27 April - 04 June 2012 Trip to North America. Dear Friends,

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1 Dear Friends, Here come cheerful and sunny (carefully avoided word warm ) spring greetings from Canada in mid-may! (However, I have to admit that a few weeks later Philip brought to Alberta sunshine and fantastic summer days so in the end we had a feeling that we had a summer vacation in Edmonton this year! ) Thirty-hour trip from Dunedin to Edmonton with a 20- month old Adriana went more than great (or, maybe I was just well prepared for what could have happened ). Our trip started with an unplanned landing in Christchurch because of technical problems with an aeroplane and a quick transfer to another airplane to Auckland. Auckland welcomed us with a wonderful summer day with 25 degrees Celsius so we went to a nearby playground in the airport area (~1 km quickly becomes a significant distance with 8-9 kg backpack, 4.5 months of pregnancy and 12+ kg 2-year old child that prefers getting a free ride on mom s shoulders than walking ). New Zealand seems to be so small that even on that playground we met some familiar faces our next door neighbours who were flying back to Dunedin that day. So (unplanned!) Adriana also had familiar company that afternoon in Auckland Our dear darling was jumping and jumping on trampoline for 3.5 hours non-stop until the playground closed. After that Adriana did not have enough energy to barely walk 100 meters and fell asleep on my shoulders in less than 5 minutes on our walk back to the terminal A long intercontinental flight was still waiting for us. After an hour long nap on a bench in a little park, we managed to get wet in a sudden rain shower just a few hundred meters before the terminal a real adventure When we finally boarded the airplane to Vancouver 13-hour flight Adriana was very ready to sleep. But there were so many interesting things around to be touched, moved, explored Finally, the trampoline effect kicked in and our little darling ended up sleeping 10 out of 13 hours of this flight what a blessing! 1

2 When we landed in Vancouver, Adriana was ready for a new day and action (although her mom could have taken advantage of a short sleep at that stage ). We received a text message from Philip saying that a surprise is waiting for us in Edmonton (with at the end of the sentence). Oh, I thought for a second that it may be snow, but did not dare to ask. Adriana also slept through the whole 2-hour flight from Vancouver (she did not make it awake to a take-off) to landing in Edmonton mommy s sweetheart! Unplanned trampoline recipe worked incredibly well on this trip! It is definitely worth trying it again So we arrived to Edmonton. Philip s parents, Margaret and Peter, greeted us at the airport with ordered box of Croatian cookies (Napolitanke) and Italian bocconcini cheese. My vacation could start in that moment! First two weeks of the trip Adriana and I spent with our dear friends Louise and Nasser and their almost 2.5-year old daughter Leah. Skype proved to be an incredible communication tool again: Leah and Adriana recognized each other it was hard to believe that they were meeting in person for the first time It was wonderful to spend time among dear people 2

3 Days ahead brought joy of living with 2 toddlers under one roof: numerous trips to the playgrounds, baths, reading stories, joys of sharing toys 3

4 We definitely had tons of fun 4

5 And never enough of playgrounds and play time 5

6 Adriana and Leah were like sisters With Leah who at 2.5 years of age was already talking amazingly well, Adriana learned many new words including calling me Sandy!. So one day on a playground I heard Sandy, dodji, dodji! Sandy! (in Croatian dodji means come ). For now, Philip is Lipip Philip s parents, Margaret and Peter, were very happy with arrival of their youngest granddaughter and new (toddler) adventures 6

7 It was wonderful to see dear people in Edmonton. The time seemed to have stopped for us just children started/continued to grow It seemed like it has been a week since I met dear friends last time. What a wonderful opportunity to catch up and see each other again (Alberta and Jim, Joni, Angela with William and Aidan, Laura, Terry and Diana) 7

8 Adriana and I landed in Edmonton on Louise s birthday (we are not going to mention which birthday, Louise! ). A few days later, we celebrated Louise s birthday with her close friends who I have not seen for 5-7 years (Susan, Randy, Leti and Paco). Who would believe it!? 27 April - 04 June 2012 I did not miss this opportunity to visit former professors and colleagues at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Initially I planned a day for visiting the university, but very soon I realized how many people I worked with during my studies! The list of short meetings and research talks extended to an entire week! (Fortunately, Margaret and Peter were delighted to play with Adriana during my time at the university! ) 8

9 And then came the time to go on a real vacation. Louise and I went with our girls, Leah and Adriana for a 4-day trip to the Canadian Rockies like in the old days (or maybe a bit different!? ). We travelled to Jasper National Park (3- hour drive from Edmonton). As always, the majesty of the Canadian Rockies was taking our breath away and bringing many wonderful memories of day hikes and backpacking trips in the part of Canada. Seeing Rockies again was a real treat for my soul 9

10 Already seen views of the mountains were leaving us breathless again 27 April - 04 June

11 We drove to Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake on a scenic mountain road At Maligne Lake Adriana experienced a real (Canadian) snow for the first time 11

12 We also visited Columbia Icefields, 100 km south of the town of Jasper, and enjoyed fantastic views. As a cream on a cake, we enjoyed the view of the Athabasca glacier on a windy day with a temperature around zero degrees Celsius it was the lowest temperature that Adriana has experienced so far! (Mommy and daddy do not take her to such cold places! ) 12

13 And, of course, we visited nearby playgrounds Our definition of desirable travel attractions has changed considerably over the last couple of months! Early spring in the Canadian Rockies was full of animals. We saw mountain goats, elks and an unforgettable black bear that was eating buds from the tree next to the highway! Somehow I seem to remember that we learned at some point that bears cannot climb the trees!? This bear was definitely a much better tree climber than I am! We enjoyed watching this spectacular bear show from 10-meters away (from the car, of course! ) for minutes Overall, our trip to the Rockies was great and very entertaining with Adriana and Leah on the back seat of the car. In addition to recalling memories of our previous travels with Alberta s music (by Paul Brant), we wondered how come we were never bored on our trips in the previous years In rare moments (a total of 2 times for minutes in 4 days!) while our 2 angels slept at the same time, instead of taking these opportunities to talk and catch up without interruption, Louise and I cherished these moments in silence. I believe many parents among you would understand us 13

14 And then Philip landed in Edmonton. A few days before Philip s arrival, Adriana was calling Daddy, daddy (in her spare time). And then finally one evening her daddy arrived. But he showed up with his very-alike brother Jeff. Adriana was so confused! After a minute of figuring out what was going on there, she ran towards Philip with a big grin on her face and widely spread arms. Our little darling Next few days Philip and I spent mostly in shopping while Adriana was entertaining her nana and papa. We visited Stratchona Farmers Market one Saturday and enjoyed delicious Italian food in the next 2 weeks. 14

15 We spent the time with Philip s family, with his parents Margaret and Peter, brother Jeff Jeff s children Isaac, Cala and Conal. Soccer, barbeque, dinners 15

16 Upon Philip s arrival, we organized a potluck party with the old circle of friends in Edmonton (those ones who still live in the city). It was fantastic to see again dear friends together like in the old days, just this time with kids running around this time (Louise, Nasser, Leah, Mandana, Laura and Diana) 16

17 We also went to visit dear people in Calgary for 3 days. Three-hour drive through Alberta s prairies reminded us of the old days. Adriana had fun watching cars, trucks and buses and repeating the words truck and bus. After a 3-hour drive, we finally reached Calgary during the afternoon rush hour (Our life in Dunedin does not remind us often of big city traffic (with a 10-minute drive from one to the other end of the city 12 minutes in a rush hour ). It was great to visit Cary and Mile again and see their children Aneli (4.5 years) and Sami (3 years). Adriana clicked with the kids immediately (even though they have never seen each other before). That evening we opened the bottle of wine that Philip and I brought to Cary and Mile in October 2008 when we visited them last time. Even though it was great to see each other, it seems like that there was never enough time to socialize with dear people. So we already started planning for our families to meet in South America in

18 In Calgary we also met with Carrie and Tammy. Tammy taught Adriana to blow bubbles and say: Bubbles! On our way back to Edmonton we enjoyed the big blue Alberta sky and recalled many wonderful travels in Alberta in previous years 18

19 Upon our return from Calgary, our days in Edmonton were full of meetings with dear people. Philip went for a few bike rides with his brother Jeff, while Adriana and I spent most time with Louise and Leah. I managed to visit my basketball friends in Edmonton on the last evening (Ian, Alex, Pablo, Ivan, Igor and Araj). Too bad I could not join them for a game there will be another chance... 19

20 Four weeks in Edmonton flew by very fast with great sprint and summer temperatures It is hard to believe that we are leaving Edmonton tomorrow: Philip and Adriana to Vancouver for 2 days and then back to New Zealand, while I will be heading to San Francisco for 10 days. We wanted to fit a few other things in this trip, but it seems that travelling with a toddler requires a bit more realistic (less packed!) schedule than what Philip and I are used to. Ahead of us is a new opportunity to adjust to a completely new level of realistic expectations when a new member of our family joins us in September! For those of you who have not heard the news yet (since we kept the secret with strictly censored photos from our end in the last couple of months ), we are expecting a little boy in mid-september! Taking into account experiences of those of you who already lived through the first years of having 2 children, it seems that this a great opportunity to start apologizing in advance that you will not likely hear much for us in photos and words in the next 1-2 years. Fortunately, most of you will understand us! 20

21 That was our trip to Edmonton this year. Here are a few more photos from our last evening in Edmonton that we spent with Philip s family and our dear friends Louise, Nasser and Leah. On the following pages you will find a few photos and adventures from Vancouver and San Francisco 21

22 Adriana and Philip, according to their words, enjoyed Vancouver and visiting Philip s brother Doug and his family (wife Niki and children Cameron and Julia). Intercontinental flight and return to Dunedin was a bit long for them (it seemed like Philip had to pay a price for my fantastic intercontinental trip with Adriana 4 weeks earlier!). Fortunately, after a long sleep, they got back their sense of humour the following day. It was all good at that point. California (24 May 04 June 2012) On the west coast of North America, sunny and warm California welcomed me These 10 days in California were a rare opportunity to spend time with dear people like in the old days. Holly picked me up at the airport and I spent the rest of the day with her and her boys Caleb (~3 years) and Luka (~1.5 years). Mike joined us in the evening. Of course, we spent most of the time on playgrounds and reading children books. It was wonderful to see that another great friendship was the same as a couple of years ago 22

23 The next few days I spent with Soraya and her husband Hanif. Our friend Mandana flew for a visit from Edmonton for those days too. It was a great long weekend spent together like in the old Edmonton times For me, it was a bit strange to be with adults only and relax without watching Adriana running around. I have to admit that I truly enjoyed this break from parenting responsibilities, especially considering what next few years are bringing our way. Soraya and Hanif took us on trips to enjoy the San Francisco Bay and the area. We enjoyed strolling down the streets of interesting cities/towns of San Jose, Los Gatos, Santa Cruz and Carmel (near Monterey) and relaxing on a wonderful beach in Carmel. 23

24 Here are a few more scenes from Carmel 24

25 And, of course, we visited the spectacular city of San Francisco: Chinese Town, Lombard Street, Fisherman Warf/Pier 39, and Golden Gate Bridge. It was an interesting experience to be a tourist in this town and enjoy well known scenery and streets. Company was great! Thank you, Soraya, Hanif and Mandana, for such a great weekend together! 25

26 My professional responsibilities started in the following days with a conference and many more meetings with colleagues from all over the world. During the conference, the old Stanford team gathered to reconnect and recall wonderful memories of working together: Jon (our supervisor from Stanford), Ricardo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Holly (San Francisco), Kim (San Diego), Alyssa (San Francisco), and Heather (Michigan) all of us in some other (mostly parenting) chapters of our lives. Overall, the conference was great, but the company was even better. 26

27 Before the conference, I visited the laboratory and colleagues that I worked with at Stanford: Vic, Jon, Josh, Gay As in the old days, a Mexican specialty, burrito, was served for a lab lunch in the last 3.5 years burrito has grown to an incredible length of 4 feet (~120 cm). (Photo on the right) Those days I met with a few other dear people in this part of the world and recalled great memories of the past North American life. As it happens in this small world, Chandrika and I went to an apparently good restaurant that ended up being (by surprise! ) a Croatian restaurant in the city centre of San Francisco. I also met with I-Griega, my friend from Edmonton and recalled numerous potluck parties, salsa dancing nights and days spent on a basketball court. The last afternoon in San Francisco I spent hiking around the city with my friend V, my former hiking guide from the Stanford Outdoor Club. It was hard to believe that I have not met with these people for 3.5 years Above all, the most fulfilling part was a company of dear people and feeling that friendships are stronger than kilometres and years between us 27

28 I have to admit that I have truly enjoyed this 5.5-week trip to North America, although I am not quite ready to return back to work yet (another 1-2 weeks of real vacations would be pretty good ). Both Philip and I are happy to have had this opportunity to visit dear places and meet again with dear people. Although we did not need a reminder how much we love our life in New Zealand, this trip reminded us of that fact many times. Upon their return to Dunedin, Philip and Adriana were very happy to be at home again. I very much look forward to returning to our home in a week. Oh, home, sweet home! I am finishing this letter on the airplane just before landing in Auckland. Another wonderful intercontinental flight on which flight attendants secured for me a row of 4 seats for a pregnant woman to stretch her legs during this 13-hour flight. It was way better than flying a business class! Thank you all once again for wonderful friendships and memories that are connecting us all these years! It was fantastic to see many of you in the last couple of weeks. Philip, Adriana and I are already looking forward to new opportunities to get together on New Zealand or any other continent! Tons of love and positive energy from the far south! Sandy, Philip and Adriana happily waiting for a new member of our team Somewhere above the Pacific Ocean 04 June