In a nutshell :)

These are the YSA members outside the temple.
We had such a great time at the museum in Wellington. I don't know why I must do such strange things for pictures. Can't I just pose like a normal girl? Honestly...

Okay family:

The night is past again, and here I am attempting to send an email... there is no way i can even come close to encompassing what went on today. But here are the nuts and bolts: We went as the whole group to the Catlains- tide pools and petrified wood forest that were really incredible. We literally swam with dolphins!!! Wild ones so it was no fee :) Lots of people wore wet suits and I sort of froze. We are very near Antarctica.

2. Be prepared to get very very sad: My camera had a lens error and will no longer retract the lens or turn on and off. I'm sure you can only imagine how distressed I am. I'm going to get a repair price check in town tomorrow, but expect it will cost as much or more to repair as it would to buy a new one. I am livid. But, at least its not my life or a limb. Just money. I suppose sky diving is out now- I'd rather have memories of the entire trip along the way. I think $300 is better spent on another Canon. I was consciously being so careful at the beach, but some sand must have just flown up into it... Im open to ideas or comments...

3. I bought an All-Blacks lunch box that keeps my sandwich fresh and reminds me how cool I am ;)

4. We picked up our bikes at the shop in town. Red bike, green helmet= me for the next 8 weeks. So far, so good.

5. I was invited to tea at another homestay's house. Tyler's birthday is tomorrow and his "mum" said he could invite me and Alison to help celebrate.

6. We came home to find Mags and her dear friend Carol. I just love Carol. We had tea and then chatted until tea (dinner) at 8pm. We eat approx. 3 homegrown vegetables at every meal, and had lamb with mint sauce done in the George Foreman. Incredible Potatoes! We had crustless milk tart, fruit salad tart and carmel/chocolate ice cream for dessert. We basically have ice cream every day. NZ ice cream is WAY too good to refuse. Plus, it's Mags!

7. I cried for about 3 hours straight. Mags got talking about her husband Terence and we just laughed and cried together all night long. Literally, we made ourselves go to bed at midnight. I really feel like I know him now and feel more like I am part of this family. I can tell how much she loves him and what an awesome marriage they have. I learned all about their life together, how things went once he became sick, and even watched the entire "celebration" service on DVD. It was a really special time and I am so flattered that Mags felt comfortable enough to share that with us- he only passed on Nov. 8th. I feel so lucky to be here and grateful that Mags was so brave to take on 2 more girls so soon after her loved one's passing. I am so blessed!

I feel like I'm on a mission- biking, and connected at the hip to Ali all the time. Great news, we still love each other! We finished a puzzle this afternoon and have already started another! Tomorrow is Tyler's birthday, so we'll bike into town (15 min) and go out for lunch and party with all the group, and then head to their homestay for tea. Mags discovered my love for popcorn tonight and we plan to experience her air-popper soon. I couldn't be more thrilled!