lots of water makes for cool trees

Saturday was a very gloomy day. It was raining when we woke up and pretty much didn't stop until sometime after we went to bed that night. This was fine by me since I tend to like dreary weather that's wet and cold (I know I'm strange) but Brooke was pretty miserable and cold. All this rain explains how things remain so incredibly green around here. It also explains how the Gum trees that were originally brought over from Australia (I think) get so tall. I'm fascinated by these trees. The picture doesn't do them justice.

On Saturday we also attended our first Kiwi wedding which was a bit strange since we didn't know the couple. They attend Redeemer Church and we were kindly invited so we could meet some more folks. It was a nice wedding and fairly similar to your average Protestant wedding in the States. There were a few differences though. In New Zealand it's apparently common for the couple, the minister and the witnesses to sign the Registry (the same thing as a Marriage License) during the ceremony. That was pretty interesting. The other noticeable thing was that there are a few more speeches during the reception including one from the groom. I thought it was pretty cool that the groom was able to say a little bit.

Hopefully the new couple will find brighter weather where ever they head for their honeymoon.