Category Archives: Help Exchange

It’s almost 10pm and the sun hasn’t set yet in Dunedin, NZ. I went on a walk and picked up trash along the way, knowing my dad is most likely doing the same thing in FL’s Dunedin, albeit less hilly. I met Tessa’s (you recall, a professor from Mars Hill’s second step cousin’s wife) coworkerContinue reading “thankful.”

Automotive Nana doesn’t sound good. So I took her to a recommended oil change shop. The oil changer had a look at her and said she’d need to see the mechanic first, because the wheel bearings were off. I got his name, took it to the next shop, and made it sound like I wasContinue reading “mayonnaise.”

Back in 2005, I worked in the education department at Mars Hill University back when it was just a wee college. It was there that I met one of my favorite people, Dr. Tom Destino. Erica and I share an admiration for the doctor and we enjoy any beverage he chooses to join us forContinue reading “new friends in dunedin!”

Milford Sound was on the top of my “to see in NZ” list. That would rhyme if “z” wasn’t pronounced “zed” here. When you Google image search New Zealand, Milford Sound overwhelms the page. It’s a beauty that is so unreal, it’s almost stupid. We chose the company Go Orange for our two hour tourContinue reading “the sounds of the sound.”

We went on an incredible hour hike today in Wanaka, the Rob Roy Glacier Track. The hour drive there was epic and what Barney Stinson would call “legen…dairy.” Cows were blocking our way, sheep were on their way to the “baaaa” (kiwis pronounce “bar” like Bostonians, without the ‘r’), waterfalls were flowing from gigantic cliffContinue reading “rob roy, oh boy.”

I’ve not spent two waking hours in a row away from Kasey or Brittany since September 26th. Sometimes the three of us are in a small bedroom and our luggage takes up more than 75% of it. We chat, we drive, we laugh, we eat, we hike, and sometimes we dance if it’s Christmas Eve.Continue reading “lakeview.”

We are watching the chickens, dog, and kittens until Saturday. We are about 45 minutes from Queenstown, so yesterday we took a day trip. It is a magical town that I might decide to settle in until September. It’s a slightly larger version of Wanaka, both have huge lakes in the middle of town surroundedContinue reading “mayfield.”

We can never get too into a song that comes on the radio because around the next bend, it’ll turn to static. Songs worth pulling over for: I See Fire by Ed Sheeran (from The Hobbit II. Can’t get enough of this song!)If I Only Die Once by One Republic (I included this one for Kasey.Continue reading “ed sheeran.”

Kasey turned the big 2-6 on the eve of 2014. She has been wanting to go skydiving and said she wouldn’t go if it was over $250. I shook my head and said, “Oh yeah, sure, me too.” When Kasey mentioned her desire to our host, Judy, her eyes lit up and she shimmied overContinue reading “skydove.”

I feel like today could be the first day of the rest of my literary life. Did that come across too strongly? Brittany found a job for us near Wanaka and the host is a beautiful travel writer who also just finished her first teenage novel. To top it all off, Carla recently opened herContinue reading “it’s all comin’ together.”