Cup of joe

If you were to sit down with me for a cup of coffee today, I'd tell you about the lovely Thai restaurant where I ate lunch yesterday, a farewell treat as I leave my internship/volunteer position with IJM Australia.

If you were to sit down with me for a cup of coffee today, I'd tell you how excited I am to be almost married to this man of mine. I'd tell you that as much as I've talked about my fast approaching nuptials in the past three months, the fact that the joyous day is now only 25 days away has me giddy.

If you were to sit down with me for a cup of coffee today, I'd tell you the count down to seeing my parents and friends in the States is down to less than seven days, and I can't wait.

If you were to sit down with me for a cup of coffee today, I'd tell you how overwhelming it is to set up home in a new place, when not all your belongings are in the same country. I'd tell you that I love the shopping and the decorating and the organising, but I love even more the idea that someday soon, it will all be finished.

If you were to sit down with me for coffee today, I'd tell you that I have a photoshoot scheduled for Sunday, to promote Dressember, and that I'm simultaneously terrified and excited for what this campaign can hold.

If you were to sit down with me for a cup of coffee today, I'd tell you that I haven't quite finished my book for the month yet, but I'm working on it.

If you were to sit down with me for a cup of coffee today, I'd tell you that I think sometimes it's just as important to linger on the small, seemingly insignificant things as it is to examine the larger things in life, and that maybe this could be a regular thing.

Becoming + settling

There was a season in my life (think adolescence) when anything my dad said to me would have been inclined to go in one ear and out the other, but now? When my dad takes the time to advise and counsel me, to speak about the talents he sees in me, I consider it a treasure. While I was visiting my parents in Georgia, my dad took some time to talk to me about this space. How he loves what I write, but thinks I have more to say.

This space has changed a lot since I first started documenting last year. I write with more focus but less detail, more the lesson and less the experience, per se. And while I would argue that the things I write about carry a lot of weight, they're sort of (somehow, also) superfluous. It means something, but there's not much to it. I think my writing speaks for itself, which is good, but that means there's rarely room for a broader conversation.

A few weeks ago, after a day that left me feeling lost, Stephen reminded me that one of the hardest things in life is becoming who you were meant to be. Some people never get there, but I want to. I thought about the upcoming months of my life, and what I want to make of them. I thought about my online presence, and how I want it to speak to people. How I want to speak clearly and with integrity, but I also want to be welcoming and compassionate, and I don't want to measure my worth by means of likes and pageviews. And how do I combine all of these things?

I don't think I'll ever fall into the category of "lifestyle blogger," as much as I enjoy reading them, but I'd like to do more than review books and talk about my weekends. I'm not sure where I'm going with all of this, or what I'll be writing about in the near future. Of course, I want this blog to have a cohesive feel, but I know that change can be incredibly good, if we're open to it.

Lemonade

Things are changing here at the border of Georgia and Australia. With the help of Shayla, whose blog I've come to love dearly, and these tutorials by Rylee Blake, I've given my blog a bit of a makeover. It's a work in progress, and I'm sure some more things will be changing over the next few weeks, but I'm already much happier with the look and feel of this space.

So why the new look and new name?

As my time in Australia continues and I learn more about myself and what I want, I always seem to come back to words. A passion for writing that I can't shake, and a realization that it's a part of who I am in the deepest, truest way. Instead of trying to become someone else, become good at other things, I'm learning to embrace the gifts and talents that I've been given and make the most of them.

I'm still on the border of lots of places and things, but I've started putting down roots. Peach, because I'm Georgia-grown. Lemonade, because I want to always be known as a person who makes the best of whatever circumstances I'm in. A cleaner slate, if you will.

Here's what's coming for this blog. Once a week (twice, if you're lucky!), I'll be posting a positive insight for the week. A thought, a life lesson, an experience worthy of revelation, a book I've finished, whatever. I've joined Bloglovin in an attempt to gain a wider audience, and would love it if you would click on the Bloglovin button on the right side of my blog and follow me there! Even if you don't blog, following this blog and sharing it with your friends would be a huge help to me, and I would so appreciate it! I'll be pursuing freelance writing in some shape, and would love to chat with any of you about projects or opportunities.

The border of Georgia and Australia just got a whole lot bigger.

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Details

A lot of what I post here is vague. Things I'm learning and growing in, bits and pieces of things I'm struggling to push past, glimpses of Oz, but for the most part, what I write is lacking in the details. Here are some.

Last week and this upcoming week are different that usual because the kids I look after are on holiday from school. Last week started in Brisbane and is now coming to a close with a long-awaited Skype call with my sweet parents. My friend Grace and I flew to Brisbane on Saturday and spent a long weekend exploring the city and beaches, all while couch surfing with an awesome couple. Saturday night found us eating tacos and burritos in the city, followed by tiramisu ice cream and a walk by the river that runs through the city. It was spectacular, and though the day of travel left us unbelievably tired, it was so good. On Sunday we got to experience Hillsong Brisbane. What a blessing, to be part of a church that reaches so many parts of the world. We spent the afternoon wandering through more of the city and enjoyed homemade Mexican, brownies, and the movie Australia with the couple hosting us. On Monday, we traveled to the Gold Coast and spent the day at Surfer's Paradise, where I fell asleep and got a little too much sun. That evening, we were able to not only see kangaroos in the wild, but also eat delicious kangaroo steak. It was incredibly tender and well-flavored and I loved it. For our last adventure, on Tuesday morning, we toured the brewery where Queensland's state beer is brewed before flying back to Sydney. And funnily enough, on our flight we met an Australian who happens to be an Atlanta Braves fan.

I arrived home to my host mom and kids, plus the first au pair they had and my host mom's mom, both of whom were visiting for the week. Jella (pronounced Yell-ah) worked for the Kowals roughly four years ago, and it's been really cool to hear her stories of the kids and see the relationship she still has with them, after all this time. It reminds me that even though I'm a temporary installment in this home, I can have a lasting impression on this family, if I choose my words and actions wisely and if I am deliberately loving and kind. At the end of the day, I find myself wanting to retreat to my room and enjoy moments of peace, but I'm learning that I need to step out a little bit more, even just for an extra half hour, and be more than just a nanny.

On Friday, my host family went to Canberra for the weekend to visit a family friend, so I had the house to myself. It was weirdly quiet, and while I enjoyed it for about five minutes, I found myself wanting to fill the space. So, I went to one of the Northern beaches with a group of friends on Saturday. The weather was close to perfect, although the water was unforgivably cold, and we had a blast sunbathing, tossing a frisbee, frolicking in the waves (let's be real, I barely dipped my toes in), and eating chicken burgers before heading home.

Watching the kids for a whole day, without the break of having them at school, is a totally different ball game. This upcoming week will surely present its challenges, but I'm excited to take them on. It gives me an awesome opportunity to know these kids beyond schedules and assignments and just enjoy the people they are. Not to mention with the beautiful weather, we have every reason to spend our time outside. The mantra is Anything you throw at me, I can take.

Anything you throw at me, I can take.

One of the many gorgeous views in Brisbane

The Fourex Brewery

The Gathering and other gatherings

One of my friends texted me a few days ago and asked if I had yet to see a kangaroo. Sadly, my answer remains no. Between working and trying to settle in and serving at Hillsong Church, it's hard to find time to go adventuring, but I felt like a disappointment for not having done anything exciting in my first three weeks here. It took me back to what I blogged last week or the week before about realizing my worth and worthiness of interest, regardless of the circumstances, but it also made me see that my threshold of adventure has shifted slightly. Yesterday, the youngest girl I nanny, Olivia, lost her second front tooth. And we celebrated. And that was enough. When Lachlan spells all his words for the week correctly, we celebrate. Yes, I am living in an extraordinarily beautiful country, and I cannot wait to experience and explore all it has to offer (and hopefully that starts this weekend with a girls' night out!), but I'm just as thrilled to be part of a new family and share in their small joys. Being here is great. The things I'll get to do here will be great. But that doesn't discount the worth of my time here without them. If I never see a kangaroo this year, I will still consider this trip worthy and wonderful.

This thought process led me to this gem, which talks about recognizing the purpose behind our blogs. It was such a treat for me to take this in. Naturally, my hope in starting this blog was to share my time in Australia, whatever that looked like, but it's a story I want to be read often and eagerly. As people, when we take ownership of our narrative, it's because we want them to be seen. We want them to be grand. We want them to be monumental. So what if nobody ever reads this? What's the point, then?

My first instinct is to say that while I'm relatively crafty and a decent cook and baker and I have an eye for design and an offbeat fashion sense, I'm a writer. But even before that, I have to say that I'm a professional communicator, and my favorite avenue happens to be the written word. Communication is what I've studied. It's what I love. It's what I do. It's how I live. This blog is about communicating, to however large an audience, pieces of my life, in hopes of encouraging every reader to live hopefully and eagerly. The purpose behind this hope is hard for me to type out, because I know that a lot of the people who will read this will be related to me, and have different beliefs. But I'm learning now more than ever that family is family, that my family has taught and shown me acceptance and love in spite of our differences, and greater than my desire to be someone my family can be proud of, what I believe demands to be proclaimed.

The purpose behind this blog is to communicate the hope of Christ, through my job as a nanny, through my time serving at Hillsong, through the friendships I am building. Last night, our young adults ministry hosted an event called The Gathering. It was, simply, a night of worship. It was not simple. I spent the day in Baulkham Hills, helping my sweet new friend Melissa set up a concierge service to host guests from other churches in the area. I spent the evening surrounded by men and women ushering each other into the Throne Room. It was spectacular. A turning point, if you will.

I'm learning a lot here. About who I am and who I want to be. It hasn't been easy and I know it won't always be easy, but it is a joy. Whoever this blog serves, whatever it accomplishes, it is my hope that it would exude kindness and gentleness and acceptance. And that it will soon host pictures of kangaroos. Because believe it or not, I'm in Australia!

A snapshot from The Gathering. Power House all day, for the Kingdom.