Thursday, February 21
So, as I titled in an email I sent to my friends on February 12, "I have a job!" Let me tell ya, I'm so excited to be working full-time again! I know, I know, who really says that....but, it's true! I'm working with my former department at the UofA. Crazy how things work out, huh? We left for a year, had amazing life experiences/saw the world, and I'm able to pick right back up where I left off. Awesome! I love my job and my co-workers too. This opportunity is something not to be taken for granted.
Josh and I celebrated Valentine's Day...which has always been "my" holiday to plan because it's so close to Josh's birthday. I had a goodie bag for Josh on the kitchen counter when he woke up in the morning. It was filled with frappachinos (he'll never splurge on himself and buy them), a box pizza by Chef Boyardee that we could make together that night, and some cookies. We made the pizza in the shape of a heart and it actually turned out pretty cute since the tomato sauce made the heart red! Josh gave me tickets to a Flemenco performance at the Walton Arts Center at the end of the month and I'm so excited to watch the show! I love Flemenco!
On Josh's birthday, I decorated the living room and kitchen with streamers and we went out for birthday breakfast at McDonald's. The biscuits and gravy (my first since returning to the States) were SO GOOD! They have good coffee here too. Onto work for the morning and then we met up for lunch in the Student Union. More work and then we drove up to Rogers to eat at Carino's for birthday dinner. On the way home, we stopped at Dillard's to buy some cologne for Josh and then we bought some ice cream at Walmart.
At home, I gave Josh his presents and we put on birthday hats. I bought Josh some DVDs. I bought Josh a single serving size of German chocolate cake and put a 2 and 9 candle on it for him. We had a good birthday celebration and he said it was one of his best birthday's ever. Now, what to do for the big 3-0?
Josh and I have some upcoming travel for conferences. Josh has Nashville, New York, Washington, D.C., and Denver in his near future and I get to go to a conference in Las Vegas. Hopefully, Josh will be able to meet up with me there. I'm also planning a trip out to Charlotte to visit Jodi and her new baby, so our spring schedule is already packed!
We're in the process of house hunting again, so hopefully we will have more success this time around. We're checking out a home on Saturday (if it doesn't sell before then)! We're motivated to get out of this apartment and to own our own home.
At some point, I will get to a more detailed report of our trip to Asia.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Differences
Thursday, January 17
First, I'd like to say thanks to all the people out there who read the blog when Josh and I were living in New Zealand. I never knew so many people were keeping up with us. I mean, I would have written about the experience just for our own benefit, however, it's really nice that other people were following along too.
So, some of the biggest differences in New Zealand and the USA now that I've been back for a month or so:
1. Real life violence...not just in tv shows. When Josh and I returned to the states, the Nebraska mall shooting and Colorado church shootings were just happening. You don't see this type of violence in New Zealand. The biggest problems are drink driving and people being attacked by dogs (still uncommon). Regarding guns, a couple of months before we moved from New Zealand, the government had found a house with a cache of guns and was contemplating charging the owners with terrorism (for having guns). New Zealanders don't have a "right to bear arms" like Americans do. Josh and I were often asked at Rotary meetings if all Americans have guns.
2. Food...glorious food! In America, I can get reduced fat or fat free anything it seems. This is such a luxury. Although, the Kiwis do live longer and healthier than us despite the fact we can eat reduced fat foods. I think New Zealand longevity, in part, has to do with the fact there are not fast food chains on every corner in town. For example, in Fayetteville, if I drive down Sixth Street, I'm hit with the new Chic-Fil-A, Sonic, Arby's, Charlie's Chicken, Wendy's, J.D. China, Burger King, Braum's, McDonald's, Taco Bell (once the new one is built), K.F.C., and Mexico Viejo.
Don't get me wrong, I love this convenience and variety in tasty food....in moderation. I just totally understand now why about 65% of Americans are overweight with 30% being obese. How can we NOT be such an overweight society when all we see are food signs as we drive a main drag through town? Palmerston North had three McDonald's, one Burger King, one K.F.C, and one Starbucks. Only one McDonald's and K.F.C. were on the same road in town.
Another difference in food is the price. American groceries are much more affordable than New Zealand groceries...thanks Wal-Mart! I am seriously blown away by the fact that I can buy Jiffy cornbread mix for 33 cents or a big can of soup for less than $1. Hamburger (the most reduced fat kind) and chicken are much more affordable here as well.
3. Movies...We rented DVDs in New Zealand from Blockbuster and that's who we use in the states. The difference in price is crazy though. The other day, Josh and I rented 3 movies and renewed our Rewards membership and the total was $12 (we even got a free 2 litre of Diet Coke since we'd rented 3 films). One DVD at a New Zealand Blockbuster cost $8 NZD=$6.15 USD/movie! Needless to say, we rent more movies here (especially since we don't have cable yet).
4. Driving....Okay, so I must admit, I almost caused a HUGE ACCIDENT the other day whilst driving. As Josh and I were leaving the Remax Real Estate building by the mall, I totally did not realize I turned the WRONG WAY and was driving down the hill towards the interstate on A ONE WAY ROAD....and, there were other cars driving UP the hill going the correct way! Oh my gosh! I was freaking out! Thanks New Zealand driving on the other side of the road! At least nothing major happened....I just need to focus more whilst making turns. Turning is the easiest thing to mess you up. Well, that and always turning on the wind shield wipers rather than the blinker and visa versa. That's getting really annoying.
5. Central heating....I love being able to turn on the heater whenever I want rather than rolling the oil heater over to where I'm sitting. An insulated house with central heat and air is a luxury I will never take for granted again. I am loving being warm in winter!
To conclude, a couple of people have asked me if I miss being in New Zealand since we've returned to Arkansas. There are certain things I miss, like the time off to travel, landscapes and the ocean, however, overall, I am happy to say that I don't miss living there. I don't miss it in the sense that I think about it everyday saying, "I wish I still lived in New Zealand." But, I think it's a GOOD thing that I don't miss living in New Zealand. I think if I missed New Zealand whilst living here now, that would mean that I made the wrong decision to return to the states.
I am so happy to be back here (especially in Fayetteville which just feels like HOME and where I belong). I'm loving having a dishwasher and a dryer that is INSIDE the house that doesn't have to be connected to an extension cord anytime we want to use it). New Zealand is a WONDERFUL place to visit and live. However, Josh and I were living a very temporary life there i.e. we didn't have a nice flat with central heating and insulation and neither of us were working full time. It was a great place to take a year off, however, if we returned to live more permanently, I'd have to upgrade my heating system and live somewhere that was sunnier in winter. Fayetteville's winters, whilst much colder because they produce frost (and some snow like today), don't seem near as dreary because of the sunshine outside. I also love living closer to my mom and being able to go out for dinner once a week or so.
All this to say that I know I'm changing and that is throwing Josh off a bit. I was always the one saying I couldn't see ever settling down in one place. I always wanted to be moving. Very bohemian. But now I realize that I can still travel the world but return to a home base somewhere. I don't have to always be on the move. Maybe this is a phase seeing as we didn't have our own home for 2 months whilst traveling and living out of a suitcase. Maybe I'll want to live somewhere new again. However, right now, living in Fayetteville feels great!
First, I'd like to say thanks to all the people out there who read the blog when Josh and I were living in New Zealand. I never knew so many people were keeping up with us. I mean, I would have written about the experience just for our own benefit, however, it's really nice that other people were following along too.
So, some of the biggest differences in New Zealand and the USA now that I've been back for a month or so:
1. Real life violence...not just in tv shows. When Josh and I returned to the states, the Nebraska mall shooting and Colorado church shootings were just happening. You don't see this type of violence in New Zealand. The biggest problems are drink driving and people being attacked by dogs (still uncommon). Regarding guns, a couple of months before we moved from New Zealand, the government had found a house with a cache of guns and was contemplating charging the owners with terrorism (for having guns). New Zealanders don't have a "right to bear arms" like Americans do. Josh and I were often asked at Rotary meetings if all Americans have guns.
2. Food...glorious food! In America, I can get reduced fat or fat free anything it seems. This is such a luxury. Although, the Kiwis do live longer and healthier than us despite the fact we can eat reduced fat foods. I think New Zealand longevity, in part, has to do with the fact there are not fast food chains on every corner in town. For example, in Fayetteville, if I drive down Sixth Street, I'm hit with the new Chic-Fil-A, Sonic, Arby's, Charlie's Chicken, Wendy's, J.D. China, Burger King, Braum's, McDonald's, Taco Bell (once the new one is built), K.F.C., and Mexico Viejo.
Don't get me wrong, I love this convenience and variety in tasty food....in moderation. I just totally understand now why about 65% of Americans are overweight with 30% being obese. How can we NOT be such an overweight society when all we see are food signs as we drive a main drag through town? Palmerston North had three McDonald's, one Burger King, one K.F.C, and one Starbucks. Only one McDonald's and K.F.C. were on the same road in town.
Another difference in food is the price. American groceries are much more affordable than New Zealand groceries...thanks Wal-Mart! I am seriously blown away by the fact that I can buy Jiffy cornbread mix for 33 cents or a big can of soup for less than $1. Hamburger (the most reduced fat kind) and chicken are much more affordable here as well.
3. Movies...We rented DVDs in New Zealand from Blockbuster and that's who we use in the states. The difference in price is crazy though. The other day, Josh and I rented 3 movies and renewed our Rewards membership and the total was $12 (we even got a free 2 litre of Diet Coke since we'd rented 3 films). One DVD at a New Zealand Blockbuster cost $8 NZD=$6.15 USD/movie! Needless to say, we rent more movies here (especially since we don't have cable yet).
4. Driving....Okay, so I must admit, I almost caused a HUGE ACCIDENT the other day whilst driving. As Josh and I were leaving the Remax Real Estate building by the mall, I totally did not realize I turned the WRONG WAY and was driving down the hill towards the interstate on A ONE WAY ROAD....and, there were other cars driving UP the hill going the correct way! Oh my gosh! I was freaking out! Thanks New Zealand driving on the other side of the road! At least nothing major happened....I just need to focus more whilst making turns. Turning is the easiest thing to mess you up. Well, that and always turning on the wind shield wipers rather than the blinker and visa versa. That's getting really annoying.
5. Central heating....I love being able to turn on the heater whenever I want rather than rolling the oil heater over to where I'm sitting. An insulated house with central heat and air is a luxury I will never take for granted again. I am loving being warm in winter!
To conclude, a couple of people have asked me if I miss being in New Zealand since we've returned to Arkansas. There are certain things I miss, like the time off to travel, landscapes and the ocean, however, overall, I am happy to say that I don't miss living there. I don't miss it in the sense that I think about it everyday saying, "I wish I still lived in New Zealand." But, I think it's a GOOD thing that I don't miss living in New Zealand. I think if I missed New Zealand whilst living here now, that would mean that I made the wrong decision to return to the states.
I am so happy to be back here (especially in Fayetteville which just feels like HOME and where I belong). I'm loving having a dishwasher and a dryer that is INSIDE the house that doesn't have to be connected to an extension cord anytime we want to use it). New Zealand is a WONDERFUL place to visit and live. However, Josh and I were living a very temporary life there i.e. we didn't have a nice flat with central heating and insulation and neither of us were working full time. It was a great place to take a year off, however, if we returned to live more permanently, I'd have to upgrade my heating system and live somewhere that was sunnier in winter. Fayetteville's winters, whilst much colder because they produce frost (and some snow like today), don't seem near as dreary because of the sunshine outside. I also love living closer to my mom and being able to go out for dinner once a week or so.
All this to say that I know I'm changing and that is throwing Josh off a bit. I was always the one saying I couldn't see ever settling down in one place. I always wanted to be moving. Very bohemian. But now I realize that I can still travel the world but return to a home base somewhere. I don't have to always be on the move. Maybe this is a phase seeing as we didn't have our own home for 2 months whilst traveling and living out of a suitcase. Maybe I'll want to live somewhere new again. However, right now, living in Fayetteville feels great!
Fayetteville Updates
Wednesday, January 16
Well, it's been over a month since the last post....that's crazy to me. I just have to say that my best friend from high school, Jodi, had her first baby, a boy, yesterday. Yay! I hope to be able to fly out to visit her soon!
To backtrack and cover the last month, we loved Mexico, however, we really didn't feel like we "needed" a vacation once we were down there. I mean, we LOVED our trip and plan to return next December because it was so empty at that time of the year, however, with neither of us working at the time we took the trip, we weren't stressed out and in need of R&R. I had to remind myself that I had booked the trip when I was working in New Zealand and looking forward to having a break. It was our third time to this resort (Excellence Riviera) and overall they have made positive changes since changing management last year.
The trip to Mexico started and ended crazily. We were scheduled to fly out of Little Rock to Dallas on December 11 at 9:00 or so. However, the fog was ridiculous so our plane, which was coming in from the west, had to divert and land in Memphis. Well, that delayed us in Little Rock although, apparently, flights can DEPART when it's foggy, they just can't land (who knew?). So that meant that everyone on the 10:00 flight from Little Rock to Dallas could fly out because their plane was already at the Little Rock Airport. It was so sad watching all those people getting to leave while we were still waiting for our plane to arrive and the fog to lift.
Eventually, our plane did fly into Little Rock and we were about 2 hours behind schedule. We missed the 12:50 connection by about 15-20 minutes (why couldn't that flight be delayed?). Josh and I hung out in the Dallas airport and tried to make the best of the situation. We just hoped the last flight out of Dallas to Cancun would not be canceled that night. We finally caught a break and were out on the 8:00 flight.
That flight was so great, too! It was mostly empty so Josh took the Emergency Exit row and I took 3 seats for myself to lay down. This was our fourth time to Cancun (the only time we didn't stay at the Excellence was for our honeymoon at the El Dorado Royale) and it was the first time we were landing at night. The sky was clear and watching the stars and the city lights as we landed in Cancun was really cool.
They've updated the Cancun Airport since the last time we were there in May 2006. Good changes. Josh got the red light going through customs so they had to go through his bag. However, we'd only carried on, so we were still the first people out of the airport. Other than losing a day of fun in the sun, I highly recommend taking the late flight into Cancun. It's cooler outside and way less crowded/chaotic. Because we were originally scheduled to land at 2 pm, I'd booked us private transportation rather than sharing a shuttle. We used USA Transfers and our driver, Marcos, was excellent. I plan to use this company again. It's only $20 more total to book a private driver rather than sharing a ride in a shuttle van.
Mexico pictures:
Well, it's been over a month since the last post....that's crazy to me. I just have to say that my best friend from high school, Jodi, had her first baby, a boy, yesterday. Yay! I hope to be able to fly out to visit her soon!
To backtrack and cover the last month, we loved Mexico, however, we really didn't feel like we "needed" a vacation once we were down there. I mean, we LOVED our trip and plan to return next December because it was so empty at that time of the year, however, with neither of us working at the time we took the trip, we weren't stressed out and in need of R&R. I had to remind myself that I had booked the trip when I was working in New Zealand and looking forward to having a break. It was our third time to this resort (Excellence Riviera) and overall they have made positive changes since changing management last year.
The trip to Mexico started and ended crazily. We were scheduled to fly out of Little Rock to Dallas on December 11 at 9:00 or so. However, the fog was ridiculous so our plane, which was coming in from the west, had to divert and land in Memphis. Well, that delayed us in Little Rock although, apparently, flights can DEPART when it's foggy, they just can't land (who knew?). So that meant that everyone on the 10:00 flight from Little Rock to Dallas could fly out because their plane was already at the Little Rock Airport. It was so sad watching all those people getting to leave while we were still waiting for our plane to arrive and the fog to lift.
Eventually, our plane did fly into Little Rock and we were about 2 hours behind schedule. We missed the 12:50 connection by about 15-20 minutes (why couldn't that flight be delayed?). Josh and I hung out in the Dallas airport and tried to make the best of the situation. We just hoped the last flight out of Dallas to Cancun would not be canceled that night. We finally caught a break and were out on the 8:00 flight.
That flight was so great, too! It was mostly empty so Josh took the Emergency Exit row and I took 3 seats for myself to lay down. This was our fourth time to Cancun (the only time we didn't stay at the Excellence was for our honeymoon at the El Dorado Royale) and it was the first time we were landing at night. The sky was clear and watching the stars and the city lights as we landed in Cancun was really cool.
They've updated the Cancun Airport since the last time we were there in May 2006. Good changes. Josh got the red light going through customs so they had to go through his bag. However, we'd only carried on, so we were still the first people out of the airport. Other than losing a day of fun in the sun, I highly recommend taking the late flight into Cancun. It's cooler outside and way less crowded/chaotic. Because we were originally scheduled to land at 2 pm, I'd booked us private transportation rather than sharing a shuttle. We used USA Transfers and our driver, Marcos, was excellent. I plan to use this company again. It's only $20 more total to book a private driver rather than sharing a ride in a shuttle van.
Mexico pictures:
We also had an adventure returning from Mexico. When we arrived in Dallas on December 19, we learned that they had overbooked our flight to Little Rock by over 10 people and they were asking for volunteers to give up their seats. They were offering $250/person, hotel, and meal vouchers. I asked the ticket agent if they would up the offer but he said no. Josh and I agreed to accept the offer since we were not in a hurry to return to Little Rock.
We sat at the gate while they boarded other people and when they called us up to the counter again, we thought we were going to get our free stuff but the guy told us that we had to get on the flight because we had confirmed tickets and that the other people were only on standby status. We were so upset because we were prepared to stay in Dallas and get our vouchers. We told the guy that we didn't want to leave (in front of a family of four with two small boys who wanted to get home but were listed as standby) and that really made those people upset. I see their point because we were okay to stay (if we were compensated) and they wanted to leave. The agent told us we had to get on the plane because the airline wasn't going to give us anything to stay behind.
So, we left. That plane was at capacity. Bumpy flight and it was so foggy as we landed in Little Rock that we didn't see that runway until right before touch down. But, at least we made it.
We spent Christmas Break with Josh's parents in Cabot before returning to Fayetteville on December 30. We knew we had to find a place of our own to live. Well, we thought we lucked into finding a great deal on a big house on 2.63 acres in Fayetteville that was in pre-forclosure. We got as far as being under contract on the house before getting cold feet and realizing we should play it safe financially seeing as I am currently unemployed. So, we got an apartment and we're highly motivated to move out and buy a house as soon as possible i.e. as soon as we're both working.
Speaking of unemployed, I have two applications out for jobs at the UofA. I was even able to interview for one of them so far. Not working, even part-time, is a totally new sensation for me. I mean, I have a lot to do since we decided not to move into a house and instead moved into an apartment. Just getting unpacked and things set-up for living here has kept me busy for the last 5 days or so. I want to get back to work though. Yet, I feel like God is teaching me a lesson by my not immediately going back into work here. I really feel like I know God has a plan for my life but right now I don't know what that plan is. I feel like I've always had everything planned out two steps ahead of myself and now I'm like, what's next and I don't know. It's really weird.
Regarding unpacking, I'm really surprised at some of the things Josh and I kept in storage over the last year. Seriously, what were we thinking? I think we are taking more stuff to the Salvation Army now than we did when we were moving out. Josh's desk finally kicked the bucket and broke into several pieces as he and his brother were trying to move it. The broken futon frame has got to go (but we'll keep the mattress). There are lots of books, and cups, and clothes I didn't need to keep too. The best thing about getting our stuff back is looking at the pictures we took on trips before we had the digital camera and could put the images on our laptops. I've had some serious laughs looking a Josh's hair/beard on the roadtrips we took in 2000 and 2002.
So, that's life in Fayetteville in a nutshell. We moved into our apartment on January 10. I love Fayetteville and being back here but I'll write a new post about all the changes on being back stateside next. Also, an upcoming trip to Las Vegas is in the works for us and Josh's grandma known as "Ma" since she's always wanted to visit Vegas. Josh's parents might make the trip as well. We're looking at 4 nights in March/April and catching a couple of shows while we're out there. Still working on the details though.
We sat at the gate while they boarded other people and when they called us up to the counter again, we thought we were going to get our free stuff but the guy told us that we had to get on the flight because we had confirmed tickets and that the other people were only on standby status. We were so upset because we were prepared to stay in Dallas and get our vouchers. We told the guy that we didn't want to leave (in front of a family of four with two small boys who wanted to get home but were listed as standby) and that really made those people upset. I see their point because we were okay to stay (if we were compensated) and they wanted to leave. The agent told us we had to get on the plane because the airline wasn't going to give us anything to stay behind.
So, we left. That plane was at capacity. Bumpy flight and it was so foggy as we landed in Little Rock that we didn't see that runway until right before touch down. But, at least we made it.
We spent Christmas Break with Josh's parents in Cabot before returning to Fayetteville on December 30. We knew we had to find a place of our own to live. Well, we thought we lucked into finding a great deal on a big house on 2.63 acres in Fayetteville that was in pre-forclosure. We got as far as being under contract on the house before getting cold feet and realizing we should play it safe financially seeing as I am currently unemployed. So, we got an apartment and we're highly motivated to move out and buy a house as soon as possible i.e. as soon as we're both working.
Speaking of unemployed, I have two applications out for jobs at the UofA. I was even able to interview for one of them so far. Not working, even part-time, is a totally new sensation for me. I mean, I have a lot to do since we decided not to move into a house and instead moved into an apartment. Just getting unpacked and things set-up for living here has kept me busy for the last 5 days or so. I want to get back to work though. Yet, I feel like God is teaching me a lesson by my not immediately going back into work here. I really feel like I know God has a plan for my life but right now I don't know what that plan is. I feel like I've always had everything planned out two steps ahead of myself and now I'm like, what's next and I don't know. It's really weird.
Regarding unpacking, I'm really surprised at some of the things Josh and I kept in storage over the last year. Seriously, what were we thinking? I think we are taking more stuff to the Salvation Army now than we did when we were moving out. Josh's desk finally kicked the bucket and broke into several pieces as he and his brother were trying to move it. The broken futon frame has got to go (but we'll keep the mattress). There are lots of books, and cups, and clothes I didn't need to keep too. The best thing about getting our stuff back is looking at the pictures we took on trips before we had the digital camera and could put the images on our laptops. I've had some serious laughs looking a Josh's hair/beard on the roadtrips we took in 2000 and 2002.
So, that's life in Fayetteville in a nutshell. We moved into our apartment on January 10. I love Fayetteville and being back here but I'll write a new post about all the changes on being back stateside next. Also, an upcoming trip to Las Vegas is in the works for us and Josh's grandma known as "Ma" since she's always wanted to visit Vegas. Josh's parents might make the trip as well. We're looking at 4 nights in March/April and catching a couple of shows while we're out there. Still working on the details though.
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