General Updates

I was looking back over the 3 1/2 years that I've been writing this blog, and feeling thankful for all the wonderful experiences J and I have had, and all the things we've learned. We are so privileged to be living in NZ, and I think we do a pretty good job of staying cognizant of that, which is good. As I read, I noticed that I don't often write general updates about our lives, but rather focus in on individual experiences. I intend to continue that, as it is more fun, but I thought I'd give you a general update - about once every 3 1/2 years should be acceptable.

Jobs first:
J is a Senior Advisor for Veterinary Medicines for the government. It is a good job in many ways, but he continues to find it stressful. He works hard and feels that he is making a positive impact, but we are not certain that this is the best job for him long-term. He is interested in Animal Welfare career paths, but is open to exploring different directions that might suit him.

I (as you know) teach preschool at Victoria University of Wellington. I teach mostly children of faculty and staff at the university. It is a high-energy, emotionally challenging job, as all early childhood jobs are, and I love that. The expectations of teachers when it comes to programme planning, documentation of learning, and projects are very high. This is wonderful in that it pushes me to be constantly improving myself and in that it means we're giving the children our very best, but it can be exhausting. Fortunately, I work with wonderful teachers and get so much energy and motivation from my children. I am currently delighting in our nature-based programming journey, and continuing my love of teaching and learning Māori language and culture. In addition, I am mentoring two new teachers, an endeavour which I find invigorating and fulfilling.

And then other updates:
J and I have season passes to Mount Ruapehu to go snowboarding. Our first snowboarding weekend started out with lots of falls, but we got our balance back on the second day, and we're raring to go again. (Actually, we would be there this weekend if the forecast wasn't for gale force winds. Turned out for the best, though, because J has the flu, so we would have had to cancel anyway.) We're going to try to go as many times during the season (June-September) as we can.

I am continuing to spend a lot of my spare time reading, and I'm enjoying both my book clubs. My English one is with lovely older ladies who are mind-blowingly knowledgeable about literature, and we discuss a different genre every month. My French one is with a diverse group of Francophones, and we read a novel every month and then discuss it. They are often sadder than I'd like, but they're also new and often based, to varying degrees, on current events, so I'm learning a lot.

J and I have both gotten into audio books, and often listen to the same one, which is fun. He listens on the bus to work every day, and I listen during every moment of my day when my body is occupied and my brain is not (e.g. in the shower, while cooking, as I walk, while cleaning, etc.) We recommend audio books to anyone; they're a fantastic way to experience literature, as well as a helpful tool to integrate it into busy lives.

Our wonderful friends Christophe and Anaïs have a 12-week-old baby boy, and they are amazing enough to let me babysit him sometimes (like today), and I just can't get enough of this adorable little person! It makes me so very happy to spend time with a lovely little baby, and I love helping new parents get time for themselves, so it is a doubly rewarding experience. We're also enjoying getting together and playing board games with them, which is a special treat for game-obsessed me. Last time we played J's favourite game (7 Wonders), and we're hoping to play it again soon.

We have booked a visit back to the States in November, and are therefore avoiding any major trips in the meantime, as we need to save up annual leave (vacation time) for such a long trip. We're doing weekend things, rather than bigger trips, which fits in perfectly with the snowboarding excursions, which are our focus anyway.

We are both working hard to be healthy - we're cooking healthy food and finding healthy snack foods (that one's more for me, as J's not much of a snacker). I get lots of exercise biking to and from work, especially as there are an indecent number of massive hills on my daily commute. J walks up one of the bigger hills from the bus stop, and is doing bodyweight exercises at home. In addition, if how sore we were on Monday is any indication, snowboarding will also be a healthy practice.

I have continued to be plagued by intense lower back pain (which started when I was about 15), but am finally being proactive about dealing with it. I go to regular physiotherapy, and do exercises every day to strengthen my core, gluts, and legs, to take the pressure off my lower back. I am getting much stronger, and while the pain has not gone away, it is better, which is fantastic.

A new expansion of J's current favourite video game came out last week, and he's enjoying doing many apparently fantastic video game things that I don't understand, but have to admit are quite pretty.

I've just completed my five month intensive te reo Māori (Māori language) course, and am feeling so connected with the language, and thrilled with all the ways I can use it in daily interactions with my children. I still have so much to learn (and wish I could find an immersion situation), but I am well on my way and am more in love with the language than ever.

J has educated me on the value of afternoon naps, so we schedule in at least one per weekend if possible. I had no idea what I was missing!

Our 5th wedding anniversary was the 16th of June. Crazy to think that it's been five years! But then again, we've done so much since our wedding, I also wonder how we fit it into just five years. I also had the crazy thought that this means we've been married longer than any of my children have been alive! If our marriage were a child, it would be too old for preschool in NZ!

As a fun addition to this otherwise pictureless post, here are pictures of J and I when we were preschoolers ourselves: