I’ve got my work schedule for the next few weeks, and the great news is that I have a couple of days off during Chris’ university’s mid-semester break. Soooooo… I decided to plan a mini-vacation! It’s time we did a bit more exploring in our new country, don’t you think? I do! So, where are… Read More Mini Vacation to Waiheke Island
This trailer is hilarious.
Since I started work this week, the menu is a lot of easy, quick-prep meals. Anything that can be made in advance is good! Chris is so funny – when I told him that I was going back to work on Monday {this was last week}, he was excited… at first. Then a few hours… Read More Menu Monday
I’ve decided that for however long we’re in New Zealand – whether that is 5 years or 50 years – we are staying put. No more moving, no more packing, no more unpacking – this is it. The thing about moving to another country is that you can’t just unpack and throw away the boxes. … Read More Moving Day Carnage
My mom sent me this video, and it cracks me up! The speaker is a Southern woman, and (1) I love the way she talks {reminds me of Steel Magnolias} and (2) I can so relate to what she says. It’s really cute, especially if you’re married to, engaged to, or dating a left-brained kind… Read More Left Brain
Things are more expensive over here. I think I told you about finding a cute North Face raincoat, only to discover that it cost $450. I remember the saleswoman starting to say, “It costs four…” and I thought, “Oh sheesh – she’s going to say it costs $400+” and Chris was thinking, “Wow –… Read More It’s the Shipping that Kills Ya
I subscribe to a free NZ shopping site {somewhat similar to One King’s Lane or Gilt Groupe in the US}. Every now and again they have great deals. I’m not an impulse buyer, and one thing I like about this group is that it’s not the typical 24 HOURS ONLY! kind of sale. Many last… Read More Envirosax!
Shortly after moving to New Zealand, Chris discovered a new favorite: the Tim Tam. Chris told me they were yummy and fellow bloggers assured me that I had to try them, but I wasn’t sure. I took one look, turned up my nose, and said, “Ugh! Looks like a bunch of over-processed, chemical-laden, highly preserved… Read More The Tale of the Tim Tam
For the most recent, updated version of this post, please click here. Hello, my lovely readers! This post is geared towards internationally qualified nurses looking to work in New Zealand. It’s very detailed and therefore very boring. I recommend clicking “Mark As Read” right away unless you’re either (1) interested in becoming a nurse in… Read More So You Wanna be a Nurse in New Zealand
A word of caution: this dessert could lead to declarations of love and/or spontaneous marriage proposals. Use wisely! I decided to make Chocolate Death for a church get-together. Once a month our church has an open discussion on Sunday nights. It’s jokingly referred to as “stump the pastor”, because it’s a time when anyone can… Read More Chocolate Death
Three views from our windows… Mid-morning sunshine that warms up the living room (L – R: Vero Centre, Lumley Centre, and the park) A view of the park across the road Our “view” of the Sky Tower – tallest structure in NZ & the Southern Hemisphere Okay, so that last “view” isn’t all that great,… Read More Sunny Saturday Photos
Update: My NZ RN registration that I mailed back in March has been processed and should be on its way to me at this very moment. One thing down, one more to go! Well, I’m having to eat my words about Twitter. You might recall that I used to have an account, then deactivated it. … Read More Twitterpated
I haven’t thought about Super Soakers or water balloon launchers since, I don’t know, maybe 3rd grade. No, make that 8th grade. The last time that I thought about a Super Soaker was during my 8th grade Science class. I had this crazy teacher who had “interesting” ways of making sure that students toed the… Read More Squirt Guns and Water Balloons
Guess what we bought? Say hello to my new treadmill! I had a used ProForm treadmill that I bought off Craigslist 2 years ago. I told Chris that if he “let” me buy it, I would use it faithfully. I ran on it all the time, and not once did I fall into that statistic… Read More Running to Shop… Shopping to Run
I haven’t done a Menu Monday in awhile. I was working a crazy schedule prior to our move: I worked, slept, and that was it. I ate once a day, if you can believe that {no, that wasn’t a diet plan – I was too tired to eat and too busy at work to take… Read More Menu Monday
Here’s an update on what’s been happening lately in our little New Zealand household… All of my paperwork has arrived at the Nursing Council, and it’s been confirmed. They should have everything they need to evaluate my application. Once my application for RN registration is approved, I have to wait till I have it in… Read More Updates and Whatnot
We’ve learned some unique terminology, slang, and colloquialisms during our short time in New Zealand. I know that you’re just dying to know some of them, so I’m going to share! Doesn’t that make your day?! No? Well, maybe it’ll make your next 5 minutes 😉 There’s one word that has a bit of a… Read More Plungers: They’re Not Just for Toilets!
Hello, my lovely readers! Hope y’all are having a great week thus far. Ours has been busy, but that’s a post for another day. We had some friends over for dinner this week. The apartment is still pretty barren, but in this case it was a good thing. Our friends have a little one who… Read More New York Pizza in New Zealand
I went back and forth about posting photos of our new furniture before the rest of our gear had arrived. I wanted to show you the “finished” look, but I decided to go ahead and share them. I’ll do an “after” post once the rest of our belongings get here from the States, and it’ll… Read More Furniture Photos
Before we moved to New Zealand, I wrangled a promise out of Chris that he would take me to Australia. I even videotaped it so that he couldn’t renege, and I was very specific. And then I lost the video. Darn it. So, guess who’s going to Australia?! Not me 🙁 That would be my… Read More Australia!
