out with the old, in with the new

That's right, the other American has arrived in Perth, and it's only a matter of time before I'll be saying my good-byes and jumping back on that jet plane to go over to the other side of the world. My good friend Taylor arrived here on Wednesday, and it's been so great catching up with him and showing him around the city. This week has been really full on for me, but I got to spend time with lots of people that I care about, so that's been the important thing. Here's a brief rundown: Pay close attention.

Monday: breakfast with Jade because she didn't have school. After lunch Amy and I went and visited our good rriend Anna who just had a little boy about 6 weeks ago. It was great to see her and their new addition, Timothy. That night we had a church meeting, in which we talked about the future of Westchurch.
Tuesday: Josh and I spent a good three hours in Borders bookstore in the city, talking about church things and finding all kinds of things to distract us while inside the store. I always tend to drift to the girly magazines, you know the ones that are like a novel and are full of shoes and clothes and make-up. But I love them! That afternoon, I babysat Billy and exhaulsted all of my energy spinning him around and around in circles until we were too dizzy to stand up on our own.
Wednesday: Dylan and I caught up for a late breakfast and chatted about his adventures in America coming up in December. Then Josh, Dylan and I went to the airport to pick up Taylor and proceeded to find the nearest Han's Cafe and fill up on the best Asian food in the city. We took a walk through Subi and dropped him off at the Nevill's so he could unpack and try to get over jet lag. That evening I babysat until about midnight. I think I was seeing two of everything by the end of the day.
Thursday: Taylor and I ventured into the city and again found ourselves in Borders glancing through all the books. I got suck in the magazine section again, go figure. That evening was volleyball with the girls and then prayer group at the Nevill's.
Friday: Taylor and I went for an early morning run in hopes of breaking in his new running shoes, but they were actually giving him more pain than aiding in helping him run. We went to St. Stephen's High School to eat lunch with some of the year 12's and met up with Josh for coffee afterwards. Friday night was youth group and we all played Squash for about 3 hours. It was so intense, but I loved it! Not only am I addicted to Racquetball, but now I love squash.
Saturday: a bit of a quiet day, caught up on some reading and emails and just some "me" time. The boys came over for "V for Vendetta" and pizza that evening, it was nice to just chill.
Sunday: Combined church service in the morning, which was super encouraging. Afterwards we went into Ledderville and ate lunch in the park, while watching some pre-teenagers skate board. I begged some of the guys to play on the see-saw with me, it didn't take a whole lot of coaxing to get them to participate. We love to pretend like we're still kids. Today was the West Coast Derby, which is the footy game between the Fremantle Dockers and the West Coast Eagles. Now most of the people in Perth probably support the Eagles, but I've always stood by the underdogs, the Dockers, and well, we KILLED them! It was great watching the game, no one believed they would win. And we ended the night by going to church for an evening service, which was full of singing and fellowship, followed by evening tea. I love how in Australia, everytime you get together, there is usually tea, so soothing.

Here are my recomendations for the week: Music- Evermore(album: "Real Life") Movies- Memoirs of a Geisha, V for Vendetta Books- Cage of Stars by Jaqueleyn Mitchard

so little time left...

Today, I have six weeks left here in Perth. It's amazing how fast time goes by, I know we always say that, but seriously, it's like a tornado. I'd like to say that I've been using my time wisely, making the most of every conversation and such, but I don't think that's all the way true. I still find time to read and run along the coast and talk to friends over the computer. But I'm trying to make a conscious effort of really being present these last few weeks. I've been told to start making a list of all the people I want to see and meet up with now, because the end will come sooner than all of us realize. It's just soo sad...

This past week has been good, steady, which is what I like. Friday night we took the youth bowling and a few of them dressed in 80's clothing as a tribute to me. They even surprized me with a birthday cake. It was great! Saturday morning we had a Women's Breakfast, where all the women from church got together and chated and spent some time together, young and old. Saturday evening, I hung out with Amy and her dad. They had me over for a bbq and then we spent the night falling in and out of sleep watching movies, "Rent" and "High School Musical". Sunday was church, followed by lunch at the Dome, then on to Sam's basketball game and the finale, Helen's birthday dinner at Fast Eddy's. I had the nachos and the cookie cheese cake. Wasn't feeling the greatest after all that food... The work week has consided of meetings, phone calls, Bible studies, prayer group, volleyball, just to name a few things. I'm still house sitting for the Carslake's, so enjoying as much time near the coast as possible. At the end of the month, I'll be looking after Josh and Hayley's dog, JJ, while they go off to Fiji for a week or so. They have the greatest dvd collection ever, so I'll be looking forward to curling up on the couch with the dog watching a plethera of movies! What a life, right? I promise I work...sometimes.

Taylor Smith, my friend from Lipscomb, arrives next Wednesday. He'll be out here for 9 months, working with Westchurch. So I guess I'm sort of passing on the baton, if you will, while we're out here together. I just can't cope with all this change, but I'll survive because I've got to return to the states at some point, right?

"they say it's your birthday..."

Well now that over a month has passed since my last post, I thought I would share with you all the most important event of this year...MY BIRTHDAY! It was a great day, filled with lots and lots of calls and emails from loved ones; thanks for thinking of me. I went to BSF in the morning and afterwards, decided to take a gander in some of the shops in Subi. After making some pretty tough decisions on some articles of clothing and a pair of shoes, I next decided to treat myself to a mocha caramellatte(you may ask, how do they come up with those combinations?) at Gloria Jeans and read a very prestigous magazine(Madison with Sandra Bullock on the cover). Later that evening, I was treated to dinner at Accapoco Annie's with several of my closest friends and family from Westchurch. The mexican wasn't exactly the same as Mazatlan's or Baja Burrito, but a close substitute to hold me over until I get home. All in all, the day was a huge success and I felt loved, even though I was miles and miles away from home.

What else have I been up to? A whole lot of house sitting. Currently I'm at the Carslake's house in North Beach, enjoying the five-minute walk from the coast and all the foxtel I could ever watch. Post-Lipscomb has been great, I feel like my life is slowly getting back to normal. Because July was so full-on, sometimes I'm not sure what to do with my time, but don't worry, my schedule tends to fill up every day with something new. Youth group is going well, we're combining with Mt. Lawly for the months of August and September, so having the numbers will be encouraging for the kids. I think I've found a place to live back in Nashville, Keystone Farms, which is fantastic, it sounds like it's going to be a great situation living with Rachel and Beth. Taylor Smith is scheduled to come out to Perth on Aug. 23, so I'm looking forward to spending a month with him, showing him the ropes and such before I head back to the states! Oh and in case you didn't know...I'll be back in Nashville Sept. 29 around 4pm; I welcome anyone who would like to come to the airport and see me in. (If you could roll out the red carpet, that would be great...) Oh and I almost forgot, the season finale of LOST is TONIGHT! After volleyball, I'll be there, glued to the tube, ready for anything.