Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Happy New Year!









And another year has flown by.

I have to say, all in all, it was a great year.
It truly has been an adventure and we have enjoyed it immensely.

Our holiday card seems to have stirred up some fun.
Apparently Eric's hair has been quite the conversation piece.
If you have been following the blog, you know that he decided to bleach it for Halloween.
Now the roots have grown out quite a bit and he has this inverse skunk look going on.
So for the Holiday party he decided to have some more fun and add purple to the
bottom layer. As it continues to grow out he will be pondering whether to cut it short,
re-colour it back or continue to experiment. Stay tuned....

We had a wonderful holiday break. (and technically are still on it). Eric is scheduled to go back to work on the 11th - but has the possibility of being called back sooner. And I am still unemployed, but hopeful that I will get something by the end of the month.

We had Xmas dinner with some close friends and then took a few days to drive up north to Napier and explore the Hawke's Bay area. The Pohutukawa trees are in full bloom this time of year. Because of their holiday coloration they are iconic here. Hawke's Bay area looks very similar to Napa, CA and is indeed wine country. The weather was absolutely amazing for about 4-5 days, before the rain came back to remind us where we live. We went to the top of Te Mata Peak for a grand view of Hawke's Bay - would have been even better on a clear day. We also went to the National Aquarium of New Zealand, explored the elegant Art Deco town, visited The Silky Oak Chocolate Company and discovered dark chocolate covered black licorice! And after spending about $45.00 NZD there were told that they have another store in Lower Hutt (about 25 minutes drive away from where we live - We are doomed).We walked along the waterfront, and had some good meals. I found a new favorite wine . (Hawke's Bay) Boundary Vineyards Matapiro Sauvignon Blanc Pinot Gris - very fruity!

We were back home before the New Year and spent a quiet New Years Eve together watching movies at home. It was very wet and the Wellington Fireworks had been cancelled. Apparently I am still trying for the "truly NZ" New Years Eve (see last years post) - or maybe that truly is a NZ New Years.

I hope that our blog is still entertaining and we will continue to post as regularly as
we can. Our hope is to both be working and to be able to visit the States again in July.

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy New Year!

Stacy & Eric