Place: Melbourne

Poison: Water

Favourite Things: Wasabi peas

Today we spent the day on the streets of metro melbourne and the anzac day parade honestly brought tears to my eyes. We have no idea the sacrifice that the generation of my grandma and granpa made as they fought for the freedom that we enjoy today.

May I never take for granted the freedom that we so gloriously enjoy.

lest we forget…

A

Place: Qantas Club

Poison: White Chardonney

Favourite Things: $10 shoes…

I have spent the last couple of days with Event Managers, Producers and Tech Directors of the Global Leadership Summit. It has been really inspiring.

For some reason I have been more homesick than normal and am hanging to be in beautiful Perth, some time very soon. The inspiration of a group of people who think beyond themselves and live to create events that inspire others is a constant form of inspiration for me.

Leadership is all about living a life of influence, and unfortunately today it is the leaders who are the loudest who are often noticed. To watch and meet mothers, brothers, sisters and lovers who lay down their lives for something bigger than themselves and their own pursuits is so breathtaking.

Everyday life is was shapes leaders, not the upfront opportunities to shine. So here’s a toast to a group of 30 people, who have the potential to shape 5,000 lives.

Go hard or Go home, Live large!

All my love

A

Place: Qantas Club

Poison: Berocca

Favourite Things: Bircher Museli
Last night we had a great party for Bryce, the amazing Green, saying farewell for a while but not forever and in the midst of the party atmosphere a felony occured.

1) Someone unknown went in my bedroom!

2) They commited a henious and intriguing crime.

A large fluffy teddy bear was taken from its normal surroundings, its home, from people who care for Him or Her the most and placed in my room.

My room is not a teddy bear friendly environment and CSI north perth began. We interviewed all the house guests and no-one owned up to this crime.

After much introspect and assumption, me and my crime fighting buddies have not been able to solve the crime.

So if you have any information please call crime stoppers on 1800AMANDACANTHANDLESURPRISES! or email via the email below…

It brings out my OCD…

(Sorry about the comments also, I had to disable them due to the ugliness of SPAM. Sorry those who have been trying to comment.)

On my way to melbourne for work, anyone who knows about the teddy bear crime contact me.

Intrigued

A

Place: My Office

Poison: Poison

Favourite Things: John Mayer on itunes

Flicking through some photos in search of inspiration and bang this photo turns up on my screen!

Okay before you get freaked out, this is a very funny moment. Ali Cullen and I at disneyland, trying to find something non sugar coated and we found these a big leg of turkey! Only in the U S of A…

So this is a quirky tribute to the amazing Ali Cullen, The States and all things large.

Ali, her husband Mark and their destined son Daniel, packed up their lives 5 months ago to go and live in LA and support, lead and encourage our new congregation there. From all the stories, reports and chats I am having, she is doing such an amazing job. Stepping up into all levels of leadership and doing whatever it takes to live large!

Ali, I think you are amazing, and I still think about those few days we spent together in Febuary and was completely blessed by Gods faithfulness.

Here’s a toast to doing whole lifetimes together, not just a few years and moving beyond the easy and superficial layers of friendship, to those that spread across oceans, time differences and made lovely through technology like the internet.

Ann, you and the fam will be so loved when you visit in June.

All my love and much thoughts of inspiration

A

Place: My Office

Poison: Diet Coke

Favourite Things: Mustard new bible

Over the last week I have read a book called ‘Plain Truth’ by Jodi Picoult, and it is a novel all about the life of the Amish communities.

I was so struck by the thought of how these people live. Although some of their boundaries and laws are quite extreme, I love the thought of living a plain life.

The simplicity, the purity, the plainess somehow highlighted to me the things that truely matter in life. People, conversations, integrity, loving with abandonment, believing the best in people, forgiveness, not holding grudges, living with little baggage!

I want to read up more on the Amish communities, which I think in contemporary culture get a bit of a bashing…But in my mum’s words. Very soon, everyones going to go back to basics and realise that in our pursuit of progression we lost sight what most mattered in our worlds, PEOPLE.

That’s it, plain and simple

A

Place: My Office

Poison: Long Black

Favourite Things: Winter clothes

Today is the first day in a long time that it feels like winter. A seasonal type of girl, I love the positive that every season bring. Summer- fish and chips, Autumn- cake and coffee, Winter- soup and Spring- champagne and strawberries!

As much as I love sun beaming through a window pane, I am so inspired by rain dribbles down my window in my office and the thought of pulling out my winter clothes once again.

In a drought stricken nation, there is nothing more comforting than seeing rain pour into our byways and highways, satisfying a very thirsty dam.

Rain brings a comfort to a weary heart, a snuggle factor to a fledgling couple and more awareness in the midst of crazy traffic.

Love the rain, bring it on!

I hope it stays awhile. Rain, rain, don’t go away, I would love for you to stay…

Hmmm

A

Place: New Norcia Reading Room

Poison: Vegemite on Toast

Favourite Things: Clunky Old and Slow Computers (makes you think more about what you’re doing!)

Yesterday I read Schapelle Corby’s autobiography and it was deeply concerning. When I was in Bali a couple of years ago, I went to visit her in jail, with no other intention than to pass on some gifts and encourage someone who was in a living nightmare. Whether guilty, innocent or caught up in some gross traffiking bungle, the jail is disgusting, the animals found crawling the floors are vile and no on deserves to live in the squalour she is submitted too.

Reading her autobiography I was appalled by supposed do gooders (esp Christians) who treated her with such disrespect and disdain. My family is in Bali right now, in fact my beautiful sister Jen is there and I assume she will go and visit the Bali 9 and/ or Schapelle and to think that she could be locked away in that living hell scares me to my core.

Why do we always think we have a right to find out the truth in someone’s everyday story? Why does the media rip families to shreds over information that is private, confidential and nobodies business!

My family has had a taste of the media and the ridiculous lies and outright fabricated stories that are touted as fact in disgusting excuses for journalism such as ‘The Sunday Times’ but I truly have no idea what it would be like to be hounded and chased, harrassed and pursued.

This last week has been a hard one for our family because ‘The Sunday Times’ printed a story that was completely false about us. ’In the guise of free speech’ Jo Spagnolio’s writing should be published as a novel, rather than factual journalism and if he feels he has the right to hound my family, my Father (divorced from my Mother) Dad’s partner or whomever he can find connected to our family…He should try a dose of his own medicine.

I respect great journalism and love what it brings to our society, but when Australia becomes tainted with the same brush of journalism like the Brittish tabloids and the American glossies, then I’m sorry but we have gone to far.

What’s happened to the good old aussie trait of believing the best in people? What’s happened to people being able to get on wtih their lives in peace and quiet? Journalists who earn their livings by finding the dog scraps under people’s tables deserve to sleep with them as well!

So Schapelle it would be arrogant of me to say I understand your situaton, because Jo Spagnoli’s poor excuse at journalism doesn’t even come close to your hell. But know that I am praying and believing the best for you.

Appalled

A

Place: New Norcia

Poison: Diet Coke

Favourite Things: The stillness of a Library

As I sit here in the afternoon sun I am overwhelmed by the power of a well placed window, the reflection of a Australian Gum Tree and the sound of birds outside. To be somewhere that the only aural interuption is that of a Church Bell chiming the quartets of an hour is simply life changing.

How do we fill our lives with so much need? How do we think we can cope with the constant whitenoise of the television, radio and cars? What is it that fools us into believing we are living some sort of superior lifestyle when we lay on our beds completely stuffed?

Juxtaposing that with my desperate want to make a difference with my life, a life created with purpose, one not wanting to be wasted and aware of how much need I am faced with everyday. How does one face it?

How do we find balance amoungst the pressure? How do we stay sane amoungst the success…

Times of silence and reflection, times of balance and basking in the midday sun shining through a reading room window beackoning rest so desperately required…

Sunbeams a priceless gift of not only one who can catch them, but available to all. Sunbeams not created to cause cancer but refresh a weary soul. Sunbeams of light, love and solace.

A

Place: New Norcia Reading Room

Poison: Vegemite on New Norcia Bread

Favourite Things: The window overlooking the grounds in the reading room

I feel like I have been away forever, yet in time it only clocks on one day. There is something about New Norcia that completes my still o meter and brings inspiration at the drop of a eye lid.

The simplicity of life amoungst monks is tangible. There is not too much to think about it. there is not to much to worry about. All food and drinks are taken care of, back in the real world it takes me a few weeks to a month to read a book here I can read one in a day! No Television, no phone reception but the internet keeps me connected to one of my loves communcation. This start to the year has been quite manic and being up here makes me think why?

Who is pressing my speed o meter buttons, does anyone hold a gun to my head saying I must run at the speed of life or not accomplish my self obsessed need for success. I want to live simply.

Walking around the grounds last night on our way up to the pub for a lemon squash or two, Mum and I were spellbound by the stars and how much they glitter in the midst of much darkness. The darker a town is, (i.e the less light, less people, less industry etc) the more it allows the stars to shine on through. Which to me means better sleep, more rest and much contemplation of life in a slower lane.

Here’s a toast to the monks of the 1800’s who hauled the load away from Perth and created a Spanish oasis in the middle of nowhere as a monument and hideaway spot to honour God.

The bells are tolling, breakfast is calling, Mum is snoring!

Monkified

A

Place: New Norica

Poison: Cashew Nuts

Favourite Things: My Mum and her snoring!

I have whisked away for a couple of days of silence, contemplation and Mum lovin! and oh how I love life.

Last night we said goodbye to another great friend ‘Bryce Green’ who is soon to grace the shores of the star spangled banner with his newly won green card. It made me think how great it is to do life sprinkled with craziness.

Bryce is one person that I can be one minute discussing life, love and our passions and the next screaming ‘Chicken and Nuts’ out the window of a speeding car, loving that craziness is not only for the insane.

In the midst of the speed of life, it is so refreshing to find people who are totally comitted to it yet crazy enough to not take it so seriously all the time.

Brycey I will miss you and your craziness the most. This just means I’ll have to visit LA more often.

Forever your unmarriable friend

A