Resurrection

Wow. It has recently been brought to my attention that I am super slack at writing on this web page. Well, to be honest, I meant to be. I didn't really have a hell of a lot to say. I figured, I am living in New Zealand now, so it's no longer a "tour" really, but more of a "life". I just didn't think people would care to read about my everyday boring stuff...getting up, brushing my teeth, what we had for dinner, if we watched a movie, etc. Some things have happened in my life recently, however, that have made it almost imperative that I write a little something down here...but it will probably end up being a pretty big something because it has been nearly two years!

First of all, I am applying for residency. It is currently being processed and should be another few months, but once it has gone through I will be a legal and permanent resident of New Zealand and able to come and go as I please without having to constantly re-apply for visas.

I am still happily working at Penny Cycles but there will be new things in the future. I mean, I don't plan to work at a bike shop for forever!

I think the most key thing is that I am going through what I have been calling my "transitional period" and I am super stoked about it. Lots of things are changing, mostly within myself, and I have a completely new view on life. I think all of this stems from a few recent incidents, including a visit from two unexpected girls from Texas, Alison and Isabelle! Never having met, I sold these two girls bikes to tour around New Zealand and through some very random events, they ended up crashing at our place for a week. Not only did we have a fantastic time, but they helped me through some pretty rough spots like they had known me all their lives! So we got to be friends: they attended my swim race out in the ocean, we went hiking together, out to dinner, just chilled and watched movies and it was fab. They helped me realize that I was clinging too much to the past and not looking forward to the future. Also, having an American sense of humor around for a while was so fantastic as I think most kiwis still don't understand me 100% of the time...though they have caught on a bit.

Along with Isabelle and Alison, I've found another source which has helped to change my life like I never thought possible: www.Sparkpeople.com. I accidentally stumbled upon this website while I was reading an article on CNN.com and I found that it was exactly what I needed to get my life back on track. Since joining three weeks ago, I've lost 9.5 pounds and have more energy than I have had in years. I've started swimming competitively again (albeit in the ocean) and I'm happy all the time.

So on top of my own personal improvements, I've also made some amazing friends who I know will be with me through thick and thin. No matter where in the world I end up, these people will always be in my life. And because of my new energy levels, I've been able to spend more time with all of them and solidify what I consider to be extremely important relationships.

Craig and I are doing very well and even though we have yet to buy a house, we are working towards coming home to visit in June and July this year. We are also the proud owners of fish (we can't have furry pets yet) and are still quite successful in our respective businesses.

So I guess that is all that should be updated. I will suggest one last thing...if any of you out there are interested in changing your life, looking to lose some weight, get back on track, have more energy, achieve some sort of goal, check out the website I posted. It is certainly an amazing resource and I just want the whole world to know about it!

Lastly, this post is in honor of my two touring Texans: Shmisabelle and Shmalison, I hope you are alive and well, that you aren't covered in butter and that your racks have not snapped. If you are reading this, we miss you!!! (and more fish have been killed, I found them this morning being sucked through the filter tube!)

-NMK

ps pictures to come!