Fiji

We packed our tiny bags, loaded up for the airport, and headed to Fiji. Dad, Doug, Boston, Haley, and London, we were off to the island of Viti Levu and the airport in Nadi. After our long, long flight smooshed into tiny seats, we landed, loaded up in our vehicle and drove to Suva.

While we were in Suva we came in contact with a local coffee roaster and being as Boston is a roaster we decided to check out his facilities. We met John at his coffee shop, Cuppa Bula, in the heart of Sigatoka where we sat and enjoyed the coffee and the company for a while.  We learned he is a native New Zealander and came over to Fiji because he was given a farm and was working with a local church. After learning this, our first request was to go visit the farm so we finished our drinks, packed into our 4WD’s and headed into the mountains of Fiji.

We drove for about an hour when we came around a corner to a little dirt off shoot and turned down the mountain.  We headed down for a few minutes until we came upon a little creek and a dead end in the road. We hopped out of our cars and our friends began to cross the creek.  While they are native to and familiar with the area, we were not and definitely were not prepared. However, this was an experience we did not want to miss so we took our shoes off (well some of us, Haley somehow convinced me to give her a piggyback through the creek) and began to cross the water.  The creek was surrounded by high walls of trees and bushes but as we began to cross we realized there was a small opening in the brush and our friends began to climb up into it. So of course, we followed. As our heads peeped through the brush, we saw with great astonishment a small little path cut into an endless forest of coffee plants.

Now if you know my brother, you know he had just entered heaven.  We began to walk through the archway carved into the trees and walked along the muddy path surrounded by coffee.  Everywhere we looked there were dark green bushes with bright red cherries. Having never been to a coffee farm like this one John began to explain to us how the coffee plants grow wild in this region and they had lucked into finding this.  Now they cultivate it and help it to stay healthy, but this was a wild micro lot found in the jungles of Fiji.

The sun was beginning to set and we had a ways back to the cars and then a long drive out of the mountains so we reluctantly left this very special area.  Back across the creek (Haley by piggyback of course) and London knee deep in water, into our cars and down the mountain back to Suva.

While we had a great time exploring and learning about the Fijian culture, our true intent for being in Fiji was for a leadership training session with The Rock Church of Fiji. We were in sessions for over 13 hours each day (needless to say we were tired and felt like we had learned all there was to learn by the end). On Sunday we went with our friends into the mountains to the village of Naivuthini.  Naivuthini is a small village with about a hundred people. We drove to the middle of nowhere to happen upon this small village where right in the middle stood a large building on stilts, the church of Naivuthini. We made our way up the stairs and as we reached the top, we were greeted with a large pile of shoes. We quickly learned that it is customary to take your shoes of when indoors, it is actually quite offensive to wear your shoes indoors.  So as foreign to our American minds as it was, we began to take off our shoes. I am not sure that I have ever been to church with bare feet, nor have I ever seen someone preach in sock feet. It was without doubt a new experience. As I said above, the building was on stilts so as it began to fill with people from all the neighboring villages and the 300+ people began to worship God, the frail building began to shake, while it was definitely a little scary, there was no doubt that God visited us there in that small village.  

After service was over, we made our way down the stairs to a feast of roasted pig, boiled taro, and Kokoda(a milky fijian ceviche).  Fijian culture is very patriarchal and holds the chiefs and leaders at a “kingly” status. As we were there to teach and considered leaders, they treated us with great respect. It was truly an honor to be seated at a table with the chiefs.

In the Fijian culture, it is normal to eat on the ground and for the chiefs or leaders to be seated at a table. Until this point, we had spent most of our time in the city (which is more progressive) and this was our first time to eat in a village. As we made our way to our table, Doug started cleaning his glasses and therefore his sight was a little blurry whilst walking.  As he walked towards the table he saw that they had set out a purple carpet for us to walk along towards our table, “how regal” he thought, until he finished cleaning his glasses. He then quickly realized that this was definitely not a walkway but it was actually the table. He had been stepping over their silverware as he walked along their “table.” Luckily no one realized or was offended.  Needless to say we laughed our heads off at him and have continued to make endless fun of him for this.

One of our friends in Fiji is both a Pastor and a Farmer so he took us a couple hours into the mountains to show us his land.  We crossed creeks, climbed mountains, and made our way deep into the middle of nowhere. At last, we happened upon a clearing where we were introduced to the land.  Dad had been discussing the potential of starting a farm to help some of the villagers and so we began to scope the land and develop a plan. A 2 acre Taro farm was quickly mapped out and now (a little while later) is fully developed and thriving.

Boston, being the coffee connoisseur he is, noticed across the creek there was a coffee plant peeking out from behind a large Coconut tree.  So we made our way across the water and towards the coffee plant. Well, blonde that I am, in my sandals, somehow found the path that the cows take and wound up knee deep in mud and cow manure missing a shoe.  We dug around and finally found my shoe and I quickly went to wash off in the creek as everyone else began to explore the wild coffee plants. How fortunate we were to not only find a place to grow Taro but also coffee!! We are still in the works for getting that coffee in with some of the Taro shipments!!

While we were at the conference in Suva, we stayed at a miserable AirBnB in Pacific Harbour which made us pay extra for air conditioning, housed many cockroaches and ran out of hot water every day. We left the Suva area and made our way to the Sheraton at Denarau Island (near the airport in Nadi) for our last night on the island. Even though our experience was bad, AirBnB did their best to help us in spite of a bad host.

The drive from Suva to Denarau should have been about 3 hours on a semi nice road however, our precious dad decided that we should take the other way around the island as we had come in the easy way.  This way was supposed to be around 45 minutes extra but so beautiful it would be well worth the extra time. So off we went. What should have been a nice easy 3 hour drive soon turned into a 5 hour windy drive in the dark of night with no food or snacks and truly no idea where we were going.  Needless to say, Dad received lots of heckling after this ‘adventure.’

After a long adventurous week, our time at the Sheraton Denarau Villas was very refreshing. We got in late at night (thanks to Dad’s adventuring) slept in and then rented a small sailboat. Now, this is a two person sailboat and there were 5 of us, also, Doug is familiar with sailing large boats and the other 4 of us are very unfamiliar with boats in general.  Needless to say, we laughed a lot as we attempted to make this tiny boat cooperate. (We may or may not have capsized a couple times) We had a few more hours before we had to head to the airport so we decided to utilize their lovely spa facilities, surrounding a large pond filled with water lilies each guest gets their own private room overlooking the serene view. Massages, steam rooms, flower baths, outdoor showers, it was a luxurious experience.
We made our way to the airport and on to the plane for the ever so long flight home!!

Baton Rouge

So you’ve probably figured out that our life revolves around “Kingdom work”, immersing ourselves in various cultures and lots and lots of coffee. So, when this trip to Baton Rouge arose, we jumped at it! This will probably be our first “faith” post so you can get a feel for what we do.

We hop on a plane to Houston at 5:30am, (I think we were up before Connor and Lil Pink (our chickens). The flights are smooth and short compared to our regular excursions to Europe and the Pacific Islands. I guess perks of growing up in Europe means everything is within 2 hours (and I always thought that was a long flight!!!) Moving on… we arrive in Baton Rouge and head to the hotel to freshen up and lo and behold they have messed up our rooms. I think this is becoming a trend when I (Haley) book the hotel rooms… We were definitely thankful for southern hospitality that day and thankful for the Hilton Garden Inn staff for making us so welcome.

The entire purpose for our trip was to gain knowledge, ideas, and inspiration from Life Tabernacle and their Bus Ministry, led by Pastor Tony Spell. When we say it is a total beast of an operation, that is an understatement! They have a fleet of 21 buses led by a team of people from all different backgrounds and ages. The youngest Bus Captain started when she was 14 years old! When we walk into their newly renovated complex that was destroyed by the flood of 2016, gigantic laminated maps of each bus route meet us at the door. They know every street, every home and every person they reach. It is an incredible experience to witness the almost  visible burden that weighs on not just the staff but the entire church. It was a pivotal moment for our team to be able to glean from such passionate and committed people. We know 2019 will be our most impactful year yet! (this was the team from Bus 8)

The other half of our Baton Rouge trip consisted of nostalgia from our favorite storyteller and yes, coffee. Our dad has a knack for stealing you away for a few hours to show you the discoveries he’s made. Whether it is history, food or a cool hang out, he always wants to share it with his family. We drive down several streets; each one he recounts a story of his childhood. As we turn a corner we are met with a towering tree hung with an abundance of Spanish moss. We stop outside as he remembers the last time he drove away from this particular house, his father standing outside watching him leave for college. It was a neat moment to imagine a time before we were around and a part of his life. What was he like? Questions swirled around our heads as we drove on. Our favorite part took us even further down memory lane as we visited the two churches our Papa built with his bare hands. Visiting our heritage made it all the more real to us… Missions and church planting are in our DNA. More stories arise as we pass what looks to be a run down space or abandoned field. Locations where he learned to play basketball on the other side of the tracks, how he jumped that fence to run to the convenience store (the strange kids at 7-11…) in between classes or how that field was once a convention center where he met his future father in law.

In order to move forward, you have to look back at your history, what worked, what didn’t? This trip was definitely a solidifying moment in our identity of why we do what we do and an inspiration to carry on the legacy that our Dad has created.

Now, in between our nostalgia, we indulged in French Truck Coffee, fine southern cooking and of course, Raising Canes. If you don’t know what Raising Canes is, you need a trip to the south! If you don’t like chicken that’s okay, just get their special sauce and you’ll thank me later. When you come to Louisiana you have to try at least one Cajun dish such as one of the many reptilian dishes, like alligator, or crawfish, gumbo, or my favorite, étouffée… or you can try their desserts such as Rum Cake or King Cake. But! I must warn you before you eat the King Cake, there is a tiny plastic baby that hides inside… don’t eat it! I (Haley) was slightly shocked at the sight of this tiny, naked, plastic baby hiding in my food but as they explained the tradition, I was less weirded out… kind of.

If you’re around the Baton Rouge area, take a trip over to French Truck Coffee where their bright aesthetic matches their lively yet patronizing staff. Being from California we didn’t exactly fit in and had several strangers ask us where we were from. Our dad was even mistaken for a famous architect (Gellar Gilbert, where you at?!) Compared to home, where the coffee culture is so vast, there is no distinct look to say whether you are a “coffee person” or not. So, being in BR, our frilly yet Boho style was mistaken for uninformed wannabes and we may not have received the best customer service. (but we still recommend a visit because their espresso and sprinkle cookies are well worth a few sneers lol).

Overall, we had a great time in Baton Rouge filled with lots of love, laughter, coffee, inspiration, and lots and lots of good food!!

Museum Of Ice Cream

We skipped along the crowded San Francisco streets headed to the museum. We felt like giddy young girls getting ready to take on Chucky Cheese. Arriving outside, our first impression was noticing the grand exterior clearly not matching the inner pink columns decorated in whimsical, fairy lights. But, we were okay with that! Whoever thought to put the history of ice cream inside a stately building won juxtaposition of the year. Ice cream made to seem grand and important – pure brilliance. (because it is quite grand and important after all)

After catching my pink breath, we are escorted through the gift shop to wait in line for the tour to begin. The gift shop first and foremost?! Are you kidding me? Just a tease to make you think about all the pink, sprinkle, sparkle and wondrous items you would be purchasing later…

Arriving to our first destination – the SPRINKLE POOL – we are met with pink Christmas trees, airy beach balls and a ginormous pool filled with an estimate of 100 million plastic sprinkles. I. Die. This is what sweet cupcake dreams are made of! Oh, and I almost forgot, the museum makes you think of an ice cream name which you use throughout the tour. Mine (Haley) was Lady Sprinkle Puff and (Lons) Princess Candy Sparkles (I’m calling Ben and Jerry’s. I think they need some help re-naming their products ;) Moving on, the countdown commences and at the sound of, “go”, we hurl our bodies into the sea of sprinkles. It’s magical, truly magical. Sprinkles flying everywhere, from our hands, from stranger’s hands, into the air making colorful clouds for a split second. We’re desperately trying to reign in our germ-phobia that keeps creeping up when I think about how many thousands of people have been in this pool. Nevertheless, we continue the fun by laying our entire bodies out, jumping off the diving board and playfully grasping 100 million sprinkles. It’s an Instagramer’s paradise to which we took full advantage of. (Every photo-op possible)  

Our time was up and as we scurried to the next section, leaving a trail of bright sprinkles in our wake. (Make sure you are thorough about shaking them off; we read that the museum was getting fined for all the sprinkles that were being found on the sidewalks around SF. That includes checking between in the cuffs of your pants and even in your ears…)

The rest of the rooms consisted of rainbows, unicorns, giant pink animal crackers, cotton candy clouds, a mini milkshake diner, pink Christmas trees and much more.

Did I mention the pink Christmas trees? Sigh.

We won’t give away all of the secrets, but with each new and exciting exhibit, there is a new and exciting treat to accompany the fun. From strawberry mochi and cotton candy to paletas and pink hot chocolate you will get your fill of sweets (maybe it is their sneaky way of keeping the guys engaged while the girls giggle about in each exhibit).

Some advice if you are planning your trip to the museum… wear activity appropriate clothing – you will definitely party up a sweat and they have a great heater. Also, it is grandparent friendly! We took ours and they had a blast, participating in every activity, including the sprinkle pool (here are some pics to prove it).

Have you ever seen a 70 year old climb out of/get stuck in a pool full of sprinkles?! If you are looking for someone to go with, we definitely recommend dragging your grandparents along!!

The Giant Pink Cookie Carousels, human sized cherries and of course the ever famous sprinkle pool make a visit to the Museum Of Ice Cream a must!!

It is pink, covered in sprinkles and full of sweet treats, what more could a girl want?
The Museum Of Ice Cream definitely lives up to the hype!!

Rome

Throughout Rome you will be met constantly with the stark contrast and yet meshing of the old and new, the past and present.  Whether in culture, in food, in people, in architecture, fashion, in every aspect of life in Rome you will find a unique mix of contrasts.

So like any travel, this trip had to start before we ever left town. We booked our rooms through American Express and flights with United Airlines

Monday morning we loaded up (our entire crew) and headed to San Francisco to catch our flight.

Once we arrived in Germany, a traditional schnitzel was in order. Typically, we are not fans of airport food but through our travels, we have learned to love the treats found in the German airports.
They say home is where the wifi is - and as soon as we landed, our phones connected so we opened our email to then discover, much to our dismay, that our rooms had been canceled. We were scheduled to arrive in Rome just a few hours later. This was clearly problematic. An hour later after much heated dialogue and no success, we made a call to American Express, and voila, it was magically fixed. All was well again. Finding a hotel that could accommodate 12 people is a sheer miracle in Europe so failure was not an option!

We landed late in the evening, and headed to the beautiful Corso 281 where we met the rest of our group who had been exploring the hotel - and when we say exploring we mean, sitting in the tiny, lobby/breakfast nook located in the basement. We barely had any time to freshen up before our dinner reservation. As we walk down several storybook alleys, you can feel the ancient cobblestones lining the floor as you travel between each towering wall. Rome holds a certain gritty enchantment that we had never seen before. We arrive at the hole in the wall to find a table already set for us. One thing about the Roman culture, is that they do not sugar coat anything. Especially when it comes to ordering food. If what you want is not in season, you will be greeted with a harsh “no” upon ordering. (But you can’t hold it against them... they love food and they want you to love it just as much as they do) A belly full of carbonara later, our entire table seemed to slip into a jet lagged coma. Skipping dessert, we mustered up the strength to walk back to the hotel and pass out for the night.

One of our favorite things in life is coffee. So exploring Rome’s coffee scene was definitely in the plans.  Our top 3 favorite coffee shops in Rome are Faro, Cafe Greco, and Canova-Tadolini

Antico Caffe Greco is the oldest coffee shop in Rome and one of the oldest in all of Italy, it has been open for over 250 years. Men like Casanova, Mark Twain, Orson Welles, Hans Christian Andersen, Lord Byron, Buffalo Bill, Goethe, and a seemingly endless and vast array of characters once visited.

It is more formal than your regular coffee shop experience and the prices are higher than normal (a souvenir coffee cup and saucer will set you back $105) but the experience is totally worth it. One of the best cannolis in Rome paired with a Cappuccino (London) or Breakfast Tea (Haley) sat atop the marble tables contrasted by the velvet covered benches give you an experience truly unlike any other.

If you want quality coffee, Faro - Luminari Del Caffe is the place to go. A little out of the way of the normal tourist spots but definitely worth it. It is not your typical Italian coffee shop and as of good coffee, this was definitely a hit for us. Light roast coffee (which you can’t seem to find in all of Italy) bright espressos and yummy pastries to match, Faro fulfilled the desire for “home” coffee.

Perhaps the most unique coffee shop any of us had ever been to before was Caffe Canova-Tadolini. Once a workshop and studio of Canova, a sculptor, it is now a museum and cafe. Yellow leather benches and old wooden tables placed between, next to, and below hundreds of marble sculptures. The walls are lined with old news clippings, articles about the artwork, and vintage photographs documenting the deep history of this place. Not the cheapest coffee shop around but our jet lagged bodies definitely felt it was worth the price for, a couple hours sitting around talking and enjoying the food, the drinks, the surroundings, and the company.

To sum it up, If you want history, Caffe Greco
If you want good coffee, go to Faro
If you want experience, go to Caffe Canova

One of the most unique and special things about Rome is that because there is so much history throughout the city, you can find new (or old) and exciting things around every corner. One morning after coffee at Caffe Greco (again) we were headed back to the hotel and took a wrong (or right) turn, and when we came around the corner, we stumbled upon Trevvi Fountain. There is truly no way to explain the beauty of this place, pictures definitely do not do it justice!

That experience, and many others just like it, were pretty much the definition of our trip and of Rome itself. Explore, get lost, and you will find that is how you will experience your favorite moments.  

Rome is so full of History and remarkable things and places but perhaps the most notable is the coliseum.

The history, the design, the beauty, the views, the treachery, everything about it makes you just want to stop and stare.  

The design is so iconic and yet when you truly begin to think of all that once went on here, it becomes rather overwhelming. Hearing the history, and thinking of the many people, particularly christians, who lost their lives in this place is so sobering.  

While sobering, it is also inspiring that in the midst of everything that was brought against them and all that they knew was to come, so many were still willing to stand strong in their faith and ultimately, gave their lives.  It makes one more grateful for the ability to live in a world where we can worship our God as freely as we desire to do so. Without fear of ever being thrown to the lions.

You’ve heard the saying ‘when in Rome…’ so we decided we might as well take advantage of not only the beauty around us, but to go full Roman and make record of our faces... After all, these statues were the first family photos anyways.

We tried to plan ahead and be prepared but in true Young 5 fashion, everything fell apart and we were left with about 20 minutes of daylight so we quickly made our way down the winding streets and up the looming staircases to where Sargent Photos had planned our photos. By some stroke of luck, we all made it (though a few did get lost along the way) and the photos turned out amazing.

After dramatic experiences leaving the forum with our 3 cars, long walks, canceled rides, and belligerent drivers, we finally made it to the Vatican just in time to make our reservation.  We rushed through the many rooms of floor to ceiling paintings, sculptures, and countless works of art as we made our way to the Sistine Chapel. Walking into the Sistine Chapel is overwhelming. It is almost as if there is so much to see that your brain struggles to process it.  After sitting for a while and truly soaking it in, the beauty of each and every piece carefully imagined and created by Michelangelo comes to life.

After staying as long as possible, we made our way out of the Chapel to quickly make our way into St Peter's Basilica and to see all that Vatican City had to offer.  However, we somehow made a wrong turn and found ourselves in a dilemma. We either had to go outside of Vatican City and walk a couple miles around the huge walls to the other entrance or take the long tour through the Sistine Chapel again. Neither of these options seemed preferable to our tired and aching feet but we decided upon re exploring the chapel just in case it started raining outside.  

The guards have probably never seen a group of so many people walk so fastly through these beautiful sites without care. After what seemed an endless walk, we finally made it to the tunnel that would lead us toward the Basilica.  

The Basilica is overwhelming in its enormity and ornate design. We spent our last few minutes trying to take in all that we could and then made our way into St Peter's Square.

Just as the sun began to set we searched our way through the weaving alley ways to find ourselves at a large opening and just around the corner was a view so strangely familiar and yet, still so new.  The Pantheon’s influence is so strong all over the world that its towering pillars are that of so many buildings you have seen before and yet, this was the first of its kind. Its height is staggering and after soaking in its view outside, we made our way in to be faced with another familiar view.  The dome inside is just like any other you have seen but knowing it is the first and longest standing makes the experience so unique.

After a long day out in the Roman crisp air, a nice warm meal is just what we needed. We step into what would seem a small space but the friendly greeting opens it wide up. Each table lit with a slender, cream candle decorated with beads of hot wax. They place our motley crew at the window table which seems to simmer our moods, turning us into the picture-perfect Christmas card... only for a while though. The menu boasts a 65 degree egg and chocolate foie gras, items we hadn’t really seen in the Roman food scene as of yet. In our short few days in the city, we learned Rome is not our favorite food culture as it seemed to churn out pizza and pasta like a factory.

In addition to all of our fun and crazy, the most important reason for being in Rome was our invitation to Oltre - Beyond with Elevate and the Platanias.  It was such an honor to be asked to speak and truly, God’s favor was shown upon this conference and the people there. This group of people came with open and hungry hearts to receive what God had for them. It was such a beautiful time worshiping together and fellowshipping with the people of God from Italy, Germany, Norway, and the United States.

On our last night in Rome we ate in the underground area of Da Pancrazio. A restaurant built over the theater of Pompeii’s ruins. (The site where Julius Caesar was stabbed to death) While a grievous place, it truly was a unique experience.

Rome is a place unlike any other. A mix of old and new. Modern graffiti painted on ancient buildings. The spirits of days past and the people of days present.

Buildings from the 1500’s built upon in the 1700’s and then added to in the 1970’s and now under construction in the 2010’s stacked next to the ruins from 44BC all mixed into a contrast of conjunction.

Alas, we had reached our last day in Rome. We woke early, piled ourselves and our luggage into a tiny car and made our way to the airport where we parted ways as we headed towards our next adventure.

Welcome!!

Have you ever thought: “The world needs just one more blogger?!”

Well here we are to fulfill and exceed that idea, with not just one but TWO.

Meet Haley and London, two Young girls. (by birth, by marriage, in age)

We are a sister duo living in Elk Grove, California.

If you look at us you will see how completely different we are. (And not just in the obvious ways)  We talk differently, think differently, dress very differently, and laugh differently and yet we both love lots, talk tons, and enjoy each others company. 

Haley is 26 and grew up in Northwest England and London is 24 and grew up in Northern California.

We love our life and hope that by sharing bits and pieces, you will be able to find joy and love in your own life and perhaps gain some inspiration and encouragement from this space.  Whether in the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the people you surround yourself with, or the God you serve, we want to inspire you to live your life to the fullest. 

Follow along to see what living looks like as Two Young Girls!