Finally a catch up (with photos and video clip)

If you can't do touch typing, I suggest you start learning.  This weekend I had the iPad and had to do my blogging and emails using 1 finger.  I found it rather slow and frustrating! Give me touch typing any day!

We're back home!  As much as I tried to enjoy the journey, I was really looking forward to coming home.  Sunday night was a real struggle for me to sleep because of fireworks and some noisy people around us.

What a great welcome!

After Terence and Caitlyn picked us up from the airport we had to quickly go to New World to get a few things and as I sat there waiting for Terence it felt like a Sunday afternoon.  Virtually no cars around!  You don't realise quite how little traffic we have here until you've been to Auckland.  And I most definitely do not envy anybody from Johannesburg because that is even worse!!!!

One thing I totally forgot about when we arrived in Auckland was that we have this cool map gadget thingy on the iPad to give you directions and of course I got lost (typical Lea style), but today we used it to the airport.  So much so we were very early and had to keep ourselves busy until we could board our flight.

It was rather funny on Saturday when I dropped Bianca off at her friend's house and the very first words Saana said as she opened the door was "you changed!" and Bianca said "so did you!".  Not, "hello, how are you?".  But I guess it has been almost a year and a half since the two saw each other last and I guess lots changed in that time.

I think this trip was a bit of a life lesson too for Bianca.  The realisation that some, but not all things stayed the same.  When we visited the mall Bianca said "wow, it is still as I remember".  

Her teachers and school were still just as she remembered.  But the friends have all changed.  And some friendships like with Saana stayed strong even though they haven't seen each other in a long time, but I think the other friendships are most definitely not as strong and the brief meeting they had was almost awkward.  In your mind things always stay the same and then you suddenly realise how much changed, how often we change in the process.

Visiting Bianca's tree brought back so many memories.  It is amazing to know that it is still going strong!  It is truly a symbol of what we wanted it to be - of growth, strength, courage.  And best of all, the tree is exactly the same age as Bianca.  It is growing with her, every single day.  The same time she finished her treatment, we planted it and it had to find its "feet" in new and unknown territory in a world that was a mix between exciting and scary (just like it was for us).  Unfortunately we haven't yet seen it with flowers, but I'll ask one of her teachers to send me a photo once all the flowers arrive.

And now for some more photos:

Paraparaumu Airport (I told you it was small and cute):

The view on the way to Auckland:

Auckland (with the exception of the first 2 Bianca took these photos):

Lots of prep for the competition:

And all the hours practising and all the getting ready was worth it - third place in their division:

Photos of some of the other teams:

All the Kapiti Cheerleading teams did so well.  All 4 teams got medals!  One team was first in their division!

Click here for some more videos:

Kapiti Sharks (first place in their division!)
Kapiti Jayhawks
Kapiti Rays (a different view)
All Star Shooting Stars


If you are in Auckland (and from South Africa), Fred's Fine Foods is the place to visit for biltong and other South African goodies. 

The view from the plane coming back home: