Today was a day in the life of the Ngāti Manawa people. We got out from the hotel early and headed by bus to learn about all aspects of life of the Ngāti Manawa Māori. We had a very energetic young gal as our guide. She started out by giving us her “pepeha.” A “pepeha” […]
Author: Sandy
Day 4 – Hamilton Gardens & The Kiwi Encounter Conservation Project (18 Sept 2023)
We put our bags outside our door at 7:00 a.m. to be taken to the bus, and after another delicious breakfast at the VOCO, we were off on the road again. We had a few stops along the way – the visitor’s center below in the town of Tirau was pretty classic. Everyone (but me […]
Day 3 – Waiheki Island (17 Sept 2023)
This morning was my first breakfast at the VOCO. It was really great! A special “barista,” everything from hot food to small pastries to fruit to (YUM!) local ancient grain and sourdough bread (they even have my secret passion – Vegemite)! The hotel is well located, though in the middle of a very steep hill! […]
Day 2 – Sugoi! (16 Sept 2023 – Happy Anniversary)
I learned a new Japanese word today – Sugoi. One of the women on our trip, Yoshiko, used it when I told her I was getting up at 6:00 a.m. to go row with the North Shore Rowing Club Masters, the “Tyred Swans.” She told me it meant “Brave” but in looking it up on […]
Day 1- or is it 2? (13 Sept U.S. – 15 Sept NZ, 2023)
Melissa is back! First of all, can I say that I *hate* the new WordPress. I can’t figure out for the life of me how to wrap text, insert photos, etc. It used to be SO EASY. Hopefully I will get the bandwidth at some point to figure out how to do this correctly . […]
2023 New Zealand!
Yep – I’m back. I know. I know. It’s been a while. That’s okay – I mainly just write for myself. Short story? A friend who lost her husband suddenly a few months back asked me to go with her on a trip. She and her husband have done just shy of 30 trips via […]
Insurance, Hospice, & The Universe Balancing The Books
I thought I’d update the blog with a little bit of what I’m experiencing here in “my husband is dying” land. Hospice. Our insurance (Kaiser) pays for Hospice 100%. Hospice’s “gating requirement” is that the patient has been given less than 6 months to live. So, in actual fact, we could have called in Hospice […]
Our Wedding (a/k/a The Best Wedding Ever)
With my husband sick (dying) with Stage 4 Cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic, I got to thinking back to our wedding oh so many moons ago. I only had one copy of the DVD from the wedding, but the amazing Joe Kenemore and Pat Roth of Cache Mediaworks were kind enough to put it into […]
Gyms & COVID-19
We have to close our gym! What can we do about our lease obligations? What about income? 1. Quickly consider alternative/home-based workouts. Sometimes necessity has to be the mother of invention. Consider setting up a “virtual gym” for your members who may also be stuck at home because of school closings, work closings, etc. If […]
5k Training Tips for Beginning Runners on a Busy Schedule by Julie Morris
We’re lucky enough to have another post by Coach Julie! You may remember our first post by Coach Julie on Stress Management, which you can re-read HERE. Today, she’s talking training tips to get you on the road to your first 5k! Running is a fantastic way to keep in shape, but it can be […]