My Life's Adventures

My whole life has been so much fun and I feel very grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had. Every moment in my life has lead me to where I am right now and there is no other place in the universe I would rather be!

I grew up in Auckland with my Mum, Dad and two brothers. We lived in Saskatoon , Canada for three years when I was two but all I can remember about that was the first time I saw snow. My older brother and I woke up really early one morning to a magical white wonderland out our bedroom window. By the time Mum and Dad woke up a few hours later I was blue in the face, still in my pyjamas, lying in the snow carving angel wings with my arms. And loving it! It was so much fun to have an older brother to share adventures with. He is three years older than I am and we were the best of friends when we were young.

My little brother took seven years to join us on earth, but when he was born I thought all my Christmas' had come at once. It was a miracle! One of my doll's had come alive!! I took him to school to show him to everyone. I read him bedtime stories and patted him to sleep every night. I was so proud of him, but I have to say he was an exceptionally cute little kid and hilariously funny. He wouldn't leave the house without one of his many fancy dress costumes on or his captain's hat.

Happy times with my family

Our family had a yacht that we would go away on in the school holidays. My grandparents would often accompany us. Poppa taught me how to tie all sorts of knots, and how to find North from the sun. I learnt navigation and how to read a weather map. I loved adventures so my older brother and I would row ashore and find caves and huts. We collected all sorts of strange things that we found and took them back to the boat to create new inventions out of. I always felt seasick on the long voyages so it became my job to be 'captain' for a lot of the sailing. I would sit up on deck with the wind in my face and concentrate on sailing the boat so I didn’t feel sick. Now I think about it, this was actually quite a blessing and was probably the cause of me going further in sailing.

My most favourite memory of these trips was sailing under moonlight on our way to Great Barrier Island. I always liked to sail the boat through the night and let mum and dad have a rest. I would be wrapped up in a blanket sitting on deck with the tiller in hand, watching the sails and the faint outline of land I was heading for on the horizon. The waves lapping against the boat causing a gentle rocking motion. It was so peaceful. I felt as though I was the only one out there, just me and the vast powerful ocean and the beautiful starry sky. The gentle wind always reminded me of a playful little puppy, darting about not really knowing where it was heading. Dad would pop up every now and then from below to check on me, humming quietly to myself. I will always appreciate the trust and respect Dad had in us all, even at such a young age. He always gave us responsibilities and made us feel that we were also very important and could make a difference.

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