TOURRRRR

So I'm getting a lot of questions about the tour that's listed on my page, So I thought I might answer your questions in bulk cause ya'll are clogging my inbox haha.

Q: WHAT IS THIS TOUR?
A: Since getting back from The US, I've been working my but off trying to get TWLOHA off the ground. We decided one of the best ways to embrace Australia would be to kick off with just a simple tour with our good friends Ellington (www.myspace.com/ellintonrock) Who are huge TWLOHA supporters from the beginning and as well Jake and Mick being two of the raddest guys you will ever meet. The tour kicks off in the Sunshine Coast on November 27th and heads through Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and finishing up in Melbourne on December 14th. Merch is available in every state. This is a chance to bring your friends down to the shows and introduce them to TWLOHA.

Q: IS JAMIE COMING?
A: No. But isn't awesome cheap instant merch just as good? no more crazy internet orders on your mum's credit card and waiting 3 months for it to turn up! haha

Q: WHY AREN'T YOU MAKING IT TO PERTH? OR DARWIN? OR EVEN TASSIE?
A: We really want to head over to those places but the budget is small, the team is small, the contacts are small. but please, If you think there is a great time for TWLOHA to come over, please email austalia@twloha.com and let us know!

Q: WHAT CAN I DO? I REALLY WANT TO HELP.
A: YES YOU CAN HELP! promote! promote! promote! wear your tshirts, hand out info cards, have those conversations! If you want to make TWLOHA happen in Australia, than it's up to you to talk about it, tell your friends who are struggling that there are people out there who care and love them, that rescue is truly possible.
Help promote this tour, come along, buy some new shirts or totes etc...

This is the beginning of something awesome.

Q: CAN I INTERN WITH TWLOHA?
A: If you can afford to head over to America and live there for about 3-4 months, than go for it! There is no internship programs in Australia available.

(there is more to come....)

Chasing a Storm

A gentle spirit rises within me, like a sweet song made of delicious harmony's and breath taking melodies. A passion grows rapidly yet gracefully. My thoughts are alive and my words have strength and meaning. I find courage and I find my voice. Hope keeps me awake at night and faith never lets me grow weary.
I search
I seek
I desire
I crave
To be more like my father, more like my mother and more like my savior.
I stumble, but I do not give up on this race. I take others by the hand and join with me on this adventure of life.
I am chasing a storm, I am fighting off death, I am a warrior and hold the strength of a thousand men.
I am a child, I am learning.
But I am a women. A women who is battered and bruised but smiles like there was never a war.
I am a bride, awaiting a greater place, dressed in white, prepared for whatever way My Savior will take me.

for you, I am your friend, your sister, I hold you accountable, I will never judge you.
I will forgive you 70x70 times and will forget whatever you have done.
I will take care of you while you are sick
I will hold your hand until you are ready to take your sword up again.

I am humbled by who you are, I am in love with who you are becoming.
I am thankful for your friendships, and for who you arel

I love you.

where did your joy go?

when did you stop noticing the warmth of a sun ray, peeking through your curtains early in the morning...
when did you start fighting with your friends, rather than laughing?
when did the day dream of escaping reality, become a reality?
when did trying to understand someone else's perspective seem pointless?
why does laying in bed with your curtains drawn, seem like a better option than having a coffee with your brother or sister?
where did your laugh go?
what made your smile fade?
when did you start to obsessive and worry about the colour of your hair? and talk about it constantly with your friends, when you should be thinking about more important things?
why did you start spending all your time, night and day, on the internet.. when there is a whole life to explore out there, just waiting?
why does your image matter so much to you? when you are so breath takingly beautiful already?
why does a "scene" matter so much?



Do you know how your friends are?
do you know how your brothers or sisters are feeling?
is your mind so closed off, that you haven't even noticed the fresh cuts along your cousins arms?
did you not notice the tear stains on your sisters cheeks? that she tried to hide, but were as clear as day?
do you not find joy anymore in the first days of summer?
do you not love? do you not feel love?

what made you stop asking for help?
I would love to know....
why do you think no one cares?
when I obviously do.



I can't help but love you...
You are the joy in my life...
so wake up.. please wake up...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Loved ones will die. Family will move away. Friends will follow their dreams. Your world will get spun off its axis, thrusting you into a parallel universe where things that you can't change consume you, a world that is out of your control. The sun will rise. Time will go on. Yet you are oblivious to the fact that it is another day. You start to resent the fact that the sun rises. Its rays mock you, bringing no light to your dark suffering. You feel the sting of time as it passes you by and you don't even give it a second glace. You want time to pass. Time heals pain. Or so they say. Haunted by stolen dreams, you struggle to keep things alive that just cannot be. Change is non-negotiable, it is a condition of life.

Be expectant that the days ahead are littered with moments of unexplainable beauty. Love. Life. Laughter. As the seasons change, so too will this season pass. Celebrate new life amongst the ashes. Hold on to the hope of tomorrow, the things yet to come. The day will come when you will rejoice again in the rising of the sun. Old dreams will no longer consume your thoughts; you will put to rest the things that are irrevocable. You will dream again the life that was meant for you.

To find the joy
among the sorrow
to hold a conversation among the tears
we forget what people do wrong to us
we fight for whats right
we hold on to whats good
we embrace the lost

we remember the poor.







(i wish this world was going to end in a smile.

but im afraid it will end in tears)

Something I wrote last night amongst the tears. Sometimes positivity doesn't save a life.. you find that out the hard way.

Home.

A 15 hour flight with building emotions, carried me to a place I had began to forget. A life among others waited patiently for my return, the skin fit, I prayed that it wouldn't.
I watched the sky line fade from shades of deep blue and white, to a dull grey haze and constant mist. My heart beat faster, my world was changing dramatically within a few moments, within a few minutes I was home.

Waiting eagerly for my luggage, the thought of being out of this airport was turning into desperation. I stood impatiently and tried to fight the thoughts and emotions lingering from a painful goodbye to my best friend three days before. I day dreamed about life back in Cocoa and my old home, and the housemates that filled each room....
My bag was there and before I knew it, I was walking out of customs and looking in my fathers eyes. Their smiles filled my mind and I stepped into my old skin, held in tears; escaped unknowingly as I embraced my father and my brother.
America feels like another world, the adventures of riding bikes and tasting strange fried food and the people I met and heard their stories and shared coffee and tears with, it was all a faze.
America felt like a dream.

It is now 7am and the sun hasn't risen, The cold in my room has woken me, forced me to put on layers of clothes to fight it. I dig my hands further into my Boarders For Christ hoodie, wrapping it tight around me to keep the warmth of my body in. My feet have 3 layers of socks and my skin crawls with bumps reacting to the cold.... I lay here listening to Reign of Love and reread my journal..

"some people do not have to search, for they find their niche early in life and rest there, seemingly contented and resigned. at times, i envy them but usually i do not understand them... and seldom do they understand me. i am one of those searchers. there are, i believe, millions of us. we are not unhappy, but neither are we completely content. we continue to explore ourselves; hoping to understand. we like to walk along the beach; we are drawn to the ocean, taken by its power and unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. we like forests, mountains, deserts, hidden rivers and lovely cities aswell. our sadness is as much a part of our lives as our laughter. we are ambitious only for life itself and for anything beautiful it can provide. most of all, we want to love and be loved, to live in a relationship that will not impede our wanderings and prevent our search. we do not want to prove ourselves to others of compete for love. (this passage is for wanderers, dreamers and lovers who dare to ask of life everything which is good and beautiful.)"

remember grace and hope

love gem
xox

Canadians & Kalamazooians (is that even a word)


I don't understand why I am saying goodbye when goodbyes are for suckers. i never want to say goodbye, but here I am, forced upon my lips like there is no tomorrow.
Nada the Canadian and Katie from Kalamazoo are laughing obnoxiously in the bathroom/poo shed about something my ears can't pick up, but I get the feeling, that I am going to miss that sound.
Once, I excitedly came home from work to see Nada, who had been away for the weekend in Tampa. I ran into her room to find her fast asleep, in a rude moment, I jumped on her screaming "I'm so glad you're home" thinking that it was a lovely way to let her know how much i missed her, instead I got "WHAT THE F***? WHO THE F***!!!? S****!! F***..." I don't know who was more freaked out! I have now decided to never wake her ever again, even if the house is on fire.
Nada is honest, reliable, forgiving, loving, caring, gracious, understanding, a listener, and an all round good friend.
I love that we share a love for thrift shops and every meal is veggies with cheese. I love her quirks and obsession with trail mix.
I like that she has the ability to just act completely ridiculous and do such stupid fun things.
I love that she is so alive and active, and getting to know her and watch her grow even more since she has been here has been a privilege.
She is someone that I am truly lucky to have as a friend. So beautiful inside and out.

I hate that I just dropped her at the airport and I may never know when I will see her again.

She is one of my best friends that I will hold so close to my heart.
I will miss her.

Nada, I absolutely love you and will miss you!

gem
xox

Coldplay & bread

Im sitting in Penera. A pretty sweet bread and coffee shop in Vierra, Florida.
Im sad that this is the first time i have been here and yet it is probably the coolest place I have been to yet. I'm doing this personality tests for work to see how I work.
I just discovered i am introvert. In fact, I am 78% introvert, which is strange, becuase I have lived most of my life as an extrovert. I think when I stopped talking, and started listening, I defiantly became less of an extrovert. Not saying you can be an extrovert and no have the ability to listen, but being an extrovert, you sometimes forget about others.

I have really started to love the new Coldplay record. It got a lot of flack for being so different and a little less creative then the last records. But this time i just see something different another personality within their music, like he just discovered something that he wants to share with the world. hmm, i might think about that a little more.
There is a quote that Jamie wrote in his last blog that really meant something. It is a response form Chris Martin about the new record.

"Coldplay's new album is called Viva la Vida. Singer Chris Martin chose this title after seeing the phrase, which means "long live life," on a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who endured polio, a broken spine, and chronic pain for decades. "She went through a lot of shit, of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said 'Viva la Vida,'" says Martin. "I just loved the boldness of it."

It amazes me, to say the least.
So as I play this keypad is if it were a piano, I am just going to listen to track 10 again, and again till I get sick of it.

Rain, leaving Nada and a new look

it's been raining pretty heavily here for about 3 days now, on and off, but still there has been plenty. We had weather like a hurricane, things were flooding, leaking, floating and drowning. Lightning brightened the glistening streets and thunder clapped hard against our ears.
I won't lie and tell you that it didn't make me nervous, but it was also exciting.
yet it is still raining....

On Monday, we visited some Thrift stores and I picked up some bargains. Florida thrift stores are amazing!


Things back in Florida are interesting, with some interns departing and some heading back and forth to warped tour. Nada leaves on Saturday, which will be the saddest part yet. it will be the final goodbye to one of my best friends and one of the most genuine girl friend I have ever had.
I am going to miss her guts so much!

Smores, Rob Bell and Home
I am way too full of smores.

But there is nothing better than being full of such a thing! A real smore! in America! what more could you want!???!
Sandlot kids are my role models in life.... haha!
I went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner tonight, was stupid. And nothing like Australia.
Im about to watch some Rob Bell and do some thinking. I miss thinking about meaningful things, about life and Jesus and the great things that happen. I always enjoy Rob Bell, he says things in a way that make sense.

I miss Ohio as well.
and new friends

well only a week till I am home. I can't believe it. so soon.

goodnight lovers.



gem
xox

OHIO

Early Rise, Tornados and a Tornado
Yesterday was the last day of Alive Fest.

We skipped out at around 6pm, due to tornado warnings and threats of a huge storm. Where our booth was, was prone to getting all the roof leaks and we already had enough merch ruined by that.

We threw everything in the car and drove back to the hotel to take cover.
Saw a nice looking funnel cloud and kicked myself for not having my camera!
We went back later to pay our does and the merch tent was flooded and there were stories floating around that the tent had lifted 18 inches off the ground.

Everyone was safe, a little cold and shaken, but safe.

It was hard to say goodbye to the new friends we had made. Jon at Heart Support had been a a good conversation the past few days, and yet there was still things that had been left unsaid. It was hard to just pick up and leave.

There was a young man that had graced our booth a few times. He struggled with the issues that TWLOHA is there to make aware of. He was only 15 and a few days away from ending his life. We took him into our hearts and loved him, cared for him and shared Jesus' love and promise with him. Hearing it come out of my own mouth made me feel so passionate about it and I truly realised that this is the only answer. It was really difficult to say goodbye. But really, it's never goodbye....
as Ryan Adams once said

"And it's a little too late for "goodbyes"
Good morning, open your eyes"

I may be going to back to Australia soon, and be a long while away, but this internet land is a crazy place, and it is so easy to keep in touch, so to all you birds and bros that I have met, keep in touch!
I love you all.


now im going to catch my 9am flight... it's 7:30, I should probably get out of bed.
I'm going back to Florida, home.

xox





Tears, friends and the beginning of a goodbye
Hey guys

Some reason today was all over the place. The littlest things set me off and nearly made me cry.
Sometimes it is hard to face a day that is just filled of such full on sadness and full on joy.

Im laying on my hotel bed, Katie is in the bath room and I am reflecting on what was said and what should have been said today. Replaying conversations and heartfelt goodbyes.

And here I lay, feelings lonely and deserted. I want to cry so bad in response to the heartache that people shared with me. In response to meeting such amazing people that are now such great friends and having to say goodbye with the possibilities that i may never see them again. but there isn't someone here that understands.

anyway, enough sap. I think the only thing that will help is me trying to sleep.
goodnight world.

love gemma



Borders for Christ
please check out myspace. com/theflybywire
its beautiful by some beautiful friends.
who i love so very much and miss.

I had the best day with Katie, we had some serious conversations that have opened my eyes and made me realise what this organisation can really do. i love this.

I love people and the new friends I have made
please check out our very good friends
www. myspace. com/boardersforchrist they are amazing guys with such good hearts
and so much fun :)

love you all
xox



Free food, new friends, short visits
im laying on my giant bed in our hotel room
we survived our first day of 4 working on Merch at Alive Fest, Ohio!
We met some great people and made friends with some sweet dudes from Red, Parachute Band and Willet. Share stories and laughs and swapped a few tshirts.
sold lots of tshirts and heard life stories that made your bones chill and your heart ache.

it rained and was so sooooo cold
but thats ok
we also now get free chick fila all day long :)

miss you all.
love gem







Alive Fest, airports and hotel beds.
Airplane rides are the best. except when you feel like your brain is about to come out of your ears cause of pressure. I got a whole heap of Maylene and old Coalesce. As well as a repeat of Coldplay (new and old) that always makes things easier.

I like Atlanta airport. it was big. it was alive.
It played Bob Dylan - "times are a changing" as I was walking through the airport.
People were friendly and awake.

Ohio......
well Akron-Canton, has got to be the biggest disappointment of an airport I have ever been in. Theme colours are beige and brown. I feel like punching myself in the head.

The upside, is that it is cold, downside is that i am hungry, and do you think that there is any such thing as a place to buy food here? nope!
I miss those friendly interns and my besty Nada, cause she's rad.

I'm totally about to see Katie in an hour.
gonna be heaps sweet from there on!
I'm looking at photos of the place we are staying and they have an awesome heated inside pool. We are totally going to hit that up tonight. as well as some awesome food place.

Tomorrow is first day of Alive Fest and I am totally stoked on getting to make new friends and meet some awesome people there. If you happen to be hanging out there, come buy the TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARM booth and hang out with us! share some stories and bring candy! we can't wait to love you!!! in a really non creepy kind of way.

alsooooooooooooo I miss Jonathan Stark like crazy!!!
And Chris, so so much. His such an awesome dude and I miss his quirks

well im off to wait for Katie some more and ask the little Jewish kid how he brok both of his arms, seeing as he is hitting me with one of them things. I have a right to be nosey.

please leave me some love.
I could do with some now.

I love you beautiful friends
gem xox