Let's do a quick recap of the year.
January:
This was a hard time for our family. Cedric had been sick for a while and Aunty Mina had been doing hospital visits pretty much everyday if not more than once a day. Toward the end Cedric came home and Nan, Nena, Aunty Mina and I all stayed home for the weekend. I had never experienced anything like what I did with Cedric. I don't even know what I was expecting but what I am grateful for is that during this time I was able to build relationships with Aunty Mina and Nena that I wouldn't have, had I not been in Whangarei going through the motions and sadness of losing a loved one. I won't say I loved the experience but I am in a weird way glad I got to experience it. I've never been one to see anyone die as generally they're already dead and on the Marae before we turn up so having to go through it all we definitely interesting. It was sad and hard but going through that as a family I think really helped us grow closer together which I'm forever grateful for.
February:
February was a much more quiet month which wasn't a bad thing. I think we were all just emotionally drained that we needed to just relax and chill out. I also received dates for surgery which involved fortnightly trips to Auckland starting early March and going for the next few months. It wasn't something I was looking forward too but I only hoped it would improve my breathing and mean progress towards getting the trachy out.
March:
March was a month of adventure and the beginning of steroid injections at the hospital. I also met Wade online and things moved pretty quickly for us. I made two trips down to Wellington in between my fortnightly steroid injections in Auckland. A lot of travel this month. Wade also had to work in Nelson so we managed a trip there on top of catching up with one of his best friends for dinner and checking out the sites of Picton, Nelson and Blenheim in between the work he needed to do. One of my fav months of the year and nice to spend some time together as well.
April:
Birthday month for a lot of people in my family. Myself included. I turned the big 30 this year and to be honest I wasn't really looking forward to it. I didn't imagine it was going to be what it was but I actually had a lot more fun than I thought I would. We ended up in Whangarei and had dinner with the family at an awesome Thai restaurant. Aunty Sharron and I also went to a movie soo it was a fun awesome night out. Didn't party too hard but still managed a couple glasses of wine with dinner. April was also another month of travel. J, Aunty Sharron and I spent the day on Waiheke Island. Loved it there. I drove to Auckland on my own and met up with them before we caught the ferry across. Such a fun day. Checked out the sites. Had amazing food (as you do when you're out) and loved spending more time with them both. I also made another trip to Wellington to see Wade. In between all of that I'm also still in Auckland for steroid injections. Things are improving just super slowly.
May:
Another month of amazing travel. These last few weeks we have been spending a lot of time with Aunty Sharron and J. I have loved getting to know them both, Aunty Sharron especially. It's been amazing building a relationship with her now that I'm an adult. This month we took a quick road trip to Auckland. I was overdue for a haircut and what better way to make the trip worthwhile than to road trip it with Aunty Sharron and J. We took our time travelling down stopping in at random places to have lunch and to check out the sites. Another one of my fav months this year with all the travelling.
June:
I took a break from social media this month. I didn't miss it as much as I thought I would and I'm glad I was able to take the month out and focus more on spending time with family.
July:
This was the month we made the big move to Whangarei. Nan, Papa and I moved into Aunty Sharrons house in Kamo. It was the biggest mission moving and getting everything from up north to Whangarei. We had issues with cleaning the house. We made several trips back and forth. It was stressful and times but after a week we finally managed to get everything clear and moved in. A few weeks later we were organised and settled in with Phone, Internet, Sky and power going. It's been an interesting move but it should be a good move for us all. J also moved in with us as well so that was exciting for us all.
August:
August was a really rough month health wise. I had surgery at North Shore hospital ended up staying in longer than I thought. Discharged only to end up in Whangarei hospital a couple days later with major difficulties breathing. I spent another 10 days in hospital and even managed to see Jacqui as she was in Whangarei presenting at a seminar that another Dr was running at Whangarei Hospital. I really struggled with the hospital visit this time round. I hated being sick. I was over the hospital. I wished I never had the surgery way back when. I don't generally get down but one day it just all hit me and I didn't want any of this. It was the day I was feeling sorry for myself and I was over it. The only good exciting couple things that happened in August was, I bought a dog and celebrating LeeLee's birthday. We picked the dog from the SPCA in Kerikeri. He was already named (Niko) when we picked him up but he suits the name and we love him to bits. I then went to Auckland and had lunch and dinner with LeeLee before we went to the Casino which wasn't that great but we did have some great drinks lol.
September:
Another month of travel. Lol. I entered a competition that Vodafone was running on twitter to win tickets to Giselle and ended up winning. Went with a gf Pam. We had fun. Went to Burger fuel beforehand then we went to the ballet. It was the first time I had ever gone and it was more interesting than I thought it would be. I thought it was going to suck and be boring but I had fun and it was nice to spend time with Pam. A few months back a friend and I had planned to take a trip away to Paihia. He drove from Auckland picked me up and away we went. It was a late afternoon trip because he had work beforehand but the drive was great and not as awkward as I thought it would have been considering even though Arthur and I had been friends over a year we hadn't really spent much time together because of our clashing schedules. We were away 10 days and went to Paihia. Russell. Watuwhiwhi. Kerikeri. Waitangi. Karikari Peninsula and stopped at a few random beaches on the way. Such an awesome fun trip away and it was nice to explore Northland even if I did grow up there. I don't think you appreciate it as much if you grow up there but I loved being a tourist and had a lot of fun. I also participated in a trachy study that was being run by AUT so that was fun.
October:
This was an interesting month. After not hearing from Wade in forever out of the blue he texts to see how I'm doing. We arrange for a trip so I make a plan and catch a flight to Wellington. This trip wasn't a good trip. It made me sad for him and all the crazy that he's dealing with and going through but I felt after coming away from the trip that I am better off being his friend from a distance. It wasn't an easy decision for me because I felt like I needed to be there for him but I don't think I can be if he's just going to drag me down with him. I can be too nice sometimes but at the same time I need to remember it's okay to put myself first and be selfish even if it means doing something I normally wouldn't. Oh October was also the month I lost my license. Never let that happen again. Was going 50ks over the limit and managed an automatic 28 day road side suspension. I also changed my name back to my maiden one, at least on social media. Nothing else can be changed till it all expires.
November:
Got my license back along with a $810 fine. Not good but that's what I get for speeding. Now I need to be more careful, not speed and drive like a Nana. Nan, Papa, J and I also went to the Dargaville races. We were going to make a day of it but after 4 races were run they abandoned the rest. Papa wasn't happy but we still had fun with what few races we did watch. Oh and I also reconnected with both a high school friend and a guy from high school. Someone I had a huge crush on way back when. The guy not the girl Lol.
December:
This has been an interesting but also an amazing fun awesome month. J and I have spent the last 3 and a half weeks here in Australia. We were in Perth for 3 weeks with her family. Spent Christmas with them and I was able to get to know and spend more time with them as well as with Aunty Bub and Fred. So glad I made the trip out with J and more so that I was given the opportunity to be able to make the trip. We've been having an awesome time. Checking out sites. Spending time with family. Christmas shopping. Eating way too much good food. At least I have. Getting to know people I wouldn't have had the chance to had I not come to Perth. We are currently in Brisbane and will be seeing the new year in with my family. New Zealand will see the new year before us but I'm looking forward to spending the next few days here in Brisbane with my family before we head home to Whangarei next Thursday.
This year has been amazing. I've loved all of the travelling. The adventures. The people I've met. The relationships I've built. The people I've reconnected with. My health isn't getting worse but it's also not getting any better. We are talking reconstruction surgery now but we will see what happens with that when I am back in New Zealand. I am looking forward to seeing what 2017 has in store for me. I have a few goals and things I want to and need to do but for now I'm going to enjoy the last day of 2016 with my family and spend the first 5 days of 2017 here in Brisbane. Roll on 2017 and let's hope for an amazing awesome fun filled year of travel, adventures, new friendships, relationships and so much more.
