The Visit from the Kid

Mike’s youngest brother Daniel AKA “D” came to town last Sunday. He brought with him good weather (it stopped raining the day he got here after two straight weeks of showers) and good luck. I had a second job interview on Wednesday and found out today that I officially GOT THE JOB! I’m writing to you as the new online communications manager at NorthTec, the leading tertiary education provider in Northland (in other words a community college). I will be managing the content of their website and doing some marketing. To put it mildly, I am very excited. It’s amazing to come halfway around the world and Mike and I both land really good jobs that are perfect next steps for us.

Since D’s been here he’s been trying to think of how he’s going to describe the trip when he gets back home. He hasn’t perfected it but here’s what he’s thinking, “M Felly charges harder than any Felly in the history of Felly’s, J Felly included.” And “The level of focus over here in NZ is unprecedented.” And “Hard hats are worn at all times over here.” (Inside jokes, all of them.) We’ve been having fun visiting all of our favorite beaches for some surfing/boogey boarding, cooking our favorite foods like mussels and lamb. D loves the fruit and has almost finished a 6 lb. bag of kiwis and eaten hundreds of feijoa (a special NZ fruit).

This past weekend we went up to Ahipara, one of our favorite places from when Mike and I were traveling. We woke up early to fish on Saturday. We hooked up some pretty big kahawai but couldn’t get any in. They fight like crazy and are clever at tossing the hook. So we settled for picking mussels off the rocks at low tide for a good feed. On the way home we ate fish and chips at the famous Mangonui Fish Shop….stuffing ourselves with fried hapuka. On the way back to the car a guy offered us some filets of freshly caught snapper and kahawai off his boat (“you can only eat so much,” he said). So it was fish tacos last night.

Other highlights…

D and I dying of boredom watching Mike’s hockey game; Mike stopped their only goal with his leg, which now has a welt to show for it.

Hiking through Abbey Caves – very dark and very cold. D crying like a girl.

D missing the signs to the beach we were sending him to only to come across a different secluded and beautiful beach.

D and Mike spending hours in the water at Whananaki – Mike’s favorite surf spot.

D and Mike discovering the PowerStation surf spot right in front of the actual power station.

D gorging on a gazillion new foods.

D destroying the Steinlagers.

D’s hike to the top of Mt. Manaia.

Not quite a highlight, but… we just had a bird in the house. I let the cat (who by the way is putting on some major lbs, the lazy animal) out and two minutes later D screams “there’s a bird in the house” and sure enough a bird was flying around whacking his head against the ceiling. I ran outside screaming and D trapped it in the family room and opened the sliding door. He swatted at it with a broom but it hid behind a painting. D moved the painting and it came out from under it, nearly giving D a heart attack. After 20 minutes of this, it finally went outside. PHEW. It was messy there for a minute.

We apologize for not posting in a while. No excuses. We’re just having a lot of fun; good times, lahighams…but we miss you all.

May 4, 2009

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