so yeah, it has been a while since I posted, and unfortunately I don't have the convenient excuse of having been abducted by aliens. However, I have been frantically busy and trying hard to get everything sorted out as I head into my second to last week or work, and third to last week in my beautiful New Zealand.
What the HECK! I know! three weeks today I'll be sleeping off the jetlag somewhere between Vancouver and Winnipeg and wondering why on earth I packed my bags the way I did.
It's very strange being in this "preparing" mode again, and also kinda difficult, but it is good, having a lot to look forward too and a lot of amazing and loving support from so many people for what I am going to be doing.
Support raising is going so well, God is amazing, and I now only have $400 left a month to be pledged for me to reach my target. Right now, the big prayer point would be my visa, which is still in processing in Sydney. So yeah, keep that in mind if you can, that would be sooooo appreciated.
so i'm frantically trying to keep raising support, seeing people, spending time with mum and dad, walking my dog, trying not to put on ALL the weight I lost in Canada again and get rid of all the stuff that I can't believe I stored for a year.
Oh ok, here's a cool thing. I got an amazing free hair cut on wednesday. Totally good, and when mymum drov eme to the appointment they gave her a free cut too. all in aid of polishing the new hairdresser and promoting the new salon. mmmmm, freeee
also ummmmmmm, what else also. not sure
so yeah, on that note, i hope that rachel, you are appeased and can take the tin foil off your head, and now I am going to go make some soup.
love ya
hill

So I’ll tell you something funny about my life here in NZ. My dog (chockie, short for Chocolate cuz she is like a Dalmatian but brown and white not black and white) is really really badly behaved. Last night we has roasted chicken for dinner, and when we went to bed, my dad had left the roasting pan on the stove to clean in the morning. The dog jumped up and pulled it down and licked all the oil, spilt some on the floor, licked that too, but worst of all hit the gas burner on with her paw, and since there is no ignition thing, the gas just started leaking out into the kitchen, so when we woke up the whole kitchen and living room was full of gas and smelt awful and my dad is walking about saying stuff like “nobody turn on any lights or strike any matches or we’ll all die”
So that was funny. And yet not.
What a drama eh
So, after a near death experience or two, what else has happened today
Not much
But I did promise more blogging, so there it is.
How is Canada today?
How is Norway today?
How is wherever you are today?

So, yeah I did decide to get with a new template. I tried a few, and I ended up on this one. I don't really like this one as much either, but none of them seem particularly great.
I'm going to test this one and see how it goes, gimme some feedback?
Okay, so amazingness of amazingness. I broke the $1000 mark today!!!! YEAH BABY! THANK YOU GOD!
It's crazy ridiculous and schweeeeeeeeeeeeeet that this much support has happened, I'm not even sure how it all happened, and now I am reeling with writing thank you letters and otehr random follow up.
wow
am looking for a laptop still, so keep me posted if anyone hears of any nice laptops going for cheap. if all else fails, i'm goign to wait til the last minute and buy a Dell dealio, but i'd like to save as much as i can now.
Short post today, I'll think of other things to post tomorrow
Lots of love
hill

So it’s kinda cool being able to read up on my blog stats and see who is reading from where. Ok so I can’t really tell who, but I can see what countries people are reading in. Who do I know in Norway? I don’t know. Norway reader, I welcome a comment to say hi 
Well actually I welcome comments from everyone who reads my blog. Say hi, make a joke, tell me a story. Comment eh?
So what is actually going on here in lil’ old New Zealand?
Not much really. I’m at work right now, it’s a little on the slow side to be honest. There is an air of Friday afternoonitis, even though it’s only Friday morning. I’ve been as productive as I can so far, but now there is really nothing left to do.
Speaking of lil’ old New Zealand though, I read a great book called “The land of two halves” Gavin actually recommended it to me and it’s a good read for all you canucks and other non Kiwis, to get a bit of a handle on how amusing and lovely my country really is. And it’s written by an ex-jouranlist/columnist so it’s really very good. How’s this for excellent: “…the ladies in the street in their tartan skirts, wearing shoes so sensible they’d go to church on their own….” brilliant
So I got the opportunity to share at Lou’s church yesterday. It was really awesome, there was a kind of missions focus, and two missionaries who know my friend’s Kristina and John in Sudan were speaking about the work they are doing in Madagascar. Very cool, and great to meet more missionaries and hear stories and pray together. Got some cool words when we were all praying together at the end, and was generally a really encouraging night. Have loved going along to ‘Base’ and I really like how outward focused they are as a group and yet also how close they are as friends and church family. Been very good to be around with how isolating this whole “re-entry” thing has been.
I have been listening to a very cool CD Lou lent me yesterday, Jose Gonzalez. Now apparently he is very popular and amazing and his songs are already being used as advertising soundtracks, but I had never heard him before. The verdict? Sweeeeeeeeet.
It’s funny, I’m going to the travel agent tomorrow to pay a big huge chunk of my airline ticket, which will probably break the bank for the next two weeks until the next pay day, but will be a very encouraging step on the way to get me back to Vancouver. It’s strange, take off day is only 5 weeks away today. Too fast. I feel like I’ve kinda skimmed in, not really landing or sinking or even getting into life here properly and now I’m taking off again.
Very cool though on the GOING BACK front, is that I have somewhere to stay all sorted out. I’ll be sharing a flat with Jacqui and Pam, both staffers at the base, and it’s going to be sweeeeeeet. YAY! God is Good!
Support raising is going alright, though I’d appreciate continued prayers as I keep making follow up calls and emails. Still another $600 monthly support to go.
Very cool thing is that I have got a bike to bring back now. Free, and even though it’s been left in the rain a few times and not used for a while, it’s in great condition and with some oil, cleaning and time with Dad and I it should be in good working order to bring back to Van! YAY!
Next on the list is that I need to find a good, yet affordable laptop to take with me. Dell has been having some sales, but still a bit too much. Anyone getting rid of a good laptop anytime soon?
So yeah, anyways, back to work, Jose, a bit of Johnny Cash, and then hopefully some chillaxing and a surprise birthday party planning session.
Oh and for those of you who knew about the ball that was going to be happening on 22nd or 29th of July (depending on who you heard from) it’s unfortunately been cancelled due to umm, ‘artistic differences’. Thanks for the support of everyone who said they would be involved, but yeah, it won’t be going ahead.
Ok, lots of love and hugs
Hill
PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY EILEEN
PPS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAVIN
PPPS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOY

so i learned the deaf equivalent of the 'slow clap' tonight.
You know that moment when someone is umming and ahhing about whether or not they will perform on stage and the audience gets that laughing slow clap going and then speed up and bust out in applause? yeah the deaf version. soooo coool. it starts with putting your arms up in the air and then down and then up again in the same rhythm you would with the slow clap. and then you stomp your feet on the floor, slow at first then faster and faster and faster like you do on bleachers at a sports game, because they can feel the vibrations through the floor.
soooooooo fun
it was basically an amazing awesome night. I went with Margaret (my amte nic's mum) to watch the Storyfest 2006. IT's an annual signlanguage competition, where people come together to see who can tell the best sign language story. It was sooo funny, and sooooooooooooooo amazingly good to get back into sign language and deaf culture again. In the intermission, I also managed to catch up with my old NZSL teacher Sonia, and we had an awesome talk catching up on everything that has been going on. She doesn't know this yet, but hopefully i will be able to have a few coffees with her to pick up some of the basics of American Sign before I come back to Vancouver.
Soooo exciting. This is the biggest natural high, soooo much better than TV! and coming from me who just spent 4 hours NOT TALKING, that's pretty sweet, and yet a dramatic turn of events.
Had a bit of a crazy God thing last night. Went along to my mate Lou's church and some stuff was goin on, and have come away feeling kinda overwhelmed, but with a lot to think about.
On an amazing note, my support has just broken the $900 mark!!!!! God is good!
And if any of you reading would like a support pack, and a groovy magnet you just let me know. KEep up the praying!
I'm getting my eyes checked tomorrow. another irony about working at the foundation of the blind and being obsessed with sign language. but yeah, we'll see how it goes. new glasses woudl not be a great thing to have to buy now, but better that than not seeing right.
So yeah, it's been an amazingly wonderful night.
And now i'm gonig to bed
love you lots
email me you crazy cats
hill

So Happy Canada day my dears. For yesterday here, but I know that it's still Canada day in there!
I can't even believe it that this time last year I was sick, in a pub and then watching the Lions game at the Soho in Vancouver!
What the heck.
So it's been an amazingly lovely day in Auckland today. I like that midwinter Auckland is sky blue clear skies and a light breeze and no clouds! I decided I don't have nearly enough pictures of this beautiful city and I'm gong to be back in Vancouver even before I know it, so I better remedy the situation.
Alastair and I drove all round with a chair, and a NZ teddy bear that for all those BroTown fans out there we have named Sione! He (of course) will be coming back to Vancouver with me, and therefore so will a nice little bit of nesian goodness.
Speaking of that, does anyone have a copy of Nesianmistik's first albumt hat I could borrow?
I wanted to let you know too that the fundraising ball is going ahead.
Saturday 29th of July, 8pm, at the Homestead in henderson (wow how many people reading this still know what that means?!) everyone is welcome, $25 a head, it's going to be a great night, email me for tickets as soon as possible!
Ok tha'ts all for now
I miss you all very much you Canadians and I am looking forward to hanging out with all you Kiwis in the next 6 weeks. And 6 weeks will have to be it because I booked my tickets today! flying into Vancouver at 6pm on Friday August 18th! Jill's birthday! can't even handle how exciting this all is. crazy go nuts.
And everyone from everywhere else? We definately have to party soon.
Poker night and pineapple lumps and pilsener pacific? we are way overdue for a renunion, you know who you are! :D
ok night night all
have a good week at work
love, hill