10 things we miss from home

We've had a fantastic weekend hanging out, grilling our meals and catching up on things around the house. We've booked some more travel and worked on some tax-related paperwork. I swear there's a ton of paperwork involved in moving and working internationally.

And yesterday Jake ran 20 miles (that's right, 20 miles) in preparation for his marathon on May 2. We're going to spend the weekend in Rotorua, which is famous for its geothermal activity. Apparently there are geysers and thermal pools and steam rising from cracks in the streets. So while Jake is trudging through his marathon, I plan to be sipping a fruity cocktail in a thermal spa somewhere. Hey, I've cheered him along through six other marathons... and let me tell you, it's not much of a spectator sport.

One of our readers asked us what we miss about KC, so we've been thinking about it and come up with this list:

My list

• Crab rangoon
  
• Wal-Mart (I hate to say it, but it's so true)
  
• NPR and country music on the radio
  
• CSI and tv in general 
  
• Playing volleyball with the girls

Jake's list

• Golden Tee (he probably just misses the cheap beer)
  
• Playing his bean-bag toss game with his buddies
  
• American sports (although our hometown Hurricanes rugby team is pretty good)
  
• Roads larger than two lanes
  
• First sunburn of the year at Royals Opening Day

But of course our friends and family are at the top of the list. Thanks to Dave for the question. If you have a question you'd like us to answer in a future blog post, please send it our way!

Cleaning out the camera with a few random photos... 

Saw this on our way to Wanganui. Cody, if you don't have a job yet...

Work sent Jake down to Dunedin a couple weeks ago to interview some grads, and all I got out of the deal was this pic, although it's a nice one.

This tasty looking son of a gun in Kaikoura is the NZ crayfish. Looks like a maine lobster without the ginormous claws. 

And this handsome fella was doing his best to strike a pose during a quick photo shoot in Hanmer Springs.

This band from Australia performed at KPMG Kansas City's 100-year celebration, and we found their CD in a B&B in the Coromandel Peninsula. Apparently someone other than Tyler Roe has heard of them. 

In Thames, they don't mess around when they say seafood platter.

I had a flashback when I found this in a cute little shop in downtown Wellington. Pantone 286 is Rockhurst blue, and it's been burned permanently into my memory.