Colourful Skies and Wonderful Family

If at any point, anyone gets totally sick of seeing sunrise and sunset pictures from our balcony, you will have to tell me. Because I am 100% sure that my enthusiasm will never fade, and so I'll drag all of you along with me until I'm told otherwise.

I think that maybe part of what makes the sky displays so amazing is that we're so close to the harbour and the ocean. If there weren't hills, we'd see it easily. The mist and wind off the water makes very interesting cloud formations, which create such beauty as the sun reflects off of them in unique and spectacular ways.

In other news, I spent the weekend in Whanganui, visiting my friends, which was lovely. I had let it go too long between visits - getting caught up in my life in Wellington is good, but I don't want to neglect my wonderful friends in Whanganui. It feels amazing to go back to what J and I both consider our home town in NZ, and to be greeted so warmly by old friends. And it actually hit me for the first time over the weekend - they are old friends. I have been friends with Kirsten and Jan for over two and a half years, and with Belinda, Paula, and Brian only a bit less than that. No wonder they feel so much like family! And fortunately, they treat me as family as well. I had planned to stay with Kirsten, but at the last minute, due to circumstances completely beyond her control, I couldn't. Already into late afternoon and well into my drive to Whanganui, I found myself calling Belinda and Jan, a homeless supplicant hoping for a bed or a couch for that night. Only family puts up with that kind of surprise imposition, and so we are clearly family, because I spent a cozy night at each of their houses. In fact, I very comfortably think of Jan and Brian's spare room as "my bedroom," now that I think of it. The weekend was fabulous, and I settled in so quickly, naturally, and happily that it felt almost surreal to leave again. Except I was so very excited to see J when I got home, so obviously I'm back where I belong.