It has been a good week in Christchurch. Monday was warm and sunny so we decided to have a BBQ with some friends and neighbors. Blaine made burgers and we had spinach-artichoke dip and baked beans and of course sweet tea. I convinced the boys to move the couches out on the back patio so that we had comfy seating...everyone was glad once we did it! Wednesday night we attended the Buskers Festival. Before this day I had no idea what a busker was. For those of you who are ignorant as well, here is the definition from Wikipedia: Busking is the practice of doing live performances in public places to entertain people, usually to solicit donations and tips. Those engaging in this practice are called buskers. Busking is a British term used in many areas of the English-speaking world. In the United States the term busking is almost unknown; buskers in the USA are called street performers or street musicians. What we attended was the Comedy Night portion and it was very entertaining. One man juggled 3 machette knives while riding a 7 foot unicycle and balancing a glass of water on his bald head!
Our Friday night was low-key as it was a rainy, cold night. We ate at our favorite Thai restaurant, Kanniga's and watched a Kiwi movie, The World's Fastest Indian. I would recommend it because it is a feel-good, warm-hearted movie that boys/girls would like. There is not terrible language or a lot of violence which is a nice change every once in awhile. Anthony Hopkins is a great actor. I have been working the rest of the weekend but it was a great week!

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I





I am happy to announce that I booked my plane ticket to come home for a visit July 2nd to the 18th! Sadly enough, it will be without Blaine but we are planning a trip home together for Christmas next year. So I will be able to celebrate our country's birth over the 4th and go down to the beach for the annual Chi-Omega reunion trip! I can't wait to spend time with all of my family and hope to see as many friends as possible during this short period. It will almost mark our year ago departure. Just a little more than 5 months and I will be home!
aside: Blaine posted a rugby video a few days ago and doesn't want anybody to miss it if you haven't already viewed it! It makes you wish they wore pads or maybe just glad you don't play rugby for a living.

Petra's Fiesta Birthday!




We attended at Birthday Bash Thursday for Petra's party at the Mexican cafe! Friends from CCU and their husbands (except Petra's fiance, Tim, who was working) went downtown for food and drinks to celebrate Petra's 24th birthday. Blaine and I had fajitas for the first time in over 5 months, they were good but didn't hold a candle to Margaritas' version in Jackson! We had to instruct everyone on how to put the sombrero on because they were putting it on sideways...so not only are we spreading American culture but Mexican as well!

Just a gentle video for anyone who thought that rugby hits were softer than football hits.

Ada Grace

How could I forget the most important baby in the world? May 2, 2006 was a joyous occassion in which Ada Grace Everett was born!! She has given me my first night of "practice" as a mom when I went to stay with her parents soon after she was born. New things she is doing now: crawling on her elbows like a soldier, saying Dada and Mama and Uh-Oh. She just had her first ski trip and is the first 7 month old baby to ski down a green run! Ha. I miss her very much and would like for her to stop growing so that I won't miss her changing while I am away.

2006 Highlights and 2007 Plans

Trips taken in 2006:

• European vacation for Kate's birthday to Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany
• moved Ben and Meri to Chattanooga and visited Paige and Bryan/Wendy in North Carolina
• Beach trips with friends--Blaine to Destin in July with Varnado, Gabe, Ryan Sadler, Mike Jacobs and Matt Kwasek; and Kate to Sandestin with Melissa Shelton and the Chi O gang;
• moved to New Zealand in August

Marriages: Patrick and DeAnne Anderson, Casey and Paige Pratt, Kathryn and Kennon Vaughan, Holly and Dale Wilds, Maureen and Brennan Sanders, we know we are missing some important ones...so tell us!

Babies: Claire and Lewis Ridgway had Richard Lewis; Blaine's friends from work: Bradley, Carla, Glenn, and Chad all had babies; Kim and Brad had Tucker Bradberry Maxwell; Haaga and Patrick Michaelson had baby Knox, again we know we are missing some important ones...so tell us!

It has overall been a wonderful year full of lots of changes! The major one for us would be that we moved halfway around the world and switched hemispheres. We look forward to all the excitement that 2007 holds. We will be here in Christchurch and would love to have some visitors--Melissa S. and Michelle B. are planning on coming in March, Blaine's parents and his grandmother will be here in February, and Cindy has discussed coming next November. That leaves April, May, June, July, August, and September open for visitors so let us know quick! Blaine and I will both be home for Christmas in '07 and we are already looking forward to being back in the US of A! Love you all!

Mom's Diary Notes Cont'd

Our tour guide, Kate, said that Minus 5 (a bar in Queenstown that is not to be missed) was on our itinerary. Before you go in this bar, you put on heavy coats and gloves that are furnished by the bar. In the bar it is minus 5 degrees celcius (23 degrees) and everything is made of ice - the bar, the walls, the seats, the scultures, even the glasses ! Pretty COOL (pun intended)!

We picked our own cherries! It was a gorgeous orchard completely covered by a net to keep out the birds. Shiny red cherries were clustered on the branches - felt like we were in the Garden of Eden. Kate was disturbed by the orchard down the road shooting off a gas cannon every 2 minutes to keep the birds away. We picked 2 lbs. for around $6 U.S.

We took a helicopter ride after our jetboat ride up the Shotover River. This was followed by a gondola ride down the mountain. Queenstown is known for its extreme sports - bungee jumping was started here in the 80's - today it costs $150 to jump off of a 140' high bridge with rubber bands tied around your ankles. Blaine wants to do this...

This was a lovely lunch at the Gibbston Winery. Was as delicious as it was pretty.