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Setting Ike up with a great football team and development opportunities was one key focus in my preparations to come here to New Zealand. To say Ike is passionate about the sport is an understatement, and I knew that his happiness here would largely be contingent on the opportunities to join a team, so I put some effort into finding him a team to start with as soon as possible. We had missed try outs, so his coaches in Oregon were kind enough to write up detailed Fifa quali

It's been a hot minute since I've written on this platform. Wouldn't you know it, I got a job! And one that I'm really enjoying! To catch you up, we got our path to residency visas shortly after we landed, which allows me to work rather than just be here on a visitor visa which is how I landed here. This was welcome news, as I was feeling pretty isolated and lonely for a bit there. I reached out to a few local Montessori schools and one in particular stood out in its auth

The first term of the school year is a wrap, and the first of four school holidays of the school year just finished. We had two weeks off and I was itchy to explore! Hatching a plan was a game of whack-a-mole with the weather; fall has descended on our southern hemisphere island, and the rain came with it... A LOT of rain. Add to that a global fuel crisis that has doubled-and-then-some fuel costs and brought worries of running out of fuel to this island nation, I didn't f

During our first week here in Cambridge, New Zealand, when everything felt unfamiliar, Bernard and I guessed at what signs might eventually reveal to us that we were finally settling in. We were walking through our local farmer's market at the time, and I thought to myself that maybe when I had a vase that I could put flowers in that I had bought at the market, maybe that would be a sign... It's been a rollercoaster since we've arrived. The fun excitement of exploring new p

written by Kobe, video by Ike Our favorite thing was Slopestyle. The pros did backflip 360 triple bar spins. The whip off was also cool. They got so much air and they did huge whips. They were steely too. Kobe did the Hipster challenge. He cleared almost every jump on the trail. The pro bikers also signed Kobe and Ike’s helmets. They were cool. Kobe’s favorite food was the ice cream and watermelon. Ike liked the meat pies best. Kobe wants to go back next year and do the Huck

Greetings from the bottom half of the globe! In case you wondered, no, we haven’t fallen off yet… although we’ve found some fun ways to try… Our first order of business to investigate was flushing… Do the toilets flush in the other direction? Well, check it out: I haven’t found a toilet with a whirlpool flush yet. But the bath drains clockwise, so there you have it, although I can’t for the life of me remember which way it drained in the Northern Hemisphere. You tell me! Ou

Excitement, nerves, anticipation, and curiosity greeted the boys’ first week of school in New Zealand. Here in New Zealand, Kindergarten is called grade 1, so both boys bumped up a year number from their grades in the US - Kobe started year 4, and Ike started year 8. Ike wore his formal uniform to meet all of the new students arriving at the school for his day one, complete with jacket and tie. Kobe walked to school for a full day with his new full class and teacher, excite

It’s been about a month now since we loaded our Tacoma with bikes and bags, said goodbye to our kitties, and drove to the airport for our greatest adventure yet - a move to New Zealand. We had always planned a year abroad with the kids, and have brainstormed lots of versions of how that might look. With the political and economic climate of the USA, we decided to set up a possibility for a longer term future and headed for the land of outdoor fun - New Zealand! Nothing dist