down the sounds

in the wind
Katelyn-catch of the day
10 snapper

 

more pics

valley basketball team at sports camp
Denise and Marcos in the Abel Tasman
me at Bark Bay

 

pics from the pro tour

Courtney spikes in the womens final at Mount Maunganui
Shannon (NZ) and Laura (Germany)
Courtney and Tracy (USA)
Night session at ASB tennis Centre, Stanley St, Auckland

 

Another great week of summer!

I had Monday and Tuesday off last week. Monday dinner was at Redwood Downs with John and Sara Barrett from the UK-Dads cousins. Tuesday I took 2 Paraguayans (Marcos and Denise) up the Abel Tasman. We went by boat to Ohi stopping by the seal colony. It rained and was pretty rough! We ate lunch in the shelter and were treated to a moari wiri or challenge. Then we walked the 90 mins back to Bark Bay and got rather wet. It was still very nice walking thru the native bush with a light rain falling. At Bark Bay the boat picked us up again and took us back to Kaiteriteri. Then off to soccer training!! yep soccer training is in full force and in a months time we are off to Gisborne for a 3 day invitation tournament with some of NZ's top teams. Will be a great experience! Wednesday night and 190 students from Nelson Girls College arrived for their leadership camp. This is pretty big for us so it made for a very busy 2 days.

Friday night was touch finals night. We lost our semifinal tho so no final for us this year. Straight after that we headed for the sounds. Katelyn and Josh came with me, we stopped for KFC and left Nelson. Caught up to Tim and Lisa halfway down and sped up to pass them. Just my luck as a cop came towards us just after I had passed. So I got another speeding ticket which puts my demerit points at 90! (You lose your licence at 100!!) So I can see I really need to go overseas real soon! Tim was lucky tho cause if I hadnt passed him he probably would have got the ticket. Saturday was perfect weather and we took the boat out to Te Mahia with the tube. We relaxed on the beach and I drove for Jerry to ride and then Tim drove for me riding. He threw me around pretty fast and was awesome fun! I managed to make it roll right over and stay on. Back to watch the cricket and have afternoon naps. Then some played in the water again, Katelyn and I rode the 4 wheeler and hunted banana passionfruit before a BBQ dinner. Watched rugby and cricket some more and ate a lot of icecream! Watched Anna and the King movie before bed. I slept in my open tent under a clear starry sky--so nice! Sunday I made pancake and french toast for breakfast and then we took the 2 small dinghys out for a fish. I caught a kawhai and a seagull and then we tied up on a mussel farm. We were about to go home when Lisa caught a decent sized snapper! Then Katelyn caught 1 and soon we had caught 10 of them. Katelyn caught 4, Lisa 3 and josh and mike 3 between them. I had one on my line but it got off and poor Timmy got nothing! He did work hard baiting everyones lines and working the burley. Back home for lunch at about 3pm and Tim and I fileted the fish. Packed up and left about 5pm. Such a great relaxing weekend. Back to work today and its still real hot here. plenty of swimming to be had and icecream and berries to eat!! A short week this week as Friday morning I'm off to Christchurch for the cricket on Saturday. Yeah!

Sports Camp 06 & pro tour

Its been an ultra busy month since I wrote on here last in the middle of the pro tour. I flew back to Auckland and got a shuttle down to Tauranga for the weekend tournament there and then back to Auckland where I stayed with Sharon Broadbent which was fun (shes a real cool cousin!). We spent 3 days preparing the ASB Tennis Centre for the NZ open and then 3 days running it. It was such a blast and I refereed a lot as well and got on TV!! Since I got back 2 weeks ago I have not stopped working on sports camp. Very late nights for 2 weeks is catching up with me and right now I am very worn out!! We just finished camp tonight-not sure how many people we had exactly but 8 teams competed in about 11 different sports and Annesbrook won overall. I also played a few games for Valley and we won the touch final in a real close game.

About 7 people responded to the message that Matty G brought to us. He talked about fear and how perfect love casts out fear. Jeff Bucknam had talked the night before about winning and why do we care so much? Even tho I was so busy I had a great weekend and wish we ran a camp like this every month! Now I have 2 days off so think I will sleep for most of that! Plenty of pics to come on here soon tho!

me

 

Tracy, Courtney, and me!

 

New Years and the Pro Tour

New Years eve I flew to Auckland and then drove with Mum and Dad down to Tauranga. Stayed at Ruth and Jons and went down to the Mount to see some bands playing and played settlers which I won! Hung around at their house on New Years Day and then Pris and Sjoerd and Johanna turned up and so we had another game of Settlers. Then Monday I met up with the pro tour van and we drove up to Matarangi at the top of the Coromandel. Tracy and Courtney from the USA were with us too and has been real cool hanging out with them. Matarangi was real real nice but we got some nasty weather and freak high tides which washed over the courts! Stayed at the Beach Resort which was real nice!! I ended up refereeing the mens final and have now been given this duty for the tour it seems. I have been assessed in Wellington last weekend so I can hopefully get a qualification for this--maybe I'll become a pro referee!! Thursday we drove to Wellington and Friday setup at the beach there. Went to the second half of the cricket and had a great time as NZ fought back and won. Crowd was awesome! I worked, refereed and played in Wellington so was very busy. Monday morning I flew back to Nelson and am back at camp for 4 days. There are 320 campers here this week so it is pretty crazy!! Tomorrow I will fly back to Auckland to get to the Mount on Friday for the next tournament. So will write about that later!! Summer is great!!

Bond clean bowls em!

note the bails are in the air--the ball has just hit and is at the base of the stumps 

Matarangi Beach

After the tide washed over centre court Courtney wrote this. These cool girls are from California. Good luck on the tour! 

1996 WRX for sale

NZ new, excellent condition, ABS, airbag, alarm/immobiliser, full electrics, brand new tyres, complete service history. 122 000kms (new cambelt etc done at 100 000kms) $14 000 ono. Reluctant sale--wanting to travel.

 

The best week of the biggest year!!

Yep I'd have to say 2005 was the biggest year of my life. And in a lot of ways the toughest year. But after some big challenges and a lot of lessons learnt I can say that this week was the best of the year!! It started with a party of one of our teens from 1BW (www.onebigwhanau.blogspot.com) which is our youth group. We have had such an awesome year this year with them. Then I got some news which wasn't so great and got me thinking more about my interest in going to Paraguay. On Tuesday I bumped into a friend and told her about Paraguay and she is really keen to go too!! So I got way more excited about it and started checking out tickets etc. I had to buy new tyres for my car so have decided to sell it so I can start saving seriously for my trip. Then on Friday I found out another of my mates is real keen to go to Paraguay too! I had a great week at work (www.teapotvalley.co.nz) and got heaps done. Saturday I did my Christmas shopping and then we went to the carols at the church steps. Today had a Christmas church service and then spent the day at my uncle and aunts. Ate heaps and started reading my new book "The Dream Giver". Of course there were many other cool moments that made this week so good, like the spas, Chevy and Kristians engagement, dinner at the lonestar with Karen to celebrate the week and just thinking about the journey God has me on!! And I just got a job on the Pro Beach Vball Tour so will be travelling all over the north island for the first 3 weeks of January! Yippee! So this year is almost over and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next year. God bless you all and especially those of you who have had so much input into my life in particular during the tough times of 2005. You are awesome and a huge blessing!!

up the creek!

 

My Christmas tree on the front porch

Yes I have put my lights up--the icicle lights are my new ones for this year. 

the team

 

English Park--ready to play

 

Arriving at English Park, Christchurch

Getting ready for our big game!!

 

party at the apartment!!

Sinky trying to gain entry to the party last friday night!! 

My weekend!

Last weekend was a classic Nelson summers weekend. Friday night was a BBQ up at the apartment overlooking the bay-a perfect evening. Played 4 on the couch and got beaten by the girls. Saturday was our first soccer trip away. I picked up Jimmy and Stew and we were at the airport by 9:15am. Flew on Origin Pacific to Christchurch on a charter flight arriving around 11am. We hung out in the airport for 45 mins and then got shuttle buses to English Park. Its a sweet soccer ground--perfect pitch and even had a grandstand!! I'll put some pics of it all on here. Had a pretty good game which we led until about 20 mins to go and then they scored so the final score was 1-1. Flew back up the country--it was a perfect sunny day all the way and back into Nelson about 7pm. Up to Redwood Downs for another BBQ (I was on the barbie again!) and then a game of Catch Phrase-good effort Stew!! Back home to finish building the grandstand for the rugby. 1:20 am and I get to bed for 100 minutes of sleep before the test. About 15 of us watched the game on the huge screen in the couch grandstand. Sunday was 1 Big Whanau day at church. Some of our youth greeted people at the door and handed out communion etc. We played a movie of pics etc of our year at youth group and I spoke about what we do and Donald prayed for us all. A bunch of us went to Beam and Averils for lunch then off to the A & P Show to watch some wood chopping, have a quick look around and then a ride on the Kamikaze!! Off to Tahuna Beach for a walk and throw the ball around. The tide was the lowest I have seen it so we walked way out. Then back to Karens new house for dinner-not quite a BBQ but almost!! And finally finished the weekend off with a spa up at Tim Rutledges house. Beeeaaautiful!!

Angels

Check out pics below of our awesome day in the Abel Tasman park on Monday. Thanks guys--its was so much fun!! In other news, the team for our soccer game on Saturday will be named tomorrow. We fly to Christchurch for the day to play the NZ under 18 side. I'm fairly confident I will make the side. Have been watching the grand slam All Black tour on a huge screen in my apartment each weekend with people sleeping over. This weekend I think I will make a mini grandstand as we take on England. I'm up late right now cheering on Australia (believe it or not) as they are in extra time against Uruguay to get to the World Cup. Looks like a penalty shoot-out will be on. Still working at Teapot Valley and keeping real busy with work and youth group and sports etc. Summer is fully here and should be a good long hot one!!

me with angels

 

We swam at Cleopatra's pool!

 

Dominik, Anna and Jessica

 

Hot Chocolate (Anna) makes footprints

 

what a weekend!

Friday I pulled out of camp about 3pm and headed for Richmond to pick up Cath and Kate. We went to the supermarket and got a bunch of food for 6 people for a weekend and after loading up the WRX headed east for the Marlborough Sounds. Stopped in Havelock for fish and chips and got to Ohingaroa Bay about 7pm. Plugged the Sky decoder in and watched the kiwis lose the league but only just. Lisa, Tim and Anita arrived and we started playing Trivial Pursuit. Saturday morning I cooked up bacon and eggs for everyone. I got the ride on mower out and mowed the grass. Lisa and Tim took the boat out for a fish but got nothing. Emma arrived, BBQ for dinner and then we watched the NPC rugby final and played more trivial pursuit. Got the music pumping and had a mini dance!! Sunday morning I cooked pancakes and then Alice arrived and then Jude and Terry. Played touch, watched World Series and then I built a fence for Jude. Tim and Lisa helped and then took out the boat but still got nothing! Big roast chicken dinner and more great conversation and hanging out. Monday morning I made scrambled eggs and then scones. We played volleyball and went for a hike up the creek. Watched Chicago win the second World Series game and then packed and headed back to the city. Stopped at Havelock for a icecream by the Marina and then we all went to Choofs house for a BBQ. It was a brilliant long weekend--every time we go down the sounds its guaranteed fun and good times. Thanks to the Delaneys for the bach!! looking forward to a huge weekend this weekend too as we go on a road trip to Harley and Davinia's wedding in Ashburton.

my cousin Choof (Anita)

 

friends at play

 

School group up the Hackett today

 

Model Shoot

Me and Karen modelling shirts from Mountain Design. Would make a great staff shirt! New version of Picasa is very cool and can do heaps with pics and put them straight on here. think i will have to put some more on!

 

Soccer pro!

Yep I'm on the way to becoming a semi pro footballer! My club has secured major sponsorship and next year the 1st div side will be paid to train and play!! We had a mini tournament yesterday before our prizegiving and I was in the starting 11 playing on the right wing. I played some of my best soccer giving some great crosses and corners and scoring one of my best ever goals! In November we are going to Christchurch and then Dunedin for games--they are flying us down! Jim Thompson got player of the year for our team. Next year we will be entering the Chatham Cup and attending a special tournament in Gisborne. I can't wait!!

To backtrack a bit since my last blog, I had a friend from Canada stay for a couple of nights and then 2 girls from England (Fenella and Flora) for 3 nights. They stayed at Redwood Downs with me and I spent a day in the Abel Tasman with them. We had a great time hanging out together. Then I had a weekend in Auckland for Mum's 60th bday party. We had a great night and was cool to see some family again. 2 weeks ago I moved out to Teapot Valley Camp which is where I am now living. The season has started with 2 school groups through so far. They have both been a lot of work but a lot of fun too. I'm looking for other jobs but want to be where God wants me.

One Big Whanau (my youthgroup) is a lot of fun and the 18 teenagers are really bonding together. We had a trip to Rainbow Ski Field in August--check out pics and info on the 1BW website--link on the right hand side.

Its been like summer here this month with warm temperatures and sunny days. Have been playing touch on the beach a few times. Best movie I have seen lately is Hotel Rwanda--everyone should see it and act on it. Hillsong Australia are planning a worldwide missions trip there next year. http://www.hoperwanda.org/