Easter Re-do

Well, I'm back from Tirau and trying to fight off a cold that is just annoying enough to stop me from doing things. So instead of decorating cards I thought that I would post my next blog. So excuse any grammatical errors I may have in this one due to my cold.

The weekend was pretty short for Gordon and me due to the Easter holiday. Gordon got off of work on Thursday at lunch time. I had spent the week trying to get my passport back, which I finally did, and making some more card to take up to Tirau to sell. We were pretty much packed and ready to go on Wednesday night so all we had to do on Thursday was load everything up and get out of Bulls. Packing-up included putting Mojo into his cage for his first trip. He yowled and howled for 3/4 of the trip but then decided it was futile and stopped. The way back home he was very well behaved. We didn't want to leave him in Bulls since he's young but our next trip he will be staying home since he will be older. Roger was supposed to tell everyone that we were going to be home in time for dinner but I guess it slipped his mind because we got a text asking if we would be home for dinner. He also forgot to tell Christine that we were offering to cook for one night.

So the first night we got to meet the perfect "Man of the Land", Glen. He seems like a very nice sort of guy. Kylie says that he's quite the talker but he was very subdued around us. I think what shocked Gordon and me the most was how much physical contact they were showing with each other. Each person has their own level of PDA and I would say that Gordon and I try to keep it as PG as possible. Kylie and Glen weren't making out in front of us or anything but it was just weird to see from Kylie. Glen is a bit shorter than Kylie, by a few inches or so, with auburn hair and a slight beard and mustache. Kylie must have good skin because whenever Gordon kisses me with stubble I get a red chin. They shared the Schofield's cabin which is by the garage, which I didn't know was theirs, and Gordon and I had Gordon's old room. You can tell Kylie is completely taken with him and I predict nothing but good things will come from this.

I think what I was looking forward to the most was spending time with Kylie and Glen as two couples. Getting to spend time with our significant others as well as family. Now I wouldn't feel so bad that Gordon and I were doing couples stuff because Kylie had a guy now too. Finally, we could do couples things together but sadly that did not happen. The only time we got to see Kylie and Glen was when they would come home from their days out. They seemed to just want to do their own thing. I chalk it up to them being in their "new love" phase and they are so absorbed in one another. Maybe it will cool down in a couple of months or so. I don't think Gordon and I were that way because we always made time for family and friends even if we did have plans.

We did get to spend a bit of Friday together as a family in the morning. We got a surprise visit from cousin Luke who was on his way back from Rotorua. We had brunch, which was at 9:30 so it was breakfast to me, and decided to head into Hamilton. That day there was going to be a birthday party for Grandpa Schofield at Aunt Helen's house in Hamilton. We decided to go to the gardens for a bit and then we would head over to the party. I thought that we would walk around as a family but, once again, it didn't happen. Kylie and Glen trotted off in some direction while Gordon, Luke and I spent time with Roger and Christine. We eventually separated and went to go look around. I do really like Hamilton gardens and I enjoyed being with Gordon.

Afterwards we met-up with Roger and Christine and went to Aunt Helen's house, we arrived about an hour earlier than everyone else, except for Luke who was already there. I got to see Helen's workshop which was fantastic! She does mosaics and they are absolutely fantastic. It was really neat to see that she used old plates and cups to make her mosaics with. She showed me a balloon one she was working on and we got to talking about the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Hamilton has something similar in April called Balloons over Waikato. I told Gordon that we definitely need to do that next year, it would be like a parallel Balloon Fiesta for me! Helen was telling me how much she loved the calendar that my Mom gave to the Schofields of the Balloon Fiesta that was in their shop. I told her about how much I would love to get a workshop of my own for my card making. The rest of the family started to arrive while we were away in the workshop. It was so nice to talk and catch-up with all the cousins and Aunts and Uncles. I really miss that from home. Kylie and Glen made an exit by saying that they were going to go see a movie. Kylie has this paranoid fear that Glen is going to be scared-off by her family. I wasn't scared-off, I find Gordon's family delightful. My family values can be a bit different due to the fact that Gordon's family is the only one I have out here and I want to value that.

I really appreciate the fact that Grandma and Grandpa Schofield are so nice. They always ask how I'm settling in and if Gordon is treating me right. There were also very excited with the fact that Kylie had found a sheep farmer. We talked about Gordon and I starting a family and some of my fears, mostly the fact that I'm not a resident yet so I may not get free health care like other women. I got to talk to Anna and see how she is doing, she's talking classes on youth ministry. Lydia, Jonathan and Brylie were in New Plymouth so we didn't get to see them. Aunt Mary and Aunt Helen told me that we were always welcome to stay at their houses as well. At the end of the party, Grandma Schofield told me that I was someone special and to never forget that. It sounds exactly like something my Grandma would say to me if I was in the States.

Saturday started with a bit of a trial. Kylie and Glen had gone off to go caving in Waitomo and then to a wedding so Gordon and I were on our own. Our car battery had died somehow, Gordon had moved it the day before so Roger could get his car out. We had to go to the shop to get the keys to their car to use their battery for a jump start. We had everything set-up then we opened the hood only to find the battery on the other side of their car and so had to shift the car again. The car did eventually start and we went on our way into Rotorua. Gordon and I took a detour to Spotlight to see if they had any Easter egg dye but they didn't so I couldn't dye eggs. We decided to go to the golf range to hit a couple of balls in preparation for our game the next day with Glen and Kylie. I was totally in the zone! I was hitting those balls with such force and pretty good accuracy that I was amazed with myself. Gordon didn't do to shabby either. I think that I've finally got my stroke technique down so that I'm able to compensate for my weird swing. We decided to go and try a burger place called Burger Fuel for lunch. It was a trip just trying to find it and we eventually found it which was by the Pak-n-Sav where we had got some groceries for that night's dinner, we were on cooking duty. It was totally worth it though! Burger Fuel could give Red Robin a run for its money. The burgers were so awesome and tasty that it was worth trying to find the place. Its definitely a new favorite with Gordon and me.

Sunday was an early day because the church service was at 8am! Easter was anything but what I expected Easter to be. It felt more like just going to pay lip service and then all of us going our separate ways until dinner later that night. Where was the togetherness, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus and his awesome sacrifice for us? Its just another holiday that I have to get used to as being done differently around here but next year is definitely going to be different. I'm going to have my deviled eggs and celery with cream cheese and dyed eggs! Gordon and I had a talk about instilling some of my family traditions into the holidays so that it would feel like we were both celebrating the holidays as our own, new way. For the most part its just been celebrating holidays the Schofield way, now its time to celebrate the Gordon and Nedra way. Becoming part of another family has been great but I don't want to lose what I hold dear in my heart each holiday and I may be able to bring something new and refreshing.

Roger and Christine decided to open the shop on Easter so they went to go generate some business. I decided to call home before we all went out to play golf together. Mom was a bit distracted so it didn't feel like a good conversation to me and I was a bit upset about it because I miss my family more during the holidays and I wanted to be able to talk to her. I thought that was okay, we would just have a good time on the course. Then I found out that Kylie and Glen had decided to stay home and not go play golf with us. I didn't mind the fact that they had spent every moment together on their dates before because I knew that we would spend time together on Sunday with golf. We would get to know Glen a little bit more and have fun doing it. So, when Gordon and I left for golf, I was a bit upset and outraged because these plans had been made and I was looking forward to them. At the course, I decided that it was their loss and not ours because it was a beautiful day out on the course and the company was superb. Who wouldn't want to play with Gordon and me? Gordon and I played fantastically. I made a drive of 177 meters, which was longer than his, I out-stroked him on a hole and we both made par at another hole. Gordon understood that I was upset but his attitude helped change mine and by the end of the game I was back to my happy self.

Easter dinner was a small affair as well. We had venison (aka deer) kebabs and my green bean casserole along with chocolate cake that I made from scratch. I put my chocolate cakes into a my bug bunt pan and buttered the tins before we put the batter in. However, the cakes stuck and it was more like crumble cake with a sugar glaze and ice cream. I really wanted to bugs shapes to come out but no such luck. I need to remember to bring cooking spray whenever we go to the Schofields because that helps my cake tins a whole lot more than butter does. The deer kebabs were very good and we ended up bringing some deer meat home as well. It was courtesy of Glen and the deer he had shot. He's a very self-sufficient guy, pretty hand to have in case the world descends into chaos. We're going to use the deer meat in some stroganoff this week to see how it tastes. Gordon will be cutting the deer meat and not me.

Mojo had a fantastic time in the house too. He made fast friends with Roger and Christine's new kitten Rosie. They were best friends the whole weekend. They did everything together from play fighting, eating, drinking, meowing, exploring and irritating Heidi and Benny. Mojo picked-up Rosie's bad habit of not using the litter box but I put a stop to that. All the cats got some venison to eat on Sunday and it was pretty funny. Rosie and Mojo were making growling noises like they were lions or something while they were eating their meat. I guess they felt like they were hunters or something, maybe they just really enjoyed their fresh meat. Mojo has been pretty subdued since he's been home. He's becoming a cat with intermittent moments of activity followed by long rests. He's also learned not to meow when we go to bed and close the door. Cats are pretty smart when they want to be.

This Easter holiday was a bit different. Gordon made a comment that the family dynamic had shifted and changed. Roger wasn't as gushy as he usually is, maybe he's finally used to Gordon and me as a couple or he just didn't want to scare Glen off with his mushiness. Kylie and Glen stole our couch spot, but we reclaimed it a couple of times, and were a bit absorbed in their new found love. Gordon and I were left to do our own thing. It didn't feel like the family atmosphere it usually is; it felt like three separate couples in the same house. It definitely did feel different and it looks like I'm going to have to adapt again but that's life isn't it? Christine and I had a good time together with looking at embroidered cards and talking. We are becoming good friends and I'm really looking forward to her visiting us next week. We don't know if Kylie is going to come or not but we'll see.

I always find that when I expect things or anticipate something happening it never does. Maybe I should learn just not to expect anything. I was hoping that we would get to know Glen and spend time with him and Kylie but we barely had any time together. I was thinking that Easter would be a celebration and it turned out to be just another day in the life of the Schofields. Its good to have expectations but my expectations never work out. Maybe I should work on expectations for myself rather than for events. Despite all the hiccups and time not spent with new couples, Gordon and I had a pretty good vacation. It was nice, relaxing and we got to spend time together. We were able to see family, develop my relationship with Christine, and we didn't have to spend loads of money on activities because we were happy just hitting golf balls or taking walks.

Gordon and I may be a boring couple that doesn't get to do many things but we are a happy couple. I hope that everyone had a great Easter or Passover!