Study, Work, Motherhood, and Building a Future
Before the idea of immigrating to the United States became part of our lives, there were years spent building stability in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
For me, 2005 became one of those defining years where almost every area of life demanded attention at the same time.
It was a year filled with movement, responsibility, and transition.
At the time, none of it felt extraordinary. It simply felt like life moving quickly.
Looking back now, it was one of the busiest and most formative periods leading into everything that would follow.
Completing the Final Year of a Bachelor’s Degree
Throughout 2005, I was completing the final year of my Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.
Balancing study while raising three young sons was already demanding on its own. Franklin was eight, Kit was four, and Logan had just turned one.
Assignments, deadlines, readings, and practical responsibilities had to fit around family life rather than the other way around.
There was no perfect balance.
Only persistence, determination and perseverance.
At the time, the focus was simple: finish what had been started.
Weekend Work With Kainga Ora
Alongside studying and parenting, I was working 20-hour weekends with Kāinga Ora’s contact centre.
As weekends blurred together, the long shifts made nursing stressful. But living close to work allowed me to bridge the time between feeds until we transitioned to bottles.
So for the most part, weekends were structured around work shifts, an infant, household responsibilities, and preparing for another week ahead of study.
This particular time in my life, I was thriving, I was busy, juggling multiple responsibilities at once, that required a different version of myself.
Student.
Mother.
Employee.
Wife.
And yet, despite the pace, there was also purpose in it.
Each responsibility contributed toward building long-term stability for our family.
Raising Three Young Boys
Looking back at photos and memories of my babies, it’s hard to believe they were once so small, an infant, a toddler, and a primary student all at once!
With the unwavering love and support of my mother Queen, Reed and I successfully navigated that chaotic, busy time and met our 2005 goals.
Looking back, those years were filled with a profound richNess that only becomes clearer with time.
I am so grateful to have started this blog series to ensure these precious moments aren’t forgotten, but instead honored and remembered.”
Planning a Wedding in the Middle of Everything
Amid study, work, and parenting, Reed and I were also planning our wedding.
After already being together for ten years, marriage felt less like a beginning and more like a continuation of a life we had already built side by side.
Still, the wedding carried significance.
It represented commitment, family, and the formal recognition of a partnership that had already weathered many seasons together.
On December 10, 2005, we were married.
The timing of the wedding also aligned with something meaningful for the wider family.
My brother, Pata, had traveled to Aotearoa, New Zealand with his daughter, creating a rare opportunity for a mini family reunion.
At the time, it simply felt good to have family together.
Later, it would become one of the memories tied to a chapter of life before everything changed.
Beginning a Full-Time Role
As if the year was not already full enough, I began a full-time role with Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.
Starting a new professional role while completing study, parenting young children, and organizing a wedding required adjustment on every level.
Schedules became tighter.
Time became more valuable.
And yet, the opportunity represented growth and long-term direction.
At the time, the future still appeared firmly rooted in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
The idea of one day moving to the United States had not yet fully formed.
That would come later.
How it Was
At the time, 2005 simply felt busy.
But looking back now, it becomes clear that the year represented something more.
It was a period of building:
- education
- career foundations
- family structure
- long-term stability
Many of the strengths that would later become necessary during the immigration journey were already being developed quietly during these years.
Persistence.
Adaptability.
Commitment.
Endurance.
None of those qualities appeared suddenly during the move to America.
They had been forming long before that journey ever began.
What Helped During Busy Family Years
With study, work, parenting, and planning happening all at once, organization became essential.
Some of the practical items that would have helped immensely during this stage included:
- large family planners
- expanding document folders
- meal planning notebooks
- portable storage organizers
<<<>>> View practical organization essentials here:
Coming Up Next
In the summary:
<<<>>> Storm and Reed travel to Las Vegas for their honeymoon
<<<>>> A Greyhound journey to Utah
<<<>>> Reed meeting Storm’s father and sisters for the first time
<<<>>> The beginning of a possibility that would later change everything