New Zealand

Andrew is ready for our big trip... Although we probably won't pack him away in a suitcase... Well, we'll see if he's been misbehaving or not. Anyway, the "big trip" is our mission's trip to New Zealand. Gabe, Andrew, and I along with 15 others from our church will be going down to NZ for 15 days to encourage the 5 churches of our denomination in Auckland and to lead a youth retreat for them in Rotorua. After the first 11 days, the three of us will go visit the Cliffords (friends from SLO) who planted a Calvary Chapel in Rotorua for the remaining 4 days. Needless to say, we are VERY excited and can't wait to be there. I'm especially excited about a 2-part workshop that Gabe and I are co-teaching at the retreat on dating. Whoo-whoo!

We're hoping to communicate our NZ story with all of you during our trip via this blog. We should also be able to check our email, if you'd like to contact us.
I thought I would leave the rest of this post for updates on how things have been going apart from NZ. This is Andrew loving his new toy.... I mean our new mopping bucket. :) Clothed now.
Andrew just learned how to feed himself with a fork and spoon. He's actually quite good at it, but a little messy. He's much happier doing it on his own. He can eat whatever is on his plate in whichever order and as fast as he wants. He's a happy man with his new-found skill.

He also loves this tunnel. This is the way he hugs his stuffed animals, by the way.
Here are Andrew and I running in Newport Beach. (I must confess, though. This is actually a picture after our official run.) A side note: I just ran 20 miles last Saturday and found out what runners are talking about when they "hit the wall". Oops. Not enough input energy while I was running. I'm going to start trying out all of those power gels, etc. That was an experience I'd rather not have again.
Andrew walked all the way back to our car, holding his lunch box, by himself after our Newport run. It was quite cute. He waved at everyone else on the boardwalk too.