And so here we are...

(It's rare that Mez gets to writing things down ahead of me, but by jove she's done it... i'll let her tell the story, cos she does it so well, and i'll just insert my elaborations in italics like this...)

I've just been looking back through our photos and the folders go from Aus one minute to NZ the next with no evidence whatsoever of what was actually involved in getting from one country to another. Of packing up one household and unpacking in another. There's a few which capture wonderful treasured moments of our final three weeks in Aus with Mikaela and John and cousin John but it seems that in a flash we were gone and life begins again. Our last couple of weeks in Aus seemed somewhat of a headache to me in some regards. (she's not the only one that got a headache over it... check out Abbey's mangled face a few hours after falling down some steps at Cape Tribulation just two days before we left... not a nice look to go home with - and i was amazed at how many people in public gave us the disaproving child beater look! - Felt like I needed to wear a sign saying: "I don't beat my child but may be guilty of allowing this adventurous spirit a little too much freedom!") We had the packers come on the 20th Feb and cleaned up and moved out that weekend in with the Shays.

They live on one side of town we lived on the other and so we had tried to get everything sorted with the house to go get our bond signed off and another thing ticked off the list. Well instead of it being that simple after inspection the landlord gave us a list of 17 things that according to her didn't quite cut the mustard and still needed cleaning. I was flabbergastered to say the least! Ryan was pretty unhappy to put it lightly. (hmm there was a few choice words spoken aloud) It took a couple of trip back and forward which meant Mikalea and John kindly taking on babysitting duties while we got things sorted - not that we even did everything they asked for anyway. Anyway we got our bond back and said goodbye to Ray White Cairns for good. (for the record - if you're looking for a rental property in Cairns, don't give them a cent of your money!)From Australia we'd got Ryan's parents to check out a couple of rentals for us and we got in touch with the landlords for one of them and ended up securing a tenancy before we'd even arrived in the country! So the weekend we arrived we had a place to move straight into! Ryan's folks and his brother Tony had even unpacked and shifted in a few things for us. On the Saturday morning Ryan and my brother Jim took a van load of things over so by the time I got there on the Sat arvo with the girls it was like we'd been there a week or so already!

On the Home front: So our new house is still a rental, we'll own one day just not yet, but is in prime location for all our needs. Ryan's new work place is 9mins walk away (along the road that is, it's just a few minutes longer along the beautiful beach!) as is the local park with slides and swings and ladders for Abbey to climb till her heart's content. There's also a kindergarten and primary school and highschool within walking distance too. I've found two playgroups that are also within walking distance which really is fabulous. Our three bedroom place is cozy. Not small cozy, just cozy. There's currently plenty of room for us all and room to play. Not so much room to store but that's not necessarily a bad thing at all. We've made a decision we want to live as simply as possible and so filling our lives with clutter and unnessary things is out. Abbey and Lucy are sharing a room together which is working out great thus far. They seem to manage to sleep through each others crying and tizzing and farting and head banging. Having them in together has left the third room as a sapre with a single bed and office space for Ryan to work from home. Not to mention keeping our almost destroyed laptop away from little Abbey fingers! Ryan has been on a mission since we arrived to get things just so. I on the other hand have been a bit more laid back. Or perhaps I'm just taking it all in my stride and letting things happen... when I get round to it. Ryan has already contructed (with supplies form his dad's stash and with help from his brother) three garden beds, two picture frames, a firewood shelter, a bookshelf, shelves in the garage... and probably a few other things which he'll remind me of when he reads this! All that and working eating sleeping breathing all the new info which he needs to digest as he accustoms himself with the new business. What we do need is a fence... somewhere to keep little people in close proximity to the house. Luckily the house in down away from the road but I was amazed at how fast abbey was able to make it 3/4 of the way up the drive the other day. That girl sure can move. (I'm enjoying the feeling of being in one place for a long time, and taking the necessary steps to ensure the place feels as such which of course means a few key additions - such as the firewood shelter above. All stuff which adds value to the property so the landlords are more than happy to let me tinker... Have managed to get a garden bed planetd out and am getting a little more adventurous with: (Sage, Basil, Garlic chives, Chives, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Silverbeet, Spinach, Lettuces, Celery, Beetroot, Rhubarb, Chilli's, Pyrethrum, Marigolds, Lavendar and even a gorgeously scented Rose - I must be getting old... Actually just recognising the need for plants other than just vegetables to bring in the necessary bugs to ensure pollination etc and then there's the desire just for beauty - that is only a beginnning too - i have more seeds planted which will hopefully nearly double the above! And i've got about 60 - 80 bulbs to plant - Daffodils, Fresias, and Irises. Will certainly be looking forward to spring!)

On the gorgeous girls front: What can I say but these two are delightful... not everyday for sure but we do enjoy each others company a heck of a lot. As Abbey, Ryan and I are getting used to Lucy being on the scene, things are developing, routines are working and we're all sorting out how life works with an extra little person in our midst. LucyLu infact is 4months old today and she is wonderful. She's smooth and smiley and all things nice and I do love her, gosh how I love her. Having children really opens you up to a whole new dimension of love doesn't it? Lucy has the greatest smiles and her giggle is contagious. We've had trouble putting videos on blogger but if you're facebook inclined there's some on there of our little ones. Lucy is certianly a lot bigger than Abbey was. She's already growing out of clothes Abbey was still in at this stage. We went to Plunket (is a child health clinic for 0-5yr olds for those of you not in the know) and they both got weighed and measured. In weight Abbey was in the 25 percentile while Lucy was in the 95%! Who ate all the pies!! Lucy is long too and today i put a pair of trousers on her that looked more like 3/4s. Abbey is our little language sponge at the moment. I'm loving it. She is taking in and regurgitating so many words right now it amazes me daily. She randomly came out with "cup of tea?" the other day. Not entirely sure where or whom she picked that up form because Ryan and I don't drink tea really. So today at lunch we were trying to teach her 'Milo' so that she can ask us if we'd like a milo instead. She's started stringing together a couple of words on the odd occassion so it won't be long I think before she's debating and negotiating and asking why? Oh the fun we will have! (She's also started some pretty loud singing which is quite hilarious... her favourite seems to be a rendition of 'God made you' which sounds more like 'Gooooaaah maaay yuuuuu' at full volume. A nice one to pick up for a first song... not that we believe in indoctrinating our children. She's also starting to pick up 'twinkle twinkle' and 'incy wincy spider') In the last couple of weeks I've been checking out local playgroups. I've found one run at the Uniting church a walk away which has been good. The mum's have been lovely and Abbey seems to enjoy herself. There's a few Lucy's age too which will be nice and some mum's that are new to Raumati also. So it's nice to be in the same boat as others. All in all Abbey and Lucy have taken to settling in extremely well.

We had a few nights where more cuddles were needed and we had to stay with Abbey for her to go to sleep. But who could blame her. Before the age of two she's already lived in three different houses this is the forth not to mention staying with friends before leaving the UK, living with Mikaela and John on arrival and departure from Cairns and the countless other beds she's had on all the holidays in the various places... I hope she's not too emotionally unstable... We're in NZ now though... she'll be right mate!

On the Family front: Gee it's great to be back home.... Family truly is a wonderful thing. We're blessed to have wonderful families who get along... most days(!) and who are there for each other always. Case in point the huge help we got from everyone in settling back in. From picking us up at the airport to helping us move boxes and furniture and more boxes and more furniture. (And building shelves and firewood shelters and moving fridges and beds etc etc etc) Providing blankets and clothes as we acclimatise to NZ weather, babysitting! oh my gosh having babysitters is a whole new concept! and one to be made more use of! Anyway it's just marvelous. We've had all our immediate family come and visit us in our new abode and we hope to have more of that. It's so so nice to be able to be hospitable.

On the business front: I'll let Ryan take over here but might I just say how much joy it has given me seeing him get stuck into something he's really interested in. To be in a position that gives him the opportunity to implement some of his great ideas and business strategies. It's going to take a while to settle into it and for numbers to increase but we'll/ he'll get there. Mmmm what can I say... visit www.empowerpilates.co.nz if you want to know specifics about the business and see photo's of the space... I guess i could sum it up by saying that if I was going to design an ideal workspace, it's probably something like what i'd come up with. A Spacious, Modern studio for exercise and rehabilitation, an awesome place to come to work each day. Great natural light and air with an outlook over a cute little private courtyard and garden. I'm enjoying the fact that i'm no longer just doing reactive health work (fixing the broken bits), but also proactive work (getting, or keeping people healthy so that they don't hurt themselves) and am really enjoying having a couple of staff to look out for (and pay at the end of each fortnight!) the new challenges of getting my head around PAYE and business tax and MYOB software, and marketing and policies and procedures, and health & safety legislation and all the myriad of other things that fill the minds of small business owners in NZ!!! It's really what I feel I needed to develop me and make me better at what I do. And i've already had my first international patient - a person I saw while in Australia and who was over here on holiday and came in to see me to see if we could make any inroads into their complex problems with the Pilates equipment. Good times. My business partner is staggeringly similar in outlook, yet complementary in terms of skills, so we're working really well together. Long may it be so! So no complaints from me! I think we'll just leave it at that - this has been in the making already for three weeks - which is probably a good measure of how busy we've been since getting back! Wherever in the world you're reading from, we hope and pray you're well, and loving life!