Marley Our New Kiwi-American Grandson!

Rove's Been Sighted

Not to worry, Karl Rove has been sighted hovering somewhere above the law. At the very moment he was to appear before Congress he was winging his way to Yalta to participate in another panel. Shows just how much he supports the "rule of law" he and his cronies were so fond of trotting out during the Clinton impeachment hearings. I'm glad Rep Linda Sanchez (D-CA) is leading the charge to sling his butt in jail for contempt of Congress. There actually was a jail cell in Congress, but it hasn't been used since the 1930s.

Only in San Francisco would you find a ballot initiative to change the name of the Oceanside Sewage Treatment Plant to teh George W. Bush Sewage Treatment Plant. Talk about a legacy.

I keep entertained by all of the goings-on in the good ole USA while we are anxiously awaiting two very momentous occasions in the next couple of months. August 23 Tyler and Ashley are tying the knot in Albuquerque, and all of the Butt Sisters will be there in all of our glory. It should be one great party!

Meanwhile, Chantall and Conor get ever closer to the birth of their son. Her mum and I are hosting a baby shower on August 3. Never having been to a Kiwi shower I don't know what to expect, except the guys will be there too. That's a first for me, but it could be the way it's done these days - I have been to one in quite awhile!

My mission this week is to take some photos and post an album - it's been far too long!

Go Hard or Go Home

Aha, the Remuera Ladies' "B" Pennants Champions. As the article states, it's the first time since 1991 that Remuera has won the Auckland Regional Title. Quite honestly, it's the hardest golf competition I have ever been it - each match was 36 holes! And, we walked every last one of them. Bwaaah. Two of the toughest matches we played in driving rain reminiscent of the Waterville and Lahinch courses we played in Ireland way back when.

I have just wrapped up a major project at the restaurants - putting all of our stock into a new computer system and replacing some of the spreadsheets we have been using for the past 3 years. The managers are catching on fast, and I am thrilled with the progress.

Chantall is getting quite large, it's a good thing she's now in her 8th month. She is just glowing, though, and both she and Conor are enjoying the lead-up to the birth of my first grandchild - a boy - and we don't have a name yet. JB is still pushing for Tarzan, but I think he's out of luck.

Ashley and Tyler are expecting around Valentine's Day next year - WOW - all of my dreams coming true in a single year! I will be sad not to share the entire 9 months with them as I have with Conor & Chantall, but it just means I will need to make more trips back to the States next year. We are just a little over 5 weeks away from the wedding and I am looking forward to landing in Albuquerque early and spending some time with Ashley and Tyler, and getting to know Ashley's family (although I have met her gorgeous sisters on their visit to NZ last year!)

We are finishing the planning for our remodel at Prince's Wharf during our shut-down the last 3 weeks of August. Conor has done a great job of organizing everything, and we will see PW re-emerge with some cool new touches, a new floor and automatic sliding doors. Oh yeah.

BTW, where is Karl Rove and why isn't he in jail?

Change is a Good Thing

For those of you who have followed this blog since it's inception in 2004, I hope you will stay with me as I shift the focus a bit to cover things that are happening in our lives as American ex-pats in New Zealand. I have also opened up the link to those who search for topics such as this, or for those who just happen to stumble onto it.

I made a page on Face Place or My Face (actually it's Facebook as I keep getting reminded by Conor) to start a new personal blog, but thought better of it after a bit of a sniff around. It's not linear enough for me - there's too much going on and I have had a heck of a time finding the "wall" to write on so I could communicate with my nieces. So, it's back to my own pre-social-networking mode of communication.

It's the 4th of July here, one day ahead of the States. It doesn't seem right - we are in the middle of winter with no watermelon or fire works to be found. However, I am walking today (as I do every Friday morning) with a hearty contingency of gals from the Auckland Chapter of the American Women's Club. I am sure we will all be "representing" in our red, white and blue throughout the brisk stroll along the Kohimarama and St. Heliers waterfronts before diving into luscious flat whites at Cafe Kohi for a good chat afterwards.

Look for more frequent updates and lots of pictures. Now that I don't have to focus my news on the restaurants (which are going fine, by the way) I have lots more to talk about and share! Hmm, there's even an election coming up which should provide a platform for lots of interesting musing.

March 2008 Photo Album

March 2008

Three Years!

Holy Guacamole! It's been three years. I can hardly remember what it's like to have a life of leisure. We've had lots of changes but have consistently moved toward completion of our targeted 5-year plan. We were just about ready to launch into our 3rd store on the North Shore when the economic uncertainties started giving us a wee bit of pause. We decided to wait and see what happens in the next 3-6 months before signing a long-term lease and see what kind of terms we can negotiate at that time.

One huge change is that Tyler is back in Albuquerque with Ashley now. They are busy planning their wedding and getting reacquainted after their 3-year trans-Pacific relationship. We miss him so much, but he had some time to work back and forth between the two stores before he left. Kelli has stepped into the role of store manager for Prince's Wharf, and Conor is ready to hand the store manager reins for Newmarket off to Dwight. Soon Conor will take JB's role as he begins to oversee and coordinate operations between the two stores.

That means JB and I will have much less to do on a day-to-day basis - and leave us free for the pursuit of happiness. During Feb and Mar my Aunt Judie and Uncle Wally came to visit, inspiring us to get back to traveling and playing golf as soon as possible! We traveled up North with them and fell in love with this very rustic but awesome links course on Ninety Mile Beach in Ahipara. We are going to meet friends Dan & Ronda Reedy up there next week to give it another go.

I am in the middle of my "Pennants" season where I represent Remuera Golf Club on the B team. We play 36 holes each match, and I am 3-1 so far. I cannot tell you how exhausted I was at the end of the first one! It would be one thing if we took carts, but it's 36 holes of walking and playing competitively that knocked me out. The next two times were much better.

Conor and Chantall are moving into a new place about a block from us next weekend. We are so happy to have them close by, especially when the first little grandbaby comes along! We can take out beach walks together now!

JB hasn't gotten his long bike trip in this summer, but he just might still if this great weather continues to hold.