snail mail

Christmas Eve in New Zealand

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The last week has been super busy here in New Zealand. Having the boys out of school has lengthened my work days considerably. Thankfully we successfully arranged a handful of play dates with  classmates so the boys were able to get some distance between themselves. The less fighting for me to deal with the happier we all are.

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The boys love swimming so it’s been incredible to be able to drive to the local beaches for a dip. I would say usually it’s only a quick dip as the 6 year old tends to get cold pretty quickly. Even with a wet-suit and a beaming sun he can’t last more than 15 minutes without coming down the with some serious shiver shakes. I can sympathize whole heartily!!  I still remember being a kid and feeling like my body for sure  would stop working because everyplace on my body seemed to be covered in goosebumps and my parts must be too cold to function!!

I took the boys over to visit with the Whitley Fam Jam before heading off for our North Shore Picnic. The visit was a great prelude to our upcoming Christmas celebration. It’s been a shame how rainy the weather was for the first few days of their visit. It’s been forecasted to rain and stay stormy for our Christmas day tomorrow. Hopefully the weather and traffic won’t dampen my Christmas commute.

Thank you to everyone who has sent me cards in the mail! The Christmas cards are proudly displayed by my baby  tree in my room. The boys loved delivering the mail to me and were always so eager to watch me open it. I was just thrilled with all the cards and also appreciated the e-cards filled with holiday cheer.

I will be thinking about all of my family and friends around the world. Enjoy all the time and laughter shared with your loved ones this holiday season. Christmas time is so magical so try to capture as many happy memories in your heart and on film!!

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~~ Buddha Blessings ~~
Amanda

Christmas Spirit from a 10 year

Christmas Spirit from a 10 year

26 of My Favourite Things

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Only ONE day left until I am 1 year closer to THIRTY!! It was hurting my brain to think of 26 things that were my “favourite” that I enlisted the help of my dear friend Ana! She was a lifesaver 🙂

1. Pink & purple used to be my favourite colours. Now turquoise, silver and (still) purple are my favourites.

2. Naps!! & mornings where I don’t need to set my alarm and letting my body sleep until it wakes up



3. An odd observation I began to make a few years back – Red seems to be my favourite food colour to eat. Examples:
gummy candies, popsicles, lollipops, lifesavers, skittles, jujubes, jellybeans

4.  Making someone laugh OR laughing until I am crying or gasping for air

5. The feeling of my stomach flipping when I am upside down on a rollercoaster

6. Meal: Sweet and Sour Ribs (parent’s recipe) rice and corn
>>pasta with alfredo sauce as a close second
>>>o’henry bars as my favourite chocolate!

7. Roadtrips! My latest one to Tofino with Ana, Socks and Emzie was AMAZING and it made me realize I need to LIVE more

8. Receiving snail mail! Absolutely love it

9. Getting massages. As well, I rarely get my haircut but when I do -my favourite part is when they are washing your hair!

10. When I feel like a workout dvd Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels get results! They really know how to make a girl sweat!

11. Christmas used to be my favourite day, Birthdays have always made me feel awkward and anxious and Thanksgiving (my favourite day) makes me feel happy and loved

12. The smell of fresh/homemade food, babies and gasoline.
I also love burning incense and candles

13. Monkeys used to be my favourite animal but elephants (especially the babies) make my heart melt. And for many years I have tried to wear something “elephant” every day as my own token of good luck.

14. I used to be embarrassed to tell people Celine Dion was my favourite musician

15. Indoor rock climbing, skiing, tubing are sports of choice. My favourite one to watch is beach volleyball

16. I have a few drink choices: chocolate milk, pina coladas, egg nog, tequila or vodka cranberry

17. Comedies

18. Garage sales! Love bargains and antiques….and I am tight with my money so they make me realllly happy!

19. Being with friends (especially in sweats or pj gatherings)

20.  Scattegories and boggle. I can not get ENOUGH of word games!

21. Beaches

22. Steeped tea double double (splenda and soymilk!)

23. Watching  at TV show with somebody else OR texting them. I love sharing in the giggling and screaming during an episode! It is amazing how much more entertaining an episode is when shared with a friend. (Halfway across the world Ana & I still try to do it for Greys and Private Practice xox)

24. Collaging! When I do it I like to use a huge assortment of photographs, magazines, quotes and stickers (Ana worded it beautifully for me, “bringing artistic elements to everything”.) I believe I have a creative eye and am so often inspired to be crafty.

25. Watching dancing competition shows. Derek Hough and Julianne Hough are my favourite dancers/choreographers. I have always wanted to learn how to dance and am in such awe how people learn to move to the music.

26. Freshly cleaned teeth…a bit of an odd choice but I really like leaving the dentist’s office after they have cleaned and flossed my teeth

I know these lists are starting to get really repetitive. I will try to come up with more original answers for tomorrow. It is highly unlikely I will be blogging daily so I hope you liked the frequent updates this week!  have some vacation time booked in December and January so there will be more day trips in the future! Hopefully they will allow for more “travel related” posts and pictures.

I feel exhausted tonight. Thank you so much for reading these. Feel free to send blog ideas my way!

xo Amanda