6 days, guessable hours and a few minutes

With around 150 hours left until I turn 19 I thought it might be an ideal time to write a post.
I am at work right now and started thinking about 18 things I had done in the past year that I have/had never done before. Some of them are just things a normal person does, but they are all bigish deals - theres a first time for everything, no matter how big, no matter how small. There are probably so many other things that I have done for the first time in the past year, but my memory is not big enough to hold them all in the easily remember section of my brain.

So here they are 18 things I have done in the last year that I had never done before -

1. Got my full license
2. Bought a car
3. Bought a laptop
4. Bought a bedroom dresser drawers set
5. Bought a television
6. Stayed in a job for more than a year
7. Went away for New Years
8. Went to Waiheke Island
9. Went to Christchurch
10. Kept a plant alive for longer than six months
11. Started paying a mobile phone plan
12. Started playing WOW
13. Kept my bedroom tidy for more than 2 weeks
14. House sat another person’s house
15. Tried Crème Brulee and realized it is amazing
16. Ate a meal at a vine yard
17. Rode a mechanical bull
18. Rode on a car ferry

So those are the 18 that I can remember. I think I will put a list like this together each year before my birthday. It will only become hard when I get close to the half a century age. But until then I look forward to writing one each year.

Lost at sea

The last couple of months have been crazy. It has been one thing after another. I wish I had been lost at sea the whole time.

First my Nana got really sick, well worse, so my Dad spent a month going back and forth between Wellington. It was hard on all of us and stressful for him.

Then it was my aunties 50th. My Nana appeared to be getting better so the majority of the family headed to Christchurch to celebrate with my Auntie and her family. After an amazing weekend in Christchurch, every flew back to their regular lives expecting not to be on a plane for another couple of months.

Less than a week after my aunties birthday my Nana passed away. This was the hardest part of all. You don't expect a lady who raised nine children, and countless others, to pass away so soon. Although she was in her mid nineties, she always seemed invincible.

She died exactly 13 years and 7 days after my Grand father.

The funeral was beautiful. She had asked that no one give a Eulogy, us grand children joked it was because she didn't want all nine children standing at the alter talking for hours. However, one of the priest doing the service, who had been a friend of her sons from childhood, told her she was wrong for requesting that and spoke about her. It was a short few moments, but it was just what was needed to be said.

After the funeral we celebrated her life like all Catholics do with a party. The woman inside, the men in the garage, and the grand children catching up. It was the longest amount of time all 9 children had been together for nearly 30 years.

We arrived back in Auckland and had much needed rest. My brother left for the USA 3 weeks later and I still wish I had been lost at sea the whole time.

Done & Dusted by a Third

So at the beginning of February I purchased some books for myself to read (The Showgirl and the Brumby, The Abortionists Daughter, Thirteen Wives). By the middle of February I had barely touched the first, so I set myself a goal - Finish all three by the end of May.

I must say. I've failed. I only just finished the first last week and have just started on the second. But I am quite glad I have at least completed the goal by a 1/3. I am actually looking forward to reading the third book. It is based on the LDS church. Its called "Thirteen Wives". I am interested to see how factual it is. The title is what first interested me and when I read the synopsis it intrigued me. It is set back many many years ago - back in the day Brigham Young - and I can't wait to get into it. First I had better get this second book read - also very interesting.

The goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year are being dusted off quite well. I have already completed 3 and started on the majority of the other 7.

Weather update: Crazy - Freezing to mildly warm, Spastic Rain - Pouring to nothing, and the worst sun strike in the mornings and afternoons - very unsafe for drivers.

Cheryl update: Pale - I really miss the sun, Cold - I miss summer in winter and miss winter in summer, and starting to get hungry - I best get back to work so I can make lunch time come sooner rather than later.

The Winds of April

Over the past couple of weeks the weather has gone from great to okay to yea I guess to nearly horrible. Since Monday we have not had one sunny day. Might not sound so terrible, but this is the first week since last winter that it has been like this all week. The wind is the worst part. It blows your hair around. Makes you even colder. And makes doors harder to open. So not cool.

I was kind of looking forward to winter. It wasn't going to be so hot and at least once you got inside the temperature would be decent. That is not the case. It is freezing! At night it is freezing! Walking from your car to you office building in the morning is freezing! It is just plain freezing!

I just can't win.

Other than the wind that past couple of weeks have been pretty good. My good friend and I have started doing exercise after work. We have been walking and doing a mix between Pilate's and cardio. The walks are so great, it is flat for about 3 kms and then you go down and hill for about a kilometre and then walk up one of the steepest hills in the area. But in the end you feel great because you have actually completed it. I have done the walk before with another friend. But my good friend and I managed to do the walk on Monday and Wednesday night.

I have also been looking into University options. I love my job and really don't want to leave, but I might have to for a while. But it will be awesome going to University. I am looking into doing a Bachelor of Information Technology (Computer Science).

For Easter weekend I finally went up to Whangerei. A nice not to long drive it beautiful weather. I went up with my good friend, her boyfriend and one of his friends. We stayed with my good friends parents. It was loads of fun. On the first night (Saturday) we played poker. It lasted until 4.30am with us four girls - My good friend, her mother and I - left. We all ended on good hands. I had a straight, my good friends mother had 3 Ace's, however it couldn't beat my good friends flush. After that little sleep we got that night, we spent Easter Sunday playing Yahtzee and watching movies. The drive back on Monday was quite nice as well.

This evening I am attending a friends engagement party. I am looking forward to it.

So that sums up how my April has been. It is nearing its end and I hope the sun eventually tells the coulds to move out of her way.

A first in New Zeland

Now I would love to say that it is the first time that one of my favorite people/celebrities etc. are going to visit New Zealand. But I can't.

On Tuesday the 3rd of March there was a stabbing at a school in Auckland - the city I live in. This is a very first for New Zealand. There have been two occasions in the past where there was some other violence in the classrooms of New Zealand schools, but nothing like this.

A teacher was stabbed in the back by a student while writing on the whiteboard. It really comes as a shock as this type of stuff doesn't happen in New Zealand. We don't have a police officers in our schools, we don't have security gates when entering schools, we don't have a high history of violence in school.

So that was a big event in my week. Although I did not attend the school where the stabbing took place it still came as a shock.

On a higher note. I managed to find a New Zealand confectionery website that sells milk duds, 5 boxes for $4.00. What a steal!

One of those days... One of those weeks

The hours seem to be multiplied by 5.

The minutes seem to be multiplied by 10.

And the days just don't seem to end.

It started with having a long weekend. Now by long I am not referring to a 3 or 4 day weekend. I mean a weekend full of fun and excitment, and as most know when a weekend is jam packed with those two attributes sleep is rare.

On Saturday it was my friends Hens Party. So Friday evening I was round at my cousins helping set up - blowing up lots of balloons and what-not. Saturday morning I was up bright and early, 9am, straight into the shower, quickly getting my things together and then off to my cousins to do some more work. Although, suprisingly, this work was the fun kind. After about 5 hours of work it was time to get all pretty in our dresses and makeup, and we can't forget the hair.

We were all ready to go, just had to wait for the mechanical bull to arrive and be set up and for all the guests to arrive before the Bride-To-Be. The Cheeky Bugger who arrived with the mechanical bull expected us pretty ladies - who had just spent about 2 hours getting ready - to help carry in the bull and set it up.

"Oh, I was expecting there to be some men here..." - The Cheeky Bugger.

The night did end up going off without a problem. Everyone had a load of fun riding the bull and interacting with other guests. We played some exciting games and eventually all went our seperate ways. The majority of us wenting partying up in Albany until about 2.30am and then a few of us headed of to town.

When I finally arrived home at 4.30am, I ate a pie and drank a glass of Chocolate milk and went to bed. Woke myself up at 9am to go get my stuff from my cousins and never went back to sleep that day until 9.30pm.

So really my week has been dragging on, so far, as I am exhausted. Self enflicted.

Hopefully the days will start to get shorter, otherwise I might just go crazy!

"Yea, I may be tired! But I want to stay up and watch Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters..." - Me.

Hello February!

Wow, another amount of time that seems to have gone so fast!
So maybe thats a good sign, my weeks have been full. Lots of parties and many occasions that have come and gone. Loads of fun!
I have watched High School Musical 3, Twiglight, Mama Mia, Australia and become a One Tree Hill addict.
I have saved my money and brought myself this wonderful laptop which I am typing this blog on right now.
I have been out for Thai, been to a house warming, a 21st brithday party, a pool party, been out on a boat and had two four day work weeks following the other.
I have had a cold, been recovering from a burst ear drum and broken my wrist.
I have met many new people and caught up with many from the past.
Its been one great month - a great start to 2009!
I can not wait for the rest of this year.