Anyway, the second half of our trip was doubly fun. The four of us woke up on Day 5 and drove to Whakatane where we boarded the Pee Jay, a boat that would take us on a tour of an aquatic volcano. The journey to White Island took about two hours by boat, but I didn't mind because the ride was so beautiful. The tour of the island was informative and interesting, but actually getting there was quite the challenge for me. They anchored the boat a ways out and then dinghies shuttled us on land. That was a task in and of itself, but when I was deposited on land, I looked up and found myself surrounded by huge, white birds. In case you missed this little quirk of mine in an earlier confession, I'm deathly afraid of most birds. Trying not to freak out, I take a few steps forward. They're surrounding me. They're near my precious head. They're landing inches away. It was a terrible scenario for me and I'm quite sure I didn't escape the island without letting my freak flag fly really high- everyone knew what a scaredy cat I was. Anyway, after moving away from the congregate of birds, I really began to enjoy learning more about this volcano. There are probably lots of people reading who have been to see a volcano, but who among you have walked on an active one? What an experience that was!
[caption id="attachment_1751" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photo Copyright @ Joshua Reed"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1752" align="aligncenter" width="223" caption="Isn't this beautiful? Copyright @ Joshua Reed"]
[/caption]And here's a short, uneventful video of Don, Josh, and me at White Island while Captain J is recording-
Our next and final stop was Rotorua where Captain J insisted on zorbing for the first time. This fun activity originated in NZ so it was a must do on the list. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to partake. I did partake in drinking some "Dracula Juice" at our hotel bar that night in the spirit of Halloween. I mixed up a few for this past Halloween weekend, too! The next morning, Captain J and I woke up early to do a little kayaking in a nearby lake. It was my first time so I found myself quite nervous until I realized how easy it was on calm waters.
There were a lot of firsts on this trip for me. Experiencing New Zealand, a place I have always wanted to go, was surreal. I want to go back so badly and see the south island, too. I want to scuba dive in the beautiful reefs and bum around the country for a solid month before heading back to the states. It's a lovely place to visit. And gosh, darn-it, it would have made a wonderful setting for a proposal!
Hear me out, though because I wouldn't change a thing. Half way through the trip, I realized it wasn't going to happen...and I wasn't sure I even wanted it to at that point. How weird would it have been to be so excited and the only people I could show the ring to would be his buddies-like, "look guys! I'm taking away your pal." I didn't want them to hate me!
The reason I brought up this entire story is because, for awhile ,I was convinced that he was planning on asking me to spend the rest of my life with him while we were there. Thank God I was wrong! He asked me later on, in Alaska- our new home we'd established ourselves in. It truly was perfect and I was completely surprised, but when I came across this post from Gwen In Love , I couldn't help thinking about my nonexistent overseas proposal. (Please go read and watch that video to see what I'm referring to as it is the whole reason I wanted to write this all out!)
Looking back to a whole year ago, I can see how far we've come. I can't believe we're nearing one year of marriage already. I suppose time flies when you're having fun...and we really are. I love my husband more and more every day and I count him as one of my greatest blessings. I still cannot believe how lucky I am. I don't deserve such an awesome individual, but I'm super duper glad that God gave him to me anyway.
*Special thanks to Josh for allowing me to post his photos to share with all of you! Happy November!
Love,
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