spring is in the air

Where to begin? So much has happened in the last few weeks. Taylor arrived and we've been so busy meeting people from the church, that my days are beginning to over lap. And Spring is upon us, here in Western Australia, so you know what that means? Allergy season, that's right, I was hit with a monster sinus infection last week, that left me pretty wounded and with a man voice. But I took some strong drugs and I'm feeling 100% better. Oh and to top it all off, two of Australian's major icons died this past week: Steve Irwin and Peter Brock. How will we ever recover?

A few weekends ago, several of us, about 20 to be exact, went up to Moore River, which is about an hour north of Perth, and stayed Saturday night in a holiday house. My friend Simon organized the weekend, which was full of new friends, great food and laughs, cake, a late-night adventure to the light house and a 2am canoe outing that I slept through. It was really great to have Taylor come along and meet so many new faces and make those connections that he'll probably have while he's here in Perth. We were also able to invite along our new German friend Alex, who's studying out here at ECU, a university in Perth. She actually stayed with Helen for a few days until she could find a place to live and she's managed to stay friends with us, even though we are pretty crazy. I think she's glad to have some sort of connection with someone in Perth and she even came to church with us on Sunday, which was awesome. Last weekend, we celebrated Josh and Taylor's birthdays. For Josh's, Hayley and I organized a surprize bbq for him at their house and it was a great success because he had no idea what was going on. Then we all lounged around on the couch and watched the footy finals. On Sunday, it was Taylor's big day, so after church, we bombarded Sue Simmon's house hold and enjoyed a fine Italian lunch on her veranda, which was followed by cheesecake. That afternoon we watched Sam's basketball final, which he won, and then that evening we had another big outing at Ho-Mein Chinese restaurant. When it was all over, I vowed never to eat again. And in Taylor's words, we were all pretty "bloated". On Monday, we had Care group at Dee Taylor's house, followed by coffee with Josh and Taylor and then a trip into the city to Borders. I found a new journal to record all of my inner workings. That evening we had volleyball and then Taylor and I found the nearest fish and chips place, got some dinner, and went home to chat to our friend Cath on Skype. Tuesday, I met Taylor and Sam at our favorite cafe, The Wild Fig, where we shared a few coffees and indulged in their free internet access for a few hours. That afternoon I baby sat Billy and then made my way over to the Barton's for Bible study. And today I went to BSF in the city and then visited my good friend Anna for the afternoon. I've been home long enough to do some much needed laundry and type this wonderful post, then I'm back out the door for another dinner. Does it ever stop?

I've only got about 2 more weeks left here in Perth; it's so strange. I can't believe that it's already come around full circle again. I feel very much in the middle about it all- exstatic to return back to Nashville to see friends and family, but also very sad to leave my friends and family here. And everytime I see anyone, they always ask the dreaded question: "when do you leave again?" But a verse that I read yesterday that really spoke to me was 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

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.

"if we took a holiday"

Remember that sweet Madonna song? What a week! Last week, me and Amy packed our bags and headed up to Lancelin, which is an hour and a half north of Perth. We stayed at a cozy backpackers and made lots of friends from Germany, Israel and Ireland. On Wednesday we took a day trip to New Norcia, Western Australia's only monastic town and we visited the monastery. It was beautiful. We also took a tour of the town and got to visit all of the historic buildings and churches that were around the monastery. On Thursday, we took another day trip out to the penacles, which are sand and salt formations that look like giant penacles. It was pretty interesting, but a bit far to drive for just an hour visit. We spent the rest of our time in Lancelin vegging out on the beach, riding our bikes around town, hanging out with our foreign friends and staying up way too late watching the world cup. Everyone is crazy about it here! Unfortunately Australia and America are both out, so I'm not sure who to go for now.
The Lipscomb team came in late Tuesday evening and this past week has been dedicated to orientating them around the city. Wednesday morning we met in King's Park to discuss plans for the month and then we headed to the Swan River and went sailing on yachts. It was incredible, I've never done anything like it before and now I understand why people become so addicted to yacht racing. Thursday we spent time in Bankshia Juvenille Detention Center preforming skits and ministring to the kids in the center. It was such a humbling experience; they were so happy that we would take time out of our schedules to hang out with them and they were encouraged by our skits. We were able to speak openly about God and our relationship with him and encouraged them to be good examples to the other kids inside the center. Today was a more relaxed day, as we caught the train into the city and let the team do some shopping! On Monday we will begin our school program at Shenton College, so we've got a busy week to look forward to.

why do we make our lives so busy?

My life can be crazy at times, and yet, I continue to pile more and more things on. It's like I feel I'm not productive unless I am busy, going from one thing to the next, until I come home late at night and crash in my bed. And I hear that this condition worsens with age. So much to look forward to, I mean, I love stretching myself too thin. No realy, it's just a good reality check to see what things are piling up in your daily schedule and what things you can go without "doing", and how amazingly your life is still ok. At the moment, I feel as if I am Super Woman, balancing these many jobs on my shoulders. And the sad thing is, I bring it all on myself. This type of behavior would be normal for me under any other circumstance, but these next weeks in particular, we have American students coming out to Perth, which I will be for the most part, leading around the city. So Amy and I have decided to run off to Lancelin(1 1/2 north of Perth) and veg for three days next week. All of my important business will be put on hold for a mini-holiday, which I'm really looking forward to. Sorry world; Super Duty needs a vacation.

Ok, I probably exaggerated a little bit, but this past week has been pretty, as they say in Perth, chocker blocked! I've done a lot of babysitting at odd times during the day, and meetings on top of meetings, and errands on top of errands, etc... Last Friday night we combined youth groups with Mt. Lawly, and had a get-to-know you night at my friend Rob's house. It was such a great night, full of pool, ping-pong, cards, and lots and lots of pizza. Oh and we managed to fit in a devo somewhere in the mix of things. Saturday, Cath and I decided to go on a massive run, all the way from Trigg beach to Hillary's, we were spent afterwards! Saturday evening I had the priveldge of participating in a progressive dinner and then I met Cath for a movie. Sunday was the most hectic out of the weekend with church, then lunch together, on to Lipscomb plans, and back to church for a combined singing night with several churches. And this past week has been a balancing act to say the least. Tomorrow night we're going bowling for youth group, Saturday I have a dinner with people I went to Exmouth with in December, Sunday is church, and afterwards is babysitting the rest of the day. But things are great, they really are! Josh and I are getting super stoked about the students coming out, but we know that the month of July will be draining. So enjoy the posts! I'll try to keep them up, but if I am slack, could you cut me some slack?

Oh...I almost forgot to mention...I found a Borders bookstore in the city! It's amazing, just like the ones in the states. It's like my little sanctuary in Perth. I plan to move my office into Borders and camp out there during the week. If you need me, I'll be sitting on the floor in the travel section, reading...

all work, and lots and lots of play!

In the mist of mass chaos and confusion, we still managed to make our way down to Bunburry for State Youth Games 2006! What a great weekend, we had a blast. Unfortunately we had about 10 people drop out of SYG at the last minute, so the week before the big weekend, we decided to join with Warwick church, and be a part of their team. It was so much fun. Their team was "Warwick United", which took on the Power Rangers "look". Each church had to have an action hero theme for the weekend. We already know lots of people from their church, so it was good to just go and spend time with them and play on different sports teams with them. I played ultimate frisbee, indoor beach volleyball and bowling. It was the greatest weekend of my life, filled with pizza, snack food, and cards. The Bunburry church put on a bbq for all of us on Sunday night, so it was super encouraging that we were able to spend some time with them. They were so kind to us while we were there, and took great care of us. Hopefully next year, our Westchurch team will return and we'll win the Small Church award, as we did last year!

This week has been hectic, a lot more than I thought it would be after coming back. It's really starting to get crazy here, Lipscomb will be out in Perth in less than 3 weeks. Friday night we're combining youth groups with another church, Mt. Lawly, just for a little bit of a change. We're really wanting to reach out to not only high school ages, but also accommadate all the young adults that we have. We'll see how it all pans out. On Wednesday, Amy, Helen, Lisa and myself all went and saw x-men 3 in the afternoon. Nothing too special about that. But, over here in Australia, they have gold class seating at the movies, which is like a level above regular seating. We had our very own theater and our own lazy-boy recliners to seat in during the movie. And waiters would bring out food and drinks for us whenever we wanted them to during the film. It was glorious, I absolutely loved it! Cath and I got up for an early morning run, which was sooooooo cold, but also very refreshing. And most of the morning I've spent finishing up some work on the computer. This afternoon, I'm going to visit my friend Anna and then I've got volleyball. The life of duty never stops, even in foreign countries.