Livin' the Dream

I was looking at the title of the blog as I was waiting for the page to load and I just had to smile. Live....Dream....Hope. It really would be those three words that I would hope others would use to describe my life. To live and dream and hope is what keeps me alive. It is what makes me remember that life is a gift, it also at times is what makes me cry or stare in shock at what just happened. But at the end of the day I want to be a person who lives, who dreams and who even dares to hope again and again.



As we get the last minute things together to get on the plane today I am full of hope. I am not sure how to feel or what to think and last night on one last trip to the store I told Sam, "Well, if I am not sure what I think or feel then I am going to live in the excitement that is rising up in me." Of all the emotions and lack of emotions that seem to be swirling around me that I just don't have words for, excitement has been the consistent one. When things were chaotic and even tougher than I imagined, I still felt this tiny spark of excitement. I don't know if it is my love of a story and a great adventure or the reality that leaving one thing means I get to try something new and I love starting new things, or just the pureness and simplicity of getting to do life with Sam. I have a feeling it was a mixture of all those things. Whatever it was EXCITEMENT has been there the entire time. And I leave today with excitement being the one emotion I can articulate and enjoy.


After a fun weekend with family and friends, where Sam actually ate cake! Granted it was my dad's AMAZING Rum Cake that I asked him to especially make before we left, but still...cake, Sam, eating it...never thought I would see that :)

Also getting some warm and perfectly wonderful Booties from Aunt Velma was a hit of the day too. My Auntie Velma is 94 and still has more life than I do some days. She has been making our family booties since I can remember and her special gift to Sam and I was a pair each for those cold winters in New Zealand. Here are some fun pics of us modeling our new booties (which we actually wore all day on Sunday and which I also put in my carry on for the flight)






We loved getting to see family before we left. I LOVE parties and it made me just smile to see everyone hanging out around the table. And we got to see Stacie and Forest and Nathanael one last time before we left too! It was such a treat to have them spend the night and Stacie and I even got to laugh at our favorite old movies from college!

Now after spending the entire day on Sunday packing, we have EVERYTHING in suitcases (thanks to my mom getting us space savers! Thanks MOM!) We are finally ready to head out. For now we say good bye from America but will soon be saying hello from New Zealand!