The chocolate and candy in America is sooooooooooooooo FULL ON! The chocolate, the take out, the marketing, the vibe. Everything is over the top, intensely vibe-full and so yummy.
I have found ‘milk duds’ and I think I will never be the same again. I have got my clothes back from a laundry called fluff and fold and the smell of my pjs of linen smell is overwhelming. But milk duds, are the newest and greatest sensation on my small list of things sweet that I love.
After a cinnamon scroll from IKEA, yes I was working at IKEA today, to my cherry pie for dinner and the overwhelming call of Milk duds. Thank goodness I am not here to stay as my weight would be severly impacted by the call of Milk duds. I am in sugar overload and not sure how long my ADHD personality can cope.
No the coffee here may be starbuckafied and there is no ‘MILKD’ here, but there is MILK DUDS.
I am changed forever
DUD!
A
ps- I am going to disneyland tomorrow (God help Disney!)
Favourite Things: Doublemint chewies, the long ones and Walmart
Today was another day of extremes. Started the day with a meeting and creative development of whats happening here in OC and finished it with 45mins at Knottsberry Farm and a couple of hours at WALMART.
USA is the country of extremes. We went to Knottsberry farm and it took everything I have in me not to throw up after 8 rides in 45mins as the theme park closed down due to rain. The rides were unbelievable, my favourite being the accelerator, where the g-force nearly ripped my earrings out of my ear lobes from the sheer force of the acceleration. I’m very glad that I left my haviana’s on the ground before the ride took off, because my aussie icons could have given linel something to cry about. Knottsberry Farm is the home themepark to snoopy, charlie brown, linel and the gang!
With God Bless America, billowing through the speakers and every type of Candy available in the world, my non american attuned stomach was struggling. We were dissapointed that the park was closed early due to rain, but I had enough of Snoopyland in the time we had and was excited after a burger from in and out, to go to a themepark indoors- WalMART!!
Walmart is so hilarious, I spent hours upon hours walking down and up the crazy aisles of plastic, consumerised, intensley crazy stuff. Not one candy aisle, but three, full on, crazy options, full of too much choice.
Anyways, ready for a new day of work tommorrow, But I miss MILKD cafe, I miss a place of limited choice, I miss my washing machine and most of all my beautiful friends and my office.
This weekend I went to 3 different churches in three days, one being Saddleback Community Church, second being the soon to be Riverview Church OC and then Newport Beach Christian Church.
In the land of everything large, everything branded and then everything super plastic these three churches are making an amazing difference in the community they serve. All very, very different, but all amazing in their own way.
Saddleback- a huge, rolling, ranch of a church with an amazing facility, with heaps of different forms of worship reaching out to the cultural groups that call its church home. From Aloha; hawaiian style worship, to elevate; a service designed purely for singles, to traditions a hymn enhanced traditional style of service. From the start we arrived, we were embraced by hosts and people who helped us find our way through the miles and miles of buildings and facilities.
Then Destiny People, soon to be Riverview Church. They meet in a movie cinema, with free popcorn for the kids, worship lead by our very own Mark and Ali Cullen and the people encouraged and supported by the amazing Wes and Ellie Bevis. It was so inspiring.
What inspired me the most is the people working on the ground who have faithfully served for years and years. Guys like Deni, who sets up the complimentary tea and coffee (and doughnuts- yes aussies this is the land of krispy kreme!) to Terri the amazing woman who sets up the decorations on the welcome table as people arrive. Then there is Mike, who is a technical guru, who sets up and packs down all the technical equipment with style and finesse. Then there is Kim who looks after our kids, with love and faithfulness. I could keep going and going. The team of people are purely inspiring and it is a privelege to come along side them and continue to grow this community in Los Angeles the city of Angels.
(I took this at Newport Beach today)
Lastly we went to Newport Beach Church, right in the land of OC central. The big cars, the plastic clothing and the fake smiles is not just a TV fantasy, its true and an Aussie couple Jonothan and Di Wilson are doing a superb job right where the action was.
The building they meet in is so funky, its Denis Rodmans old nightclub. Totally BLING CENTRAL! Chandeliers, Gold frames, Wide sweeping windows framing the beach in all its glory. Despite the fantastic venue, what inspired me the most was the passion of the people. The church service was breathhtaking. From the minute we beat the parking meters and found the parking, to the point we walked away from the doors, we were surrounded with 16-30 year olds who were defiantly reversing the OC culture and living life large. Stay tuned for more updates on this church it was jaw dropping.
Thats me so far… Missing my friends at home, even though I am up for some Universal Studio and Disneyland action. This is truly the business end of the trip and have a week spotted with meetings and catch ups.
Big toasts to the people on the ground in these amazing churches. In this day and age, church is so not what our culture and media portrays it to be and here.
Signing off from the land of consumerism and LARGE, I am inspired by the aussies that are making a HUGE IMPACT
Favourite Things: Our new found friends at Riverview OC!
Sorry about the lack of information in the last few days, due to a lack of internet connection out in the country in london.
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(a grave from the 1700’s)
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(this church was on the farm I was staying at!, literally a stones throw!)
I have has the most amazing few days, including a long flight from london to Los Angeles…We have ventured through the country of London, out to a place called Church Farm and I was spellbound.
 (the hayshed)
Look at these photos. It was freezing, I was covered in dirt but my soul was nourished. There is something so grounding to be somewhere where decades upon centuries of people have trodden on the same ground.
The room I slept in was built in the 1100’s, which is hard for my 20th century brain to fumble with. We had soup cooked from a real fire stove, camebert cheese from Paris and chablis from france. I loved it.
We visited Windsor Castle, which was so amazing. The artwork, the finery, the history, the church where Charles and Camilla recently were married in. I loved the changing of the guards and the audio tour around the castle and explaining its history was lovely.
We arrived in the OC yesterday, driving through the highway system and driving on the left hand side of the road was a whole new experience.
So its heaps of new experiences for this aussie kangeroo!
From the 1100’s and the land of shakespeare, to the land of everything large and consumer city!
Favourite Things: SNOW! how it looks on trees, how it falls, how cold it is, everything about snow.
We woke up this morning to a snow covered london, which apparently in the city of london itself is quite rare…I prayed for snow and it has not disappointed us.
The blanket of white that covers everything, hopefully our car also which will mean no PARKING FINES!!
The tree right outside my window is so spikey and creamed with icing sugar snow.
I can’t wait to run through Hyde Park, as we are 5 mins away, and kick the snow around.
