One Year On...

That's right, its been exactly one year since we arrived in Wellington to start our new life. This was probably one of the most heart breaking and yet joyous weeks we have ever endured, but here we are one year later, older, wiser and having one hell of a good story.

Lets take a little trip down memory lane...

Monday, 18th September 2006 was the hardest day, one which we will probably never recover from! It was the day we said our goodbyes to our nearest and dearest, one which we spent in floods of tears, the day we last got to cuddle those we loved without the knowledge of when we would meet again.

Tuesday, 19th September was the day we started on our amazing life journey. We spent the night before in a hotel in Manchester, there was no way we could face saying goodbye and getting onto an airplane the same day. We had a sad night, mixed with tears of sadness and tears of excitement and joy that we were finally 'on our way'.

Wednesday, 20th September we arrived in Singapore. We went from the airport to a gorgeous hotel called The Grand Plaza Park Royal, and it certainly was royal, but we were soon to discover that was most of Singapore!

We had a wonderful break here, we sampled local foods, got caught up in the street crowds, passed armed guards (with real guns - eek!) and were totally exhausted by the overpowering 30 degree heat which was 24 hours a day. We do wish we had spent more time here but at that point in time we were desperate to get to Wellington!

We flew out from Singapore on Thursday and on towards our final destination...New Zealand!!

Friday 22nd September 2006 - we had finally made it to New Zealand! However we still had one more trip to make and that was from Auckland to Wellington. One final flight and we would arrive in the place we hoped we could one day call 'home'.

Finally hearing the news from the captain that we were approaching Wellington made our hearts skip and we all held hands knowing that this was it. This was the beginning of it all.

One Year On...Marrisa's feelings:

Wow, one year? Heck. Looking back now our whole emotional journey from making that decision to emigrate in 2005 to actually being here has been amazing. That week we left will always stay with me forever, I think my heart actually broke that day knowing I would probably never see some of my family and my best friend for what would could be years.

The actual flights though were fantastic, Bethany was a star and was literally amazing. Michael and I enjoyed our new freedom and the feeling of excitement in our hearts. Coming down into Wellington whilst we all held hands will be something I will never forget.

So how do I feel about my first year? Of course the first few weeks were easy as it felt like a holiday, and we were staying in a 5 star apartment so of course it wasn't hard! But after that it hasn't been easy, I can tell you that. The first 6 months were the absolute worst. I couldn't seem to bring myself out of the lull I was in because I so painfully missed everyone so much.

Then once we found a house, Michael went to work and I was alone with Bethany I started to feel the pain. I missed my parents the most, I just wanted them to pop round and I wanted every time I went somewhere for them to be able to share it too. Bethany also went through a rough stage where she couldn't understand why she wouldn't see them anymore, even for her to mention them would make me cry. I asked myself a million times if we had done the right thing doing this to Bethany and changing her life so dramatically.

The first 6 months seemed to go on forever, they were hard for me, very hard. But then it seemed that this low lifted, we had a much better routine going, Bethany was in Kindi and I was starting to meet new people. In no time I had some amazing friendships and I was really starting to appreciate everything around me. Then of course our family came to visit us and that made everything so much better, they saw where we lived, they joined our routine and that calmed me knowing that once back in the UK they could now picture us in our lives here.

And now? Well I am 110% happy, I have learned so much, gained utterly stunning memories, developed as a woman and a mother, and I love our life. Michael and I are healthier, happier and we do amazing things every single day. Bethany has thrived on being here, she is going to have an fantastic life here and for that we are grateful. She knows of her Grandparents and hasn't lost one memory for them, of course she still misses them but she deals with it in a more content way now.

I wouldn't change a thing, I will now never return to the UK to live, there is too much life to live and we cant wait to do it here in NZ. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I am so glad we found that reason to make the biggest choice in our life and move to New Zealand.


One Year On...Michael's feelings:

Bought a wicked BBQ, drank some awesome beer - sweet as!

So there you have it, the above really was typed by Michael! Congratulations to us for making it one year on and for becoming what we feel, a truly amazing family with what is going to be one amazing life...