If you'd asked me a month ago what my top 10 dream travel destinations were, America probably wouldn't have made the cut. But before you call me an unworthy, ungrateful sod let me tell you how much I loved and needed this holiday. The answer is: a lot. Here are some reasons the US of A now has a place in this skeptic's heart.
1. It's darn pretty. If you're a lover of the great outdoors as I am, then take a roadtrip across the States. From LA's Griffith Observatory to Utah's snow-capped mountains, there's a reason why they call it America the beautiful. Even the deserts are beautiful - in a vast, barren, cowboy-land kind of way. And that's just the west coast. If I lived in Utah, I'd definitely be taking advantage of the endless hiking and camping opportunities.
2. Food. Okay so this is also one of the reasons I hate America, but I had to embrace the supersized, processed deliciousness. It's all part of the experience. I'm absolutely sure I gained several kilos with all the food I consumed. Some highlights were Einstein Brothers Bagels (I need more schmear in my life), Cafe Rio Pork Burritos, In-N-Out Burger, Straws (where you can order any soda or milkshake cocktail experiment you like) and of course, the DONUTS.
3. Church History & General Conference. As a member of the LDS church, Salt Lake City is our equivalent of Mecca. Since I was little I dreamed of going to Salt Lake and seeing temple square and general conference. Even if you're not a Mormon though, it's definitely worth a look for the beautiful architecture and history. We visited historical monuments, walked along mountain trails that faithful pioneers pulled handcarts over in harsh conditions, and visited a bleak grave site in a deserted town called Iosepa (Joseph) where Hawaiian Mormons settled after leaving their island paradise to emigrate to Zion. It was humbling to be in places where so many sacrifices were made out of faith and a desire to practice religion freely.
I was also lucky enough to attend three sessions of general conference (a semi-annual worldwide conference where church leaders including prophets and apostles address us on relevant topics). The talks and music were amazing and it was great to be surrounded by people from all over the world who share the same beliefs.
4. The people. I met and reunited with some incredible people and it's this more than anything that has forever tied my heart to America. We hung out with my mum's sister's family we haven't seen since I was three and heard stories about my mum's parents (who passed away when I was young) from a hilarious Maori lady my mum calls Aunty even though we aren't related. We stayed with beautiful families - old friends and new ones. Dad caught up with old companions from his mission in the 80s. I hung out with friends from my mission and it was like no time had passed. We saw a missionary who had served in Melbourne when I was 9 and now has 4 gorgeous kids. Although the sightseeing, shopping, and food were great, these wonderful people were by far the highlight of my trip.
And now for some pictures care of my mother (I managed to lose my phone in SLC *facepalm*)!
1. It's darn pretty. If you're a lover of the great outdoors as I am, then take a roadtrip across the States. From LA's Griffith Observatory to Utah's snow-capped mountains, there's a reason why they call it America the beautiful. Even the deserts are beautiful - in a vast, barren, cowboy-land kind of way. And that's just the west coast. If I lived in Utah, I'd definitely be taking advantage of the endless hiking and camping opportunities.
2. Food. Okay so this is also one of the reasons I hate America, but I had to embrace the supersized, processed deliciousness. It's all part of the experience. I'm absolutely sure I gained several kilos with all the food I consumed. Some highlights were Einstein Brothers Bagels (I need more schmear in my life), Cafe Rio Pork Burritos, In-N-Out Burger, Straws (where you can order any soda or milkshake cocktail experiment you like) and of course, the DONUTS.
3. Church History & General Conference. As a member of the LDS church, Salt Lake City is our equivalent of Mecca. Since I was little I dreamed of going to Salt Lake and seeing temple square and general conference. Even if you're not a Mormon though, it's definitely worth a look for the beautiful architecture and history. We visited historical monuments, walked along mountain trails that faithful pioneers pulled handcarts over in harsh conditions, and visited a bleak grave site in a deserted town called Iosepa (Joseph) where Hawaiian Mormons settled after leaving their island paradise to emigrate to Zion. It was humbling to be in places where so many sacrifices were made out of faith and a desire to practice religion freely.
I was also lucky enough to attend three sessions of general conference (a semi-annual worldwide conference where church leaders including prophets and apostles address us on relevant topics). The talks and music were amazing and it was great to be surrounded by people from all over the world who share the same beliefs.
4. The people. I met and reunited with some incredible people and it's this more than anything that has forever tied my heart to America. We hung out with my mum's sister's family we haven't seen since I was three and heard stories about my mum's parents (who passed away when I was young) from a hilarious Maori lady my mum calls Aunty even though we aren't related. We stayed with beautiful families - old friends and new ones. Dad caught up with old companions from his mission in the 80s. I hung out with friends from my mission and it was like no time had passed. We saw a missionary who had served in Melbourne when I was 9 and now has 4 gorgeous kids. Although the sightseeing, shopping, and food were great, these wonderful people were by far the highlight of my trip.
And now for some pictures care of my mother (I managed to lose my phone in SLC *facepalm*)!
A bogan walking around the LA Temple
Four wheeling
Snow!
Salt Lake Temple
Conference
St George Temple Visitors Centre with the Ipsons (there are a lot of temples in Utah)
Someone told the gardener on temple square that tulips are my favourite
Bonneville Salt Flats (as in 'The World's Fastest Indian') - mum licked it
All shopped out
Cuzzies
Motab live at conference
Mission reunion
Hiking 'The Y' in Provo with an old mission friend
Pizza with my sistas
My mums
Sufjan Stevens has been an honourary member of my potential husband list for a while now. I'm impatiently waiting for his new album 'Carrie & Lowell' to come out so I can bask in his dreamy vocals and hauntingly beautiful guitar. The album seems to be a far cry from the spazzy/fluoro/electronic/orchestral mash that was 'Age of Adz' (I went to see his AOA show when he was in Melbourne and it was just the kind of whimsical insanity you'd expect from Sufjan). I'm looking forward to a more acoustic, personal record which apparently delves into his childhood.
“With this record, I needed to extract myself out of this environment of make-believe. It's something that was necessary for me to do in the wake of my mother's death—to pursue a sense of peace and serenity in spite of suffering. It's not really trying to say anything new, or prove anything, or innovate. It feels artless, which is a good thing. This is not my art project; this is my life.” (Pitchfork)
View the album trailer here.
Blerg, it's Wednesday. Here's a mid-week mix to get you through to Saturday.
A little self-indulgent piece I wrote for my friend's zine a few months ago (note: I am now 24 and have a job - progress!). Happy Sunday!
EXPECTATIONS: When I was little I had a dream. I was going to move to England and live in Beatrix Potter’s house, write novels, and marry a dashing Englishman.
REALITY: Now I’m 23. Beatrix Potter’s house is a museum and kind of out of my price range, creative writing isn’t my thing, and the only Englishmen I fancy are characters in BBC period dramas.
I graduated from uni, went away for 18 months and now I’m back everyone seems to have life pretty much sorted. I on the other hand am still living at home and borrowing money from my parents to put credit on my Nokia brick. This was not how my life was supposed to go! I’m supposed to be a grown up; a sophisticated, independent, bill-paying grown up!
It’s easy to define yourself by your job, relationship status, or living situation. It’s easy to be super sensitive when people ask you how you spend your days, and convince them that your life consists of more than job applications and telly. It’s easy to wait for things that will make you ‘happy’. But do you know what? Just because your chocolate bar doesn’t have a golden ticket in it, doesn’t mean you should throw away perfectly good chocolate and feel sorry for yourself.
Expectations never quite match up to reality. Not that you shouldn’t plan and hope and dream, but there are some things you just don’t have control over. What I’m learning is that when the universe throws you these fun little challenges, be grateful for them. Life isn’t just the highlights on your Facebook page. It’s the in between bits too.
In the words of a very wise German man,
“We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf).
While I don’t live in Beatrix Potter’s house, I got to live quite close to it and experience England in a way I never imagined I would. I still love to write and found a career path that lets me do it. While I work on getting that career started I’m taking the opportunity to smell the daisies, try new things, and help my family. And no, Mr. Darcy hasn’t ridden up on his steed and asked me for my hand yet but you’re never too old to dream, right?
I turned 24 on Wednesday, and you know what, I'm okay with it! In some ways I still feel like a little child, so unsure of myself and the future but mostly I feel blessed. Blessed to have had so many opportunities to learn and become, and to be surrounded by really excellent people who understand me and make me laugh.
Last night I went out to dinner with the fam and watched 'Return of the King' at the Astor. Today after work I came home to this. My friends are the greatest. I'm going curl up in my magical fort now, because that's what 24 year olds do.
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you call fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
- C.S. Lewis, 'Mere Christianity'
- C.S. Lewis, 'Mere Christianity'
On Saturday our amazing youth worked their butts off for 6+ hours, building and selling lanterns at the Lynbrook Lantern Festival. They are so willing to give up their time to serve in the community. I love getting to work with them.
Sexy fluoro pink vests (I've always wanted to wear one of these)
It wasn't quite Tangled, but hey.
Thanks for the motivational quotes, Seek.
And you too Grimes:
"Just because someone has more qualifications than you doesn’t mean they’re better than you. We live in the age of technology, so you can Google anything you don’t know how to do. The only thing you can’t Google is how to be creative and unique. Your thoughts have more value than a degree or a parent in the same field or whatever. I always think about my grandfather, who became an engineer with only a seventh grade education. It’s a very cliché thing to say, but nearly anything is possible if you set your mind to it." (from 'Rookie Yearbook Three', Tavi Gevinson - excerpt via Elle Mag)
I think probably the hardest thing about coming off a mission for me is that it feels like my progression has slowed down to a snail's pace. I was a Lamborghini cruising down the motorway and now I'm a rusty old Toyota Camry, just puttering along. Don't worry, this isn't a self-pity rant - over the past couple of days I've received some pretty amazing reminders from Heavenly Father about why I should be grateful for this period of my life.
It's part of the human condition that we're always looking forward to the future - to the next goal, event, or checkpoint that will make us feel happy and accomplished. Landing the dream job, getting married, buying a house, etc. But as I was praying the other night I had the impression that I need to be grateful for the things I'm doing right now, and that these things are preparing me for the future.
Then today I came across a talk by Elder D. Todd Christofferson called "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread", given at a BYU devotional in 2011. It was one of those 'just-what-I-needed-to-hear-thanks-Heavenly-Father' talks. He speaks about the significance of every day acts that determine our future. How sometimes we just need to take things day by day in order to deal with big challenges. Christ is the 'Bread of Life', our manna in the wilderness, and we need His help daily to become the people we are striving to become. And as we realise our dependence on Him for daily nourishment and guidance, we will build a strong relationship of trust, and be thankful for our challenges because they bring us closer to Him. Change and progression take time - as long as we are moving forward with the Saviour there's no need to complain. So there are some very good reasons things are slow-going at the moment. Life is jolly good just the way it is!
Below are some excerpts or if you want the quick fix watch this Mormon Message:
It is day by day that we work out our plans for the future; it is day by day that we achieve our goals. It is one day at a time that we raise and nurture our families. It is one day at a time that we overcome imperfections. We endure in faith to the end one day at a time. It is the accumulation of many days well lived that adds up to a full life and a saintly person.
The Lord’s invitation to seek our daily bread at our Heavenly Father’s hand speaks of a loving God, aware of even the small, daily needs of His children and anxious to assist them, one by one... As we seek and receive divine bread daily, our faith and trust in God and His Son grow.
Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have
precious commodity. I learned that manna today can be as real as the physical manna of biblical history. I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day.
Generally it is good to try to anticipate what is coming and prepare to deal with it. At times, however, this captain’s counsel is wise: “Take it one day at a time. . . . Don’t look ahead to the pain. Just get through the day.” To worry about what is or may be coming can be debilitating. It can paralyze us and make us quit.
President Ezra Taft Benson, speaking of repentance, gave this counsel:
We must be careful, as we seek to become more and more[Christlike], that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible. The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road to Damascus, Enos praying far into the night, King Lamoni. Such astonishing examples of the power to change even those steeped in sin give confidence that the Atonement can reach even those deepest in despair.
But we must be cautious as we discuss these remarkable examples. Though they are real and powerful, they are the exception more than the rule. For every Paul, for every Enos, and for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds and thousands of people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life. They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and commitment. . . .
We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him.4
In reality, there aren’t very many things in a day that are totally without significance. Even the mundane and repetitious can be tiny but significant building blocks that in time establish the discipline and character and order needed to realize our plans and dreams. Therefore, as you ask in prayer for your daily bread, consider thoughtfully your needs—both what you may lack and what you must protect against. As you retire to bed, think about the successes and failures of the day and what will make the next day a little better. And thank your Heavenly Father for the manna He has placed along your path that sustained you through the day. Your reflections will increase your faith in Him as you see His hand helping you to endure some things and to change others. You will be able to rejoice in one more day, one more step toward eternal life.
