Gwen turned 90

Before we left for "The Big Texas Wedding," Aaron's fantastic grandmother turned 90 and we had a big party for her with all the family and her close friends.

We visited Gwen today in the hospital and things are not looking very good. I feel very lucky to have these good memories fresh in my mind. Gwen was such an energetic and optimistic person... such a joy to be around.

Aaron, me and Gwen at her 90th!

Hugo, cute cute Hugo

Me, Rach, Emma and Chanel

Damon, Rach, Gwen and Aaron

All of us together...

Not sure where to start....

Well, as you all know, We have been pretty busy since the last post. Still waiting on the actual photo files of my wedding photos... so hopefully I will be able to upload some of my favorites!

In the meantime, life is back to normal here in Dunedin. Not much is different except that I sign my name Brooke Cooper and we are a lot more broke! :)

We have been busy surviving winter in Dunedin. We left America on the longest day of the year only to enter Dunedin on the shortest day of the year. But at least we are on the upside of the hump and looking forward to the daylight to be there when we get out of work (still a ways to go).

Being by the sea, Dunedin may get really cold, but we never see snow! Today has been quite the exception. Starting about 10 a.m. we have had steady big snow flakes. Feel like I am in a different place. It is just beautiful with the hills around Dunedin. Makes for a great, lazy day with my husband, our kittens and the fantastic fire.

Why would I want a boiled egg when I can have a chocolate one?

Easter was yesterday. For the past few days, I had been searching for white eggs to color with Grace. No luck. So I went to the grocery store and switched out all the eggs until I had the lightest brown ones available.

Me, Chanel, Grace and Daisy went to church on Sunday morning and then I took my eggs over to their house planning on showing Grace how us American's dye eggs and paint them. Grace was so confused about the whole situation.

Me: So, we can go back and boil the eggs and the stick them in food coloring and wait. When you pull them out they are colored!
Grace: But Why?
Me: Because it is fun.
Grace: What do you do after they are colored?
Me: You hide them and then find them
Grace: Then what
Me: Then you eat the boiled egg
Grace: Gross. Why would I want to eat a boiled egg when I can just eat a chocolate one?
Me: Fair enough.

So, needless to say, Grace ditched me and went to the beach with a friend. And I was left to boil and dye eggs on my own.

My pretty dyed eggs

Kiwi chocolate eggs

Queenstown in Autumn

We went to Queenstown the other weekend to see Chris White who was in town for work. I didn't get any pictures with Whitey, but I took a few pictures off our hotel balcony. Anytime of the year, summer, spring, autumn and winter, Queenstown is breathtaking.

Warm home, Warm heart, Warm kittens

Living in just about sub antarctic conditions (literally), you would think that every single house built in this place would come with a fire. You would think it would be mandatory from the government. You would think...

But after living in this house for a year, I could NOT go thru another winter with out a fire (and neither could my precious kittens - who are very sensitive to the cold).

So, we got ourselves one of them there fires and my world has changed. Instead of having a living room that is 55 degrees. We now have one that doesn't drop below 75. Ahhhhhh the difference.

Plus it provides endless entertainment for the kittens.

But then sometimes it kills Russell (case and point below... (please excuse the ugly orange
fish bin holding our firewood. We get a pretty one today)).

Feeding the Japanese Squid Boat

You might wonder how my life is different now that I live in New Zealand... well, I will tell you one thing, you would have never caught me doing this on a Saturday morning in Dallas.
Aaron sure does one thing really well... he never lets life get boring.

We went on Damon's fishing boat to meet a Japanese Squid boat out in the ocean. They needed fresh supplies: fresh veggies, chips, tofu, sprite, etc, and we were just the people to do it.

We "tied" our boat to their ship and tried to balance while lifting heavy food boxes into a basket to be pulled into their ship while battling the swell.

Just another day in Dunedin....

Squid boat in the distance

Squid boat

Chanel watching the ship come closer...

The black running down the side is not rust, but Ink from the squid.

Chanel in front of the supplies.

Richard Taylor

My fish monger

Getting tied up

Japanese about to lower down the basket for us to fill up.

Wedding Season

February is no doubt Wedding Season for Kiwis. There is only one month that is warm enough for weddings, barely, and so they squish in as many as possible. We had 4 in the month of February.

We started out with Corey and Lizzie. Two of our friends that live in Christchurch. (They have purchased tickets to our Texas wedding, but with the earthquake last month, fingers crossed they will still be able to make it.) We had been looking forward to this wedding for such a long time. They are one of those couples that are undeniably in love with each other. They make you happy to be around them and a part of their lives. I love weddings where I know they are truly happy and in love. Lizzie is Scottish and Corey is a kiwi and they had such a beautiful wedding (they got married on top of a hill in Wanaka with the mountains behind them). There were quite a few Scottish traditions incorporated into the reception, so that was fun to see. Plus they had me sitting next to the most amazing scottish couple: two gay doctors who I instantly fell in love with, of course. I was mesmerized by their fabulous accents and outstanding dance moves all night long.

Overall...Beautiful couple in a Beautiful location - unseasonably cold though. brr.

The next wedding we went to was for a very nice young couple that work with Aaron and Damon. Brad, is the guy on Damon's boat that pulls in the craypots (just like on Deadliest Catch) and Hayley works with Aaron in the fish factory. Their wedding was the first wedding I have been to here in New Zealand that took place in a church. It was a beautiful old church and it was so refreshing to watch a ceremony in a church. Plus it kept us from standing outside in the cold. Smart couple. Their reception was beautiful as well, but I got no pictures.

Aaron attended wedding number 3 on his own. That wedding was in Christchurch and I didn't really know the couple all that well and didnt feel like the 4 hour trip there. And didn't feel like standing outside for another wedding.

Our last wedding was in a small fishing town called Karitane. Damon's fishing mentor's daughter got married and it was breath-taking. Absolutely breath-taking. The wedding took place on her father's land out in the fishing community. And I totally wedding stalked her reception with my camera. I took tons of pictures of decorations at the reception.

Damon, Chanel, me and Aaron out by the edge of his land.

Name tags that led you to where your seat was.

Chanel and Damon

Aaron had quite the red wine hangover the next day.