A Perfect Day at the Mount

The Mount, as it is fondly referred to by Kiwi's all over New Zealand, but especially those that live in Mount Maunganui and in Taurangau (the name of the entire area including all the other small "towns")

You can walk to the Mount from where I live, and most people walk around the Mount or up the Mount (which is a bit of trek) on a regular basis. On Wednesday before work, me and Beks finally took a walk to the Mount and walked around it. We were waiting for a sunny day so I can experience the Mount at its best. It really was breathtaking and unbelievable to experience. I don't have a great pic of the Mount (I will take more but for now that is it, plus you have seen it in some of my other pics on my blog)

Yesterday I needed a little regrouping and needed a good jog on the beach to clear my head and focus a bit. Nothing was wrong I just hadn't been truly quiet for a few days and wanted to get a bit centered. It is so different to have to get quiet or centered because you are having such a good time, not because you are enduring life. There are seasons in life and they ebb and flow much like the ocean, but I'm not going to lie I really do love the break from the hard of the past few years. What a treat, I don't take lightly, being in New Zealand and enjoying the people, the culture, the beauty, and the love.

So in order to do that, I jogged down to the beach (2 blocks) and ran down the beach towards the Mount. It was a GORGEOUS day with just a few people scattered along the beach and a few surfers attempting to catch the morning surf. I was in awe that I was running on a NZ beach towards the incredible Mount. The weirdest part was it didn't feel abnormal or strange to be doing this. I sat on the beach for awhile just watching the water and enjoying just being quiet for a little bit. I jogged home and spent a few hours just talking and hanging with Greg and Beks.

Then one of our friends wanted to walk up the Mount...which I was looking forward to doing, but it was the middle of the afternoon and I had just jogged for 45 minutes that morning. But I was super excited to brave the mid day heat and experience my first climb up the mount. So Aaron and I trekked up the mount and this is what we saw:



(Me and Aaron...he is a bit crazy and ridiculous if you can't tell)


(the other side of the Mount)

It was the most breathtaking view ever. And it is the normal every day view for people that live at the Mount. What a treat to live here and experience all of these things. I am listening and learning what life is like here as I get to know my friends and their culture. It is an interesting place to live and I am fascinated as I learn their stories and catch more and more of who they are as individuals and as a culture.

Walking up the mount was so fun and so HOT! We went for a quick swim in the ocean to cool off and then went and got ice cream:) We headed back to Beks and Gregs and I was wondering what Family Time was going to be tonight.

Have I told you about Family Time yet? Every night Greg cooks an amazing dinner, complete with yummy snacks before. We have thus deemed this Family Time. At the same time, we have been into the Flight of the Conchords, cracking any joke we can to start a new round of laughter. One of our favorites has been Business Time--check it out:



I have loved living with Beks and Greg and one of my favorite times has been dinner. I don't know how or why we started calling dinner Family Time, but isn't that the way some or our best memories happen--you don't know how they start they are just a part of you. One night we made up a whole song about Family Time to the tune of, you guessed it, Business Time. I will be sure to tell more of our fun family time stories but for now here are some fun pics to give you a teaser:

(Our first "family time")


(Dinner with Andy and Sally last night after the Perfect Day...I got to end it at their house and I LOVED it!)


(Fish and Chips on the beach with Beks brother, Nathan, and sister in law, Ingrid and their dog, Tyson)


(Beks, Greg, and me at the Fish & Chips Family Time)