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.

kansas bound

the first week after we decided to move to wellington, everything seemed really blissful and exciting. last week it was replaced by anxiety and nerves. this week i seemed to have rebounded back into a state of normal. normal is nice. hopefully i will continue along this path for awhile.

accomplished:

• my passport has been renewed, and is in the process of being sent back to me.
• i've applied for 3 jobs (1 response, sadly a no)

to accomplish:

• once my passport arrives, send it back to get my work visa
• apply for more jobs

in other, no moving news...aaron and i will be going back to kansas this weekend. it will be our 10 year high school reunion and i'm definitely excited to see everyone.  we were both in a class of 35 kids. it's weird to think that these people were a part of my everyday life for at least 4 years (many of them 12) and that i haven't seen them for 10 years. also, i'll get a heaping dose of family time, which will be nice. plus, who doesn't love the adventure of traveling to western kansas. it's only a 21/2 hour flight, and a 5 hour drive away!

farewell, seattle

 seattle

well, after five years in this wonderful city, the time has come for us to leave. aaron received a post-doc opportunity in wellington, new zealand and after some careful consideration we decided to accept. he starts his new job, october 1st, so we will probably be leaving around mid-september. it will definitely be bittersweet to leave. all of our friends are here, and we have grown so accustom to the pacific northwest and all it has to offer. also, being so far from our families will present some challenges. but it is new zealand. and it is also for only two years.it is an amazing opportunity.

we are both really excited and spend copious amounts of time google earthing our new home (we have yet to find an ugly, or even mediocre picture from this country). we also surf trade me (think craigslist, new zealand style) for ideas as to what our new home will look like. i have also started to annoy aaron to no end with my use of "mate" and a weird new cockney accent that probably has very little to do with the actual new zealand accent.

of course, along with all the excitement, comes some stress. renewing my passport, work visas, finding a new job, etc. but i'm surprising myself as to how well i'm taking it (at least so far).

wellington