Jumping the rainbow

Me and this blog, yeah, we almost broke up. But I think I finally might be able to start writing again.

You might have guessed that August was rough. My poor dear husband was stuck single parenting for weeks while I begged for "just one more hour at work, please."

And then to top it off, at the very height of the madness, I had to take a business trip for eight days. To New Zealand. I love New Zealand! But-- it's a really, really, reeeeally, long way away from here.

I owe my husband big time. And my mother. And my father. And my in-laws. Family is amazing. Family steps in and takes the wheel when you're too tired to drive.

It wasn't all bad though. On my very last day in New Zealand I spent the afternoon with friends. We went to a local grocery store and picked up fresh bread, hot roast chicken, and salad. We ate outside, savoring the early spring sunshine. (Because in New Zealand, the seasons are reversed, crazy, right?) Afterward we drove down to a little beach and hiked up one of the many bluffs that surround Auckland harbor. And as we rounded the bend a rainbow pierced the sky, as if on cue.

I arrived home just after midnight on Monday evening to a quiet, sleeping, house. The crickets were chirping, the fan was humming, and dog was snoring and I slipped back into the fold unnoticed. The next morning, when the girls piled into bed and smothered me with kisses and hugs it was like Christmas and my birthday all folded into one.

It is so good to be home.

Pohutukawa

In New Zealand, the pohutukawa tree blooms at Christmas-time and the flowers look just like ornaments.

Hiking in Tawa

Earlier in the week, I had the chance to go hiking in one of Wellington's suburbs, called Tawa. Never mind that I have had a horrible cough for the past two weeks, I wasn't going to let a virus stand in my way of getting out and seeing New Zealand's famous countryside. And it was well worth the windy trek.


We hiked through a dense forest, so filled with primeval ferns and plants and trees that the air seemed positively charged with oxygen. Finally, after close to a hour of uphill trudging, we emerged into the light.


There were foxgloves blooming everywhere.


Standing at the top of the hill, the wind was blowing so strongly, you could almost lean against it.


Did you know that New Zealand has no poisonous spiders or snakes? (Truly my version of heaven!) Above, the fearsome nettle lies in wait for unsuspecting passerby.


There was a 360 degrees perfect panorama and I could not stop taking photographs.


Finally, no trip to New Zealand would be complete without an encounter with the ubiquitous sheep. New Zealand has a population of about 4 million people. However, it can boast of a population of 40 million sheep. That's ten sheep per person. These two were so cute, I'm sure the Kiwis wouldn't mind if I brought them back to the United States with me.

I am currently in airport purgatory waiting for my 12 hour flight from Auckland to Los Angeles. It has been a long day--I started my morning in Samoa and had an hour layover in Tonga on my way back to NZ. I bet you'd have a tough time finding those countries on a map!

This has been an amazing trip; but I have missed my family so very, very, VERY much. I am aching to hug my sweet little girls. All I want is to be home with them and my dear husband.