Yep, that’s some empty land right there. These pictures date back to late April, so it looks pretty different today. But this is what an empty plot looks like in Jack’s Point, a “suburb” of Queenstown. I wasn’t wholly convinced that I wanted to buy land out here, […]
Author: Sweet as Blonde
Sweet as: LUMA Light Festival
I’m really not a big fan of winter. I think I handled my first winter in 12 years with grace and humor (and lots of warm layers!), and one of the highlights was definitely the LUMA Southern Lights Project Light Festival. I had never seen anything like this before – all kinds of really interesting […]
Travel to: Dunedin
Dunedin: through the looking glass Even though it’s only about 3 hours from Queenstown, Dunedin hadn’t really registered as a “destination” for me. Only after I was told that I needed to go there (as part of the immigration vortex) did it hit me that Dunedin is a cool city. I only vaguely remembered it from […]
Sweet as: Winter approach
Despite having grown up with winter and despite choosing to attend a university that doubles down on winter every year, I have become a wintertime lightweight. I don’t handle cold very well! Having spent the last 11 years of my life living on a beach, with a view of the water and some of the […]
Dining: Halo
I’m not much of a coffee drinker. (Heresy!) When I do indulge, it’s always decaf (stop crying already!) and if I can find it, I like a good soy latte. [On a side note, I’ve found that neither almond nor coconut milk make good lattes. I can’t figure out why – I’m sure there’s science […]
Dining: Mt Difficulty
It’s not a bad place to live, eh? As much as I appreciate the hard work that goes into running your own business – and I respect the Kiwi for being fully committed to ensuring its success – it’s also really nice when he gets a day off. We get to spend time together! Today […]
Sweet as: the Immigration Process (pt 1)
I call this part one because I’m sure there will be a part 2 at some point. The process, while complicated and time-consuming, is manageable with a licensed advisor. And for this American expat, it’s far from over. I thought I knew what it took to get a visa that would allow me to stay […]
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Sweet as: Birthdays!
Birthdays are *always* worth celebrating! I arrived back in Queenstown just in time to celebrate the Kiwi’s birthday. I am a big believer in celebrating ALL birthdays, even if only in some small way, and I wasn’t missing the Mister’s big day this year. It took us 7 1/2 years to figure out how to […]
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Dining: Kappa
“For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.” – Bob Harris We love Kappa. I haven’t been to many other Japanese restaurants in Queenstown, but that’s because the Kiwi says he won’t take me anywhere else. We’ve been there probably more often that we should since I arrived here, but it’s an excellent meal. The Kiwi […]
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Cooking: Thai Kumara Soup
Finally! Now that we are in a new house with more space, I have access to a kitchen again. It’s been harder than I thought it would be not to cook – I do love being in the kitchen and making something out of nothing (or, really, a pile of things). But with our last […]