Weekend in Renmark!

Friday:
Today we had to opportunity to sleep in a bit before coming into work. I wasn't able to sleep in much, but it was nice to have a relaxing morning. I walked to the Magill office where we had lunch and I got caught up on my blogging, was able to check email, etc.

Julie Hahn who is a parent encourager at LCC picked Ellie and I up to help her at a mobile creche for the weekend. Hilary hasn't been feeling well so she stayed behind and was at Helene's house for the weekend. After Julie picked El and I up we went back to Julie's house where we waited for her daughter Tariana (14) to get home from school, then Tariana, Gabby (Julie's other daughter -18), Julie, El, and I headed down to Renmark.

The five of us stopped for dinner at Cafe Primo and got ridiculously stuffed- and we saw rain! haha. It started to downpour for about 15 seconds and at the end of the rain there was one loud crash of thunder. After about a minute you couldn't tell that the ground was even wet. After our tea (dinner) we finished our drive to Renmark.

Once we arrived in Renmark we went straight to the Lutheran school where we were doing the creche to set up for the next morning. After getting everything arranged Julie, Gabby, and Tariana dropped Ellie and me off at Bron and Brian's house while the three of them moseyed to their motel room. It was a bit awkward at first because we didn't know Bron and Brian, it was around 9:30pm, and we were pooped.

After attempting to get to know them better we finally said that we needed to get some rest... our words were beginning to make no sense. However, once we got in bed the neighbors (a place where backpackers come to hang out, crash for a while, etc.) were very loud. So, sleep was difficult.

Saturday:
This morning Bron and Brian had breakfast with us. I tried crumpet... it is a mix between toast and a pancake. It looks like a thick piece of bread, but there are lots of air bubbles and it tastes kind of like a crunch pancake after it has been toasted. Not bad.

Gabby and Tariana picked us up and we headed to the school where I helped the lady in charge of putting together morning tea and serving lunch. Julie told me that it would be good to sit in on the first session of her parenting course because it had a lot to do with sociology, and yesterday I expressed interest of how and why people act the way they do in community. I sat in on the course and really liked what was being taught. Julie is a great "parent encourager" aka teaching people how to parent.

After the first session the four of us set up stations for mums and their children to play and interact together. It was interesting because some mums worked really hard at learning how to play with their children while others stayed back and didn't really interact much. I taught one mum how to play mancala with her daughter. We then broke for lunch and tea.

After tea I asked Julie if she minded if I came in and participated in the rest of the day. The session was about parenting, but really relationships in general. We did a section on the five love languages, which I've read a little of the book but haven't really looked into it a lot... the whole idea makes a lot of sense. Anyways, I was surprised to find out that my love language is touch....I don't think that is what it really is, I just think it is something I've been missing. I didn't realize I was missing it until today. (I'll explain more in a bit).

After the sessions we helped put everything away and headed to the motel pool. I dipped my feet in the water, but really enjoyed sitting and feeling the sun on my skin. It felt so good, I can't even explain it. Julie then dropped us off at Bron and Brian's house where we got ready to go to dinner.

Later on Gabby and Tariana picked El, Bron, Brian, and myself up to find some dinner. We ended up eating at a restaurant at the bottom of a hotel. I ate kangaroo, can you believe it?! haha... it was pretty good! It is a red meat, but has no cholesterol, and is very lean. I passed my plate around the table so that everyone who hadn't tried kangaroo in the past had the opportunity. I was surprised at how much I liked it- yummy. :)

After dinner Brian and Bron walked us around Renmark for a bit and gave us a brief historical tour of the town. We had coffee and this nice restaurant, then Ellie and Tariana fed the possums strawberries that someone gave them. Bron and I were walking and she put her arm around me as we chatted while we walked ahead of the group. The way she touches people really makes you feel good... it might sound a little weird, but Ellie describes her hugs as, "Bron gives you the type of hugs where you didn't even know that you needed one until she hugs you."

Back to what I was talking about earlier with needing touch... once Bron put her arm around me I realized how much I missed touch. People here don't often hug or touch each other when they are communicating and I'm used to being able to hug people when I see them or am leaving. Also, when I'm talking to certain people I intentionally touch them, this may be a hand on the shoulder or arm... if you're one of the people that I touch, I think you know what I mean. Anyways, I realized how much I really miss this. In the past month I got one hug from Larinda from the playgroup, one from Ellie, and my interactions with Broan were my only times touching people.

After touring the town and getting our coffee we headed back to Bron and Brian's house and I read until I crashed in bed.

Sunday:
Today we went to church at St. John's with Bron and Brian. Julie and her daughters also attended but were a little more timely and we ended up not sitting together. The service was pretty good... your traditional Lutheran service. After church Bron stayed for a congregation meeting and Brian took us back to their house to pick up our belongings.

We then decided to be a little touristy on our way home! :)
We drove to Victoria, another state in Australia... this is where the bush fires were. We just drove to the state line and got a few photos of us in Victoria.

After our adventure to Victoria we drove back to Renmark where we get subway and ate off the side of a busy road. Subway basically tastes the same here. We then headed back towards Adelaide and we stopped at a sign for the town called "Morgan." I got a photo of me with the sign :).

We then made a quick stop at the world's largest orange... Be Orange! Then we moseyed our way to Monash where there is a giant playground... GIANT. The Hahn family usually stops here when they are in the area, we played on a it a little then headed to Waikerie. Waikerie has a chocolate shop that is to die for... and Julie needed her dose of hot chocolate with chili. I had never tried chocolate and chili and when I bit into Ellie's piece of dark chocolate with chili and nearly choked. The chili got caught in my throat. Hmm.. never trying that again :).

After our chocolate experience we continued to Adelaide and Julie dropped us off at Helen's house for tea (dinner) and Ellie practiced singing with Tanya who was leading a worship service at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in the city. After tea Tanya and Ellie left early to practice more at the church while the rest of us chatted a bit before heading over. When we got there Hilary and Helene were just getting there.

Ellie did a great job singing... she helped lead The Holden Evening Prayer Service. After the service Helene dropped El and I off at Hosanna Heights where I listened to music and read until I my eyeballs started crossing when I was reading. haha.. it was quite a busy weekend.