after a repeat of the events in my last blog this morning (spontaneously ringing doorbell waking me up) I decided enough was enough! after consulting my dad about which one he wanted, I went and bought a doorbell, I also managed to find the special batteries all on my own :) I tried to install it myself too but it needed new holes drilled and that's where I drew the line! but I felt pretty pleased with myself and hopefully tomorrow I won't be woken by silly ringing doorbells!
exciting news: my laptop is finally in the delivery stage! after being told it was delayed and might not be here in time for me going to university, it may be here by the end of the week :D
although you can just imagine that it'll now be delivered early one morning and the doorbell will wake me up anyway! typical!
my birthday last weekend was brilliant :) I had a really good day on friday (the day before) too, I had a haircut and my mum had booked a suprise manicure for me so that was fun. and then we had the Space leavers dinner which was alot of fun. Gareth, Anna, Hannah and I were on a table together which was next to another table with lots of nice people on. we had dinner, chatted and then had some awards given out...I received the 'Andy's Slave' Award for stuffing a million envelopes!! which was funny :) I also got a special thanks for the work I did during my gap year which was nice...they got me a High School Musical folder & stationery set! there's a photo of the moment I got it and the look of pure joy and excitement is ridiculous!
on saturday we had about 40 people at our house for my birthday BBQ, it was such a good party! the people basically split into two catergories, the adults/parents of families and my friends/youth. there was some overlap throughout the afternoon but mostly people were in those groups and I was quite happy to flit between the two :) most of the families left about 3pm but my friends and youth type people stayed until 7ish playing wii and just chilling. and I still had the evening to hang out with my family.
I got so many cards and presents :) I felt very loved, particularly from people who I wasn't expecting anything from! just seeing all these people want to come and spend my birthday with me was very sweet and made me feel special!
this week I am busy packing and sorting stuff for uni but I will post in the next couple of days about that!
for now I'm going to go crash in front of the TV!
much love xxx
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Thursday, 4 September 2008
spontaneously ringing doorbells
today I was woken by our doorbell spontaneously ringing...again and again and again!
it's been doing it on and off this week, which is very confusing coz you wonder if someone is there but when you go to the door there is no-one and it's still ringing!
yesterday PJ changed the ring setting and it seemed to be fixed but this morning it rang, so I pulled myself out of bed to look out the window (no-one there), it rang again a few minutes later (no-one there), then it rang a total of 8 times which is how long it took me to get downstairs and disconnect the front of the button outside, which appears to have stopped it from ringing....now I just have to hope that people just knock on the door instead of trying to fix our doorbell....
in other news, tomorrow is the Space Leavers Dinner, very exciting, we're going to a restaurant in town and it should be good fun. both Anna and Hannah are coming so I won't be on my own and its really my chance to say goodbye to Space people, I'll probably tag along to the social on sunday night but that's more about welcoming new people whereas the dinner is about saying goodbye to us people going to university.
saturday is my birthday :D it's kind of snuck (I originally wrote 'sneaked' but was corrected by Kat and my mum) up on me, what with holiday club and getting stuff ready for university, it's suddenly nearly my birthday! I'm having a BBQ at my house with quite alot of people, after the kids play area company went into liquidation and I could no longer have it there, it kind of became a slightly more open invitation so hopefully lots of people will come along to celebrate with me and also it's almost a 'going away to uni' party too so will be saying bye to some people :(
in final news, my mum and my godmother have both got blogs now! Auntie A decided to get one because she reads mine and some others and decided that since she's about to go on a trip to the Dominican Republic with a team of doctors and nurses from the hospital where she works in the USA, that she might as well keep people up to date with a blog and also her eldest son has just left for uni. this led my mum to decide that over 40's could have blogs too (although I keep forgetting that both my mum and godmother are over 40!) so started one herself! will be nice once I'm off at uni to be able to read about what they're doing at home :)
that's all, off to learn how to clean a bathroom (something I need to know for uni!)
much love xxx
it's been doing it on and off this week, which is very confusing coz you wonder if someone is there but when you go to the door there is no-one and it's still ringing!
yesterday PJ changed the ring setting and it seemed to be fixed but this morning it rang, so I pulled myself out of bed to look out the window (no-one there), it rang again a few minutes later (no-one there), then it rang a total of 8 times which is how long it took me to get downstairs and disconnect the front of the button outside, which appears to have stopped it from ringing....now I just have to hope that people just knock on the door instead of trying to fix our doorbell....
in other news, tomorrow is the Space Leavers Dinner, very exciting, we're going to a restaurant in town and it should be good fun. both Anna and Hannah are coming so I won't be on my own and its really my chance to say goodbye to Space people, I'll probably tag along to the social on sunday night but that's more about welcoming new people whereas the dinner is about saying goodbye to us people going to university.
saturday is my birthday :D it's kind of snuck (I originally wrote 'sneaked' but was corrected by Kat and my mum) up on me, what with holiday club and getting stuff ready for university, it's suddenly nearly my birthday! I'm having a BBQ at my house with quite alot of people, after the kids play area company went into liquidation and I could no longer have it there, it kind of became a slightly more open invitation so hopefully lots of people will come along to celebrate with me and also it's almost a 'going away to uni' party too so will be saying bye to some people :(
in final news, my mum and my godmother have both got blogs now! Auntie A decided to get one because she reads mine and some others and decided that since she's about to go on a trip to the Dominican Republic with a team of doctors and nurses from the hospital where she works in the USA, that she might as well keep people up to date with a blog and also her eldest son has just left for uni. this led my mum to decide that over 40's could have blogs too (although I keep forgetting that both my mum and godmother are over 40!) so started one herself! will be nice once I'm off at uni to be able to read about what they're doing at home :)
that's all, off to learn how to clean a bathroom (something I need to know for uni!)
much love xxx
Friday, 29 August 2008
Holiday Club 2008
Champions Challenge 2008 at Christ Church :)
it was brilliant!!!
exhausting, slightly stressful but fun and exciting and just as great as always!
Monday was set-up day so I spent half the day at church putting up banners, setting up tables, practising and creating actions, pretty much the classic set-up day.
Tuesday was the first day, complete chaos as always! the kids in my group were brilliant and my leaders and teenagers were awesome :) they all really loved our room and really got into the idea of being the loudest at cheering and everything like that. the small group time was good and games were good too. Kat and I did our actions at the front, this year we were cheerleaders, the theme song was pretty good, not outstanding but good. the new songs werent great, the classics were still awesome though!
Wednesday was second day so things had settled down a bit but it was still exciting. today we came up with a chant for our groups and the kids loved it, the fake rivalry and being loud. we did crafts which was good, made medals and olympic torches. I enjoyed our small group time, the kids seemed to really get into the healing stuff, they even gathered round one of the girls who had a broken leg to pray for her, then half of them headed to the prayer shack :) it was great.
Thursday is usually the lull of the week, not new and exciting but settled, actually it was still a pretty good day, we came up with another chant again and just had fun in our group. the kids were brilliant, I was really fortunate with who I got in my age-group.
Friday, last day and it was great :) it started off with me getting another classic goodbye from church with a bit of a flanning...my hair smelt like lemons for the rest of the morning- it was lemon scented shaving foam. in craft we made hats which was fun, Anna made mine and it says 'I love Anna' hehe. I went home in the afternoon to shower and change before ending up back at church for the evening BBQ which I really enjoyed, I spent most of it on the bookstall with Hannah H which was really nice, got to catch up with her and talk to loads of the kids. I was only away from the stall to do the upfront bit, bit more actions and just some laughs.
I'm now home and EXHAUSTED!!!! dancing on stage, running around with my group, generally being enthusiastic all week has taken its toll, I wasn't sure I'd get through this blog coz I'm so tired!
the afternoons and evenings this week have been fun too. I've been finishing my shopping for university (I move into halls in 2 weeks!!!!!) and wednesday night I went to dinner with Nicola, Charlie and Gareth which was funny, food wasn't warm but the waiter made us laugh, he was so arrogant (he had a badge with 'Mr Stud Muffin' on it!) that it was laughable!
Thursday night Anna, Beth, Hannah and I had our Ladies what lunch birthday dinner at Anna's which was fun, then we also went on a drive in the dark which was interesting...particularly when a huge hare ran out in front of my car, we all screamed as I tried to brake in time, I did fortunately and didn't hit it, but it freaked us all out! not nice at all!
tomorrow I plan to do nothing at all! have a day to rest and relax. sunday is the holiday club morning service and I'm going to LF to be a cheerleader which is going to be great :)
next week I'm seeing Footloose (again!), it's the Space Leaver's Dinner, and my birthday!!
should be a good week, time is flying, I'll be going to uni before I know it! I'm excited! haven't really been nervous but i'm now slightly apprehensive, mostly coz it's so close I think I'm starting to think about it more. but I'm still mostly excited!
thats all for tonight I think, it's a pretty long blog I think and I hope to blog again very soon :)
much love xxx
it was brilliant!!!
exhausting, slightly stressful but fun and exciting and just as great as always!
Monday was set-up day so I spent half the day at church putting up banners, setting up tables, practising and creating actions, pretty much the classic set-up day.
Tuesday was the first day, complete chaos as always! the kids in my group were brilliant and my leaders and teenagers were awesome :) they all really loved our room and really got into the idea of being the loudest at cheering and everything like that. the small group time was good and games were good too. Kat and I did our actions at the front, this year we were cheerleaders, the theme song was pretty good, not outstanding but good. the new songs werent great, the classics were still awesome though!
Wednesday was second day so things had settled down a bit but it was still exciting. today we came up with a chant for our groups and the kids loved it, the fake rivalry and being loud. we did crafts which was good, made medals and olympic torches. I enjoyed our small group time, the kids seemed to really get into the healing stuff, they even gathered round one of the girls who had a broken leg to pray for her, then half of them headed to the prayer shack :) it was great.
Thursday is usually the lull of the week, not new and exciting but settled, actually it was still a pretty good day, we came up with another chant again and just had fun in our group. the kids were brilliant, I was really fortunate with who I got in my age-group.
Friday, last day and it was great :) it started off with me getting another classic goodbye from church with a bit of a flanning...my hair smelt like lemons for the rest of the morning- it was lemon scented shaving foam. in craft we made hats which was fun, Anna made mine and it says 'I love Anna' hehe. I went home in the afternoon to shower and change before ending up back at church for the evening BBQ which I really enjoyed, I spent most of it on the bookstall with Hannah H which was really nice, got to catch up with her and talk to loads of the kids. I was only away from the stall to do the upfront bit, bit more actions and just some laughs.
I'm now home and EXHAUSTED!!!! dancing on stage, running around with my group, generally being enthusiastic all week has taken its toll, I wasn't sure I'd get through this blog coz I'm so tired!
the afternoons and evenings this week have been fun too. I've been finishing my shopping for university (I move into halls in 2 weeks!!!!!) and wednesday night I went to dinner with Nicola, Charlie and Gareth which was funny, food wasn't warm but the waiter made us laugh, he was so arrogant (he had a badge with 'Mr Stud Muffin' on it!) that it was laughable!
Thursday night Anna, Beth, Hannah and I had our Ladies what lunch birthday dinner at Anna's which was fun, then we also went on a drive in the dark which was interesting...particularly when a huge hare ran out in front of my car, we all screamed as I tried to brake in time, I did fortunately and didn't hit it, but it freaked us all out! not nice at all!
tomorrow I plan to do nothing at all! have a day to rest and relax. sunday is the holiday club morning service and I'm going to LF to be a cheerleader which is going to be great :)
next week I'm seeing Footloose (again!), it's the Space Leaver's Dinner, and my birthday!!
should be a good week, time is flying, I'll be going to uni before I know it! I'm excited! haven't really been nervous but i'm now slightly apprehensive, mostly coz it's so close I think I'm starting to think about it more. but I'm still mostly excited!
thats all for tonight I think, it's a pretty long blog I think and I hope to blog again very soon :)
much love xxx
Thursday, 21 August 2008
results day
and it felt so good to not have to worry about it!
I mean, obviously I hoped PJ would do well (he got 3 A*'s, 4 A's, 2 B's and a D I believe) but for the first year in a while I didn't even have to think about a results day! all the people I know who took GCSE's this year did very well so that's good but it was weird to not be involved in any of it.
anyway other than that I had a good day, Mum and I did some shopping for university stuff, there's so much to get! but it's a lot of fun to shop for it all, and it makes it so much more exciting.
last night I had dinner round at Mike's house with his family which was very nice :) they'd invited me round ages ago but we never found a date until this week so that was alot of fun.
for the last week or so I've been mostly doing holiday club prep...I'm so EXCITED!!!! it's actually stupid how excited I get about it! particularly because I'm building up to it in such a way. it's going to be a good year, I just know it :)
on tuesday Kat and I went to Reading to do some shopping which was so much fun :) it was nice to spend some time just the two of us and we laughed so hard, particularly after seeing some chavs trying to be really hard whilst buying earrings and then going outside and getting into their gran's car!!!! hehehe was funny :D
other than that I haven't done very much, will hopefully have loads to write about next week during holiday club though.
oh by the way, I'm now friends on facebook with a couple of my flatmates and a few people on my course which is really cool :) getting to know people, makes it slightly less scary hehe.
much love xxx
I mean, obviously I hoped PJ would do well (he got 3 A*'s, 4 A's, 2 B's and a D I believe) but for the first year in a while I didn't even have to think about a results day! all the people I know who took GCSE's this year did very well so that's good but it was weird to not be involved in any of it.
anyway other than that I had a good day, Mum and I did some shopping for university stuff, there's so much to get! but it's a lot of fun to shop for it all, and it makes it so much more exciting.
last night I had dinner round at Mike's house with his family which was very nice :) they'd invited me round ages ago but we never found a date until this week so that was alot of fun.
for the last week or so I've been mostly doing holiday club prep...I'm so EXCITED!!!! it's actually stupid how excited I get about it! particularly because I'm building up to it in such a way. it's going to be a good year, I just know it :)
on tuesday Kat and I went to Reading to do some shopping which was so much fun :) it was nice to spend some time just the two of us and we laughed so hard, particularly after seeing some chavs trying to be really hard whilst buying earrings and then going outside and getting into their gran's car!!!! hehehe was funny :D
other than that I haven't done very much, will hopefully have loads to write about next week during holiday club though.
oh by the way, I'm now friends on facebook with a couple of my flatmates and a few people on my course which is really cool :) getting to know people, makes it slightly less scary hehe.
much love xxx
Thursday, 14 August 2008
all about me
Nabbed from Anna F:
1. My uncle once: called himself Grandpa, that was last week, in reference to my cousin's baby, but it was still weird to hear.
2. Never in my life: have I jumped out of a plane...yet!
3. When I was five: I had a lovely 2 year old brother...those were the days!
4. High school was: a rollercoaster ride.
5. I will never forget: I'm not sure, I forget alot of things! probably the mini-bus ride to my first ever weekend away where I got to know Anna, Beth and Hannah, I didn't know it at the time but I'd just made friends for life.
6. Once I met: Justin off Hollyoaks, only in passing though, not really.
7. There’s this boy I know: who can lick his elbow, something thats supposed to be impossible...and now you're trying it, I know you are!
8. Once, at a bar: I tried to flip beer mats and catch them, I wasn't very good!
9. By noon, I’m usually: up and about, I used to be well into the working day but now I'm getting to lie-in.
10. Last night: Kate came over and we watched Mean Girls and ate chinese, was a good girls night in.
11. If only I had: a new laptop on the way...oh wait, I do!
12. Next time I go to church: will be this sunday to listen to Ron speak on Pride.
13. What worries me most: is that I won't get everything prepared in time for going to uni, but that's not a huge worry.
14. When I turn my head left I see: my brother, with whom I just recorded a highly amusing answer phone message, it doesnt sound hilarious but we had a laugh doing it!
15. When I turn my head right I see: my mother, sneezing and coughing from this cold we all have.
16. You know I’m lying when: I say I'm good at sports...that's just a big fat lie!
17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: dungarees.
18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: Helena, always the friend but eventually gets the boy.
19. By this time next year: I will hopefully be doing well at uni and will be home preparing for yet another year of holiday club.
20. A better name for me would be: Delilah.
21. I have a hard time understanding: maths, science, complex electronics.
22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: probably work a bit harder
23. You know I like you if: I spend time with you, I'm pretty obvious about if I like someone or not.
24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: whoever helped me get the award and/or my family.
25. Take my advice, never: risk turning your car by a wall that you just might hit, coz you will hit it and you won't ever live it down.
26. My ideal breakfast is: philadelphia on toasted bagels
27. A song I love but do not have is: can't think of one, I have most songs I love, even songs on films, I always track them down.
28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: go on a boat ride down the thames, go to costa coffee, find a hidden treasure in Masons, buy something cheap and un-necessary from Stroll-in and visit my church.
29. Why won’t people: put their rubbish in a bin, it's not that difficult!
30. If you spend a night at my house: let's watch a completely cheesy movie, have pizza and ice cream and talk about utter nonsense.
31. I’d stop my wedding for: an emergency, and I mean a real emergency i.e. fire, death, crime or near-death illness, that's about it.
32. The world could do without: computers, they did for ages but I have to admit I do love the internet!
33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: have a one-night stand.
34. My favourite blonde(s) is/are: Lucy, most definitely! although I used to be a pretty good blonde.
35. Paper clips are more useful than: alot of things, I haven't used a paper clip in ages! except to make kites with my sunday school group.
36. If I do anything well it’s: listening.
37. I can’t help but: want to help.
38. I usually cry: at movies, tv shows, when I'm tired, when I'm mad, when's I'm sad, just because, I cry quite alot.
39. My advice to my child/nephew/niece: secondary school can really suck, but just push on and get through it because those popular people that aren't very nice are only popular in school, you very quickly get out of school and those people lose their security system, don't have any grades, go work in mcdonalds, and you end up actually going somewhere in life. trust me, secondary school is only 7 years (2 of which are 6th form which is easier anyway) but the rest of your life is a long time to be who you really want to be.
40. And by the way: this quiz thing is harder than it looks!
xx
1. My uncle once: called himself Grandpa, that was last week, in reference to my cousin's baby, but it was still weird to hear.
2. Never in my life: have I jumped out of a plane...yet!
3. When I was five: I had a lovely 2 year old brother...those were the days!
4. High school was: a rollercoaster ride.
5. I will never forget: I'm not sure, I forget alot of things! probably the mini-bus ride to my first ever weekend away where I got to know Anna, Beth and Hannah, I didn't know it at the time but I'd just made friends for life.
6. Once I met: Justin off Hollyoaks, only in passing though, not really.
7. There’s this boy I know: who can lick his elbow, something thats supposed to be impossible...and now you're trying it, I know you are!
8. Once, at a bar: I tried to flip beer mats and catch them, I wasn't very good!
9. By noon, I’m usually: up and about, I used to be well into the working day but now I'm getting to lie-in.
10. Last night: Kate came over and we watched Mean Girls and ate chinese, was a good girls night in.
11. If only I had: a new laptop on the way...oh wait, I do!
12. Next time I go to church: will be this sunday to listen to Ron speak on Pride.
13. What worries me most: is that I won't get everything prepared in time for going to uni, but that's not a huge worry.
14. When I turn my head left I see: my brother, with whom I just recorded a highly amusing answer phone message, it doesnt sound hilarious but we had a laugh doing it!
15. When I turn my head right I see: my mother, sneezing and coughing from this cold we all have.
16. You know I’m lying when: I say I'm good at sports...that's just a big fat lie!
17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: dungarees.
18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: Helena, always the friend but eventually gets the boy.
19. By this time next year: I will hopefully be doing well at uni and will be home preparing for yet another year of holiday club.
20. A better name for me would be: Delilah.
21. I have a hard time understanding: maths, science, complex electronics.
22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: probably work a bit harder
23. You know I like you if: I spend time with you, I'm pretty obvious about if I like someone or not.
24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: whoever helped me get the award and/or my family.
25. Take my advice, never: risk turning your car by a wall that you just might hit, coz you will hit it and you won't ever live it down.
26. My ideal breakfast is: philadelphia on toasted bagels
27. A song I love but do not have is: can't think of one, I have most songs I love, even songs on films, I always track them down.
28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: go on a boat ride down the thames, go to costa coffee, find a hidden treasure in Masons, buy something cheap and un-necessary from Stroll-in and visit my church.
29. Why won’t people: put their rubbish in a bin, it's not that difficult!
30. If you spend a night at my house: let's watch a completely cheesy movie, have pizza and ice cream and talk about utter nonsense.
31. I’d stop my wedding for: an emergency, and I mean a real emergency i.e. fire, death, crime or near-death illness, that's about it.
32. The world could do without: computers, they did for ages but I have to admit I do love the internet!
33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: have a one-night stand.
34. My favourite blonde(s) is/are: Lucy, most definitely! although I used to be a pretty good blonde.
35. Paper clips are more useful than: alot of things, I haven't used a paper clip in ages! except to make kites with my sunday school group.
36. If I do anything well it’s: listening.
37. I can’t help but: want to help.
38. I usually cry: at movies, tv shows, when I'm tired, when I'm mad, when's I'm sad, just because, I cry quite alot.
39. My advice to my child/nephew/niece: secondary school can really suck, but just push on and get through it because those popular people that aren't very nice are only popular in school, you very quickly get out of school and those people lose their security system, don't have any grades, go work in mcdonalds, and you end up actually going somewhere in life. trust me, secondary school is only 7 years (2 of which are 6th form which is easier anyway) but the rest of your life is a long time to be who you really want to be.
40. And by the way: this quiz thing is harder than it looks!
xx
Monday, 11 August 2008
new wine 2008
Hello!
Got back from New Wine yesterday and then slept for 13 hours last night!
It was alot of fun but being a leader is extremely tiring, I honestly don't know how I did it! I mean, I loved it because it meant I got to be the one having really cool conversations with all the youth about what was going on with their faith and oh my goodness so many of them have amazing faiths and I really hope and pray that they bring that back home and it isn't just a one week thing.
I'm not going to go through day by day because most of it has kind of rolled into one! But some particular memories are:
- I ended up going to evening sessions at Venue 1 with my parents which was really nice, most nice I was falling asleep because it was the first moment I'd been able to sit down but it was nice to have my own space and it was really nice to be with my parents. There were a couple of good talks, my particular favourite with Elenor Mumford who I've heard speak before and really enjoy listening to. plus the worship was amazing :D
- on Friday and Saturday afternoons I ended up in the cafe in the food court with different groups of girls from the youth, just drinking hot chocolate and talking about everything under the sun and it was so much fun! just really relaxed and enjoyable time.
- went speed dating on wednesday night, only got 2 matches and they were from guys I already knew and weren't real matches but I had a really good time, I don't mind that I didn't get matches (I was worried some of the youth would make fun but they didn't, they were really lovely and said that they'd had a bet who would get the most out of the people going and I was at the top so that was nice!). actually the 2 nicest guys I met the whole week I didn't meet during speed dating!
- just sitting playing mafia in the communal tent with all my friends in the youth, different people sat on my lap, chatting, playing silly games, just having fun.
- on friday night I just happened to get up and get out of my tent in time to see a huddle of half naked boys from my youth group as they were about to embark on Boxer Run 2008...30 seconds later I heard cheers and whistles and shouts coming from the food court as they were obviously running through! I have to admit I felt a little burst of pride :) obviously as a leader I had no prior knowledge of this boxer run and most certainly did not encourage it!
I think those of most of my memories, I had some really great moments but I'm exhausted from it all, especially because the youth are rather noisy at night and I was one of the people having to tell them to be quiet but it was another great year at new wine :)
my plans for the next two weeks are pretty loose at the moment considering I HAVE FINISHED WORK!!!!!! I mean, I still have Holiday Club and the Space Goodbye Meal, but I am no longer working :D and I'm so happy! It's been a brilliant year with many ups and downs but I am so ready to go to university and to just have some time off before that. Kat and I plan on using the next 2 weeks to make this years Holiday Club set amazing and brilliant because we went on a tour of the kids work at new wine and were highly jealous of their backdrops and sets so we're going to really go for it :)
that's all!
much love xxx
Got back from New Wine yesterday and then slept for 13 hours last night!
It was alot of fun but being a leader is extremely tiring, I honestly don't know how I did it! I mean, I loved it because it meant I got to be the one having really cool conversations with all the youth about what was going on with their faith and oh my goodness so many of them have amazing faiths and I really hope and pray that they bring that back home and it isn't just a one week thing.
I'm not going to go through day by day because most of it has kind of rolled into one! But some particular memories are:
- I ended up going to evening sessions at Venue 1 with my parents which was really nice, most nice I was falling asleep because it was the first moment I'd been able to sit down but it was nice to have my own space and it was really nice to be with my parents. There were a couple of good talks, my particular favourite with Elenor Mumford who I've heard speak before and really enjoy listening to. plus the worship was amazing :D
- on Friday and Saturday afternoons I ended up in the cafe in the food court with different groups of girls from the youth, just drinking hot chocolate and talking about everything under the sun and it was so much fun! just really relaxed and enjoyable time.
- went speed dating on wednesday night, only got 2 matches and they were from guys I already knew and weren't real matches but I had a really good time, I don't mind that I didn't get matches (I was worried some of the youth would make fun but they didn't, they were really lovely and said that they'd had a bet who would get the most out of the people going and I was at the top so that was nice!). actually the 2 nicest guys I met the whole week I didn't meet during speed dating!
- just sitting playing mafia in the communal tent with all my friends in the youth, different people sat on my lap, chatting, playing silly games, just having fun.
- on friday night I just happened to get up and get out of my tent in time to see a huddle of half naked boys from my youth group as they were about to embark on Boxer Run 2008...30 seconds later I heard cheers and whistles and shouts coming from the food court as they were obviously running through! I have to admit I felt a little burst of pride :) obviously as a leader I had no prior knowledge of this boxer run and most certainly did not encourage it!
I think those of most of my memories, I had some really great moments but I'm exhausted from it all, especially because the youth are rather noisy at night and I was one of the people having to tell them to be quiet but it was another great year at new wine :)
my plans for the next two weeks are pretty loose at the moment considering I HAVE FINISHED WORK!!!!!! I mean, I still have Holiday Club and the Space Goodbye Meal, but I am no longer working :D and I'm so happy! It's been a brilliant year with many ups and downs but I am so ready to go to university and to just have some time off before that. Kat and I plan on using the next 2 weeks to make this years Holiday Club set amazing and brilliant because we went on a tour of the kids work at new wine and were highly jealous of their backdrops and sets so we're going to really go for it :)
that's all!
much love xxx
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
out of the norm
today is a day that is out of the norm, not necessarily a bad thing though.
today I'm helping at Prime Time which is the over 50's holiday club at church, I'm actually just the first aider which means I can do some work at the same time. I'm using one of the office computers which is nice, and people know where I am if they need me, plus Tiff, Sarah and Lydia are around so I can chat to them every now and then.
at the moment they've broken for lunch so I thought I would too, I'm hoping one of the girls will bring me some food through hehe. after lunch I think I'm supposed to be going on a walk with them but I don't really know to be honest. at some point I'm picking up Hannah B from oxford because she's doing some work experience there. plus I need to go to Tesco's, so I guess we'll see what time everything happens.
to be honest it's an interesting way to spend the day, on the one hand it's quite nice not to feel stressed or rushed about what's happening during the day but just to be here and be able to get on with some work, but on the other hand it has the danger of becoming boring once I run out of work. which is likely to happen soon...the fact that I'm actually writing in my blog should be evidence of that!
it is giving me some time to reflect though, since I don't have very long left. I'm working this week and then working New Wine. but then I'm done...well, apart from Holiday Club and the odd church service, but they don't really count as work since I would have done Holiday Club anyway and the services and things are so I have the chance to say goodbye to people.
I had my Goodbye lunch with the staff team yesterday and Tim was asking me what my highlight was, what my biggest suprise was, things like that, and it made me think about it.
I actually think that getting to work with LF and the kids and congregation there has been my biggest highlight, before this year began I wasn't sure about it because it meant leaving Godzone but now I love it, I don't want to leave it because it's been amazing and definitely my highlight.
I think the biggest suprise of this year has been that I'm much more capable than I think I am, alot of the time I have to do something and I stress out about it because I think I'll fail but actually I can do alot more than I think, and I can do it well. I've also learnt to work as part of a team but also on my own, which will prove useful when working in social work I think!
I'm better at time-management, at protecting my time off, at planning sessions for groups, at talking to people I don't know, at upfront roles, at trusting God, at having peace, at many many things! I definitely think learning to trust God in every situation has been the biggest thing, it's an easy thing to say that you do, without actually doing it, but because of the whole university decisions and different challenges this year I'm actually trusting God with the little things too. For instance, the food shopping for New Wine is stressful but I'm trusting God that it'll work out, and silly things like trusting that he'd provide a good car for us to take on holiday when Dad's broke, it's those kind of situations that I'm beginning to just trust that God has it in hand and he'll usually suprise you with quite how specifically and amazingly he can answer your prayers.
anyway, tonight I'm going out for dinner with Beth, Anna, Phil and possibly Gareth, should be alot of fun :) and probably very relaxing too. they're the sort of people that I don't have to try very hard with, they're just good company and like me for me.
tomorrow Emma and I are going to Bookers for our 2nd New Wine food shop which will be good to do. plus in the evening I'm having dinner and going to the cinema with Kate and Lucy, which will definitely be good.
thursday I plan to start preparing some stuff for Holiday Club, small group material and things like that.
friday and saturday are filled with New Wine preperation mostly.
ok well I should go and finish my work.
much love xxx
today I'm helping at Prime Time which is the over 50's holiday club at church, I'm actually just the first aider which means I can do some work at the same time. I'm using one of the office computers which is nice, and people know where I am if they need me, plus Tiff, Sarah and Lydia are around so I can chat to them every now and then.
at the moment they've broken for lunch so I thought I would too, I'm hoping one of the girls will bring me some food through hehe. after lunch I think I'm supposed to be going on a walk with them but I don't really know to be honest. at some point I'm picking up Hannah B from oxford because she's doing some work experience there. plus I need to go to Tesco's, so I guess we'll see what time everything happens.
to be honest it's an interesting way to spend the day, on the one hand it's quite nice not to feel stressed or rushed about what's happening during the day but just to be here and be able to get on with some work, but on the other hand it has the danger of becoming boring once I run out of work. which is likely to happen soon...the fact that I'm actually writing in my blog should be evidence of that!
it is giving me some time to reflect though, since I don't have very long left. I'm working this week and then working New Wine. but then I'm done...well, apart from Holiday Club and the odd church service, but they don't really count as work since I would have done Holiday Club anyway and the services and things are so I have the chance to say goodbye to people.
I had my Goodbye lunch with the staff team yesterday and Tim was asking me what my highlight was, what my biggest suprise was, things like that, and it made me think about it.
I actually think that getting to work with LF and the kids and congregation there has been my biggest highlight, before this year began I wasn't sure about it because it meant leaving Godzone but now I love it, I don't want to leave it because it's been amazing and definitely my highlight.
I think the biggest suprise of this year has been that I'm much more capable than I think I am, alot of the time I have to do something and I stress out about it because I think I'll fail but actually I can do alot more than I think, and I can do it well. I've also learnt to work as part of a team but also on my own, which will prove useful when working in social work I think!
I'm better at time-management, at protecting my time off, at planning sessions for groups, at talking to people I don't know, at upfront roles, at trusting God, at having peace, at many many things! I definitely think learning to trust God in every situation has been the biggest thing, it's an easy thing to say that you do, without actually doing it, but because of the whole university decisions and different challenges this year I'm actually trusting God with the little things too. For instance, the food shopping for New Wine is stressful but I'm trusting God that it'll work out, and silly things like trusting that he'd provide a good car for us to take on holiday when Dad's broke, it's those kind of situations that I'm beginning to just trust that God has it in hand and he'll usually suprise you with quite how specifically and amazingly he can answer your prayers.
anyway, tonight I'm going out for dinner with Beth, Anna, Phil and possibly Gareth, should be alot of fun :) and probably very relaxing too. they're the sort of people that I don't have to try very hard with, they're just good company and like me for me.
tomorrow Emma and I are going to Bookers for our 2nd New Wine food shop which will be good to do. plus in the evening I'm having dinner and going to the cinema with Kate and Lucy, which will definitely be good.
thursday I plan to start preparing some stuff for Holiday Club, small group material and things like that.
friday and saturday are filled with New Wine preperation mostly.
ok well I should go and finish my work.
much love xxx
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