Sunday Picnics and Riccarton Bush

Our friends Aneta and Mishko along with our friend Brenda and colleague John Bray met up for a Sunday BBQ of chicken, beef, lamb and lots of great veggies and fresh lemonade from Aneta's tree.  It was a great way to end our Sabbath after attending our LDS ward that afternoon.  It's so great to be able to go almost anywhere in the world and find a ward and go to church and have it be the same as home, same lessons, same spirit, different people.  

John was surprised at the amount of Lamb chops Alyssa could eat and decided to never invite her to a BBQ again because that meant his number would greatly decrease.  These girls are Lamb lovers now... and not just the furry kind.  HA!!

Brady had me drive back home to practice my driving.  It takes so much concentration to drive on the other side.  After decades of driving one way, it's so hard to switch your mind to the other way of thinking.  It's terrifying!!

After a weekend of no school.... it was back to work!  We took a break on Monday and went back to our favorite across the street spot, Ilam Gardens.  It was super fun to find this tree with all these Cicada carcasses on it.  We pulled a few off and examined them.  A true science lesson stumbled upon.  When we got back home, we had to look up lots of info and videos on YouTube about a cicadas life cycle.  Very interesting after seeing it's shell.

Monday night we went to see the gated off portion of Riccarton Bush.  This was the park with the Farmer's Market, but part of the park is gated off to keep pests and predators out as a way to protect this very old forest.

Riccarton House & Bush is a unique New Zealand heritage site consisting of two historic buildings, flanked by beautiful open parkland and ornate gardens, bordered by the River Avon and set against extensive native bush forest featuring Kahikatea trees up to 600 years old. 

The trees in this place were amazing.  Their roots were all over the place and exposed.  The roots grew up like vines in the trees.  

Some amazing roots!!

It was a fine Monday evening walk!!

Online High School Do's and Don'ts.....

So, Kayla has been sequestered to the Cox Academy for her Spring Semester Freshman year.  She is taking English 1B, Geometry 1B, Biology 1B, World Geography 1B, and Digital Interactive Media B through Texas Tech University High School.  The B meaning the second semester in all of that.  She was in Pre-AP English and Pre-AP Biology, but they weren't offered at the online HS and her High School isn't taking these classes for a grade, just for credit, so it didn't matter.  Actually, her grades don't even count, which is a bummer.  All she has to do is pass with a 70 and she gets "credit" for these 5 half semester classes.  A pretty expensive way to get 2 1/2 credits towards the 26 needed to graduate.  

I'll start with the DON'TS....

JUST DON'T DO IT!!.... EVER!!!!

Especially for a social butterfly like Kayla.  This has been pure torture.  And not just for her.  It is pure tortuous for Dad and I as well.  Home is a dungeon or teenage hell for this kid.  She needs students, teachers, classrooms, PEOPLE to be happy.  This is my kid that LOVES school!  This is not her cup of tea, not her learning style.

I feel very bad and sorry for her.... but sometimes in life we just have to learn to do hard things.  We have to learn to do things that aren't what we'd choose.  We have to learn to do things that make us uncomfortable and maybe even unhappy for a while.  It's a life lesson to learn to do something ANYWAYS, even if we don't want to or like to.  So, as much as we are all hating this... I believe it will be a good learning experience for her... that has nothing to do with English, Biology, World Geography, Geometry, or DIM, and nothing to do with New Zealand either.  Just a life lesson in doing what is hard and uncomfortable.  

And the Do's.....

There aren't any  :)

The New Zealand Flag

Alyssa brought home a book from the school library about New Zealand.  She was so excited to share it with us after she read about the New Zealand flag.  Here is what the book said about the NZ flag.

New Zealand's flag has a dark blue background.  The Union Jack -the British flag- is in the upper left quarter.  It reminds New Zealanders of their connection to Great Britain.  On the right side of the flag are four red stars outlined in white.  The stars are in the shape of the constellation called Southern Cross.  Only people south of the equator can see this constellation.

We found this explanation so exciting and coincidental because we live on Southern Cross Drive!!

We are all getting very excited and nervous.  I have just been planning a 10 day trip around the southern part of the South Island for when we arrive.  We will visit Greymouth, Fox and Franz Glaicers, Wanaka, Queenstown, Invercargill, Dunedin, and lots more National Parks in between.  They call this area of the South Island the Southern Alps.  We are in for a real treat with all the beautiful mountain ranges.