Pregnancy update (by Mindy)

We had a visit with the midwife this morning and everything is going great. We heard the heartbeat again and were both amazed at how much louder and stronger it sounded this time. We have our next sonogram scheduled for Feb. 14--but we won't be finding out the sex! I have started feeling Pickle flutter around in there some, too. It has been wonderful having Brandon home while I've been off on summer break. We've had so much fun watching my tummy grow and picking out baby stuff. Yes, my tummy is getting on out there. We didn't realize how much until we compared a 7 week picture we'd taken with a 15 week picture--It was SCARY! I am now 17 weeks and I think if we compared me now to 15 weeks we would see a big difference, too. I think that's all of the exciting stuff. We will post a sonogram picture as soon as we get one!

Iced tea...ahhh (by mindy)

I almost feel like writing an ode to iced tea. I had forgotten what a wonderful, refreshing elixir of the God's that is tea. If you have read Brandon's blog below you know that we just about died from the heat today. We finally baled on the oven that is our house and found refuge in the air conditioned mall where we bought fans and bags of ice. My brilliant husband had the idea of making iced tea when we returned home. As soon as the cool drink hit my lips I was instantly at ease. Why these crazy people drink hot tea is beyond me. Sipping iced tea while wiping our brows soon had us reminiscing of days in Texas (and also wishing for a porch swing, a fan, and a beautiful West Texas Sunset). By the time the tea was finished I had a grocery list for what I needed to make chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, and fried okra and of course more iced tea. I can't wait for dinner tomorrow! Oh, and I also had a water ring on my shirt. Brandon noticed it and at first we were puzzled as to what it was and how it got there--Lately I'm coming up with all kinds of unexplainable stains on my shirts in the stomach area. But we finally realized what it was, actually Brandon caught me in the act. Sigh...it seems that my stomach is now protruding enough to make a nice little table for me to sit my drink on...and not even realize it.

It's Damn Hot

It's hot, damn hot. Actually the thermometer says it is only 81F, but I would swear it were at least 10F degrees hotter than that. It must be the humidity, which is stifling.

To make matters worse, there is no AC in any houses here. Mindy and I have considered taking refuge in malls, libraries or other public buildings or in our car during the afternoons, but so far have managed only to lay half- (or fully-) naked in front of our one working fan. We have already burned the motors out of three fans this summer.

I don't know why Kiwis don't have AC or heat (not now!) in their houses. A nice 3/2 house here would cost you almost USD$300,000. For that, you don't even get to be cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Not long ago (during winter) we were taking refuge in public places during the day because of the cold. Now, it is the heat. I long for the days in America when I was never more than 5 quick steps from an air-conditioned structure.

Bye for now -- we are going in search of fans, ice, and AC somewhere.

WE'RE COMING HOME!!!!

We're coming home March 29 for a couple of weeks!!! So clear your schedules so we can see you all!!!

PICTURES!!

We FINALLY got the pictures to work so here they are!

Home Again (by Mindy)

We made it home safe and sound. We did enjoy our last couple of days. They had trams similar to those in San Fran so we got a day pass. We rode around and were told all the hot spots to hit. One of which was a Fudge Factory where we were told you could taste all 18 flavors before buying. Well, of course we headed straight there. After tasting several flavors we were told about a tour of the factory that was taking place that afternoon. We signed up and were told to skip lunch or we wouldn't have enough room for everything we would get to taste! When we returned at the set time we were told by the tour guide to pace ourselves so we didn't get sick and to take all the pictures we wanted. Brandon and I looked at each other because this was very different from the Cadbury tour we had taken. They locked up our cameras and bags, gave us one sample bag a piece (actually Brandon got me two on account of being pregnant!) and then took us to their store to purchase what ever chocolate we wanted. This "factory" was a 2 room workshop. One that held the equipment and the other where about 4-5 people work. They had one vat that made a dining table amount of fudge every 1.5 hours. Our tour was set to see them finishing off the hokey-pokey fudge they were making. While the tour guide described the process of how they made the fudge a lady would come around with fudge samples and a couple of other sweets they made there, too. It took about an hour and I certainly had a sugar high when we left. I read that pickle can taste the amniotic fluid and favors sweet, so he ought to have been VERY happy! We checked into our hotel that had a BATH TUB!!!! and then went and rode a Gondola that went up into the mountains and gave a beautiful view of Christchurch. We ate that night at a very interesting place called Sophies Steak house. I had a ribeye with nachos on top of it--a pregnant woman's dream :) On a side note I have deleloped a craving for garlic which is so strange since I previously didn't even like it. Brandon got some type of ginormous bacon burger. We went back the next day for half priced breakfast Tuesday.

We are going through the pictures and will post them ASAP!

The Most Beautiful Place on Earth

We have now seen the most beautiful place on the earth. It is Milford Sound in Fiordland, New Zealand. Mindy tells me that I have been misspelling Fiordland as "Fjordland." I have! I rarely misspell things and I have consistently misspelled "Fjordland." ... Nevermind! I just looked on dictionary.com and both fjord or fiord is correct. So, I am right again.

Milford Sound is the northernmost of 14 fjords in southern New Zealand. The rest are not accessible by road. There are several multi-day "walks" (hikes really, but they are called Walks here) that access some of the others, but they are mainly only accessible by sea.

Anyway ... Milford Sound is really just an inlet with super steep rock mountains that plunge into the sea. There are many waterfalls feeding the Sound. We took a 2-hour cruise from the end of the fjord (mistakenly called a sound by Captain Cook) to the sea and back, which was easily the most amazing thing I have ever done. My eyes and brain hurt from trying to take in all the majesty.

We were lucky enough to see a whole huge pod of Dusky Dolphins and some really funny fur seals.

After the cruise, we drove and drove and drove to Dunedin on the eastern side of the island. The scenery was pretty but mundane -- just rolling green hills and tones of sheep and stag. It was a nice break from the stark, overwhelming beauty of the Sound.

We arrived at Dunedin late, bought some groceries and checked into a holiday park. We have learned to look for "holiday parks" rather than "motor camps" because motor camps are scary and tend to serve as permanent or semi-permanent residences for the downtrodden rather than just overnight camps for holiday-goers.

This morning we went on a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. Cadbury is the BEST chocolate in the World and we found out why. Apparently it has to do with the quality of the full cream milk from the Otago Region in New Zealand. Unfortunately, the factory was closed for the holidays from December 22 to January 15, so we didn't get to see the factory, but did see some really cool stuff and got some free chocolate.

Tomorrow we go to the Otago Peninsula to see the only permanent albatross colony in the world and to see some yellow-eyed penguins and more fur seals.

Cheers!

Survived the Glacier

We survived the Franz Josef Glacier hike. It was amazing! The turquoise blue of the glacial ice and the brown of the terminal moraine were really cool together. The crevices, sheer drop-offs, etc, etc.



We are now in the most amazing place I have EVER seen. Like most of the South Island, the scale is indescribable, but it is even more expansive here. It is called Milford Sound and is in Fjordland, New Zealand. There is really nothing here except for unspoiled beauty and SLOW internet.

We are going on a cruise of the Sound tomorrow and will blog more when we find faster, cheaper internet. We do have pictures (none of which really does justice to what we have seen), but are having trouble finding a place to upload them. I have provided some links above though.

From Bad to Weird (by Mindy)

Last time on "The Logan's Summer Vacation":

We were lost on the sheer side of the mountain--"Ahhhhhh"
"Brandon? BRANDON!!! Dear God save my husband! I'm too young to be a widow and we have a baby on the way! HELP! Please Help! Fine, I'll save him myself!" I clambered down and finally caught his shirt collar and heaved him to safety. We embraced.
"OH, I thought I'd lost you for ever. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Hon, do you think you might've gotten off the trail?" He heads back up to retrace the trail and soon returns. Slipping and falling again.
"Brandon! Bran...hahahahahahah....AHHH!" I got so tickled I slipped. We made our way down and out through the skin tearing brambles.
"Oh, Honey your bleeding!" We finally make it back to the car to find it stuck.
"I was afraid that was going to happen. I think I can rock the damn thing out, though." Then some man appears by Brandon's window.
"Hang on there mate and I'll pull you out!" CRASH, SCRAPE, BANG!!!!
"Oops, I was looking out the other side. Didn't see that car. I'll just untie you and we can get the hell out of here before anyone notices."
"No," Says Brandon his arm around my shoulder, "My wife and I were raised in the land of Honest Abe and George Washington and the Cherry tree. We can tell no lies!" So with an apologetic note, we left the carnage behind and headed out to a better afternoon.
(The above, though based on true facts, was dramatized...just a little)

We headed to Abel Tasman--the land of gold beaches and crystal clear blue water. It was absolutely breathtaking. We went to the trail the lady at the I-station had suggested. Why we were still following her suggestions, I'm not sure. We hiked down a short trail and came out to the beach. The trail was supposed to go by the beach and then back up the mountain to a lookout point. We decided the trail went left and crossed through a rock outcropping. I was looking out at the incredibly clear, blue water speckled with dark boulders trying to decide if I should go jump in right then or wait until we made our way back when I heard, "Um, Hon, do you think we're on the right trail?" Well, my mind went back a few hours to the last time he suggested my trail following ability might be less than par and was about to turn around and give some smart answer when something large and white caught my eye. I look again and see a very portly woman lying in the sand. My first thought was, "My Gosh, is she wearing a speedo? Why on earth would she go out in a speedo?" And then I began looking for traces of it sticking out somewhere when I realize she is topless. Just like I can never look away from a car wreck, my eyes drifted south to confirm she was indeed nude. I am about to turn to get Brandon's attention about this when I realize a few yards from her is a naked person lying on her stomach--Nope, she rolled over and it was all man just lying there in front of God and everyone. My mind is now racing and I can't get anything out of my mouth as my eyes run up and down the beach over one naked person after another. Brandon grabs my hand and whisper, "shhhh, just keep walking." Well, I finally focus on Brandon and he is about blue from trying not to laugh at me. Just then 3 girls bounced by to the water and man soon bobbled along behind. We finally made it through the Nudey part and got to some people wearing clothes. I was sure glad we hadn't stopped at the beach we passed earlier called TaTa beach! We did make it to the point, but I have no idea what we saw I was still in shock. We made it back to the car and had a good laugh about our crazy day. I pulled out a water bottle and was getting a drink when the popcap suddenly closed on my lip! I had to get it back open, but a huge chunk of my lip was missing. It bled so much that I had to get a tissue and hold on it. So with a fat lip, a wrecked van, and a more pictures in our mind than we knew what to do with we called it a night. The day did end nicely. We walked into town and got a couple of Kababs and picnicked in a beautiful rose garden.

Yesterday we signed up for a guided kayak tour. It was nice, but we decided kayaking really wasn't for us. Brandon thought there was too much sun involved and I just got plain bored after about 10 minutes. I guess I need rapids :) Today we are heading to Franz Josef, which is a glacier. I am really excited about taking a tour that hikes all through it. We are going to have to go visit with the guides and make sure it safe for a pregnant lady to do the one I want to do. Don't worry it has no zip-lining, bungying, or anything crazy like that. We just aren't sure what is involved in glacier hiking!

It Gets Better from Here, Right?

We had one Hell of a day. I have been having trouble getting into the swing of things anyway and today has either ruined me or shaken me loose. I haven't decided which.

Rather than take a "guided trip" into the Abel Tasman National Park, we decided to get the lay of the land on our own. After some false starts, we found an I-Station -- wonderful places for tourist information. We were recommended to go to a certain reserve for tramping. It was represented to be high in difficult and somewhat trecherous. So Mindy was in. When we were readying in the parking lot my backpack broke (I have only used this damn thing like 5 times). We should have left then.

We hiked down what looked like a road. This was confirmed when we were passed by a truck, which was going about its ranching duties. We noticed very faint numbered trails off of this road, but ignored them until the raod turned into a field with no way out. We backtracked to a numbered trail. It was pretty bushy and straight up hill. The trail ended at a sheer rock face. Come to find out, the park is a rock climbing area. High degree of difficulty? Yeah, straight up! Unlike others, we were not equiped so we headed back down on a trail which I can only imagine is used by birds and insects only. After slipping down the steep mud face (I fell twice in the same exact place and almost rolled down the hill), we had to hack through 20 feet of brambles to get back to the "road" trail.

I had noticed that I had parked on a slight down grade on grass and was concerned I would have difficulty backing on the slick grass. When we tried to leave, the back tires spun out. I was not too concerned because I figured I could get out by rocking back and forth like I have before. But a local in the parking lot was concerned -- I think it was the American-accented cussing and obvious rental vehicle. He offered to "help." He tied on for what I thought would be a slight tug to get me on solid ground. Per our agreement, I was in neutral (this becomes important in a second). He gasses it and pulls us way out of harms way and into a parked BMW. My foot was through the floor braking, but he was damned determined to keep towing. The smash was pretty good. He embarressedly got of his truck, explaining that he was watching the other side. Well, duh!

He was pretty skittish and wanted to do a runner. Mindy and I wanted to do the right thing, so we left our contact details and a short explaination like this -- "Sorry we were towed into your car by a good Samaritan who was helping us get unstuck." If any lawyer friends are reading this, is this a law school exam question or what.

We are out of time. More later.

Safe Passage to Christchurch

We arrived safely in Christchurch early this afternoon. Christchurch is a quaint city of 350,000 and is the largest city on the South Island. It has a historic feel to it -- especially the churches, which are beautiful old stone buildings.

We picked up our little campervan and had a nice long talk with the attendant at the rental center, which he and his wife run. After a short break for orientation and refreshments, we were off. We picked North almost at random and pointed the blunt end of the tin cracker box in that direction.

The roadside scenery from the front seat of the van was breathtaking. It contrasts starkly with the scenery around Auckland and up North. Mindy and I were both reminded of the roadtrips we took around central California while staying with Ashley and Joey. Christchurch and surrounds lie in a flat yellow plain within sight, but not close, to the Southern Alps. Our trip took us as far as Hamner Springs, where we found a "holiday park" and this internet terminal.

It is 8pm, but still very light. It seems that the days are MUCH longer down here. We have been told that on the southern part of the South Island sunset is as late as 11pm and sunrise as early as 5am. Here in the central north of the South Island it is more like 9pm and 6am.

Donna will be glad to know that there are hedgerows down here too. In fact they are either taller (maybe like 100 feet!) and more impressive or they seem so because the flora is more sparse.

The weather so far has been much colder than in Auckland. I have not seen a forecast but we arrived in Christchurch to a high of 11C, as opposed to 21C in Auckland. I may sleep in the campervan with Mindy after all :)

Two Weeks in a Tuna Can with My Pregnant Wife

Guys, Mindy and I are headed out tomorrow for a "holiday" on the South Island of New Zealand. We are doing this "babymoon" on the cheap. We are flying to Christchurch, where we are renting a campervan, which will serve as our residence for 13 (should I be worried about the number?) days.



Mindy is already generating enough heat to power Seuss' Who Village for a fortnight. I am worried about her melting the interior of the campervan, so I sprung for the insurance. Me? I will be sleeping on the roof.

Internet in Auckland is a joke. I can't even imagine what it will be like on the sparsely-populated South Island. So, this probably means no updates or photos until we return.

For the geographically-challenged among you, here is a map of New Zealand for reference. Don't feel bad. I noticed that the World Map in the Auckland Airport doesn't even have New Zealand on it. Apparently we are in "the crease." After all, the whole country (both islands) is a third the size of Texas.

Happy New Year!

It's been 2007 for 13 hours here and it is looking pretty nice. We had a nice shower this morning and now it's sunny and about 75 degrees. Hope the New Year finds you all well!