So it finally arrived - the last week here in Taranaki.
I actually cant believe it is here. We found out Garth had the job in Texas when Harry was a week old - to put that in perspective, he is now 6 months old. It has been a long time (and yet a very fast time) coming.
We have sorted, cleaned, pruned, gardened, counted, thrown stuff away, painted, built, and organised so many things over this last 6 months. In fact, Garth and I would have put about 5 - 10 hours a week into this move each week since February. And being me, I have put lots of hours into laying awake at night going over every aspect in my head. Oh and writing those lists.
Tomorrow night we leave for Auckland. The boys and I will be setting up at Ma and Pa's for a month. We have family to farewell during our time there and have lots of fun things to do like the Zoo, MOTAT, Kelly Tarltons etc. Hubby is still around for a couple of weeks - cleaning the house, overseeing everything being packed and put into a container, more cleaning etc. for our tenants. Today I have started packing suitcases - a daunting task. Packing for three months. One month the tail end of winter and two months in a much hotter (like 25degrees hotter) climate. It will be weird to be reunited with our stuff at the end of November.
But the hardest part of this week .. the goodbyes.
Some goodbyes are easy - goodbye stupid rubbish collection system, goodbye to winters coughs and colds, high food prices, and a country without IKEA and with slow internet.Goodbye stupid 'windows help centre' scammers who seem to have us on direct dial, Goodbye to weekend chores and to do lists that come with being a home owner. These things - I happily say good bye to.
but the rest... well not so much.
Goodbye to the beautiful mountain and sea views we enjoy in Taranaki. Nothing beats a crisp cold Taranaki winters morning. The mountain has come to represent home in a way I never thought it would when we first moved here.
Goodbye to the lifestyle here in NZ, where hubby is home 10 minutes after finishing work, where doctors visits are free for the boys, where safety is just a fact of life, where the chocolate is awesome and the wine is even better. Goodbye to the kiwi depreciating sense of humour. I miss you already.
But the goodbye Ive been avoiding is this one.
Goodbye to my 'mummy' friends - the women who I have been raising my boys alongside from the YPS to antenatal, and others collected along the way. You guys are just awesome. We have bumbled our way through this parenting thing together, learning on the job, talking every little and big issue over, laughing, drinking ( just me?) and shaking our heads at it all.They say it takes a village to raise a child.....pfft... I firmly believe it takes a village to support a mum (and dad) in raising a child. You guys have been so much a part of our boys lives, directly in your interactions with them and indirectly through the support you have given hubby and I. Every offer of help over these two years, and especially the last six months, while not always utilized has been like a small gift.
I have found such true friends in you and it was so lovely to spend last Sunday morning with you - just chatting and being people, not just mums. I have no way to articulate how much your support, love, and friendship has meant to me. ( mainly because if I think too much about how to say what I want to say.. well... lump in my throat material)
So thank you all.
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