Dan, Vic & Maia (Christmas 2022)

CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER, 2022 (but really… February, 2023)

Kia ora e te whānau, 

Meri kirihimete me ngā mihi o te tau hou (a bit belated, classic)!

Life 

We are so content in this season of our lives, raising our beautiful Maia. 

It was really special to celebrate Maia’s 1st birthday in March. We chose to bury the whenua/placenta in the morning, under a feijoa tree (now blossoming), then meet whānau at the Margaret Mahy Playground for cake and seagull-chasing by the river. 

After selling our two bedroom unit on Greenock St, moving into our rental, and house hunting for months, we finally found the perfect place to call home! We were absolutely stoked to move to New Brighton in May, just a quick walk to the beach and 5 minutes from Ōruapaeroa/Travis Wetland, Bottle Lake and He Puna Taimoana. It’s our dream life. 

We love having space for people to stay, and have had plenty of visits from family and friends. I particularly loved having my sisters, Millie and Libby, come for the weekend of my 30th birthday in August. We enjoyed going for a walk along the beach, meeting friends at the hot pools and having a cocktail over a board game or two. 

We are really grateful for our ‘crew’ of family friends and love watching Maia explore alongside Ashton, Binxy and Lucas. It is absolutely mindblowing to me that our wee mates are now running around and chatting away… Making us laugh, pull our hair out, and beam with pride. I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying by. Maia has just transitioned into a ‘big kid’ bed (loads of fun playing up-and-down all evening) and we are in the process of weaning after nearly two years of breastfeeding.

Nana Di looks after Maia once a week or so, which I appreciate hugely. Maia always loves seeing her and going for a fluffy at the beach, especially when Roxy comes along too - despite the fact that it takes Maia at least half an hour to warm up to Roxy each time!

Plenty of time is spent up north, mainly in Auckland, where Maia loves hanging out with Poppa, Nannie, Aunty Millie, Great-Grandparents, little cousins (Ihaia, Keira, Ryan and Logan, Yume - and now wee Maho, too!), and extended family. Aunty Libby is often video-called from wherever she is in the world. Maia is obsessed with ‘Roastie’, Mum and Dad’s pet chook, and loves to collect the eggs each morning with Nannie Jo. We’ve also enjoyed family trips to Hanmer, Mount Maunganui and Whangapoua throughout the year. 

Dan and I have been (very) slowly working our way through our Te Reo course. We do our best to integrate words and phrases into everyday life. It’s a learning journey for us, a pathway we know will continue to evolve over time. 

Health

Dan takes Maia to QE2 for swimming lessons on a Saturday morning. I usually take this as an opportunity to sleep in! 

Maia started in the nursery at Annabel’s, just down the road, for 2.5 days in August. She loves it, though this was initially a big change for us both. Her teachers are so nurturing. We were warned that she would pick up every germ under the sun… but we did not anticipate how relentless it would be. Maia was sick almost every week up until Christmas, suffering from multiple viruses, ear infections, gastro… It was tough. Somehow, we have managed to avoid Covid though (touch wood). 

I have just started yoga again at Flow Well Being on Tuesday evenings and Dan plays twilight cricket on Wednesday evenings. We both like having something for ourselves. On the weekends, we just try to get outdoors as much as we can! 

Work

Dan continues in his role as Contracts Manager at Division, which is busy and varied! 

I picked up two days teaching at Bromley School in Terms 3 and 4. It is such a special community, made up of thoughtful, genuine people - and I always feel so welcome when I am there. This year, I plan to pick up some relieving work as it suits. 

It has been my busiest wedding season to date and I have now had the privilege of officiating over 75 ceremonies. Some of my favourite ceremonies have been registry weddings on the beach… no fuss, no frills - just love. I feel extremely grateful to have connected with other celebrants - Britt, Chels, Kyra, Kelsie, Hannah, Hayley, Court and Georgia - and it’s fun catching up with them every few months or so (with many, many chats in between). 

After years of hard mahi, I also launched ‘My Celebrant’ in September! There are 20+ celebrants and 220+ couples on board our web based platform and app, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. To all of you, I have the deepest gratitude for your ongoing tautoko, the way you bring life to this dream and vision. Thank you so much for offering feedback and sharing ‘My Celebrant’ with friends and loved ones. It means the world.

Future Adventures

We are absolutely over the moon to share that I am pregnant with little Pēpi T due in July/August. What a blessing. 

Aroha nui,

The Thomas fam xxx

Dan, Vic & Maia

CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER, 2021 (but really… March, 2022)

The Christmas newsletter is over two months late but IT IS HERE! Meri Kirihimete and happy 2022 to you all. 

Photos above - Dan with newborn Maia (captured by Sarah Clements), Vic with Maia at 4 months (captured by Sarah Clements), Hagley Park, Christmas polaroid

Life 

The most significant event of 2021 was becoming parents to Maia Elizabeth Jo. Our beautiful daughter was born at home on 13th March. She weighed a healthy 9lb/4.1kg and was named after Nannie Jo (Joanne Shelley), Nana Di (Dianne Elizabeth), Aunty Millie (Melissa Annie Jo) and Aunty Libby (Elizabeth Amie Jane). My labour and birth experience was full of wonder. With the support of Dan, my Mum, and our team of midwives - Jo, Heidi and Rachel - I transformed into a mother… and every day since has been so full of love. Watching Maia grow from a delicious newborn to a nearly-one-year-old has been the best journey of my life. 

Through parenthood, we have made some wonderful new friends, and are so grateful that we have ‘the crew’ to share this chapter with. Our families have also made a big effort to visit us often, and have been such a great support (especially when we have been feeling particularly sleep deprived!). Some awesome trips together have been to Auckland, Ashburton, Maruia Springs, Hanmer, Mount Maunganui, Whangapoua, and the Catlins! We love visiting the extended family as much as we can.

Towards the end of the year, Dan and I made the bittersweet decision to sell our home - the first property we bought together, and the home that Maia was born in. We have very fond memories of our time there and certainly miss our wee sun-trap! Settlement date was the 1st February 2022, so we were busy packing and preparing to move in the New Year. We are now living in the house that was our rental property until we find something bigger. House hunting takes up a large chunk of our weekends and we are hopeful the right place will turn up soon! 

Health

Over winter, Dan enjoyed playing for Christchurch Rugby again, his third season with the team. I walk often with my māmā friends, swim at the local pool, and go to yoga when I’m able. 

In September, I had emergency surgery to remove my burst appendix. I spent two nights away from Dan and Maia in Christchurch Hospital. A silver lining was being in my own room overlooking Hagley Park, where I could sit in bed watching the kererū. We were so grateful for Dan’s mum, Di, and our friends - Storm, Amie and Chrissy - for supporting us the week after the operation. They rostered themselves on so I had someone with me every day to help with Mai. 

Work

Dan continues in his role as Contracts Manager at Division, which is busy and varied! I became qualified as a validated member of CANZ (VCANZ accredited) which means I can now officiate registry ceremonies, as well as personalised ceremonies. I have really enjoyed experiencing both types of ceremonies over the busy wedding season. 

Future Adventures

Maia’s first birthday is coming up soon and we can’t wait to celebrate with our best girl! Cheers to the coolest kid I know.

Aroha nui,

The Thomas fam xxx

Dan & Vic

Christmas Newsletter

december, 2019

A little love story of my own…

Dan and I are looking forward to our first Christmas together as a married couple and think it’s time that we started some family traditions of our own, including a Christmas newsletter. It’s hard to believe that we were packing our bags this time last year - wrapping up our incredible OE and moving back to New Zealand. This year has flown by!

2019 Highlights

Wedding & Honeymoon 

Our wedding on the 16th February was everything we dreamed of and the perfect reflection of our relationship. Many months of hard work went into planning our special day and we can’t thank our family and friends enough for their support before, during and after the wedding. This is the beautiful slideshow of images that our photographer, Isaac, created for us. Our day is also featured on the Bride and Groom website and the Perspectives Photo + Cinema website if you are interested in more details. I wish that we could relive every magical moment over and over again… the best day ever!

Dan & Vic’s Wedding - Whangapoua. Photography by Isaac de Reus, Perspectives Photo + Cinema.

“I, Daniel Thomas, take you, Victoria Lawrence, to be my wife, my partner in life and my soulmate. You are the kindest, strongest and most determined person I know. I will trust you and respect you. I will love you faithfully and unconditionally through the best and the worst, the difficult and the easy, for today and forever. I promise to still keep taking photos of you on our travels, but not when you are sleeping in the car or peeing on the side of the road. Whatever may come, I promise I will always be there for you, talking in our unique language and communicating in bird noises…”

Dan & Vic’s Wedding - Whangapoua. Photography by Isaac de Reus, Perspectives Photo + Cinema.

“Dan, you are my best friend and the love of my life. I love your passion for sport, airplanes, chinese buffets, science and Sonny Bill... your secret languages, the way you make me laugh and how my day is always better when I can share it with you. I love your patience, hard-working nature, and ability to forgive (especially when I am hungry or tired). You are always here for me, supporting me through challenges and encouraging me to follow my dreams…” 

We spent our honeymoon in Bali, one of our favourite destinations to visit. This time, we travelled to Amed, Ubud and Sanur. Highlights included diving the Liberty Shipwreck and doing our first night dive together, exploring on our scooter and snorkelling with Manta Rays. It was lovely to be surrounded by beautiful, friendly people and to escape the NZ winter for a few weeks of July.

Life 

Before moving overseas, Dan and I bought a two bedroom unit in Christchurch. Since we got back to NZ, we have been chipping away at renovations. The Smart Vent system that we had installed made a massive difference to the moisture levels and it was so much warmer during winter. We’ve just started putting up new curtains and blinds (what a mission!). Outside, we (mostly Dan, let’s be honest...) have extended the concrete patio, had the roof painted, new spouting installed and are currently sanding and painting the exterior of the house. Dan has worked hard in the garden, building a beautiful planter box and putting edging around the garden beds. In the new year, we will be getting a new kitchen - woohoo! Can’t wait. 

In the winter, Dan enjoyed playing rugby for the Christchurch Football Club and is now playing touch with some of his teammates. I swim and go to yoga a few times a week (would LOVE to meet you at Heart and Mind Yoga if you want to join!), carving out space for myself to focus on self-care. We like to get out and about, in the garden or exploring some of the walking tracks around Christchurch. We’ve travelled around New Zealand a fair bit, with short stints in Auckland, The Mount, Whangapoua, Taumarunui, Havelock North, Wellington, Nelson, and Wanaka - great opportunities to catch up with family and friends dotted around the country. 

I have just started a Diploma through the Photography Institute. There are twelve modules to complete over the next year and I am looking forward to learning more about the technical side of photography. 

Health

Those who know us closely will be aware that I have struggled with my gut health for close to three years now, after becoming sick in Cambodia at the beginning of our OE. I have had a few hospital stays, many tests and finally found out that I picked up a gut parasite. This has been treated in a number of ways and unfortunately, is still sticking around - prompting some concern that there may be other issues at play. The next step is to start a low FODMAP diet to try and identify food intolerances that may be exacerbating symptoms, before seeing the gastroenterologist again. It has been a long, and often very challenging, journey. I am grateful for the support of my husband who has listened to my fears, brought me hot water bottles and pain killers in times of discomfort, and understood when I am feeling low (both physically and mentally, because this is draaaaining!). If anyone has been in a similar situation, I’d love to hear from you!

Work  

In January, Dan started his new job as Project Manager for Division Architectural Engineering & Joining Ltd. It’s very busy and he loves the diversity that his role brings.

After nearly six years of teaching full-time, I decided it was time for a new adventure. I moved to part-time teaching and am enjoying my position in a Year 5/6 classroom at Bromley School two days a week. There is a culture of support and wellbeing, and I feel lucky to be part of such a positive team. 

In June, I became qualified as a marriage and civil union celebrant, and launched my business ‘Victoria Thomas’ in July. You can follow my journey on Facebook and Instagram. I recently officiated my first wedding and am looking forward to a busy season in the new year with over ten ceremonies booked in! I LOVE people and their stories - this change has been so exciting and I can’t wait to see where it takes me. 

Future Adventures 

After Christmas, Dan is heading to Melbourne with the Thomas’ for the cricket and I am off to Vietnam with the Lawrence’s to celebrate Mum’s 60th. Any travel recommendations, please flick them our way! 

We hope that all is well with you and your whānau, and would love to hear from you. We wish you a safe and happy Christmas! 

Aroha nui, 

Dan & Vic xxx