The nurses in Sterling had a farewell luncheon for me. My office was adorned with the above interpretive piece, constructed from party supplies, office equipment, and tree moss.

Babies!

It was a busy weekend - I delivered 5 babies. Here's me with one of them.

Puppy!

We've reserved a black Russian terrier that was born last week. I think ours is one of the boys with a blue collar. We'll get to pick him up on September!

Change

My 3 months at Sterling Regional Medical Center have come to a close. It's been a stormy summer on the prairie - this funnel cloud was actually about 10 miles away. We did have our share of hail, however.

This Friday we'll be packing up our bags and taking them to Toledo, OR, our new home.

This is the house we almost bought, but not quite. Negotiations broke down at the end over repairs, so we decided to walk away. It great old house from 1930's, we might try again next year if (when) it's still on the market.

We will instead be living here on the top level, which is a 2000 sq foot loft. There's a garden out back, and the landlord said we can add/remove walls to our liking.

We've been in a rental car for three months - time to finally get our own. This is Kosette's 2003 Audi A4 wagon (dog transporter).

This is my 2001 Volkswagen Golf GTI (doctor transporter).

August will be busy moving, visiting family in SD and Phoenix, and a wedding in OR before I start my job in Newport on Sep 1. We'll try to keep you posted!

Where we are now...

As of April 18th we have been residents of Sterling, CO. Don't know where that is, you say? Neither did we until we drove 2 hours east of Denver on I-76. I have a 3 month job at the hospital/clinic here that runs until July 29. The hospital has provided us with a rental car and accommodation on top of my salary, which has worked out nicely. Every other weekend is spent on call, and we have spent the weekends in between making trips to Denver and Oregon to sort out the rest of our lives.

Sterling has given us a good taste of small town USA. We keep "busy" playing racquetball at the rec center, going to Wal-Mart, and watching plenty of movies. Work has been really good; it's been nice to have a slower pace after all of our travels.

We don't sit still for long, however! All of our trips to Oregon have resulted in a permanent job for me in Newport on the central coast. We plan on moving there in August with my job to start September 1. We are in the process of buying a new house, which is very exciting! We will post some pictures in future posts - there will be plenty of room for visitors, all are invited!

Stay tuned for more updates!

P.S. They have lots of pens in Sterling, CO!

Trip to Phoenix

My family headed out to the desert for an Easter picnic. We colored raw eggs and set them out as shooting targets.

This is Matthew, my oldest nephew.

We usually let the youngest unpack the guns.

Here is Corbin in action.

Fire!

I wouldn't mess with Philip!

The boys.

That's my Mama!

Ephram.

I love watching these kids play. It reminds me of picnics in the desert with my Uncle Norman's family. We would shoot cans and then wander around playing in the dirt. What a great thing to be, a kid.

I love the beauty of the desert.

(Me, Jenny, Rachel)

Jenny had a birthday while I was in town, which was reason enough to get together with two of my best girls!

What animals! Jonathan and I took the kids to the Phoenix Zoo.

There is something so cool about child-like wonder.

Clamming around.

Word to your brother.

I had a great visit with my family and felt a bit bad about leaving Matt behind to work. It had been 10 months though, and I was jonesing for some Mechams! It was so good to see my friends and family!

Long Trip Home

Let the waterworks begin.

Chur.

We shipped some of our bags so we could travel light.

Everybody looks this good in Tahiti.

We're rich!

$240 NZD=$16,000 CFP francs,

didn't even last the entire 24 hours we were there.

So long Tahiti.

We made it all the way to San Francisco. Our prize was getting to spend some time with our dear friends, Trang and Adam.

Under the apple spell.

A pair called Lavern and Shirley.

At last, Matt has an iphone.

We made it back to the states on April 11th. What a journey. After our brief visit with Trang and Adam, we headed north to Oregon for some interviews before we finally made it to Sterling, Colorado, our temporary squatting spot.

My Otahuna Family

Tricia, Me, and Mary

The things we'd do for fun.

This is my sweetheart Lou.

I love him!

This is Penny. We got to know each other quite well. During one of my visits, Tricia and I decided to trim Penny's hooves. This entails one of us pinning her against a wall and the other pulling up a leg and trimming away. We were having a very difficult time getting Penny near a wall, much less pinned against it. Tricia finally got her against a wall and I decided to dig my knees into her shoulders to keep her from running away before Tricia got her pinned. I am no match for Penny. She tossed her head up and took off running with me now on her back, facing backwards. I really wish I could have seen it from where Tricia was standing. We got quite a good laugh out of my first sheep ride.

These are bickies.

These sheep love bickies!

Lou is getting his hooves trimmed.

We ladies make a good team!

Chooks

I think this is Joy. There are a few I never learned to tell apart.

Mary and I snuck over to Anaka and Hugo's to see their little lambies. George is the little guy with markings on his nose. He is such a cuddler.

This is Harry, I think he was named after his 80's style do.

I have to say, Mary and Tricia are my favorite thing from our 10 months in New Zealand. I love these ladies! I am so appreciative of their willingness to have me come visit and help teach me all about the work that goes into a lifestyle block (hobby farm for you americans). I will always cherish our many conversations, good laughs, and unforgettable memories.