Kathy Goes Kiwi

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all! It’s Thursday evening here now, but just another beautiful spring day since they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in this little fishing village at the end of the earth. But nevertheless, it’s been on my mind for obvious reasons. I seem to be getting more and more introspective as our time here is wrapping up.

In no particular order:

I am thankful for The Professor. He has made my life more than I’d ever hoped it could be. I’m thankful for my faith – especially in these bleak (to me) times. I’m thankful for my health and the health of my family. I’m thankful for our girls who have expanded my heart in ways I never could’ve imagined possible. I’m thankful for my family – the one I was born into, the one I married into, and all the people who come from just those two families – nieces and nephews, cousins (COUSINS!), aunts and uncles, second cousins, second cousins once removed, niece-in-laws, soon-to-be-nephew-in-laws, grand nieces and nephews, second cousins twice removed – all of you. I know the term ‘mother lode’ isn’t the classiest one, but I’ve hit it – best family in the world.

I’m thankful for this view right now:

(That’s a Mission Estate – founded by the Marists – Sauvignon Blanc with Rangitoto in the background. View from the terrace, happening right this very instant. Perfection.)

I’m thankful for my friends. The ones I’ve had for years (and years!) who have been along for the ride of life through the angsty times, the amazing times, the challenging times, the scary times, the lovely times, the happy times, the sad times. And the new ones I’m making now, who have been part of an experience so profound and important in our family, they will forever be in my heart.

I’m thankful for the schools the girls attend – both here and at home. The teachers that love them and make sure they’re OK and the friends who include them. I’m thankful for CrossFit which has made me strong(ish) at 47.5 years old and given me a gym whanau (Maori word for extended family) in several places. I’m thankful for my love of writing as a way to express myself – if I’d been here without a way to get all these feels out I may have exploded. I’m thankful for my sense of humor which helps me enjoy the absurd sometimes (other times I just lose my ever-loving mind). I’m thankful for sunsets at St. Mary’s Bay:

And also this sunset at St. Mary’s Bay:

I’m thankful for technology – FaceTime, Facebook, texting, WhatsApp, Messenger – they’ve been a godsend while we’ve been here, and I know we’ll use them when we leave. As an added bonus, FaceTime let me see this HILARIOUS moment with my mom and brother:

I’m thankful for life. Because it is wonderful.

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you can find your list of things to be thankful for without too much digging around.

We leave Auckland three weeks from today to begin our travelling extravaganza. We’ll head up to the Northland, then come back to Auckland to meet Mom and Dad (as they disembark their cruise) for a couple days, then we’ll all head down to Queenstown for Christmas. They’ll take off for home, and we’ll continue travelling around the South Island for a couple weeks, then we’ll make our way back up to the North Island, back to Auckland and fly out.

What a freaking adventure it’s been.