The bits and pieces since our last blog

Well... Life has been hectic as you can see with the lack of posts to our blog.To make it short and sweet to fill in everyone I will do highlights from the past few months. So many wonderful things have taken place that I know I will have forgotten but with the help of my daily planner I will try to highlight the best adventures. 
August: JC and I decided to begin our Elimination Diet. It really isn't a diet but a life style change of eating. We were super strict for the first month to get a firm foundation. Overall, we really enjoy how much the diet has helped with our inflammation (my knee and JC's back), our healthy bodies, and amazing yummy food. From time to time we get off track but then feel bad after that we realize how much it is helping us to continue.We went to the Auckland Food Show which was amazing. We had went to the same food show in Sydney years ago but the Auckland one stole the show. We were so lucky to get to try so many things we see at the grocery store but never venture out to "try." We finally found the closest thing to Costa Rican pure coconut water. After 5 hours we left with many goodies and great options for our future grocery visits. 
I kick started my yoga teaching with a few of my friends. I never knew I could be so nervous teaching! especially in front of my friends but boy was I a nervous wreck. I had asked my yoga teacher to give me some pointers and she simply stated just breathe. Well... she was right as I tried to get a few breaths in as I made it through my first class. My friends didn't even sense that it was my first class and were surprised. Since then we have made yoga our weekly habit and added a yoga pot luck dinner afterwards. I enjoy teaching and am now planning a yoga in the Rose Gardens Park once I find some spare time. 
I was excited to purchase tickets to my first ballet, Swan Lake. I assumed JC liked Swan Lake and didn't tell him about the event until the week of... Well... I was surprised to find that JC wasn't too keen on going but said he would so we made it a date night. Since we were committed to our new elimination diet we had a lovely meal at home and then headed downtown for the show. The first part was super slow which caused JC to doze off and for me to think... WOW! I just don't think ballets are for me. Then the ballet came together and we both left the show feeling good about sticking it out and enjoying the performance. 
September: It's Father's Day in September for New Zealand. We celebrated with our Kiwi Dad, Bryan, with meter long pizza, a homemade rich chocolate chocolate cake that I made, and an evening with great company. I really wanted to go to the silent retreat that my yoga studio held at the beach but it was already fully booked. I decided to ask if there was a "waiting" list and they said I could start one! Within a few days I was called to attend. I was super excited to have a long weekend get away at the beach in Coromandel. I was in silence from Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon. There were 15 people that came for the retreat. Overall, what I had expected wasn't what I experienced but can say it was an amazing time that will be a lifelong memory. The weekend helped to spark fire into my meditation practice which is still strong today. My goal is to have this experience once a year. For all who know how much I LOVE to talk, this weekend wasn't at all difficult to remain silent. Yup... It was a surprise to me too! JC and I invited Bryan and Marianne for a Riverboat dinner treat. The weather was not nice at all for a dinner cruise but we made the most out of our time together. We started in Auckland and cruised for 1.5 hours to a fabulous restaurant, Riverhead Tavern, for dinner. The restaurant was lovely and we enjoyed our evening with Bryan and Marianne. On the way back to Auckland the weather did clear but we were full and tired from dinner so the cruise was more of, "I'm getting sleepy." trip. To end the month there was the Auckland Boat Show. What a show it was with heaps of boats and boat "stuff." JC and I went on Friday to check it out. I lasted through the expo but after 3 hours I was feeling a bit tired/bored. JC made the most of his time and went back on Saturday and Sunday to check out companies and seminars that were held at the show. While JC went to the boat show on Sunday, I went with Felix and Jasper to see the Big Cats wildlife park located 2 hours north of Auckland. We went to the ROAR at FOUR! and Boy was it. The cats started to roar and then the others would join in. The road trip was pretty long but the wild park was nicely done with 33 big cats. After the tour we had yummy pizza and headed back to Auckland. Overall, I did enjoy the trip to the park but wouldn't make a special drive to see it! here is their website http://www.kingdomofzion.co.nz/big-cats/
October: JC has been working super hard this semester to balance his class projects along with his final research project. I can't believe he has one month left for his program. I am beyond proud of him and how hard he is working. This month JC has to dedicate all his time to get everything ready and finished before his graduation. For me... I am staying busy with something to do each day. I joined a running club to get back into running. Unfortunately it has been a much slower process than I thought. I am really out of shape. We also bought wetsuits to gear up for the "summer" months here. Strange to say we need wetsuits for the ocean but remember we came from Costa Rica. And to think I would complain about Costa Rica's water temperature. Spring has finally SPRUNG here in Auckland. The birds are chirping, flowers in bloom, and the sun sets much later. JC and I find it weird to eat dinner while it is still light outside, but we can't complain to have more time to be outside. This weekend I finally made the big purchase on a road bike. With the weather changing and inspiration to get back into my exercise routines I decided it was time to buy a bike. I am beyond happy with my new Felt Bike and have enjoyed getting to ride it over the weekend. I went to Matakana today to visit our friends from Costa Rica who moved to New Zealand about 2 months ago. They are starting a Stand Up Paddle company along with tours and adventure gear. I got to try out their boards on a glassy smooth estuary. Once I finally took my mind off of "I might fall in" mode I enjoyed the paddle. I did NOT want to fall into the "COLD" water! After a nice BBQ lunch my friend and I went for a bike ride to the near by beach. It was a beautiful day filled with nice weather, company, and relaxing Sunday FUN day. I think that sums up the BIG bits of our life here in Auckland since our last post. Life is amazing and we love living here more and more everyday (especially with the seasons changing) We are super excited to have my Dad come to visit in 12 days. The countdown has been on for awhile to welcome our FIRST visitor. We can't wait to have him here to show off this beautiful country. Our next blog will be the adventures of Dad's time with us. Until then... We miss you all so much, think of you daily, and want to say that Mi Casa es Su Casa and would love to welcome more visitors to our new home! 

Swan Lake

Our Kiwi Mum and Dad

We reunite in NZ! Costa Rica friends

Omaha Beach

Ohui (Silent Retreat)

Just me and the boys

My new riding buddy

Always an adventure

Finally my fav. color PINK

South Island Ski Adventure

Queenstown/Wanaka Ski Adventure

The long awaited blog about our winter wonderland get away to the South Island. Thank goodness I wrote down what we did everyday since it has been a month ago! Not quite sure where the time has gone, but JC and I are falling more and more in love with New Zealand everyday. Ok... enough about how much we LOVE it here and on to the ski trip. Before we left, our friends were so generous to let us borrow their stylish ski clothes. We weren't able to pack much and were worried about being super cold. Overall, as always we packed way to much and only carried a backpack. Once you get use to the weather it is a much drier cold than Auckland. A few layers and we were more than toasty. We had to get up at 3:30am and walk about 25 minutes to get the airport bus. When we arrived to Queenstown is was early morning which gave us the entire day to hang out and enjoy the town. Our hotel let us check in right away which was a relief. After a nap we headed to the Queenstown center which we had to take a bus. Our hotel was super nice with a lovely view of the lake, a huge breakfast "all you can eat", and a mini heater for the room. It's the little things that make a difference. Of coarse, our first stop was to eat FERG burger which by far is the best burger place in the world. After visiting last April we found Ferg burger and have been talking about going back every sense. After a huge burger our next stop was Patagonia Chocolate. This is another place we couldn't stop talking about after we had their banana split incredible ice cream. You know it is yummy when it is freezing outside and we get two scoops each of ice cream. Our first day in Queenstown was amazing with great food, weather, and fun. 

that bag is filled with ONE burger

He made me do it!

Day Two: Repeat the food as of day 1, Ferg and ice cream! As you continue to read this was our staple food everyday while in Queenstown. In other words, our diet didn't begin until we arrived back to Auckland. We decided to walk into town from our hotel using the lake walking path. It was a beautiful walk and the weather was sunny. Since our skiing would begin on day 3, we had to go get fitted for our ski/snowboard gear. JC decided to become a snowboarder! I stuck to what I knew and took the skis. There were a few laughs as we felt like the Costa Ricans go skiing adventure. After walking around Queenstown we found a great park that runs along the lake. This was a new find and we enjoyed the scenery. 

 Day 3: We had a huge breakfast at 6:30am before catching the bus to Wanaka. I found a coupon deal for the ski resort, Treble Cone, which is 1.5 hours away from Queenstown. With a lot of research and homework we decided to go to Treble Cone. The beginners slopes were 10% but all the other ski resorts listed beginners as 30%. Not that much difference we thought...Anyways, as we were driving away from the hotel, I remembered that I had left my ski boots in the hotel room. Luckily, I was able to rent the boots only at the resort for the same price I had paid for the entire gear! A live in learn moment. JC decided to take the first day to get snowboard lessons. I warmed up on the bunny slope before venturing out to the beginner slope. To summarize the "beginner" slope at Treble Cone, super challenging, drop off cliffs, and you have never been so thankful to arrive at the bottom safe and sound. With that said I was super excited that I was able to tackle the slope (one slope) but had a great time. The ski lift was "fancy dancy" which was nice to take 5 minutes to ride and 20 minutes to descend. JC stayed in snowboard lessons all day and loved the new "sport." We skied from 10-4 before heading back to Queenstown. Repeat food as Day 1 and 2.

 

Day 4: Waking up to soreness and wanting more was how we felt. The journey up to Treble Cone was definitely an adventure 
The big charter bus didn't need to be going up and down the steep terrain but the company didn't seem to care. As we were heading up the mountain from Queenstown the bus driver was having problems shifting gears. When we arrived to the bottom of Treble the driver said, "well you can complain to the company but this bus isn't able to go any further." Many people had made their final day of skiing at Treble Cone as it is known for advance slopes. We waited for the Treble Cone staff to pick us up in their mini buses to finish the journey to the slopes. After a two hour delay we were able to enjoy the day. JC decided to stay on the bunny slope after listening to my review of the "beginner" slope. We didn't stop to eat lunch to get our full day in. We were greeted by our bus driver who had a 1950's school bus which was up at the slopes to take us back to Queenstown. What an awful ride we had for 2 hours. The bus driver had to keep the window open so he could see which allowed a huge draft of night cold air. The bus of coarse did not have heat so we all were in the most clothes we had even been in the entire trip. When we made it to Queenstown I went to complain for our money back while JC ordered our Ferg burger. The company, Kiwi Discovery, didn't really care and offered us Ferg burger. I basically said they could have their burger and left. JC went back later and they gave him a refund for half! He also didn't say that I was his wife who had complained earlier. To top off being pissed off this was the worst! Now they had something against women complaining. We had planned on using this company to take us to another ski slope the following day, but I rushed to book another company for our last ski day to Cardrona.
Day 5: With a later start to the day we were sore but pushing through for our final ski day. The Snow and Info. bus came to pick us up. The driver loved to see how fast he could go! I think we made it in record breaking time to Cardrona. With that said, it wasn't that scary until he decided to take his speeding up the dirt road to the slopes. We were sliding from on turn to the other. A few girls who had partied the night before were sick. A great start to our last ski day. We decided to take the second bus of the day to Cardrona so we began at 11. JC and I were super excited to ride the life and ski/snowboard together. Cardrona is a ski resort for all different levels. JC loved snowboarding the "slopes" and I enjoyed being the photographer. Towards mid-day we were skiing the intermediate slopes. JC has great balance and did excellent on the board. Eventually I had to go in front of him after seeing multiple face dives into the snow. Overall, he has learned how to snowboard and wants to continue. 

Day 6: Ending our trip with Japanese massages was a great start to our last day in Queenstown. We were super sore and had already purchased Advil and sport's rub.The weather was amazing the entire trip but even got better as the snow fell on Sunday. We were getting a bit tired of burgers and decided to make our last night a fancy meal night. We ate at a hotel in town which had great duck. Overall, we weren't disappointment nor blown away with the food. There is a great pool place in town. After dinner we headed over to play a few games. Being Sunday night it was a much different scene than when we had went during the day. We played a few games before going to get our ice cream. (I don't we could ever get tired of that place) I got the best chocolate cake EVER. It had cake, brownie, mousse, and chocolate all in one! YUMMY! On Monday morning we packed up and were very sad to leave. Our trip was incredible! From relaxing, walks, snow, ski/snowboarding, eating at our favorite places, and last but not least spending time together it was an amazing trip. 

A long awaited post (5 months marks the calendar)

Check out the 4th of July SKY TOWER

Today marks our 5 month NZ adventure. Time is flying by so fast! Lately I have been slack about blogging... now I realized that I need to get caught up on the past few months. Hummmm Where to begin? We have been enjoying getting to know more people and seeing Auckland. It now seems as though our weeks and weekends are filled with fun times outdoors, hanging out with friends, or spending time with our "kiwi family." The winter has been super mild as the average temperature is 60 degrees. Not quite sure what August and September have in store but only time will tell. JC worked so hard this trimester and finished with a "proud wife" approval. He had his first class of the second and FINAL trimester today! Like I said, Time is soaring! We joined the "rest" of Auckland and purchased a car. Not sure if you call it a car or roller skate. In Auckland it seems like all cars have been in that movie, Hunny I shrunk the kids. Most cars are tiny mini. We are proud owners of a.... (drum roll) 2004 Toyota Allex. Yup in normal words a Toyota Corolla brought over from Japan. It zips around town and is great on gas (even though we have used it maybe 8 times) since we purchased it. Our apartment is so central that we would prefer to walk than to find parking. To make things simple I named the car Allex with Mom's help. On the weekends we have been hanging out with friends playing American football, rugby, and dinner parties. We spent a lot of time with our Kiwi Dad, Bryan, while our Kiwi Mom, Marianne, was touring Turkey and visiting Luke in the USA. Bryan took us on many road trips that we are always excited about going on. It is fun to see the country with a locals help. I dressed in red, white, and blue for the 4th of July which I have not celebrated in years! I went with my friend, Katie, to a morning tea for the American Women's Club that I recently joined. With a group of friends we played American football but then somehow ended up playing rugby which ended up being way more of a work out. The Dalai Lama came to Auckland! JC and I decided to go a bit early before he spoke to see if we could buy tickets. I thought it was best to carry a homemade sign to hold that said, "We need 2 tickets." When we got to the civic center there were others holding signs. Being me, I decided to walk up and down the street holding the sign to gain more attention to those walking. Within 10 minutes we were approached by a school teacher who had extra student tickets. As we walked into the theater I wanted JC to take a picture of me with our sign and tickets. While he was taking the picture we heard a guy say, "hey here is two tickets for free." Having our tickets already I told him thanks so much but please go outside to the ladies in front of the door who were holding a sign for tickets! In the end it worked out for all of us and we had great seats to hear the Dalai Lama speak. He is getting up there with his age and it showed with his randomness of words. Overall, the presence of him and the crowd was a lifetime experience. JC and I were so happy to have found tickets! Speaking of tickets... Beyonce is coming to Auckland for 3 days. I have always wanted to see her and thought now is the time! JC and I waited by the computer Friday morning to be the "first" ones to purchase tickets. Needless to say, after all the craziness we got tickets to her first show in Auckland. Can't wait to go to the Vector Arena (which you can see from our house) to see such an amazing performer and who knows... JayZ might make an appearance. Well, the transition period is over for us as we are settled into our new home, life, and adventure in Auckland. With that transition period, I also "transitioned" with eating and enjoying all the bad foods that taste so so good. I have kicked my own butt in gear and have been dieting, walking, cardio, and back into the yoga routine. I went to my Ayurveda Doctor this week and she said, "no worries dear you are transitioning, it's winter, and it is ok." I basically told her that I am kicking it in gear and I enjoyed my time while it lasted! I guess my joke of gaining weight from the delicious NZ wine is haunting me now! I know that there is way more that has happened since I last blogged but either 1. I can't remember or 2. I feel that I have written way to much as it is...
Stay tuned in for our Queenstown/South Island Ski adventure post PRONTO! 

1920's mystery dinner party

                                     

                                    

JC, me, and Allex makes 3

Hobbiton Road Trip

Well, it has been awhile since I have been able to post what's been going on. Not quite sure where the weeks have gone as I just asked JC, "When did we go on our road trip to see the movie scene of the Hobbit?" Anyways, at least I am writing about it now. We left rainy Auckland on a Saturday afternoon to head to Matamata. We arrived to a warm welcome from Kathleen and John who were the B&B owners. Their kindness, hospitality, and conversation was beautiful. We arrived just at sunset and enjoyed talking with the owners. As the rain was pouring outside, JC and I decided we should go into town for dinner. We loved the local pub in town that had amazing food and great live music. We kept saying we will leave after "this last song" but we kept staying and enjoyed the night. I had wanted to surprise JC with the trip to Hobbit "town" on Saturday but saw that the weather forecast looked pretty rainy. JC didn't get his full surprise as he found out we were going Sunday morning if the weather was nice. Well...we woke up to a beautiful morning and wanted to be the first tour group on the set. We barely made it on the tour but as I said "we made it." Not being a Lord of the Rings fan I wasn't sure what to expect especially paying a lot of money to see the Hobbit set. Well, let me say that I enjoyed it just as much as JC (who is the Lord of Rings book reader/movie lover.) The NZ scenery in general is amazing but this place took it to another level. It was great to be the first ones on tour as many tours came after us with bigger groups. I could go on and on about the tour but I think the pictures will tell the Sunday morning experience. Our main reason for the trip was to go on a night kayak tour to see the glow worm caves. Due to the unpredictable NZ weather the forecast was calling for horrible rain Sunday evening. Our kayak tour was canceled but we were ok with heading home early before the "torrential rains" came. On our way home we stopped in at a store called, Martha's Backyard. An American friend had told me about this "American" store. JC and I had a fun time looking through a flea market setting with crazy expensive Cosco items. Needless to say we picked up a few favorites that you can't find here; such as, PEEPS, mac n cheese, brownie mix, hot chocolate packets, Crunch bars, and Jiffy cornbread mix! When we arrived home it was a surprise to see no rain but a nice sunset! As the night progressed we were wondering if the rain would even come. It finally came but we think the kayak tour could have been accomplished. We don't like to take risks on those tours when they are calling for bad weather. So moving on to the last few weeks. I have been sending out my resume on average to 3-4 schools per week. I am still not giving up but pushing forward. JC has been swamped with studies and now has many projects before his FINALS. Can't believe in a month he will be half way through the program. Time sure flies by when you are having fun. Next week we will celebrate our 3 MONTHS here in Auckland! I have been staying busy with applications, daily yoga at the local studio, and triathlon training. The tri season is over but I am preparing for a BIG tri before I leave NZ. Last Friday night, JC and I join a new group of American friends for an Italian night at the wharf. It was nice to hang out with people our age. As far as meeting people it has been a slow process. That is the beauty of moving. On Mother's Day we decided to get out and enjoy the sun while it was out and headed on an hour walk to Mission Bay. We have learned that you have to get out when it's sunny or else you might not see the sun for days with dreary rainy weather. Our midpoint stop was our favorite Yogurt ice cream place where we enjoyed our treat by the beach. I usually run this route a few times a week. It is beautiful to run along the beach bays. My treat is to run faster than the time before in order to stop for an ice cream. Needless to say the people at the shop know me as the girl who runs for her ice cream. I am greeted with a glass of water when I arrive. haha! I was invited to visit a school this week on the North Shore. I loved the school, principal, and kids. I applied for a job but not getting my hopes up. If it is meant to be than it shall be. Tomorrow JC and I are heading over to the North Shore to check out his professors mother in law's car. It is a Mazda 1989... things that make you go hummm. Not that we are looking for a car but when opportunities pop up you have to follow through. Overall, our time is flying by and we are enjoying every minute of it. We miss our family and friends more and more each day. So... get your trips booked to come visit!