Losing points.

Craig took me out to dinner on Friday night. And I repaid him by making him follow me over to St Pauls at 9:30 at night, in freezing weather, so I could take photos.
He even carried my tripod.
(side story - the service was so bad they gave us the meal for free. Plus dessert. So we love them again)























(He even cleaned my lens)





I gave up when it was starting to rain and I realised he wasn't wearing gloves and was jumping up and down ever so slightly. I don't know if he was wearing a jumper under his jacket.
Worst. Wife. Ever.

Seven hundred and thirty .. one days

Two years (and one day) ago Craig and I let everyone in on the secret we'd known for 4 years and 11 months. That we planned to be together always.
This year of marriage has been testing.
Our stress levels have been elevated, our nerves on edge, pennies stretched,* and we relied on each other ever so much.

We were uncertain, intrepid, possibly immortal, decidedly in love.**



We spent our second wedding anniversary in a hotel room, a shuttle, two airports,*** and two aeroplanes. The longest time we spent in one place was at LAX.
Not exactly romantic.

I did get one thing I asked for. Tan lines.



San Francisco was wonderful. It didn't feel foreign but I blame that on the ubiquity of American television and visiting it with a friend I associate more with Wellington than America. We could have (and possibly should have) spent more than 3 nights there.
We'll be back though. Photos to come! Of course.

Mr Jet-Lag is sitting firmly on my shoulders today. I feel faint and flu-ey, basically horrid. But I am quite glad to be back to our lovely little London life and oh just so excited to feel a sense of familiarity and ... a kind of homecoming today. Heart you London!! Miss you Wellington!! I am torn.

* Oxford Comma!
** Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
*** Oxford Comma!

P.s. Photo Projects 2008 will be posted next week. Not this week. I need the weekend.

In ... approximately 12 hours Craig, Kat,* and I will be landing in San Francisco.

Before then, of course, I have to fit in a few hours sleep, the shoving of last minute items into my giant bag, frantically searching for an earring, breakfast? checking in? oh and a twelve hour flight.
International time zones are tricky tricky things.

* Oxford Comma!

Tomorrow I leave Wellington again.
I try to not think about it too much because I love this salty, saucy, blue, and wind-swept city.























But mainly, mostly, every-single-day, I will miss these people











Collapsing into Laughter.











Part of me feels like I wasted my youth. I didn't appreciate my family enough. Sob.
But then they make me laugh so hard I almost cry and it's all pathetic and so so funny.



I should explain:
When Craig and I were learning to scuba dive we (the class) were having a rapid-fire quiz about underwater hand signals. And the cocky teacher pointed his finger at me and said There's an Octopus on my head!.
And without missing a beat, I slapped my hand on top of my head (like everyone but me in the photo above) and everyone laughed.
I stored the story up to tell my family at dinner. And they too fell about laughing. Charlotte saw the flaw in my mime though. And she suggested the alternative (and in my mind, much better) mime which I am doing in the photo above!

This has lead to a whole range of face and hand mimes for animals. I tend to do them when I'm talking (about the animal, not just randomly) which I thought was normal. But apparently it isn't and it amuses my family.



Panda, Rhino, Caribou, There's-an-Octopus-on-my-head.

Sometimes I just use my face. I taught Jayne turtle-face






Pandas!!

Our First Monarch of the Season

Photo Projects - Week One