:: our new home ::

We have just moved into our new place, that will be home to us until the end of the year. Initially, when looking at rental properties, I was quite discouraged at the prices compared to the pretty low quality of places (or the low quality photos of them!). We decided to start looking for two-bedroom houses in a bid to pay less, realising that it wasn't unrealistic to fit ourselves into smaller places. This house was one of the first we came across. Not far from my parents and right on a clifftop offering stunning views, we were intrigued to visit and find out what it looked like inside! Suffice to say we are very grateful to have been able to move in here, ahead of the 20 or so other couples/families who were also very interested. The way it all came about is nothing short of a miracle.

 

I was a bit hesitant at first about several things - the unfenced property that led to a drop off of several metres (way too high for a fall!) hidden behind bushes at the front, and that it is an unadorned, very basic kiwi 'bach' (holiday house) with no heating or insulation (thinking of our new baby coming in mid-winter August!). 

 During this process I've been realising that I take too much for granted and expect too much. After having someone come in and secure the yard with a strong, temporary fence, my heart is at peace! And my eyes are opening more to the realisation of what a gift we have to live here! 

 

It will be temporary as there are plans to demolish this little (but very spacious!) place in November to make room for a much larger home to be built in its place. So we will do our best to love every moment looking out over the water with a huge yard for the girls, and not-so-secretly hope that the building plans might just get a little delayed :o)

The girls are loving the outdoors and all the space they have to run around, try out their bikes and play in their cardboard cabins! 

And we're just loving having this outlook during our meals. while we pinch ourselves as we went from views over Mt Blanc to the Pacific!

:: the zoo ::

We took the girls on a little adventure today - to the zoo! They were excited in anticipation of seeing "horseys" of which there weren't any (though we did spot some on the drive to the zoo!) but enjoyed spotting some of the rarer species of animal life. 

It's a wonderful zoo that we have here in Auckland. The enclosures are wonderfully designed, the vegetation lush and the whole layout of the park beautifully done. Thumbs up from us!

These guys were graceful in their underwater antics, just a little too fast for me and my camera skills :o) 

It was a fun morning out for us all and we'll be sure to return. In the meantime we continue to settle into New Zealand life. The reality of a move like this and the mixture of thoughts and emotions that accompany it can be quite overwhelming sometimes. Culture shock can lead to questions like "Did we do the right thing?!" We don't have a certain job or home for our family, but we're still in the beginning steps. The unfamiliarity of living here, contrasted with the familiarity, security and 'neatness' of where we came from is unsettling. But then, as I said to myself today..."We trusted and trust this is the right place for us for now and we need to choose to embrace it!!" Stepping out of a safe, familiar place into the unknown is surely going to tempt us to feel apprehensive. Thankfully we can trust there is a reason and a purpose even if we don't know it all yet. Baby steps, right! :o)