More Randomness

I don't really write on here very often anymore. I'm just not that much of a technology person. I think I would rather have a really nice pen, and a cute little notebook that reminds me of something I love. Then I write. I did get a notebook like that. There is a stencil of a little girl sitting at the end of a pier. Since I am training to be a teacher, I have been doing a lot of brainstorms with the class. So I filled up my little notebook with cute little brainstorms about my childhood. It was so much fun. I wrote about my pink Jellies (the shoes), riding my bike all over Santa Cruz, Slurpees, pretending to be smurfs, all that kind of stuff. I even wrote about the soft, powdery dirt at my aunts house in Bakersfield. I remember waking up in the morning and walking outside and it being so dry, (even in the morning) that as my barefoot hit the dirt, it puffed and scattered into the air. I used to think that this must have been what the dirt was like on the moon when Armstrong first put his foot down. It was really fun to just list and organize things about my childhood. It made me feel all warm and nostalgic.
I'm liking everything that is going on in my life now. Its pretty amazing actually. The other day, a friend who I knew in Berkley who also lives here now, and I went out to get boba. Do you know what that is. Its this really sweet creamy milk tea with gummy tapioca balls at the bottom. They look like fish eggs, but taste like gummy bears that have been sitting in liquid for a while. We love it. I know it doesn't sound that appealing. But it is, and its amusing. Anyway, were talking about how here in New Zealand we have more friends then we have had since High school. Its pretty crazy to think about it actually. But it's true. I feel surrounded by amazing people that almost always say yes. Its lovely. But at the same time its almost a little scary. I have roots in a place that is thousands of miles from my family. Eek! Its great, but also a dilemma.
Keeping this blog random, I thought I would tell you that we got rid out our chickens. They are very wild you see. When I got them, I envisioned that they would run over to me every morning and let me pick them up, like the chickens I had when I was little. But they never did that. In fact they screamed like I was killing them when I was holding them. They hated me with a passion. I never liked that about that. The final straw was when the neighbors came over (twice) to tell me that they were going over into their yard and pooping everywhere. Even though we fed them, gave them a little house, clipped their wings, and put up a fence, the still wouldn't hang out in our yard. So they are gone now. Goodbye Janets. Thank you Morgan for letting us get them. I think one day I will get chickens again. But I will look into their breed more and make sure they have a big, safe coop.
Well, everything is going well. Morgan is loving his job. He is still working on Tintin. It sounds like he is doing some interesting collaborative work on some of the characters. And whenever I get to see a little bit of what they are working on, it looks better and better all of the time. Since I am at school every day, which is much farther away, he has been riding the scooter. I feel bad for him driving it in the cold. Luckily it isn't too far. And then he has been coming home at lunch time to look after the dogs. My classes have just finished. Now I have two weeks to study for finals. I am excited that we will have lunches together again.
That's all really, oh and I have another Roller derby game coming up in a few weeks. Should be good.
Love,
Jessica

Roller Derby

So I am playing Roller Derby now. I did a freshemat course in the Bay Area when we lived in Berkeley and was going to play there. But we moved to New Zealand. Almost two years later I did another freshmeat course here and am finally on a team and playing. It has been a lot of fun. The people are great. There is such a mix of lifestyles and personalities. Sometimes I get frustrated because I am too competitive and I like to compare it to the BAD girls. But I realize I just can't and I need to have fun. So since I realized that, it has been great. We had our first bout last weekend and I got a few really good blocks. Here are some pics.

Castle Point!

My mom is here! So we drove out to Castle Point and hung out at the beach. The first beach we went to was right on the road and didn't look good for dogs or surfing. But our friends told us that on the other side of the point it was pretty nice. So we drove over there. You have to drive on the beach and it is amazing. its this perfect little bay surrounded by sheltering rocks. And in the far corner there is an amazing surf spot. Morgan got a new lens for his camera. So he tried it out on me while I was surfing. Iv'e never really had surf pictures. So thats neat. It has been so awesome to have my mom here. She makes me feel all comfortable and relaxed. She gets why we love New Zealand so much.
Bye!

Hedge Hog in the Garden

Look what we found in the garden. He is just a baby. We played with him for a while and then let him go. I was afraid he would be too pokey to hold. but if you pick him up from underneath, and don't squeeze, its ok. He was just a little ball at first, all tucked into his spines like a sleeping bag. But then he got comfortable and wandered around. Really cute.

South Island

My favorite part of the trip was this little pig. I really fell in love with him. His name is Herman and is 14 weeks old. He is a Kunekune pig, related to the potbelly and a descendant of the pigs the Polynesians brought with them when traveling. Maybe its because he is the same size as my bulldog and snorts and grunts just like her. Or maybe it's because he comes running when he sees you, and rolls on to his back when you scratch his belly. I don't know. But I do know that I really want a pig now. He lives at Kelcey's Bush in Waimate. It's run by an older couple who bought the property about 15 years ago. They planted trees, put in some baches (like a little studio, or ohana) and set up a petting zoo. Waimate is the only place in New Zealand where there are wild wallabies. They were introduced a long time ago and are now considered a pest. The Ironic thing was that the man who owns the holiday park and raises baby wallabies, once killed them for a living. As he bottle fed a little one who's mother was shot by a hunter, he told us this. I thought to myself, darn! I wish I brought my tape recorder. He sounded like such an interesting character. Later he came over to chat for a while. And as it turns out, I was right. He has lead quite an interesting life. For the past several years he has been going to Thailand to train as a Mahout. This is someone who trains elephants! Wow. Anyway, this place felt good and was definitely the highlight of my trip, aside from petting eels....

The first place we stayed was Hokitika, a small beach town on the west coast. We traveled with our dogs, so everything we did depended on if they could come, if they were tired enough to stay in the car, and if it wasn't too hot for them to stay in the car. While there, we did a little night walk and saw a grotto with glow worms. There were so many of them that it looked like the stars in the sky. I saw a sign for a place where you could feed fresh water eels. We went in the morning and it was so awesome. They are huge, like 3 meters long. There were about 30 of them in a tank and they were all between 80 and 100 years old. As it turned out they can't see very well, but they knew when it was time to eat. Morgan and I got to kneel down and feed them little strips of meat. It was funny how they wiggled around like a baby bird, trying to find the food dangling above them. I asked if I could pet one. They said sure. So I got my hand wet and went for one of their bellies. Just then and employee grabbed my hand and pulled it out of the water. One of the eels was sneaking up to bite me. I tried it again, this time in a better position to see all of the eels. They are of course slimy and squishy, like a Sea Cucumber. Very Cool.

We had Christmas in Queenstown with a few friends who were also there for the Holiday. Ee rode a gondola to the top of a mountain to look out on the city. It was really beautiful with amazingly rugged and steep mountains, and a lake down in the middle of the valley. Over all though, unless you were bungi jumping, sky diving, or river rafting, there wasn't too much going on. It was a very transient place filled with young people from all over the world. In fact, I think we only talked to one Kiwi the whole time we were there. Anyway, we wanted to do something really special for Christmas. So we rode the Luge. They are like these little go-carts that just roll down the mountain. It was really fun. We raced each other and caused a little trouble. After a few days there, we and our friends said goodbye and went our separate ways.

The West Coast of the South Island is the most unique. The lush Native Forrest is everywhere, and swollen rivers and waterfalls are constantly changing the landscape. We saw the Fox Glacier and the Fanz Joseph Glacier. Unfortunately we couldn't walk on them. The trails were closed due to flooding the day before. But they were magnificent. They looked like clouds got stuck on the mountains and just froze there.

We also stayed in Kaikoura, which is like San Luis Obispo California in the 1950's. I really fell in love with that place. I think it was because it reminded me of home, but more peaceful and fewer people.

Christchurch was a neat place. Morgan looked up dog parks in the area and found and awesome one. It was all fenced off with two agility courses and a river running down the middle. Miles chased other dogs while Tobi swam in the river. Earlier that day we took them to a lake where we all swam around too. Since it rained the next day, and the dogs were good and tired, we went to the Canterbury museum and botanical gardens. It was a great museum. The exhibits were really interesting and easy to follow. And everything was set up Chronologically, from the first Polynesians who settled in New Zealand to modern day.

It was such and amazing trip. The best part of it was to be able to be with Morgan all the time. I love being with him. We really needed this little vacation, away from work, computers, and responsibility, so that we could really enjoy all the blessings that God has given us.

Post Card Home

The other day a friend came over to do arty stuff. I served her a cup of tea, showed her our chickens and brought in some eggs, and when Morgan came home, gave her some home made ice cream. She looked at us and said, "You two are so domestic." A few years ago that comment might have been offensive. But today it feels good. My dad has said it a few times. He will call when I am making curtains, painting, or planting something. The thing is, its the house. Its just so lovely that all I want to do is be in or around it. Its perfect for making messes. The old hardwood floors with little worm holes carved into them will never look bad. The back yard is big and wild. I just looked out, and there is our perfect white duck cleaning himself by the pond, and our cat stalking something in the grass. The dogs are asleep in the bay window and all I can hear is the tick of the kitchen clock. Its like a hand painted post card from 1910, but with all the modern amenities. My studio is filled with Canvas and fabrics. The ocean air makes me think back to when I was little and living in Pismo. This is the first place I have ever lived where I have been able to keep plants, (other than succulents) alive. Sometimes I want to walk across the street just to dig my fingers into the sand and feel what it is like to be home.

Here Comes the Sun

Its finnally getting nice again. Actually since my Birthday, September 1, the weather has really improved. There have still been a few really cold days. But at least the sun is taking its time now. Everyone around the house is happy about it. The dogs have been lounging around, and even Nina the kitty is trying to cuddle right up to them to get her vitamin D. Our chickens are laying nearly every day too. We have had a hard time keeping animals out of this area in this one. Our chickens went into the neighbor's yard and took dust baths in his potted plants. It was bad. So we put up a pretty good fence and blocked off their little path that we found. We finally got our fence in good enough condition so that Miles can't jump it and go party with the neighbors. We still keep him inside when we are gone though. If he really wanted to, he could escape.
Tobi is still doing great. In fact, it is going to be her birthday tomorrow! she is turning five years old. I can't believe she is that old. She is still very sweet, and for a bulldog pretty spry. We took the dogs to obedience school and they both graduated to second grade. I think Morgan is going to keep going with Miles. But I don't really think Tobi needs to. And the classes are on Sunday, so I haven't been able to go to church in a while.
I have a great job now, teaching swim lessons. The kids are a lot of fun. I had one class filled with little people that have been in the same level for about a year. My boss made it free for them. It was the last attempt to get them passed up. The class was five days long, 30 minutes a day. They were all high energy kids that got easily distracted. So I made them swim like crazy. At the end of the week, they all passed up to the next level. It was awesome.
I applied to Victoria University of Wellington for the teaching program. I hope I get selected. I made it to round two of the application process. The next step is to get together with other applicants to talk about issues and see how well we communicate. This doesn't happen until December 15. Sounds like fun. Well that is all. Hopefully I will write again soon. Probably not though.