Family Reunion....around the world

So my grandmothers brother, my dad's uncle and my great uncle....(all the same person)....and his wife just so happened to be in NZ the same time as my parents. We were able to meet them for a coffee on my parents second day here. It was such a cool thing to do. They have been on a trip where they go to lectures and such while they travel. Like my dads post said, they are overachievers, just like my grandmother, my dad and ummmm me? or maybe Russ? Or maybe neither of us? Sorry, Grammie, to inform you that gene didn't get passed down! My dads whole family is from California, so with us being in Alabama we really have never gotten to see them, spend time with them or get to know them. In October of 2011 we all went out to Cali for my grandfathers 80th birthday. I have to admit that I wasn't really looking forward to going that far to hang out with family I didn't know and my grandparents 80 year old friends :) In return, I had THE greatest trip. Not only did we all get to hang out, we sat around one night looking at old pictures...like from the first camera days. I had the best time visiting and story telling with everyone. I saw my grandparents with friends they have had for the last 70 years and it was such a treat. My grandmother is a laugher and is rarely ever unhappy, but I saw her laugh more than I have ever seen her laugh in one weekend. It was very evident that both of their hearts were still in California with their friends and their past. It sounded bizarre when a few months back they said they were moving from Atlanta back to California. What 80 year olds say that? Only cool ones!

Needless to say, spending time with Uncle Scotty and Aunt Kitty was just as much of a treat. They have lived a super interesting life and I admire anyone that has done the travel they have. I think my parents felt it was as exciting to hang out with them as I did, especially all the way around the world!

I love presents!

After uploading the 613 pictures I took on my parents trip, I realized it was going to take me a great deal of time to upload some of my favorite ones. However, the trip started with some excellent surprise courtesy of my parents and my great friends!!

Genny sent me "herself". She now is with me everyday! I had just been saying that now that I have a side table I needed to add some pictures from home. JLO, aka Jason, Laura and Owen sent me their Christmas card, so I now have Owen hanging out with Genny and me next to my bed. They sent me some fabulous chap stick, hand lotion called '27 wishes' with a little philosophy on it that describes my life, and my FAVORITE, Justin's peanut butter spreads. Buy yourself some and thank me. Allison sent a true taste of home: Mardi Gras gear! I made everyone at work taste a moonpie. I'm not really sure they understood how excited I was to introduce them to Mardi Gras. On Sunday Funday I made Gareth wear Mardi Gras beads all day and made my friend Connah drink from a tervis tumbler that explains that the real Mardi Gras started in Mobile. Booyah! I of course used the hugger for my own adult beverage! Thanks friends, you really brightened my day!!


A few other things that made my eyes go wide were dads selections of drinks and moms selections of food! I made buffalo wings last night and felt like I was at For Pete's Sake again. They have "buffalo wings" on the menus everywhere here. Problem is, they are just cooked wings with a side of bbq sauce. There is nothing buffalo about them. Silly kiwis. Tonight I made myself some french onion dip, bought kettle chips and acted like I was eating my appetizer at Callaghan's. Only problem was I didn't have a massive burger to follow. That's probably a good thing though considering my lack of physical activities these days. Anyways, thanks Mom and Dad, you too/two are the bomb. Two, because there's two of you and too because I meant in addition to my other gifts!


Pictures of our travels are to come! I am getting motivated again to blog, so please keep reading!

The Mackey's do NZ!

After an incredible 2.5 weeks with my parents visiting, I asked my dad to write about his thoughts on NZ. There are so many things that have become routine to me and I no longer realize how different they are from home. My dad is a great writer, so I hope you enjoy his random thoughts as much as I did! I will upload some pictures over the next few days.

"I know that bucket lists are popular these days, but Carol and I find it easier to just follow our kids. Doing so is more exciting than anything we could come up with. NZ is an incredible country. We took a lot of pictures, but seeing it in person gives one so much more - like live music. The people are wonderful, as well.

Catherine is doing great. She manages a small hotel/restaurant/bar in Arrowtown on South Island. The owner is onsite, but she pretty much has the run of the house (imagine that). His name is Peter. I know how he feels.

She rents a room from a Kiwi who's a little older than she is. He is a very nice, very low key guy. That is, until he got a few adult beverages under his belt and teamed up with his long time friend Fraser (that's Frasser, not Frazier). We hooked up with them last Sunday. Gareth and Fraser had a head start on the alcohol and their running commentary had Carol and I in tears. Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey would have come in a distant second in the duo category. Another friend of hers, Benny the cab driver, took us into the back country in his 4 wheel drive. He refers to his wife as "the old trout." Browns and Rainbows are venerated species around Arrowtown, so we heard that as a high compliment. All in all, Catherine runs with a good group of friends.

Kiwis are unfailingly happy and polite. Nothing gets them down. We are so used seeing folks put out for one reason or another that I began jonesing for some boorish behavior to make me feel at home. I twisted a few noses, spit on the sidewalk and even intoned in a crowd that perhaps I saw the Queen wearing army boots. All I got was "no wawries" and "sweet as, bro." The closest we saw a Kiwi given to anger was Fraser last Sunday. The bartender at the outdoor pub we were enjoying had the temerity to advise him that he could only drink his beer sitting at the table ("what's it come to when a man can't stand up in his own country and drink beer?"). Perhaps it was the 10 or 11 that preceded that one … Actually, I was with Fraser on that one.

If you read the local papers, you would assume that rugby and cricket are the national sports. If you get out on the road, however, you understand that the real national pastime is camping - yes, camping. Kiwis and tourists both rent full sized vans equipped with shower/toilet, frig and stove and hit the countryside. Every town has hiking paths that are marked and maintained, as well as areas to camp. It was really amazing though, given the landscapes, it makes perfect sense. If we are lucky enough to get back here, we're all over one of those vans (with some nice digs sprinkled in every once in a while).

Driving on the left side is like driving on the right side, only different. It took us a while to notice it, but people walk on the left side of the path or sidewalk, as well. Other cool things that the Kiwis have going for them:

the metric system - we have missed the boat on this one - Celsius, not so much;
anything nicer than shorts and a t-shirt is Sunday go to meeting wear;
blue Cod and Rock Lobster (or Crayfish, as they call them);
their wonderment at how little vacation time Americans take; and
tobacco is so expensive that you don't run into many smokers.

We had our small world moment when we hooked up with my mother's brother and his wife in Queenstown for a few hours one afternoon. They were in week two of a three week tour that included lectures every day and even homework. When these academic overachievers went through their schedule, it made me want to take a nap. Since they live in SF and we don't see them much, if any, though, it was a cool visit.

We took a lot of pictures and some video. When Zeb figures it out, I'll send a link for you to check the pics out, if you are so inclined."