Day in DC

We had to get a few snapshots of those iconic DC locations. Unfortunately, the sun wasn't cooperating and Grace thought het time would be better spent napping. We took a few photos with the phone anyway.

Enjoying my Liberties

A day after running the Marine Corps Marathon, Sarah, Grace and I are enjoying a day seeing the sights in DC. First the National Archives, now a quick bite to eat at the courtyard cafe of the National Portrait Gallery, next... who knows.

Tales from Ice 2011

It has taken a full week since I've been home to post the photos from my trips to Antarctica, but they are finally up on Picassa.  Other than the amazing travels I had with Sarah, I did have to work just a bit while in New Zealand.  I actually got to fly down to Antarctica 5 times this season.  On only two occasions was I able to take any photos - one day was sunshine, the other clouds - it's quite obvious from the photos which day is which.  In the five trips I carried nearly 500 passengers, about 300K lbs of cargo, 3 medical evacuation patients, and had a blast.  Each day started around 5 AM with the alert, and usually ended between 10 PM and midnight, depending on winds and cargo.  

The sled is the cargo mover of choice on the ice.  We both uploaded from and downloaded to the sled.

This shipping container had over 20K lbs of food inside.   

 Buttoned up and ready to head back to Christchurch on a blistering -28 C afternoon

Finally got my photo for the season!

Check out all the photos on Picasaweb - Ice 2011

Zoo morning

I must admit that I raised quite a fuss while in New Zealand if I didn't receive my prescribed one photo of Grace each day. It seems as though I'm a bit of a hypocrite though as I've been home 4 days an not a single photo uploaded for the grandparents. Here is the first photo since I've been home...
Grace and dad spend the morning together at the zoo with two friends and their dads. I have a feeling bed time will come early today.

Going Home...Finally

Sarah and I have missed our child more than we could have expected.  As amazing as this work/vacation has been, we are ready to be home.  Sarah departed New Zealand yesterday and should be home in just a few hours.  I depart in a few hours to arrive home on Sunday.  Below you will find the last correspondence and photos we have received before departing.

Mom and Da are coming home soon. Porter and I got to go to the park with Grandpa and Grandma this afternoon and now it's play time. 

See you soon. 

Hugs,  

Grace

A Day For The Record Books

Scott and I just returned from an overnight trip to Kaikora, about 2 hours north of Christchurch. We started off the drive with a short stop and couple wineries then headed up for the night. The next day we awoke at 5am to swim with the dolphins in the area, a must do excursion! We lucked out. We were able to see the amazing snowcapped mountains so close to the sea at sunrise and swim with the wild dolphins before a major storm moved into the area a short time later. Despite the fact that I got totally seasick and had to squeeze into a wetsuit at 27 weeks pregnant, it was totally worth the amazing experience.

After a long hot shower back at the hostel we headed out of Kaikora and stopped at a few more wineries on the way back to Christchurch. We enjoyed some great Riesling and Pinot Noir at The Glenmark Vicarage, a very small winery and Bed and Breakfast in a turn of the century home. I couldn't help but think how much my mother in law would love this place as we got the personal tour from the owner. 

We made one last stop at Torlesse Winery, which put the icing on the cake for the day. By far one of the best winery experiences we've had to date, however, it didn't start off so great. The owner just got done finishing a tasting with a large wine tour group of young adults who "didn't buy anything" and after we entered the tasting room stated something to the effect of, "I detect an accent and suspect you won't be any good to me today." We then spent the next several minutes explaining that we are the type  that not only enjoys wine but buys plenty of it and are fairly knowledgeable. They quickly warmed up to us, especially after hearing that Scott is involved in the Antarctica missions, and before we knew it were helping him label wine bottles for an upcoming shipment and doing several side by side barrel tastings. Not only did we spent a ton of time there, around 3 hours, but we also spent quite and bit of money on some excellent wine that we can't wait to share with family and friends.  Thank you Kym for such a great experience.  

Kym, the owner, operator, sales manager, marketing director, and tour guide shows me how to run the hand operated bottle labeler.

Scott and Kym's son run the labeling line for a few cases.. 

Kym graciously allows us a few side by side barrel tastes - a true first for us!

We tasted the same grapes in new oak and old to see how the barrels impart different flavors at different stages of their lives.  

Next on the itinerary, a few more activities here in Christchurch, packing and getting home to our growing girls who we have been away from for too long now. I depart tomorrow, Scott the following day.  Grace, we are coming!

Letters From Grace

Over the past few days Joan and Allan have been keeping us updated on their activities with Grace.  They have continued a practice my mom started by sending us "letters from Grace."  Here are the letters we have received over the past few days...

Yesterday:

Today is sunny so grandpa and grandma picked me up early. After a stop at Dairy Queen we headed to Owens Beach along with Porter. What fun. See you soon. Love,  Grace

Wednesday:

The petting farm and shopping were great. I didn't want to pet them but Grandpa helped me!

Last Friday:

Oh, what am I going to do next?? There are so many things to play with here!  The Children's Museum is a great Friday afternoon outing.  Grandpa and Grandma are good and everything is fine at our house.  Love you bunches!!!  Grace

Over 1100 miles of NZ Grandeur

Scott and I just returned from a 5 day journey of the bottom half of the southern New Zealand island, traveling over 1100 miles. Boy did we see some spectacular sites, all of which couldn't hardly be captured well enough on camera or be put into words to adequately express the beauty of this country. Gotta say, you just gotta see it for yourselves. But we did our best with the camera, capturing a a couple series of panorama shots that I think give some good perspective. Check out the Picasa albums at the link below for all the pics.

We started in Christchurch heading south along the east coast spending our first night in Dunedin. We stayed at a hostel, interestingly called Hogwartz, that used to be an old bishop's quarters next to a church. We spent our afternoon and evening touring the city, drinking great beer at the local pubs and taking a tour of the oldest NZ brewery. Next we were off to Milford Sound. Spending day 2 traveling through Gore and back down along the beach and through Invercargill for a quick stop at their brewery. Then took an afternoon tour of the glow worm caves in Te Anau (so wish we could have captured that on camera but photos were not allowed.) Then made it to Milford Sound in time for bed and up the next morning for some mild hiking (tramping as its called here) and a cruise through the sound only to drive to Queenstown for the night. We took in the great shops, Saturday market, local gardens, and a few wineries before heading to Twizel for some shut eye and taking in the sites of Mt Cook on our last day before heading back to Christchurch. If Scott was doing this post I'm sure it would be complete with a map that you could link to. Sorry, I'm not going that far, I think the pics are interesting enough.

Besides all the breathtaking scenery, what surprised us the most is how much farmland there is. And its everywhere, no matter what the terrain. Cows and sheep seem to dot the landscape all over this country, adding to its picturesque nature. Being springtime there are baby lambs and cows everywhere, of course provoking lots of "how cute's" from me. Overall we had a blast taking in the sites and local food/beer/wine. Scott is flying down to the ice today, giving me ample time upload photos and update the blog. I'm hoping he has another couple days off in a row so we can jaunt up to Kaikora for the night and swim with some dolphins, stopping at wineries on our way, and likely on our way back as well :) It's good stuff around here and that says a lot coming from a Washington wine girl!

Check out the new albums from our travels in New Zealand below:

Dunedin

Scenic Drive

Milford Sound

Queenstown

Mt Cook

Queenstown

Checking out the Saturday Market in Queenstown. Can't beat some great locally made goods. Check out my new beanie made by a lady from Gore (known as the country music capital of NZ.) All Hand spun, hand died yarn and knitted by her, I love it.

NZ Wine!

Found a great place in Queenstown where you can taste a ton of different NZ wine. YUM. No cheating on the pour sizes though, computers do all the work. I think I might prefer the human dispensers better...

Having my snack

> Grandpa and Grandma picked me up early from Kelly's. They got their "to dos" done and were bored. I'm having my raisins then we'll go to the park--no rain todat! Hugs, Grace

The Grace Swap-out of 2011

As Sarah and I travel New Zealand, Grace is being watched by her grandparents. Two days ago my Mom, who has been watching Grace since Sarah departed Tacoma, passed Grace off to Sarah's parents, who will now watch her until we return. Grace, as usual, is comfortable in Grandpa's arms.

Road Trip

Scott and I took to the road today for the next four days to travel around the bottom half of the south island of NZ. Here we checked out the famous train station in Dunedin. Tomorrow includes a tour of the glowworm caves in Te Anau and the following day a cruise through majestic Milford Sound. Stay tuned for more pics to come! We miss everyone at home, especially our precious girlie.

Dunedin Octagon

The phone booths are the same shape as the city center streets.

Auckland Travels

I had the opportunity to spend a full four days in Auckland NZ before coming down to join Scott in Christchurch, where I arrived yesterday. I had a great time in the city and outside the city. I took two ferry's to some nearby islands, one to go wine tasting and the other to hike to the top of Rangitoto island (the youngest and largest volcano in the area with great views of the city.) I also took a tour with a local Kiwi of the wild western region of Auckland full of beautiful beaches and hiking. Can't write more now, my internet is running out, but more to come. Check out Picasa for more photos.

https://picasaweb.google.com/107146565772735972332/AucklandRegionTravelSarah

Pumpkin Patch

Today I received 3 emails and 3 photos of Grace... Please enjoy.

Who says I am such an early riser that I deprive my parents of sleep?

Only once since going to grandmuhie's have I woken with less than 11 hours of sleep.  The attached picture was taken at 7:15 this morning and I am happy as a lark.

Now it could be that I had only a 30 min nap yesterday, or it could be all the romping porter and I did on the deck last night or it could be that I know I'll need lots of strength to lift the biggest pumpkin in the patch today. 

Grandmuhie's neighbour Jan has a theory.  She thinks I am spoiling grandmuhie so she will continue to spoil me.

What do you think mama and da?

Now off to charm more adults.

Love and kisses

Grace

Litten's Apple fritters are yumm

Grandmuhie, 

You have money and a big trunk.  Why can't I have more than one.  Don't you feel sorry for me after that sheep scared me by bleating so loud?

Ice Travels

Yesterday I flew my second mission of the trip down to the Ross Ice Shelf, delivering people and cargo to McMurdo station in Antarctica.  As these are the first missions of the year, our payload consists almost entirely of passengers.  In my 6 years of flying on the C-17 I have carried a lot of people to a lot of places, and not very often can you feel the palpable energy that fills the cargo compartment like I've felt with the over 100 passengers I've carried to the ice each time so far this season.  (The only other time that immediately comes to mind is when I lifted 180 or so army troops out of Iraq on Christmas Eve when the entire cargo compartment broke out in cheer upon takeoff.)  Everyone is smiling, overly chatty, and snapping photos as fast as their fingers and camera shutters will allow.  

With the large number of passengers comes a correspondingly large work load, especially when we land. Passengers are slow and require constant oversight.  Combine that with the "short as humanly possible" amount of time we have spent actually in Antarctica, and I have yet to take a photo outside of the aircraft of Antarctica itself.  No worries, I have a couple more missions to get the classic photos in the giant coat with the ice and the airplane in the background.

Light Sleeper?

Who said I was a light sleeper?  Well to prove you wrong:

Last night I slept thru grandmuhie having the tv on until 11pm

This morning when I woke the household up at 4:15am, grandmuhie put me in her bed.  She did not even mind my twichy feet and legs.  She also snuggled really well.

Grandmuhie's alarm went off at 6am and then again 10 min later because she had accidentally hit snooz rather than off. I did not wake up.

She then took a shower.  I did not wake up yet.

Then I finally started waking.  Grace myth busted!!!

Love and kisses to mama and da
Grace

Lunch Date

A letter to Mom & Dad from Grace:

My favorite place to take grandmuhie for lunch is Duke's.  They treat me like a queen.  Their warm sourdough bread is a 10+, and their fries are also yummie.  I also got crayons in blue, red, yellow and green.  They don't taste too good though, so I'll just use them to color with from now on. 

Now off for a much deserved nap. Love you mama and da.

Grace

From the Lens of Grandmuhie

While I'm gone in NZ I've made it clear that I must get at least one photo of Grace per day.  This entry arrived via email yesterday.

My new favorite word is box.  That means that I want a Grace sized box of raisins.  For fun, I first dump them all out, then put them back in the box and finally eat them all one by one from the box.  Then I finally get to squish up the box.  No kid has had this much fun since cave man
Grace