Let the Amazing Race Try Out begin

I'm sure there will be a lot more cheersing on

NZed soil
No snow! Cause it's summer here!!!
We will be getting up to some activities as

us Bealls like to do. On the list - kayaking, tramping,

whitewater rafting, wine tasting, and lots of eating
I really wanted to include some pics of this

duo from throughout our days teaming up, but

life on the road doesn't quite give me access to

our awesome baby pics and I decided to spare you

uploading the awesome movie I made for Allison's 30th

that I've probably already made you all watch anyway

Another Beall is about to invade New Zealand and we'll have to see if there's room for the both of us. I know that some of her assets may be a tight squeeze (let's just get that in there right off the bat). Allison and I have never really traveled together although we've had a longtime goal of trying out for the Amazing Race. Our application ideas focus solely on our differences cause we know Amazing Race loves them some drama. We were supposed to go to Croatia together a few years ago but my work traveling schedule thwarted that and instead I was in Costa Rica. Our one small experience traveling together was last Christmas when we were meeting the rest of our family for a ski trip in Colorado. We had one day at the beginning and two at the end where it was just the two of us. And if that experience is any indication, we may have some rocky but fun roads in NZed ahead -

At the beginning of our trip to Colorado, we spent most of our first day watching football where Allison quickly befriended some dudes in the bar and I quietly ate the fried pickles that we mutually agreed were a must. The final two days of our trip we spent one whole day in bed watching terrible vampire movies, eating more fried food, and facebooking each other while laying next each other. This kept us so distracted that we forgot to book our transport back to Denver until the last minute so we had to scramble to figure out how to get back and ended up taking a bus for 40 min to find a rental car, then drove through a snowstorm sliding around, where they eventually shut down the highway. Got to the airport and while Allison sprinted for our flight, I sauntered to the gate (and of course still made it) - slightly different traveling styles. We shall see how that plays out in NZed. We already had our first fight pre-arrival because she didn't want to run a half-marathon while on vacation - jeez. Also, those of you that know me (I'm pretty sure no one that doesn't know me is reading this blog) may think I'm bossy, but our whole lives as a pair, I tend to defer to Allison. Maybe cause she's older, maybe cause she has bigger assets, or maybe just cause I'm scared of her...but now she's coming to my turf. Should be interesting....

A few things I do know about Allison's visit - she'll laugh at all my jokes, ensure that we eat good food and drink excellent wine, definitely make us some new friends, and that I will probably get us in trouble as I tend to do. Dating back to when I got us kicked out of the county fair because I was spitting off the gondola while Allison, upright citizen that she is, warned me against it. And in Denver, I made off color jokes to dudes hitting on us to get them to leave us alone, which just resulted in us not getting free drinks.

In NZed news this week - Our esteemed Secretary of State was visiting NZed this week, for apparently the longest visit in 25 years. I didn't know it, but apparently NZed and the US have had a bit of a rift ever since 1985 when NZ banned nuclear weapons and ships landing here. I mean you'd think we could have gotten over that since they're one of the few nations still holding strong with us in Afghanistan. While Hilary was here, the NZ prime minister accidentally referred to her as Pres Clinton, oops! And she called Wellington the "coolest little capital in the world" - that's right, Wellington! She also said, "NZ punches way above it's weight in every challenging sector in the world today". Oh NZed, I'm glad others can see how awesome you are.

I have also been up in the Far North (Maori stronghold) attending a Federation of Maori Authorities conference prior to Allison's arrival. I love how conferences are basically a navel staring competition as people try to figure out your name/organization. People would say, "So who are you with?". Me "I'm with myself, I'm a student". Them, "Ohhh, you're American. What are you doing HERE?". I've been here almost ten months now and it never ceases to amaze people that I came all the way from America to study something to do with Maori. But while people may not understand (and I'm so over explaining it), Maori are so welcoming and the warmest of all Kiwis, plus they serve some awesome kai (food) and lots of wine, and the hakas and waiatas are just an added bonus. In this venture into Maoridom (I was definitely the only foreigner at this conference), I met Taine Randall, ex All Black Captain who now has a carbon trading company (how convenient). Since NZeders claim they don't do celebrity, I decided to march right up and start discussing the criteria that he is using for his carbon trading investments. I don't think I scored points with this since he probably wanted me to fawn over him a bit, but I did give him my card. First pro Athlete I've ever given my card to, we'll see if he calls. John Key, the Prime Minister, also spoke at the conference and was hilarious. Maybe Obama could take a page from his book and tell some more jokes to increase his popularity.

In 100 Days of Beall NZed edition -

-Flying - I've always liked flying, since I find it a nice excuse to read/relax, have a glass of wine and tune into movies I would never watch otherwise. But NZed has made it even better by taking all of the stress/hassle out of it. Being able to show up at the airport 30 min before your flight, wait in no lines, pay no fees, bring all the liquids and small knives you want on the plane, and keep your shoes and dignity on - really make it so much easier. It does slightly bother me that no one ever asks me for an ID, just my first name, but again - so easy. AND once you've had the easiest boarding experience ever, they provide free snacks and drinks AND trivia AND jokes on a 30 min flight.

-Driving - There's never traffic (except in Auckland) and people are so nice, they let you go, and when I don't obey their weird rules no one gets that mad. At most times its just you and the open road, so singing really loud is totally cool while you enjoy the picturesque mind-blowing landscapes and tons of livestock

-The half flush - I really don't understand why they don't offer it in the States, but here every toilet and I mean every toilet, has a half flush and a full flush option (for you know). Not only does this save water, but toilets never clog here, and I mean never.

-And while we're on the potty, I love NZed's public restrooms. They're everywhere for one - very convenient never having to pretend you're buying a coffee at a restaurant, because you'll always find a public restroom. And they're always clean, I mean really clean. Maybe this has to do with the half flush.

-Egalitarianism - John Key the Prime Minister spoke at a conference I was at today, and they introduced him as John. He then proceeded to crack a lot of jokes, quite a few of which were about the US. But he also had no handlers and very little security (unless they were really hidden). He's a very popular PM and since I haven't lived here for any others I have no real comparison, but maybe part of it is his relateabilty even though he's a millionaire. He comes off as just an average dude, who is also really knowledgeable about detailed subjects.

-Maoris - They don't exist anywhere else and seriously they are the warmest, most fun-loving culture I've ever lived amongst. Their inclusion of lots of food, wine, singing, and dancing, and lots of jokes probably has something to do with the fact that they're the only indigenous population that is actually reviving itself. Tihe Mauri Ora!

That's five more, so we're at ten! I will get to a 100, I will