Rockin' the Rocks!

Neat picture, huh? Too bad, I completely posed for that one! Stefanie was sitting at the top of the cliff snapping pictures of everyone. I was only allowed to move at her command and here, I think I was told to look really intensely up toward the camera but not AT the camera. I think I made a pretty good model...

Wanaka, NZ

This was the view from our campsite. Absolutely gorgeous. Everyday, on our 3-day rock climbing trip, we would wake up and hit the rocks by about 9am. This trip was my first ever experience with climbing real, outdoor rocks. And-- I LOVED IT!! It's such a great challenge, and so rewarding when you get to the top. Basically, there's not much to tell about the trip, other than we did a lot of rock climbing. The stars were beautiful at night, and we learned a bunch of southern hemisphere constellations which was fun. The second day, it was rainy and windy, which makes for an interesting climbing experience... The third and final day was by far the best. I got to climb Tombstone. I don't think you can tell from the picture, but it was hard, straight up, and really high! It was so fun though. Especially when I got to the top, after thinking I wasn't going to make it.

This is Tombstone. And that is me sitting on the top. SO FUN!

The first day while our instructors were setting up our climbs, a group of us went exploring. We waded through a creed and then tried to jump up onto these rocks by the side of the creek without getting wet. After pulling our shorts up as high as they would go, this still proved impossible. But we didn't give up! Through a lot of teamwork, some mud and a little bit of splashing, we all got up so we could take this fantastic picture. As for getting back into the creek? Yeah, it was a disaster. We all ended up...wet.

And PS- I was wearing those striped thermals under the those shorts. In that very position, I succeeded in taking them off while staying completely modest. I know, it's pretty dang incredible! My talents multiply every day... :)

No more surfing: The end of an era

So surfing ended. Yes, it's sad. But, it is autumn here now. Which means--I do NOT want to be getting in any oceans anymore. And, I did awesomely on our last day, which also happened to be the day we were tested! It was great. Here's just a litte tribut to the great sport of surfing. Of which I am now an expert, obviously...

This is Wayne, the surf master. He went surfing with us every time to show us the ropes. Basically, he's a hippie. This shirt he's wearing here is one of his tamer ones. He's just the greatest though. When we tried to thank him the first day for taking us out, he told us, "don't thank me, thank the universe!" And, that basically defines him. He's an artist and a beach bum, and a really good time.

I took this picture through a cave that we climbed up into at the beach. We saw this whole in the rock and obviously couldn't leave it unexplored so we climbed up and found the coolest little beach shack built on the side of the mountain. It was so cool! But, the best part was the view out the window--to the beautiful beach!

Being the beginner surfers that we are, some waves are a little over our heads still--literally! This picture is an example of this. These girls are contemplating how much they like being alive before they step out into the insane surf. Oh man, that was a funny day. I was in the second group, so I just stood on the beach and watched people try to get out to the waves for about 20 mintues and only get a few feet in the from the beach. These girls were wise to consider the consequences of getting in the water before they dove in.

Unfortunately, this picture doesn't do this beach justice. It was beautiful!! If you know anything about me, then you know how excited I was about the fact that the small island behind us is called Monkey Island. Yeah, for real. :) It was great.

So, farewell surfing. Thanks for a good time. I hope we meet again someday soon.

They don't make clouds like this in the states!

Welcome to one of the wonders of New Zealand--the clouds. It makes sense to think that clouds are one of those things that are the same everywhere. Not so! Notice these clouds:

Have any of you Americans every seen clouds like this?!? Well, if you have, I guess I need to come live near you. Anyway, I just wanted to share one of the wonders of this small island with you all.

Here's another thing about New Zealand. This one is definitely not as great as the cloud feature but it is still interesting. Kiwis LOVE their barbeques. I have been to... a lot since being here. Probably somewhere close to ten. Anyway, at Mormons Helping Hands day on Saturday, we had a nice barbeque for lunch. The first thing to know about Kiwi barbeques is that they never have buns. Never. Just slices of bread. We thought, ok, it must be because they don't have buns here. Not true!! They totally do. So, we think they are just cheap. :) Anyway, this barbeque on Saturday consisted of sausage, bacon and onion sandwiches. Hmm. If you are questioning the sanity of that combination, you are not alone. I decided to pass on the sausage, I'm not the hugest fan, but I went for the bacon (which is canadian bacon, actually) and the onion. Mostly against my will, the branch president also squirted a nice amount of tomato sauce (basically a less sweet form of ketchup) on my onion and bacon. To my surprise, it was not too bad. Not something I'd want to eat every day, but definitely something that could grow on me.

The Stuff of Life

It's the simple things in life, the day to day stuff, that really creates meaning in life. For example, the package I received from home a few weeks ago. It was incredible! It took a little money and a little thought, but was a simple gesture that really made my week. Those arch supports are helping by the way Mom--thanks! Having already dwelt on cookies quite a bit, I won't delve into how much I loved getting soft, American cookies in that package as well. And, I've been rationing the Reese's eggs and still have a few left. :) Stef and I were very excited about the bunny that we each got to hatch. We decided to save one for Easter but we already hatched mine! I caused a lot of controversy when I tried to help it out of its shell prematurely, but I'm happy to say that it has grown into a large, healthy bunny, quickly overtaking the glass it is currently soaking in.

Going to church is a weekly activity that is an experience in itself. I finally decided to get a picture of our traveling-to-church outfits last week because they basically define our sabbath day. If you can't tell, we are wearing our church shirt on top, basketball shorts, church shoes and a backpack containing a skirt to change into (assuming you remember to pack it...), scriptures, manuals, etc. What you can't see is that for some reason, there is an unearthly strong headwind every week. Every sunday, without fail, the wind attempts to knock us over on our way to church.

What would life be like without some quality ward/branch service projects? We all showed up to the church last Satuday morning on complete faith. All we knew, is that supposedly, it was "Mormon Helping Hands Day". So heck, we figured we'd show up and lend that helping hand. We ended up at this house, doing a little bit of painting, a little bit of gardening and a lot a bit of what we see us doing here--standing around. But hey, at least I got to wear that neato little bib thing.

And, give us a break on the facial expressions--it was sunny!

And PS-I WON THIS CARD GAME!!! If you don't know what it is from the picture then don't worry about it. Just know, that I have been playing this game for years and I don't think I have ever won it without cheating. Mostly, I think just Megan might understand this one. :)

I'm Proud to be an American, where at least...we eat cookies!!!

For anyone who has done traveling overseas, it is no real shock to you that the majority of the rest of the world has no concept of a "cookie". They think they do, in their hard, insufficient biscuits, but really, they're missing the point. All 34 of us study abroaders have been suffering from massive cookie withdrawals since being in New Zealand. There are biscuits and Cadbury chocolate bars galore but a simple cookie? Nowhere to be found. To solve this unfortunate problem, a few of us decided to get together one night and make cookies. We actually had a little bit of a cookie bake off. I don't think I've ever eaten so many cookies in such a concentrated amount of time. Yikes. I would not recommend it. But, after a nearly three month dry spell, I felt a small cookie binge was warranted.

Above: the whole group. We biked, against a ridiculously strong wind the entire time, out to Cameron and Tyler's place for our bake off. Their homestays were

so excited. :) The dad actually hovered around the kitchen all night and was usually the first one to sample the cookies. It was fun to see them all so excited about this new treat. For the bake off, Stefanie and I decided on making my personal favorite and specialty--no bake cookies. It was also convenient because we didn't have to fight for the oven. Maggie made chocolate chip cookies, Lisa and Ashley whipped out some delicious snickerdoodles, and Cam and Ty astounded us all with the most amazing peanut butter cookies I have ever had and some pretty great chocolate chip ones.

And....here's what happened after we'd all had a few too many. This was a Saturday night, and all through church the next day I was on a ridiculous sugar high. This was unfortunately accompanied by a massive sugar headache. Not extremely pleasant, but dang those cookies were good. :) So rest assured everybody, we are doing our best, making sacrificing and coming together to make sure we don't forget who we are, where we come from, and the important values that our country embraces. Cookies basically sum all of that up.

Freezing in Paradise

I really do consider New Zealand a form of paradise. I spend just about every other day on the beach, my schooling involves surfing, tramping, kayaking and the occasional paper. I even take tests on the beach. This post is for all of you who might be getting a little too jealous of me. Just because I spend all of my time outside, does not mean that it is always sunny and warm and beautiful. Well, I take it back, it's always beautiful. For example, the other day they drove us to the beach to go surfing and I looked at them like they were crazy (and they are). I was standing on the sand, wind blowing me every which direction, watching the waves beat down on the beach in my thermals, three shirts, fleece and beanie. "You guys want us to get in the water?" I stammered, disbelieving. That is exactly what they wanted us to do--and that's what we did! Don't get me wrong, it was totally worth it! The things we do here...

This particular picture was taken Sunday. Luckily, we got a ride to church in the morning because it was pouring. By the time we got home, the rain had stopped but it was FREEZING!! I spent the afternoon huddled as close to the heater in the living room as I could be. I kept coming back to the room intermittently to add more layers. PS- I was STILL cold even with all of this on. I even sat and ate dinner in this smashing outfit--complete with the hood. I am sporting my newest kiwi purchase--striped thermals! Not only are they the most comfortable things I have ever worn--they're STRIPED! :)

The bottom line is, for all of you reading my blog wishing you were me here in paradise, you can keep on wishing because it's amazing! BUT--don't forget that here on this little island, summer is winding down and fall is starting up! Besides, how hard core would I be if I never got cold doing any of this cool stuff?

Amendment to my family

The US Constitution has all kinds of amendments. Twenty-six I think. I'm a little embarassed that I can't remember but anyway, I figured, if all those amendments just make the constitution better, than this amendment to my last post will just make it even better. Dave Giles--the amendment to my family. :) Sorry Dave, it's true. I should have added you earlier. But since you complained, you get to live with this picture of yourself on my blog. :) Here's what I should have said about Dave, in someone's wise words, "Dave, you are the coolest brother-in-law a little sis could ever dream for. I only hope that one day my future husband will be as tall, strong, handsome, and intellectually stimulating as you are. I'm so happy that I have the picture book you and Sara gave me for Christmas as it inspires me daily. I can't wait to see you this summer!!" But really, you are great Dave. Thanks for making my sister so happy! And--I did bring that picture book to New Zealand with me. :)