Howdy everyone, 

Over the weekend I had an absolutely lovely time at the Parnell Festival of Roses. There were so many types, colors, and sizes of roses. It is amazing to me how enormous the roses can grow here. There were some that were the size of my head! Also I was surprised at the number of booths and food stalls that were there. I found this super sweet blow fish that was actually really cheap but there is just no way I could have gotten it home to the state so I didn't get it. They had food from all over, Asian cuisine, Cajun, French, American, and kebabs…pretty much something for everyone. I decided to get a Cajun rice/seafood dish. It was totally worth the $10 dollars I paid. So delicious! While we were eating we watched a really cool 1920’s theme wartime band perform. They were actually really good. Maria, an English Au Pair, and Sina, a German Au Pair, were with me. It was great to catch up with the girls and take in the art, music, and beautiful landscapes here. After we were done with the festival we went down to the beach and explored that area. Unfortunately, we did not notice that the sand turned to thick goopy mud until it was too late and we were covered. Luckily there was an outdoor shower that we could rinse our feet off and get clean before continuing on our exploration. We also decided to venture out into the streets of Parnell but that was short-lived because we got a little lost in an industrial area. While we were walking a car full of boys drove by and they were hooting and yelling something what we probably didn’t want to understand, at us. After this occurrence we determined it was time to head back to the car and slowly make our war out of Parnell.

After making it home I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the boys. We blended hide n’ Seek and tag to make some hybrid form of awesome! The afternoon was filled with screaming, laughter, running, jumping, slipping and sliding in some water on the grass. Yes, that’s right I landed flat on my back running from a 7 year old through wet grass! None-the-less we had a wonderful time playing.

Sunday was a bit of an adventure taking the buses to Takapuna Beach for a picnic with some other Au Pairs. I ended up being the only one who was not German in our group of 6 at the beach. Takapuna beach is much bigger than I first imagined so it was a wee bit difficult to find the group but eventually I found them. When I got off the bus at Takapuna Platform I found the coolest flee market/farmers market ever! It was like Kelcee heaven because I love that type of thing. I have always been a yard sale or old/vintage shop person! To me it is just so exciting to fins cool old things for cheap prices. I've always had the attitude why would i want to pay more than i have to if i can find something just as good with a little more character at a thrift shop or used store. Anywho, at the market they sold everything from fruits and veggies to surf boards or elephant statues! Within 10 minutes I had found the perfect rain jacket for only 5 dollars and no worries I restrained myself and did not buy anything else no matter how tempting it was. After we finished out picnic on the beach we decided to go shopping for a bit in the mall and then watch a movie called “About time”. A romantic, inspirational movie,” About time” is probably one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. Movies that make you feel and think are hard to find it seems to me these days. It is about a family where the men can travel in time. Obviously they must keep it a secret and use it cautiously because each of our decisions affects our life and the outcome. Most of the story is about how one son uses is powers to find true love and help the ones he loves be happy. In the end he learns that we must live every day as if we cannot go back and appreciate all the small wonders in our days. The ending was a little emotional for me because the father dies of cancer and the boy has a hard time with it but then has to finally except death to bring a new life into the world. I was so impressed with the movie! For only $9.90 I think that was pretty darn good time. After the movie I took a bus back over the bridge to the city. 

No this was not at the Rose festival. it was at the park near the beach! they make all their parks gorgeous here! 

Yesterday was perfect day! The weather was amazing and sunny all day, Brooklyn and i had a lovely time at play group in the morning and then later in the afternoon we made an Obstacle course for when Bailey arrived home from school. We had such a fun time following all the clues and competing in the challenges that i put together. Afterward we enjoyed our delicious prize Popsicle and ate dinner outside on the deck! I'm so thankful for my time here and that I am able to be with this family! 

Thank you to all those who read. 

-Kelcee Moore