Home sweet home - Part 1

My trip home to see Joan and the girls was a roller coaster of emotions to start the trip off. After getting on the bus to get down to Yanbu Airport everything was going smoothly until we were about a hour and 15 mins down the and our bus made an unscheduled stop, where we sat and sat and then sat some more before I realised something might be up - I got out of the bus and in the drivers broken english I deduced that we had broken down, which is when the panic set in because if I missed this flight there wasn't another one to Doha for 3 days, which meant I would have missed my connection to Auckland and the trip was a write off. Long story short a mechanic arrived from a town up the road presumably and we were off again with our driver attempting to set the landspeed record in a 50 seater bus. The good news is we made it with time to spare and I was on my way.

The trip took a significant turn for the better when I went to board my flight to Auckland and was informed that I has been upgraded to Business Class - I was so happy I could have cried . I can report that business class is everything it is cracked up to be - the food and drink was great, proper coffee and best of all the laydown bed meant I got 8 hours sleep.

I managed to get home at 5am where Joan and Bella were up and waiting for me with a cup of tea I'd been waiting for for 3 months. Scarlett and Frankie woke up around an hour later and we had an amazing reunion where we all hung out and laughed, hugged and cried a little bit - it was just what I had been hoping for. Scarlett went off to school and she didn't know it at the time but we would be back at the school later that afternoon to see her receive a principal's award in front of the whole school at assembly. A very proud Mum and Dad moment timed perfectly for me to be able to see.

So then, just in case there wasn't enough happening on my first day at home I went off to see Pearl Jam with Mum, Mike and Liz at Mt Smart Stadium. It was so awesome going to a gig with Mum and we were treated to the best Pearl Jam concert we could have hoped for, and the best I have seen them in the 3 times I have seen them live. Also managed to catch up with Stef, Cat, Sven and Jules pre gig which was awesome too.

After a much needed night's sleep it was up and at 'em again on the Saturday when I took the girls to Scarlett's swimming lessons before heading home to get ready for Uncle Boat's 80's party for his 40th birthday. Scarlett and Frankie were decked out in their fluro space kitties costumes and Joan and I were dressed up as Ghostbusters in the awesome costumes Joan had put together and made for us. We had a brilliant night with our friends but after 3 months of not drinking in Saudi the hangover the next day was not much fun.Læs mere