10 years

i can't believe it's been ten years since aaron and i started dating. in a way it seems just like yesterday, but it also seems like it has been forever (in a good way). since we did such a job of celebrating last year (hoot and holler), the pressure was on for this year. we usually don't try to outdo ourselves, but we both wanted to be able to remember what we did for ten years. we decided to rent a cabin, cottage, or chalet. we relentlessly googled various versions of this to try to find something. but no. this was really confusing, because as gorgeous as new zealand is, the should have tons of these to rent. we were confused.

after a bit, we discovered that what we were looking for is called a bach (pronounced "batch"). ah ha! there are tons of them. this is the one we decided on te nikau cottage. it's a cute cottage that was perfect for a romantic celebration.

not too many pictures exist from the weekend, but there are a few...

after cooking breakfast in this kitchen

 i peeked out the window and saw two sheep that had wandered into our front lawn

cute, right? also, practically in our backyard was a wonderful nature reserve. late afternoon we decided to check it out. we bushwhacked through a thick jungley forest and reached the parata walking track in the hemi matenga memorial park. it was a gorgeous hike that climbed to beautiful views

of course, the usuals were also involved in the celebration...champagne, pizza, scrabble, etc. it was a terrific way to celebrate ten years of "us".