amyandluuk.com

This site has been very sadly neglected. If you want to see what we’re up to, you’re probably better off heading over to Amy’s blog.

As the year draws to a close there is a feeling of relief. We made it. I finished my first year (almost) of teaching and am secure in the job for as long as I want it. Luuk has finished full time work at Allied Telesis. Plans for next year are confirmed, with Luuk working three days for the Navigators and two for Allied Telesis, a new flat lease signed for the end of January, and ferry tickets purchased for a road-tripping holiday between now and then.

It has been a hectic year. A wonderful, mad-cap, blessed year. We began in the Waikato with Olie Bollen and flat champagne. January was full of friends and more food than was good for us as we tiki-toured around Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. We returned to the real world – well, Luuk did, while I played house-wife for a month before my final teaching practise began. I was sent to private girls school for the first time ever at age 23. St Margaret’s was a great place for my final teaching training to take place. I was given room to spread my wings and take on responsibilities, and my efforts were appreciated – a great encouragement. I was blessed with a job Thursday, finished teaching practise Friday, and started at Rangiora New Life School on Monday.

During this time Luuk was invited to join he Navigator’s staff and got on board with one of the student cell groups to get to know the students he will be working with come January 2009. All that was needed to ensure he could take on the job was for me to get a job in Christchurch… Rangiora? Close enough.

Both working full time, on my part, for the first time, and on Luuk’s part, adding Navs-related-responsibilities to the recipe has kept us both at capacity since May. We’ve had several weekends and long weekends away. In March we celebrated our 1st anniversary at French Farm – tiny bay on the opposite side of Akaroa harbour. We then visited Hamilton to welcome our niece, Briar, to the family, and the world. In October we were up to Auckland to celebrate my grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary. Later in the month we visited the west coast for Luuk’s birthday. There were a bunch of Navs-related weekends, some of which I absented myself from due to workload, need for time-out, need to see friends.

We’ve both missed friends this year, with many of Luuk’s friends overseas or straits (namely, Cook Strait). Given the commute to Rangiora daily I have joined a carpool of teachers and only drive once or twice a week. This has been great for professional discussion, not to mention saving money and the environment. We have made a habit of working 8 to 5, which means I rarely bring any school work home, but often strikes out the possibility of catching up with friends during the week. Winter makes the evenings here in Christchurch good for hiding out at home with a DVD and curry.  So that was what we did.

Our hopes for next year… to play all the board games we got this year, sell all the books Luuk bought in bulk on trademe, fill our bigger house with people… then feed them! So come visit. There will be a spare room, unless too many people take us up on this, and even then there are couches, bean bags (one of which has a beak and feet) and an inflatable mattress. We’ll have slept on it for three weeks so if it’s still inflatable, it’s all yours!
Merry Christmas!

Written by Amy. Authorised by Luuk. Powered by La Mai coffee.

I have finished Nanowrimo. There are many other excuses for not updating this in a long time – one of them being that all the people who used to nag also stopped updating their blogs, felt guilty and stopped nagging. Though it never worked when they did.

Anyway, for the past three and a half weeks I’ve had an easy excuse. I’ve written a first draft. I’m being careful not to say I’ve written a novel as I want to keep my expectations realistic. It is not a novel. It may never be a novel. It may, but as for now, I have 50 054 words of a first draft. More words are needed and many of the ones I’ve written will undoubtedly need a thorough hanging, drawing and quartering come January or February when I get the courage to reread and rewrite the thing.

Tonignt we celebrate. Preceding an evening of writing, Luuk and I went to delicious Khmer – a Cambodian restaurant in Riccarton – where I enjoyed a fabulous vege satay and my new favourite ice coffee. Thanks Chris and Miriam for introducing us to a new favourite restaurant.
There was a beer about a thousand words from the finish line and while the certificate printed Luuk made me a Rooibos tea. Life is good. Now, as I have to get up at 6.30 to meet carpool at 7.30, to be at school at 8, to get coffee before staff briefing at 8.15… I better take my mostachioed (sp?) husband to bed.

NB: He’s starting to talk of looking forward to shaving it. Thank God N/Movember is coming to an end!

My leisurely summer is coming to an end. Teaching Practise 2 starts monday and I have four days more to complete my list…

I have a feeling I’m dreaming. I have been busy but I seem to have forgotten quite a few things. I perhaps should have printed it off before today to keep track.

I have yet to…

• Write letters for AI and AVAAZ – I’ve emailed some they’ve generated but that doesn’t count.
• Write letters to Celia, Hillary and Jody – real ones with stamps etc.
• There are books still to be read. But I’m getting there. Currently I am reading… When People Matter Most, The Divine Conspiracy, Evil Genius and Diary of Anne Frank. Just finished Emma while Luuk and I were away celebrating our Anniversary. Now the Only of Jane Austen’s completed works I have yet to read is Mansfield Park. Yay!
• I have cleaned out facebook apps. I have not played scrabble or poker as I deleted both apps. No time wasted!
• I’ve walked lots and instituted plans to continue doing so – teaching prac is very near Hagley Park and Andrea.
• I have yet to write anything for Reader’s Digest.
• No research done on how to shop more morally. Focus has been on not shopping at all. Poor after holiday up north.
• Tennis stopped. Was followed by Squash which left with Celia. Have been swimming instead, doing pilates and cycling. so no guilt here.
• Did not do a wasgij but i’ll live.
• I have not done much for genealogies database. It needs work before ready for photos so this can happily wait.
• I’ve not been vegetarian for a week.
• Or had a retreat day
• Or learned any more dutch. Plan is to do it daily during the three weeks of school holidays in the middle of Practicum.
  My Ipod remains a mess. but it’ll live.
• Our worldy goods have not been photographed for insurance purposes. So burglers can just bugger off for another several months.
• Wetback stove remains the dark corner of the kitchen but I’ve seen no mice droppings so this has lost some of its urgency.
• Most of our photos are backed up online. I don’t know how to add the rest. Not urgent either as long as those burglers stay away.
• Luuk and I biked, we swam, but be did not rollerblade. meh.
• yet to do another overnight tramp. I’ve proposed the idea of doing it in the holidays and staying two nights wherever we go, with a retreat day in the middle. two birds.
• Have not been to Fat Eddies. Almost went with Hill but couldn’t find it…
• Have not put luuk through Anne of Green Gables but the other’s he’s seen and enjoyed, as far as I could tell. such a polite young man.

On the otherhand, I have…

List of Pride:

• painted canvases, christmas cards, presents
• baked christmas goodies
• kept house reasonably tidy
• cooked some daring dishes – there was dahl and paneer… steak with kiwi fruit, my memory only goes back to february.
• furniture has been rearranged.
• i wrote some of my novel and walked lots
• i worked for Bright Hope World – www.brighthopeworld.com
• Photos have been printed, sorted and albumned!
• I’ve spend much time with Andrea and Hannah, their fellows, and others.
• I’ve made my own hot choc mix – and it’s been admired. Very gratifying.
• I’ve made two long skirts, with my darling mum’s help.
• I practised piano – again, darling mum!
• Luuk was spoiled with maritime musuem, ferry trip to devonport, chocolate shop, second hand book shops and dinner in the revolving resturant up the sky tower.
• The more green tea than coffee thing is unlikely and I should have kept this thing more realistic on many fronts, but this is the most blatant dreaming.

So while I was slacking/forgetting my list I have also…

• done pilates with Hannah H.
• exhibited paintings at Art Centre
• showed Hillary around Chch
• completed the term 1 studies for Navs
• led a service at Ilam and been involved in planning a bit
• played hostess
• sorted teaching stuff and started database for future reference purposes

enough with the lists. sudden desire to be non-linear. I’m going to do dishes and read and have another coffee – and I’m not going to do them in any order whatsoever!

New photos are up!  You might see them in the top left corner if you refresh enough times, but its probably easier to just click here.  All of our summer holiday travels and water-skiing photos from Waitangi weekend.  I wish all weekends were 5 days long and as awesome as that!

Sorry we’ve been so quiet round here.  Its pretty much because we’ve been having so much fun.  We had an awesome Christmas holiday up in the North Island, as well as some fun Christmas and Birthday parties down here, and we’ve just got back from water-skiing for 5 days at Lake Aviemore with the Moffats.  All of these things deserve posts of there own which we will do, when I get round to sorting out the photos to put online.  This has not been helped by the power adapter for our wireless router burning out.  This is the second time, but the last time was under warranty and I got it replaced.  I’m pretty sure it can’t handle being turned on very well.  I have embarked on a project to turn a spare computer power supply that I had lying around into a general purpose 12/5/3.3V power supply.  Probably a little overkill for the wireless router, but it will hopefully do for the moment until I can get another 5V/2.5A adapter.

Amy is busily painting to get ready for displaying her paintings on the fence at the Arts Center on Saturday.  At some point we’ll probably make another bit on the website to display her paintings as well. Hmm, maybe tonight, if I have time.

This will not likely ever happen again. One time only after age five and preceding retirement… I have four whole months unfettered by the necessity of employment (or children – no, that’s not a clue). What will I do with myself?

I currently sit cross-legged in one of our two lovely green leather lounge chairs. Our lounge is… lived in, shall we say? There are clothes and cushions, hankies and the entire collected works of wilbur smith on the floor, an assortment of newspapers, handbags, books, plastic bags and even a sleeping bag on the other green chair, the coffee table is a maze of dvds, books, christmas ornaments purchased this morning and (00h!) money… maybe fifty cents. The fold-out couch also displays ornaments, coffee bean bags, a picnic blanket that we did not take to christmas in the park, and a bag of christmas decorations I’ve borrowed from Mum.

I thought, rather than tidy it up, I’d write an inventory. Tomorrow I shall tidy. I won’t tell you about the kitchen. This is meant to be empowering and that would be something else entirely. Instead I will make a list of things I might do before March 17th (St Patrick’s day, my sister’s birthday, and the day I start Teaching Practice 2).

The List

Paint canvases

Paint christmas cards – to sell and for my own use (no, ‘chirstmas cards’ is not code for illegal substances)

Paint christmas presents

Bake christmas presents

Paint and craft christmas decorations (to avoid the warehouse, for moral and psychological reasons)

Keep our house at a reasonable level of tidiness during the week (weekends are a whole nother ball game. Time with Luuk. The house can wait, and as it’s sunday night… it can wait till monday morning and I’ll continue my LIST)

Clean, do washing, etc.

Get creative in the kitchen (I have a whole years worth of cuisine magazine and many cook books. I have no excuse to simply do the recipes I know over and over. Although, where do you buy quail these days?)

Write letters for AI and AVAAZ.

Write letters to friends. Real ones: envelopes, stamps…

Rearrange our furniture (I started yesterday with the lounge. It’s great. Very fresh atmosphere.)

Read all the books I’ve borrowed from Andrea, Gwyneth, and many others… return them, then read the ones Luuk has been recommending, and the rest of the Series of Unfortunate Events, a book about Epic narratives, more Alexander McCall Smith and a few other authors I’ve been recommended.

Play scrabble on facebook. And poker. And get rid of any applications (perhaps including scrabble and poker) that I don’t like or use.

Write stories, articles, etc. and submit to the Readers Digest.

Write some of my own novel.

Walk a lot.

Do some research into how to shop, live and consume more morally, or socially aware, or something… as in, find out how much of the world is owned by nestle and the like, then boycott it.

Play tennis weekly (perhaps not over christmas holiday… there will, however, be body surfing at raglan.)

Do a Wasgij (luuk bought 2 but one gets the desire out of your system.)

Do some work for Bright Hope World

Photo albums – print photos, sort albums.

Sign and return lease to landlord.

Scan photos into computer and add to family genealogies database.

Spend many mornings, afternoons and evenings with Andrea, Hannah, and their respective male accomplices… and generally see other people who I mean to but rarely do.

Make my own hot chocolate mix.

Do a week vegetarian.

Walk.

Have a retreat day. Or two. Perhaps in a monastery.

Do a beginner Dutch language course (probably a computer based one).

Sort out my iPod.

Photograph our worldly goods for insurance purposes.

Back up our photos onto cd and/or internet.

Clean around the wet-back stove that doesn’t work. I’m afraid. There were once mice. Now there live greenbags and beer bottles, trays and much dust… but it hasn’t been cleaned in… oh I don’t think I’ve ever done it. Which means a while.

Bike, rollerblade and swim with Luuk.

Do another overnight tramp.

Sew myself some long skirts and adjust items I have but rarely wear.

Practice the Piano – so far I can play My Heart Will Go On, Elton John’s Nikita and yesterday I learned the treble clef for Good King Wenceslas. The Bass was scary-looking and my noble effort was brief.

Drink more green tea than coffee.

Go to Fat Freddy’s. Apparently I’ll love it.

Spoil Luuk with a big surprise I can say no more about here.

Get my hands on While you were sleeping, Little woman, The sound of music and Anne of Green Gables to further Luuk’s education into my soul.

End List

That should keep me entertained. I might also look into volunteer work, though there is a certain appeal to paid work… I think they call it money. Can’t be sure. We shall see.

Luuk should be home soon – is biking back from friends. I spent the evening at other friends discussing possibilities and ideas for sharing our passions for the poor with the rest of our church, and how to reconcile living in a wealthy country with those same values and passions. Very interesting and encouraging.

He’s home, gorgeous man.

Signing off.

Amy Paulussen

I am getting very slack at posting, even when I have something… A couple of weeks ago I finally got the pin removed from my finger, and in honour of the occasion Andrea wrote the following poem:

Ode to the Pin

Farewell dear pin, my faithful friend
I’m sad to say this is the end
No more your friendly steel will linger
Impaled into my injured finger
No longer will we sit and chat
Swapping tales of this and that
No more will I awake each morn
To see you, little shiny thorn:
Oh pin! Though sad to see you go
have to say, it’s better so:
Though losing you will have its cost
‘Tis better to have loved and lost …

Now for the gory part… Before, After and now photos… 🙂

We went away to church camp at Mt. Hutt Retreat this weekend. What follows contains an important safety message… – Bike helmets are very important when performing large jumps…

Luckily the only serious injury was a break in the tip of my little finger. The rest was only minor scrapes and bruises and a few sore muscles in my shoulders. No concussion either, as far as I can tell .

So kids, when you’re doing big jumps… Wear your helmet! (Or somebody else’s helmet). Oh, and keep the front of the bike up!

** UPDATE *

Spent most of Monday afternoon till nearly 11pm at night at the hospital getting my finger fixed.  It now has a wire sticking out of it, a few stitches and a glued on fingernail.

Well, it’s been a while. Sorry about that. We have been busy. Amy has just finished her 5th week of teaching practice with a couple more to go and I have been devoting many evenings to attempting to edit our wedding video with some help from Amy as well. Since we finished that about a week ago, I have been trying to export the results to various different formats. The DVD ISOs are done and we got the blank DVDs today so we will be burning a number of copies and sending them out to Family and Friends who couldn’t be there. If you really want a DVD set and you don’t think you’ll be getting one anyway, let me know and I’ll see what I can do. If you just can’t wait though, or really want to see it, you can download them right here! All the clips are at 320×240 resolution encoded in either wmv or xvid. Right click on the links and save to download.

• Preparations: Footage from the morning before the wedding. 26:15
  AVI 96.1MB, WMV 63.3MB
• Ceremony: The main event 48:44
  AVI 179MB, WMV 117MB
• After: After the ceremony – cake cutting, group photos, people milling around 11:05
  AVI 38.1MB, WMV 20.7MB
• Photos: Probably boring video of us getting our photos taken 5:33
  AVI 18.6MB, WMV 13.4MB
• Reception: Lots of speeches followed by us dancing and later leaving 1:07:24
  AVI 247MB, WMV 162MB