Limited Edition.

Ok guys. I'm very sorry for my lack of consistent posting as of late. I'm sooo grateful to all of you who check in and read my blog, it's really cool to have this place to share the happs of life over here where it's not as easy (time difference) or cheap to connect in real life. I've got a number of ideas for new posts and no shortage of pictures so please persevere, keep checking in and I promise to be more diligent at setting aside time to write.

I guess part of the reason I haven't been writing is because I've been busy. Not the kind of busy I was before I moved here, the kind I needed so badly to get away from, but good busy. Busy getting to know the people around me, busy reading, busy playing my guitar, busy learning how to live and love, forgive and forget, dwell in good, in God, not in the past or in worry, doubt and fear. It's not all a walk in the park, as they say, but boy has this season been a huge breath of fresh air.

Randomly the other day the phrase "Limited Edition" came to mind and hasn't left. I don't really know where it came from, but it came. It got me to thinking about my time here in New Zealand. I'm only allowed to be here for a certain amount of time before I will be required to politely go back to where I came from. New Zealand is to me & I am to it similar to what one might consider Limited Edition. I, of course, knew from the beginning how long I would be here. I knew when the beginning would begin and when the ending would end (thanks to my e-visa!)...but I didn't consider the middle. I didn't know what would happen in the middle. Turns out it's amazing & as time unfolds is proving to be one of the most defining years of my life. So much provision and preparation for time to come, depth and meaning, awareness and understanding. It's not overwhelming. It's consistent and freeing. My foundation, which is my Faith in God, is solidifying. It's stronger. When you have a strong foundation you can build upon it with quality, sturdy, lasting materials. While my heart will undoubtedly break when it's time to say goodbye to my limited bit of time in New Zealand, with what I've received I pray I'll be able to walk humbly forward & GIVE.

Words.

A couple of weeks ago I was wandering around Wellington and as I strolled along one of my favorite parts of town, Oriental Parade, there out of nowhere stood a giant, white, magnetic cube. On each side of this cube were hundreds of tiny magnetic words. We've all seen them. Quite frankly they aren't that interesting & can actually, in my opinion, be a bit tacky when scattered about on one's personal fridge. But this is the perfect example of how something can be ordinary in one setting and extraordinary in another. When you place something like this out in public, for anyone and everyone to use freely to 'express' him or herself, it would be nearly impossible for it not to be interesting. As I stood there examining all of the words & reading what people who had visited earlier put together, more came to do the same. The words were constantly moving, sentences or phrases were changing, some were serious, others were funny, and no two were the same. I love that we are all different. That no two people can bring to the table in the same exact way. Definitely a cool aspect of life & the big white cube with the tiny magnetic words reminded me how much I appreciate it. Here are a few shots...

Love, Rachel

Just want to say...

I love you.

I recently moved into a new flat out in a suburb of Wellington called Petone. The house I was living in prior to this went on the market, so we (me & the 4 other flatties) all ventured out to find a new place to call home. I really liked it at 21a Treasure Grove...lovely flatmates, nice house, beautiful ocean view. If we wouldn't have had to move out I'd still be there. I'm a total 'bright sider'...completely optimistic, glass half full person & will find the happy bits of any situation. But I authentically believe that everything happens for a reason. Here's the story...about a week before I was informed of the flat being put up for sale, I was at dinner with some friends when one of them casually said "Rachel, you should move into our flat!" I laughed. Great as it sounded, Petone is actually clear across the entire city from Seatoun, where I work. I brushed it off. Even when found out I had to move, I still didn't consider Petone because of the distance & started searching flat closer to work. As my friends gradually heard about my need for a place to rent, one by one they encouraged me to consider cute little, wonderful little, crazy little Petone. So I did just that. I considered it.

Living in the other flat I hadn't realized that I was missing something. We all had different schedules, and essentially different lives. It was rare to all be there & it often times felt like I was living alone. I thought I liked it, but I didn't. It made me less social, less productive, and for the first time ever, ever, ever did I catch a glimpse of loneliness. Laying everything out on the table...Cost, distance, work, friends. It was my friend Emma who said to me "For your time here what's more important to you, being a convenient distance from work or living where you can actually be in community with your friends??" that helped me put it in perspective and I decided to go for it. In the end, it's not even an inconvenient distance from work. What is convenience anyway? When it's all said and done I really don't care if I took the long way, I'll take whatever way it is that brings fulfillment, fun and LIFE.

From the day I moved into my new place I've felt so at home. It's been a breath of fresh air & I am once again amazed at how God really does know what we need, when we need it & provides it. Even when we're completely oblivious.

Which brings me back to the beginning. When I say I love you, I mean it in a seriously big way. I've said it before, I'll probably say it again & again...but I just cannot get over how many amazing people I have in my life. I can't for the life of me figure out how I could possibly deserve such a blessing. It blows me away to think that I moved clear across the world not knowing even a handful of people, yet I've found a family in the friendships I've made & the home I work in each week. And that I get emails & phone calls from friends, previous co-workers & patients & family back home filled with encouragement and love and plans for when I get back. I am well aware that there are a lot of people in this world that don't or have never experienced love in any capacity. Breaks my heart more than I can say. But it also gives me hope...those of us that have extra can certainly share.

Please do.

To Nelson and back again....

Alright guys...I'm back! It's been almost a month since my last post but I have a good excuse & now lots of pictures to show you! I've been doing some traveling in both the North and South Islands...over New Years & my birthday I spent about 5 days with a few friends in a region of the North Island called Hawkes Bay. Then this past weekend I went down South and spent 4 days in the Northwestern city of Nelson. I'll break this up into two posts and will start with my most recent trip to the South Island.

When I first moved to New Zealand I spend almost 2 weeks down in the South Island. The first night I had dinner with some new found friends who I met through one of my random connections back home, and was told Nelson was a 'definite' place to visit during the summer. So, one day I came across some very cheap flights and booked a weekend trip. Best decision. I had a really great time and would love to make it back there again before I leave. The first day I arrived in the afternoon so before dinner I hiked up a fairly short trail to a lookout that claims to be the very center of New Zealand. Once at the top I met a fellow American, also traveling solo, so we went on and did a bit more hiking and then he and I grabbed dinner. This is one thing I love about traveling alone, it's really easy to meet new people and just simply enjoy a meal or a drink & conversation. The next day would end up being my favorite of the trip and one of the best I've had traveling in NZ. I booked a day trip to the Abel Tasman National Park, spending half the day kayaking and the other half hiking. The Abel Tasman is NZ's smallest National Park, but is a really good mix of bush walking and beaches. I was in charge of steering the kayak I was in and have to give big props to the poor guy paired up with me. I mean, I did ok...it was actually quite comical & in the end we made it back safely and managed to stay pretty dry! It's beautiful as you'll see...

Later that night I met up with a friend from Wellington who was in Nelson for the weekend as well. His parents actually let me stay with them for the rest of my time there which was great! We went out to Lake Rotoiti, I hiked around it during the first trip, but this time is was late at night & pitch black. I was blown away by the stars. I have never seen a more beautiful night sky in my life...there were so many more stars than I ever remember seeing back home. One of the highlights of the trip for sure. The next day my friend, Tim, and I drove over the hill to Golden Bay. I thought it would be long beaches, which apparently there are if you drive a few hours. But we mostly saw NZ farmland and did a couple of bush walks. My favorite walk was called Harwood Hole, it was about a 30 minute walk through tall trees and over boulders to an overlook of a deep cave. It was cool because the forest was really quiet and it felt like we were in a completely different place. We also went to Te Waikoropupu Springs to see the "Cleanest water in the world". I would love to head back to Golden Bay at some point and make it to the beaches.

The rest of my time was spent in Nelson City checking out the shops, cafes, museum, gardens, oh and I went to a coffee shop that had a pond with tame eels (???) I definitely touched one and have a picture to prove it. My Sunday night flight was cancelled due to poor weather in Wellington. Let me tell you, the weather here is unbelievable...you can literally be in one part of the country soaking up the sun while just a few hundred kilometers away there's rain & fog. Coastal living? Overall it was a brilliant weekend... :)

x

Life Lessons...Part 1

I've been learning a lot since being over here.

I know, you're thinking "Yeah right...look at all of those beach pictures, she just lounges around in the sun all day." I AM enjoying the beautiful surroundings I'm so very lucky to have at my doorstep this year...

But it's true I actually, really have been learning a lot.

I've realized how important it is for me to write. Even when I don't feel like it or don't think I have anything to write about. Because every time I sit down with a cup of coffee, my latest i-tunes purchase humming through my ipod and my journal I learn something.

One thing I've learned since being over here, away from home, with waaaay less distraction and waaaay more time to actually think is that I am constantly living in the future. I'm always thinking 10 steps ahead...never noticing what's right in front of me. I'm not going to lie, it's been a disheartening realization because I can recollect many moments, friendships, experiences I've unintentionally missed out on due to my own lack of understanding. Understanding that life happens whether or not we pay attention. People come and people go, opportunities come and opportunities go, seconds-minutes-hours-days all come and go. What we do with these things is up to us. For me, having spent the better part of the last year or so thinking about and wondering "what's next? where? how? when? what if?" has been exhausting to say the least. But more than that it's gotten me nowhere real fast & for the first time in my 25 years I'm looking back with regret. Regret that I missed out on fully grasping and experiencing a lot of really cool moments because I was stuck in the future.

I am, however, grateful for this lovely little slice of a life lesson. That I'm learning it at almost 25 instead of almost 50. One thing I've been getting asked more and more over here & by some friends back home is "What do you think you'll do when you get back?" I do have a few ideas of what I might like to do...BUT I now answer like this..."Well, I have 7 months left here. A lot can happen in the next 7 months to change any ideas I might have, so I'm just taking it one day at a time and we'll see what happens." :) It's been really freeing to let go of 'What will be' and focus on 'What is'.

Love,

Rachel

Christmas in July...

...Or so it seems! It really is December and it really is 'that time of year....again'. Christmas. Normally for me'Tis the Season is full of all the winter wonderland, holidazzle goodness. You know how when you grow up with something or just experience it a certain way, you think that everyone else experiences it the same way. Like...Christmas. I mean, even back home there are plenty of places that celebrate a tropical Christmas, but growing up in Minnesota Christmas was always just as it is portrayed in the movies...feet of snow, sledding, wool socks, hot chocolate, snowmen. I'm telling you, it was the closest thing to 'Santa' and the North Pole. It NEVER crossed my mind, seriously (well, I KNEW it wasn't a snowglobe everywhere for Christmas...but) until this very year that on the other side of the world it might actually be SUMMER during Christmas. So my geography teacher was right...the Northern and Southern Hemispheres DO have opposite seasons. And a bunch of other differences. Crazy as it is, this year will be my very first Summer Christmas. BBQ's are in full swing and flip flops are everywhere. The school year is just finishing up and summer holiday is about to begin...it's weird. Because of all this it just doesn't actually feel like Christmas to me, which in turn is making it a lot less hard being away from home this year. Family means a lot to me & we're all very close so it's not easy missing out on seeing them for an entire year, especially during this time of the year. But, by having an out-of-sorts in every way Holiday, being away is just a wee bit easier! Enjoy the snow everyone...I'll be at the beach. :)

Wishing you all a very, very Merry Christmas...

Love,

Rachel

Auckland

A couple weekends ago I flew up to the Northern part of the North Island to Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. My friend Claire from Nashville was living up there for a little while so it was the perfect excuse to get away and visit her and the big, bad Oakland...(as they pronounce it).

I almost moved there. Like, had everything arranged, mind made up, it's a done deal almost moved there. Then about 3 weeks out I completely changed my mind and decided to move to Wellington instead. So when I visited Auckland I kept thinking about how different life over here would be had I not flipped the coin at the last minute and stayed with my original plan to live in this city. I haven't spent enough time there to give you an accurate portrayal of the city, but my first impression and experience was quite different from what I had imagined. It's BIG and sprawling. To give you a picture, the population is similar to that of Nashville at around 1.4 million but the amount of land mass it takes up is similar to Los Angeles with 3x the amount of people. So you have a lot of city/suburbs and relatively speaking, not a lot of people. Looking at a map you would never think this tiny country could have a city large enough to have to deal with "LA" style rush hour traffic and 30, 40, 50 minute train rides out to suburb areas. Compared to Wellington's 'walkability' and lack of extended commuting time it is quite different! Overall though, I had a wonderful time with Claire & also had a chance to meet a new friend, Kieran, who I got in touch with through a friend in Nashville. :) Rach

Skytower

Can you count the lines on ths sailboat?

Auckland "City of Sails

"

Ahhh...my ride has arrived. ;)

MJ

Street musicians here are legit...dude was rockin out!

Claire & I in this super rad little book store...

Auckland skyline and a crater...

NZ flag

View from my window seat on the plane

Tiny bit of NZ on the bottom and pretty ocean & sounds off in the distance