(Editors note: Ari'i is my middle name and means King)
The final part of our trilogy finds the fellowship having parted ways, the events of "TWO-MEKE" having led to their inevitable conclusion... Read on...
CAPTAIN MORGANNE
Hello again family!! I hope you’ve all been doing well in your little corners of the world, and I also hope that the weather isn’t too hot or cold wherever you are. (AKA, N.Z and Canada.) Anyways, my next blog will be spanning from after Connor’s Birthday to Christmas, so let the memory searching commence!!
Halloween.... Ahh,
October. The month of costumes, spookiness, and scary stuff. Also the month of lots of cooking and cleaning apparently.
I remember it started when mum had this great idea to host this little Halloween party for her friend’s kids. We all thought that was a really cool idea, and I was soon buzzing with excitement at the thought of it. Then Halloween swung around and I think we were all wondering why we were doing it.
Mum insisted that me and Tere had to go to school that day despite the fact that we needed to decorate the house and get refreshments ready, and when we got home everything just kinda grew into some huge chaotic... THING. I was sent to decorate, Tere was busy making drinks for one of the activities, and Alina and mum were scrambling around in the kitchen to get all the refreshments ready. This resulted in lots of running, yelling, confusion, and stabbing old nets. And then, moments after we had finished getting everything ready, our first guests came and we weren’t even in costume. This resulted in more confusion that fortunately didn’t last for very long.
Despite the mess of the kitchen and the fact we knew we’d have to clean everything the next day, the four of us had a blast with our friends, and I think I might have amused some of them when I ran round and round one of the girls (Liana) with a roll of toilet paper in a vain attempt to make a mummy.
Anyways! November was fairly uneventful, (as in I can’t remember anything super big happening,) but I think that was the month our vaka chose a new Ariki. It was really cool, and I thought it was pretty sweet that I got to attend such an event, but I was seated at the very back, and I remember a lot of people were standing up to get a better view at what was going on and such, so I didn’t really see most of it. A-heh. I also remember that my school got to perform a pe’e for the new Ariki, and I was a little nervous at first but I think I got the hang of it at the end. I’m not quite sure yet...
That was a fun month.... Anyways, next is December, right? My favourite month. :D
..... Uhh... I remember.... A prize giving! There was a prize giving at the end of the year for the students, and for the oddest of reasons I had somehow made it 2nd overall for my year. I’m not complaining, mind, it’s just that we all kind looked at me and wondered how exactly that happened.
Uh, anywho, that is enough of school! I shall now move on to the happiest time of the year...... CHRISTMAS!! (Be happy!) AND..... I don’t remember much of that either. I definitely remember the day we picked up Dad and Connor from the airport, and that in its self was one of the best gifts they got us. We got to spend the entire day with them, (I think it was a school day, which is why it was so cool,) and I’m pretty sure we’ve never had—nope that’s a lie. We’ve have plenty of fun many times before. Heh heh.
The rest of the week went by pretty fast, and I remember spending a lot of time with Connor during the first 2 weeks of holidays. The first week, sadly, went by fairly quickly, but the second week was memorable because of..... (drum roll please,) ...... CHRISTMAS!!! (Yes I will be saying that world in big letters every time, thank you.) We’d finally gotten to decorate the tree together for the first time in a few years, I think, and we all had a lot of fun while mum and dad watched us. We then spent the rest of the week in a rush to finish CHRISTMAS!! Shopping, but we’d gotten all our presents just in time for the morning.
On Christmas Eve, we all opened one gift after spending some time making up ridiculous stories and I had enjoyed mine IMMENSELY. Alina had gotten the 1st season of Firefly, Tere had gotten the 19th season in Top Gear, but I had gotten the latest Ratchet and Clank game!! My reaction was hilarious according to the others, and I was soon wishing for CHRISTMAS!! To roll round so we could all open our gifts like one big happy family. Which it did.
Present opening was a blast as usual, and I loved all my gifts equally and with great happiness. Dad, Mum and Connor had gotten everything I asked for, (a roll of canvas, carving tools, and a book series,) while Alina and Tere had gotten me even more! (An awesome picture of the four of us in a truck, and two ridiculously awesome signs!)
We had a lot of fun, and right now I wish I could turn back the clock and just relive the moment..... Oh well....
Well, that’s what’s been happening over here with us, and I sincerely hope that all of you have had a truly AWESOME CHRISTMAS!!! And that I will see you all really soon. Lot’s of love from us down here!
Meri Kiritimiti!!
TERE
Well now, after the 21st. Just what do I remember, hmmmmm...
Well between the 21st and the end of the school year is a big void, and to be honest, I've been trying to forget the end of year exams. However, I remember those, so I may as well mention them.
While they weren't too hard, they were still a real pain. The best example of this was a math question. All it showed was a circle, nothing else. And the question was: Calculate the angle of Angle CBA. The question in my head; WHERE THE $@#%&@$^!^$!@&$@+%*@ IS CBA?!?!
After that, exams were a cakewalk. I say that because all I had left was the Drama exam (and yes, there is a way to have a Drama exam). It was real easy, after all, all I had to do was draw, and write down over-dramatic lines. Those who know me well will know that this was rather easy for me.
Now, after that, my buddy Te Tuhi went on a trip to NZ for the whole of the summer. Before he left though, we all showed up at his place, and gave him an RTS send-off. While Nick was busy killing aliens in 1998 game graphics, I was able to give Te Tuhi his Christmas present from me. And with that, he then departed for the Land of the Long White Cloud.
After that, it was on to Christmas, which I remember very little due to the fact that we didn't decorate until what, 8 days till Christmas? 9? The only way I remember what goes on during the Yuletide, depends on how long the tree's been up for, and that gives me a window of just under two weeks. Connor and Dad also came home for the holidays, and for Dad, he was staying here in the Cooks for good. for Connor, it was another year up North.
I remember Christmas Eve, mostly because of the chain-story. We'd go around in a circle, and everyone had to tell a short blurb in a Christmas story. Well, it involving the Georges, it didn't take long for it to get plain ridiculous. To put it in perspective, we had Yoda in a fight against Darth Scrooge and the 3 Possessed Spirits of Christmas, Santa being revealed to be a Russian Mobster disguised as St. Nick and his sleigh being shot down by a Roman Candle and he crash-landed on a man who was actually a machine sent back from the future to destroy Christmas, the Christmasnator, and he gets in a fight with Rambo Claus, and Connor McCloud teams up with the Stig to save Christmas alongside Yoda.
Crazy and utterly insane? Yes it is.
After that, we told the annual 'Night Before Christmas.' Now how could that go wrong? Well, it crash and burned like Santa's sleigh when it was hit by that Roman Candle. As it so happened, NONE OF US REMEMBERED THE STORY AND THE BOOKS ABOUT IT WERE PACKED IN STORAGE. So another Christmas event drawn into our web of insanity.
Which reminds me, also on Christmas Eve, I invented a new drinking game! Take a shot every time you're hungry!
In an effort to maintain the Christmas spirit, we then did the traditional opening-a-present-on-Christmas-Eve, but of course, we opened them at 10 to Midnight. Not long after that, it was Christmas Day, and we all went to bed.
How could Christmas Day be drawn into this web of insanity? Well, WE OPENED PRESENTS AT 10 IN THE MORNING!!! Everyone knows that you're supposed to open them before the sun is up! What was going on?! MMAAAAAAAAADNEEESSS!!!
so, what I got was 2 Man Cave signs, a War Novel, William Shakespeare's Star Wars, and of course, a Warhammer 40K Chaos Space Marine Battleforce, Chaos Raptors, and the Chaos half of the Dark Vengeance set (Minus the Hellburte though).
ALINA
The last stretch of the year was short, but if it had promised to be busy and packed did it ever keep to its word. The past couple of months have been, to put it shortly, hectic. Clearly Halloween parties for children ages seven and under aren't chaotic enough, because the month of November kick-started that shock to the system.
Saltwater Cafe had burned to the ground. There had already been a cycle of arson going around, namely schools, small businesses, and even local homes since last year. The area of fire had been mainly to the west side of the island, targeting places in town, Nikao, and Arorangi; given that the cafe was based at the southernmost point in Titikaveka, 'out of bounds' so to say, we were all surprised and now even more uneasy about the arsonist. This attack left a devastating blow on not just one but two thriving businesses, as the cafe was actually property of the Turoa Bakery, one of Raro's two suppliers of bread and other baked goods. Without Turoa, several restaurant and hospitality services were affected, not to mention grocery stores. A study into the fire showed that the bakery was likely the target (for reasons unknown), and the adjoining Saltwater Cafe was simply unfortunate collateral damage. We were all upset of course, but the good news for me was that I still had another job, so I would be able to keep myself afloat. I was worried about the others, because for the rest of the team this job was sort of all they had. What were they to do now it was gone?
I didn't have time to worry, though; one of my mates had landed me a job at the Crown Beach Resort and Spa, which is in our neighbourhood. All my work experience had been in hospitality, so I wasn't worried, but this was my first resort job… and it will be my last!
In all fairness, the staff that I usually worked with were good people, I liked them a lot, but I didn't much care for the job. I like work that is consistent, interpersonal, and keeps me busy, and Crown was everything but. The bonus, however, was the staff discount. Crown is five-star, and on island wages it would be tough luck trying to afford even a meal, but on our discount anything was plausible. It was now December, which meant two things: Christmas, and our parents' wedding anniversary. I was going to take advantage of my discount, and present only the coolest gift ever, which was a weekend at the resort. Go Alina go! I scored them one of the nicer rooms too, and I think I can safely assume that Mum and Dad were pleased. They even let us kids visit them for an afternoon :) worth that headache of a job. 'Twas a nice way to finish.
We wrapped up the year with a mighty fine Christmas of few presents and vast eateries. I think the true gifts were wrapped up in our tummies, yum yum! Anytime with the six of us home will be a good time, and even though Connor has flown back home again already, here's looking forward to another crazy year to come…. because really, can this family ever go quietly?
CONNOR
Well it's that time again ladies and beasties. The time of the blog where yours truly rambles inconsequently about the goings on and much to do's about… well, yours truly. So let's bypass the expected pleasantries and discuss the tacks of brass:
Christmas! That Yule time celebration of peace, gift wrappery, familial bonding and embarrassment, and the birth of Jesus our lord and saviour. For a George family, Christmas brings all this and a great deal more to our table. So much more, in fact, that our Christmas day dinner table is stuffed with delicacies, good cheer, and all other sorts of metaphor.
Simply said, Christmas was excellent. Still reeling somewhat from that rumpus that was the 21st, Christmas was more of a return to form. Shared simply between our family of six, I dabbled in a great deal of procrastination, house cleaning, last-second Christmas shopping, sibling shenaniganery, and Christmas goody making. Our poor fridge was bristling at the seams with an ambitious abundance of food. Nanaimo bars, fudge, homemade ice cream and eggnog, fresh fruit smoothies, butter tarts, ginger bread, sugar cookies, turkey, stuffing and stuffing and stuffing, and an overflow of nuts and condiments. So to make a short story long, we had a larder fit for a king and his court, and we darn near ate his Royal Highness out of house and home.
My focus on food-type objects is not without cause. Food is something alike that sticky, gooey substance that binds the family during Christmas time in our house. We share jokes over baking, stories over supper, gossip between drinks, and familiarity between mouthfuls of supper, lunch, brunch, and tea. Theres a special something to a hand made, home made meal, and the anarchy in the kitchen that takes place before and after it, and its something that, interestingly enough, I look back on the most regarding my visit with the family.
Well, it could be that I'm hungry while I'm writing this, but that's hardly the point eh
Rather, my point is, I got up to a great deal more than just baking and cleaning. There was visiting, travelling, beach combing and beach bumming, and the exchange of gifts come that holy morning. But for me, what I take most from this visit are those moments in the kitchen prepping or cleaning, or at the table or the counter snacking and eating. And not for the sheer sake of there being food to consume, but rather the little moments of familial companionship that follows with it.
My siblings, no doubt, could document you great detail about our comings, goings, and in-betweenings. I in fact have no doubt they already have in this blog and you may or may not have read it before me. And all the better for them and me, because honestly, that's not what I wanted to take the time to talk about, because I want to take this time to acknowledge that a visit isn't always about everything you did and everyone you saw, but rather how that time was spent doing either. Well, I spent a lot of time about the kitchen and any number of errands related to it. And I reiterate, I look back to those most frequently, because that was time spent with family, and it was time enjoyed with a companionable familiarity that only being amongst close family can bring.
So I hope and wish to all reading that they too can look back to those little moments in the year where there was no splendiferous occasion that took place, nor one was needed to recognize the simple joys of spending small moments with people you can love and care for unconditionally. Because those are those most taken for granted, when they should be held most precious. Moments are to be cherished, no matter how small.
With that, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year
Yule tide cheer all around
TEMAEU
There was still a lot of visiting to do after the 21st itself. I spent an afternoon with Aunty Ngarui and Mum at the Hidden Gardens in Titikaveka. Ngaio and I had a rather long bike ride around the Island, with many, many stops for talking and rehydrating. Dad, Uncle Johnson and Uncle Joe had hired bikes the day before so the challenge was laid down by them. If they could pedal their way around the island, surely we could to. The next day, our cousin Celia’s girls, Ngarui and Phoenix, rode around the Island. That night, after the farewell dinner at Betela, the three generations told their epic stories to two impartial judges, Mum and Aunty Ngarui, to see who was the best. Turns out, we were all equally winners, (although, really, it was Ngaio and I!)
By the 14th everyone was gone but Mum and Dad. They flew over to Atiu for a couple of nights and then stayed with us when they got back. It was so good to catch up and spend time with them. On Saturday (21st), Dad and I spent an afternoon together and then I spent Sunday afternoon with Mum. They flew to NZ the following day.
Things slowly got back to normal after that. During the last week of September, there was a Round Raro Relay Race and the day before, MCI decided to enter a team. There were 10 of us and we had different sections to complete. I had a lovely 3.2 kms. I DO NOT run, do not have any running shoes and still did it. I ended up power walking a lot of it. We were the last team to finish. By the time we got to where the finish line was, the speeches and prizes were over and people were packing up to leave. It was determined that if we do it next year, everyone will do 1 km at a time, as that was achievable, and we would actually do some training, at least 2 weeks before!
October
So, the tenth month of the year was spent in recovery mode. Tere and Morganne had exams and assignments to do, Alina was busy was work as was I. About mid-October there was a disturbance in Sunday morning sanctuary; for me, there was something very therapeutic about going to a cafe, being served my coffee without having to specify how I wanted it and then selecting whatever I wanted, be it pancakes or fried rice. I believe that Alina also really enjoyed working there because of Mel and Sue and the whole staff and the “family” environment that they created.
I’m not sure if I was trying to get over the loss of Saltwater Cafe or if I was feeling more settled, but I thought we should host a Halloween party. Being in Raro, I left it until the day before, (as one does), and then we spent the night getting things ready. Because pumpkins where somewhat uncommon, we did jack o’lanterns of pawpaw, (papaya), and a watermelon. Side note: for anyone in a tropical climate, a watermelon is the best! Morganne and Tere decorated our carport with shredded mosquito netting and potions. Our guests were the children of my co-workers and friends. Tere was Professor Snape and looked after the “Potions” lab (aka drinks). He was absolutely awesome and had the kids asking for potions a few days later. Alina made an appearance as Laura Croft, (she looked fantastic) and Morganne was a gangstah. Our menu was Halloween appropriate: Witches fingers, Toxic slime, Worms n’ Dirt, Devilled Eggs, etc. There was a guest appearance by me as a librarian. I know.... shocking!
We worked and studied and then at the end of the month was our full on time. I volunteered for Vaka Eiva 2013. This was a 6 day paddling event. Last year I volunteered for 2 days. This year I thought I’d go full on and do the full 6 days. The first day was absolute chaos. I was the recipient of a field promotion: I was in charge of looking after the registration desk. I ended up putting in 10 – 12 hour days and in spite of the craziness, enjoyed most of it. There was one day in which I did only half a day. I was planning on participating in the Boiler Swim, (750 m). This was also the day in which it would be easiest to register Morganne at her school for next year, Tereora College. I ended up falling asleep and Morganne woke me up in time to take her to Tereora. By the time we were finished there, it was too late for me to do the Boiler Swim. Ahhhhh well..... there’s always next year. It was a rather chaotic week but I will definitely putting in my leave for next year as well: so many people, so many memories!
December
It was an awesome Christmas. The end..... Well, maybe a few details. Connor and Ina were both home which was fantastic. We had beach time, food time, (first turkey since we left Canada), and family time, ( most important). We were also treated to an early Anniversary present from my #1 daughter Alina, a weekend in a 5 start resort with its own private pool! What more could I ask for at this time of year? Ina is home for the foreseeable future which is the absolute bomb and bring on 2014!!
Well, this brings me to the end of my part in the Trilogy. It is pretty full on down here but I am still loving it. I think of all of our friends and family often and am so sorry that I do not email or FB at all. I find it really hard to look at a computer at home as I spend so much time on one at work. This is not a good excuse and again, my apologies. My thoughts are with you all.
INA
Sept to Dec was spent at work in Canada so typically, I don't really say too much about that… I don't like to dwell on work because it is, after all just that… WORK… in the last two years, it has kept me away from my family for 3 months at a time. Have to say I was a grumpy old fart most of the time because of that but thats no excuse... so, I do my job… but I don't enjoy being away from my family.
Except that this time, I had decided that I would not be returning to Canada next year… just too far away from whats important.
Well. that got me thinking that its also about work mates, colleagues… and the times you spend together on the job. I learnt the trade under Dave Shaw, my closest friend in Canada. After that, the company I worked for was LEDCOR Industrial, I first worked with them up in the North West Territories in 1998 and my Foreman was Wayne O'Neil… funnily enough, my last job was Kearl Oil Sands Project and my Construction Manager was Wayne!… known him quite a few years and worked on quite a few jobs with him… There are a few others over the years but they know who they are…
I've spent enough time with Ledcor that I started out as an up-and-comer… then ended up mentoring some of the up-and-comers… I remember during KT-DEP, one of their funniest lines was, as they were crouched over the computer trying to solve a knotty turnover issue, "Um… Ina, I think we need an adult over here!!!" That one would always crack me up…
I also got a hankering for a new guitar, I got an idea for a guitar that would tell my story, years from now, if you looked at it, it would tell you who I was… or at least I hoped it would. The guitar is for my wife… I just get to play it. I contacted a Luthier, JON MATWIV in Edmonton. He had done work on my Strat and asked him to build me a custom guitar… no problems! I took the body to the Cook Islands in Sept and had it carved by my cousins HENRY & MIKE TAVIONI. The carvings are from my culture/heritage and represent those that have passed that I want to remember, and those values that I have tried to live my life by… its a bit of a mix as it has JIMI HENRIX in there alongside traditional motifs from here in the COOK ISLANDS, but every thing on that guitar has a story behind it… I'm hoping that some day, when my kids are grand-parents… they will pull it out and tell their grandkids the story of that guitar.
So that was pretty much Sept to beginning of Dec for me… trying to pass on what I know to those that'll need it, building a guitar… then it was time to leave…
Got home Dec 9th, the flame-trees were blooming… walked out of arrivals and saw my youngest daughter running towards me… then right past me to my son Connor!
All good… those two have always been pretty close…
Then, our eldest daughter, pays for a weekend at CROWN BEACH RESORT & SPA, a 5 star resort as an anniversary present for my wife and I… Holy Private Pool Batman!!! felt pretty pampered!…
Then there was Christmas morning breakfast! Again feeling pampered… after all, Christmas has been, and always will be FAMILY TIME…
So, here we are at the end of the year… as for CANADA, I will miss the comradeship of work mates the most, as well as CANADA it self… what an amazing place!
I have no idea where I will be next year or what will happen… all I know is that I am where I should be and thats enough for me...
I hope Christmas has been a wonderful family time for all, and may the New Year bring all your wishes to you...
