It's that time of year once again. The time of year we all have come to dread.

*g*

Kieran will be officially six today. Six years ago I was belly-aching about making the pain stop and asking why it hurt so much. And then he was born and now I belly-ache about his whining and why he doesn't go to bed on time....

And take delicious pride in his ability to read and write stories of all kinds. I get to enjoy his laughter and delight and enthusiasm. Every day there is a moment wherein I know - I'm a very lucky Mom.

Happy B Day Kieran.

Now Kieran is lucky enough to share his birthday with his Aunt Niki - Happy Birthday = and Ehch - prettyh - Happy Birthday!

May it be wonderful for all.

Hey me lovelies!

I am journeying out to San Fransisco later on this summer and was just wondering if any of you lot of brilliant people had been there and had definite recommendations of what I should considering seeing and or doing.

Thank you for your ever so generous input!

I have just finished watching Top Gear in Africa (wherein they race across Botswana in very crappy cars).

I've never laughed so hard in my life. I think I've laughed till I've cried. Whomever edits these shows together is bloody brilliant - besides the fact that the guys are three amazing story tellers with that classic british dry sarcastic wit. It's just brilliant. Hysterically funny as well. I love that Richard Hammond has named his car Oliver and that Jeremy Clarkson has a door of cans - like soda pop cans.

Really - you MUST watch at least one of these shows. The drive across America is just as much of a riot as well. And you'll never ever go to Alabama.

I think this has to compete in funniness with cleaning my parents' basement. I spent the last two days playing Cinders in their basement. it's this room that we all commonly refer to as the train room. Why? Because at one point in time, over 15 years ago, for a six month span, my brother had trains set up in the room. How's that for a lasting name?

Anyway, this room is about 9 feet wide by 20 feet long. It has in it about 12 sets of shelves that are five shelves high and about one foot in depth and three feet wide - and reach at least six feet up. They were ALL stacked with crap and you couldn't even get into the room passed about seven feet. It was just wall to wall crap from that point back. The seven feet you could walk in? A narrow one foot wide path. Enough room to get to the shelf with baking supplies on it and open the refrigerator door. You have to have a mental image of this. At one point in time, mice lived freely in the room, eating rice and pooping wherever they roamed. So add that to the mess of crap and you have where I spent my weekend.

We worked one side of the room ONLY and made it far enough to get to the back wall. What did we uncover?! The equivalent of 12 paper boxes of paper recycling - old magazines (dating back to at least 1992), mail and various junk mail. Enough bullets to supply the Iraqians for another 12 years of war, at least. Stupid trinkets from various foreign countries. Spare food and water to get us through the nuclear holocaust and the ten years of fallout (as long as chunky lime liquor sounds appealing towards the end). Alcohol that would allow us to start our own liquor store. And the one thing I am going to send you for all Christmas - for the next twenty years - TUPPERWARE.

Next weekend?! More of the same.

Check out Kieran playing TBall!

In the Outfield Fielding with Nick

The mound of things in my flat. I swear I should never have changed jobs... If only because the amount of crap I had to haul home and resort was astronomical. I finally managed to get it all sorted. I threw away a ton of stuff and have more I am planning on just storing at home and not at school. The scariest piece is the 12 paper boxes (you know - that reams of paper come in?) of books. And not books for me personally - no that is strictly books for my student library. *boggles* Trust me - that's more than a few books. If I even consider another book purchase, I think I will need help!

In other news, MUCHAS GRACIAS to ragdoll for the book. It is LE AWESOME. I haven't started it yet, but I knew you could sense my 'it's summer and how much can I devour' in terms of reading mode. I love those books anyway so I am planning on savouring those.

prettyh - thankies for the candy. I shared it with my fellow participants in the training I did last week. It made the afternoons far more entertaining with all of us on a sugar high. *g*

dellessa - I got the bracelet today. It is so AMAZING I don't have words. Worth every EVERY penny. I will be giving it to her later in the week and will let you know how that goes.

Randomness:
- I'm thinking about getting a Netflix account.

- I need to get off my butt and buy a new computer. The LCD screen on this one has officially gone kaput and so I have a laptop working as a desktop, but I still need a laptop. I'd like to have the $2000 to buy a fully loaded MacBook Pro, but I don't think that's going to happen. C'set La Vie. In the meantime, I need to find something before I go bonkers.

- I am really looking forward to my new school and new job. Though I am going to miss my work buddies from my last school. Girls night out in just over two weeks - woo hoo!

- I should not be allowed to watch and drool over Top Gear. Why? Because now all I can think about is wanting a way cooler car. Where's my sugar daddy when I really need one?!

- I will upload TBall pics later on. Time to show off what the Kman accomplished on the field.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled LJ-ness.

Right now I'm bone tired.

It's been a long day. I spent the whole day moving myself out of my classroom and yet still have to go back tomorrow. Annoying, but true. There is nothing worse than having to work on one's birthday. I know, I know - most people do it routinely. I RARELY work on my birthday. In fact, next year we're in school ON my birthday. I think it's a tragedy as far as I am concerned.

In the meantime, the entire contents of my classroom are now in my flat. I hate living with boxes. Hate hate hate. It makes me feel tense and frustrated all the time. I feel anxious and almost clausterphobic with all the boxes around. I've put a bunch out on my balcony, but most of the rest are in my room.

The real issue? I buy FAR too many books. FAR too many. In fact, if I even LOOK at another book, I should be shot.

So tomorrow I shall take my small child to a child friendly movie and attempt to ignore the boxes and THINGS cluttering up my flat.

And shall ignore the whole 'birthday' issue until the weekend when I can have time to do my OWN thing. This weekend I'm going to the Stone Arch Festival to have a good wander and see some interesting things. It's in a neat part of MSP so I am looking forward to that. Then birthday pie - strawberry rhubarb - YUM!!! An indulgence I rarely get.

I am looking forward to relaxing and getting away from school now this summer. And gearing up, at the same time, to start a new position in a better place.

This is the end of things in New Zealand and I'm not even typing it while in New Zealand... I'm home.

I can't decide if I'm tired or sad or just... surviving at the moment.

( The Last of WellingtonCollapse )

( Flight HomeCollapse )

The cat clearly missed me like crazy. He was nuts when I got home. He immediately followed me around, meowing like crazy. He just wanted to be loved over and over and petted and cuddled and certainly know that I wasn't going anywhere ever again. *g* He even slept right on top of me which is unusual for Ramses because he tends to like his space. He's hardly left my lap all day as well.

I did the grocery shopping which was a hideous total since I had cleaned out everything. I got K from D and K was ever so happy to be home and we played games all the way back, counting cars and colors and the like. Very much fun. He's settled into bed after a nice bath and reading his new books.

I'm going to have a shower and head to bed. I'm beat now. I'm still working on setting up my computer, but I think its going to have wait until tomorrow.

And if there's something you posted from the 26th June to July 12th and want me to read it, hey, let me know.

Let's see...

Since I last posted, where have I been?!

( WellingtonCollapse )

( Nelson and Golden Bay - South IslandCollapse )

( Left Side DrivingCollapse )

I do believe it's now cold enough that I need to caper back to my seat under the duvet to get my feet warm once more.

I'll be back round about the 13th officially - as long as the reformatted computer I'm going to be getting behaves.

See you then!

Hey all! Hello from the better part of the world down under. *g*

I'll be posting pictures as soon as I can get them uploaded into my deviant art account. I've got some real beautiful things and Kammie is providing some tutoring and Orla's dad is going to provide a bit more since I am sure he, as an artist, might have some more clues about composition that I should hear. I really need help with that - though at least I'm offsetting things and not centering EVERYTHING as I would have. Anyway, when that is ready, I shall post a link to the account. It just depends on how willing I am to deal with Orla's dialup. After cable, it's hard to work at a crawl....

Now on to the journaling -

( Flight and fly and above the skyCollapse )

( AucklandCollapse )

( RotoruaCollapse )

We’ve not done all the much in Wellington. Before it started pouring rain this afternoon, we went out to the shops for a bit. It was a nice walk and rather relaxing. I enjoyed myself and then we came back and spent the afternoon with the TV. Quiet and enjoyable. I wonder where my next nap is....

Anyway, I have enjoyed my trip so far. It's been quiet and relaxing and that is exactly what I have wanted. I've been doing a lot of reading and that has been the best part. I'm just going to take it all in. And practice using the camera a lot. On Tuesday we head to Nelson. I'm not sure what else we'll be doing before then, but hopefully nothing all that stressful. I'll keep checking in. See you!

Credit to:
~ On LJ - Enriana for most all the bases in this post.
~ For additional references: Icon Extras and 100 x 100 Brushes
~ All resources credited here.

~ Comment if You are Taking ~
~ Credit would be Great!! rhina or BTM Icons ~
~ Please do not hotlink – it is rude ~
~ Enjoy ~

~ Teaser: ~

~1~ ~2~ ~3~

The Rest can be Found Here!

(you hung up without pressing #. posting privately in case it was an accident.)

( Impressions Volume 8: Out and About in WellingtonCollapse )

( Impressions Volume 7: Lord of the Rings TourCollapse )

My pictures have been updated with everything through Golden Bay.

My photo gallery of New Zealand images

( Impressions Volume 6: Wellington ShoppingCollapse )

( Impressions Volume 5: Final View of Golden BayCollapse )

( Impressions Volume 4: Golden Bay area - TakakaCollapse )

( Impressions Volume 3: CollingwoodCollapse )

( Impressions Volume 2: From Wellington to Golden BayCollapse )

This series, entitled Impressions are my thoughts and journeys through the beautiful land of New Zealand. They will include photos and thoughts and are not required reading for anyone. It is merely my explorations in journal form. If you do read, enjoy my thoughts on my vacation and life time dream experience.

( Impressions Vol 1: Los Angeles and Entrance to New ZealandCollapse )

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_beyondthemoon_ Icons just updated!!

Check it out!

I made it home.

Thank God.

I survived and Kieran survived and I don't think that there is more we can ask for - other than the laundry to be done and all the crap to be put away.

I hope to get online tonight and get some relaxing in - after Kieran's swim lesson and he's trundled off to bed. Hopefully I should get most of the crap put away today and the laundry all done so that I can catch up on four days of missed RPGing. It was nice to be away though. I spent those days lazing in the sun and soaking up the rays. I'm browner than before and just a bit burnt - sign of an excellent relaxing vacation.

*HUGS*

Can't wait to talk to you guys!!