We had a great time celebrating Ruby's first birthday with Allison, Mike, Soren and Allison's brother Mark and his wife Tracey. They were up visiting from Golden Bay, a small town outside Nelson on the NW cost of the South Island.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Bob and Georgene in Vegas
My parents are keeping busy and my dad recently went to a conference in Las Vegas and my mom joined him. He is a volunteer for an organisation that supports military personnel by educating employers about the rights of National Guard and Coast Guard personnel to retain their positions and/or have them protected while they are serving. (Did I get that right dad?) : )
Happy Birthday to Ruby and Soren
Ruby and Soren turned 1 and 5 this week. They are the children of Allison and Mike. We met them through Vaughan's sister. We are going to their house tonight for a birthday dinner for Ruby. I'll make sure I take some photos. Ruby and Soren are lovely. This is a shot of Ruby and Lucy playing at the mall. Ruby started walking at 9 months (needless to say, Allison is tired)!
Landscape Update
As I said two posts ago, Vaughan is working in the yard today (can you believe it is almost winter?). Here are some photos of his efforts...and our lawn. Which is growing...slowly. I don't think the recent frosts have helped much.
Harrison Update
All the news from Lake Wobagon....ahhh...I miss NPR...Prairie Home Companion, not so much, but NPR, yes. Anywho! Anne, Vaughan's mum is in Europe with his Auntie Claire. She has been sending emails and rang this morning. She is have a great time! She said today she should have done something like this a lot soon. So good to hear she is having such a great time. She has been gone for two weeks now and has another three to go.
Julia, Vaughan's sister is due to give birth to her third child in about three weeks. Exciting stuff!
The sun is out so Vaughan is in the yard digging holes. The holes are to for the posts that will support the retaining wall for a vege garden. I am looking forward to growing our own veges and herbs. Vaughan still rides in to work about three times a week. The other days he takes Lucy to daycare and I go in early. He is running as well.
Lucy is well and is sleeping through the night...again. She was sick and teething about three weeks ago and we had a rough go of it. She now sleeps about 11.5 hours at night and takes one two hour nap mid-day. She generally goes to bed around 6:30 or 7:oopm and wakes up at about 5:30am regardless of when she goes to sleep. It is a bit early but I don't care, I get 7 hours of sleep or more in a row!
Lucy is also chatting away these days. She imitates intonations in voice and sings little songs to herself. She says momma, dadda, da for bird (duck), uff for dog, ub pe (up please), bye, hi, no....but she understands WAY more than she says. It is amazing. Momma was a little slow on the uptake. I can ask Lucy to get her bottle, she gets it. To put away her shoes, she does. I say "should we go outside for a walk?" She gathers my shoes and hers. She knows her feet, nose, head, hands, belly button. She confuses ears and eyes and she is not so sure about mouth. She of course knows cats and dogs and birds. She will stand by her highchair if she is hungry and get her formula and bottles out of the cupboard if wants a drink. She's clever. Far more clever than me.
And me, I'm good. I'm going to Australia in July for work. That will be fun. : )
Julia, Vaughan's sister is due to give birth to her third child in about three weeks. Exciting stuff!
The sun is out so Vaughan is in the yard digging holes. The holes are to for the posts that will support the retaining wall for a vege garden. I am looking forward to growing our own veges and herbs. Vaughan still rides in to work about three times a week. The other days he takes Lucy to daycare and I go in early. He is running as well.
Lucy is well and is sleeping through the night...again. She was sick and teething about three weeks ago and we had a rough go of it. She now sleeps about 11.5 hours at night and takes one two hour nap mid-day. She generally goes to bed around 6:30 or 7:oopm and wakes up at about 5:30am regardless of when she goes to sleep. It is a bit early but I don't care, I get 7 hours of sleep or more in a row!
Lucy is also chatting away these days. She imitates intonations in voice and sings little songs to herself. She says momma, dadda, da for bird (duck), uff for dog, ub pe (up please), bye, hi, no....but she understands WAY more than she says. It is amazing. Momma was a little slow on the uptake. I can ask Lucy to get her bottle, she gets it. To put away her shoes, she does. I say "should we go outside for a walk?" She gathers my shoes and hers. She knows her feet, nose, head, hands, belly button. She confuses ears and eyes and she is not so sure about mouth. She of course knows cats and dogs and birds. She will stand by her highchair if she is hungry and get her formula and bottles out of the cupboard if wants a drink. She's clever. Far more clever than me.
And me, I'm good. I'm going to Australia in July for work. That will be fun. : )
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Head Noise
Ah...life is busy these days, busy and wonderful. Vaughan, Lucy and I laugh heaps together, my kiwi family is fantastic, my family and friends in the States and around the globe are doing well and I have met some lovely people and found a wonderful friend in Allison and her family. I enjoy my work, I get to work out several times a week and I am finally able to sleep for more than 3 hours in a row-- with sleep anything is possible.
The only thing I struggle with these days is a head noise -- a constant chatter in my head of what I need to do, what I forgot to do and what I want to do, etc. I reckon that what I refer to as head noise is simply a symptom of a busy life and trying to balance various roles: mother, wife, daughter, employee, auntie, mother/sister-in-law, friend and athlete (that label is probably an overstatement, but whatever). From my conversations with others it seems most parents have the same experience. The noise makes it difficult to just stop and do nothing...your brain is always buzzing and there is always an unfinished to-do list in your head. Head noise also makes it difficult to live in the here and now and be present in the moment. I try my best to be totally present when I am with Lucy, Vaughan, family and friends - it is not easy but I do my best -- Lucy certainly deserves it and I want to give her my full attention and focus when we are together.
So, I am currently working on a quiet head.
The only thing I struggle with these days is a head noise -- a constant chatter in my head of what I need to do, what I forgot to do and what I want to do, etc. I reckon that what I refer to as head noise is simply a symptom of a busy life and trying to balance various roles: mother, wife, daughter, employee, auntie, mother/sister-in-law, friend and athlete (that label is probably an overstatement, but whatever). From my conversations with others it seems most parents have the same experience. The noise makes it difficult to just stop and do nothing...your brain is always buzzing and there is always an unfinished to-do list in your head. Head noise also makes it difficult to live in the here and now and be present in the moment. I try my best to be totally present when I am with Lucy, Vaughan, family and friends - it is not easy but I do my best -- Lucy certainly deserves it and I want to give her my full attention and focus when we are together.
So, I am currently working on a quiet head.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Fall has arrived...
...and winter is approaching. Lucy and I went for a walk today around the neighborhood. She loves exploring outside but even more she loves seeing the other kids and watching to see what they are doing. It was a beautiful fine day today, cold but fine, so we rugged up and headed out. We talked to some other kids, ran after a skateboard, looked for cats and dogs and spotted some birds.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Happy Birthday to Hope!
(Flora, Chris, Henry, Hope and Nash)Happy Birthday to Hope! Hope and I met at church camp when we were 12. She lived in West Seattle, I lived on the "Eastside" although I would always tell people who knew nothing about Seattle that I was from Seattle (like saying you are from Wellington when you live in Upper Hutt), Hope would correct me and point out that I clearly lived in the suburbs while she was a hip, urban chick. We traveled to the Soviet Union together when we were 16. She went to University in Washington and California, while I was in Oregon. She moved to Texas, I stayed in Portland, Oregon. She finally moved to Portland and I got to hang out with her, Chris and their two wonderful boys for about 4 years (because they went BACK to Texas during that time) and then I up and moved to New Zealand. In any event, Hope and I have been friends for ages, and despite the distance between us for the better part of 26 years we remain close friends and I consider her, Chris, Henry and Nash to be family.
Happy Birthday Hoper!
XXOO
Jen
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Emigrant
On Wednesday (my day off) I went to a seminar for work. It was sponsored by the Department of Labour which administers New Zealand's immigration policies. I am currently involved in immigration work for my employer, so off I went.
The seminar was aimed at Human Resource professionals and specifically at their attempts to recruit and retain employees. Turns out it is rather difficult to keep people in paradise at the bottom of the earth - far away from anything and everyone they know.
One speaker addressed the emotional stages that most emigrants go though. If they are lucky they go through all the stages in 6 months; I think it takes most more time than that.
The speaker noted the following stages - FUN, FLIGHT, FIGHT and FIT.
I am not sure if any of the kiwis in the room got it, but I did.
The seminar was aimed at Human Resource professionals and specifically at their attempts to recruit and retain employees. Turns out it is rather difficult to keep people in paradise at the bottom of the earth - far away from anything and everyone they know.
One speaker addressed the emotional stages that most emigrants go though. If they are lucky they go through all the stages in 6 months; I think it takes most more time than that.
The speaker noted the following stages - FUN, FLIGHT, FIGHT and FIT.
I am not sure if any of the kiwis in the room got it, but I did.
Briefly, she explained the stages as follows:
Fun - as when on vacation in a new place, everything is exciting and wonderful, the novelty of everything is fascinating and the new place/culture seems to be better than home
Flight - the novelty of everything being different has worn off and you just want to go home, nothing is the same, everything is different "when is the next flight home?"
Fight - everything that is different is silly or not well thought out, i.e. "give me a break with the -round-a-abouts and everything closing at 5pm" and the way the word debut is pronouced (DAY BOO) "why don't they do it like they do at home?"
Fit - different is fine, sometimes it's better.... : )
I am frequently asked, especially by people who I have just met, whether I miss "home" and how I like New Zealand. People expect me to say I miss "home" (I generally tell people I am from Upper Hutt when I know they are asking me where am I really from) which I do, but they also expect me to gush with compliments and praises about New Zealand, which I normally don't do, not that New Zealand isn't a wonderful but place is not as important as people. And that is what I tell people when they ask me how I like it here. I would be happy anywhere Vaughan and Lucy are; they are my home.
So, I am definitely at the FIT stage in my "emotional settlement" in New Zealand. I feel comfortable here, I know what is going on, I get what being a kiwi is about. I am not sure I feel totally accepted or integrated. I think I will continue to be perceived by many as a transplant, an other, an American. And that is okay. I am okay with being American. ("Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am an American.") We know people in context and part of who I am is that I used to live in America and I have a funny accent. And now I live in New Zealand with my lovely husband and daughter. Who I am continues to change and expand, even how I think of myself, and that is a good thing.
Change is good. New Zealand is good.
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