In addition to decor what party is complete without food? We found a few ideas that we put into action. One was the cake. My sister found the idea for a cake made from bundt cakes. I LOVE bundt cake. It gets crispy on the outside and is denser; YUM! My sister wanted half chocolate and vanilla for options which was easy to do with that pattern. I linked the how-to in the photo. The original plan was to put toy dinosaurs on it to make it more Jurassic, but couldn't find the dinosaurs so I was limited in materials and had to get creative but tried to make it look like a dinosaur with the spikes down the back. The second big food piece was the nacho volcano. We found this one on pinterest too. We put some fresh made guacamole at the base and to make it more dinosaur-y, you could put little plastic dinosaurs around the bottom. I linked the photo to the website I got the directions from. It wasn't perfect, but good enough that a lot of people were impressed with the presentation. Plus, who doesn't love nachos?! Lastly, just rearranging the fruit and veggie tray to try to have a dinosaur shape in them. These were also "pin-spired".
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When my husband and I got married, we invited a lot of people. Like, everyone we had ever met in our lifetime. We loved it. Every minute of it. It was a good time being surrounded by everyone who meant something to us. An unforeseen repercussion of this has been in turn getting invited to their weddings. The end of this year will put us at 20 weddings since our wedding three years ago. 7 this year alone, 6 of which are out of state, 3 of which require plane tickets, 2 of which my husband or I are in. You can imagine that we basically need a savings plan for our wedding budget. So, we've gotten creative in our gift giving. I like to give a gift that utilizes some time and/or talent to put together, something person or personalized, that will be used again and again, hard to forget and not something they are expecting from the registry. I know not everyone can do this, and registry's exist for a reason but... it's always fun to catch them off guard with something homemade. Here is my newest trend in gifting: personalized trays. Below I have two examples of trays I've done, with some ideas for others. Breakfast in Bed:
I took a black paint pen that matched the color of the chalkboard and a stencil and stenciled off the new last name on the side. I colored it in with the paint pen taking time to try to keep it neat. You'll see that in the photos below, I did both sides on this one. I also took that paint pen and wound up coloring in the parts that tore up on the side after a second coat had the same failing. Because I had to use the pen it wasn't as crisp an edge as I hoped, but an improvement! The part that I really like about this project is you have a gift ready to give already. A personalized tray that cost $0.50 and some left over paint that you would have paid up to $25 for on a site like etsy. So that's the first cost hack. Now I can fill it with goodies and spend actually $25 but have a gift valued around $50. This friend in particular liked breakfast in bed so I headed to the breakfast aisle. I made sure to purchase items with a shelf life, since I knew they'd be flying to their honeymoon and not using the items in the near future. I went for fancier/more pricey items to give them something they wouldn't normally get. This paid off cause they both commented on how great the flavored water was. I wish I had a picture of it all done but you can see the cellophane behind that I wrapped it in when I was done and tied it off with a ribbon in their wedding color and a smaller "I Do" ribbon. S'more BoardFor the next one, this was not our plan to give this gift, however, the deadline snuck up on us and there wasn't time to finish our original plan. So this time I grabbed the tray that I used in my own home. I used mine mostly for s'mores to carry all our items out around our bonfire. I figured this would be a good use for theirs as well. I liked the finish of this wood one more and the bottom was planked not flat, so I focused just on the side.
Because this one was almost impossible to sketch out ahead of time and fill in, it was a lot more stressful so I kept it simple and only on one side. I just put the last name, this time with free-handed cursive on the middle of the side. I added the date in simple font underneath. ![]() To make sure that it stays on longer you could go over it in a Mod Podge to seal it in, I just didn't want to make on side a different texture or sheen than the other sides and haven't perfected the art yet.
For the fillings for this tray again, I wanted some of the finer things in life for the s'more board. Better Homes and Gardens in the August 2018 issue listed some ideas for the perfect s'more board which I had saved and referenced this for filling it up. So here was the final S'more Tray:
Haven't gotten feedback on this one yet but it was satisfying how perfectly these items filled up the tray and everyone who saw it that wasn't the recipients, commented on how they loved it and gave me the date of their anniversary so I could make them one. This is my new favorite gift because it's so easy to personalize and they will find uses for the tray over and over again.
Other ideas I had could be: - ice cream topping tray - popcorn topping tray (could include cute popcorn bowls) - cosmetics for a self spa day (nail polish, face masks, etc.) - a night in (wine, books, slippers, crossword puzzles, etc) - movie night (movie, candy, microwave popcorn) - specialized to their hobby or interest How would you fill a personalized tray for a gift? Let me know! So a couple friend of ours and we were itching for an adventure. We knew we had been doing lots of traveling (3 out of state weddings that required plane tickets this year alone) and wanted to keep it kind of simple and affordable. We looked at the map and decided on a destination within driving distance that we could do a long weekend in. Destination location: South Dakota! When I though of South Dakota there were a few things that came to mind:
Here is how we packed a 5-day weekend (Friday to Tuesday) with all of these things! Things to Note: These areas have a lot of options that are very accessible to all fitness levels and ages and they clearly label the difficulty. Stay within your limits and comfort level but know that if this seems beyond or below your preferred difficulty, it would be easy to modify with a little research. We were coming from the east which made the trip make sense in it's layout for us. You may need to adjust based on your starting point/add more time to allow for travel. Our trip was in late June and the temperatures were pretty cool to cold in the Black Hills and comfortable to warm in the Badlands. We layered up quite a bit but it kept the bugs away. DAy One:This was a travel day. We had a long way to go, but made the most of it. We would stop for food and or gas but made a few tourist stops along the way.
Next stop was in Mitchell to see the Corn Palace. You can find it easily as it is well marked. It was pretty cool to see. They have a really nice gift shop and information. I will leave the mystery of it here because it made it even better when you are wowed by the structure. After that we stayed on route other than gas to get to our campsite while it was still light out. We drove right past the Badlands and in to the Black Hills. We booked a campsite here for our stay in advance. I recommend way in advance because although we were lucky enough to get two nights at the same campground we had to move sites. Recreation.gov gives a lot of information about available sites and makes it possible to reserve. We stayed at a place called Horsethief Lake. It had water and vault toilets and a path around the lake. We took a walk around the lake in the early morning and it was so calm, quiet, and beautiful. Anyways, back to day one; after we pitched our tents, and threw some stuff in them, our day was not done. We got back in the car and drove the few minutes over to Mount Rushmore.
The down side was we did have to cook in the dark when we got back to the campsite but it was worth it. Then to bed to rest for day two. Day Two: Day two was dedicated to the Black Hills, so we started out the day early with a bike ride. We drove into Hill City and hopped on the Mickelson Bike Trail. From there it was 9 miles to Crazy Horse so that was our goal destination. The Mickelson Trail is an old railroad track so it was an even bike trail through pretty terrain: over bridges and through old tunnels. It was very cool but the ride there was very challenging. While the trail is even, from Hill City to Crazy Horse it is uphill the entire way. Biking 9 miles at a gradual incline for me required a lot of water and "picture" breaks. The ride back was amazing because you almost never had to peddle. If you like the sound of the trail but aren't sure about the ride up, Rabbit Bicycle in Hill City can shuttle you up so you just get to bike back down.
After that we headed to Custer State Park. There are a lot of "must sees" here. We paid the entry fee and drove about every inch of the park. The terrain changes a lot throughout the whole thing. Sylvan Lake was beautiful but very busy so we kept doing the Needles Highway. A little ways after Cathedral Spires we found an overlook for lunch. We drove through the wildlife section and found buffalo, prairie dogs, and donkeys (which surprised us). We made a quick jaunt over to Wind Cave to get a national park stamp since we were so close but knew we would be touring Jewel the next day so didn't go in. We grabbed some literature and read as we went. We knew we wanted to do Black Elk Peak but missed it the first time through. After stopping at the wildfire watchtower we dedicated some time to figuring out where it was. We saw we could access it from Sylvan Lake or Cathedral Spires. We went back to Cathedral Spires which seemed less busy and hiked out to both. By then it was getting late and we underestimated the time it would take. We were coming back in the early twilight but the sunset was one of the most beautiful we had ever seen. Was so worth it, but be prepared for a long strenuous hike to the top. A very cool building and view awaits you if you can get there. Again a late night. We didn't even eat dinner that night. We snacked back and climbed right into our tents for the night, tired from the day and feeling satisfied from the fresh air. Day Three: We started off the day with a trip to Jewel Cave. We packed up our camp because now both of our nights there were finished and headed out pretty early. Many tours were already filled so we had to wait a little bit, so get there early if that's a problem for you. It wasn't for us because we liked learning and again, there were more stamps to be collected. It's also pretty cool in the cave (about 53 degrees F) so it gave us time to go layer up.
After the cave, we made a trip into Rapid City to stock up for our next two nights. We were heading into the Badlands where no campfires are allowed so we bought more fuel for our backpacking stoves, water since the campground we were staying at had none, and a few more groceries. Then we drove to the Badlands.
If you plan on staying here make sure you pack water and get here early enough to stake a claim. They do provide picnic tables, vault toilets and trash cans, so for being free, it was a good stay. For the first time we had daylight so we cooked an elaborate meal, played some cards and went to bed so we were rested for our last full day in South Dakota, devoted to the Badlands. Day Four:We did the Badlands. As simple as that. We drove through stopping at overlooks. Each one more breath taking than the last. We took lots of pictures, went to the visitor center to get water and stamps, and then just explored. The trails are very well labeled and accessible, but you have the freedom to roam off the trails with caution. We loved it. The park is so easily accessible, that we quickly saw much of it so we made a quick detour out of the Badlands for, you guessed it, another stamp. The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site was very neat. Although it was stepping away from the nature we had set off to find, all of us left in awe from the information we had learned. It was sobering to think about and the site does a good job of providing visuals and having you put yourself in the shoes of these service members and the average American (or Russian) of that time. We would recommend.
We were amazed by the beauty of South Dakota and these "bad lands". Our friend said we MUST return to this spot as the views, temperature, and lack of bugs blended to perfection. Day Five:
Overview and Itinerary:Below is the itinerary we followed. Remember to make changes to adjust to your preferences/what's available. We hope you enjoy the trip as much as we did!
Before Leaving
Day 1
Today celebrates my three year anniversary! Yay! As I was looking back through our pictures together trying to find the perfect one for the Insta post I started to realize something in my photos. The pictures that I look at and love my husband the most in, would mean absolutely nothing to anyone else. They also aren't very good pictures of him. The reason why is because in a lot of my pictures this year he is working. On something very special just for me. My very own craft room!
STep 2: CEILING
Step 3: Trim and floor
Step 4: Move in and Admire the transformationThe rug adds some cushion for my feet as I stand and wrap here. I packed the old counter (that also got a facelift) with crafts to have on hand. It's also my yarn storage. The far right cabinet was just open space so I followed the tutorial on All About Ami and did the same thing in that space. My cuts weren't as tight so you can see my angled lines don't hold their straight line all the way through. I found some pins and pushed them through to help support and that did clean it up some. I also included a pencil holder that I made at a paint your own ceramic place as my crochet hook holder. I love the new look for my yarn station! We also swapped out the circle glass table for a deep desk that my uncle-in-law no longer had a use for. It had a glass top so I slid the measuring tape underneath to make a pretty legit sewing table. I also with the desk have better to maximize table space and ready storage for scissors, pins, fabric markers, stitch removers, buttons and the like off of my work space. Lastly we put the shelf back in and I organized by shelf. I have a paint shelf, a paper craft shelf, a ribbon bin, fabric shelf, crafts on queue shelf, floral shelf (organized by color), and another bin for odds and ends. After the photo I added in more seating a stool by the counter top, some folding chairs in the empty corner for when I have craft parties and a comfy office chair my husband got for free because it was used at an office supply store. I went from being just thankful for my space to craft to a space that is comfortable and inspires me to craft. Today looking back, I am thankful most of all for a husband who works hard to meet not only my needs but my wants too. I hope this has some ideas for you to do a simple upgrade on your craft space too. Happy crafting!
![]() Memorial Day just passed and we had a weekend we will always remember. Like many American's we invited friends and family over for a cookout to enjoy some kebabs. Unlike many American's we ended up poisoned and puking up our delicious lunch. How did this happen? A friend brought some "wild onions" they had just discovered in their yard. He explained they were a good size for the kebabs so he and my husband cut them up and added them to the skewers. The problem... they weren't onions. They were daffodils, which are poisonous. We didn't know this until after it was too late. We had many warning signs that were ignored and it got me thinking, what are the ways that we allow poison into our lives? None of us mean to allow toxic materials to seep into our home, family and life, but somehow it finds it's way in. These are some mistakes that we made yesterday that we need to be careful of in our lives: GENUINE IGNORANCE: This was why they first came into the house. The friend that brought them over genuinely believed that they were onions. They had a bulb and green top, onions also have a bulb and green top. There are many "poisonous" things in this world that we just don't know are bad. Things that disguise and parade themselves as something good that really are the opposite. It's important that we study scriptures so we can spot a counterfeit good thing. Philippians 4:8 says that "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." This eliminates many songs, movies, and TV shows that are popular today. Make sure you are learning what really is a good thing so that you aren't consuming poison. BEING IN A HURRY: When the friend arrived and happily announced his surprise for me while holding 20 pounds of "onion" in a bucket, I was mid celebration preparation: trying to get someone a knife for the vegetables, someone else ice for the punch, finding a cutting board for the watermelon, and work around them in my tiny kitchen. I didn't give it the time to go over and actually look at them. I simply asked him to put them outside. Having spent the most time around plants of anyone in the room, I was the best hope to correctly identify the plant and could have before the meal if I had taken the time to get to know what was coming in. In our lives are we taking time to truly monitor what comes into our lives or the lives of our kids? Are we in such a rush that we don't closely monitor the shows our kids are watching or actually listen to the words in the pop song? Do we rush through spending time with God leaving us susceptible for ungodly behaviors to grow? NOT BEING ATTENTIVE: My husband and friend decided they would be a good addition to the skewers so they were instructed to clean and cut them outside. My husband admitted after that while outside the friend pointed to our flower garden and said "Look, you guys have some too." My husband told him that those were daffodils, not onions, and they continued to work at preparing the "onions" for the meal. Sometimes, things can sneak in simply because we aren't being attentive to them. This seemed like an obvious time to catch our menu mix-up, but then again there are lots of times you look at life choices people are making and wonder how they don't see the harm it is doing. Staying up late, dating the wrong person, working too hard, etc. These things are always easier to see on the outside or after the fact, and the hardest to catch when you are in them. TOO AFRAID After they were cut up and brought back inside in the bowl, we questioned how they looked, we commented on the film as we put them on the skewers, and even discussed how the taste was off. We all had several opportunities to question the validity of the claim that this vegetation was an onion, yet none of us did. We didn't want to be the one to sound silly and make a claim that was unfounded or challenged anyone else's claim. This is easy to fall into because of they people around us. People around us can have a major impact in the mistakes we are willing to make. Don't believe me? Think of Matthew 14:9. Herod beheaded John the Baptist because of those who sat around him. He allowed himself to make a mistake because he didn't want to be viewed differently by the people around him. This one can cripple many people from keeping out poison as they will go through with something, coming up with an excuse when the only reason is they are too afraid to have a different opinion than the masses. IN CONCLUSION... We had many opportunities to catch the mistake that had been made. Many moments that we let go by until we were regrettably hugging the toilet later that day. At that point, we wished we had made a closer investigation of what we let in, but it was too late. Hopefully, we can avoid these traps of ways poison can slip into our lives, before it is too late.
The good news is, if it did get in, we can get it out! Just like our bodies rejected the poison and spewed it out, if we have discovered that poison has made it's way into our lives, we can make an effort to conscientiously reject it and we have Jesus that can help remove it from our lives. We will feel so much better about our lives when all of the poison of sin has been removed. While the removal can sometimes be uncomfortable, the relief that comes from a poison free life is so worth it! Trust me, I know. Diaper cakes are a relatively easy gift that look very challenging to make. They make excellent gifts when all assembled because you can not only give a practical gift (a baby uses between 1,500 and 1,800 diapers a year!!), but it make a stunning centerpiece of the gift table and essentially add another decoration to the shower. The Basics:
Star Trek: The Next Generation
I matched a travel sized baby item next to each color ("red" baby lotion, yellow baby oil and blue baby powder"). I looked long and hard and onesies with stars, or talked about being "out of this world" with the intent of rolling them up and replacing some of the diapers with the onesies, however knowing that my soon-to-be nephew already had several Star Trek onesies, I skipped this to save money. I wanted to find a smaller ribbon that had the Star Trek symbol but when no where near me carried it I just cut some out of card stock and made my own to stick on the ribbon which I think worked just as well just took longer. For the topper if I had had more time would have been these adorable friends on the left by Hallmark available on Amazon. They come out of the enterprise so the ship would have been the topper and Captain Picard and Worf would have been holding the baby lotion and baby oil on those layers. I didn't have time for it to ship though so I had to stick with what I could pick up that day (which was a good thing because my cousin had got this for him). I headed to the mall and went into every shop that looked like they might have something trekkie. I then understood why no one had done something like this before, there is not much of anything Star Trek related on the shelves these days. Finally, at lunchbox I found the light on the right side, also available on Amazon here. In order to make it work on the cake, I hid a portable charger similar to this one in the cake in place of one of the diapers on the top row and plugged it into that. I kept the color on blue since they are expecting a boy. My brother totally loved the one we brought and my family "oohed" and "aahed" over it. I believe either one would make a stellar diaper cake to send your wishes to "live long and prosper" to the new baby! Zoo Animals Playing SportsFor the second diaper cake I made (within weeks of the Star Trek) the theme of the nursery and shower was Zoo Animals playing sports. Yes you read that correctly, and let me tell you, there is not much of a market for this theme, yet. However, with a little ingenuity we worked something out. Again, there was a lot of cute bibs and onesies that had animals or sports you could have put in to the layers, but we did not go that route in this case. I used the same sizes of cake boards as for the first diaper cake and once I had it together did a few things different.
The wide ribbon and animal ribbon came from Michaels and the wide white ribbon from Hobby Lobby. I picked up the lion, elephant and giraffe from Walmart in the craft section for $0.50 each. The balls that each have are buttons that I hot glued on to make them "sporty". I found the football at the dollar store so although it wasn't something they would use most likely, it also didn't cost a whole lot. The baseball also came from the dollar store but is a wrapped bath bomb that I drew the lines on (double gift!). We also acquired the paper shreds from the Dollar Tree which was awesome. The monkey, giraffe and elephant rattles, all came from Walmart in the baby section and tied into our theme. Overall Take AwayDiaper cakes are a lot of fun to make. Once you have an idea for the theme, go to your cheaper store options (Dollar Tree and Walmart) to get what you can there. I picked up anything that related to the theme. I had two adorable bibs that didn't make it on the cake but instead went in a gift bag with extra diapers. As long as you are on budget it is nice to have extra materials to work with! Then get what you know you want at the more expensive stores after your cheaper store options (make far enough in advance to give yourself enough time to order online too in case you find something awesome there). Most of all, enjoy creating something special and unique to give to the expecting parents for their special and unique baby they are awaiting!
Every night, I diligently make sure my phone is plugged in. It's one of the only habits that I have. It's a necessary one because it's my alarm clock and if the battery dies overnight, which it likely would since I'm ending the day at 8% or less battery remaining from all the emails, photos, and facebook through the day, then I would not wake up in time for work the next day. Last year about this time, I started my own War Room. This is a nod to the Kendrick Brother Movie that came out in 2015. If you haven't seen it, I put the trailer below and you can learn more about the movie and the Kendrick Brother's here. I did not dedicate my closet or a whole room to be a war room, simply next to my bed, between my bed and dresser, I hung up a prayer for my ministry at church, I posted verses about praying, I even got a vinyl decal from the dollar store that said "pray more worry less". I put out a blanket to make it comfortable, I bought a prayer journal, and left a notebook to fill in my requests and cross off as they are answered. I told my mom I wanted to start praying more and asked her to hold me accountable since she is the most dedicated prayer warrior I know. She was excited and did what she could living so far away. She even got me a plaque that beautifully reads pray to put in my corner. But over the course of time I stopped praying.
I had put all these measures in place, I had invested time and money and still I couldn't build the habit of praying frequently. It wasn't until one evening when I did make time to connect with God again that an idea came to me. It was impressed upon me that I can find time to plug my phone in every night. I asked myself, what does that say about my priorities that I make sure every night I have my phone recharged and ready for the next day, but won't recharge/reconnect myself with God to make sure I am powered up for the next day? That's when I started my charging challenge. I decided I wouldn't plug my phone in until I prayed. If I didn't have time to connect myself to God as my power source, I didn't have time to connect my phone to the outlet as it's power source. Having it linked to the reminder why and a routine that has already been established has helped me to be more consistent with my prayer life before bed. If this is a struggle for you, I challenge you to take the Charging Challenge as well. If you have good strategies for building good prayer habits, leave comments below, as I'm still working on building prayer time into my morning routine as well! Not much of a post here and I am not the first one to do this idea, however, I have a co-worker that LOVES Pokemon, specifically fire types, but hates the color orange and I find that to be so ironic I couldn't pass up the opportunity on her birthday to celebrate. The first year I made her a Charmander (our friend on the left) because he is absolutely adorable, pretty simple, and orange. She loved him and asked if he would evolve next year. I couldn't say no, so in the middle we have last year's cake, with Charmeleon, and this years cake, Charizard. Each year got increasingly complicated, and I wanted to be able to share my hard work. The cake itself is nothing special, just your favorite box cake flavor, then I got two tubs of vanilla frosting. I sketched the picture on the cake in the frosting with just a toothpick so that if I didn't like something I just had to smooth it out and start over. Once satisfied with the sketch I went over the outline in black frosting. After outlining it I put the frosting that was left into smaller ziploc bags to die them to the correct color, snipped the edge and filled it in. She was happy with the final product! (sorry I couldn't get a better picture of it lit, but we were worried we were going to set off the smoke detectors in the school and had to act fast!) Bonus Pinata
![]() Then with my handy hot glue gun I glued the orange ribbon around the and attached them to the back of his head. Next, used the glue gun to glue the tissue paper around the cardboard, trimming off extra pieces. For extra detail I ran ribbon along the edge of the wing too to tie them together. I'd glue a small straight portion, fasten ribbon then cut a slit allowing it to turn at the curves and repeated until the end. For the tail I gathered red, orange and yellow tissue paper and cut them into a small square all the same size. I twisted them so they didn't line up perfect then folded them up. I twisty tied the bottom end to hold them altogether in place. Glue gun gets used again to attach to tail. Final product isn't perfect, but for something that gets beat until it falls apart anyways, it does the job. She knew exactly what (who?) it was and loved him right away. He was worth the extra effort for the extra joy he brought. Hope some of these ideas would be useful to you as well in planning you next Pokemon party! (Or that you enjoyed the photos!)
New Zealand is a Bucket List destination for many people. I have put off writing this blog for 2 years now, but with enough of my friends asking me about my trip as they plan theirs I figure it's about time I get it all put down before I forget too much of it. So let me start off with some of the thoughts my husband and I had, then I'll walk you through our itinerary.
Day 1Try to get a flight that arrives in the morning. Especially if you can sleep on the plane. The jetlag isn't bad since it's almost a full day ahead, making it easy to get adjusted. This means if you land in the morning, you get almost a full extra day. We got off the plane early and started towards our rental. We rented from Juicy a very cheap and popular choice. Know that Juicy is a very long walk from the Auckland airport though, so definitely catch a shuttle or get a ride. I don't remember why we walked, but it was a long one carrying all our luggage in the unaccustomed heat. Although there were some photo opportunities along the way... ![]() Piha Beach - Now that we had wheels the first stop we made was a Piha Beach. It is a cute little surf town that had a few stores where we picked up some sandwiches and had a picnic at the beach. The beach is huge and is used for surfing competitions although no one was out when we were there. The best part of Piha Beach though was Lion Rock (that lone peak in the picture below). You can climb up to the almost top. We did not expect that and therefore climbed it barefoot since we left our shoes in the car. I recommend bringing them along, but it was definitely a good start for kicking off New Zealand. Auckland: We headed back to Auckland as we had time before our check in time with our Air Bnb. So we played a round of Frisbee Golf, got some basic groceries that wouldn't spoil for snacks on the road, and went to the two highest points in Auckland: Mount Eden and One Tree Hill. Both were pretty cool ways to see experience the city but you could choose to do the sky deck too if you are more city than nature oriented. Our Air Bnb was cozy and our host very friendly. We watched Dr. Who together as we ate our dinner. We weren't in New Zealand for the city life so this was the best use of our time in Auckland. And allowed us an easy day after the long flight there. Day 2
Rotorura - The disappointment of not getting in did not last long as we had other exciting things planned for the day. We rented some mountain bikes in Rotorura and hit the trails. I had zero experience mountain biking before and had a lot of fun. It's also one of the top three mountain biking destinations in the world, so no matter your skill level, there is something for you. I did wind up taking a spill, but if you didn't are you even mountain biking? Make sure you have a map as there are a LOT of trails and it's easy to get turned around. Road side attractions Aratiatia and Hot Springs - This was an accidental find. We did not plan this ahead of time, but thought they sounded cool so we made a short jog over to see them (since we had a little more time with Hobbiton not panning out). Aratiatia was recommended by the locals as it's a dam that is pretty impressive in size, and the hot springs (don't have a name unfortunately) were pretty neat, especially for my husband who had never seen hot springs. The island was a little bit warmer so make sure to bring a water bottle! Our Air Bnb that night was absolutely incredible. It was a side room off of their house with our own bathroom, and two entirely glass walls looking over the country side of New Zealand. It was way nicer than anything we could have afforded at a hotel. Plus our hosts were hilarious and taught us some Kiwi slang including my husband's favorite word - "chocka": meaning overflowing, especially in reference to town's being overflowing with tourists. They told us of a place in the area to go swimming where hot springs meets a cold river and you can pick your own temperature for swimming that not too many tourists knew about and made great dinner recommendations. This is one of the best reasons to do Air Bnb, is getting the inside scoop on where to good places are to go and learning more about the country by talking to the people who live there. Day 3
Because there is so much more to see than just Mt. Doom, I would recommend taking a shuttle service so that you can do the complete hike if this is something you are interested in. The trails naturally have a one way feel to them as this is how most people do the hike, although we saw a few camper vans that allowed people to hike halfway and back out without paying for a shuttle. Also, the parking is only for four hours so you will not get to see very much unless you are going fast. There is so much to see if you do this, you should definitely take the shuttle. We were unable to do either of the two add-on hikes (up to two higher peaks) because of our time crunch and with the pace we kept we were pretty tired by the end of the trail. We were happy our Air Bnb host that night had offered to make us dinner so we could just stay in and relax that evening. Day 4Wellington - This day's main purpose was to cover some ground. We had to make it to Wellington, which is the southern most city of the north island, as we were crossing to the south island the next day. Since we had a very physically active day the day before we used this as an opportunity to relax and take it easy. Our Air Bnb was an adorable chalet that was quite cozy. We saw some sights in Wellington, but didn't want to spend much money so we kept it to local hikes and dinner. We discovered a New Zealand favorite: Cranberry, Chicken, Brie Pizza. Day 5![]() The Crossing - We got up early the next day as we had to cover some ground after the ferry. The ferry we took across was GIANT. On board they had theaters and a cafe besides the three level parking garage for cars. The views along the way are absolutely gorgeous. Make sure you get out to the deck to enjoy the sights of the crossing. It was windy the day we crossed and I have a tendency to get seasick, but it is worth getting out. I recommend keeping some snacks on you as you need to leave your car and won't have access to it until you arrive and the food on board is pricey. We also brought a crossword puzzle book to keep us entertained. Once we got across we made the journey to our Air Bnb destination in Motueka. Here we had a space all to ourselves. We did a little shopping here to get our family some Christmas presents/souvenirs. We also got some fresh groceries for dinner and went to bed early so we were ready for Day 6 Day 6Abel Tasman - This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We went to Abel Tasman, rented sea kayaks, kayaked to a drop off point, left the kayaks and hiked back. It was amazing for the following reasons: sea kayaking is so much fun (and remember I get sea sick pretty easily and I still loved it), the sights were absolutely gorgeous and so diverse, and there were seals (we only got the picture of the one because it was too choppy to risk taking my phone out where the others were)! But for this, I'll let the pictures do the talking. After the kayak trip we had do a little travelling before we reached our hostel/bar/restaurant that we slept at that night. Berlin's Cafe Bar and Accommodation was really the only option as there was not much around this area. We had a delicious burger with beet on it. This was New Year's Eve and we thought it might get rowdy, but we were in bed by 10 and no one woke us up. Day 7Our only thing on the agenda for the next day was to get to Queenstown. This allowed us some spare time and we found a lot of cool stuff on the way there! Punakaiki Cavern - These caves were just a hole on the side of the highway and although we only had the light from our phones we decided to stop and check them out. Glad we did as they were pretty neat. Also the walk there from where we could park wasn't too bad either... Pancake Rocks - Just down the roads we came to Pancake Rocks. These are one of those natural wonders that no one really know why it is the way it is, but for free entry again, it was a really cool stop. The rocks are named for how they look stacked on top of each other which is pretty cool, but the stop is more than just rocks; it's a gorgeous hiking trail right along the ocean. Franz Josef and Fox Glacier - This was so cool to us that in one trip we were hiking volcanoes and glaciers. Again, you just have to get there and park in order to experience these two hikes. You do have to hike a little ways to get to where you can see them, and weather dictates how much you actually get to see but there are so many beautiful things along the way. If the trail does not get you close enough, you can take an air tour and get right to them. For us, this was close enough to experience them both and still stay on schedule. Day 8Queenstown - This part of journey was focused on getting to Queenstown. Queenstown is the world capital of adventure. You can go bungee jumping, paragliding, jet boating, all sorts of intense things. While it was definitely a stop we wanted to make because of it's hype, we kept the Queenstown vibes a little more chill. We did some Frisbee golf and hiked up Queenstown Hill. Hill is a very bad word to describe this as it was quite the climb. Queenstown is gorgeous from any angle and the views from the top of Queenstown hill did not disappoint. There are so many more photos I could put in here, but you will just have to go see it for yourself. Day 9![]() Glenorchy- This day was spent to get us close to our next big adventure. We took a drive out of Queenstown along a path that they filmed more iconic Lord of the Ring shots at. This took us through some beautiful country, but unless you are a major LOTR fan, you probably won't recognize specific scenes from the drive alone (my husband did, I did not) but you do get the overall feel of driving through Middle Earth. I'm sure once you get to Glenorchy there is more you can do, but we just turned around and continued to our destination. ![]() Te Anau Glowworm Caves - This was not something we had planned ahead of time but was something I had heard a lot about. We couldn't take many pictures there as it disturbs the worms, but a google search on Te Anau Glowworm Cave will give you an idea of what they are if you haven't heard of it. It was a little pricey (about $67 USD a person) so I don't know if I'd do it again now that I've done it once, but I was glad we took the opportunity to go while we were there, especially since we had the time and didn't have to replace anything else with it. And we learned about the takahe a really cool bird that semi-resembles Kevin from UP. Plus, we learned about a bird sanctuary where we got to see the takahe and other cool NZ birds. That night we stayed at the Possum Lodge Motels and Holiday Park since it was near the launch spot for our final big adventure. Day 10 and 11Two Day Kayak Trip of Doubtful Sound - I told you it was a big last adventure! This trip was a trade-off for the more popular Milford Sound, but it is equally gorgeous but less crowded because it's harder to get to (a win for us!). This was my husband's favorite part of our trip. The company we booked the trip through provided us the kayaks, wetsuits, rain jacket, thermal, water bags, sea skirt, tent, cooking supplies, and guide. Really the only thing we needed to bring was food, our cameras, clothes, toiletries and ourselves. The trip was unbelievable. It was a small group of travelers from around the world so we got to learn a lot about New Zealand and other places. The waterfalls and cliffs are amazing to behold, the bizarre weather was a welcomed adventure, and the wildlife included dolphins and penguins (while we didn't see any dolphins our guide told us this was more likely than penguins, but we did see a penguin). Our guide also let us get out to explore at random points and we blazed a trail down land no human has tread before and that was pretty neat. The company has a camp site set up that has an outhouse, a screened in kitchen and enough camp sites for each group on the trip. It was a great way to immerse yourself in the sounds. I will do my best to not overload with photos and provide some diversity, but there are so many beautiful things about this trip, we have many amazing pictures that I feel are worth sharing. When we returned from our trip we drove around the south island up to stay with a friend from college. We realize that this is a luxury not everyone has, but having just come back from this trip, we spent most of that night condensing our stuff, repacking for the flight and getting rid of perishables/things we couldn't fly with. Day 12And as promised, our trip ended in 12 days. A very boring last day of getting on a plane in Christchurch and flying back home to Chicago with a layover in Auckland and LAX on the way. Recap:So there it is. An adventure packed two weeks. We fit in
This was my view on the way to work this morning. I always look forward to turning on to this road. Some people may wonder why. It's been under construction for months now. The power plant in the background is outlined by electric lines are less than captivating to most. However, that is not what I see. I look to the sky and if you look closely, you can see the lake dead ahead. See it? If not, that's okay. It's quite clear on my commute and this site is often the most beautiful part of my day. At first I didn't think so. When I first moved here after getting married, I got hung up on the traffic and the construction and all the man made things surrounding me. This was unfamiliar from where I grew up and it didn't feel like home. Over the course of two and half years, instead of focusing on the unfamiliar, I narrowed in on what was, the lake ahead of me, the sky above me. I am now comforted at this sight every morning.
It made me think of a verse shared at our Monday workout this week. The verse was Philippians 4:8. Do you know it? It says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." It's amazing how my focus shifting on my morning drive has changed a commute from a foreign stressful sight, to a glimpse of home and comfort. This week, as I recognized the shift in my focus at this view, I wondered what other things could change in my life if I spend time focusing only on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. I think just like this view, I'd get past the ugly man made things of Earth, and take comfort in the glimpses of my Eternal home that come shining through. This is my new challenge for the weeks ahead and hope you can take it on too! |
AuthorI am someone who loves to write. I like to think and be creative. I was encouraged by my husband to write more and so this is me writing. Hope you find something of value in these words. Archives
December 2019
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