Ten days and counting!

Hello Everybody from the Hideg Family.
Just want to get started on our travel blog for our much awaited (and maybe even a little deserved) trip Down Undah...to the South Island of New Zealand and then onto flooded Coolum and Noosa, Queensland Australia to visit our friends from our Indo trip 2-1/2 years ago.
Well, Alisa already had her and Maia's bags packed a few days ago and I got my bags packed yesterday, which included the much revered "surf gear bag". It has been packed, double checked, then sorted again just to make sure we've got our wetsuits, our booties and gloves (for the cold water of the South Island), various tools needed for surfboards (oh, and that now reminds me, I need to pack a pair of soft-racks for the boards!), wax, etc.
It is amazing that Alisa has all of her and Maia's clothing packed in a mid-sized backpack. The rolling duffel has my clothing and our camera and video gear. Hopefully that will translate into a lot of great photos for all of you to see and maybe even a few Quicktime videos:)
Then the "black hole bag" (AKA surf gear). A carry-on computer bag to take my work with me. Yes, I will be working 2 half days a week to keep the mojo working on the Santa Barbara house (shout-out to Darby & Alex, it's THEIR house!) and the Spokane house (shout-out to Michelle...toughing it out in the "Tiny House" next door to where the new modern box will reside). We plan on buying a mini-van in NZ as a car rental is just waay too much. Hopefully we can get a hold of a Mazda Bongo Van (great name for a surf wagon to be!).
 Alisa's Mom, Carolyn, and her new husband, Monte, will be joining us in NZ for the first 2 weeks of our trip and Alisa will be holding a packing class for her Mom to "show her how it's done". Yes, most of you know that we have a "fair" amount of experience traveling to different parts of the world. Some people get bit by the "travel bug", we must have gotten bit by the venemous Travel Snake! It's poison runs deep and apparently there is no cure; alas we have decided to live with our affliction:)

So, here's to ticking off the next nine days and getting excited for our new adventure.
Give us a call or drop us a line before we go.
George (Alisa and Maia are in nap mode this Sunday afternoon.