It was good to take a break.  I’ve never taken such a long blogging hiatus (8 weeks) but I’m glad that I did.  I started this blog as a way to share, chronicle, and remember what is going on in our lives.  And, to be blunt, there are some times that I’d really rather not… Read More Back in the saddle again

I’ve tried to write in order to explain what this feels like, this moving back to the USA, and I can’t.  There’s so much going through my head, and I find that I need to step away from the internet to process all of what I’m thinking and feeling.  I hope that I’ll be able… Read More Good-Bye For Now

It feels like more than 15 days have passed since my last blog post.  Lots has happened in that time-frame.  I’ll share more later but in the meantime, yes, I’m still alive and will hopefully have some updates soon.

We have been enjoying some of the beautiful late-autumn weather here in New Zealand.   We were checking out the Winter Gardens in Auckland Domain. Joe was having so much fun looking at the goldfish in the pond between the greenhouses.  I was a bit worried that he might decide to go for a swim,… Read More Sunny Auckland Autumn Days

Well, I’ve done it – I’ve resigned from the Emergency Room.  It’s a strange thing to be officially unemployed again.  The last time I was in this position was when we moved to New Zealand, and back then it was only for about 6 weeks before I was working once more. This time around, it’s… Read More Resigned

The rain has really started to come down in New Zealand. View from our window It’s as though we went from summer to -snap- winter in the blink of an eye.  I’m thankful for the cooler temperatures and appreciative of the rain, since it’s been so dry and drought-y over here.  I’m sure that the… Read More Rain and Fluffies

I remember one of the first times that Joe, newly walking, really bonked his head.  I was telling my mother about it and she said, “Some days, growing up is really hard.”  Boy, is that true.  Joe has done some hard growing up over the last 72 hours, and has the bruises to prove it.… Read More Days of Injuries: When Growing Up is Hard

I’ve been pretty slack on blogging lately.  I think that the heat + pregnancy has finally gotten to me.  From around 3:30/4p – 7p, our apartment gets loads of sun.  While great in terms of views, the heat pouring in through the windows saps my energy.  We escape almost as soon as Joe wakes from… Read More Feeling Normal and Getting Prepared

Someone in this house loves to help stir, knead, and sample my baking and cooking mid-mixing process. Somebody get this boy a chef’s hat and an apron! The aftermath… Totally worth it, in my opinion.  Not only does Joe love to stir, he also loves to sweep!  Yes ladies, I’m raising a boy who likes… Read More My Little Baker

Well, I didn’t intend to go a week and a half without blogging a single thing, but that’s what happened.  To say that it’s been busy around here is an understatement. On Business Trips… Chris got back from a trip to the States where he had his fill of philosophy, barbecue, and beer.  In loving-husband… Read More The Last 10 Days…

We have finally moved all of our things into our home-for-the-next-4-months.  We haven’t officially moved in yet, as our house-sit continues for about another week, but all of our gear is sorted. Here’s a picture of our storage unit pre-emptying.  This thing was packed to the hilt. The storage center employee originally tried to get… Read More New Place

We spent a gorgeous Saturday morning at Cheltenham Beach in Devonport while celebrating the engagement of our good friend, A, to her fiance, F.  They couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather. We walked through Balmain Park to get to the beach.  As soon as Joe saw the water, he took of running, full-tilt-boogie, and… Read More Weekend Wrap-Up

There’s still time for you to leave a review of my blog on the Expats Blog site! It doesn’t have to be long-winded or fancy, and I’d appreciate it 🙂

I don’t know why, but it never crossed my mind that train service in England might not run according to schedule.  Oh sure, a few minutes late is no big deal, but a 2 hour round-trip getting turned into 7.5+ hours?!  Never saw that coming. My sister and I decided to take a morning train… Read More Bath: A Very Abbreviated Yet Very Loooong Trip

We’re pretty excited to share that baby #2 will be joining our family sometime in mid-May 2013… I’m 13 weeks along and feeling pretty well.  I seem to have significantly less nausea this time around, which according to the old wives’ tales means that it’s a girl.  I also feel different – I can’t explain… Read More Two Pink Lions… or Two Pink Lines 🙂

I’m writing a quick post to let you know that I’m still alive and currently with family in London.  We’re having a wonderful time, but there’s too much going on to write anything down 🙂

We’re in Oxford!  We’ve reached the end of our first full day here, and it’s been busy. Our flights went well, overall.  I was praying that our only major issue would be the transport mix-up.  Our transport from our apartment in Auckland to the airport showed up at 7am instead of 7pm, as requested.  I’m… Read More Traveling to Oxford

I’m ready for this week to be finished. The apartment is a mess.  The floor needs to be vacuumed.  Boxes are lying around, some full, some empty, but mostly empty.  The first set of movers comes in the morning and we’ve been dismantling the TV and entertainment center, along with Joe’s cot.  7am is going… Read More 4 More Days