So I'm back in New Zealand.
Thanks for everything everyone, both in Canada and here.
I will reply to emails asap, but for now, just wanted to blog and let you know I am safe and sound and home.
Flew from Van to LA and arrived at 9, to wander around downtown LA for the majority of the day, exploring taking pictures and generally being touristy.
Got on the plane to Auckland at 9pm, and slept for the majority, and 12 hours later (43 minutes from sweet NZ) we got diverted to Fiji, because all the airports in NZ were closed from fog.
7 hours later though, to blue skies and a barmy 16 degrees, I set foot in Auckland International Airport again.
Lou and Sara and Alex braved the airport at 5, but then left for church when they found out about the plane, but Lou came back and was there with my parents and with my dear Alastair who didn't know about the plane had waited it out for the whole 7 hours in the airport! What a trooper.
So yeah, not much else to say yet, I'm dizzy (literally) and keeping awake til 10 even if it kills me and am super super excited that the oilers won the western conference even though I wasn't there to cheer.
I love you and miss you Canada and Canadians, and I am glad to be home and seeing you all soon Kiwis.
Will blog more later
and email too
lots of love
h

so bearing my last ration of Tim Hortons (sesame seed bagel, toasted and a candian maple donut) all stored safely in my carryon for my 11 hour lay over in Los Angeles airport, I am sitting at the internet terminal in Vancouver international using my last canadian loonie to blog for the last time for a little while in beautiful Vancouver. The sun has just come out (through some rather appropriate grey clouds and drizzle) and my coffee from the 24 hour place that Rachel knows en route to the airport is just kicking in.
Have been up for 24 hours so far, and am due to fly in 51 minutes to LA aboard the lovely Air Canada. Thankfully my two gigantor bags didn't get weighed and got checked straight through so I can pray and then wait to pick them up in Auckland without a worry. She'll be right, right?
It's bitter sweet to leave, to be so excited I can't sit still that I am coming home and then so sad I'm teary eyed (though i guess i could blame the caffiene) that I am leaving this home. Have had too many teary hugs and goodbyes in the last 4 weeks staggering it all out as I floated from house to house and person to person, and yet am excited that in the next few days there are certain to be some teary reunions.
It was so strange packing stuff up, dividing things into the "need, take back to NZ" and "it'll keep, store in Vancouver". Having 2 dressers, one filled with stuff and a box of clothes in storage on the other side of the world is just the first nervewracking step to a two year commitment I am both excited and jittery to make. But here's to obeying and waiting and praying and hoping.
I miss Vancouver and Canada already, but can't wait to see home sweet home.
Ok, my loonie is officially done.
See you on the flip side

So the whirlwind is drawing to a close.
It's been amazing, but it's getting time to go home. I think I'm actually ready for it this time.
Chicago was amazing fun, and I arrived in Toronto on Sunday night. The plane was fine, the airport was slow, but it was great to see Caroline at the airport and hang out at her place over late night pizza and wings and catch up with the Oilers winning the second game of the series in the background!!! :)
It's a beautiful day in Toronto and I am chilling out taking it slow exploring around and going to meet up with Will for lunch/coffee shortly while Caroline is at work. Yesterday was a public holiday (Queen Victoria's birthday?) and we joined a day tour out to Niagara falls. Between the water, the ice wine tour, the lights and the road trip, it was a really really great day.
It was strange flying over Toronto and Lake Ontario and seeing the beauty of it all as the sun went down. Then within 24 hours to see the majesty of Niagara falls and just be struck with how awesome God is.
I had the Chris Tomlin song 'Indescribable' in my head the whole time and couple of times just couldn't hold it in, thanking God for this amazing world and that I got to stand there and just soak in it. (no pun intended given it's a waterfall!)
but yeah, pretty amazing stuff.
Will be back in Vancouver on Wednesday night and then on the plan pretty much all day Friday and Saturday to arrive in Auckland at 5am on Sunday 28th. Crazy go nuts to be sure, but it's going to be awesome.
Pineapple lumps and rugby here I come
I miss Canada already!



'Indescribable' - Chris Tomlin

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God

All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God

Inconquerable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Anyone wanna buy me an Apple G4 laptop? :)

So I typed up a legendary, entertaining, insightful, witty blog entry yesterday and then Adam's computer deleted it. grrrr.
So here goes again
Things are really good here, it's been a bit of a non-stop whirlwind but it's been pretty awesome.
We left Winnipeg on Sunday night and made the drive east to Kenora to visit Matt's house for some late night movie watching, boating on the lake goodness before Jessa, Adam, Josh and I roadtripped it down to Minnesota on Monday night.
I'm amused to say that I entered the United States of America wearing socks, flipflops and my pajama pants! (who does a 8 hour road trip wearing jeans!)
But yeah, it was super fun, and good arriving in Minnesota.
Minneapolkis was beautiul and we had fun driving around and exploring the zoo, Laura's work (mmm icecream) and the Uptown area. Laura's place is so beatiful and relaxing, and it was so fun to meet her family and hang out with her and Krista and Joel again. Also compelte with a Adam/Laura/Hill morocco reunion making couscous for everyone's lunch on wednesday.
Josh Adam and I headed south and east on wednesday night for Chicago area, and yesterday was the all out American experience day. Adam and I hit Chicago for the Cubs vs. Washington game, complete with hotdogs, soft salty pretzels (bleh), and a souvenir Chicago cubs blanket. We even managed to get photographed twice by the fanfotos guys, so you can check us out on www.cubs.com/fanfoto and select the "Thursday 18 May" game and then we are the first pic on Gallery 11 and then about halfway down the page on Gallery 33.
It was fun, though a bit on the windy side, and sadly the Cubs lost. But we still cheered and shouted and sang "Take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.
We completed the day by walking up and down Michigan ave, eating Chicago style stuffed pizza (heart attack but sooooooooo good, best pizza ever) and stopping by the cheesecake factory, the Hershey store, Ghiradellis and then to the coolest Apple Mac store EVER, where we took the following pics :)
Basically I think Chicago is about regaining the 50 pounds I thought I had successfully lost inthe last 18 months! tehehe jk, but I don't htink I'm cut out for life as an American. I'll see you soon Commercial drive dollar grocery SALAD!
Can't even believe I'll be back in NZ in 11 days. Not even computing yet. Excited but crazy all at the same time.
Am loving it here and will be flying out on Sunday night to Toronto to see Caroline, Will and Jenny and then back to Van and back home. Not sure where the next post will be from, but will be sure to include highlight pics of all the different stops along this crazy adventure month.
Hopefully a bunch from Chicago Chinatown too, the 2nd biggest in North America I think.
Ok, that's all from me today
Going back to enjoy some sun and EXCERCISE in the yard.
Love and sausage patties
hill

So this has been a crazy crazy whirlwind trip, but it's only just beginning.
I am writing from Laura's kitchen in Minnesota, and this is one of the most beutiful houses i have ever been in. It's right on one of Minnesota's 10,000 something lakes and there are birds and trees and beauty everywhere. It's amazing and I'm so sad to leave here tonight. We had a nice day yesterday with beautiful weather, exporing the minnesota zoo, the uptown area where laura works and hanging out with Jessa for the last time. Very sad, goodbyes suck. Doing them staggered like this is a much better idea, until I am onthe plane by myself and then...doh! But then I'll be excited about coming home, so it will only be 13 hours of stress before it's all good again.
Am very excited about Chicago, Adam and I are going to party it up, and our first thing is a Chicago Cubs basebal game. sooooo cool.
But one thing I noticed, being here in the USA, I miss Canada! IT feels different here and they sell guns and ammo off the self in Wallmart.
But yeah, life is keeping on keeping on.
Will write again soon
Love, hill

So apparently you have to change some setting on your laptop so that other people can actually post comments. tehehe
oh well.
so it's been a crazy weekend. It still is, but we are sadly drawing to the close of it.
We arrived in Winnipeg at 9.15 on Friday morning and it was totally crazy, I think we were the three most excited people to ever land in winnipeg. We got totally laughed at but it was worth it! we did the whole yellin and screaming and shouting and run and hug and had so much fun hooning around. It's been sooooo good to see everyone and hang out and hug and just catchup on life. The whirlwind "tournado" has begun.
It's pretty amazing too, 13 out of 24 students made it here for the weekend, and Dave and HEathr managed to make it down fo our picnic and bbq yesterday. So good to see everyone.
Today we leave for Ontario, We are going to spend the night and tomorrow at Matt's house in Kenora, and then Jessa, Josh, Adam and I road trip it down to Minnesota, and then the tour goes on. It's crazy exciting to think this is all happening and then I am going home! Back to good old kiwiland. I already have 2 standing orders for shipments of pineapple lumps, and I am so excited to see you all.
Will post pics when my feet hit the ground again
Love and pickles
Hillary

So yeah, I'm officially old.
It's weird, but 22 doesn't feel too much different to 21.
Actually who am I kidding. It's super weird.
It's been fun though, have so far spent the day chillaxing with Amy and Kate (Jill's 5 and 11 year old sisters) who each gave me a beautiful hand made birthday card and then proceeeded to decorate the house with balloons and streamers for me with Neal (14 yo bro) help :)
Very cool.
It's been so awesome staying here, their family is so cool and hospitable. Have really enjoyed it, but at the same time am soooooo excited to be going on to winnipeg tomorrow for the birthdya party to end all birthdya parties. and then on to all the other cool places i get to go. not to mention my beautiful new zealand, in practically no time at all.
Sigh
It's all good
Am going to cruise again, will take a bunch more pics and post some fun ones like Krista attacking logs, Andrew and I Tim Tam slamming, and Jill and I doing facials.
Love you loads
Happy Birthday to me :)
Hillary

so apparetnly it turns out that i am a bit behind in blogging funny stories of the weirdness that has insued since arriving in the fair prvoince of alberta. so by popular demand:

While i was still staying at krista's, andrew came up to hang out with us.
friday night: ended up painting our faces (andrew and i) blue and white. not sure why. maybe cuz their oilers colours! Go Oilers! but then i had an allergice reaction to the paint and had to take it off. andrew however left it on all night when we went bowling in witaskiwin with jill. crazy go nuts.
satuday: the chair escapade.
so we take 3 deck chairs in the trunk of krista's car and drive around the lacombe county for oh 4 hours or so taking pictures and videos of us, sitting, standing, attacking logs, hunting seagulls, all from the comfort of our deckchairs.
yeah, i know, it's hard to believe isn't it. but don't worry, the dvd will soon be back in stock.......
and last night?
well last night involved a lot of driving, the use of at least one adjustable wrench, a bit of coffee and a couple of smokey bars.
it's been a cowboy country alberta extravaganza.
pictures will follow soon
love you lots
hillary