorrow, to end the year, we will be hiking an 8 hour hike of the Tangariro Crossing. For any of you Lord of the Rings fans, that means I'm hiking Mt. Doom!!! I'm excited. Nervous, considering yesterday was the worst day of rain we've seen here. but tomorrow is supposed to be clearer and a bit warmer. But if it's crap, we'll wait and ring in the first day of the new year with the hike. Either way, it'll be a challenge, but I can't think of a better way to end the year!!!
Happy new year all!!!
By the way...I can't wait to post the "I'm in the new year and you're not!!" posting!! :) That'll be a trip!!!
I love everyone! Happy holidays to all and we'll chat soon!!!
xoxo
Alissa
It's been a few days and so much has been going on and internet access has been coming and going.
Can I just tell you how awesome it is to have an open-door policy in our home? People just come and go as they please. Neighbours, other friends, friends of friends. It's just so cool to constantly have people hanging out and wanting to hang out with us. Does that sound egotistical? I bit, I guess. But the feeling is amazing to have so many people just want to come around and you wanting them to come around. Matt comes yelling down the street as soon as he's off work or Rick comes tromping in whenever he wants to go surfing with a buddy, or Jess comes running up the stairs whenever she wants to play games and have a few drinks and laughs. It's so great. We'll be making a bbq on the patio for us three and the next thing we know we're feeding 6. And it's all give and take. We go over there to watch tv, we use their internet, they lend the boys their boards. It's all symbiotic and it feels so life-enriching to live in this way. Everyone is always happy and everyone is always in for a good time.
Last Monday, the 22nd, our friends Nana and Ian, from Auckland came to visit. We also got an e-mail from our friend, Gentiana, saying that she'd met this knew young American boy wanting to come to our neck of the woods and asking if we'd get in touch with him, so we invited Chris over as well. Monday Ian and Nana arrived and we hit the beach and the boys spent hours surfing while Nana and I soaked up the sun. Later we made some of the best burgers ever. The boys have seriously mastered the burger and it's SO cheap here! It's like $5USD for just over a pound of minced beef.
Anyway, we had a blast and the open-door rotated more as Jess, Rick, and Matt came over from next door and we continued to play games and have a blast. By the way, the three previously mentioned people are our neighbors. Originally we met Matt, and he introduced us to his sister Jess and her boyfriend Rick.
The next day we did a lot of the same and we played mini-golf. Which here is a lot like regular golf on a smaller scale...and I sucked, but it was a lot of fun.
We made burgers again...we do that about every night now.
Christmas Eve Ian left to go visit his family, but Nana stayed around and played for a couple more days. We had a great night Christmas Eve with the regular group and we went up the street and met more people up the street and hit the town in style. And drank wayyy to much, but it was incredibly fun and we had a great time and a lot of laughs.
Christmas day we just hung around a lot and hit the beach. It was a slightly up and down day. I was sick, but I still had a nice day. It was up and down because we miss our families and it was sad to not have Christmas or Hannukah with the fam, but it we had plenty of people around the keep us entertained.
Boxing day was insane!!!!!!!!
I've tried looking up boxing day and you get a million interpretations. Basically it's the biggest shopping day of the year and it's the day that everyone in the entire country apparently decides to come to the Mount---aka--our house. We are rather glad that we are heading out of dodge for new year's. It's really become insane. People are everywhere! They've blocked off our street so that only residents can park there. People have put "parking $%" signs in their yards and are letting people park all over their grass.
Nana left on Friday and we had a couple days of down time and quiet.
Oh, I forgot to mention that we like Chris a lot and have invited him to move in to the spare bedroom, so now we have a 4th member of the house. I love it! It's like growing up! Three boys..how do I always manage that?
Oh, I forgot to tell you the best story!!! ***WARNING*** Expletives to follow, so if you don't want to read something a dirty cop said to me scroll down to OKAY TO READ NOW!!!
So, it's chaos in our city right now and drunk driving is a problem, so they have random compulsory breathalizer check points all over the city. I'm proud to say that I'm responsible and have never driven drunk, but this also means that I've never had to take a compulsory breathalizer test. So, I'm driving us to the video store and I have to stop at the check point (before that moment I didn't know these existed here). I've only seen breathalizers given on like TV, so I assumed I blow into it.
I roll down my window and the cop sticks this thing in my face and so I blow. As I'm blowing he says "name and address" And then pulls it away all quick and says "No! you say your name and address! U darn americans always try to deep throat these things!!"
So, we wait for it to restart and then I say my name and address. The thing beeps and says "no alcohol" and I go along my merry way. Laughing my head off and in compelete shock at the comments the cop made!!
OKAY TO READ NOW!!!
That was the first time I had to do it. A few days later I drove everyone (6 other people) into Tauranga for a night of drinking and dancing to MAtt's DJ abilities in a bar. He's really very good. So, as we were leaving, I pull out of the parking lot and there's a friggin check point with a line a mile long. It finally gets to my turn and there's people getting pulled over right and left. I was freakin out! Of course I hadn't been drinking, but I had a lot of very loud people who had been. Anyway, we got through that one, get around the corner, over the bridge and there's another one!!! I had to take two breathalizers with in a minute of each other! I was like "what do they think, I've taken a shot as I drove around the corner?" Anyway, the guy looked at me, looked in my window at all the loud people and wouldn't show me the breathalizer screen. He asked if I'd been drinking. I giggled and said "No. I'm just in charge of making sure these goofballs get home safely." He laughed, the machine beeped the all clear and he waved me on. That was a fun night.
Yesterday Gentiana came out to play in Tauranga and today we drove down to the south end of Lake Taupo to the Tangariro National Park. We're staying at a lodge called the Park. She used her connections to get us two private en-suite rooms for the price of only 1. And tomorrow, to end the year, we will be hiking an 8 hour hike of the Tangariro Crossing. For any of you Lord of the Rings fans, that means I'm hiking Mt. Doom!!! I'm excited. Nervous, considering yesterday was the worst day of rain we've seen here. but tomorrow is supposed to be clearer and a bit warmer. But if it's crap, we'll wait and ring in the first day of the new year with the hike. Either way, it'll be a challenge, but I can't think of a better way to end the year!!!
Happy new year all!!!
By the way...I can't wait to post the "I'm in the new year and you're not!!" posting!! :) That'll be a trip!!!
I love everyone! Happy holidays to all and we'll chat soon!!!
xoxo
Alissa
posted by Alissa and Ari at
10:44 PM
1 Comments:
HI LISSA, LONG TIME NO CONTACT. ITʻS JANINE FROM BOULDER. NICE BLOG. All is well here. love Janine
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