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Tips for coping with the financial crisis

As we've mentioned before- New Zealanders are very frugal people who prove to be resourceful at making what they already have work. In their words when it comes to most challenges, "She'll be 'right". Here are ten ways we've noted the locals make their dollars stretch further:

1.Kids don't wear shoes- at school, in sports, going places in town. Our kids love it. Caution- their feet stay grubby, to say the least.

2.Do not pay more than $5,000.00 for a vehicle. (Real money should be spent on your boat.)

3.No tipping. I've gotten very used to this one.

4.Save on your power bill with no central heating or air conditioning, no clothes dryer, and leaving all the lights off. Dawn's so cute hanging clothes out on the line!

5.Avoid healthcare until the last minute, and, then, the socialized system hits it a lick and picks up the tab. Things go well until you're really sick.

6.Grow, catch or raise alot of your own food. Every house should have a sheep or two, a boat, a tractor, a garden, and many fruit trees.

7.Do not pay more than $10,000 for a boat and then go fishing as often as your wife and boss will let you.

8.Ignore fashion trends and just wear the clothes you were planning on giving away.

9.Walk alot. In general, most entertainment should be nearly free and involve the outdoors.

10.Repair everything until you can no longer get parts- then you may replace it with a used version bought off your neighbor.

In many ways, these values are very similar to my grandparents' generation and their parents who went through the depression. People living this way seem very content. I hope it is some comfort to those of you facing hard financial times.

A Beautiful September Spring

The rain is dew.

Wisteria outside our room.

Lynn took these photos from the yard. There is beauty all around and with the financial crisis worsening I wanted to share something to remind us how God takes care of things. A paraphrase of Matthew 6:25-34 might read,"Don't worry about what you will eat or drink or wear because your heavenly father knows you need them. Look at the Lily's of the field, even Warren Buffet is not dressed like one of these. If this is how God takes care of the grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, how much more will he take care of you whom he loves? Seek God first and seek what is important to him and all the other needs will work out."

Thanks For the Packages

It is hard to see because it is night time but we got 2 care packages this week containing graham crackers, real cereal (NZ cereal looks like fiber and doesn't have any sugar), Hershey Pennsylvania chocolate (Cadbury rules here), marshmellows (Marshmellows are pink in NZ and strawberry flavored which is not so good for S'mores), and lots of Crystal Light (My personal favorite). Many thanks to my friend Melissa and my friend Dawna's dad Steve who each sent a box of goodies. My dear Steve bought my plane ticket when I was 20 or so years old so I could return from a college summer mission trip to go to my interview for medical school. Melissa helped me get through Medical school. I appreciate both your support and friendship over these years. When I turned 21 Steve and my dad drove 8 plus hours to go the 100 miles in snow to fetch me from Johnson City so I could go on the "turning 21" beach trip with Dawna and Carleen before Christmas that year. I think he also came close to getting me out of jail once but that's another story. Lynn says that the crystal light is good Steve but he is really missing good old US 100 dollar bills and wishes someone would think of him.

School Production

Production

Main character song !!
Anna leading the haka!!Remember our strong Andrew

on the right!!

Twins class doing New Zealand's national anthem(which is

Maori and English).

Main character scene.(Far right is from NZ next is too I am
from Texas the others are from Australia, England and NZ.)

PRODUCTION

Over the past month we (Anna, Andrew and I) have

been working on our school production. The whole

production theme was kiwiana. Each class got to have

about 12 min.. For Andrew and Anna's class they did

a thing about the All Blacks, other classes did: Christ-

mas on the beach, the lost kiwi, buzzy bee pinic, the

stolen L&P recipe, and Ocean friends. I was a main

Character or a linking person. All together we had a

wonderful production!!

Claire

School Work

All 4 are playing hard here with lots of trees to climb.

Kindergarten/!st Grade in New Zealand
When the tide is out in front of our house you can walk on the lava rock.
The rocks have small pools that catch lots of interesting sea creatures.
We took the Abscal's kayak out for a spin.
The biologist and the boys enjoyed sea anemones and shellfish caught in the pools.

Anna reading into the microphone with her class presenting flags of the world at school assembly.
This is taken on the walk to school...what a view.
Claire down on the shore next to our house.
Phillip had a great week at school camp in Auckland but it is good to have him back.
Claire took this beautiful photo of Anna after her kayak ride with daddy Saturday.

The kids have been busy finishing up this quarter this week. We are all looking forward to a 2 week break for the kids starting Friday. Hopefully Uncle Rus will be here to see us soon. We are hosting a Poetry Party with the Anglican pastor couple Friday so we have been in our literary modes. Lynn is studying his questions for the Internal Medicine recertification exam in Sydney Australia in a few weeks. The Auburn game last weekend was the only game broadcast in NZ and we were very excited to watch it. In the end it was a close loss which has it'sm own heart break. Our UT fan friends are in mourning too. It could be a long fall.....spring here. We are marching on through work and school and fellowship. Welcome back to the Nichols who should be starting their return flight from Spain today. We miss everyone.

For Mom

The fog this morning reminded me of our Smoky Mountain East Tennessee Home.

My mom had a special request to see some photos of Lynn and I on the blog. I think she was worried I had left him some where. We have admitted that this has been one of if not the single roughest season of our marriage with the move from our comfortable life, the pressures of working here, the lack of family support here, the overwhelming volume of need here, and the over-riding physical and emotional drain of it all. With that said, we are being more intentional about communicating how much we love each other and listening to the burdons, laughs, and triumphs of each day. There is a sweetness to commitment that rides through wavy unchartered waters in a relationship. I love you no matter what, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, in West Knoxville or Green Acres. Photos are compliments of Claire who took some of them when we were horsing around. You can pray for us in this area.....not the horsing around but the communicating.

Whangarei Christian Fellowship

Miguel praying....church
Worship....church
Vanessa (below) teaching Sunday school during the sermon.
The teaching of the word.....church
The after-church potluck for the Abascals. Community Fellowship...church

Andrew is at the ping-pong table in the back of the church.

Our friends the Abascals leave for a month long furlough in California tomorrow. We thought we would put some pictures of the church on our web page for their family and friends to see along with you guys.

Spring is Sprung

Andrew and the beautiful girls are beside the budding Wisteria vine on the porch. My friend Rene was hospitalized twice last week and we tried to help her navigate the rocky healthcare system here. As a thank you, she cut Andrew and Claire's hair and straightened the girls hair for picture day last week. We also got a beautiful chocolate cake as well as her desire for her and Brooke to go to church with us. She is a beautiful person and I am so glad we ended up meeting her through the school.
Andrew is a panda bear at the park after last rugby game.

Phillip with Rugby mates speaking at school assembly. Rugby ended this week. The Allblacks won the tri-nation (superbowl) last night.

This is a great treehouse in the back yard of the Abascal's home. They soon leave for California for a month so we are having a post church potluck lunch for them today.
Look closely. Phillip in black is swingin' out over the stream on a rope swing. The boys his age from church had a sleepover at the Abascals. Phillip had to borrow my shoes for a twilight hike up one of the mountains with headlamps. My shoes were really too small for him!!!

Anna, of course in pink, tried the swing too. Beautiful tweens from church (Zara, Naomi, Claire, and Lanah) had a slumber party where they sang praise, laughed, and had fun.
With spring, dolphins have been in the bay next to the house (see dots next to sailboat). We have heard the Orca have come too but haven't got lucky enough to see them yet.
Phillip had a sleepover with his rugby mates. He unfortunately was the first asleep and awoke with permanent marker "tatooes" on his face. The four boys eventually all had decorated their faces for the last rugby game. Phillip got most of it off but you could still faintly see "Hillbilly" written across the forehead but unfortunately it didn't show in the photo. He has really enjoyed his rugby teammates and we were all sad to see the season end.

Phillip is such a natural athlete and continues to amaze us. Next week he will be at school camp in Auckland all week. It is the equivalent of the 5th grade Washington DC trip. By the way, the sports complex has netball courts in the background that will soon be changed into hardcourt TENNIS!! :ast night we went to Ruakaka beach to have dinner with my friend Viv and her fiance John. The beach is beautiful and we look forward to showing Uncle Rus some of these sights soon. He arrived in Wellington last Monday and we are all excited.