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1 Floridian + 1 Tazzie + 2 Habanero-Chili-Infused Tequila Shots = Lots of Tears and Laughter. How did we find ourselves in such a bizarre predicament this far away from Mexico? Allow me to explain!

At last, our long weekend and district convention in Christchurch arrived. The weather was cold and dreary as we loaded our car, grabbed Hungry, and bid farewell to Queenstown for five days. I was hoping for some really spectacular shots as we drove the 300 miles across the island, but unfortunately the overcast ruined about 90% of the scenery. It was still beautiful around Lake Tekapo, but overall a disappointing (and long - 7 hours) drive! The above panorama, by the way, was taken on our first trip past Tekapo way back in December...I thought it'd be fun to compare summer and winter!

So we arrived in CHCH and met up with Stacey and her friend Dan, recently arrived from the UK himself (and now our housemate for the next 3 weeks). Three of our four nights there, we hit the Mexican Cafe that we'd been craving for the past nine months, ever since our first romp in CHCH. Polenta-crusted chicken soft tacos!! Chicken mole' with chili-chocolate sauce! Vanilla rice pudding with brown sugar and real whipped cream! Oh, the taste buds were on overdrive. I could have cried.

But I saved the tears for our final night, when we were joined by a group of our friends (including Brett and Quinton, the 2 guys from Tasmania who'd been bunking with us for a week or so). I spotted the chili-infused tequila on the drinks menu and decided to give it a shot. Everyone at the table declined the dare to try it, save for brave Quinton. Our shots arrived and we knocked them back, thinking, "It's just going to have a little kick." The second it touched our throats, though, we looked at each other in horror. "What did we just do...?" was written all over our faces.

The heat and pain intensified for several minutes. Just when we thought it couldn't possibly get worse, it did. A LOT worse. Jeremy finally ran to the bar and grabbed us about 20 packets of sugar, which we dissolved in water and chugged in an effort to cool our flaming tongues, throats, and stomachs. I can handle spicy things pretty well, but I can honestly say that I've never experienced anything quite like that!! Poor Quinton was trying to "take it like a man" and be tough, but as soon as the tears started rolling down my cheeks, he followed suit, and the entire table was in hysterics. It was a true bonding experience!! Our efforts were so appreciated that Jeremy and Dan decided to be good sports and give it a try...see accompanying photos of Jeremy's reaction. It is priceless!!!

So aside from eating Mexican every night and the lovely convention every day, we didn't do a whole heck of a lot. It rained the entire five days, so that dashed our hopes of sightseeing or going to the ocean (which I haven't seen in six months - is it still there??). Stacey and Dan hitched a ride back with us on Monday and we arrived in our beloved Queenstown early in the evening. They got a massive dumping of snow while we were gone, so we raced right up there on Tuesday afternoon as soon as Jeremy was out of work. The lifts are only going to be open for another couple of weeks - quite the short season down here!! We're going to be sad to say goodbye to snowboarding (until we find a spot to do it back home - don't think there are many ski fields in Florida ha!).

We were toying with the idea of trying to stay longer (maybe an extra 6 months or a year), but we got the official "no" on sponsorship from our employer today, so there goes that idea! Looks like we're sticking with the original plan of going to Thailand for my massage course, then back home to regroup and plan our next move. Australia is always an option for another year-long work holiday (until I hit 30, at least)...and we now have friends in every town and city on the entire continent, so who knows? Perhaps in a year or two we'll find ourselves giving Oz a try, if we get bored back home. For now, we're focusing on enjoying our final 6 weeks in New Zealand, which are rapidly (and sadly) drawing to a close...

And for those of you who have been missing our funny classifieds, I have a new collection of funnies for you:

Used toilet paper for sale. I have a wide

c13

selection of brands and designs, call for details and prices.

Joining nudist colony. Must sell washer and dryer. $100

Lisa, I've just been arrested and charged with being the ugliest man in NZ - please come down to the police station and prove them wrong! Tom

And this was the ultimate...

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