Bon Voyage!

The past three weeks have been full of family, friends and fun! I spent about a week in San Antonio visiting my wonderful family, getting used to humidity again, and eating a years worth of Mexican food. It was hard to say goodbye but they were all so supportive and I know we’ll Skype a lot!  It was also very beautiful and green which got me very excited for our move. While I was gone Chris and his parents moved everything out of our apartment.. I lucked out big time.

I came back to Arizona and dried up quickly with the 109 degree temperatures. Chris and I spent a lot time with his parents doing fun things like rock climbing, ice skating and eating delicious food. Currently we are doing our last of the packing and weighing our suitcases… Just under the 50 pound weight limit!

We also finalized our living arrangements in Hamilton! Welcome to our humble abode in the suburb of Hillcrest, less than a mile from the University….

We arrive in Auckland Friday morning at 6am, then take a bus to Hamilton. The next time I write we will be in our new home! Until then!

Packing (Round Two)

Chris’ parents have graciously given up a lot of their time to help us whenever we move. This time is no different. They planned on stopping by to help us pack, but when I got home from work Chris had taken it upon himself to start. When I walked in it looked like this…

Yikes!

I was amazed that he had already packed up our whole bookshelf and entertainment center/electronics stuff. (The full bins on the left.) Of course everything else strewn everywhere was mine and I had to make the final decision of whether to pack it, take it, or throw it away… something I am very bad at. (This trait comes from my mother.) Thankfully it wasn’t too difficult as most of it was school/teaching related and therefore useful in the future. Chris and I don’t live in a very big apartment but somehow we have so much stuff. It was even more apparent when it was all laying on the floor.

Here I am packing away pictures and framed things… Nice and safe in the treasure chest (protected by blankets, primarily a Spurs one)

Here is Chris being annoyed that I am taking pictures instead of actually packing…

One more awesome thing Chris found was a package of Compression Bags (vacuum bags) from Samsonite used to suck all the air out of whatever you are packing. We did a test with our beloved memory foam pillows and it worked like a charm. We will definitely be taking them with us and highly recommend the bags.

They went from about 10 inches tall stacked on top of each other to about 3 inches tall using a vacuum attachment. And we still have 11 more bags to use! Wahoo!

One last thing to share are these amazing bag tags Chris received from a friend a couple of years ago that were found as we packed.

How fitting.

Packing?

A couple hours after my emotionally draining graduation ceremony, I was put through the ringer yet again. I had to decide which clothes I wanted to donate, keep/store, and take with me.

As you can see, it was quite difficult.

Chris’ parents were coming over to help us clean and pack up the clothes to put in storage. When they show up stuff gets done and I didn’t want to be in the way hemming and hawing over what shirt I should keep.

As fast as I could (2 hours-ish) I sorted all of my clothes. It’s still too much so I’ll have to do it again in about a month or so. I can’t be rushed. Meanwhile during this process Chris sat there and kept telling me “You know, that’s still too many clothes to keep.”

This is a hard process for a girl. Give me a break.

Let’s begin!

Chris and I have decided to pack up everything and move to New Zealand for a year in search of adventure, education, and culture! He will be studying Computer Science at the University of Waikato in Hamilton for a year term. I will happily be in search of any job I can get my hands on. Our goal during this time abroad is to be active, experience new culture, take risks, and let our love for the world and each other grow. We are excited to begin this journey together and to share it with you, who will be with us every step of the way.