VAN VOORHIS FAMILY BLOG

Happy dog

Originally uploaded by samnjulievnz

This is the typical picture of our dog Summer. As soon as anyone looks like they might possibly rub her belly, she flops over and puts her paws up in the air. I think she’s happy we’re home. We’re all still a bit tired, but have been keeping busy.

Kids have had friends over non stop, I’ve gotten in some tennis and Sam has been able to play golf 6 days straight. It is great to be home.

Well, sorry about the not posting much – we’ve been keeping busy with unpacking, laundry, drs appts, grocery shopping – and yes, tennis and golf here and there. The kids are excited about having their friends over so this afternoon (in about an hour) we’ll be hosting a pool party with a few of their friends. Of course, I just played 3 hours of tennis in upper 80 degree weather, so I’m not tired or anything – and Sam is off golfing, so I’ll be entertaining/feeding/lifeguarding eight 11-13 year olds. And of course, watching the boy/girl interaction since they both have invited girls and boys over.

so….. I’m sure I’ll have some fun pictures to post later. J

Had a really nice day where we had my parents and sister over for a cookout and some pool time. They stayed till about 3:00 and after they left, we all promptly fell asleep and didn’t wake up till 7:00 p.m. Obviously our sleep schedules are still getting the kinks worked out. Anna & Ethan were almost impossible to wake up – so we’ve let them continue to sleep – hopefully they won’t be waking up at 3:30 in the morning or some other crazy hour.

It’s so beautiful here and we’re so thankful that the rain that’s been pouring down for the week before our arrival has finally stopped. The beach was gorgeous this morning, tons of people out with their dogs. We really enjoyed hanging out at the pool and relaxing – a nice welcome home from the busyness of travel in NZ and the cold that was starting to really chill us.

Looking forward to getting together with other friends this week and in the weeks to come. J

Well, we arrived home around 12:30 a.m. early this morning and stayed up till about 3:00 going through boxes, unpacking suitcases (starting laundry….). It’s so nice to come home to a familiar place. Picked up the dog from Grandma & Grandpas – and woke up before 7:00 a.m. – so I’m figuring we’ll crash this afternoon.

Kids are happy to have their own rooms back – as are we. Sam went golfing this morning at 8:00 and I took the kids and the dog for a nice long beach walk – ahhhhh, so nice to live at the beach. Found 23 sharks teeth – got the dog nice and tired and we’re back home and looking forward to having my parents and my sister Sarah over for a cookout this afternoon.

We’ve got a few more pics in the camera that we’ll try to upload soon. J

We’re in San Francisco now and will fly out tomorrow around noon (SF time). We’re tired after all the final travel and the long flight. Premium economy is helpful – I don’t think we could’ve made it in “economy” (coach) – but it’s no flat bed business class with the flat beds. We all got sleep in “bits and pieces” but we’re charging all our US gadgets and looking forward to a good nights sleep and being in our own beds tomorrow. Almost home….. J

In preparation for leaving NZ, we all threw a few things in our last big fire at the Black Barn.

Like good conservatives, Anna & Ethan burned a few books. Completed school workbooks actually. It was fun for them to signal the end of of the school of mom with a “we don’t need no educashun” bonfire.

I burned a couple turtlenecks and a few pairs of aging travel underwear. My overused quick dry delicates had been round the world in 2007 and they were no longer white — they were actually more of a metalic grey. So I decide they didn’t deserve another crossing of the Pacific.

When settlers arrive in a new land, they burn their ships to commit to their new homeland. I am committed to no travel for awhile – remaining in my home in PV – so I burned my travel underwear.

Somehow after 5 months away from home, it all seemed logical.

Sitting here in the airport with a few hours left before we say our final goodbyes to New Zealand. We have mixed emotions leaving – we had such a fantastic time here, but we’re really ready to be home. We’re excited to be sitting by our pool soaking up the warm Florida sunshine in less than 2 days.

This morning we started off in Taupo and headed out early towards Rotorua. Within 20 minutes of leaving we came across a single car accident where the driver slid off the road and rolled the car. The driver was in the ambulance when we arrived and we waited in traffic for a while while they helicoptered him out. A sobering reminder how we’ve been blessed with extraordinary safety while we’ve been here in NZ. Our only mishap was Anna flipping her ATV and she wasn’t hurt – so we’re very thankful. We made our way to Rotorua and rode the gondola up to the luge there. The kids each had 3 luge rides and they enjoyed them. It was a beautiful view from up there, but very cold. In spite of the cold, the kids still wanted to ZORB one more time, so we made our way over to the ZORB site and the kids changed in to their swimming suits and each did 2 wet ZORBS. They didn’t mind the cold since the water in the ZORB was wet – and they quickly changed back into warm clothes for the final drive to Auckland.

So…. we’re here, and we’re waiting. We fly to San Francisco and then to Orlando tomorrow. Sam still is really congested with his cold, so we’re hoping his head doesn’t explode upon take off (or landing, for that matter). We’ve got so many things to write about this trip that we just haven’t covered in previous blog posts. Many top 10 lists, things that are different – things that we’ve loved and things that we’ve missed.

As always, we appreciate our friends and family that have been following us on this trip and we look forward to seeing you all soon. J

We’ve had fun trying to figure out all the word differences while we’ve been here. Most of them have been pretty subtle, but interesting to actually make a list of the differences of our english language.

*** an update – have a few more words to add…
Chilly bin – Cooler
Sin Bin – Penalty box

Cheers- Thanks
Trolley- Shopping cart
Long Black- Coffee (or as close to American coffee as you can get)
Knackered- Tired
Gutted - Upset
Tyre - Tire
Give a ring- Call
Chips - French Fries
Crisps - Chips
Bonnet - Hood of car
Lemonade- Sprite
Nappies - Diapers
Handle - Mug of beer
Trim Milk - Skim Milk
Boot - Trunk of car
Biscuits - Cookies
Sunnies - Sunglasses
Holiday - Vacation
Brekkie - Breakfast
Sun Cream- Sun Block
Lollies - Candies
Tram lines- Alleys (in tennis)
Mate - Friend
Partner - Boyfriend or Girlfriend
Lift - Elevator
Kumra - Pumpkin
Capsicum - Peppers (red, yellow, green)
Sacked - Fired
Pinch or Nicked- Steal
Tomato Sauce - Ketchup
Fringe - Bangs
Hen’s night - Bachelorette Party
Salad/sauce - toppings for burger
Buggy, pram - Stroller
Jandles/thongs- Flip-flops
Dummy - Fake pass in rugby
Swim costume /Togs- Swimming suit
Tramping - Hiking
Serviettes - Napkins
Car Park - Parking lot
Year 8 - Seventh Grade

We also have learned the kiwi phrases “Cheers, Mate”, “Good on you”, “No Worries”, “Give it a go”, “Bits and Pieces” and the best one – “Sweet As” – which means great (or something similar).

Well, not indefinitely in NZ, but for a few more days at the Black Barn vineyard in Havelock North. This has been such a nice house to stay in and Sam is still not 100% better – so we’ve booked it for two more days. We’ve got a big fireplace, comfortable beds and a great kitchen to cook in so it’s a nice place to spend our last few days here. We will check out on Friday morning then have one night somewhere between here and Auckland. We fly out Saturday evening from Auckland and arrive in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon – the joy of time differences. One night in San Francisco then we fly to Orlando and arrive late on Sunday the 24th THEN drive back to Ponte Vedra. It will be quite a few days of travel, but it’s the necessary evil to get back home.

We’ve had a wonderful time here, but we’re ready to come back home – I should tell my neighbors to look out for my green Jeep, because I haven’t driven since the end of December! J

We’re at the Black Barn vineyards for a few days. We arrived yesterday after spending a nice morning at the local farmer’s market where we stocked up on all sorts of good local produce, meats, cheeses, olive oil, etc…. Sam is fighting a bad cold and/or allergies, so it’s nice to be at a beautiful location in a nice house for a few days where we can lay low and rest.

We’ve got a great cottage with separate bedrooms, a big fireplace, great kitchen and a nice living area. I’m enjoying cooking for the family and relaxing while Sam recuperates. Hopefully this will all pass before we have to fly on Saturday.

Had a low key day today for the most part balanced with a couple of short bike rides and some wicked tennis matches with Ethan. And….. the inevitable happened – Ethan beat me in a set – 6-3 and I was trying. What a humbling experience! He’s really gotten to be a great player. I came back in the second set and when we played a tie breaker in lieu of a 3rd, but I’ve been broken – and Ethan had that happy grin of a child who has finally bested his parent at something. I’m happy for him – and more determined to get my game in gear!

We’re here through Wed a.m. – and we’re not exactly where we’ll spend our last 3 nights in New Zealand. Somewhere between here and Auckland. The weather has been fabulous here – much warmer than the south island this time of the year. A slow preparation for the heat we’ll be facing at home in a week.

Thanks again for checking in on us – if you can, pray that Sam feels better – it stinks to be sick while on vacation. J