John and Sara! John and Sara!

We were so excited for our first visitors from home - John, my friend from high school, and his wife Sara, traveled from Atlanta. They stayed for almost two weeks and we had such a wonderful time with them. Sharing this place with people we love allows us to see it through a newcomer's eyes and reminds us of how amazing it is. Surprisingly, this was true of sharing my kids and my husband also -- Jasper and Aidan were so well behaved and fun to play with  - and Tom was really so gracious and generous and he actually does know a lot about New Zealand at this point  - I've been feeling super lucky and loved.

I've included some photos with highlights from their visit - Sara was much better about taking photos than we were - hopefully she will share some of those soon :)

John and Sara were good enough to humor the boys - Aidan and Jasper were very excited to do the luge in Rotorua with John. The luge was right up his alley and they rode down the track a total of four times that day. Surprisingly, no serious injuries were sustained.

The view from the house we rented in Coromandel town - this is the sunrise

We saw so many pretty beaches - and also sustained zero sunburns!! See how sensible John and Sara are!

The pohutukawas were in bloom and were beautiful

I love this photo - Aidan looks so contemplative

We saw lots of waterfalls together

We took a boat around the bays on the eastern side of the Coromandel peninsula. Sara looks much happier here than I think she felt -- the ride was a little bumpy - and the boys loved it!

This is called a blowhole - we are inside a cave and this photo is taken pointing up towards the sky.

This was during the hike on the way to Cathedral Cove. The variety of the scenery is so often amazing....

Cathedral Cove

Thanksgiving!! Sara and Tom made a ginormous, delicious meal that would rival any back home in the States. Aidan made a Thanksgiving banner that is still hanging in our house because I love it so.

Yes, they are small, but they are actually turkeys.

This is the all-boy, all-the-time table

--and some dinner guests :)

We loved having houseguests and it was so great to be able to spend so much time together - we don't hang out with friends as often as we should at our age. Our lives get busy and quickly filled with careers and children and whatnot. Thank you, John and Sara, for making the time! We hope we will see you in Atlanta not too long from now....