Welcome to the Odendaal Family blog.
We have a website for myself and Michael set up already but it is hard to use and update so basicly stalled and nobdy has used it for months, There is also a Babysite set up for our firstborn Nathaniel but I am unable to set up a sibling profile with that server so have decided to scrap it and start afresh now and run a family site where either Mike or I can update and keep you all up to track with what is happening with our family.
Just some basic info to get you started for those who have been out of touch with myself or Michael and havent caught up on whats up,
Mike and I met online in 2004 and developed a friendship online which then translated into video calling and phone calls, later in 2004 we started looking into meeting up in person which looked like I would take the chance to have an OE and go visit him in Canada, however Michael decided to not continue at University there and moved back to the UK in April 05, I joined him here in June 05 and soon we figured out that Gods leading was in the situation and decided to take our relationship to a more serious note. We lived around London in several places over 05/06/07 and got Married in March 2007 after postponing from the original date of Sep 06 due to having to wait on Visa paperwork for myself. We moved into our current home in the end of May 2007 in SW London and after a August holiday to Sweden to visit Michaels mother then we found that we were expecting our first child. I was training as a Driving instructor at this point whilst working part-time as an Au-Pair and Michael was in his 2nd year at Kingston University doing a BA in International Business. Nathaniel was born in June 2008 and my Mother came to visit for 5wks during June/early July to be here for his birth and to help out and get to know Michael on behalf of my family. I completed my Training as a Driving Instructor but fell at the last hurdle with the Teaching Exam and faild to get my Qualification so although I had been able to work on a PDI Training license I had to stop which ment Michael had to return to work around doing his Finals in early 2009, He managed to support us and passhis Finals with a 2.1 which was what he was hoping for and has since been working full time for Abel and Cole Organics, doing Customer Service and more recently working with the IT team there helping convert customers needs into pratical adaptions to the website.
I have since Feb 09 been a Stay at home mum to Nathaniel and currently im expecting our second child to be born in March 2010, I have thought about doing some training in Cake decorating to generate some side income or training as a Doula after this child is born.
Currently we are hoping to get a chance in 2010 to visit Family in NZ and Australia as my sisters are NZ as are nearly all my extended family and Michaels Father and Stepmother have settled in NZ as well with Michaels brother and half brother. My Parents are in Brisbane with Joel and Lydia and not a huge drive from my Uncle and his family based north of Brisbane. I do miss my family alot and would dearly like to see them again it is just finding the money to put aside to fund such a trip that is causing delays at the moment as living in London is an expensive nesscesity for us at the moment.
Michael has big plans to Run in the Virgin London Marathon 2010 and I will add a link from this blog to his fundraising page so you can support him if you wish, He is running for the Christian Aid Charity which is a Charity we both support when we can. I am hoping to join him in 2011 in his running and run the Race For Life Cancer Awareness run in memory of my Grandad who died from Cancer in 2004.
So Basicly thats been my Life since i left NZ's shores in 2005 and from here on it will be updates about the family I hope semi regularly when I get the chance.
