That's right....I said Boxing Day, celebrated on December 26th. I'm pretty sure you're having the same reaction that I had the first time I heard about Boxing Day. I couldn't help but think, "Sheesh...a whole day devoted to the sport of boxing?! Mike Tyson fans much..." (for the record...I don't think NZ is all to keen on Mike, considering they banned him from entering...click here to read more.)
Okay, okay, back on point. What exactly is Boxing Day? Well, there's two theories as to its origins. The first theory is that back in the day, servants had to work Christmas, but were given the day after off in order to celebrate with their families. The servant's employers would present them with gift boxes on the day after...hence the term Boxing Day. The second theory is that the collection boxes in churches were opened up, and the proceeds were distributed to the poor on the day after Christmas. Today, it's like Black Friday, except you don't have to request off work because it's a public holiday!! Oh, little side note here...Boxing Day isn't just celebrated in NZ. Canada, Australia, and the UK all celebrate BD, too.
We got up bright and early, just like everyone else that hadn't participated in the mass exodus to the beach, and prepared to go shopping. We didn't hit the "early bird" specials, but instead we waited and hit the shops around noon-ish. The traffic was insane, and there was nowhere to park. The Base. (one of the malls) has this nifty little feature telling how many parking spots are available. Well...there weren't many, and everyone was having to park out in the middle of nowhere.
Security was directing traffic, blocking roads and areas that were full, and indicating where you needed to go to park. We WERE being directed to the great abyss, but what did Ben do? He decided to use my bulging belly to get us closer. Yep, he pulled right up to Mr. Security Guard and said something along the lines of "My darling is pregnant, is there any way you can get us closer?" Mr. Security laughed and said "Yeah, she has had a bit too much Christmas pudding! Go right over there, and we'll get you in." We ended up with front row parking!!
I was really thankful for the great spot once the rain set in. To be honest, I was really grateful I didn't have to waddle any further than necessary...I had shopping to do and couldn't be bothered expending all my energy navigating the parking lots trying to get to the mall!! Let me rephrase that, I thought I had shopping to do. It turns out, after visiting nearly every store at The Base, we went home with 1 purchase. That's right...it took 5 hours to find one thing to buy, AND it wasn't even on sale!!!!
In summary, Boxing Day was spent fighting traffic and crowds just to NOT get a good deal. Sounds about right huh? It wasn't a complete waste though...we did manage to get a great laugh out of the parking arrangement....and yes, after 5 hours of walking around that place, I was even more grateful to have the awesome parking spot. Thanks again, Mr. Security Man!! :D
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Catching Up...Christmas
Between Christmas, New Year, and Ben taking vacation, I got a bit behind on my updates, so it's time to play catch up! First, I hope that everyone back home had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I know the weather there was rough over Christmas, but thankfully, everyone I know made it through safely.
Christmas here was lovely. The weather was rather warm, and it was the first time since my arrival that I had found myself wishing for air conditioning (I have wished for the AC a total of 2, maybe 3 times). Generally, the temperature is cooler and lacks the Alabama humidity. There's usually a breeze here, and the houses have tons of windows to let the air circulate. As long as the temp stays like it is, I think I'll fare well...we'll see how it goes as summer progresses.
We went to Ben's mom's on Christmas Day. Being that it is summer here, the food was lighter than it is back in Bama. We did have ham, but we had salads and stuff for sides. That's right...no dressing, no dumplings, no homemade mac n' cheese. I'm not complaining because everything was yummy! Desserts were different too. We had lemon cheesecake and a ginger kiss log. Ginger kisses are cakey cookies with cream sandwiched between them...think smaller, but thicker Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pies with ginger cookies instead of the oatmeal cookies. They're pretty tasty on their own, but they were soaked in some kind of juice and covered in fresh cream!!!
Yeah, don't even get me started on the fresh cream here. It's way better than the homemade whipped cream back there...some of you have heard me obsess over the cream after my visit last June...it was responsible for my weight gain, and I didn't even care! :D Okay, as you can see, I get carried away at the mere mention of the stuff, and I need to get back on track.. Yes, the ginger kiss log was amazing, but the lemon cheesecake was DIVINE!!! It had a custardy consistency, and OMG...I think I ate half of it...no joke. Ben's mom sent most of it home with us, and I think he saw a few bites. I didn't cut slices, I grabbed a fork and pulled it out of the fridge. It was sooo good. No, I didn't feel bad about how much of it I ate either. I'm preggo...yeah, that's a good excuse!! :D
So, after over eating, opening pressies, and visiting, we made it back home to open presents. No, we did not open them Christmas morning, nor did we open them Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve I was having blood work drawn, and then we were still out shopping for presents. Procrastination is not a good thing when it comes to Christmas shopping....it won't happen next year!
That was my first Christmas in New Zealand...relaxed and laid back. Did I miss everyone and the traditions back home? You bet I did!! I would be a liar if I tried to say I didn't. I missed the spaghetti tradition at Paw-Paw's and Mrs. Lady's cakes, I missed elbowing my way around the counter at Granny's to fix my plate and I missed picking off the ham every time I walked by it. I missed my Momma's dressing, grumbling about rather or not there were eggs in the dumplins, and the general chaos mixed with a bit of traditional family drama during the holidays. On a bright note, I'm guaranteed to get eggs put in the dumplins every time we come there..win for me!!! Take that my dear picky eater cousins!! :P
I did call up and talk to everyone at my Granny's on Christmas. They played pass the phone, and then I got ignored, and I was finally hung up on because it was time to eat. Yes, I felt totally missed...LOL!! I also got to see pics...of the HAM!! I'm still waiting on Cassidy to upload more. Cassidy, I hope you see this, I'm calling you out!!
With that being said, I'm out for now. I'll post more soon...there is still quite a bit to catch up on! XoXo
Christmas here was lovely. The weather was rather warm, and it was the first time since my arrival that I had found myself wishing for air conditioning (I have wished for the AC a total of 2, maybe 3 times). Generally, the temperature is cooler and lacks the Alabama humidity. There's usually a breeze here, and the houses have tons of windows to let the air circulate. As long as the temp stays like it is, I think I'll fare well...we'll see how it goes as summer progresses.
We went to Ben's mom's on Christmas Day. Being that it is summer here, the food was lighter than it is back in Bama. We did have ham, but we had salads and stuff for sides. That's right...no dressing, no dumplings, no homemade mac n' cheese. I'm not complaining because everything was yummy! Desserts were different too. We had lemon cheesecake and a ginger kiss log. Ginger kisses are cakey cookies with cream sandwiched between them...think smaller, but thicker Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pies with ginger cookies instead of the oatmeal cookies. They're pretty tasty on their own, but they were soaked in some kind of juice and covered in fresh cream!!!
Yeah, don't even get me started on the fresh cream here. It's way better than the homemade whipped cream back there...some of you have heard me obsess over the cream after my visit last June...it was responsible for my weight gain, and I didn't even care! :D Okay, as you can see, I get carried away at the mere mention of the stuff, and I need to get back on track.. Yes, the ginger kiss log was amazing, but the lemon cheesecake was DIVINE!!! It had a custardy consistency, and OMG...I think I ate half of it...no joke. Ben's mom sent most of it home with us, and I think he saw a few bites. I didn't cut slices, I grabbed a fork and pulled it out of the fridge. It was sooo good. No, I didn't feel bad about how much of it I ate either. I'm preggo...yeah, that's a good excuse!! :D
So, after over eating, opening pressies, and visiting, we made it back home to open presents. No, we did not open them Christmas morning, nor did we open them Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve I was having blood work drawn, and then we were still out shopping for presents. Procrastination is not a good thing when it comes to Christmas shopping....it won't happen next year!
That was my first Christmas in New Zealand...relaxed and laid back. Did I miss everyone and the traditions back home? You bet I did!! I would be a liar if I tried to say I didn't. I missed the spaghetti tradition at Paw-Paw's and Mrs. Lady's cakes, I missed elbowing my way around the counter at Granny's to fix my plate and I missed picking off the ham every time I walked by it. I missed my Momma's dressing, grumbling about rather or not there were eggs in the dumplins, and the general chaos mixed with a bit of traditional family drama during the holidays. On a bright note, I'm guaranteed to get eggs put in the dumplins every time we come there..win for me!!! Take that my dear picky eater cousins!! :P
I did call up and talk to everyone at my Granny's on Christmas. They played pass the phone, and then I got ignored, and I was finally hung up on because it was time to eat. Yes, I felt totally missed...LOL!! I also got to see pics...of the HAM!! I'm still waiting on Cassidy to upload more. Cassidy, I hope you see this, I'm calling you out!!
With that being said, I'm out for now. I'll post more soon...there is still quite a bit to catch up on! XoXo
Friday, December 21, 2012
Week Review
So, this week has been pretty eventful. It all began on Tuesday when Ben and I got married. I know...I know...we didn't exactly advertise that we were going to, we just up and did it! It was nice, quiet, and simple...no fussing, or all the stress that goes into wedding planning. We couldn't be happier!
On Wednesday, I saw my midwife for the first time. Yes, I said midwife. In NZ, you pay out of pocket to see an OBGYN if it isn't medically necessary, or you see a midwife for free. This girl decided tot take the free option. I found her and was in contact with her before I came over. She is really nice, and I couldn't be happier with her. I'll talk more on midwifery in a later post. I do have to have an ultrasound next week because the chunky monkey is measuring a little ahead, but no worries..it's not uncommon for that to happen. All in all everything is fine on the baby front. I see her again on Monday, and then every two weeks until I get closer to term.
Wednesday night was Christmas lights night! Ben, his mother, and I went to see the pretty lights around Hamilton. There's a subdivision called Harrowfield, and they really go all out with the Christmas lights. I'm talking these people rival the Griswold's from Christmas Vacation! There were so many people there viewing the lights..some drive through and others struggle to find a parking place and walk through. We accepted the park and walk challenge, and really got to enjoy the pretty lights. We saw just about everything you could think of. One house was all lit up with someone dressed as Santa sitting on the front porch. There were kids lined up having their pictures taken with him. Another house had a projector set up, and they were playing the story of Christmas on a screen on the side of their house. There was a caravan (camper) all decked out with a Santa scene inside for you to see. Someone had a fake snow machine set up right off the side of the street. When you walked up to see the little polar bear they had set up, you triggered a sensor, and got covered in fake snow! It was fun, and I was glad to see some people still go all out! It kinda reminded me of Christmas City when it first started out...I know some of you remember Christmas City!!
After we left there, we went to the Mormon Temple to see their pretty light display. The Temple lights are the gift to New Zealand from the Mormon Church. You get to park and walk there. Lights are everywhere...including on the palm trees. One side has the Temple itself with all the trees and shrubs surrounding it in lights. The other side of the street has trees in lights, boards lining the sidewalk telling the story of Christmas, and a beautiful ivory colored nativity scene. They also have a the New Zealand Visitor's Center open with various pictures of Christ on display. We didn't go through, it was pretty packed.
Here are a couple of pictures from the Temple. Most of the ones I took blurred out, so you can't see exactly how pretty it really is.
If you want to see how pretty the lights are, click here. If you want to read more about the Temple, this link will tell you more.
We also saw the Hamilton Christmas tree downtown. That thing is massive!! By massive, I mean 88 1/2 feet tall. It's the tallest tree in New Zealand! No, I didn't get any pictures of it because someone *coughBencough* was busy pretending he was a NASCAR driver while we were going through the downtown area. Here's a link to the tree if you want to see it, and I will get pics of it before Christmas is over!
I think that about sums up my week. I'll update everyone again soon! Have a great day tomorrow, and no, you can't be off work because it is the end of the world. It' already 12/21 here, and if it were gonna happen, I would know first! LOL! XoXo Until next time!
On Wednesday, I saw my midwife for the first time. Yes, I said midwife. In NZ, you pay out of pocket to see an OBGYN if it isn't medically necessary, or you see a midwife for free. This girl decided tot take the free option. I found her and was in contact with her before I came over. She is really nice, and I couldn't be happier with her. I'll talk more on midwifery in a later post. I do have to have an ultrasound next week because the chunky monkey is measuring a little ahead, but no worries..it's not uncommon for that to happen. All in all everything is fine on the baby front. I see her again on Monday, and then every two weeks until I get closer to term.
Wednesday night was Christmas lights night! Ben, his mother, and I went to see the pretty lights around Hamilton. There's a subdivision called Harrowfield, and they really go all out with the Christmas lights. I'm talking these people rival the Griswold's from Christmas Vacation! There were so many people there viewing the lights..some drive through and others struggle to find a parking place and walk through. We accepted the park and walk challenge, and really got to enjoy the pretty lights. We saw just about everything you could think of. One house was all lit up with someone dressed as Santa sitting on the front porch. There were kids lined up having their pictures taken with him. Another house had a projector set up, and they were playing the story of Christmas on a screen on the side of their house. There was a caravan (camper) all decked out with a Santa scene inside for you to see. Someone had a fake snow machine set up right off the side of the street. When you walked up to see the little polar bear they had set up, you triggered a sensor, and got covered in fake snow! It was fun, and I was glad to see some people still go all out! It kinda reminded me of Christmas City when it first started out...I know some of you remember Christmas City!!
After we left there, we went to the Mormon Temple to see their pretty light display. The Temple lights are the gift to New Zealand from the Mormon Church. You get to park and walk there. Lights are everywhere...including on the palm trees. One side has the Temple itself with all the trees and shrubs surrounding it in lights. The other side of the street has trees in lights, boards lining the sidewalk telling the story of Christmas, and a beautiful ivory colored nativity scene. They also have a the New Zealand Visitor's Center open with various pictures of Christ on display. We didn't go through, it was pretty packed.
Here are a couple of pictures from the Temple. Most of the ones I took blurred out, so you can't see exactly how pretty it really is.
 | ||
| The Temple |
 |
| Hillside Lights |
 | ||||
| Lit Up Palm Trees |
We also saw the Hamilton Christmas tree downtown. That thing is massive!! By massive, I mean 88 1/2 feet tall. It's the tallest tree in New Zealand! No, I didn't get any pictures of it because someone *coughBencough* was busy pretending he was a NASCAR driver while we were going through the downtown area. Here's a link to the tree if you want to see it, and I will get pics of it before Christmas is over!
I think that about sums up my week. I'll update everyone again soon! Have a great day tomorrow, and no, you can't be off work because it is the end of the world. It' already 12/21 here, and if it were gonna happen, I would know first! LOL! XoXo Until next time!
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