I’m quite pleased with my most recent purchase – this little table from a local charity shop: It has a few scratches and marks, but for only $69.00 {a good price in NZ}, I wasn’t going to kick up a fuss. Besides, now my bromeliad has a new home with plenty of sunshine. This may… Read More On the Table
I didn’t grow up with an ocean view or easy access to a large body of water. Indiana is a land full of fields – corn, soybeans, winter wheat, alfalfa, and more. The fact that I never saw the ocean until after high school didn’t bother me. I always felt a little bit like Sarah… Read More Ocean-View versus Field-View
Lately, my desire to grocery shop has gone out the door, down the stairs, into the elevator, and landed in the basement. Then, it’s been crushed by one of the cars backing out of the car-park and rolled like a tumbleweed onto the sidewalk, where it’s been further kicked around by passing pedestrians. Can you… Read More Grocery Shopping + Cooking
Picking up from the last post… I have to admit, learning about Labor & Delivery in New Zealand and the differences between here and in the States was the most surprising for me, especially the part about how soon you’re discharged after birth – 2 to 4 hours postpartum. Labor and Delivery Just like in… Read More Pregnancy in New Zealand – Labor & Delivery
Two big no-nos during pregnancy {advice for the spouse}: 1. Don’t ever ask your pregnant wife if she’s on some sort of “vomit diet” and is trying to lose weight before the big weight gain of the pregnancy {In Chris’ defense, he said he was sure the answer was “no”, but was concerned because “you… Read More Two Big No-Nos
Well, it was a crazy day right from the start… Woke up 5 times during the night: twice to get a drink, three times to go the bathroom {and throw up} Ran to catch the bus, only to be told that it was the wrong bus {this, despite the fact that it said it was… Read More The Sound We’ve Been Waiting For
One thing about moving to another country – all of your “go to” shops suddenly become a bit harder to find! I was a little discouraged by this until I started discovering the many great New Zealand based companies and designers out there. I was so excited when I stumbled across the StickyTiki shop. New… Read More Nursery Ideas – StickyTiki Wall Decals
Thanksgiving doesn’t exist in New Zealand. We briefly considered mounting our own celebration, but this pregnancy plus the very warm weather makes the thought of cooking a turkey, making homemade stuffing, and baking a pumpkin pie from scratch sound pretty miserable to me. Besides, “Thanksgiving” in New Zealand would still technically be Wednesday in the… Read More Black Friday? What’s That?
Hey everyone – if you could say a prayer for my Aunt Linda and family, it would be appreciated. My aunt was walking the family dog yesterday evening when she was hit by a car. The driver of the car was a young man who had looked away from the road to try to find… Read More Prayer Request For My Aunt
Hey everyone – I’ve gotten a few questions regarding the differences between being pregnant in the US and being pregnant in NZ. Since I’ve never been pregnant in the US and this is my first time being pregnant in NZ, I can tell you right now that my comparisons aren’t going to be exhaustive, but… Read More Pregnancy in New Zealand
I’d like to take a moment to recognize someone who has done a lot of good in the healthcare community – my dad. If he reads this (or, if what I suspect is more likely, the ladies at his office read this – hi guys!) I know he’ll be slightly embarrassed, but its true: my… Read More Commitment to Healthcare
In 6 weeks, my younger sister Valerie will be making the long flight from Indiana to New Zealand! Just how long? Her total flight time {not including layovers} is 18 hours, 45 minutes. She’s the first of our families to make the trip, and we couldn’t be happier 🙂 I can remember when she… Read More Only 6 weeks…
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited New Zealand, and talk about some BIG news! I may not always agree with Hillary’s politics, but having her visit Kiwi-land was like a little bit of home 🙂 Hillary Clinton performing a hongi during her powhiri – a Maori welcome ceremony I absolutely loved reading about the… Read More Hillary Clinton Visits New Zealand
Chris has been really cute throughout the pregnancy. He has wanted to start a family since back when we were in Massachusetts. The first time he suggested it {on the drive home from grocery shopping one night}, I kinda/sorta/maybe/totally flipped out. We knew that we were moving to South Bend in a few months and… Read More Chris + Pregnancy
Thank you so much to everyone for all of the well-wishes! I really appreciate it – reading your comments and congratulations made my day! I’ve got a lot of things going on in my mind right now – stuff that I need to take care of and accomplish. It’s time for a bullet-format post! Buy… Read More Scatterbrained
I have written and re-written this post about 15 times because, honestly, there’s no really smooth, graceful way to announce, “Hey everyone – I’m pregnant!” Or maybe there is a smooth, graceful way and I just can’t think of it… Regardless, yes – I am pregnant! And today, October 25th, seemed a fitting day to… Read More I have a happy secret…
Poor Chris has been putting up with a lot on my end lately. He’s such a sweetheart about it, but the fact is that I haven’t been as active around the house as usual. Dinners aren’t always made, laundry has been a bear to tackle, and he puts up with it and doesn’t complain. So… Read More Cheesecake
Hey everyone. It’s been 5 months in New Zealand – time for another post-move analysis! Job: Chris loves his, and I’m settling into mine. I’ve gotten to know my co-workers a bit more and have formed some new friendships 🙂 Nurses in New Zealand travel a lot more than those in the States. Many of… Read More 5 Months
My sister Valerie shared this with me, and I think it’s so cool! Although honestly, I wonder if its fun + novelty that makes people more likely to do something. I think that, after awhile, those piano keys would be a bit annoying!
I have a dent in my forehead. “Why do you have a dent in your forehead?” you ask me. I have a dent in my forehead because: (A) Layrngoscope blades occasionally become detached from their handles (B) They sometimes become detached while in the hands of a nervous intern (C) Said nervous intern, while trying… Read More I Have a Dent in my Forehead
