Departure

It's half past 6 a.m. I'm not nearly as awake as I would like to be. My stomach is in a bit of a knot due to the anticipation/nervousness of moving. I really can't believe that tonight we're going to hop on a plane to Auckland.
I've heard good things about Air NZ, though. Apparently it's one of the best air lines in the world. I hope this is true. If I'm spending fourteen hours with them they'd better be among the best.
It'll be a bit of a boring day waiting in the Vancouver Airport from 11 to 9, but we'll be visited by friends and relatives in Vancouver, so that'll make the time go by faster.
Anyways, I'm stoked.

Yabadabadoo,
~ Carson

3 Days

This is becoming extremely surreal. Three days till we hop on a fourteen-hour plane ride to New Zealand.

The packing is getting intense. I find myself avoiding Mom and Dad just because I know they'll have a chore in mind for me if I approach them.

For the plane ride, I've got ye olde iPod Touch and a book or two. I plan on sleeping for most of the fourteen hours between Vancouver and Auckland, but I always plan to sleep on trips and it never really happens. I'll be lucky to get two hours of catching Z's in.

From what I've heard, we'll all be totally disorentated and mucked up when we arrive in NZ. I really don't doubt it. twenty-four hours of being in airports and in the air can't be good for one's well-being.

In short, I'm stoked and pretty much ready to fly. (Pardon the pun)

Stay Sweet,

~Carson

Wainui Beach

This is mostly a test. Thanks to the lovely photo-editing program we just downloaded, we can put our freshly-edited photos straight onto our blog! This discovery makes me pleased.

~CT

5 days and all we need to do is pack up the big stuff, like kitchen table ,beds, etc. i am really excited

Steven

Carson here,

Wow-- only six days till departure. In a week we'll be chilling on Wainui beach (weather permitting,) and having an overall grand time in sunny Gisborne, NZ.

Mind you, there are ways that life there could be less than desirable. Maybe we won't be able to understand a word they say for the entirety of our stay there. This would put a damper on my schooling. Maybe Kiwis hate Canadians for some reason, and we're constantly bombarded by hate mail and nasty remarks. This would make making friends very difficult.

I'm joking, of course. I expect our time there to be totally and completely awesome and I'm really looking forward to leaving this town for awhile. No offense, fellow Smithereens- it's not the people, it's the weather. A year of warmth will be an extremely nice break from the frigid temperatures we deal with up here.

Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to it and hope to keep in touch with some of you guys back home.

Stay Sweet,
CT

Mark's Art Opening

The opening night for Mark's Landscapes and Abstracts show was a smashing success. What fun to share his work with so many friends! Thanks to all who made it out. And, if you weren't able to get there, you can still see the show at the Gallery throughout September (noon to 4:00, Tues through Sat). Well that was our last major undertaking before takeoff. 6 days and counting.

Regina