Nelson, New Zealand Right now I am sitting at the computer in the home of Steve and Diane where we had a lovely meal and a great visit. Steve and Diane are good friends of Dan and Cathy, and Anna is a good friend of Jesika's. It is amazingly beautiful here...we strolled in the ocean today...temperature is great...not too hot and not too cold...too cold for Tamara and just right for Gloria. This is an amazingly beautiful country. We took the ferry over from Wellington to Picton on the South Island. The ferry ride was wonderful...it is hard to find the words to describe what it is like here...you have to be here to experience the beauty of this country. The drive from Picton to Richmond, where Pat and Anna live, was breathtaking and also more sharp curves than I could handle...I told God that I would never complain again about the straight road from Saskatoon to Calgary with its two curves and one tree...but my gravol worked and I was able to keep my lunch in my stomach. We have stayed with Anna and Pat...there first overnight guests since they were married 6 weeks ago...they took us to church on Sunday and then showed us around the area...they took us to her grandfather's place on the ocean where they were married 6 weeks ago...unbelievable to think that people have this beauty around them all the time. Today we took time to wash our clothes and do a bit of shopping in the neat shops here where all there summer clothes are on sale as they are heading into Fall...great time for us to stock up for summer in Saskatoon. We are heading down the west coast of the South Island tomorrow and hope to head down to the Franz Joseph Glacier and town...and then head down to Queenstown...for those of you who would like to follow us on the map. On the North Island we went from Auckland to Taranga to Rotorua to Matata to Waitomo Caves to New Plymouth to Wellington and then across to Picton, South Island. We did numerous stops along the way...we stopped in little towns that were exactly like Morden, Manitoba, 35 years ago...some of the stores I went in had nothing that was newer than the 70's...very interesting...great fun...like I said this country is amazing and the people we have connected with are just as amazing...the best part of travelling here has been the people we have connected with. Off to Queenstown we go...
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by Gloria Reimer | 2:30 AM
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| Friday, March 04, 2005
Wellington, NZ We spent the night in Wellington at Kate and Jamie, Anna's sister, as we were unable to find a room in Wellington. This was far better and they gave us a great tour of the city this morning. We have not had access to a computer so hence the absence of blogging. We are heading over Cook Strait this afternoon and will spend the next few days in Nelson on the South Island. We will be staying with Anna and Pat...we are looking forward to that. I will bring my blog up to speed when I am there as we hope to relax on the beach for a few days. The travelling through New Zealand has been absolutely amazing, it is hard to believe that one small island could be so beautiful. The South Island is to be very different...slower and more rural...so far it has been a great journey with few mishaps...like driving on the wrong side of the road...and only a few tiffs over where and what to eat. We are off to the ferry...we set us back $500.00 for a return trip...nothing is cheap here...but we are doing fine.
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by Gloria Reimer | 6:53 PM
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| Sunday, February 27, 2005
Tauranga, New Zealand We had to hastly write our last blog because we only had 2 minutes.
We were very pleased with Qantus Airlines which we have adopted as our own "Menno" Airlines. Menno Airlines was gracious enough to provide us with a gift of free goodies and most importantly ice cream treat for dessert (Milky Way)! Our flight was long but in the end wasn't nearly as bad as we anticipated.
We have been under the hospitality of Jenny and Howard Scott, Cam's parents, which is absolutely awesome! They live in the country in the Bay of Plenty area which is absolutely amazing. There is no doubt that this country is beautiful in its own beauty. It is hard to describe the steep rolling hills on which sheep graze and kiwi vineyards are side by side. The roads are one sharp curve after another and I am well into my gravol supply. The straightest road would only go as far as the length of a football field. Jerry drove for the first time today - steering wheel on the right side of the car - and driving on the left side of the road - with round abouts or driving circles at nearly every intersection - or so it seems.
The Scott's are amazing people and have been so kind as to make feel part of their family, so much so, that Howard, Tracy and I had some animated discussion which ranged from democracy to theology - it was wonderful and stretching - loved every moment of it. Jenny made an amazing lamb roast for us with all the trimmings - a wonderful home cooked meal - which was wonderful for Tamara.
We went into the City of Tauranga today and walked around some of the neat shops. We then walked around Mount Maunganui which looks out over the Bay of Plenty. There is nothing like the ocean, the sound of the waves, the smell and the breeze coming off the water. It was breathtaking beauty as we walked along the shoreline. Tracy, Cam's wife, was our guide today and was Jerry's driving instructor as he drove here for the first time. The speed limit is 100 km/hr but if you travelled at that speed you'd lose all 4 tires around most of the curves.
We will stay here until Wednesday morning and then head for Waitoma Caves and then make our way down to New Plymouth to see the Egmont National Park. We booked our ferry which leaves from Wellington on Saturday to head over to Nelson on the South Island.
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by Gloria Reimer | 11:21 PM
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| Saturday, February 26, 2005
arrived we have arrived and tamara is here with us. We are waiting for Cam to pick us up. The sun is shining and the weather looks great. We had a great time in Vancouver with Dwight and Joanne. Our flights were good but long. We are heading out toTauranga where Cam lives. So until the next time
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by Gloria Reimer | 1:52 PM
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| Thursday, February 24, 2005
Heather Just a short update on Heather...hopefully she will be able to come home from the hospital today...her and Greg have worked out a plan to manage her pain...she is anxious to get home...I don't blame her. Continue to pray for healing and her strength to renew. She can breathe which is what this surgery was all about. It is amazing what our medical profession can do...God uses everything to heal. Thanks for your prayers. God is good.
New Zealand Today we begin our journey to "up over" so they tell me. Our bags are getting packed and clothes are remaining home as there is "no room in the suitcase". My gravol and anacin are packed!! All is well!!!
We fly to Vancouver this evening where Joanne and Dwight we meet us. We will spend the evening together which will be awesome. We then fly to Los Angeles tomorrow and from there to Auckland. We arrive in Auckland on February 27th at 6:00 am New Zealand time...that is some time on February 26th our time. I think the time change is about 18 or 19 hours...not sure. Tamara arrives at 12:30 pm...our friend Cam will pick us up and we will head to Tauranga...where he lives. Hopefully we will be able to blog from the airport in Auckland as we wait for Tamara to arrive. New Zealand will never be the same again!!!
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by Gloria Reimer | 9:19 AM
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| Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Heather's Surgery Successful... I talked to my sister Doris at 3:00pm this afternoon and Heather's surgery was completed and according to Dr. Graham had gone well...she will be in recovery for 3 hours and then moved to a room...we are so grateful...hopefully she will return to health and strength quickly...she has 12 weeks of no lifting and recovery ahead of her, but she should be up and running by June.
Surgery...Prayer for Heather My niece Heather is undergoing major surgery this morning in Calgary...complicated...working with her heart and lung...pray for steady hands for the surgeons...wisdom for wise decisions...that her body will be strong and will heal quickly...strength for her family around her. Psalms 121 says "The Lord Himself watches over us..."what a wonderful promise for today as Heather is on the operating table, knowing that the Lord is there in all His fullness and greatness, guiding and directing.
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by Gloria Reimer | 9:01 AM
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| Saturday, February 12, 2005
What am I learning... This is a phrase or question that I regularly pose to people that I meet with. I am also asking myself that question and it is amazing what I am learning or not learning!!!
Relationships...sometimes I wish they won't so much work and that they happened automatically...wishful thinking! Back again to my 35+ year relationship with Jerry...you'd think we'd have it all together by now! We are heading out to a romantic Valentine's dinner at 6:00 pm and at 5:45 pm another misunderstanding and another huge learning curve for both of us. The best part is that we were required to talk to each other as we were served in our intimate Valentine's dinner atmosphere as there was no one else to talk to. I mentioned a few days ago that I hoped we would never stop learning, however, I am finding that the learning is not always to my liking. Jerry is an amazing husband and he treats me like a queen, but I often take that for granted and don't tell him often enough how much that means to me and how much I appreciate him. I can get so caught up in the ideas going on in my head that I do not appreciate the wonderful reality around me. I need to be reminded daily to be intentional and show or tell those who are dear to me, how much they do mean to me and how much I do care.
As a final note...this was the saying that made up part of the table centre at our Valentine's dinner...Jerry thought it was quite funny..."Her lips suck forth my soul" by Christopher Marlowe.
Who
Am I?
You have found the personal weblog of Gloria Reimer.
Noted theologian, cultural observer and captain of the 1972
Team Canada hockey team. Actually, I am married to
Jerry, and am parents to Tamara, Matt, and his wife Jesika.
Jerry and I live in wonderful Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan,
Canada. During
the day you can find me serving at Lakeview
Church where I help people identify their spirtual gifts
and then find a place for them to serve. If you want
to track me down, you can always e-mail me at me.
