Welly walkabout.....

For the following day we gave the troop specific directions for catching the bus into town and we were happy to see them arrive without incident at the designated bus stop. From there we walked around the corner to one of our favorite brunch places: Felix. They have the best scrambled eggs on toast! I know it sounds simple, and it is, but they've perfected the toasting of ciabatta topped with fluffy eggs. Now this is something to explain: toast. It's big here. People eat it all the time and you will find it on 99% of Kiwi restaurant menus. My colleagues eat toast for breakfast in our "tea room" just down the stairs from the lab. But for some reason, without fail, they are unable to toast bread without burning it to a crisp. I'm convinced they either don't mind it that way or think that's the way toast is supposed to be. Anyway, with that said, Felix works wonders and manages to toast without burning. Very non-Kiwi.

So we got a table and everyone ordered breakfast: a smattering of eggs on toast, homemade muesli (granola), bacon, sausages and pancakes. We tucked into our food and soon had clean plates all around. So we gathered everyone up, paid the bill and set off on our adventure for the day. Strolling farther into the central business district we peaked in shop windows along the way and finally made it to the ever famous Wellington Cable Car. Now Wellington is famous, or infamous, for its hills and the Cable Car offers a nice alternative to dragging yourself up the steep gain in elevation. One of the stops is not too far from campus and so we "treat" ourselves once in awhile and take it up to school. :)

At the top we took in the views and then got sidetracked in the Cable Car gift shop for an hour. But I can't complain everyone because was having such a good time. :) 

After everyone gathered their newly purchased gifts we set off into the Botanical Gardens. As New Zealand and especially Wellington is lush and green year round we were greeted with verdant vegetation around every corner along the path. 

We stopped to play at a playground in the middle of the gardens at Josephine's request. 

And then we made our way to the Rose Garden and Tropical Greenhouse.

Then it was time for some ice cream so we stopped at the little cafe situated along side the Rose Garden for a sweet treat. With blood sugar elevated we made our way out of the gardens and were lucky enough to catch a bus within the next five minutes back to the rental house.  

In the genes.....

While looking through a myriad of photos taken by my family during their time here I came across these two. They were taken at different times in different places but you can see the similarity between dad and daughter. I laughed out loud when I flipped between the two for the first time.

Critters...

The following day we all had a leisurely morning. Then Tim and I bused over to the house and gathered up Josephine, Landy and Paul and we set off for the Wellington SPCA. Tim and I have been volunteering there for several months now and love every minute of it! Normally, Tim and I bus out to the shelter from school but there seemed to be no good bus route from the rental house. In the end we decided to walk. The path took us through some neighborhoods, Haitaitai Park, up through a section of forest and finally onto the road leading up the hill to the SPCA.

Upon arrival we made a beeline for the puppies because, I mean, you have to start there. :) We were allowed into the pens and spent some time playing with the pups. As you can see from the photos Josephine was right at home and even spent some time with a puppy on her lap - precious.

After that we made our way over to the Dog House where Tim spends his volunteer hours. Most of the dogs have their own "room" or share one with a "puppy friend" and it can be very challenging trying to get into the "room" while keeping the bouncing canines in there at the same time. Watching Tim you immediately can see that Tim's done this hundreds of times - he had no trouble wrangling the pups so he and Josephine could go in to say hi. Next, we made our way over to the Cat Run and visited many a cat and kitten before swinging through the Small Animal area where we saw some birds, bunnies and turtles. Then it was time for Tim to work his shift so we said our goodbyes. He headed over to the Dog House and we started on our way back to the house.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing games and reading. Josephine and I squared off in an intense game of Memory. In the end we lost interest before finishing the game and I have to admit it was tricky remembering so many cards. Ah, cognitive resources - it was nice knowing you. :)

That evening Paul, Linda, Ange, Landy, Josephine and I bused into town and stopped at a park on Oriental Parade (right on the water). This was Josephine's number one request during the trip: "Can we go to the park now?". :) So we spent about an hour running around, taking photos and then we walked the rest of the way around the waterfront to Mac's Brewbar where we met Tim for dinner.

Boys and Girls....

The next day we bused out to the rental house and found everyone awake and ready for the fun to begin. I was so thankful that Tim had done quite a bit of planning beforehand so we had lots of ideas for things to do, places to go, etc. With everyone in tow we made our way to the bus stop while simultaneously distributing a round of newly purchased "Snapper" cards that we preloaded with bus fare credit. With just seconds to spare we made it to the bus and everyone "tagged on", that is, held their Snapper up to the near field communication device that registers the card with a quick chirp. Within a few minutes we were at our destination and were getting everyone ready to disembark. Arriving at Cuba Mall we swung past the famous bucket fountain before splitting the group in two: the boys were off to check out some motorcycle shops as both Landy and Paul are avid riders (and Landy is a recreational engines mechanic) and to stop by the butcher across from our apartment to pick up some steak for a BBQ we would have that night.

Us girls spent a few minutes window shopping and then I whisked everyone away to High Tea at a favorite Wellington restaurant. Now I've said it before and I'll say it again I don't really understand the Kiwi, or British for that matter, fascination with tea but High Tea is something to be experienced and so I booked us in for this special treat. Upon arrival we were directed to our reserved table right in the window and I remember feeling nervous because I had had High Tea at this same place, at this same table, with some friends a year before and even though I had a good time I didn't know if my mom, aunt and niece would like it. I need not have worried because as I looked around the table the faces looking back at me were nothing but smiles and cheerfully excited expressions. :)

The waitress came by our table and explained how High Tea works. That is, you start off with bubbles (sparkling wine) or a fizzy, non-alcoholic, cocktail, that day's offering was an elder flower infused concoction. Then everyone would order their own pot of loose leaf tea that would accompany a sweet and savory course of nibbles (small bites). So Ange and I started off with bubbles while Linda and Josephine had the elder flower cocktail. I wasn't sure if Josephine would enjoy it as it's a unique and fragrant flavor but she tried it (and even drank some of it). Then our old fashioned china teapots arrived holding a different flavor for each of us. I had a basic chai tea and to my delight it came with it's own tiny pitcher of heavy cream. Yum. The best part was that Josephine's tea arrived in a tiny teapot about half the size of the others - beyond cute and as you might expect, just her size. :)

Soon after we had carefully poured the first round of tea into our teacups with matching saucers the first course arrived on delicate, tiered dessert stands. We perused the goodies and found fluffy, freshly baked scones dusted with powdered sugar and served with a heaping dish of real whipped cream and jam. Then we had finger sandwiches stuffed with chicken salad and fluttery leaves of butter lettuce sprouting artistically out from the top.

Now this was an assortment for Ange, Josephine and I while Linda had her own tiered dessert stand of specially made treats. Recently, she found out that she has a gluten, egg and dairy allergy so many foods are no longer an option. When booking this reservation I asked if the chef could make something for her and what they prepared exceeded all my expectations. They worked a small series of miracles and served a specially made gluten free scone dusted with powdered sugar and served with jam. With that she also had a beautifully presented array of cucumber slices topped with pieces of salmon and beetroot. After admiring the chef's offerings we set to sampling everything between sips of tea alternated with our sparkling bevvies. Everything was delicious and I have to admit that I was even enjoying my tea. The waitress came to check on us and bring out the second course. For Ange, Josephine and I we had our choice of a raspberry and chocolate tart, ham and egg finger sandwiches or a mini lemon-orange pie. For mom they had prepared colorful fruit kabobs complete with strawberries, pineapple and of course kiwifruit. Alongside they had arranged a tall, slender shot glass filled with raspberries and blueberries. And finally, the chef had prepared a corn fritter topped with a perfectly prepared sun dried tomato.

Now I don't remember feeling too full after High Tea last time but this time around I was definitely stuffed. This was probably because I had drank my entire pot of tea! This from a girl who doesn't drink tea. :) Full and contented we gathered our purses, paid the bill and set off down Cuba Mall to do some window shopping. And wouldn't you know it, that was when Wellington decided it needed to have a downpour. I wasn't sure what to do because if we took the bus back to Kilbirnie we'd still have to walk 15 minutes in the rain from the bus stop to the rental house. So I took us down the street to where I thought there was a taxi stand. Alas, there were no taxis in sight so I stopped right there, pulled out my phone and called the first cab company that popped up in my Google search. Now understand this was new territory for me because we never take taxis in Wellington. Like a ray of sunshine beckoning to us the taxi arrived within two minutes and I hustled everyone inside. Soon we were at the rental house running inside happy to be out of the rain.

The guys didn't fare as well as they got caught in the rain, bused back and did walk the 15 minutes from the bus stop to the house. But when they arrived they were soaked but not too worried about it. :) While we were living it up at High Tea they had made the rounds to check out some bike shops and then made their way over to our apartment so they could see where we lived. Later I learned that when Landy saw our little place he remarked, "Woah, our bedroom at home is bigger than their entire apartment.......". Yep. It's minuscule. After that they picked up the steaks from the butcher and headed home as it began to rain in earnest.

That evening we sat down to steak and veggie kabobs, corn on the cob, and a variety of salads. We surprised everyone by offering to watch a Minnesota Wild game that we had missed the day before. Since moving to NZ we learned that through NHL Center Ice you can reasonably purchase a subscription and view all the games live or after the fact. We love this feature as we're not always home and with the time difference we can't watch games live. So we cued up the game and the fam couldn't get over the fact that we could watch US hockey in NZ. :) It's funny but we actually more hockey here than we ever did when we lived in the US.

Christmas in February.....

We soon arrived at the rental house, unloaded the luggage, paid the drivers and set to taking everything inside. With an entryway full of bags we herded everyone up the steps to the main living area so they could look around and choose their bedrooms. Despite their exhaustion and excitement from the flights everyone was in good spirits and there was nothing but resounding praise as they toured the house. :) Admittedly, we felt proud that they were happy with what we had selected. Next, everyone set to taking their bags to their respective rooms and that's when my mom started unloading the "goodies" they had brought for us. Weeks before the trip we had talked to Linda and Paul and they wanted to know what they could bring us. So I requested bottles of shampoo and conditioner, decent nail polish and, what can I say, I'm a fiend and asked for a couple books that I had been waiting to buy when we traveled home. In addition, my mom brought me a beautiful, beaded clutch handbag, a gorgeous scarf and a bohemian dress. I had also asked for some Clinique skin care because I cannot justify buying it here (triple cost!). They had been kind enough to buy me double what I had asked for and needless to say I felt beyond spoiled sitting on the couch swimming in treats from home. :)

Later that afternoon we walked the group down into nearby suburb, Kilbirnie, where we visited the grocery store and bought all the beverages we couldn't carry the day before. I can't tell you how nice it was to have a few more sets of hands to help carry things home from the store. :)

That night we decided on an easy meal and ordered pizza to serve with salad, veggies and dip with an assortment of potato chips. We stayed awhile chatting about everything, still marveling at the fact that we were all in the same place at the same time. :) Then it was time for Landy to tuck Josephine in bed and we weren't surprised that we didn't see him again after that. They were all spent from traveling and adjusting to the time difference so we said our "goodnights" and headed home ourselves.

Space and time....

A few weeks ago a miracle happened in my life. My ongoing, no-end-in-sight, research project, by some stroke of divine intervention indeed came to an end. And this was just three days before my family touched down on New Zealand soil for two weeks with us. I had been bracing myself for the reality that I would have to spend my days in the lab collecting data when my family was here because this type of research runs on an unpredictable schedule and things hadn't been going to plan since day one. So I cannot tell you the incredible joy I felt to know that I would be done with this (successful! yes!) project and not have to worry about it while the fam was here.

The day my experiment ended I spent the morning in the lab tying up loose ends and then staggered out of there wondering, "Am I really done with this?!". The following day I slept for 12+ hours, something I haven't done since I was a teenager. Even with those extra REM cycles on board I had no trouble sleeping that night either. :) Who knows how much sleep I still need to catch up from all that madness. Anyway, Tim and I spent the next couple days preparing for the family's arrival; we picked up the keys for the rental house where they would be staying in Evans Bay. To say it was a gorgeous accommodation would be an understatement. We've come to realize that many buildings in NZ tend to lack insulation and/or need to be renovated. So when we took a tour through the place we were flabbergasted at how beautiful it was. Hell, we wanted to stay there. :)

After we looked in all the rooms, closets and cupboards we took a trip home and collected a bunch of kitchen stuff that we knew we'd need when preparing meals over there. Next, we bused out to the house and unloaded our goods. With shopping list in hand we walked into a nearby suburb of Kilbirnie and picked up as many groceries as we could carry. This comprised numerous meals and snacks but we didn't even get to buying drinks. When you have to lug everything from the store you carefully consider your maximum carrying power. So the first things to wait or bypass altogether are liquids, especially those in glass bottles. Killer. We figured we would take a walk the next day and truck the drinks home then.

Tired and sweaty we bused back to our apartment for showers after which we collapsed into bed. Despite my exhaustion from work and the day's activities I had trouble sleeping because I was just too excited. It had been almost a year and a half since I saw these folks and even longer for Timmy so, needless to say, we were looking forward to it.

The morning came quickly and soon we were off to the airport by bus. I was giddy with excitement as we walked through to their gate. In NZ you can still do this. :) Then something unexpected happened and it caught me off guard. Before I saw any of their faces I started to choke up, tears sprouting in the corners of my eyes. I knew I was anxious to see everyone but I hadn't expected waterworks. First out was my brother, Landis, and bounding alongside him was my niece, Josephine (4 years). They didn't see me at first and were moving out of the line of disembarking passengers to wait for the rest of the group. On my way over to them the tears started in earnest, my lip was quivering and I was thinking, "What is wrong with me?! This isn't the happy face that they'll be expecting!". Then I caught Landy's (my longtime nickname for him) eye and rushed over for a big hug. And sure enough, his first question was, "Are you ok?". Sigh. I laughed as I choked back a small sob, wiping the tears from my eyes, trying to get a hold of myself. Gaining a bit of traction I knelt down to give Josephine a hug and kiss and ask her how the flight was. She confirmed that it was "pretty good". :)

Next, came my mom's husband Paul, my aunt Ange and lastly my mom, Linda. I had regained my composure through all these hugs until I got to my mom and then started crying again. I told her, "I don't know what's wrong with me", but she just smiled, a knowing "mom" look on her face. After another round of hugs we took a couple pictures of the troop and set off to intercept their bags before we quite literally stuffed three cabs full of people and luggage and made our way to the rental house.

 From left to right: Linda, Landy, Bridget, Timmy. 

Front: Josephine, Paul. Photographer: Ange.

Work....

Tomorrow will mark the final day of my current experiment. That makes the total count for days-worked-in-a-row, wait for it, eighty-six. Eighty-six. 86. 86?! To put this in perspective I ran experiments for ten days in a row as a Master's student. Then after starting my PhD I ran a similar experiment to the one I'm finishing now but I split the labor with a colleague. I remember thinking about how tired I felt when we neared the end of that project just after Christmas 2012. Perspective is an amazing thing. I've never experienced mental or physical fatigue like this before. In a word, brutal. I've realized that humans are not cut out to work eighty-six days in a row. We're probably not cut out to work twenty or even ten days in a row. I'm telling you it does something to your mind. Never being able to escape work. Don't get me wrong I tried all sorts of things to distract myself from the fact that tomorrow I needed to go into work and deal with any number of surprises and crises on top of the general business of my research. But small distractions only go so far when you have a work schedule that goes on indefinitely. In retrospect I realized that I had certain expectations about this particular experiment and all of them were wrong. In the beginning I couldn't catch a break and continually ran into problems, several of them unforeseen. I felt like I was losing my mind because I go to great lengths to be organized and plan carefully to be efficient and productive. But nothing seemed to be working and I felt like an idiot. I kept wondering, "Why am I struggling with absolutely everything?". I talked with my supervisor about this and he encouraged me to keep my chin up and understand that most of these weren't my fault. Rather we had some bad luck and that could happen to anyone. My biggest fear was that I would have to rerun this experiment and I could not bear the thought because these types of experiments last several months. This one had already consumed every waking moment 7am-5pm Monday - Friday and a few hours on Saturdays and Sundays since October last year. But somehow I have arrived at the final day and I couldn't be happier to tell you that our results are robust and provide a beautiful comparison to some previously collected data (this is what we were after!). With that said I will not have to rerun this and I AM THRILLED. And I am proud to say that through all the blood, sweat and tears (those things really happened throughout this experiment....not too much blood, though) I've made great strides in understanding and performing the procedures needed for this type of research. With such a complex experimental process I feel great about this. In an attempt to remain in "the zone" I will be starting a second big experiment in a few weeks. It will run a few months but I feel confident that everything I've learned throughout this current experiment will make the next one more manageable. Here's to putting this experiment to rest! Forever. :)