If you ever happen to be in Auckland or somewhere in that northern vicinity of the North Island of New Zealand on a Saturday I HIGHLY recommend driving to Matakana for at least a day to visit Matakana Markets. It takes about a one hour, peaceful drive from Auckland, through beautiful green rolling hills. It is a central hub to vineyards, beaches, restaurants, cafes and parks and has everything you need to enjoy your day or weekend away.
Every Saturday, Matakana Village Farmer’s Market comes alive! From 8am to 1pm the place is an absolute hive of activity with local stall holders selling organic eggs, cheese, wines, chocolate, fruit and veges, soaps… you name it! It’s amazing. You wander around taste testing and buying little samples of different types of amazing food. The aroma’s are intoxicating. Wood fired pizza’s are being cooked in one corner in handmade ceramic fireplaces and fresh coffee is brewing in another. Local artists are playing in another corner… all creating the perfect concoction for a relaxing Saturday morning! Very difficult knowing where to spend one’s money!
My friends, Jared and Kelly, had their children babysat for the day so we could enjoy the day – adult style – strolling through the Matakana region. After thoroughly enjoying the markets, we visited a few of the local art galleries and then Bella Fuego the place where the handmade ceramic fireplaces are handmade. The artist was ‘home’ and he even gave us a tour or his workplace. Love to get my hands into some of that clay one day!
For lunch we visited the most amazing winery, OBV Omaha Bay Vineyard. It’s in an absolute stunning location overlooking Omaha Bay and Little Barrier Island. Upon arrival you taste whatever wines you desire and then pick one! The cheese platter we bought for lunch was delicious. Amazing hummus, olive pates, cheeses, breads….etc… let the photo below wet your appetite!
So, if you are ever in Auckland, get yourself to Matakana. You can happily spend a day up there and feel like you’ve just had a weeks holiday. Most of the restaurants have kids playgrounds so it can be an option for a family day out. Thanks Jared and Kelly for such a wonderful day!
One of the most appealing things about San Francisco is it’s location. Like check out the bay! How beautiful is it?!
Directly across the Golden Gate Bridge is Golden Gate Natural Recreation area. Plenty of amazing places to stop and snap a picture of the bridge and the city scape The city, beach and woods are all just so close.
Lynette, the new friend I mentioned in my San Francisco by foot post took me to see the redwoods at Muir Woods. The Redwood groves are as huge as you always imagined and beautiful. The air so crisp you feel like you’re doing an ‘oxygen cleanse’ or something! There are ‘tours’ you can join to see the woods for $50+, but if you find your way there it only costs $5 to enter and there are literally days worth of treks you can make and from some you can even see ocean views. We kinda got lost and missed the ocean views unfortunately.
Real close by is Muir Beach and Stinson Beach. Spectacular views… with incredibly windy roads. Take those car sick tablets! Here’s some pics of our adventure.
So if you want to take the expense out of San Francisco but still get a little adventure on, I highly recommend a day in the city (at least) and a day in nature! The beaches aren’t quite as ‘golden’ as the Gold Coast in Australia but the shore line with all its rock formations sure is beautiful and reminds me a little of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.
One more week till it’s back to work… currently blogging from LAX airport whilst waiting for my flight to Auckland and then on to the South Pole…. I mean, Invercargill.
Blessed and grateful for the many, many friends God has blessed me with!
San Francisco by foot… armed with an iPhone 4 I set out to explore another US city I’d never been too.
Golden Gate bridge peaking out of the fog
A ‘friend of a friend’ met me at the airport with a bottle of water and some vege chips. We set out on an adventure to get to know each other and to explore San Fran. The weather was miserable and wet… the famous fog had settled in and had earlier delayed my flight two hours.
Lynette, born in San Francisco, has travelled the world – a couple of times, dabbles in few different languages and was just the best host one could have wanted! She first of all took me to her favourite hippy coffee shop - Philz Coffee and I got myself a hand made caffeinated peppermint tea (that I didn’t know existed!) that had real peppermint leaves floating around in it. Delicious I will say! Phil took seven years crafting his coffee blends and apparently they are to die for too. Check out his video if your a coffee connoisseur.
We then hit up Lynette’s favourite hole in the wall, Thai restaurant, Sai Jai Thai off O’farrell and Larkin for an early dinner… possibly up there with the best Pad Thai and Kor Moo Yang (pork dish) I’ve ever tasted! Highly recommend it!
We also hit up San Francisco’s crookedest street – Lombard Street. It’s kind of random and all downhill… great place to get car sick if you’re not careful!
I then checked in to Pacific Winds Hostel for the night. Thankfully I was able to leave my 50 pound bag of luggage with Lynette because four flights of stairs to the hostel would NOT have been a happy moment! My ‘southern’ slightly conservative, super caring friends in Nashville were all a little concerned about my safety and wellbeing staying at a youth hostel… but for $30 in the heart of the city I couldn’t resist the adventure… at least for one night! This hostel was great… very friendly. Their moto…
“Our hostel unlike most others in that it’s not just a cheap place to stay. We are a small extremely social community of international travelers. We hope you will come with the expectation and desire to be part of our friendly community. There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t met. We look forward to meeting you.”
The manager was Australian and was super helpful pointing out cool places to visit. Obviously it’s wise to pack a set of ear plugs… the party-ers in the group are loud till late. I bought a lock to lock up my luggage but didn’t use it and returned it the next day.
This has to be the coolest building I've ever seen a Forever 21 store in!
Because of the rainy weather the next best option was to go shopping of course! I even found my favourite stores, H&M and Forever 21 and tried not to buy anything because as I said earlier… my bag already was 50 pounds (23kgs)!
The next morning I awoke fairly early and solved all my iPhone syncing issues at the San Francisco Apple store and then began my ‘walkabout’ adventures of the city. I’m not very good at ‘planning’ a city tour. I get the basics covered – transport and accommodation – and then just like to wing it. In my quest for ‘free’ accommodation – or places to ‘couch surf’ at a few people had made some recommendations I vaguely remembered.
Pier 39 was obviously one of those ‘things to do’ in San Francisco. Seems it was only about 2 miles from the Apple store I decided to just walk. One thing I wasn’t really aware of was HOW hilly the city is. Wow… my thoughts of biking it around were quickly eliminated. Walking along the The Embarcadero was fascinating. The historic Cable Cars made you feel like you were stepping back in time. Also the bus system is all run via an electric circuit. I found that facscinating… added to the hippy, eco friendly, tree hugging, free spirit of the city.
Pier 39 has heaps of restaurants and tourist attractions – Alcatraz, Aquarium of the bay, boat tours of the bay…etc…. but in typical tight budget Joy style I just enjoyed wandering around and following my nose whilst trying to capture it all on my trusty iPhone.
Most appealing food find for me was this fruit market on the end of Pier 39, where you can buy (and then wash!) the nicest looking fruit I’ve seen in forever, for lunch. You can even buy some ‘dipping’ chocolate to de-healthify the fruit if need be and then eat it looking over the bay. Very sweet!
Next I kept wandering along the Embarcadero towards Ghiradelli Square. This is one American chocolate I actually like and they give out free samples. The company was actually started in this area. So… I made my way from one Ghiradelli shop to the other and got myself a free piece of caramel chocolate at each and then bought a cuppa hot tea to compliment…. ahh… divine.
Next I navigated my way, the least hilly route to Coit Tower.
Coit Tower
It’s on top of Telegraph Hill (so I still got a work out!) and is a 64 metre high monument to the firefighters of San Francisco. For $7 you can catch the lift up inside to the top and get spectacular views of the city.
Once again traveling by foot made way for some awesome photography… with my trust iPhone. I just loved the contrasting colouring of buildings and every day objects.
To top off my day I met some more ‘friends of friends’ from Mill Valley – Jeff and Marissa Page. They rocked my world! I felt like we’ve been friends forever after just spending a couple of hours with them. I love the way God does that! Jeff and Marissa run a youth group in the area and sure have their work cut out for them… San Francisco and the great area would be the opposite of ‘the bible belt’. We had hours of rich conversation over a Puerto Rican meal at Sol Food in San Rafael. So good!!!
So all in a day in San Fran… I think I did alright considering I didn’t do a lot of ‘prior preparation!’
Thanks Lynette, Jeff and Marissa for being awesome ‘friends of friends’! Definitely my favourite way to travel. Locals are the keys to local goodness!
I recently met Stoney Noell one of the most amazing creative person I’ve ever met. He is an entrepreneur and graphic designer in Franklin TN. You can see a smidgin of his work showcased here at Epic Life Creative. I love when an artist takes creativity beyond work into everyday life. His office is amazing…. and his house even more so! Stoney’s collection of random ‘junk’ is definitely an indication of how one man’s junk can turn into someone else’s treasures… or at least awesome house decorations!
Here a few iPhone pictures I snapped at Stoney’s house!
A barn wall covered in sconces!
His anal collections of random junk is painted, repurposed and turned into master pieces!
Wall paper made from pages in a dictionary
New purpose for old drawers
Using an old door for a dining table
Bedroom decor made from window frames
Check out the build in cupboard around the bed
Random collection of TV’s turned into a useful side table
Table made from a clock
So inspiring hey? Why spend thousands of dollars on beautifying an area when you don’t need too! It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of spray paint, some creativity and a whole lot of random junk!
After visiting Atlanta, Georgia last week, my friend Holly and Melissa (both friends from Nashville) joined Holly’s family on a couple day holiday in Savannah, Georgia and stayed in the heart of the historical district. It was fascinating! The historical heritage is still incredibly rich with the city being established in 1733 it had escaped Sherman’s scorched earth strategy during the Civil war.
It really is a place you must just visit to fully experience the beauty and essence of this place. I struggled the whole time I was there trying to capture in a photo exactly what I saw… and failed miserably! Here a few snaps I took that hopefully give you enough of a taste to check it out for yourself!
Cobble stone roads made from stones ships brought from China to keep them afloat when empty!
The streets of Savannah look awesome at night... haunted like... with veils of draping moss
I just loved taking photos of doors
Aren’t they just fascinating?!?!
How about the secret garden?
Holly’s tempted to steal a bike…
Fascinating church built in the 1800′s
Put Savannah Georgia on the bucket list! Pack a book and escape the business of the real world and enjoy one of the many park ‘squares’ the town has. This historical district of Savannah is impressive… so if you are an artist or writer I’m sure this place will inspire you no end… I guess that’s why they have an art college there – SCAD. It’s also less then half an hour away from Tybee Island so if you wanna include a visit to the beach while you’re in the area you can. Definitely recommend a visit to Savannah!
Recently I got a to spend a weekend in my friend Holly’s hometown, Atlanta, Georgia who visited me in Australia in January 2010. She organised a weekend of touristy fun in Atlanta for me after I showed here around my neck of the woods in Australia. Here’s a post I wrote about our Australian adventures together – 13 things to do in South East Queensland in four days.
This is a very ‘American’ place to visit. You can sample over 50 different Coka-Cola products from around the world. My favourite was a Lemon Lime bitters flavour from the UK.
You can watch a semi weird 4D movie… it gets you wet and something pokes you in the back while you’re watching.
I also enjoyed checking out the Coka-Cola Pop Art. Some people sure are passionate about their Coke!
We only had about 2 hours to go through. Probably if you wanted to get your money’s worth you should probably allow a bit more time to get sick at the taste testing! Tickets are $16.
Stone Mountain was a fascinating climb that gives you a view of Atlanta’s skyline. It’s a really steady 1.3 mile climb up a huge Qaurtz rock and has sporadic trees over it making some of the hike in shade. We successfully climbed in our sandals - so it’s a relatively easy climb. Stone mountain has become a huge tourist attraction. You can even catch a cable car to the top and eat at a restaurant or buy a souvenir on the top. It costs $10 to park.
Whilst climbing the mountain I couldn’t help wander how it differed to Uluru – my favourite ‘big rock’ in Australia that I once got to visit. So here’s some facts I’ve found out!
Stone Mountain
Elevation - 514 m (1,686 ft) Prominence 251 m (825 ft)
Stone Mountain granite extends underground 9 miles (14 km) and is more than 8km (5 miles) in circumference at its base.
Uluru
Elevation - 863 m (2,831 ft) Prominence 348 m (1,142 ft)
Uluru is made from sandstone and is 3.6 km long (2.2 miles) and 1.9 km wide (1.2 miles) and is 9.4 km (5.8 miles) around the base (that’s walking) and has very little vegetation on it. It is unclear how deep the rock is underground. Read more here. Uluru, from an Aboriginal point of view, is very sacred and they’d prefer if tourists didn’t climb it… and if it’s too hot… too windy… too wet… the rangers WONT let you climb anyway. Check out my blog post here.
Huge granite rock climb
Check out our awesome working shoes!
3. Get some American patriotism on and watch Stone Mountain’s Laser show
One of the many gimmicky things to do at Stone Mountain is watch the FREE Lasershow Spectacular. Pack a picnic dinner, a blanket and some camping chairs and chill out. It’s on just about every night in the summer I believe and is projected on the side of the rock. There is an absolutely HUGE Confederate Memorial Carving in the side of the rock depicting three Confederate leaders of the Civil War, President Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson (and their favorite horses, “Blackjack”, “Traveller“, and “Little Sorrel”, respectively). Apparently a man can stand in the horses mouth on the carving! More details of how huge it is here. Get there a few hours early if you wanna find a parking spot.
It’s very patriotic… you’ll find out lots of random facts about America via lasers lights and massive projector screens.
4. Explore Underground Atlanta
Under the city of Atlanta, remnants of an ‘underground city’ can be found. ”During the 1920′s, construction of the concrete “viaducts” elevated the street system one level to permit a better flow of traffic. Merchants moved their operations to the second floor, leaving the old fronts for storage and service. Thus, giving birth to what is now Underground Atlanta.” Wikipedia
The ‘Underground’ has a bit of an ‘interesting’ vibe. Lots of African American merchants selling everything from shoes, clothes, souvenirs and just a whole bunch of random junk really. I do recommend checking out the shoe store down there… I got a pair of heels for $10! I don’t think I would want to explore this area alone day or night.
Outside of the 'Underground'
5. Get cultured and eat at Atlanta’s very own Australian bakery
My favourite place of all time would have to be the Australian Bakery of course! Yep! An Aussie has started his own cafe/bakery in Marietta, GA and sells all the Aussie specialties including meat pies, lamingtons, pavlova, ginger beer, hot cross buns at Easter and real bread!!! (For whatever reason over here when you visit an American bakery you don’t find fresh bread…. haven’t worked that one out yet!) Nevel started the bakery in 1991 and knows pretty much every Aussie in Franklin and Nashville I reckon! He distributes meat pies up this way regularly to the ex-pats! Definitely recommend stopping by!
Enjoying some Aussie goodness! BTW the American flags were EVERYWHERE that day for Memorial day holiday!
Lamington (bottom) – sponge cake covered in chocolate and coconut and Pavlova – Meringue with cream and strawberries!
So thanks Holly for an awesome tour of Atlanta! I definitely feel like I spent more time on Atlanta roads then anywhere else though!
Here are some of my random travel tips if you are planning a visit to the US anytime soon while the AUD dollar is in our favour!
1. Getting from Australia to America
Firstly, I recommend researching flights and THEN going to visit your local travel guide. My pick is Australian travel agent, Flight Centre. They will actually beat any flight you find online by $1 even if it costs them money to match your flight! (That’s just about a coffee in America ok!)
Secondly, consider flying into Los Angeles and booking your own internal flights. I recommend Southwest for the most convenient and economical option. (You cannot book Southwest flights through a travel agent) They don’t fly everywhere but they allow two free 23kgs bags (most airlines charge extra for any baggage so don’t be deceived by cheaper flights!), their flights are often less expensive – especially if booked more then a month out AND you can change flights and receive money in credit rather then getting charged huge fees!
Also if you download DING on your computer or iPhone you can be alerted of extra discounted fares daily. Seats are not allocated, so when you check in you are given a number which gives you the order in which you will board. A boarding pass with A23 boards before B13 for example. You can check in up to 24 hours prior.
If you plan to fly out of Los Angeles the same day you arrive, I would recommend at least a four hour layover. It recently took me just under two hours just to clear customs and I didn’t arrive during peak.
Caution: LAX airport is the most boring airport I’ve ever been to… don’t be deceived by the concrete massiveness from the air!
You will almost certainly have to collect your baggage and check into a different terminal – especially if you did choose to book internals yourself. Check this with your travel agent. Here is a link to a great map of Los Angeles Airport (LAX) so you can work out how far you would need to walk.
When you pick up your bags there are free trolleys. So I recommend grabbing one of them and walking to your next flight. It will most likely be an ungodly hour of the morning by the time you arrive (Australian time!) so the best thing to do is get as much sunshine as you can!
2. Getting cashed up
If you are wanting to get cash out prior to traveling (a good way to stay within budget!) you can avoid $8 bank fees by ordering cash through the Australian Post Office rather then a bank.
If you have a Westpac Bank account you can withdraw money out of a Bank of America atm without being charged fees – just the standard currency conversion rates. Or you can just use the Westpac Credit card and just get charged the daily currency rate. You can buy $1.50 coffees in the US… they like plastic over here.
3. Avoiding getting kicked out of the country
To holiday in the US you must have a Visa Waiver. This costs $14 per person and can all be done online here. Print out the form and keep it with your tickets just in case you’re asked for it… most likely though, they will scan your passport, take all your fingerprints and a mug shot and they’ll already have the visa waiver number. They know everything about you! It’s kinda creepy!
If you have travelled to the US before have you got any travel tips or recommendations to add? Or if you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment and ask. I’ve done this leg more times then I can count so I’m sure I can help!
Jenna and Aaron reading their vows to each other...
This past weekend I had the honour of being a bridesmaid for Jenna and Aaron Horn’s wedding!
Jenna was one of the first friends I ever met in Nashville when I first moved here. She reached out to me at a young adults gathering at Michael W Smith’s barn during one of the first weeks I was here and we’ve been great friends ever since!
Last year you may recall me posting updates about Jenna going in for brain surgery after she had a brain seizure in March.
Just a few weeks before that horrible day, unbeknownst to her at the time – Jenna met the love of her life! They’d gone on just three dates before she ended up in the hospital. Admirably, Aaron pursued Jenna even though they were still at that awkward stage of ‘just getting to know each other’ and not totally knowing where each other were at. I remember Aaron just hanging out in the waiting room hoping to be able to deliver flowers he’d bought for Jenna… and Jenna wanting to see him but not being sure whether or not it was appropriate. Needless to say, she allowed him in and he barely left her side – for the months of recovery. Caring for her like a husband would and should. It was precious to watch.
Getting ready for the big wedding!
LOVE is my God, & God is LOVE.
~Jenna
It was truly a blessing being part of this Godly couples special day. The couple, both in their early thirties had saved themselves for each other and had faithfully waited for the Lord’s perfect timing!
My favourite line from Aaron’s vows was when he said he was making his princess his Queen on this special day… with tears in his eyes! It was all a bit moving! Why don’t they make movies this good!
Finally getting a moment to reflect on Easterfest 2011. Enjoy!
Festival was going amazing. Ticket sales were record breaking. The campground had sold out days before the festival even started. The vibe was absolutely amazing. Anticipation was at an all time high.
Thursday I spent the day in youth camping welcoming people to festival – particularly groups who had come from all over Queensland – Cairns, Townsville, Maryborough, Emerald, Longreach, Biloela, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Taree, Newcastle…etc..etc… Everyone was excited.
Friday and Saturday I spent the day moving between the Media tent, Vision Arena stage and the green room to grab artists for their media conferences. Funnest moment was working with the Switchfoot guys. They really do seem to be sweet guys. One of the liked my hat ;-p
Late Saturday afternoon, little did I know was the calm before the storm. It was a perfect sunny afternoon to escaped from everything for a moment and lay on the lush grass hill in front of the media tent. Texted a few friends I knew were at the festival and had then come and say hi. Lovely moment.
Later, I got called down to front desk to meet up with a guy from Channel 9 news. He was keen to get a story on Easterfest. So I hook up for him to meet up with our CEO, Isaac Moody on mainstage. So we were standing side stage as Newworldson began to play. Moments into their set the rain began to fall… From no where the storm came. The sky was pitch black over the stage but to the left I could still see stars. It was almost eerie. The drops of rain quickly became like cups of water falling from the sky absolutely drenching everybody and everything in its way. The hardcore fans in the 15,000+ audience kept moshing. Many started heading for cover.
I headed off to see where I could help and to see what was going on. Ran over to my media tent to see that it had just lost power but thankfully no water was coming in and computers were all high and dry!
The tent's gaping hole
Next I went into Pavilion tent and saw Josh Arnold the area manager yelling with a tired, raspy voice to everyone to evacuate the tent. You could see a huge bulge in the tents roof that shouldn’t have been there. Like it was pregnant or something!
I quickly joined in and began to ask people to step back out into the pouring rain and evacuate. We knew we didn’t have long before the tents roof gave way. Reluctantly people left. Asking mums (some of whom I knew!) to leave the dry-ish tent to move back out into the pouring rain was certainly was one of the most distressing things I’ve had to do in a long time.
As the tent cleared we had to steer people evacuating mainstage to other exit gates or venues. Water began rushing through the site in somewhat freakish quantities. The profloor we’d painstakingly laid started floating and in less dramatic circumstances I would have probably chuckled at how funny people looked trying to walk on it!
The inside of the tent next morning...
I got asked to run to the ‘West wing’ to make sure there was a gate open and if not to make one. About then I was wishing I actually had a spanner on my belt! Thankfully there was a gate open so I didn’t have to kick down a fence!
At Easterfest every venue has a ‘venue manager’ and their own evacuation procedure. As I got back to the Big Top venue they were clearing it due to the copious amounts of water flooding through. So I joined in directing people to the nearest exit. By that point my radio had gotten to wet and was completely dead. One wise move I made when the rain started was to exchange my good shoes with some gumboots that I had stashed under my desk – just in case! So although they were full of water by this point there was some comfort in knowing I had protective attire on!
Eventually more of our team came round and opened a gate higher up the hill on Hume St and we allowed people to exit the park there. It was a surreal moment running into to so many people I knew and hadn’t yet seen at the festival in such an adverse situation. Apparently not even recognising some friends – according to one mum who thanked me later!
I’m so thankful everyone, although traumatically for some, made their way safely out of the park and the rain and flood waters soon subsided. Thousands of campers found accommodation at churches, friends and random strangers houses. A few braved the campsite and stayed on site.
Switchfoot playing in the pouring rain to faithful fans - Trent Rouillon
Switchfoot did continue playing through the rain to stagger the evacuation. Hardcore fans who watched the set said it was one of the best concerts they’d seen in their lives!
So for the first time in the 13 year history of Easterfest the program on the park had to be cancelled. Quite a tough night comprehending what had gone down. Basically the storm seemed to be fairly isolated to the park (within a couple of kms anyway) and dumped between 50-70mm within 45mins. The night was spent working with SES and police to help people find each other… find evacuation centres and just shivering! I’m not sure I’ve ever been so cold in my life. I thought for sure I would wake up with pneumonia!
So grateful for the strong presence and use of twitter and facebook! This aided the delivery of messaged twentyfold. We’re still hearing of stories of how people connected with each other or with phones to make calls out of ‘tweets’! Unfortunate though was Optus’ mobile reception! We might have to get our own tower on site next year!
Sleep was really distant that night. Every worse case scenario streaming through my head. Wondering what tomorrow would bring and hoping that morning light would just reveal it all to be a dream. Alas no… the tent was still all broke and a hive of busy volunteers were already stripping the tent of its insides preparing for its dismantle. Media were every where and stories where making headline news everywhere! I guess it was one way to get nationwide attention!
I and my American assistant, Kevin, did rounds of the campsite Sunday morning to see how everyone survived. I was amazed at how many smiley happy campers we encountered. Many of them had made their way back from ‘dryer’ accommodation to see how their belongings had fared. But still they seemed in good spirits considering how wet and muddy everything was. And they were excited that we had managed to relocate some headline artists to play in the city’s centre on the CBD stage. (Which during the January flood was four metres under water!!!)
The crowd Sunday afternoon at the CBD stage. Impossible to get a accurate photo with people sitting 360 degrees around the water, squashing in to try and hear the bands.
The highlight of my day was managing to sneak away from the park in my muddy, rubber boots to check out the CBD stage. Literally thousands of people lined the pond to get a glimpse of the incredible ‘vocal play’ group, Naturally 7. It just brought tears to my eyes seeing right then how something I thought had gone so horribly wrong had turned out so amazing. The city of Toowoomba was alive. The message of Easter was forced from the park into the streets.
Easterfest Today captured the scenes live here on their Sunday report. Check it out!
Love to hear how Easterfest went for you if you made it. Or if you weren’t there did you catch the news somehow either on the news or via a social media site?
Just wanted to check in and say Easterfest is seriously just round the corner. Our office is a mad house and we’re hoping to get everything organised in time…. but whatever the case… whether we keep up or not it’s all happening. We’ve got crew already living on site (on the park) nine days out from the beginning of festival and the mini-city has begun to emerge. Even had my mate from Nashville TN, Kevin Banks, swing by here to help on his way home from a six month holiday in New Zealand. (BTW – check out his blog he has taken the most amazing pictures!)
So I’m overseeing the construction blog for the festival so everyone can get a ‘behind the scenes’ look at what’s going on. So if you’re not seeing too many posts on here for the while… come and say g’day at Easterfest site.
Check out today’s video blog…
Thanks for stopping by! Keep in touch… love your prayers!
