Change is good, because I said so!

Well, the fun and games of our initial arrival have ended, and real life has set in. The kids got their fill of playing with Oliver and Belle (Ollie is in the photo), watching endless hours of rugby and the Tour de France, and enjoying feast after feast with our friends Rick and Lynn Vandertie in Papanui. But now we have moved to our temporary residence in the rural bedroom town of Rolleston, the kids have started school, and there is no TV and no dogs to play with, so things aren't quite as grand. On the bright side, Sydney's class is going on a ski trip to Mt. Hutt on Friday, Galen was able to sign up for the local under 11 rugby team, and Felicia has been able to navigate herself around Christchurch without getting lost, so there has been a bright side of things. I was going to put a photo of Sydney in her school kilt on here, but she would surely hate me forever if I did.
Work at the clinic is quite smooth so that bodes well for my year down under, and we are busy planning our multiple trips around the island in an effort to see as much as we can in the next year. We are really looking forward to having visitors from the US as there is so much to see and do, and with two cars there is plenty of room for everyone. Tyler and Nick are well on their way to golfing the entire South Island and are planning their trip to Wellington to see a concert in August. They have also taken a bite out of the local food economy and continue to rave about the grand food of New Zealand.
Whoops, lost track of time, must get ready for work. More photos to follow.