Sunny Sunday

Mike spent yet ANOTHER weekend working...sigh. Fortunately, the Auckland weather gods took a break from their usual dreariness and today was a beautifully sunny, cardigan perfect day. I took a short walk to round up some remnants for various packages and photo-documented the trip.

Little arbor window on high street

The Ferry building

Britomart (the train station)

Bakery I was going to eat at, but didn't. I like how the kid looks like a statue in this photograph.

Sunny Sunday

Chancery Street

Awesome shop full of awesomeness (lots of "handmade" goods from around the world

The Vault, for all your kiwiana needs

Queen Street

Queen's Arcade, this is my faux photographer look

The London Lolly Shop, unfortunately there was an Asian mob in there so I had to grab my lollies and run.

Sunny Sunday

The temptation to steal this moto was overwhelming... I resisted.

Where I work, isn't it stately? tehe

Building with expensive things. It has been posted previously, a number of times.

All Blacks signage on Westfield...there is a lot of manliness on that wall.

Queen Street, construction and all.

Shortland Street, I was informed that the soap opera is not filmed anywhere on this street, how misleading.

Old building.

Cool glass street performer, I see a career change in my near future.

Vulcan Street

Chancery

Interesting thing-a-ma-jig in Chancery

Naughty children playing in a fountain

Statue of some man that I can only assume is important. He looks Russian.

I wear a demeanour made of bright, pretty things

Music!!

I love music, much to the dismay of my neighbours and Mike.

When I was little my sisters and I would clean the house with my mom while she blared the Police, Carpenters and Abba. Hearing those songs still reminds me of her making us scrub moulding, and shoving an impressive amount of stuff under our bed to prove our room was clean.

Music also reminds me of my dad sitting in a recliner and listening to Bach. It was so loud we had to yell at him to get his attention.

New Zealand, you have some good artists case and point: Brooke Fraser.

I just downloaded....bought her album. Quite talented.

A quarter for your thoughts

"Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive...

...who is you-er than you! Shout loud, “I am lucky to be what I am! Thank goodness I’m not just a clam or a ham Or a dusty old jar of sour gooseberry jam! I am what I am! That’s a great thing to be! If I say so myself, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!”

I feel like 25 should be a milestone, but more than that 25 is well, just 25. It is as though I have finally crossed the bridge into adulthood. However, even adulthood can't prevent me from crawling out of bed at 10:30 and eating a bowl of cereal and watching cartoons on Saturday mornings (much to Mike's dismay). Adulthood doesn't do anything but make you question every decision, and constantly wonder if you could have, should have, would have. Unfortunately musing about the past doesn't do a whole lot of good, so I have made my future plan.

My 25 for 25 list (in no particular order)

1. write a book, a novel, a collection of short stories, doesn't really matter...
2. see Europe, in real life, not just on google
3. learn to arrive five minutes early...particularly for work
4. run a marathon
5. take a photography class
6. learn to drink red wine (out of a vase, like on Cougartown)
7. master Spanish
8. go to the Louvre
9. learn to swim
10. go to NYC for NYE
11. sky dive
12. climb to the top of Fern's Nipple in Capital Reef, with my Dad
13. learn how to decorate cakes/cupcakes
14. go to Alaska
15. master the ukulele
16. learn to take life by the horns, like my Dad
17. get a puppy and smother it with love
18. learn to love deeply and fearlessly, like my Mom
19. watch the sunrise
20. learn how to sew, and actually make stuff
21. get a place that Mike and I can call our own
22. continue to cry at the scene in Up where Ellie can't make it up the hill anymore
23. play my violin, and never stop playing it (it's getting a little dusty)
24. never lose a sense of adventure and a desire to learn
25. never forget where I came from, but always remember that wherever I go, there I am.

I hope to always be the little girl on my grandma's porch in the green dress, the yellow glasses and the pig tails. No matter how complicated life seems, no matter how overwhelming things can get, I hope I always remember that life really is just as simple as a summer day on your grandma's porch.

My Favorite Commercial

I am usually a sucker for the commercials with the cute, cuddly kittens, the catchy theme song or the previews for the next episode of America's Next Top Model. Feminine hygiene commercials just do not interest me, and more often than not they are awkward. There are just some things that cannot be made to appear cool...well until this Libra commercial graced my television.

Hopefully this makes you laugh as much as it made me (and Mike) laugh.

Mike's Airplane Ride

I have been meaning to put these photos up for a month now, unfortunately I have been distracted by baking cupcakes, painting nails, and wondering how Vin Diesel fit his pecs into a polo shirt.

Since I am an unbelievably awesome wife, I bought Mike an airplane ride for his birthday. New Zealand seems obsessed with one-day deals, (obsessions in New Zealand is an exciting topic for a future post) and a plethora of activities can always be found on one of these sites. At any rate, Mike got to take two friends with him, and even got to fly the plane (or rather co-pilot the airplane).