Fun with Friends and Australian Cuisine

On Tuesday morning, I woke up early and decided to follow a friend’s recommendation to try out Zarraffa's Coffee. I ordered a latte and a spinach roll, both of which were fantastic. After enjoying breakfast and finishing a load of laundry there was just enough time to get ready for choir practice.

One message at church services that was particularly interesting was by Mr. Iiams. The title was “Temporary Inconvenience, Permanent Improvement.” Using the analogy of road construction, his point was that change is a process and it’s necessary, even when it’s painful to get to our destination.

After services, I drove back to the AirBnb, and after hurriedly packing a bag for the rest of the day, drove back to meet friends for lunch. I got to try chicken parmi, which I was informed is (although not specifically Australian cuisine) very popular here.

Following lunch, I walked to the nearby Salvation Army store and found a small rolling suitcase to upgrade the size of my carry-on bag, since I have acquired more things while in Australia. I still had heaps of time left before the family dance was scheduled, so I took my time driving back and exploring the area before showing up early to slip in some piano practice and get ready before the event started.

The dance began with some children’s music games, followed by a delicious meal of Australian meat pies, salad and ice cream. The dance itself was only about an hour long. Some of my friends taught me a line dance before the event started, so I was able to join that one, as well as a couple other familiar favorites. I spent most of the time talking with friends, so I didn’t actually do much dancing, but it was still a fantastic time.

Upon arriving back from the dance, I finished up some tasks for the next day. The time has been flying too quickly!

After considering how many different coffee shops I’ve visited, I can’t believe it took me till Wednesday morning to check out the one across the street from where I have been staying: Francis Bean. Along with two slices of avo smash (fancy avocado toast) the latte I ordered made a lovely breakfast.

At services I helped out by playing hymns, with only a narrow margin left in which to practice them, following the conclusion of choir practice. Both messages tied into the concept of leaving a legacy by how we live our lives and train our children.

Several of the young adults organized another event to visit Aussie World—a local amusement park, but because I live in terror of roller coasters, I opted to go hiking with some friends instead. First, we ate at Mountain View Café. It overlooked the Glass House Mountains.

On the trail, I got to see and photograph many pademelons (basically tiny kangaroos) and some cool tree formations. I listened to the calls of unique birds, such as the cat bird (which sounded a lot like a meow or a baby crying—or a combination thereof), and heard tales of some of the most dangerous animals in Australia.

Following a fun afternoon of hiking and conversation, I drove back to my place and spent a quiet evening eating a dinner of leftovers and enjoying relaxing music.