I’ve had my own computer since high school.  I still remember when my parents gave it to me for Christmas.  My older brother, a computer whiz and guru, had personally built it for me and that thing lasted for years. When I got married, I bought a laptop which lasted a grand total of 3… Read More A One-Computer Family

Just a random, flowing list of things that I’m looking forward to seeing when we leave for the UK (in 2 1/2 weeks)… Various “Harry Potter” filming sites around Oxford Bodleian Library Oxford, in general (the town and campus) Loch Lommond (when we’re in Scotland) Glasgow Edinburgh Castle Portobello Road London Eye Thames river cruise… Read More England, Scotland, and France

Last week, I woke up just after 4am to find my husband gone. I was pretty tired so I simply rolled over, noted the time, listened for a second to see if Joe was crying, and then saw that the monitor was gone. Chris does this really nice thing where, if he is up before… Read More SEC Football in New Zealand

This past Sunday was Father’s Day in New Zealand.  Chris’ Father’s Day gift came a little bit early in the form of a subscription to ESPN online, allowing him to watch as much SEC football as his heart desires starting with the South Carolina game this past Friday. On the actual day, celebrations were small… Read More Father’s Day in New Zealand

#1 – Today I drove a car in New Zealand for the first time in, oh, 2 years.  Big day.  And you know what?  The most difficult part by far was getting the car out of our carpark (parking garage).  It did not in any way, shape, or form help that there was a giant… Read More Cars, Travel Travails, Elmo, and Cookies

Okay, I hate putting photos of myself on here. However… I recently took the time to actually do my hair (beyond a simple bun or ponytail) and makeup for a get-together and as I was walking past the bathroom mirror realized – gasp – this doesn’t happen very often!  So I took a photo to… Read More Self-Portrait…

First of all, a little PSA for those of you who ever have to move into/out of a large apartment building… There are wrong ways and right ways to move into or out of an apartment building.  To be a bit more specific, there are wrong ways and right ways to move out of a… Read More Domain and a Moving PSA

Joseph and I decided to skip Mainly Music this morning and instead took a nice walk down to the Viaduct Harbour and Wynyard Quarter. image via Joe was in a bit of weird mood.  I think I was, too, though it was mostly from working last evening and being up so late/early. It was a… Read More Wynyard Quarter

 The last 3 days have been pretty miserable.  Imagine having a super-concentrated version of the flu virus that knocks you flat, then leaves off for a few hours (tricking you into thinking that you’re on the upswing) and then knocks you flat again.  That’s what it’s been like for me since Wednesday evening. I’m sitting… Read More Back to feeling human again

Fever?  Check. Cough?  Check. Chills?  Check. Headache?  Check. Aches?  Check. Just when I thought that we were in the clear and all of the winter bugs were dying off, I get sick.  Again.  I realize that this is all part and parcel of having a busy, involved toddler who goes to lots of different activities. … Read More Ailing

Most people know that the American government isn’t the most popular one in the world.  I knew this when I lived in the US, but it didn’t truly hit home until I moved overseas.  It seemed as if, all of a sudden, complete strangers would start to ask me questions about US policy and why… Read More Living in New Zealand: Gun Control

Here are a few photos of what we’ve been up to during the break… Enjoying breakfast and working on using a spoon… Oblivious to the fact that he’s got a monster on his head… First carousel ride… Outtakes from photos for British visas… Joe was not happy! Attempting to keep the water from seeping through… Read More 2 Weeks

Tonight was a first in all my years as a nurse… Can you tell what it is?  No, it’s not my hair being down (I was getting ready for work and hadn’t pinned it up yet).  I’ll give you a hint: it has something to do with what I’m wearing. I’m wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt… Read More A (somewhat boring) First

If you’ve noticed that you’ve lost a follower and somehow figured out that it was me, don’t be offended.  I’m slowly switching all of my blog reading over to RSS feeds.  It’s easier for me to manage them that way, and having them split into different sections on Reader was getting to be too discombobulated… Read More Lost a Follower? Lost a Friend?

This is what Joe looked like toward the end of the day today.  Such a sick little baby :-/ Joe started acting differently on Thursday.  He wasn’t as interested in food as normal, but rather than worrying about it, I told myself that he was probably just plateauing from a growth spurt, doing a bit… Read More Too Tired to Sit

Well, it’s happened. I received my first public child-sun-safety chastisement. For those of you who don’t know, let me tell you that New Zealand has a disproportionately high rate of skin cancer thanks to the location of the ozone hole.  Back in the 1980s, Australia started up a catchy sun safety campaign called “Slip, Slop,… Read More Word and Deed

Three semi-important things have happened in the last 2 days: 1. We bought my & Joe’s plane tickets to England (Chris’ was covered by the university).  Our checking account is looking a little leaner!  Looks like we’ll be traveling for 25+ hours which is a heckuva long time to have a toddler in your lap,… Read More 3 Things in 2 Days

I usually don’t mind doing laundry, but now that winter’s rolled around, it’s startin’ to get on my nerves. In summer, I can hang the clothes to dry overnight with a fan going and – come morning – they’re ready to put away.  Not so in winter.  In winter, it’s r-a-i-n-y.  In winter, I pull… Read More Winter and Laundry