Well...Here's an update!

Hellooooooo!!! :) :) :)

So, the last few days, or I guess week, has been a little busy. :) Loads happened, but nothing really important. :)

Here are a bunch of pictures from the beach at Waiku...the water is really choppy because its on the Western Shore! It's a black sand beach, and it was pouring when we went, but it was still fun!! Enjoy! :)

I made a little bit of pocket money by cleaning for Michelle (Kylie's Mom) at her house. I can't remember the last time I cleaned an oven, but after cleaning theirs last week, part of me never wants to see an oven again!! :) Haha. Then on Friday I did some ironing and vacuuming. :) It was cool.

Then on another day, after Kylie and Rusty got off of work, Kylie, Renee, and I went shopping at the Botany Mall. We were on a mission...to find a Bridal Shower Dress!!! (Okay, so let me explain...the Bride wasn't really wanting to call it a shower, so she's having a "Garden Tea Party" instead!) So we were off...searching and searching for a cute "Tea Party" dress that would look half decent on the author of this blog...ahem...Brenna. :( Let's just say I didn't have high hopes for finding anything that would look very cute. But, just as I was about to give up and express my plan to just hide out in the house on the day of the shower.......we-found-the -DRESS!! :) It's sooo very cute! It's a strapless (no silly...I'm not JUST going to wear the dress...I'll have a shrug..) black and white floral patterned dress. It's a little longer than knee length (which is hard to find in New Zealand...) and it fits me really really well! I got a black shrug to go with it, which I would wear anyways because it's so cute! :) SO...yes! Now I'm actually excited for this Garden Tea Party!!

Other than that...the only other small news I have to offer is: (oh, by the way...This is my favorite shot of the day! :) )

Kylie is getting cuter and cuter...yes, I know...how unfair!!....And we're going in today for a 3D baby scan! I'm pretty excited! :) She's got about 8 1/2 weeks left, but it seems like so much longer than that!!! Please come soon baby!!

We at some yummy pizza the other night! Cranberry and Camembert! (That's a type of cheese for those of us that had never heard of it until now... :( ) It was from a place called "Hell Pizza." Haha. Some people here don't eat it because the name of it is, well, somewhat offensive. :( But, alas, it tastes delicious!!! :) We'll have to eat it again soon!!

And...boys here are interesting. :) Very outgoing and friendly! :) It's a nice change compared to American boys. Haha. I've got my eye on 10 or 12 but they're just going to have to share me I guess...haha. Just joking!! (I really don't have my eye on more than one or two...let's get real here.) And if I do start dating any of them, no worries, you wont read about it in my blog! :) (Yes, I know...I'm sorry Caitlin... :D Haha.)

Well, for now, we're off to the doctor's office! :) Love you and Miss you all back at home!!

Never thought I could....

Well....to finish the post title's sentence...I never thought I would go from summer to winter in a few days time! :) Okay, so Auckland's winter isn't really anything like a Cedar City winter, but still! These first few days here in NZ I've been trying to get used to lots of different and new things. Some of which happen to be really (really) important. For instance...sleep patterns, eating times, driving on the left side of the road, not being able to just text friends in the U.S....and so on. The one thing my body did NOT compensate for, however, was the humidity levels and temperature of Auckland! So, in consequence, I've been stuck with a cold these first few days! (Boo...I know...) But, looking on the bright side, I am on my way to a full recovery!

Speaking of recoveries, the reason I felt so much better today is that the weather seemed to take a nice spring turn today. It's been fairly sunny here, with still a slight nip to the wind. Not swimming weather yet, of course, but it's definitely an improvement!! :) With hope, I will be able to go surfing somewhere close to Christmas! (I know, I know...you're a bit jealous.) The only downside to winter leaving is the fact that Rugby season is coming to a close! Not good...hopefully I'll be able to see an All Blacks game (that's New Zealand's national team. They're the best!!) before they're finished for the season!

Not much has happened this week, but Kylie and Rusty both work in the office all day long. I am looking forward to the weekend, but praying for a nice Saturday even more! If the weather goes well, we hope to have a bit of fun. A sure stop at the pet shop is planned, as well as a possible visit to the observatory at the planetarium. (This I am especially excited for: one, because I'm a nerd and love looking at stars and constellations, and two, because they're almost completely different stars than those YOU can see in the U.S.!!!) :) Kylie and I have talked about traveling down to Christchurch sometime in September after Renee's wedding! I'm very, very excited about that!!

Speaking of Kylie, she and the baby are both doing extremely well! In fact, I think she's still even cuter than anybody I've ever seen, even with her pregnant belly!! (Lucky her... ;) ) I went with her and Rusty to a doctor's visit in town on Tuesday. I saw the baby on the monitor and everything! The doctor even said Kylie would be allowed to go on short plane trips if she wanted!! (Thus the trip to Christchurch in September...) Rusty is doing well, but we hardly see him in the office. He's always out and about with business stuff...

My nights consist of coming home and changing, then hanging out on the couch until I get too tired to keep my eyes open. Unfortunately...it's usually before 9:30 PM when I get to that point...haha. :) Then I go to my little room to find a friend perched on the bed. :) Minx the cat is a nice snuggle buddy. Especially when I get soooo cold at night! She's not usually very warm towards people other than daddy-rusty, so I've heard, but she's really taken to me. She usually sleeps with me right on the bed, and occasionally under the covers when she feels like it. Haha. Spanky, the crazy little dog, is always bein cute and funny. He usually sleeps in Rusty and Kylie's room, but every once in a while I hear him scouting out my room. He's really well trained and fun to play with!!

Anywho...I still haven't taken very many photos, but it's the weather's fault I promise!! It's sort of scary trying to take pictures in the pouring rain! I'll get on it soon, I swear! The next set will include pictures of the family and some of my favorite foreign objects and settings that make me laugh! Until next post, farewell! :)

New Zealand!!!

Kia Ora!!

Hello to everyone! Well, I'm finally here. The long and anticipated 18 hour flight is gone and past! And all I can say about that is...thank goodness! Phew! Technically it's been over 24 hours since I arrived in Auckland, but let's just say the jet lag has definitely had an affect on me! Before my sleep last night, I had only gotten 4 1/2 hours of rest over a period of 48 hours. I'd attribute most of it to nerves, and the fact that I had to stay up an extra 6 hours to get used to the time difference!

In case you might have been thinking to yourself, "Geez...I wonder what time it is there..." Just think of this: Six hours behind Utah time, but the day ahead. Haha. Or 18 hours ahead if you prefer to count that way. So It's about 8:30 PM on Monday night in Utah, but about 2:30 PM Tuesday afternoon here in Auckland!

Alright, enough! :) Things here have been going great so far! Haven't had a lot to do, YET, but I think I have more than enough time to go exploring soon! Getting used to things is probably the top priority on my list so far, as well as blending in with the rest of the Kiwis! I would have to say one of the strangest experiences so far is the mere fact that a lot of the things that should be weird to me...aren't that strange at all!!! In fact....driving on the left side of the road seems a bit more natural to me than I think it should be! Haha. I guess I'm more of Kiwi by heart than I thought!

There's a fairly big mall here in Auckland. It's bigger than anything we have in Cedar City, anyway. :) I've only been once, but there's a lot to see. I had some great Indian food yesterday when I went adventuring through the mall with Aaron (Kylie's younger brother). It's called Butter Chicken. It's quite good. I even had some "Real" Fish and Chips last night! Yum Yum. Finished off with a couple glasses of L&P's. It's a NZ drink! Yum!!!

Anywho...I've only just had the opportunity to take a few pictures today, but it's still winter here, so it's almost constantly raining! They aren't the clearest pictures, but they give a good overall impression of what downtown Auckland is like at the moment! The really green areas are just outside of Auckland in an area called Papakura. This is where the family business is, as well as my home for the next several months! The monument is one of the bigger volcanic mountains in the area! It's called One Tree Hill, for those U2 fans that know the song! :)

Hope to take more pictures soon! Take care, ALL!!

Whew...

Well, once again I've found a few minutes to spare in my crazy life to fill everyone in!!

Good news first! I officially booked my flight to New Zealand last night with my wonderful and extremely helpful sister, Caitlin, which took an incredible load off my mind...Huge load! I was pacing back and forth last night until the deal was finally sealed. I'm officially leaving the country! It's great!

As for the bad news...well....I guess I don't exactly have bad news! Haha. I'm just scrambling to get everything taken care of before I leave in a few days!

I know this post isn't so long, but I'll get some pictures and real news up soon!!

Once Upon a Time...there was a beginning of Brenna's Blogs...

Helloooooo to all!!

So I figured there would come a day when I would be old enough and busy enough to have people I know read about...well...just how busy my days are!! :) I thought I could get away with a few more years but apparently I'm a lot busier and out of touch with family and friends than I thought!!! So now you know why you're here looking at my newly formed blog! Yay!

Wow...I don't know where to start! Here goes!!!...

Right now I'm in Cedar City, Utah! :) It's been a pretty nice summer, but also extremely busy! In May a few close friends and I moved into a house right across from the SUU campus! It's an old house, possibly one of the first built next to the campus, and has 6 bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms! Which explains why we have 11 GIRLS living there!!! (I know, I know...crazy to have that many women in the same house...) It's great! We have a 1 year lease, so we'll be here comfortably until at least May of 2009. It's nice to have somewhere to call home! :)

I have been super busy the last few weeks finalizing decisions with school and whatnot! I sent in my passport papers in the middle of July. I have been trying to get down to New Zealand for the last several months, but never had more than a few weeks open for travel! So when classes weren't working out for this new semester, and with Rusty and Kylie's baby coming in October, I decided now would be perfect timing!!! With my passport here and my scholarship to SUU deferred, all that's left to do is buy the plane tickets and pack!! The plan is to leave here in the middle of August until about Christmas!!

I can't describe how incredibly excited I am to go somewhere I've always wanted to see, but also stay there for an extended period of time!!!!! My major in school is Photography, so naturally I'll have my camera permanently attached to me for the next three and a half months! There's so much to see and do there, but I'm also excited to be close when the baby is born! (And don't worry...I'll have plenty of pictures for all to see!!!)

I can say the only true downfall of leaving will be having to leave my two closest friends and roommates behind!!! Juli and Amy are staying here in Cedar to hold our spot in our house until I get back. Sometimes I wish time could stand still in instances like this, otherwise I'd just pack them along in my baggage and take them with!

Anyways...Time flies when you're having fun...and blogging...Haha. :) Now I have a place to tell everyone about my New Zealand adventures! I'll post pictures soon!