Thankful....

Thankful to have met my nephew Zhion Ezekiel Rapana <3 only 1 week old here!

Thankful for some fun loving time with little Ethan at Butterfly Creek!

The tramp at butterfly creek is AMAZING!

Blessed with a bunny after the Butterfly creek adventures! Name to come soon!

This past week i struggled, i struggled to smile, I struggled to Love, I struggled with life.... But someone who has been amazingly supportive in my life went out of her way to make me smile and love life again. She is amazing and I'm thankful she came to be in my life!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! #Blessed!

Beautiful Bea! =)

I have a beautiful friend, her names Bethany! No matter how far away she is she still knows how to make me smile and make the tears go away! I love you lots!

Bethany,

You're friendship over the past few years has meant the world to me. You mean the world to me! Your someone I can always count on, to laugh with, to cry with and most of all be myself with!! I never thought I'd know what it felt like to have true friends, then I met you! We've had a strong bond right from the start and I think I'd be lost without you!

We've had some amazing times together, made some lifelong memories, and most importantly we've held on through the tough times we've been a shoulder for each other to cry on, and we've always known the right words to say. =)

I feel blessed not only to have you in my life but to call you one of my best friends. I will cherish our friendship as long as I live. You amaze me with your strength, love, endurance and passion for life! I'm so proud of you and all you do and of course the size of your heart and love for everyone and everything!

I love you to the moon and back!

Love Laura xx

Small things that make the heart smile!

Lately my life has been filled with busyness. There's been no time to stop and chill and just do what I wanna do.

But theres been some things thats made my heart stop and smile!

- spending a day with this cheeky smile! Kelly Tarltons to Mission Bay, penguins, playground and swimming! Ended in a 2 block walk carrying a sleeping little monkey back to his mum at work after he fell asleep in the car! Spending the day with him made me smile, it made my heart smile and it made me Happy! It made me feel just like I used to around kiddies!

-celebrating a new friends 21st Birthday with a bunch of amazing girls who make my life here bearable! Without you I don't think I could keep on smiling at all! Hanging out with you always creates a nice memory! I love you!

-being involved in McRush's family dinner for Ronald McDonald House, 300 burgers and 70 nugget happy meals were prepared and delivered to RMH for dinner one sunday night. Was so awesome to see how stoked the families were to be getting Maccas!

- Lunch with a beautiful friend from my Hewett House days! Even if she was a tad hungover! Love ya Ash!

- Making the most and having some fun out of Biscuit Season!

-Attempted to learn cafe at work and experiment a little!

In amongst all these fun times and good things that have made my heart smile, my heart has been challenged!

Yesterday I said goodbye to my sister, her Auckland Chapter is officially closed for now. I actually shed a tear as I walked away from her car into my flat. It's official, I'm alone, my parents and brother live 600kms away on opposite sides of the island from each other, and well my sister, her ferry crossing to Christchurch is on thursday and then we're officially in seperate islands again. Last year with her was a challenge, but AMAZING she left home when I was 5 so it was the first time we've lived together that I can actually remember! I miss her already!

I was blessed by uni to get a ticket to Parachute, this meant I also had the opportunity to carry-on down to Napier for a couple days and so I did! It was great fun! I didn't want to leave. And then 72 hours after arriving in Auckland again I got the phone call,  someone who I hadn't seen for so long, but someone who knew how to make me smile had laugh had been promoted to Glory.

Only one week earlier had he finally processed my insurance claim which had been lost amongst other things for the past year. Our insurance broker, one of Hawkes Bay's most reputable bussiness men lost his life, he left behind 3 young boys, younger than me and a beautiful strong wife. The part that I found the hardest to comprehend was how they stood so strong at his funeral after seeing him pass right before their eyes. They were so content, like they knew he was in the best place.

Just a few days ago marked the first year anniversary since my 12 year old neighbour, a lively and fun, caring and loveable young guy was taken from this earth, taken way too suddenly and early. After having been his mums rock during her battle with lukemia during the previous year it was such a shock and battle for this tight knitted family to lose such a bubbly energetic man. It reminded me that life is too short to ponder over the little things.

I was also remincing over the good old times at high School, my rebellious days where such a beautiful fun loving chick taught me all the do's and don'ts about successfully rebelling! That beautiful girl had our whole year group in tears the day we heard that she'd been diagnosed with lukemia when we were all so young at HS, how would our tight class cope without her bubbly smile, and cheeky personality to make us laugh was all we could think. Now i owe it to Nikki, such a beautiful chick who I know is watching down on everyone right now! Her strength and beauty is something I admire and I feel blessed to have now had a glimpse at where she was all those years during HS as we slept in our own beds, ate homecooked meals everynight and spent each day with our friends by our sides. We as her classmates were her biggest threat once she was diagnosed. Except for when she was well enough to be in Napier and I passed her on the streets FB was the only place I saw this beautiful chick in the past few years!

Lifes too short to worry what people think, if you've got tears rolling down your face it shouldn't be a matter of someone fussing over you and making you feel like a baby, a simple loving hug and smile never goes astray.

Hug those you love often, thank those who support always, smile for tomorrows worth seeing.



Looking forward....

As 2012 approaches- Scary I know!

I'm caught looking back on the past year,

* I travelled to Sydney by myself!
* I moved away from home, away from the norm and into the big wide world..... AUCKLAND!
* I began and completed my first year of my Bachelor of Business at AUT University.
* I got my first ever job, at McDonald's Britomart and have the best network of friends there! Supportive, loving, caring and helpful =)
* I've continually prayed and thought about my loved ones in Christchurch.
* Every day i've missed my friends.
* November 11th marked a year since I braved the bald and shaved my lid for a brave kid!

It's been a year since I finished high school, since i embarked on a new path and parted with my sisters i'd spent 5 long, hard, exciting years with! 5 AMAZING years!

Every month theres a new 1st time...
In January I travelled abroad alone alone.
February i not only moved out of home but moved cities.
In March I started at Kakamai Guides- my first time as a guide leader...
April, flew to Napier for the first time as an Aucklander...
May, did my first mammoth road trip to Napier
June I had my first birthday away from my mum and dad.
July visited chch for the first time since Sept 2010
August went on guide camp instead of Midland division kids camp. AND got a job.
September went to a rugby world cup match
October finished my first year of university, moved into a real flat...
November remembered the sacrifice i made a year earlier... without those who supported me the year before...
December spent my first christmas unwillingly away from home. Away from my friends. 

All these things so little and insignificant have been massive challenges for me, massive learning curves and a massive emotional and physical battle.

I'm thankful for unconditionally supportive friends and family, my saviour who never leaves nor forsakes me and most of all the love given to me daily by all!

Hugs xx

Positive in the negative....

I feel like the only time I ever write on here is a total downbuzz or "vent" as some would say.

So today I'm going for Positive..... I'll make the negative overview brief to highlight why the positive is so good!

So I've been struggling away from my friends and family lately and just missing the people I love the most so much! I've pretty much just been struggling with the changes in my life over the past year...

BUT...

I had some really good moments in the past few weeks!

*I passed my whole first year at uni! My grades weren't amazing but its been a tough year and I succeeded with the help of God and those who believe in me!

* I got to visit a beautiful city in its rebuilding and celebrate a Beautiful friends 21st Birthday!

* I was at work and one of my managers for the day complimented my work ethics and performance for the day multiple times and it made me feel super amazing!

*Today I made over $100 for Ronald McDonald House Charities by selling/making balloon animals etc outside of work while the Santa Parade was one.

* I remembered what I did a year ago and how I helped to change some beautiful, strong and amazing kids lives!


Life is what you make of it.

I'm going to aim for less bad days and more good, higher expectations of my life means a richer life I will live, and I'm going to aim for Excellence in everything I do, not just what I want!

<3 Life everyday..

My favourite things...

In my last blog I wrote about my recent adventures, well on the trip to Napier that was to honour Nikki Ellison's beautiful life.
I had the privilege to meet a new blessing in this world. Elisha, he was only a week old when I got to meet the little blessing from above. So precious and tiny. Yet one day he will be so powerful, inspirational and a unique character in this world!

Today I went to the church I now try to call "home" and an officer i've known since the time I started coming to the army was a guest speaker. And immersed in converstaion with her I found myself say "Yeah well when i'm at church this is where I am" in response to her suprise and confusion that I was attending that corps.

When I thought about what i'd just said I realised how bad it sounded but when I look back on it its true. Some weeks yes I'm away, otherweeks I have an event or training or family commitment. But then there's the weeks that I wake up and roll back over, all I want to do is walk into church and be hugged by my best friends, the people I've journeyed with intently over the past few years and that know when somethings wrong and how to make me feel better with just one look.
All I want to do on these weeks is walk through those giant glass doors and have kids that I've taught come running up to me with their open arms and precious smiles.

I miss the days when a bad day at church was having 23 of the 3-7 year olds I taught alone. Or sitting on opposite ends of a row to someone cause you had a tiff and your not talking.

Now to me those days look so good.

My favourite things are;
- walking into a room and having trouble deciding who to say hi to first and get that great big weekly hug!
- seeing friends everyday and still missing them so much in between cause your so close.
- seeing kids lives changed.
- being a person of change in this world.
- hanging out with my best friends who might as well just be my brothers and sisters.
- seeing kids lives change as they grow and seeing them become the person they are destined to be.
- seeing my best friends across the room and feeling that warm fuzzy feeling inside of me.

I have way more favourite things but at the moment these are my favourite things which I miss so much!

To my dearest Bethany, I miss hanging to you and talking about absolutely nothing in particular!
I will always love you and no matter where in this world we are i'll always feel close to you!

Jesse, Jake, Crystal, Mikayla, Bredine, Nessa and Brianna! I miss hanging out with you's and being dorks! Having random times and memories and being the people who we were born to be ;)

Jess, Christine, Holly, Sarah, Mandy, Anna, Heather! I miss your wisdom, your encouragement and your support!

<3

It's been a while....

Well it's been a while since I last wrote and lets say life's been pretty hectic! I'll start with the latest and go back in time.

*This weekend just been I attended the annual GirlGuiding NZ Young Leaders Conference and I was Challenged, inspired and changed.
-I was reminded why i'm in such a wonderful organisation, to give back to girls what I myself recieved but also Personal Development! It's not just about others its about me too, I have a life to live and develop in.
- I met some really awesome young woman from around NZ, heard woman speak about their experiences and genuinely had an awesome weekend!

*The previous two weeks I've been challenged by returning to Auckland and Uni and getting back into the lifestyle.

*My first day back in Auckland I spent with the Walkers, dear friends of mine!

*After returning from CHCH I drove to Napier on 4 hours sleep at 4:30am to honour the life of the Beautiful Nikki Ellison, taken too soon from this world and may she rest in peace! Free of pain at last, Much love hun! xx

*I spent time in CHCH and Motueka with family and friends.

*I spent two weeks in Napier and loved every minute of it!

*I celebrated my birthday with precious friends at the zoo, then Circus Circus for dinner.

Life's been pretty challenging, crazy, busy and hardwork. but in the end I know it will be good and God has an intended plan for my life and I look forward to it unravelling more!

Kia Kaha!
<3