Ah Juan what can we say – we have had some gooood times!
(Andy) I was first to meet you over the Xmas break of 2011 when Kendra brought you home to meet the family up in Waikanae. I thought you were a top guy right away, not just because you were Kenj’s man, or because of your love for footy, or because you’re an asado expert, or because you’re fun loving and down to earth, but because you’re all of the above… just a great guy. Such a bummer you’re so bloody far away!
(Emm) I was miffed to miss out on that summer with you guys! But had to wait until I finally got to meet you on my way home from Cambodia when I dropped into Sydney to see my sister from another mother Kendra, and check out this lover she had been raving about. We had some crazy fun nights together in a short amount of time.
I was (and am still) so happy to see how happy you made Kendra. She was so contented but passionately in love – a balance that’s so hard to find! Not to harp on but you guys make such a beautiful couple, eating the world as she says but also complementing each other in so many ways as super good humans.
(Emm) So the next time we saw you guys, was over the summer break of 2012 and Andy and I were finally together to enjoy it. Just weeks before our wedding and weeks after we bought our house, it was an intense time for us!
Together we embarked on our Abel Tasman adventure. Such good scally-waggin’times, heading out to sea with you guys in our plastic tubs loaded with fine dining treats to taunt the trampers, fine wine and yo-ho-ho a bottle of rum!
Some moments were serene – hot sun, Golden Bay’s crystal waters, beautiful New Zealand forest, seals, and picnics on sandbars. Then there were intense times, like paddling full force around that dreadful point, into the strong wind and waves of theCook Strait, suffering that hopeless feeling that we were getting nowhere….. orworse, going backwards. The hours pushing so hard for a stretch that should’ve taken us 30 minutes. Thankfully this was followed by the sweet, sweet victory of making itto the beach and hitting the rum, in the rain and wind.
Then there were of course the crazy times – drinks at the hut, fine food, too much rum, Japanese playing card faces. So good!
We were so glad to briefly share Awaroa with you guys at the end of our epic adventure – it’s so beautiful there – it was a sweet moment before your water taxi to sit in the sun and savor some cider in the manuka forest.
(Andy) It was awesome to have you at our wedding. Your smiley calm demeanor was a breath of fresh air and made what could have been a stressful time … not so stressful. The photos you took are some of the most special photos we have and we will always be grateful to you for that. You da man!
Emm) Our last holiday together before having Stella was visiting you guys in Sydney– so another landmark time for us! You knew straight away I was having a baby, probably in part because Kendra’s tears were still streaming and her smile was irrepressible. Those BBQ’s in the Blue Mountains were so meat-tastic! And what a backdrop. That’s the second mighty forest we have experienced together.
Andy) It was awesome hanging out with you again, getting to witness firsthand your Aimar-esque footy skills and getting to savour your sweet asado skills again. I loved playing donkey with a rugby ball against the guys. Kicking the shit out of it up and down the street, trying to avoid the parked cars and not get hit by the moving ones. A great way to spend our last few hours.
(Emm) Seeing you guys this year at Brett and Soph’s wedding and getting to introduce you to our little cherub Stella meant a lot to us. It was brief, but it was awesome spending that time together. So glad you made it over!
Andy) I didn’t get to hang with you too much at the wedding but we made up for it afterwards by having a few drinks at the now deceased Mighty Mighty. Next time you guys come to NZ though its got to be for more than 48 hours.
So to sum it up – we count you among our best friends and have loved sharing the memories with you, and look forward to many, many, many more good times.
Feliz cumpleaños che!!!
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