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Hello from.. my house! Yes, after a whirlwind adventure to New Zealand, I've arrived back home. Upon stepping off the aeroplane, I was greeted by thirty degree weather (a shock comparable to a slap in the face after almost a week of freezing myself silly!), and the crushing guilt that I hadn't actually delivered It's Friday on.. well, a Friday. I'm terribly sorry! On the very day in question, the only internet source that I could locate in Whakatane was a tiny space in a music store, charging $2 for 10 minutes.. not overly fantastic. Nevertheless! Here's my recap of the week that was.. it was busy (think: five planes in six days!), mental (are family reunions usually anything but?!), hysterical and wonderful.. all of which formed an excellent recipe for a super week! :

Our travels began when we flew from Sydney to Christchurch, and the plan was to immediately drive from there to Blenheim.. but of course, the idea was thwarted once we spotted The Antarctic Centre opposite the airport, where we had to stop once I spied their Penguin Express bus! (Above.) How amazing is that vehicle?! Penguins are one of my favourite animals, so I briefly entertained the idea of kidnapping it until I was distracted by the fudge creations that actually lay inside the museum.. probably just as well. After some taste-testing and purchasing, my parents and I commenced our approximate three-hour journey into Blenheim, where we spent my 22nd birthday, my paternal grandmother's birthday, and my father's birthday!

We went shoe shopping, visited wineries, ate delicious pizza and dropped into a chocolate factory, until the time came a few days later for my mother and I to fly into Auckland, where we had a quick lunch before continuing on to Whakatane.. and that's where the madness REALLY began. My sister Caroline (or as I prefer, Schmaz..or Fooly McFoolstein!) arrived the same night as we did, and honestly? She is my #1 partner in crime. Whenever we're together, we can't help but become entangled in mischief and very rarely does a second pass by when we're not laughing until it feels as though we've cracked a rib. Whakatane was the town where we spent every Christmas holiday since our births, and since we hadn't been there at the same time for five years, naturally we decided to visit all of our old childhood haunts.. 

.. and some relatively new ones..

.. and generally cause neighbours/complete strangers to look on at us with amusement horror..

Jeez. No wonder our mother sometimes pretends in public that she doesn't know us!

Family reunions and sibling hijinks aside, here's what I'm l-l-oving..

x Outstanding Customer Service - From the mega-friendly supermarket cashiers to the lovely airline staff, all in all, New Zealand's customer service standards were top-notch!

x Buying New Moon, the second instalment of the Twilight series and.. - .. hopelessly devouring it in less than six hours. I'm addicted, ADDICTED, I tell you!

x Other Little Things - Meeting awesome new people; birthday wishes from the other side of the world; being coerced into trying clothing in new shades (and actually loving it!); comfy beds; fresh freesias; gleefully spritzing myself with a bunch of perfumes in the duty-free stores; slumber parties; and continuing my silly tradition of always saying ''thank-you, plane!'' at the completion of a safe flight..

♥

Okay, I know that it's only been a few days, but.. it feels like it's been forever! How ARE you?! How was your week?! Tell me, as I quickly hurry off to comment on what seems like the thousands of blogs that I've missed!

xoxo