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Published: December 12th 2008
So its Friday here at 8:15 pm, just finished some dinner - I cooked whole wheat linguini pasta with a yummy spinach and garlic cream sauce with mushrooms, onions, chicken, spinach and LOADS of garlic yummm! Mark is helping his uncle with the bathroom reno's - they are doing the tile around the tub tonight. So yesterday was sort of cloudy and colder. We finished fixing up the shower - that thing is so full of silicone that it will never ever leak again! And I did a bit more unpacking etc then we headed to town (about 15 minutes away from home) and went to see Mark's sister Steph who works at a bank. We opened my up an NZ bank account (nothing in it yet though lol) and then went out to lunch at The Crowded House. I had a yummy shrimp and avocado salad - i can't stop eating avocado here! So yum!!! Anyway then we went to get me an IRD # (Like a SIN #) and picked up the application cause I didn't have my passport with me. Then we went grocery shopping!!!! Just for those of you who don't know, their cities etc are very similar to ours - well loads of things are similar but just maybe not as "modern" as what we have back home but the grocery stores have all the same stuff just different name brands etc....they have that yummy fresh pasta mom which we love - which is what I made tonight! So yeah it feels a lot like home. Its not a huge culture shock or anything other than the driving! Which I am going to do more of once my little Honda Civic is out of the shop! SO $400 in groceries later we were home and getting showered to go out to Mark's parents place in Stratford - very small town which Mark tells me is strongly influenced by Shakespeare (sort of a theme I guess). His parents are very very nice and we got along great. I also met his other sister Deb and her husband Scott and their two little ones Oliver (age 3) and Willie J (about 6 months old). Willie J is the most placid baby ever and SO adorable. Big chubby cheeks, blue eyes and blond hair - a little gerber baby! I didn't want to look like a dork and take pictures the first time meeting the family but I promise to post some soon! And Steph was there (whom I had already met) and her daughter Lexi (also about 6 months old?) who they all call fatty cause she's a little chubby thing! So cute too though, dark brown eyes and lots of dark brown hair! She is a little more shy though and always cries when her uncle Mark comes near her lol. Oh and lets not forget great uncle Gordon! (Marks Dad's uncle from England who stays with them every summer for about 3 months). We had a lovely dinner and then Mark's mom took us to her shop that she owns! It is so so so cute! Kind of like Shine back home with jewelry and purses but she also has kitchen things, luggage, baby stuff (clothes and accessories), picture frames, throw blankets, pillows and loads of decorative stuff....I could have spent a fortune in there but we were just there to get a spice rack! I got a little notebook that had a black and white cover with a black stiletto on the front haha. We had picked up the little white Honda too from his parents but it over-heated on the way home and now we have Mark's dad's car while his dad takes ours to the shop! oh dear! So I won't be driving til we get ours back. As for today just more work around the house, talked to mom and dad which was real nice! got lots more sun! Going to be so brown sooo soon! And thats that I guess! Tomorrow Mark is having a couple friends over for a BBQ so we were getting all the chairs fixed (he had to put new backings on the outdoor chairs and I was washing all the cobwebs off ick) so I will get to meet some more of his friends. I have already met Greg and Craig (brothers) the night they tried to go dirtbiking but it fell through :S. And on Sunday we are going to his cousin's daughters birthday party or something? So I will meet some more family! I will try and take lots of pictures of the kids and the family then and post them soon! xo xo
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VJB
Vicky
Wow
Hey Andrea, I finally figured it out! and I caught up on your blogs. You're living a dream girl. I'm very very jealous and really happy for you. From what I see... I can't imagine you coming back. From the pictures you've posted, everything seems so beautiful. Even Mark's house is crazy nice. Love the outside pit. Anyway, look forward to your updates and the pics! Take good care and have LOADS of fun!!