 |
| Ewan gets some sleep on the plane. |
We said goodbye to our friends and family in Americaland and flew out of Syracuse, NY on Tuesday morning (20 Aug). After a 22 hour journey, we arrived in Auckland, NZ on Thursday morning (22 Aug) bright and early! The flights were pretty uneventful (yay!) and there were no problems with any motion sickness (yay!), but I think we were all glad when we finally stepped foot onto NZ soil. Yay.
We had a lovely welcome at the airport as some men from the church picked us (and our 8 giant suitcases and 7 carry-on/personal items) up and drove us to our house.
The house is huge! And very nice. And some generous folk from the church have also let us use some of their stuff (like beds, table, chairs, sofa, plates, etc.) until our Aberdeen & Boston shipments arrive in a few months.
 |
| Some great toys were waiting for us - like this paint/chalk easel |
|
 |
| Ewan fell asleep again just after entering the house - a good chance to try out his new bed |
Here is an overview of the house:
When you walk in the front door, there is a big ol' entry way which has a hallway going left and a hallway going right, and straight forward are some closets, the toilet and the bathroom (2 separate rooms). Off the hallway to the right is Joe & Trina's room, and straight at the end is the living room - with a little nook off the back of the living room. If you take a left after entering the house, the boys' bedroom and toy room are down that hall, and the kitchen and dining room also have entrances down that hall. There is a good sized laundry room and a back door just behind (or beside? or out of?) the kitchen. Wow, it's kinda hard to describe where everything is, I guess! Oh well, you'll just have to come and visit and we'll show you around in person. :-) I love love love all the big windows! Sunshine, come on in!
So, here are some photos of our house:
 |
| Superheros giving a tour of the house |
 |
| The boys' bedroom! |
 |
| The boys standing in the kitchen which leads to the dining room and looks out onto the back porch and garden |
|
 |
| The living room has BIG windows and a fireplace (that doesn't work.... yet.) |
|
 |
| The toy room has big windows facing the back garden and ones facing the front of the house |
 |
| Another view of the toy room, which also has 2 closets! |
 |
| Posing for the camera at the door to the living room |
 |
| This little nook is just off the living room. |
 |
| The nook is currently acting as the Bat Cave and Fortress of Solitude |
We are greatly enjoying our first days here in this new country! The people we've met have been so helpful and kind! Whilst Joe was in a meeting on Saturday, Kay (one of the ladies from church) took Duncan and Ewan and me to
Mt Eden to the top of the volcano (which is the highest point in Auckland), and then to the beach (with a playground), and out for ice cream. Also on Saturday evening, we went to Kay and Andrew's house for some hangabers (or hamburgers, as anyone outside our family might say), and to meet some of the other people from church.
So, we are settling in and learning to tune our ears to this new accent! Just one example of how this accent is different and may take a wee while to get used to: At the BBQ last night Duncan and Ewan wanted to pet the cat, so I asked what the cat's name was. 'Licey' is what I heard for the answer.
'Licey?' I asked, 'Does she have lice?'
After a few more repeats, it turns out that 'Licey' is what I heard when they were saying 'Lacey.' So, there was much laughter and much relief that the cat didn't earn the name Licey.
So, this is the first of many posting that will keep you somewhat up to speed on our new adventure in Auckland (hopefully!). Thanks for stopping by!
