wise?

job interviews, visas, honduras, moving to new zealand? i clearly do not have enough on my plate. i have therefore decided that now is a good time to have my wisdom teeth removed. about 7 years ago, they were growing in and somewhat painful. i went to the dentist who told me i needed to have them removed immediately. according to the dentist, my mouth did not have enough space to accommodate them and that they would be painful until i did so. i was frightened so i did the most logical thing - i didn't go back. as it turns out, i did have enough space in my mouth, and all four have grown in straight and perfect.

i began going to a dentist again when we came to seattle. she has always gently suggested that i have them removed as well. apparently, my gum line is a bit receded on all four so there are pockets around the tooth (think like a loose turtleneck). it isn't a problem, but in the future it could get infected, which would be a bigger problem, and it is easier to heal the younger you are. since i will only have dental insurance for a few more months, i decided to go for it.

i have a consultation on july 8th and am scheduled for extraction on the 12th. to ease my fears, feel free to send me any positive stories relating your personal experience (please, please, please do not tell me any horror stories...i'm frightened enough).

barbie and aaron take a trip

when you travel with aaron the possibilities are endless and a bit daunting. basically, you could spin a global and pick a place, and it wouldn't be weird. he usually picks the destination for our adventures and i happily follow along. understandably, he wanted me to have more of an input for our next trip. sometime after aaron defends his phd in july, and before we move to new zealand in september, we are planning a nice 2 week "holiday". i'm greatly looking forward to this, but as i mentioned earlier, planning international travel is a bit overwhelming (such is the theme lately, i suppose).

however, i am greatly pleased to announce that i found a location that has all of the following:

1. cheap flight (we obtained 2 tickets for around $1000)
2. cheap living (think $30 a day for hotel, food, etc.)
3. doesn't require a visa (i'm done with visas for awhile)
4. has caribbean beaches
5. colonial villages
6. mayan ruins
7. national parks for hikes (cloud forests, too)
8. good food, think mixture of  african, spanish, and indigenous

give up? it's honduras. and we are going there in august. i'm thrilled. we haven't traveled internationally together since vietnam, and that has been my favorite vacation so far.

june 21, high 61, are you kidding me?

life seems to be flying by at a break neck speed. i can barely keep up. people are frequently telling me how excited i must be about moving to new zealand. the truth is, i have mostly forgot. sure, i am doing all of the things i need to do to get there (finger printing, paper work, medical work, interviews, etc.), but i don't usually think about the fact that soon my everyday life will be in a different country.  sometimes, when i am stressed out by all of the chores involved, it helps to look at apartments on trademe. envisioning my life there with aaron, once things are settled is peaceful.

we are getting much closer to sending our paperwork off to the embassy. my medical test have come back and i'm happy to report i am in perfect health. now we need our fingerprints to return from the fbi, so we can assure nz i am not a criminal.

i did have an interview about 2 weeks ago for an office administrator position at the university. as each day passes, i am less hopeful about my chances. but it was a good experience that will help me in the long run.

yes, technically the first day of summer was yesterday.  it doesn't feel like it. it has reached 75 yet this year in seattle. this last weekened, i was happiest when aaron and i pretend it was a winter. we stayed inside and played board games, watched avatar, and had beer cheddar soup and wine. it was no outdoor adventure, but it was nice nonetheless.

oh, and happy blogiversary to myself...who knew i would still be updating this blog one year later?

kansas and new zealand update

oh where to start...last weekend aaron and i went back kansas. our mission was two fold.

1. 10 year high school reunion

2. see my family one last time before we head off for new zealand

going back to kansas brings up a weird combination of emotions in me (happy/sad/reminiscent/longing).  but, all in all, it was a great trip. seeing faces from high school (14 out of 36) was wonderful. i don't have much in common with many of my classmates anymore, but it was great to catch up and see where they are in life. everyone seems to be happy, which is terrific. my family is also doing well. nothing too new on the family front. my nephew is already 1 1/2 years already...so big. so cute. i have to say saying goodbye for me this time was a bit harder. bonus, we got to experience an awesome thunderstorm (i miss them so).

new zealand folks are pretty picky about who they let into their great country , i applaud them on having such high standards. in order to obtain a work visa, yesterday we had to be fingerprinted at the police station. we have to send our prints to the fbi to obtain our police record. no one wants to let in common criminals. also, there is a 20 page medical report we need to fill out...we will need to obtain blood and urine tests, chest x-rays, and a full physical. nz does not want people in poor health either. on a cheery note...i have a phone interview next week for an office administration job. i am so very excited at the possibility. it sounds like a perfect match for my interests and skill set, so i am keeping my fingers crossed. wish me luck!

yesterday was also my first visit to a dermatologist. i have always had bad skin (since i was a teen, anyway). it has been so frustrating to buy all of the over-the-counter products to no avail. i have never been to a dermatologist, because it always seemed kinda vain...but it became apparent that i am now 28 and i am clearly not outgrowing this. i decided i was worth it. she prescribed me retin-a and a benzoyl peroxide wash. i'm looking forward to possibly having clearer skin soon, even though i know the retin-a will make my skin a nightmare for the first few weeks.