A little taste of local talent...

So you guys know by now that I am a HUGE fan of communitues sharing in the excitment of local talent!!

I have alot of gorgeous Adelaide'ian ladies in my life, one of which goes by the name of Lauren Newell.
We just happened to share a friend who one day brought us into contact with each other... Anyway: She told me that she was studying photograohpy and design etc. showed me some of her amazing work and gave me a link to her website.

So it's been almost a year since this day, and of course, being occasionally ditsy and a little all over the place at times, I missplaced her link. Clearly the good Lord wanted me to experience her talent, as today, in the midst of one of my 'inspiration seeking web missions', I stumbled across this fresh, modern website FILLED with pages and pages of raw and undeniable talent, with her name, Lauren Newell, in big bold letters up the top... Framing the pages in all it's glory!!

These are a few of my fave shots from her website (which you can see more of by clicking here)... 
Please go check out more of her stuff guys and be sure to let her know how amazing she is :) 

HIGH FIVE FOR LOCAL TALENTS!!!!!! :)

Love xxx

frankie frankie frankie...

It's been weeks since my last post... Life has just been intense and packed to overflowing with beautiful people, exciting new oppertunities and much needed quiet time!

BUT today I had the exciting honour of subscribing to one of the cutest, funkyest, retro'ist and simply the most incredible magazing I have ever come across!

Frankie Magazine has been floating around this stunning earth for years now, and everyone always seemed to rave about it and I never understood why until this week when I had a coffee catchup with a girlfriend and flicked through the magical pages of her copy.

Safe to say it was love at first sight :)

It started with two women who had an absolute love and passion for browsing through the local op shops and vintage boutiques, purchasing little treasures whilst resting occasionally for cups of tea.... Nothin bad could come from such a stunning 'once upon a time'

Anyway... You guys should definatly check out the website!! (look in my 'happy browsing' list and click away)
It's filled with forums, blogs, pictures and links to others sites where you could literally spend hours soaking in all the tips on cooking, baking, music, local talent (HUGE high five to that!), interior design, photography, fashion, design, craft and sooooo much more!

It's a goldmine!! :)

Here are some of my fave snaps from the site...

...there is literally so much more guys!

Happy browsing!!! :) xx

a time to ponder :)

So it's the 1st of Feb here in Australia and it has been such a gorgeous day.
Filled with catch ups with friends, coffee, light food and a whole heap of dancing with incredibly talented young people...
But in the midst of it all, I found myself about 5 times today in a daydream, pondering myself, my life and my personality.
Thinking into things I usually would never recognise.
Do you ever have those days... Or I am getting crazy in my old age of 20??

I noticed things about myself that I never have before, and it's actually been a little revelational.
Seeing how I interact with people, how I listen, how I interpret different things in different ways!
Acknowledging the amount of people in my life, not just close, close friends but everyone... I was even at one point thinking how I remember so many names!

Such a wierd, yet really fun day.
It's amazing how we never know enough about ourselves, how there is always so much more to figure out and come across.
It's like we are exploring our own mind...
I actually sound like a complete crazy woman... But I've honestly really enjoyed it!

I decided I'm going to make sure I leave more time for myself to ponder...
Let my mind run free for a few hours... I love being busy and having people around me, don't get me wrong!
But I think I'd like to just stop every now and again to reflect and think about what image I'm putting out there into the world, what first impression am I giving to people I have only just met, how am I loving people, encouraging them and engaging with them.
A time to ponder where I'm at, where I'm heading and is it where I want to be heading?
Time to think about my dreams and get excited!
A time to pray about all of the above... Without worrying about being some place else!!
It's crazy to me that a day filled with hazy eyes and distant thoughts, has actually taught me so much about myself.

And after writing all of this I realise: I am SUCH a deep thinker!

:)
God Bless!!
Happy pondering!
xxx

devoted...

Giving; disposing of property by voluntary transfer without receiving anything in return, to place in the hands of sombody else. 
Devotion; commitment to a purpose, zeal, willingness to serve, feelings of ardent love, selfless affection and dedication to a person or principle.
Gratitude; a feeling of overwhelming thankfulness, appreciation or greatfulness.

In 2011 I want to:
Voluntarily dispose all of my possessions to God, with no intentions of recieving anything in return.
I want to place everything, my emotions, my dreams, ideas, visions, hopes, worries, concerns... EVERYTHING in His hands.
I want to commit myself to Him and the amazing plan he has for me. Commit myself to making His name famous to so many people who are walking in the confusion and darkness of this world.
I want to have an exciting zeal for Him that literally keeps me awake all night!!
I want to feel a willingness and drive like never before towards serving Him and His kingdom, anything, anytime, anywere.
I want to love him unconditionally, with selfless affection.
I want to dedicate all I have.
I want to bask in His presence, amazed at His beauty and overwhelmingly thankful, appreciative and greatful for every little thing he has blessed me with in my life.

In 2011 I'm devoting myself to God.
Commiting myself to dying within myself, so I can only live in Him.
Making a personal promise with my Dad, to surrender all I have, and trust that it's safe and taken care of in His strong, warm, embracing hands.

The last three years of my life have had a 'theme' that I feel God put on my heart.
The first year was 'the year of fresh beginnings':
That was the year I began an intimate friendship with God :) So you can imagine the other 'beginnings' that came with that.
Last year was 'the year of travel':
I had the opportunity to go and mission in Vanuatu, Singapore, Melbourne twice and Perth, finishing the year in Bali.

I'm still figuring out what this years 'theme' means, but I know it will be amazing. I'm a little excited to see where it leads :)

I've already started back to work with One50 Dance and Youth For Christ SA, which has been amazing, as always!! This year is slowly revealing itself and it's going to be IN-SANE!
I have a coffee interview tomorrow with a lady from Families SA about a mentoring job with a young girl. I am seriously so so excited!!
America tour at the end of the year is looking as exciting as ever and Bec and I are working well together to make it a life changing experience! I'm already feeling butterflies about the trip!! :)
I know we will all be grown and stretched to our absolute limits, I know I'll see things that will make me sad, angry, excited, happy, and any other emotion in the book! I know God will do amazing things through and in us!

It's just a beautiful year, already!! :)

 

'home' isn't always so comfortable...

I went to see a movie tonight with a friend, dinner first, frozen coke purchase in a cup that I could literally bathe in and then off to find our seats!
The movie was awesome for the first three quaters of it... And then there was this wierd, horrible twist that just took the whole move down to this dark level, revealing all these deep, demonic, hidden meanings!
COMPLETELY freaked me out... Literally leaving me to the point of leaving the theatre... Running!!!
And even though me squeeling and doing a light sprint out of the movie gave people, including my friend, a bit of a giggle... My body was honestly shaking!

It shifted somthing in my spirit that made me feel SO heavy to the point of feeling crushed! My heart was beating like it never has before and it scared me so much to think that that at one point in my life, a long point, I was able to sit in a movie theatre, watching a movie like this, and not even flinch a little, tiny bit!!

So with the movie on one side of the doors and me on the other, I had a sit and a little think about it all!
Why had I completely freaked out? Why could I not just sit there and close my eyes? Block my ears? Why had these things all of a sudden started to affect me... When they never had before?

I remembered, while I was sitting, an image a friend once described to me. She said:
We walk around, every single day, with our shoes on.
We walk down streets, over grass, over hard things, soft things, hot and cold things... But our shoes protect us from feeling any of these things. They protect our feet from any harm... Like a stubbed toe or hot summer gravel! Eventhough, we can see a rough, hot or dangerous surface infront of us, it doesn't matter... Because we won't be able to feel it.

The first thing you do when you get home, after a full day at work, is you take off your shoes. Your home, your comfortable, your ready to relax for the night, get into your pjamas and chill!!
BUT... You take of your shoes and you can suddenly feel everything! Not only do you see things infront of you, you feel them as well!

It's like when you finally come to know Jesus as a personal saviour and as a best friend!
We finally come home, to our loving Father who has been patiently waiting. Finally come home to our true plan, purpose and an intimate feeling of belonging!
We walked through life for so long with our shoes on, going into night clubs and seeing so many 'semi-average looking ladies' sell themselves short, dance all over men to finally get a fraction of their attention... And that was ok! It's just what happened in night clubs right!?
But then we start journeying with Jesus... Constantly getting to know ourselves in him, learning about his ways, his teaching, his miracles, his heart!!
On this journey our hearts and minds and morals begin to change as well... They become more in line with His... And all of a sudden, we go into a night club and those 'semi-average looking ladies' are now absolutly stunning... And the fact that they are selling themselves short is all of a sudden a huge deal, and something that is realy hurting you, laying heavy on your heart!
You want to go over... Turn them away and remind them of how stunning they truly are! How significant and talented they are, and how nothing beneficial could ever come from their actions!

Journeying with God is like taking off your shoes... We continue walking the same earth, seeing the same things. But now we don't just spectate everything... We feel it!

Jesus has changed my heart!
Clearly after watching this movie tonight.
I used to be happy watching people act in demonic ways, because I was none the wiser.

I dunno: I think it's just cool physically feeling and acknowledging how far God has brought you. How much He has actually affected your life, how much He has changed what we see and accept as acceptable! The way He has completely flipped my whole outlook on life, and the way He now allows us to see things how He sees them... In a deep but challenging way!

Being at home with God is absolutly, incredibly, indescribable!!... (I'm not even going to try and put something so magnifisantly beautiful into words because I'm getting sleepy and it's getting late), but it's definatly not always comfortable!
When God is glad about something we feel His Joy!
But likewise, when something 'not so great' happens, when God's heart breaks over one of His children, or over something that has happened, we also feel His pain.

I'm glad God is in control of the emotions and feelings of my heart...
:)

Goodnight guys, God Bless xxx

abundantly blessed...

God doesn't 'owe' me anything.
Just something I have been thinking about lately... and it's a little obvious I know, but I think it's always good to be aware of our prayers and how we accept blessings into our lives.

Today was my belated birthday celebration! Pancake lunch, relaxing times at the beach and then off the the moonlight cinema to enjoy snacks and a good movie under the stars... All with amazing friends.
These people I spent the day with have literally acted like a family, laughed with me, cried with me, given me wake up calls when I needed them most and stood by me literally through absolutly everything.
I see most of them on a daily basis and never feel unapreciative of thier love and support.
But at the movies tonight, I had one of those 'movie moments'. You know when everything just seems to slow down and slowly you start seeing things for how they really are??

So there we are sitting... Laughing and taking photos, enjoying the cooler temperature after a hot day almost as much as each others company...
And that's when the 'movie moment' happened...
Friends from work, from dance, from church... Some younger, some my own age and a few older! Most of them met for the first time ever less than an hour ago, yet already delving into conversations, enjoying common interests and learning more about their new found friend.
I had a flash back to my past friendship circles, with friends who didn't know Jesus as a personal saviour... I remembered how I would never in a million years think of mixing groups like this together, even if it was the celebrate a special occasion. I remembered the awkwardness it would all bring and how uncomfortable I would feel in the midst of it all... But not here, with these people!
All of them so eager to meet new people, hear new stories and testimonies of how people live thier day to day lives... All of them so keen to shine the love of God to whoever comes into their path.
I seriously almost cried... Thinking about how blessed I am to even have one close friend let alone a group of them!

I'm literally so so blessed!
So unworthy and have done nothing at all to deserve all he gives... Yet he continues to bless... and bless..... and bless some more! Over and over!

I got this image...
A husband, head over heals in love with his wife! He saves and saves all year through just to buy her something so stunning that it will literally leave her breathless and without words! He knows this gift will come at a cost, but is so willing to save and splurge to see the excitment on her face when she recieves it. Just to make her feel special!
The end of the year approaches after a year of intense saving and he has figured out the perfect time and place to present the beautiful gift to his beautiful wife.
She opens it, loves it... and hands it back, saying she isn't worhty of the gift and she cannot take it!
Poor hubby!!

Who am I... Who are we to refuse the gifts God gives to us?!
Jesus lived his life knowing he was going to the cross at some point to die for me... That was his untimate, sacrificial, breathtakingly stunning gift to us!
I'm not going to stand before him and refuse that... It would be like throwing His own blood right back in his face!

He simply wants us to stand in complete adoration of him, with a heart to serve and worship, with a rock solid faith in him, with a lifestyle of outward pouring of love onto all of his people, and a feeling of intense gratitude!!

Thankyou isn't a big enough word! :)

Absolutly stunning day!!
And know I'm sleepy...
Goodnight and God Bless xxxx

Be blessed <3

five years later...

Such a stunning day today in Adelaide.
Baby blue skies, gorgeous breeze to make the heat a little more bearable, time spent with friends and absolutly incredible views of a beach I cannot believe I live within 5 minutes of!!
I took the long way home JUST to marvel at it as I drove down the coast... It's been five years since I moved to this incredibly stunning country and it never ceases to amaze me with its budding personalities and ultimate beauty!

And then it got me thinking... (as always..) about all of the beauties I actually have in my life that I so often pass by!

I hate to think that I've become someone who just goes through life, having amazing days and yes, occasionally having bad days: that are in absolutly no way as bad as they COULD be in comparison to what so many people on this earth have to endure... Just accepting the most breathtaking blessings as they come, without stopping for just a minute to laugh or cry or do whatever I can to celebrate it, give thanks and stand in nothing but gratitute!!

We literally have so, so much to be thankful for...
I've been educated and am able to therefore read and write this blog... Something I think so many people take for granted: including myself!
My parents are alive and still happily married, my brother is incredible and one of my closest friends, I have a group of amazing individuals in my world that I have the honour, every single day, of sharing life with! A job that fuels my ambitions, missions, dreams, visions and ideas! Opportunity upon opportunity to make these ideas become a reality with a supportive and encouraging team, to back me up. Food in my fridge, a bed, health, happiness and an overflowing of unconditional love from a Saviour who loves me no matter what.  

It's overwhelming when you think about it... And I really recommend you do!
It can be revelational if you let it!!
In August 2006, we made the move to Australia... A scary, nerve-wrecking move into an area unknown to us all, as a family of four... All of us willing to take the risk for the hope of a better life and a fresh start.
Five years later... Eventhough I still obtain the excitment and enthusiasm of an inoccent 15 year old optimist, my life has been moulded and transformed into such a wonderland of open opportunities.

I've learnt so much:
That God is there, through it all... Fighting for you whole heartedly, whether you realise it or not.
That the people who matter will be there through thick and thin for you.
That being a people pleaser has more 'cons' than 'pros'!
That every chance for spontanaity has a lesson attached, waiting to be learnt.
That every person comes into your life for a reason, to reveal something to you... And people leaving holds the same ammount of realisation.
I've learnt to appreaciate and never dampen myself down to fit into the social norm... Whatever that might be?
Above everything... I can't help but come down to the old and VERY cheesy but true quote...
'life is what you make it!'

Seeing every little situation as a blessing, an open window and an awesome, hands-on way to learn something you may have never realised had it not arrived in your life... At that specific time... In that particular way.

Maybe It's just me rambling again... And this is quite a long blog i know...
But just think about it: By you being openly appreciative of all your blessings... You release others to do the same, to stop and step back from their lives, to acknowledge it's beauty... 
Making you a blessing to them... And ultimatly everyone you meet!!

Sorry for the length! :)
It's been a very reflective day, but I'm going to bed a VERY happy and excited little lady tonight... About the year ahead and all that is left to discover about this incredible world we share!!

Goodnight and God Bless xxx