The Weekender

My new NZED friends at the Cock and Bull!!



Mission Bay



Karyn and I at the Civic Theatre in Town



Penguins at Kelly Tarlton (Underwater Aquarium)



Dinner at Jane’s House with her lovely family!!



Finally the Weekend

I can’t believe I have already completed my third weekend in New Zealand. On Thursday night I went with Jane and a few others to see a live play, The Raft. It was an awesome performance by the locals and it was held in a small theatre in Howick (small suburb area in Auckland). It was fun, interesting and entertaining... On Friday I met a group of young people in their early twenty’s and went to a local restaurant that had an 80’s band playing. It was fun to socialize and catch up with people my own age. I slept past 7 a.m. for the first time since I have been here on Saturday morning. We then went to Mission Bay for lunch and New Market to look at the shopping center. Saturday night we went to Avenue Q, a Broadway Musical in the city of Auckland. The city is absolutely stunning at night.

On Sunday I woke up and went on a six mile run with Grant. We then went to Kelly Tarlton’s. This is an underwater aquarium and Antarctic encounter. It reminded me of the Georgia Aquarium except it is built to be a mimic of Antarctica. Inside they had Robert Scott’s hut (The first man who tried to go to the south pole). His hut was almost exactly like his hut in Antarctica years ago. There were also lots of sting rays, sharks, eels, New Zealand’s only colony of sub-Antarctic penguins and the world’s first underwater transparent tunnel. We then went to Mission Bay for lunch and Ice Cream. We ate on the coast, it was a beautiful day and the view was stunning!! Then I had dinner with my supervising teacher; Jane and her family. Her family is “lovely” and very entertaining. Overall, I had a great weekend full of exciting adventures and now off to begin week 4 of teaching!

Food of the Day: Teriyaki Fish and Magnum gold ice cream

School Update- Week 3 May 24-26

The whole class showing off their weaving loom



The finished weaving project!!




Time is continuously flying by and I am already on week 3!! I am constantly learning that teachers must be flexible and able to adjust to changes. For example, this week when I walked into my classroom everything was a wreck because over the weekend the school installed new carpet in my classroom. The teachers had no idea that this took place so when we walked in the classroom on Monday morning all of the desks, shelves, books, computers, etc… were in the wrong place. Needless to say the students went crazy. Situations like these have taught me how to think on my feet and make fast decisions.

This week I am beginning to take on small groups daily. I have my own reading comprehension group that I work with daily. I created a lesson plan for our group using the interactive board and books on castles. I am also working with a maths group daily. I am gaining a lot of teaching experience, each day it gets a little more challenging. I have learned a new way to reflect on my teaching lessons to help me improve in preparing and setting goals for each lesson so that it will be effective each time.

The students have been working on weaving the past few weeks. This week we are finishing our medieval weaving with wool. It is so interesting to see what the children can do at Point View School. They are so creative and love hands-on activities. They absolutely love weaving and spend all of their free time finishing this project. I am amazed by their skills and desire to learn.

I have noticed that in New Zealand it is all about bringing the outside environment into the classroom learning. I am enjoying observing the higher order thinking activities we do here at Point View School. This ties directly into what we want to see with the Georgia performance standards. I am learning how to teach in a way that focuses on “What students know and can do with their learning.” These experiences will be great for my own future classroom!

Away from the school aspect of life!!

I played racket ball (Squash) for the first time in my life on Monday night with Grant. It was so much fun and very challenging. The ball is so small and moves fast as lightening.

On Tuesday afternoon we had dinner and a movie with the teachers that I work with at school. We had pizza and watched The Notebook. It was a fun bonding experience for us all. The teachers kept asking me, “Is this what it looks like in America?” It is so funny to hear the perspective that they have of the States.

After school on Wednesday, we worked out to a Zumba video. It was good to release the stress and anxiety of teaching and work off all the New Zealand chocolate, ice cream and cookies.

Food of the Day: MORO Bars (Cadbury Chocolate and Caramel)

On the Weekend!!

Saturday at Villa Maria Estate/Winery



On top of the world at Sky Tower=328 Meters above the ground!!



Driving in New Zealand



It was only suiting to name the title "On the Weekend." Here in New Zealand they say, "What are you doing on the weekend?" instead of "What are you doing this weekend?" haha I love it!! On Friday I went to an art show with my supervising teacher. It was very interesting, we went to a private home (I felt like I was in America). This house was the first that I have seen since my arrival that is built like an American home (It had a pool, tennis court, outdoor fire place, it was HUGE). We all stood by the pool and watched the show! The artist made two beautiful dresses and put them on display for us to see (2 Beautiful New Zealand Women took turns showing off the beautiful dresses and one of the dresses even had a head piece). The dresses were all made out of recycled things. For example one dress was made out of tea bags and the other was made out of the silver tops you take off a gallon of milk and various other recycle items. It was amazing, the silver dress looked like a wedding gown. It was a fun social event and I had the opportunity to meet a lot of nice New Zealand people.

On Saturday I went on a run with Grant and then we had lunch at Villa Maria Estate. It was “lovely,” a beautiful place for a wedding. We then came home to prepare dinner for Saturday night, a few of Grant’s friends came over. On Sunday, the family went to Disney on Ice and dropped me off in the City of Auckland on Queen Street. It was amazing, I felt like I was in Chicago!! I enjoyed the candy shops and all the neat markets. I then went up to the Sky Tower (328 meters) and had a nice view of the city. A few hours later I met up with the family for lunch. Grant then let me drive the car home. It was so scary I felt like I was driving illegally!! Everything in the car is on the wrong side (the blinker, wiper, gear shift, steering wheel…etc). I had a lovely weekend. It was relaxing and full of adventures.

Food of the Day: Tim Tam, Jaffas, Schoc (New Zealand Chocolate)

End of Week Two!!!

These past few days have been tiring and intense. I met my overseas advisor and had a talk with the principal on Thursday. My overseas advisor walked in on me while I was teaching an art lesson on weaving with a different class-students that I did not know the names of!! So needless to say that took the edge off of things. He was extremely nice and did not take any observation notes. Haha. The lesson went well and the students were well behaved. He said he was impressed and would not come back until June 22nd for a formal observation! I also had the opportunity to teach a small group lesson in Maths. My teacher observed me during a lesson on adding and subtracting 2 digit numbers. It was a learning experience and my teacher gave me lots of feedback.

Thursday the teachers and I left school and went to lunch in town. When I told the teachers that in the US we can never just leave school for lunch-they were shocked. It is amazing how much freedom the teachers have here (But I guess with an hour lunch break it only makes sense to go out to eat). Another thing I found bizarre, is that students can go barefoot all day (the kids never wear shoes)!!! It is so weird, I had to catch my self today because it was cold and rainy and all I wanted to say was go put your shoes on before you catch pneumonia.

I can’t believe it is already the weekend and I have already finished two weeks of teaching in a different “World.” Time is flying. Everyday I see new teaching styles, I feel that the reason the teaching styles are so different is simply because in New Zealand they are not teaching to a test, and therefore, DO NOT have strict standards that they must meet. The teaching is more hands-on and a lot of ART!!! I am actually going to an art show with my teacher tonight. I am very excited because I must say art is my weakness. Hopefully, I can say differently when I get back to the states in August.

Overall everything is going great. I had a nice outing with a young girl in her 20’s who works for Grant’s Tourism Business. It was nice to get away from children for a little while. I am looking forward to the weekend and am going to try to take it easy. It is getting a bit colder here and very rainy, it is beginning to look a lot like winter. I hope to stay warm and do some planning this weekend because starting on Monday I am teaching a lot more!

Food of the Day: Mince Pie, Cookie Time Cookie and Cadbury Crunchies (I love their chocolate and the cadbury is amazing!!!)

P.S. I went to McDonald's today and the burgers taste so different!

Week 2 Teaching Experience

Sawing away in Technology Class!!


Discovering new ideas



Working with Mr. Rankin



Helping Bella build her cardboard castle!



The girls showing off all their hard work!





My teacher had CRT (Classroom Release Time) on Monday and Tuesday of this week (This is basically a teacher work day and the students go to another classroom). This week the students went to Technology with Mr. Rankin where they had to build things with cardboard and wood. Wow, wouldn’t this be nice if the USA borrowed this idea from New Zealand! The teacher basically plays catch up day for two whole school days!! It is awesome for the teachers.

I can’t believe I am already starting my second week of teaching! I found Technology Day to be very interesting on Monday. The students were given the chance to think critically. One group was given the task to build a strong castle out of cardboard, while the other group had to design a piece of equipment to tear down the castle. It was very interesting to watch the students use strategies and think critically on their own. I noticed that it was very hard for many of the students to follow the directions and build on their own.

It was so neat to see such a “Non American Teaching Style” in progress. You would never in a million years walk in a room with seven year olds holding saws and chopping toilet paper rolls. Mr. Rankin gave the students a lot of freedom to experiment and do as they please. Everything that happens in Mr. Rankin’s class is out of the ordinary. For example, the students were allowed to test their material in a battle. They used their home-made machinery to throw rocks at the castle walls to see if it was strong enough to defend itself. Mr. Rankin definitely has a unique teaching style. I enjoyed observing his way of teaching-everything in his class is hands-on.

However, today instead of helping with Technology Day, Jane allowed me to have some hands-on practice with running records and assessments. Wow, I learned so much today! It is crazy how much you can learn in one day by simply learning by doing. It was great to have Jane’s guidance (she knows her stuff!!) She is an awesome teacher, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to learn and grow from her. The only way I can think to describe her is Mary Poppins (I know that sounds crazy but she seriously talks and acts like a real life Mary Poppins).

Food of the Day: Hokey Pokey Ice cream and Toblerone Chocolate

Gifts of the Day: CUTE Monogrammed Clipboard and sweet letter (Kate), I also received a few cards in the mail (Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Tammy and Uncle Ricky) Thank you for all the thoughtful words of encouragement!!

Trip to Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

Black Water Rafting in the Caves



Our Camper Van for the weekend


I can’t believe I have completed my first week of student teaching. It was quite an interesting week and I loved seeing all the different techniques used in NZ. We ended the week with a fun outing. All of the teachers and even the principal drove to downtown Howick to a local restaurant. It was nice socializing with the teachers in a different environment.

On Saturday, Karyn and I woke up early and went on a 6 mile run around the village. We then came home and packed for our fun weekend trip to Waitomo GlowWorm Caves. We took a motor home on a 2 and ½ hour trip south of Auckland. Grant is the CEO of Tourism Holdings Limited (THL) and had to speak at a special ceremony on Sunday on behalf of his organization. Therefore, we all packed into a motor home and took a road trip to Waitomo Caves.

It was very interesting to find that the further south you travel in NZ the colder it gets. I feel like everything I know has been turned upside down. Everything from driving on the left side of the road instead of the right, measuring with kilometers instead of miles, Celsius instead of Fahrenheit, water draining down the sink/toilet, and the light switches are all turned around in NZ. I feel like I live in an upside down world!

Saturday afternoon I went Black Water Rafting in Ruakuri Cave. We sat in a tube and went on a 3-hour tour of the cave. We had to jump off waterfalls, climb through the cave and even find our way out in the dark. After the adventure in the Cave, we then went to a local pub where we met up with a lot of Grant’s coworkers and had a nice dinner.

Sunday morning I attended Karakia (Blessing and Dedication of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves Visitor Center). It was a very special experience for the Ngati Mamiapoti Tribe because it was the re-opening of their special building over 400 people attended. The original building burned to the ground December of 2005. I am so honored that Grant allowed me to have the opportunity to experience this special ceremony and I will cherish it forever. THL rebuilt the Visitor Center and will manage the building until 2027 and then they will turn it over to the Ngati Mamiapoti Tribe.

Overall, I had a great weekend trip with my NZ Family! Next weekend I get the chance to travel with my supervising teacher to another part of NZ.

Food of the Day: The Peanut Slab-Whittaker’s Chocolate (Daddy you would love this!!!)

Day 4 at Point View Primary

It is hard to believe I have almost finished my first week in New Zealand. I love my family. We have definitely bonded over the past few nights. Monday night Grant booked me a 2 week Kiwi Experience for the South Island! He helped me book the flights and got a special deal on the tour. They are such a "lovely" family. Karyn always sticks her nose in the door to make sure I am alright when she picks the children up from school. She treats me like her own and even spoils me by fixing my lunch almost every day. They have already made special weekend plans for us all to visit waitomo caves black water rafting. I am super excited about the weekend ahead.

One major difference that I have noticed between the New Zealand and American Education System is simply the daily schedule difference. Here in New Zealand at Point View Primary School a normal day generally consists of three hours of curriculum teaching (mathematics, reading, & writing), one hour of co-curricular activity, a twenty minute break in the morning, and a one hour lunch break in the afternoon. The last hour of the day is usually left open for “whatever needs to be done.” Things that I have seen in the classroom so far include an emphasis on rules, modeling, routines, being soft-spoken but firm, goal setting, and an overall formal instruction in a laid back atmosphere.

During the time the children are outside, a few teachers are appointed to a rotating schedule of duty while all of the others have a nice social break in the staff room; there are two of these breaks throughout the day; one in the morning and one it the afternoon. I love this schedule; it breaks the day up so nicely and is very refreshing. Where at home the children really only have about a forty minute combined lunch and recess break, and teachers generally have one planning period where they stay in their rooms. No wonder Point View Primary feels like such a community, there is actually time for socializing during the workday. I pondered the differences in the schedules and have come to a possible question for why our systems work differently, is it because New Zealand school systems go year round so in turn they are able to be more relaxed.

I have also noticed that physical education is taught in a different manner. They do a variety of different physical activities, from swimming, aerobics, to fitness and p.e. I found it very interesting that they have a whole assembly meeting where teachers and students participate in work out activities. Today they did a fitness work out activity called Jump Jam. It is very fun to watch and participate in. It is great for the students to get the opportunity to release excess energy. I hope to bring this into my own future classroom.

Today the students designed their own PowerPoint on a specific topic that they were assigned. It was very interesting to watch the students use technology so well. I am definitely learning from them. It is amazing how they can use the computer, camera and programs so well together. The students had to take pictures using the camera and then upload it into the PowerPoint and set the picture as the background. It was amazing to watch the students work.

I am beginning to pick up on the details and tricks of the trade at school, the little organizational things that Jane does makes all the difference. I am learning the importance of planning ahead, going the extra mile, and being very intentional with the teaching, explaining specific details, and prioritizing within the classroom. Tomorrow, my teacher and I have made plans after school to celebrate my first week of teaching. I can't believe week one is almost done!

Day 3 and a LOT of Teaching Experience

Today was an amazing day. It was challenging and tiring too. Mrs. Jane was absent today for a teacher conference. I feel that I gained a lot of experience and gained student’s respect very quickly. I think the students realized today that they must follow my orders as they do for Mrs. Jane. As crazy as it sounds, I think it was good that Jane was absent because it not only built my confidence but it helped the students see me as a teacher more so than before.

The morning activities went well and the students worked hard to finish all the morning assignments. It was the first rainy day-since I have arrived in Auckland. It was a nasty day and the children got a little restless before lunch. We played a round of Simon Says and it seemed to calm them down a bit.

After lunch, I read Charlotte’s Web and ironically enough the chapter that we read today was about Charlotte weaving the word Terrific into her web for Wilbur. After I read Charlotte’s Web, I then showed the PowerPoint that I created on Maori Weaving. We were able to bring the class novel into our lesson very nicely. It helped the students understand that weaving takes a lot of time and dedication. The students quickly compared Charlotte’s hard work on her weaving to the culture of the Maori people and how they sometimes may stay up long hours as well to finish weaving a piece of artwork.

After we discussed the PowerPoint we then allowed the students to create their own fish on black paper using chalk to outline their fish. It was amazing to watch the students use their art skills. They are so creative!!! Preparing for the lesson, gathering all the materials and such was a mess, but when we finally got going, I was loving it!! We had a teacher helper and a parent helping with crowd control and blending. It was fabulous to see the children learning and enjoying the activity. The fish came out beautifully, even though it was more challenging allowing the students to create their own fish versus pre-cut out fish, I feel that students gained more out of the hands-on activity and had the opportunity to be very creative. The students all created their own unique fish. We will begin the weaving tomorrow.

When we circled up to discuss our favorite part of the school day, one student Jack announced, “I love it when Ms. Burton says Criss Cross Apple Sauce.” It was funny that he said this because today I used this instead of telling them to cross their legs. This is a saying that we use in the US and they absolutely love it. I am having so much fun learning about the kiwi children and how they do things differently than we do in the states.

When I arrived home from school I had afternoon tea with Karyn and a few chocolate treats. We then had dinner shortly after. When bedtime came around Deanna asked me to come tuck her in and read a few chapters of the BFG (The Big Friendly Giant) by Roald Dahl. She is so precious and reminds me of myself when I was 7 years old. I can’t wait for day 4 in the classroom!!

Food of the Day: Nutella, Cadbury Milk Chocolate, and Port Wine-Red wine that is amazing!!

Day 2 in Room 15

Today has been a nice day. A good day at school I attended my first faculty meeting today. I love how the teachers collaborate together socially and professionally. I am so thankful for the close-knit sociable community.

I am thankful that my cooperating teacher, Jane allows me to work with the students a little more each day. I am excited that Jane has allowed me to take over the roll every day, along with the class novel, and my all time favorite, Charlotte’s Web.

I have really enjoyed observing how Jane allows the students to lead the classroom during poetry. The students take full control it is amazing to watch how well students learn together in Room 15. It is very interesting to see how Jane has scheduled the school day in a way that there is no such thing as down time. It is constant learning from bell to bell. I love it!!

Today we played a few indoor/outdoor games with tennis balls. It was very interesting to watch the students and their sports skills or should I say lack of. It was very interesting to observe how students in New Zealand have a hard time catching the ball and basic hand-eye coordination. It was interesting to see that the girls could catch the tennis ball more easily than the boys. There is no such thing as… “You throw like a girl” in NZED!! For the girls are much better at throwing and catching than the boys especially in Room 15. It is obvious that many of the parents do not encourage outdoor recreation and play instead they are sitting in front of their MACBOOK all afternoon.

I have already seen so much in classroom with Jane. There are “heaps” of similarities and also differences between our two school systems. Behavioral issues and harsh discipline systems are not very prevalent here. Maybe it is because I have been placed with the sweetest teacher in the world but I haven’t witnessed any major tiffs.

Jane gave me a ride home in her car. I got lost on the ride home and we took a tour of Auckland! haha…The streets are so confusing and driving on the wrong side of the road just throws me out of WACK!!!

My teacher is allowing me to teach a lesson on a New Zealand tradition of Maori Weaving also known as flax weaving. I have created a powerpoint that I will use to teach this lesson. Maori Weaving is where the Maori people would tear the flax off of flax bushes and weave it into a basket or even clothing. I am now off to prepare for my lesson tomorrow. She will also be absent tomorrow so I am sure there will be lots of time for me to gain teaching experience.

Food of the Day: Milo (New Zealand Hot Chocolate) YUM YUM

Teaching Side of Things-DAY 1 at Point View Primary NZ

First Day of School at Point View Primary School

A “lovely” day today. I have already come to love Point View Primary School. It was so neat to see the pictures and research that I have done come to life today. I can already tell that I am going to learn so much in these 10 weeks ahead of me. I am so fortunate to have this experience in New Zealand. I have seen a glimpse of the challenges that will lie ahead. However, I am ready to face the challenges, for I know this will be a great learning experience. I can just hear in the back of my head a popular saying here-“Ahh, that’s alright.”

I was thankful to be placed in such a friendly school... Tea was great, I love the bonding time: the staff definitely has a family feel: it is predominately young, mostly women but a few males. I have already been able to put some names to faces. I enjoyed meeting Trish during tea today. Everyone was so nice and welcoming towards me. I am so excited about working with Jane she is so sweet and easy to talk to. Their classrooms felt like home, bright colors and very open, unlike the schools in the states.
I am excited to have the chance to work in the Year 3 classroom since I have not had much experience with this age group. I am really taking this week to observe how things run in Mrs. Jane’s classroom. It was neat to see Author’s chair and Inquiry Learning in action today. I have read about Author’s Chair in many of my courses at UGA and it was neat to see how it actually works in a classroom. The highlight of my day was listening to Charlotte’s Web. It brought back memories of my childhood memories. Charlotte’s Web was perhaps my favorite childhood memory, I remember my parents had to hide the video from me because I would watch Charlotte’s Web 24/7.

I will say that I found writing time a little challenging for myself. I found that we spell words a little different (color, favorite, program) etc. During Mathematics I enjoyed watching the game Around the World. This is a fun game that I hope to take into my own future classroom. This gives students a chance to drill their addition skills and motivates students to do their best and think fast!!

Today, I actually enjoyed sitting in on meetings. I find myself subconsciously drawing parallels to the things I have seen in the schools at home and what is the same or different here. I have lots to learn but so far everything makes sense here and seems simplistic. Everyone is so laid back and free-spirited- no worries, I love it. I can't wait for day two!!

Food of the Day: We celebrated Grant's Birthday with pavlova dessert (Birthday Cake) and Lamb Meat

MT. EDEN And the Harbor

Trip to Mt. Eden and the night before BIG DAY!!

It is hard to believe that I start teaching tomorrow morning. I can't believe how fast time is already flying by. My family continues to show me new and interesting places. Today we took a fun trip to the city of Auckland. We started the day in the downtown area at the Viaduct Harbor(with tons of sailboats). We then had lunch at a nice place on the Viaduct harbor. I decided to venture into the New Zealand food and bravely order the New Zealand lamb rump on a stone grill where I actually cooked it myself. It was wonderful, we then ended lunch with tea. By the way, I am beginning to love tea time!!

The family then took me to a candy shop where we bought pineapple lumps (this is a candy that you can only buy in NZ). Pineapple lumps are amazing, the only way I can think to describe them is that they taste like chocolate covered circus peanuts. They are addicting. I am blessed that Karyn, the mom, is a chocoholic like me!!

We then took a trip to Mt. Eden where you can see the whole city of Auckland and view many of the volcanos. It was breath-taking. Mt. Eden and rangitoto are two of the volcanos that we visited. After our tour of Mt. Eden we went to the super market to buy dinner for tonight. It was amazing to walk around the super market and looking at all the different names for vegetables that they use in NZ. Peppers are capsicums and pickles are gherkins. Also, the silver beet was one of the many unique vegetables of NZ.

When we arrived home, Mr. Grant let me try New Zealand marmite(a yeast extract) and it is pure gross!!! It is made in New Zealand and is extremely healthy. It has a rich source of vitamin B, B12 and Iron. They use it as butter and but it on toast. It is a very bitter taste and is awful!! Butter is another word that they don't use much in NZ, they use marge or margarine instead.

It has been very interesting discussing different food. Today Mr. Grant asked me what Grits taste like, as I began to explain grits I found it so hard to explain the consistency of grits. I soon realized that things we take for granted such as grits, can be so hard to explain to someone who has never tasted them. I have had another great day with my family and ready for my exciting first day of teaching in New Zealand!

Tallahassee -- Charlotte -- LA -- Auckland!!!!

Well after a long extensive 24 hour flight, I finally made it to my safe home in Auckland, NZ. It is amazing how fast you can feel at home with such amazing welcoming people. I have truly been blessed with an awesome host family. The children are adorable. The oldest, Deanna does not leave my side (we bonded IMMEDIATELY to say the least). The children already took me on a long extensive tour of the town and my new school, the outdoor mall and ice cream shop near by, the tour ended when Nick's petal fell off his bicycle while riding down the road. We made it safe to the house and called it a day and had dinner then movie and now off to bed.

Today has possibly been the longest day of my life. I realized just a moment ago that I still have on the same outfit I had on when I left the Tallahassee Airport at 3:35 on Thursday, May the 6th. The time difference is quite bizarre especially losing the whole day of May the 7th. It is hard to adjust that I am almost a complete day ahead of the US!

Today has been full of lots of adventures and fun interesting and entertaining conversations. I am so excited for the days ahead. It is nice to be settled in a friendly and very sweet household. I am continuously being blessed by their hospitality.

Athens to Pelham

Safe travels to Pelham, GA. Wow, it was tough saying good-bye to loved ones. However, there was a true sense of peace in it all. I am so thankful for all the encouragement I have received all around as this adventure begins. I am thankful for all the notes of encouragement: Mary Bea, Elizabeth (Bubba), Mobley Moss, Ashley Curry, Maggie Schaufler, Carissa, Kate Wooten, Laura Maynard, Becca Thorpe, etc... FB messages, Emails, last minute texts and phone calls.

Thank you Daddy for finally breaking down and buying me a new computer. I promise this was a good investment. Praise the lord for your continuously giving heart. I am thankful for all the thoughtful gifts...Mrs. Betty, thanks again for the vera bradley tote ( I have used it everyday since you gave it to me). Grandma and Grandpa I don't know what I would have done without your special gift!! Thanks again!! I have appreciated all the thoughtful presents, home-cooked meals and notes of encouragement.

The bible verses shared with me over the past few days have been such a blessing. Mobs I am clinging to yours these few days... Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous, for the lord your God will be with you wherever you go." I can't wait to be blessed by my new family, school and everyone I meet in New Zealand!!!

The Journey Begins!!