The Last Week

We are less than 24 hours from being at the airport to fly back to the States, that just seems unreal to us! We have spent this week packing up our house and moving it into storage. We have also had time for some goodbyes with our good friends. Here is this week in pictures:

With some friends in the city for a goodbye dinner

A BBQ with friends 

Wrapping up and moving furniture.

 

Our nice neighbor let us use his work truck to move, we also received some good help from the neighbor boy! 

The next update will be coming to you from your side of the world! We look forward to seeing you soon! 

A Very Happy New Year

We had an amazing 2008! As we reflect on all that we have done, think about all of the people we have met, and remember all the places we have been and things we have learned, and think about all of the conclusions and plans that have been made, we are amazed at all that has taken place in one year! 

The last few weeks of 2008 were amazing. We were able to spend time with the entire Huette family here in New Zealand. We were able to spend time at our house in Auckland, we went to the "adventure capital of the world"- Queenstown, and we were able to show them where we will be moving to in Christchurch. Our time was packed full of sightseeing, and enjoying being together as a family.  There are many stories to share about their time here, but I will sum it up with a few pictures. 

Catching up with Mom at Muriwai Beach

Ryan made it! He traveled for over 3 days on 5 flights, but he got here on Christmas Eve! 

Here are Ryan and my dad riding the lift up to the Luge (like go-karts w/o engines) 

                   Getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner and games!  

Girls Day! Shopping in Queenstown. 

Boy's Day! Hiking in Queenstown.

 

On our way to the Milford Sound. 

The last of the family left on New Year's Eve. The airport drop-off always makes the distance seem so real. We were able to enjoy New Year's Eve with some great friends here in Auckland and now we have jumped into packing up our house! 

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year! 

Family Reunion...Almost

The Huette Family is almost all together! As you may notice, there is still one person missing in this picture, but we HOPE we will see him tomorrow. 

Andy and Abby (and their little growing baby) have arrived safely in New Zealand. While in Los Angeles getting ready to fly out with Ryan, they encountered some issues and Ryan was not allowed go. Ryan had recently went scuba diving with his passport and it was unreadable and they would not let him leave the country as the passport would not be read and he would be sent back. 

Ryan spent the night in the LA Airport and woke up to go to the consulate in order to get a new passport. We had a nerve-wracking night waiting to hear if he was going to be able to make it. Ryan got a new passport and was able to get on the flight 24 hours later to New Zealand. 

The rest of us are leaving for Queenstown first thing in the morning so Ryan will also miss that flight. There was ONE seat left on all of the flights to Queenstown and we were able to get it for Ryan.  Now we just need to pray that his flights are on time and he makes his connections as he has very little time in between his connecting flights. 

We hope that we will finally all be together tomorrow evening, which is Christmas Eve here. We will probably not post until we get back from Queenstown, but we hope that we are all together by then, we have waited long enough! 

They're Here!!

                                                
My parents are safely on the ground in Auckland! It was a long flight from Chicago to LA to Fiji to Auckland, but they made it to Auckland just around lunch time on Monday (which is Sunday evening in the States).  We definitely turned heads at the airport with our tearful reunion and many hugs. 

For now we are just hanging out trying to keep them awake to help them get on New Zealand time.  It is so great to be together again!! 

Flashback

I am having flashbacks this week! This week feels so similar to the final week we had in our house in Rochester back in May of 07. Though we don't leave for another month, Joe and I have set an early deadline for ourselves to have a lot of our belongings packed and stored, our schedule and presentations ready for furlough (starting in January), and all of those details that need to be in line to move, finished.  

The reason? Next week the first of the Huette family arrives!!! We are so excited for my parents to arrive next week and my brothers and sister-in- law the next! We will all be together for the week around and including Christmas. In hopes to maximize our time with them, we are preparing for furlough before they get here. 

In preparation to leave, this week has felt so very similar to the last few weeks we spent at our own house in Rochester. 

This week has been filled with packing and sorting, "lasts", and meeting up with friends for farewells as we may not see them again as the holidays near, the family visits and us leaving for the States approach.  We will be coming back to Christchurch, not Auckland. Today was the last day that I will be teaching as school is letting out for the summer. This Friday is the last day of youth. We were invited away for the weekend with some friends in order to spend time together before my family gets here and we leave. We have had farewell dinners with youth and their families and a farewell lunch with the staff of Shore.    

Our to-do lists are getting checked (or ticked as Kiwis would say), our closets are getting packed, goodbyes are beginning, plans for the US are made, and our house is ready for visitors! 

Youth Leaders

In working with the youth this year at Shore Community Christian Church, we have gotten to know not only the youth, but the awesome youth leaders. We have been so blessed this year in learning form and getting to know the other leaders each Friday night at the youth events. This past Saturday Belinda, the youth minister (to the right of me in the picture) had a brunch for us to say 'thanks' for the past year. 

Even though we don't look forward to saying goodbye in the new year, we know that these friendships will always mean so much to us. We are thankful to know that we have a team of people whom we can call on whenever we need ideas for youth events, if we need help in understanding the culture/youth culture more, and when we just need a friend to chat with. We met these friends through leading at Friday night youth events but our relationships were quickly more than just Friday nights! We are thankful for all that we have learned, we only have ONE youth event left until summer break! 

Thanksgiving

Even with so much to be thankful for, we don't get Thursday off as a holiday or Friday off as a shopping day. Though Thanksgiving is not a holiday in New Zealand, we will be taking some time on Thursday to feast with our team and reflect on the many ways that God has blessed us. 

It is strange to think of the buzz of excitement that most of our friends and family in America have right now. Thinking of family get-togethers, days off work and school, traveling in the winter weather with hopes of snow flurries to help get that holiday feel, decorating for Christmas, and standing in line for those early-morning bargains seem so foreign to us right now. 

Instead of having thoughts of turkey this time of year, Kiwi's have much else going on. November in New Zealand reminds me a lot of May in the States. The end of November means exams at school, award ceremonies for end of the year accomplishments, excitement about summer plans, getting ready for summer break (starts in three weeks!) and gearing up for a wonderful and relaxing Christmas, which many Kiwis will spend on the beach. 

This thanksgiving we will feast on chicken or ham, as enough turkey to feed six people costs well over $100. We will eat kumra with raspberry and vanilla flavored marshmallows, as that is the closest we can find to sweet potatoes and white marshmallows. And if we eat pumpkin, it will most likely be as a vegetable, as the idea of sweet pumpkin (or canned pumpkin pie filling) isn't common in New Zealand.  Though our feast will look different than yours in many ways, and though we may be worlds apart, we all still have so much to be thankful for. Enjoy your turkey-day, your families, and this upcoming holiday season!