Castaway Island

This is where Tom Hanks shot the movie 'Castaway'.  I can just see it now.....Tom trying his hardest to split open a coconut, or spear a fish to keep from starving to death, and talking to a volleyball because he was so lonely......... then, "cut, it's a wrap", (or whatever movie people say when they've finished a scene).  He then strolls a few yards down the beach to relax at this resort where he probably had lobster and an exotic cocktail for dinner.  And I bet he was enjoying his meal in the company of someone he did not call Wilson!  (Actually I have no idea if the resort was there while he was filming the movie, or if the resort was built because of the movie.)      

Fiji Island Getaway

Our trip to Fiji was totally amazing as far as our missionary activities were concerned. We had assignments and activities scheduled one after the other every day until the last 2 days. On the other hand, our trip to Fiji was totally frustrating for me as far as photography is concerned. We were driven everywhere we went and were always with other people so there was never time for me to stop to take photos, even though there were tons of photo ops.  This means that a good share of the 1430 photos I did take were either shot from a moving car, a moving plane or a moving boat!  This shot, obviously, is from a boat.  The one day we had for sightseeing was overcast and rainy.  For a brief few minutes the sun peeked through and I snapped a few.  This is a small resort island close to Nadi.

The Rest of the Story!

So the last post showed a shot of a beautiful spot outside our motel room in Taveuni, Fiji.  If one looked up,  this is what you'd see.  Yes, those are bats.....BIG bats, now look closely and you'll see lots of them hiding among the leaves.  They are fruit bats.  Ugh!!!!  Look below for another shot.

Fiji Sunrise

From one of the two larger islands we flew in a little plane to the small island of Taveuni.  It was a beautiful place.  This is the sunrise outside our motel.

Fiji's Future

I have turned into such a bad blogger!  I need to say that our missionary work is consuming almost all our waking hours, at least while we were in Fiji a few weeks ago on assignment.  I can't believe we saw and did so much.  As I have time I'll post on Our Kiwi Krossings, but I'll also post some of my favorite photos here.  And my favorite photos are the beautiful children.  Here are a few:

The Maori Haka

A dance where the whole body 'speaks', even the tongue, the eyes and the voice.  Some hakas are welcoming and joyful, some are ferocious, powerful and aggressive:

Anyone With An Opinion?????

"Many Hands Make Light Work"

Hey, photo friends, I need your help!  First, a little back ground.  There is a photography festival in Auckland, and yesterday was photographer participation day.  The theme was, "My day in Auckland" and photographers can submit 3 photos, all of which had to be taken on that day.  They are supposed to represent and show the photographer's interpretation of what he saw or what he did on that day that gives a feel and flavor of daily life in the Auckland area.  

Jeff and I decided to venture into the city, which we hadn't done yet.  We walked along the streets, ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant overlooking the harbor, (very few Mexican restaurants here in NZ), and had a fun day 'people watching'.  Any of you who visit my blog know that street photography is not my strong point, but I thought I'd give it a try. So this is where your help comes in.  I've narrowed down my photos to a reasonable number and now would like you to tell me your favorites, and give me suggestions for some witty titles.  (The ones I have are lame.)  If you're willing to help me out, click HERE, and tena rawa atu koe ('thank you very much' in Maori)!  

Mills Bay, New Zealand

Tawharanui Beach

Pukeko

A common native bird in New Zealand

A Few More Photos from Matakana

Kiwis, (what New Zealanders call themselves),  take their recycling seriously!

I don't think I've ever seen duck eggs for sale before.

Have your tools sharpened while you watch.

A quaint village store.

Colorful steps.

Major Eye Candy

WHATIPU RESERVE BEACH

Monday was a holiday, so we took off with our friends to visit some of the beaches on the Tasmanian Sea side (west) side of New Zealand.  I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing the never ending beauty of the coast and ocean views just minutes away.  Around every bend is a breathtaking vista, one after another after another forever, and each unique in its own way.  This day we saw beautiful black sand beaches, craggy cliffs, and volcanoes covered with lush green foliage set as the backdrop.  At the end of the day I was truly on visual overload.  When I downloaded my photos to the computer I couldn't decide which beautiful scene to post to remember this day, so for the next few days you'll see some of my favorites. 

Sunset at Takapuna Beach

One day after work we hurried home to get my camera, then walked along the beach until after sunset.  This beautiful beach is a 5 minute walk from work and a 10-15 minute walk from our flat.  Did I mention how lucky we are to be in such a beautiful place???

(For a couple of my first sunrise photos at Takapuna, click HERE)

Hamilton, New Zealand Temple

Aglow in golden evening light, this beautiful temple sits atop a hill like a sentinel, watching over miles of vibrant green country landscapes.

OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE!

I feel like I'm in a dream where I suddenly fly away from my life, surroundings, daily routine, familiar faces, and then wake up in a foreign land.......  Oh wait, that actually happened!!!!  

The past 2 months have been incredible, in what I've seen, what I am learning and what I am doing.  I'm just now beginning to tread fast enough to keep my head above water. I'm hoping that soon I'll be posting here again, and visiting your blogs, too.  Just so you know, I'll post some of my favorite photos here, but to read about our adventures and see more, follow me HERE.  We've already been to some beautiful places, and that is easy because there are photo ops around every bend.  Here's one:

It was a dark and moody day, but the sun peeked through briefly.  Hard to believe everything is so beautifully green at the beginning of winter.

The HIGHS and the LOWS

Dear Family and Friends,

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activities as we are preparing for our departure to New Zealand.  We've had a ton of medical tests, dental work, VISA paperwork, as well as attempting to arrange our personal and financial affairs while we are gone for 18 months.  During this time we have also had special training to help prepare for our responsibilities and work.  It has been a HIGH point in our lives as we have had so many wonderful experiences.


As sometimes happens, however, we have had a LOW point at the same time.  Jeff's dear father, the honored patriarch and leader of our extended family, passed away early this morning of old age.  He was 94.  I have not known a finer man.  A gentle, strong, loving, spiritual, faithful, intelligent, determined, hard working man, who has been the perfect example of manhood and leadership to our family.  We respect him, we love him, and we honor him with all our hearts.  He will be deeply missed, but in our religion, we know he lives still and is now rejoicing as he greets family and friends that have gone before, and we know he will be waiting for each of us when it is our turn to join him.

  Chester "Chet" Lavoy Larsen

Chet and Jeff (my husband)

Chet & Mary Ellen (last year's birthdays)

P.S.  In the next day or so I will post some of the experiences of the past few weeks on Our Kiwi Krossings.

THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME IS HERE!!!

I think the following 3 photos are the only photos I've posted on this blog that I did not personally take, but this is a 'visual' blog so I need you to see what I see in my dreams and will soon become a reality:

My husband and I will have the privilege and opportunity to spend 18 months in beautiful New Zealand and the Islands of the Pacific.  To be specific, we will be representing our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as Public Affairs Specialists in the Pacific Islands International Public Affairs Mission.  Our home base with be in Auckland, New Zealand, but we anticipate spending most of the 18 months traveling and meeting people throughout this area.  We do not yet know the extent or scope of our responsibilities, but we do know our primary mission will be to make friends and relationships with the people in these areas in an effort to foster mutual respect and discover ways we can serve and contribute in their communities.  Our backgrounds have given us experience in public relations, and we will also receive training before we leave.   And we will be leaving on April 11!!  Not very much time to get our affairs in order before leaving for a year and a half!!  We are both thrilled and terrified at the same time, but mostly thrilled!  

Our days will be spent serving the people in the areas we are sent and this will be our focus and work, not photography.  My camera, however, will not be left behind and I hope to document all of the exotic places we visit and especially to capture the cultures and lives of the people I know we will grow to love.


As you might imagine, blogging will now take a back seat to preparing for this amazing adventure.  I will visit you all when I can, and give you updates on our progress from time to time but will not be blogging regularly.  But when our adventure begins, I will keep you all updated on what we are doing, who we are meeting and what we are seeing.


I know many of you are not too familiar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormon), with the exception of knowing of some of the more famous ones (The Osmonds, Mit Romney, Steve Young, David Archuletta, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and if you are a college basketball fan, you've definitely heard the name Jimmer from Brigham Young University); and I'm also sure you've heard about all the wacko groups that claim to have ties to the Mormon religion, (which they don't).  The most important thing for you all to know about the Mormons is that we are Christians.  We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He came to earth to atone for our sins and be resurrected so that we too, will live again.  If you have a question about the Church or how we came to be able to 'serve a mission' for our church, as we say, ask away.  I'm happy to answer any and all questions.  In fact, I'll answer one before it is asked.  No, we did not get to choose where we will serve.  There are many ways young men and women and senior couples, can serve.  We can suggest what we would like to do, but when we put in an 'application' saying we would like to serve, we are expected to serve wherever and in whatever capacity we are called.  But as it turned out, Jeff and I have been given our dream assignment, and so we are anxiously looking forward to the next 18 months with both fear and faith.....but mostly faith!

 

February Desktop Image - Bryce

Early Morning Sun Breaks Through the Storm Clouds

Here is my February Desktop Image for you to download, enjoy and share, but please do not use for commercial purposes.  Just click HERE, then right click to set as your desktop image.  It should fill your screen and not be pixelated or blurry.  Let me know if you need help. 

Tech Talk Tuesday - Showing Scale

Have you ever tried to take a photo of a vast landscape or a really tall mountain, and are disappointed because your picture is not nearly as impressive as how the scene looked in person?  Size is often hard to capture in photographs.  One way to help your viewers see how BIG something is, is to put a person in the composition to add scale.  Here my grandson Owen is helping me show the size of this huge arch.  Below is my favorite shot of this grand scene.

Elegant Emily

Even More Beautiful on the Inside!

This is one of my three lovely daughters-in-law.  You wouldn't think so by the glam shots I took, (which were my idea), but Emily is very down to earth, in addition to being sweet and kind and fun and smart.  I am very blessed.  All my sons picked perfect brides!