new zealand -
a week after getting back from our trip to southeast asia, i boarded the plane for another 13 hour flight across the pacific. i used to work in nz so have been there many, many times, but hadn't been back since 2006. upon touch down in auckland, i felt like i was home. i was in nz for the society for conservation biology conference as well as other various meetings with folks - which translated into FIVE talks (all different) and one panel in the course of ten days. it sounded like such a good idea a few months ago... despite the marathon of talks, i did manage to spend some time with my good friends jen and grant in auckland and with robyn and stacie in nelson. i made it out of nz just in time - it was dumping buckets of rain in nelson (sunshine capitol of nz) and they declared a state of emergency the day after i left. whew! despite not having a lot of time for getting out and about, robyn took us for a ride on her horses and we managed a hike to the geographic centre of nz in the rain. all in all a great trip, even if it was a little crazy. i'm already looking forward to my next trip back!
robyn, katie, and kim at the centre of nz in nelson
me riding huntsman - of "lord of the rings" fame. that horse is ginormous (the top of his back is taller than me) and "spirited", but we had a nice time.
minnesota -
a week after returning from nz, pete and i got on a plane (for a much shorter time period, thank goodness) bound for minnesota. when we arrived at the airport, the temperature was a balmy 35 degrees...above zero. typically when we arrive it is 20 degrees BELOW zero. i don't think pete has been to minnesota in the winter with temperatures above zero. my dear friends tenley and carl picked us up at the airport and took us to a yummy cambodian restaurant (yes, there is some good food to be had in minnesota). afterwards we met up with my mom and started the three hour trip to my parents' house by way of my oldest sisters house so we could see the four munchkins (and wish madeline a happy 13th birthday!).
all of my siblings eventually arrived at the lake on christmas day. pete, my mom, and i went to church that morning, which included me song leading for the congregation while my mom played the organ. song leading was my dad's job... it was a hard year to try to "celebrate". my dad's presence was missed immensely...he brought so much love and laughter to our gatherings. there was a most spectacular sunset on christmas night - almost as if it were a sign that he was with us...somehow.
sun setting over the frozen lake
we (okay, mostly pete) were able to get a few projects done for my mom while we were there. pete took care of a tree, which also provided some entertainment for the younger boys. the trailer for carrying logs was soon hijacked for carrying nephews! my mom's kitchen knives are once again sharp and we put in a new faucet for the kitchen sink too. i wish we were closer so we could help out more often.
pete and his expert chainsaw skills
kieran and luke enjoying their 4-wheeler ride
it was so warm while we were there (45 F on christmas day) that we were able to spend lots of time outside. and with no snow, there were few bounds on the activities that we could do. the lake ice proved to be disastrous, though. kieran fell and ended up with five stitches in his chin.
kieran and brian ice dancing (pre-stitches)
madeline and steph getting ready for a snowball fight
luke on his trike
i haven't been to minnesota for christmas in eight years, but it was a good year to be together. hopefully each day, each holiday gets a little easier the second go round, but there will always be a hole where my dad used to be.
and finally, doesn't this little one look cute? yep, she gave me a lovely case of the flu/cold that last THREE weeks. thanks, al!
i promise to get the asia photos/trip details up soon...i'm still trying to work my way through all 4,000 photos!
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