Christine came and visited me for a weekend and it was so good to see her again. Friday she experienced a day in the life of Emily the Au Pair as she helped me with Annabel and went with me to pick up Alicia from school. we went to a footy game which is australian football league... kind of like rugby but they kick the ball between 4 posts. it was so fun to be there as the place it was at was huge and packed with supporting fans! saturday carol took us to the dandenong ranges and went to the little towns, got a pie from the pie shop (which gave me food poisoning unfortunatly) and went to the william rickets sanctuary again and also went to the rhododendron garden which was SO BEAUTIFUL since all the trees here are turning colors. That night I stuck it out and took Christine and 2 of my other friends to my favorite italian restaurant but didnt make it out after that so Mark came and got me but all 3 of the girls went out and showed Christine the Melbourne night life. Sunday we got delicious crepes and explored downtown heading to Lygon street to get some gelato then down to St. Kilda to see the sunset on the water and get some dinner. It was so fun to show Christine my life here the past 6 months.
Friday morning I arrived and just spent the day downtown with libby. Got lunch and later that evening got drinks for happy hour at a bar. We made dinner then off to downtown to check out the bar scene. very tiny compared to Melbourne but we still had a blast dancing together. Saturday we got up early and caught the ferry to take us to one of the several islands. Waiheke is a beautiful island and I was taken away by all the lush green trees that met the beautiful aqua water. We rented a car then lauras boyfriend drove us around the island to do some wine tours (he grew up on the island so knows every road thankfully cause us girls would have gotten very lost) the wineries were beautiful and picturesque and of course the wine was SOO GOOD. we went to a secluded beach and had fun frolicking in the water. It was just so beautiful and I was so amazed at all the beautiful things God creates. We got some dinner and headed back to auckland. We all took a nap on the ferry : ) We went out again and danced the night away. Sunday we hopped in the car and drove 3 hours south to Rotarura to go white water rafting. It was an amazing experience even tho we were so close to tipping the raft when we went over a 7 meter waterfall. The river was beautiful with clear blue water and it felt as if we were in the amazon with all the trees and rocks surrounding the river. We were all so nervous to tip but we never did. My face in all the pictures shows how nervous I was. It was a wonderful experience and had so much fun laughing with Libby and Laura. We drove home, made some dinner and all fell asleep... which is just what we needed. Monday libby and I bungy jumped off the Auckland Harbor bridge... yeah its true. 40 meters above the water we jumped together. It was the most amazing feeling and I am so glad to have done it with someone who I have been friends with since 2nd grade. The video of our jump is on my facebook if anyone wants to take a look and laugh. We got drinks after and I had to head to the airport. The flight back home was great as I sat next to a guy from scotland and we talked the whole 3 hour flight.
Said goodbye to my friend franzi. Us at a footy game
I am slowly preparing myself for saying goodbye to Alicia and Annabel but they are not going to make it easy as Alicia tells me all the time she loves me and that she doesnt want me to leave. We had a girls night the other week and going to have a movie night this saturday which I will miss so much Annabel kisses me and loves to give me hugs. These girls will forever be mine and I am going to miss them so much. The hard part is not knowing when I will see them again.
This weekend a few friends and I are driving down to the mornington peninsula to go to the hot springs and then explore the beautiful back beaches on the other side of the bay. I am also going with Carol and the girls to see a whaling ship that has come into the port. They stop the killing of whales by the japanese. I will let ya know more in my next post.
I am getting ready to see my parents as they come exactly 1 month from today : ) We have so much fun planned and I cant wait to explore more of Australia with them. I am so ready to be in the warm sunshine on the beach.
Still do not know where I will be moving as it depends on where I get a job. God is still giving me a peace and telling me over and over again thru scripture that he has everything planned out for me and will guide me to the right place. As of now I will be living with my sister in Kansas City until I find a job.
Cant wait to see everyone.
Here are some pictures from the last month & my trip to NZ.
Cheers
E
