Big Girl Steps

The first couple of days in Auckland have been marked by responsible life decisions.
The thing is, this isn't just vacation. We have to set up our lives here. One by one we must dig our roots and set things in motion for our time here. So below you will find the practical, and also insane, things we have done to secure our new lives here.

Number one.
Cell phone. The simple switch from iPhone to Nokia has proved to be an adjustment. Predictive texts? Morgan had to teach me how to lock the phone!
But it's lovely. We walked into Vodafone our second day here and began a twelve month contract. Our plan is the most simple we could find out there with 150 minutes and 1,000 texts. At the moment that seems like more then enough seeing as how we have two contacts. The first, our two Danish friends traveling NZ until the first of May. The second, our friend Davey, one of the first J1'ers to Rira Atlanta. He lives in Matamata, otherwise known as Hobbiton, the location of the Hobbit shooting. (the film, not some freak massacre of Hobbits). Anyways, our bill is a whopping thirty dollars a month and we are delighted to receive texts, only one as of present, and make phone calls when needed.

Number two.
We have applied for an IRD number. This will grant us opportunity to work here for the year. Fill out the form, make copies of two forms of identity as well as our visa, and send it in. Boom, sorted.

Number three.
Joint bank account. To avoid international charges we have opened an account with the Bank of New Zealand. Here we will put equal amounts of money in for shared expenses such as cell phone bill, gas, and the occasional sky dive, scuba dive, or zorbing adventure... You'll have to look that one up yourselves.

Number four.
We have indeed purchased a nineteen ninety five Nissan Serena FX Rico. It's got 236,935 kilometers on it or 147,224 miles. The back seats have been replaced with an elevated full size bed. Underneath the bed will soon hold all of our belongings. Our camping equipment, clothing, trinkets, and my high and low pack. Don't freak out everyone it's an atoumatic. We got the oil changed dad! And we had a full check up. It needed a new radiator cap and the cooling system needed to be flushed. Pictures will follow.
So this is our new home and our new life beginning to take shape.

I've been learning how to appreciate the very present moment. I have many good things to say about Morgan but I have to say that she teaches me how to live one moment at a time.
We took a 5 or 6 mile walk to a nearby beach yesterday and during the walk I admitted that I need to stop worrying about our next move all of the time. We chose this country because of its very nature. It's a young country and it's constantly changing. Mountains form before our eyes, lakes swell and sink like heartbeats, and the weather changes in a flash. The land itself is telling us to be present because it all may change suddenly.
It's a matter of trust really. I am learning to trust my best friend in a very new way. We are learning to trust that everything we need will come to us, so long as we are able to receive it. We are trusting that our journey will unfold before us as we openly take our steps.

So this is our brand new life here. We've got each other and we've got a few gadgets.
Adventures to follow.