Traveling Duo

We have now turned into permanent travelers here in NZ. We finished the South Island after about a week and a half and moved on to the North Island where we are currently. It has been very different not having all the luxuries of home, but needless to say, we have loved every minute of the adventure. We have seen and done many memorable things and wouldn't trade this time in our lives for anything. These are just a few of the photos taken along our journey...

I HAVE BEEN TAGGED!

Middle Name: Sean
S- St. George is one of my favorite pastimes when there is nothing to do on the weekend. Such great weather and my parents new condo is so relaxing.

E- Energetic is how I like my life to be. I dont like sitting and doing nothing. I like to be moving and doing things most of the time.

A- Apples seem to be one of the best fruits ever, although there are a lot of others that are close on the list...AKA PINEAPPLES!

N- Nicholas is my first name, New Zealand is where I currently living, Nerdy is what some people call me, Nice is what i hope to always be, Nasty are the BBQ's of New Zealand, No better restaurant than Cafe Rio, Neat are the electronics of today, and Never knew i had so many different thougts for the letter N.


1. Do you like cheese? Yes, but New Zealand has some interesting cheese, where is my good ol' American cheese?
2. Have you ever been arrested? No is that a good thing?
3. Have you ever shot a gun? Yes. Got my rifle marret badge, used shotguns to TRY and hit clay pigeons, but funny enough I have never shot any of my dads six or so guns.
4. Your favorite song? wow, I love music hard to choose, but at the moment my fav bands are One Republic, Jordan Sparks, Rascal Flatts..to name a few.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Depends on why I am at the doctors
6. What do you think of when you eat hot dogs? Eww, thats the weirdest version of a hot dog. New Zealands way of hot dogs are putting a sausage on a piece of bread folding the bread and putting some weird tasting ketchup on it...dang I MISS AMERICAN FOOD!
7. What's your favorite Christmas song? hmm, there are so many good ones...at this moment I would say "so this is christmas"
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? nothing...the milk in my cereal is perfect
9. Can you do push ups? yes, how many though I have no idea.
10. Is your bathroom clean? Don't ask!!! We live with two other men....so Don't Ask!!
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? hmmm my wedding ring is special, but I really like my watch too.
12. Favorite Hobby? Music, and the Jazz, I hope to get season tickets in the near future if Mariah will let me :)
13. What are you listening to right now? Rascal Flatts "winner at a losing game"
14. What is the last thing you ate? Cereal
15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? My motivation, i have so many good things i want to do, but i just need more motivation to get me over that hump.
16. Middle Name? Sean
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? What type of house will one day have? When will i be back in the states? why do we need to wear retainers to keep our teeth in place, why cant they just stay where they are supposed to?
18. Name the last 3 things you have bought. Pizza, panini sandwhich, candy
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Water, sprite, fruit drinks
20. Current worry right now? to many!
21. Current hate? strong word, but i would say I hate the feelings of being sad, or when those you love are sad...its just no fun.
22. Favorite place to be? right now i would say CAFE RIO, haven't been there for a long time and i would love to be able to go there.
23. How did you bring in the New Year? Dancing around, playing with sparklers, and looked at the starey starey New Zealand sky.
24. What is your quirkiest habit? the uncontrolable dancing and singing i sometimes do!
25. Name three people who will complete this and return? I’m not sure.
26. How many siblings do you have? 4 older brothers
27. Do you own slippers? no but i have been thinking of getting some sweet New Zealand Wool slippers
28. What shirt are you wearing? a brown Del Sol shirt(the last company i worked for)
29. What shampoo do you use? Herbal Essence.
30. Favorite colors? yellow or orange
31. Would you like to be a pirate? Yes, as long as I was as strikingly hot and sexy as Orlando Bloom (Mariah loves him)
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? any and every song that is stuck in my head
33.Favorite female name? hmm..besides Mariah I'm not too sure.
34. Favorite male name? Beau
35. What's in your pockets right now? nothing
36. Last thing that made you laugh? can't say!
37. Best bed sheets as a child? I LOVED MY SESAME STREET BED SHEETS, ALSO THE STAR WARS BEDSHEETS WERE AWESOME.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? I was playing basketball in California, I came down on my brothers foot, twisted my ankle really bad...the good thing was I had to use a wheelchair at disneyland...so we got to the front of every line!!!!
39. When's your birthday? May 30
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? well...two, but not really...the two tv's are in our roommates rooms so we can't watch them :( . we dont watch much tv anymore.
41. Who is your loudest friend? Brandon, only because he is probably my only friend! hahah
42. There is no 42
43. Does someone have a crush on you? you tell me.
44. Do you wish on shooting stars? do i wish...all the time...on shooting starts..i think not.
45.What is your favorite book ? Kite Runner, it was the last book i read and i though it was very good.
46.What is your favorite age? hmm...well anytime before marriage...only because it meant i could do whatever i wanted and i didnt have to pay for anything. although i wouldnt change being married to mariah for anything, she's the best!
47. What song do/did you want played at your wedding? well i did sing to mariah at our wedding, Garth Brooks
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Not really sure, but i love...be still my soul!!!
.49. What were you doing at 12 am this morning? filling out this thing!
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? dont remember

2007 Highlights

It is a little late, but Mariah has put together a Christmas letter of our 2007 highlights that I thought you would enjoy!

Mariah and Nick Barker
2007 Highlights

1. Nick and I got married on September 1, 2007: We finally tied the knot after six years of dating. We were married in the Salt Lake Temple surrounded by our family and friends. It was the most beautiful day and we are so excited to start our lives together.



2. I graduated from the University of Utah: Although I actually graduated in the fall of 2006 I still felt it was 2007 worthy. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Technology and soon after started job hunting. I found work for a company called JRC Inc. as a sales assistant and enjoyed my employment there.



3. My sisters and I travel to Europe: For 10 days my sisters, Rebecca and Sue, and I travelled to London, Paris and Rome. We had a wonderful time and only fought occasional. We saw lots of famous sites; Stonehenge, Big Ben, the Tower of London, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum and so much more.



4. Nick proposes: I know you all know the outcome of Nick’s proposal, but it was a very big event in both our lives. He swept me off my feet with a perfect proposal. We had dinner at The Roof, followed by a walk around Temple Square. Later we watched a homemade movie with pictures and stories of our relationship. My heart started racing as Nick got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I answered with a very excited “YES!”



5. We moved to New Zealand: Nick and I decide to move to New Zealand. We will be working and travelling throughout New Zealand during our stay here. We are currently working in Fox Glacier for Glacier Helicopters. We have already made many unforgettable memories and are excited for the many adventures that await us. We have travelled to Christchurch, Nelson and we’re spending Christmas in Queenstown.
   
   We wish you the best in 2008 and anyone is welcome to visit us in New Zealand.
   

   

Very "First" New Years!

HELLO 2008! This is going to be a fantastic year for Nick and I. We are starting new is so many different aspects. For one it’s a new year, two we’re in New Zealand and three we’re planning on moving to the north island of New Zealand in the near future. What a great way to start the New Year. By the way, Happy New Year!
We have been busy little working bees since Christmas, or so it has felt, for the past week. That didn’t stop us though, from being the first people to ring in the New Year. Nick and I were completing whether we should stay up to experience the New Year. Well, around 11:30 I was in bed ready for sleep and couldn’t be bothered to stay up just 30 more minutes to ring in the New Year. Of course I could be bothered though. Santana, a woman we work with and occasional look after her two children for, came and bothered me. She came knocking on our door and drug me out of bed for some sparkling cider and fireworks. We ran around the house with sparklers, lit firework, made toasts to the New Year and enjoyed the beautiful night sky. Seeing as we were one of the first people to experience the new year we thought we’d let you know it was well worth staying up for. We had a wonderful time with Santana and her two girls, Akasha and Jameelah, and started the New Year off with a bang. Many firsts for Nick and I and we are excited for the adventures ahead.

Happy New Years!

Christmas in Queenstown

We are so grateful for the spirit of Christmas. This year has been quite different for Nick and I and we truly appreciate the love and cheer that we have felt. It has been a whirlwind week with Christmas parties, holiday hiking and then our Christmas vacation to Queenstown.
We had our work Christmas party, themed Pirate’s of the Caribbean. Nick dressed up as a HOT pirate and I put on a stick-on-mustache and called myself a pirate. Our efforts were in vain. Compared to our co-workers we weren’t dressed for the occasion. They had rented costumes, borrowed from theaters, bought wings and make-up and truly looked like pirates. Nick and I were just a boy and a girl that put on a bandanna and a fake mustache pretending to be pirates.
Towards the end of the night we were able to sit on “Santa’s” lap and receive a present. I use the word “Santa” lightly because “Santa” was more in fact a native bush man who was half naked, dressed in a grass skirt, bone earrings and necklace who had painted himself black. I sat on “Santa’s” lap and collected my present and was glad that this “Santa” couldn’t see me when I was sleeping or awake.
The next day we went on a 6 billion hour hike. Fine, I might be exaggerating a little, but not by much. We literally hiked for 6 hours through the mud to a seal colony. The hike was beautiful and took us through a mines tunnel, the mud, more mud and extremely steep stairs. When we finally arrive at the seal colony we couldn’t see any and it wasn’t until we started to leave that they finally decided to make an appearance. Did I mention though, that we hiked for 6 billion hours?
Nick and I decided to spend Christmas in Queenstown, which is considered to be the adventure capital of the world, and it truly is. It has jet boating, helicopter flights, bungee jumping and rafting. Basically whatever you consider adventurous, Queenstown has it. Our first adventure took us to the small branch that was held in a funeral home. We met the missionaries and watched the Christmas devotional given by the First Presidency. We left Fox Glacier around five in the morning to arrive in Queenstown by 9:30 to make it to church on time. I drove 95 percent of the way; the short distance Nick drove he was pulled over and given a ticket for going 118 km. Bad luck if you ask me considering I was speeding the entire time.
Our second adventure took us on a helicopter flight, a luge and gondola ride. Might I add that it was all FREE! We also went jet boating down the Shotover River. Holy cow, it was amazing. Our jet boat was within inches of the canyon walls, speeding over six inches of water and spinning 360 degrees. We had a blast and couldn’t believe the maneuverable of the jet boats, we were truly awestruck. Later we went bowling and I bowled my all time high, 105. Nick, in contrast, has no comment about his scores. That night as we went to bed we dreamed of Santa and hoped he would be able to find us on the other side of the world.
When we woke up we were pleasantly surprised to find that he had found us. Santa had paid for Nick speeding ticket, I received $30 and a pair of earrings and we both had a wonderful vacation in Queenstown. Nothing was open Christmas day so watched Christmas movies, feed the ducks and window shopped. We had a perfect Christmas and are so grateful for the holiday season. The next day we called our families to find them opening presents, went to the movie and drove back to Fox Glacier. Ticket free might I add. Meri Kirihimete!

Rain... rain go away!

Wow, what an incredibly boring week. I spoke too soon is saying good weather was on its way for Fox Glacier. It has been raining for the past seven days straight, expect for yesterday. So basically for the past week we haven’t been able to do one activity. On rainy days, such as this entire week, Nick and I have been keeping ourselves occupied in many different fashions and the more rain we receive the more creative we become.
I usually check a book out from the Elementary school. It has a total of 30 adult books, half of which are John Grisham books. I plan on reading the entire adult library and have about 25 books left. Nick on the other hand researches basketball on the Internet, especially the Utah Jazz. He’ll read reviews, comments and anything and everything dealing with basketball. When the Jazz play he’ll listen to them live while I read, yet another John Grisham book. On creative days we’ll take walks in the rain, play card games for hours and shop at the local gift shops. We are so sick of being cooped up in our room that we’ll come up with any excuse to leave.
After this week, Nick swears he’s going to go on a fast from the Internet. I told him he’d never last if the Jazz were playing. So, instead he said he’d fast on a day the Jazz weren’t playing. I said I don’t mind going on a book fast, I could use a break from John Grisham. Currently I’m reading The Street Lawyer; not bad for my first John Grisham read. We’re just hoping that the raining subsides soon. We don’t know how much longer we can last; it’s so gloomy and grim.
Only nine days till Christmas! We’ve decided if the weather continues as it is, our Christmas won’t be much different from yours. Instead of snow though, it’ll be rain. Instead of snuggling by a fire, we’ll be snuggling by an electric heater. Not much of a difference at all. We’re excited for Christmas though and have been spreading good cheer everywhere. Merry Christmas and the Happiest New Year!
Yesterday, seeing as it wasn’t raining, we walked to the Fox Glacier. While we were there was saw huge ice chunks falling from the thermal face. It was amazing and sounded exactly like thunder. We also talked about our hobbies. Nick wants to be involved in photography and music, whereas I want to make jewerley. I’ve made jewerley before and absolutely loved it. Now I’m writing this down so when we actually get time for hobbies we’ll remember what they were. It was a lovely walk and showed us how out of shape we’ve become.
Anyway, a pretty uneventful week in which nothing really happened. We’re determined to have a more eventful week and we are keeping our fingers crossed for better weather.

Kayaking woes

Another week passes as we become more and more like are kinfolk, the kiwis. We’ve picked up much slang, but are still unable to understand each other. No matter, we’ll just keep trying until New Zealand is in our blood and becomes our second home.
Working has become quite an adventure as well as drama central for the, might I add, male pilots. You thought females created drama? Wait till you get six pilots with different agendas and personalities, then that drama. Somehow Nick and I even became part of the drama seeing as we did everything wrong and needed being told, or so we thought. No matter, all is well down under and we’ve learned to steer clear of all pilots when they’re being dramatic, which happens to be more often than not. Not all is lost though for the pilots; we do have a few who love us bloody Americans. So everything is as good as gold.
After our stressful day of doing everything wrong or again, so we thought, we headed out to Okarito for a nice relaxing day of kayaking through the peaceful lagoons. Not so. It was a painful and beautiful experience. We had a two-man kayak and together paddled around the most stunning scenery and heard every bird call, but after about an hour we were tired. Next though, we had to paddle against the tide to some more stunning scenery, which was pretty much the same as before. Most of the time we felt more like we were moving backwards instead of forwards due to our paddling against the swift tide. After an hour or so we reached our next lagoon, which was probably only 100 meters further than the first lagoon we saw.
Our hands and arms were hurting so bad. Nick’s were more than mine seeing as I got tired faster so stopped paddling half the time. Maybe that’s why we were going so slowly? Nick didn’t know this though, as I was behind him. I steered the kayak as Nick navigated. Eventually he caught and made me switch places with him so he could make sure I was paddling my fair share.
After paddling around the lagoon and lunch we headed back to shore. We could hardly paddle for longer than 10 strokes and took more breaks than was needed. The whole trip was supposed to take us under four hours, not so for us. We’re surprised we made it back at all. Once we did I fell in the mud trying to pull Nick to shore. All he did was laugh and couldn’t stop. All in all it was a wonderful experience and another relationship lesson. If we hadn’t got along and worked together we would still be paddling against the current straight into a head wind, which almost happen. So what was supposed to be a nice relaxing kayak trip was actually a four and a half hour exhausting experience. We woke up the next day with everything being sore.
The weather is beginning to turn beautiful. Not as much rain and a lot more sunshine. It’s actually been hot a few times and with Christmas only being 17 days away it’s feeling more like summer than winter, which it actually is. Nick and I are counting down the days of Christmas with a homemade paper chain. We decorated it with stickers and Christmas drawings. Holidays aren’t big in New Zealand like they are in the states, which is sad but true. We did get to decorate the company Christmas tree though. I’ll eventually decorate our room with hand drawn pictures of Santa, a Christmas tree, reindeer and anything and everything else having to do with Christmas.

We are at the beautiful Pancake rocks. It was very cool.

Mariah resting after hours of kayaking. We are just about to have lunch before our kayaking journey back to our car.

Me doing all the work as Mariah takes pictures and watches for birds.

We haven't had a place all to ourselves lately, nor have we had such a big bed. As you can see Mariah loved it!

Us at the Pancake rocks again, look at that blue water!