Yesterday gave us a false sense of hope that things were warming up, but today the temperatures dropped back into single digits and it felt colder than ever. Our first stop was the Kentucky Horse Park, a unique blend of working horse farm, international equestrian venue, and educational theme park. Despite the cold, some of us … More USA Trip – Day 9: Lexington – Kentucky Horse Park & Woodford Reserve

We woke to a true winter wonderland this morning. The snow had transformed our surroundings, and Greer was so excited. While I was outside capturing a few photos of the snow, I spotted a skunk crossing our path—but I wasn’t quick enough to snap a picture. Once we were packed up and ready to go, … More USA Trip – Day 8: Ann Arbor to Lexington via Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio

Another freezing cold day in the north of the US had me longing for warmer weather. We set off for breakfast, but our first choice was unexpectedly closed on Wednesdays. Undeterred, we walked around the corner to “Afternoon Delight,” a diner-style spot. The food arrived quickly, although my poached eggs—left in the water a bit … More USA Trip – Day 7: Ann Arbor and Michigan University

Another early start this morning as we had a long day of driving ahead. Once everything was packed up, we called an Uber and headed to Midway Airport to pick up our rental car. To our surprise, the process was smooth and fairly quick—with just one vehicle change. Now that the kids are older, they … More USA Trip – Day 6: Road Trip from Chicago to South Bend, Detroit & Ann Arbor

We stepped out into what was easily the coldest day yet in Chicago, bundled up and ready for another full day of exploring. Our first stop was the Chicago Board of Trade, where we paused to admire its striking Art Deco architecture—a landmark we had missed on our Saturday tour. From there, we made our way to … More USA Trip – Day 5: Chicago – Art Institute & Field Museum

Today, the boys headed off to iconic Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs take on the San Diego Padres. They started with lunch at Swift Tavern, just outside the stadium, before picking up a Cubs cap for TJ and making their way to their seats near first base. The sun was shining, but sadly not on their section—so despite the bright day, it … More USA Trip – Day 4: Chicago – Baseball, Shopping and Deep Dish Pizza

This morning, we set off on foot to Union Station—a quick 10-minute walk from the apartment—to begin our insider’s guide to Chicago’s architecture walking tour with our guide, Avery. The kids were less than thrilled at the idea of a walking tour (tough crowd), but participation was non-negotiable. And to be fair, TJ ended up … More USA Trip – Day 3: Chicago – Architecture Tour, Navy Pier & Shopping

We woke up early this morning and, after getting ready, headed to Lou Mitchell’s, a classic American diner, for breakfast. We enjoyed our filter coffee, pancakes, and omelettes, all topped off with some delicious cream freeze ice cream—Sophia (aka Tammy) was in heaven. She and Greer are in their bulking season for rowing, so they’re … More USA Trip – Day 2: Chicago – Sears Tower & Griffin Museum

After a very quick turnaround from Maadi Cup, everything has been unpacked, washed and repacked, hair cut, nails repainted and it was time to head to the airport for a smooth stress-free start to our 10am flight to Auckland. We made sure to leave plenty of time for the journey on a rainy Christchurch morning … More USA Trip – Day 1: Chicago

A later start for SMC today with our first race not until 11:45am, so we took our time heading to the lake. Sophia was first up for us with the u16 coxed four and they were a rank outsider qualifying in the 7th fastest time. That said, the girls had an amazing race and absolutely … More Maadi Cup – Day 6 – Saturday 29 March – Finals Day Two

We woke to another foggy day in town but out at the lake it was a beautiful day and racing got underway on time. Meanwhile, Sophia and her crew were back at the motels keeping themselves entertained and relaxed by cutting Ellie’s (their coxswain) hair, with a pair of kitchen scissors ?. The first race … More Maadi Cup – Friday 28 March – Day 5 – Finals Day 1

We had a day off racing today so enjoyed some downtime. Mark did some work, we went into town for a wander and some lunch and the girls had a training session each and did some schoolwork (well not sure about that bit!) In the evening, Mark & I had another cocktail party organised by … More Maadi Cup – Thursday 27 March – Day 4

This morning Mark headed to Auckland for a few work meetings but not before dropping me at the lake to watch the girls and the rest of the SMC crew in the repechages. It was very foggy so racing was delayed by 30-40 minutes. The girls in the novie 8 (Greer) had already rowed down … More Maadi Cup – Wednesday 26 March – Day Three

Day two of heats saw Sophia compete in her u16 coxed four. They had a strong race finishing second in 7:46:06, with only the top boat going through to finals, so they will have a repechage tomorrow. More time on the water is definitely a good thing and the girls were all happy. Greer had … More Maadi Cup – Tuesday 25 March – Day 2