ONE SUMMERY SATURDAY MORNING

We stole away, you and me,

One summery Sunday morning. 

Down by the sea, you and me

One summery Sunday morning.

We collected bugs, you and me
One summery Sunday morning.
We talked of farts, you and me
One summery Sunday morning.

When we're old you and me,
We'll remember this day and smile
When we stole away to the sea,
One summery Sunday morning.

ADVENTURES DOWN UNDER

Against many people's better judgement (including our own), we spent a large portion of last weekend in the car with the crazies.

I'm not going to lie to you there were times when it wasn't pretty, but when a good friend gets married who wouldn't walk over hot coals.

Check out Jules - sister takes wind swept to the next level…

MINI-PEOPLE, MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

For the Griffin family at least...

20 early Saturday morning starts

10 team members

1 "Player of the Year" 

Pride…pride in spades. 

Way to go Willis! 

Love your biggest fans

xoxo

K&J's- 2015 EDITION

I've been editing a few pictures tonight and came across this. 

That moment when your children genuinely bond with those of our closest friends is a thing of great beauty. Particularly if that bond does not involve a strangulation hold … yes Julia I'm talking to you. 

Love these two crazies. 

LEGO BOSS

The coolest thing about magic is that the closer you look the less you see. 

Watching your kids grow up is a little like having front row tickets to the magic show of your life. You're so close to the action, you forget how far you have come.

Then one day **POOF** out of seemingly no where it hits you. 

You've magicked up this fully functioning mini-human that can do incredible things. Proper people things. 

Today our biggest school boy built this entire Lego creation all by himself. Like a boss. 

xo

UNDER THE MOUNTAIN

I love a decent adventure. 

At University I was always up for a Wellington to Auckland roadie (for you non-New Zealander's that's a cool 10 hour one way trip…)

When I was living in Melbourne we jumped in the car and hauled it up the Hume to Sydney (for you non-Australian's that's a 12 hour one way trip). 

At the beginning of this year a girlfriend and I did an overnighter to Mangonui…8 hours of solid driving. 

What can I say…I love the journey. Which is where I'm at right now. Enjoying the journey.

Somewhere between studying, working, writing and giving our family milestones the attention and energy they deserve is right where you'll find me. This doesn't leave much room for photos or blogging and for that I've got no doubt you'll forgive me. 

There will come a time when my journey will return me here, and when that time comes I can't wait to share everything that has been underway. 

Here's a snap from Easter - I've had the Tongariro Crossing on my bucket list for some time now and I finally managed to knock the bastard off. Quick plug for the Ruapehu Farm Chalet in Ohakune where we stayed - great value and surprisingly spacious for a large group (we had 10, with 2 x under 5's). 

Much love 

Jacq

JUJU

One too for you, young lady. 

Because one day you will look at this blog and wonder why I only ever wrote stories about your brother. 

You picked this dress especially. It was freezing. You wouldn't take it off. You wanted to wear Dad's gumboots. Mum said no. You screamed. I took you outside for a photo. You screamed louder. Thank heavens for the helicopter, this is the only shot I got. 

Love Mum 

x

WILLIS

Here's the future. 

Here's five years in the making. 

You're going to mountains one day kiddo. 

17 Days to go! 

MY LITTLE SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED

We are all a little weird, 

And life's a little weird,

And when we find someone who's weirdness is compatible with ours,

We join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it Love

Dr. Seuss 

My little sister is getting married. 

It's just a smidgen of a little of a whole heap of awesome. 

Wedding's are neat (as are their fur babies)

xo

A MOMENT IN TIME

I was editing pictures today, working my way through the archives while you rested on the couch after your big ride, your ice cream and the heat. 

You're speaking Spannish with Diego. You will start school this year. 

My mind cannot conceive how quickly you've grown.

You are my biggest little boy. You are so brave, so patient and so quirky. I don't give you enough credit for this. 

You saw this flying fox and you wanted to go on. You didn't want to line up. Sometimes you need to warm into these things. Sometimes I forget this about you. 

I got cross. You got upset. 

We argued. Nana stepped in. Mummy put herself in time out. 

You waited in line. When it was your turn you jumped on the pummel and flew through the air howling like Tarzan.

You had about 100 turns. 

Mummy took herself out timeout and joined you. 

I was so proud of you. 

You've always surprised me. 

I love you 

xo 

SNAPPY, SNAPPY...

This post is for my husband who, after reading yesterday's offering, requested less 'blah, blah, blah' and more 'snappy, snappy' (direct quote, I'm not even kidding).

Here's a few snaps from Christmas day at my sister's in Palmerston North - Julia's rocking a new outfit (and some serious sass) and yes…William is in thermal pajamas in the middle of summer. That's how we roll.

Love lots

Jacq

THERE AND BACK AGAIN

Hi folks, 

Wherever you happen to be when you've taken the moment to stop by and read this blog, I hope you've had a tremendous festive season. 

Down here in NZ we've been enjoying the type of summer people write sonnets about. 

This makes a nice change from the weather's usual antics, which is to tease with wall to wall blue skies up until the week before Christmas before declaring all out war on holiday makers - anyone else remember Cyclone Bola?

Not this year. 

Since mid December we've been treated to endless Azure skies that dissolve into a golden evenings so delicious it's as if a honey pot has been tipped over upstairs. I've taken to reading/writing/living on the bench swing in our backyard which I've positioned beneath our plum tree. 

If it sounds quaint, it is. 

This is the life. 

I am exactly where I need to be right at this moment. 

Yet time waits for no one. 

2015…Two THOUSAND and fifteen.

When I was about seven years old my parents would let me and my sister stay up and watch a show called "Beyond 2000" - it was a real treat and not just because New Zealand only had three channels in those days and we couldn't get two of them.

The show profiled gadgets and gizmo's which were going to revolutionize our lives. I'm presume someone in Marketing choose the year 2000 as the target because it sounded snappy and back in the late 80's early 90's truly did seem like the future. 

I often wonder what became of those inventions. Could anyone have fathomed what life 'Beyond 2000" would really be like? As the clock powered towards 12:00am on the 31st of December 2000 I remember thinking, we're nearly beyond 2000…now what? 

This is what. 

Sitting beneath plum tree's. Chubby cheeks dripping with juices from freshly picked strawberries. Impromptu dance parties in the lounge (kitchen, bedroom, hallway…). Slip n Slides. Friends who make a 4 hour car ride seem like 30 minutes and you still can't stop talking. Sprinklers beneath trampolines. Sand (here there and everywhere). Easing in to the day with a long, lazy brunch that suddenly becomes a BBQ with the whole neighborhood. Falling in to bed on sheets that have been kissed by the sun. Adventures in your own backyard. Living. Life. 

Lately I've been feeling the need to unplug. 

I'm a huge fan of the future - the internet, social media, constant and instant connectedness - yet every so often I find it suffocating. I get caught up in the quest for perfection. The house that looks like a show home, a Christmas that would bring Martha Stewart to her knees, a vacation that doesn't involve either cold war between you and your husband or a gastro bug of some description, perfect squeaky clean children that couldn't look more like a Pumpkin Patch catalogue than if you ironed them flat and slipped them into the letterbox…who comes up with these things? Is this a thing or is this just my thing? In any case it's exhausting.

So I've decided to unplug.

Retreat. Perhaps that's a better way of putting it. I've found that if I am open, honest, attentive and loving to my kids, family and friends then things usually end up working out. The big things do at least. The rest truly doesn't matter. 

AND this is what I've been doing with my time. Indulging in an over abundance of every food group not recommended to man and traveling. In that order and, where possible, at the same time. 

I've got more than a few pictures to share - all in good time. 

For now I'll leave you with a few snaps of Mangonui and this "Look Up" video which manages to put into words everything I've been thinking only a bazillion times better…

Deep breath. Small sigh. 

Much love 

x