Day Four without parents

This is going to be a short blog because it's late and I'm tired!

I didn't stay in Oxford...I couldn't do it...got all panicked and just felt safer being at home. Which sucks a little coz I was hoping to be able to do this but I'm planning a 'sleepover' there later this week with some friends so we'll try again! if at first you don't succeed etc etc etc...

Had a brilliant time at the wedding though :) was so much fun to see people and it was truly a beautiful wedding. So that was all very good!

Still missing Mum and Dad like crazy but am learning to cope, being able to phone them and have internet contact helps alot.

Anyway I really need to go to bed!
Much love xxx
(p.s. Mum, I'm at foodbank 10.30-1pm (my time) so will probably call after that xxx)

Day Three without Parents (part B)

It's the end of the 3rd day and I had a really good evening...church was amazing (very profound talk) and afterwards I was just chatting with Mike, Joe and Tasha, and we were starting to get kicked out of church so I impromtly invited them over :) so for the rest of the evening the 4 of us just hung out at mine...sometime PJ and Hannah joined us too...and it was funny! ranging from deep conversations about the difference between boys and girls (the boys were interested to hear our insights into how girls think!) to very wrong conversations about things I cannot repeat online...or repeat ever infact!

All in all it was a really good way to distract myself for the evening...I'm going to have to chalk this one up to the big guy upstairs because there's no way I could've planned it any better and it was perfect, exactly what I needed!

Now it's late and I'm going to bed (they only left half an hour ago! it makes a difference when you don't have to worry about waking your parents with all the laughing!)
I'm starting to get that feeling in the pit of my stomach of missing my parents, I so wanted to tell them about the talk tonight, but it's late and I'm tired and I'm sure I'll talk to them tomorrow some time :)

Speaking of tomorrow, it's Nicole's wedding (Nicole is my focus group leader) so T, Claire, Caitlin and I are all heading over to see her get married which should be fun...it's been a while since the 4 of us have been together. And the current plan is to all stay at the Marston house...I have to admit I'm a little anxious about this but I'm hoping that I can do it...first time staying there but I'm praying that I can do it!

Much love xxx
(p.s. to Mum and Dad...am likely to get up late morning, will text when I'm awake...would be nice to have a chat if you're around, don't worry if you've got things planned!)

Day Three without parents

Alright so I had a bit of a cry last night...there wasn't much on TV and the house was quiet and I'm tired...and it suddenly hit me how much I miss Mum and Dad so I had a cry and I ended up calling Mum and Dad which helped alot.
I think the biggest part was that I was just tired and emotional, and normally the person I talk to when I'm like that is my Mum and she wasn't here, which just made me more emotional! but once I talked to her I felt better :) and I spoke to her today too which was nice.
It's probably just that I had a lull in the day, so I think I just need to keep busy :) and find things to do during the week.

This morning was the open air service at church which was really good, it was nice to see everyone again and sing some holiday club songs :)
Tonight I'm popping to Oxford to see T and Claire quickly before coming back and going to the evening service at church with some friends which should be fun...keeping busy!
I need to find some things to do this afternoon and also sort out what I'm doing this week but I'm feeling a bit better about things :) it helps to know that I can call Mum and Dad to just chat if I need to...I started off thinking that I shouldn't because I didn't want to interrupt their holiday but now I've spoken to Mum I know that they miss us too and are happy to talk to me and that I'm not taking away from their holiday!

Right, I'm off to find some things to do this week!
Much love xxx

Day Two without the parents

It's the second day without Mum and Dad and it's going ok...I'm starting to really miss them...
This morning PJ & I went to tesco's to do some food shopping and I think we did pretty well, we made ourselves tea and I'm about to watch the x-factor...

But there's just something missing from our house :(
It's not that we would be doing anything together necessarily but they're usually around at various points in the day and today they just haven't been...I spoke to Mum this morning and that was nice but it sounds like they might not get internet properly and I was kinda looking forward to being in contact with them that way and now that might not happen which makes me a little sad.

I'm glad they're having a good time and I don't want this to affect their holiday...it's just weird not to have them here...

oh well...they'll be back before I know it :)

Tomorrow is the open air service which is Holiday Club themed and will be good fun, and I think I'll go return the bookstore stuff at some point...and since T and Claire are arriving in the evening so I'll probably go and see them.

I think that's everything to say...I'm feeling a little sad and missing Mum and Dad but I'm pretty certain that alot of it is due to tiredness...I've had a good sleep but after a week of holiday club you just need more than one night of sleep to catch up properly! Once I've slept some more I'm sure I'll feel better :)
Much love xxx

Day One without the Parents

Today my parents went away on their fancy holiday in Mauritius...I took them to the airport and saw them off.
I've promised to blog faithfully every day since this is the first time our parents have left us on our own and they were worrying a little...we will be fine...we have a million people we can call on for help and I get the feeling we're going to get checked up on alot!
But I'm blogging now so that when they get to their hotel they can check my blog and see that we survived the first evening without them!

I've blogged about Holiday Club too so they can read that aswell :)

So I'm about to settle back and watch some TV with a glass of wine. I actually had PJ & Hannah pick me up a bottle on their way back...hmm drinking as soon as my parents leave...maybe we're not as responsible as they thought :p

Much love xxx

Holiday Club 2009

Holiday Club 2009 is officially over and I'm so sad :(
I love Holiday Club...I enjoy every moment and this year went way way too quickly!
I'm not sure how I can sum it up...it was full of banter and dancing and fun moments...
My favourite part was the banter actually...I got a chance to hang out more with some good friends and had some giggles over various things :)

Tonight was the BBQ which was alot of fun too...I didn't really sell as much as I thought I would on the bookstore but that's not too bad. PJ and Hannah ran a stall where you could throw sponges at people in the stocks...PJ went first and then loads of people wanted to go in them too and get soaked so we charged for that too, I think Hannah made a good amount of money which was the important part because they were doing it for her gap year fund.

I am genuinely really sad that it's over already. I think because I had lots of things on in the afternoons I didn't have the chance to really savour it as much as I would have in the past.
I just love getting to talk to the kids and see new faces and see them get to know God more and more...I love throwing myself into God's work and getting to enjoy seeing him work in the kids :) there's nothing like it!

Anyway that's my Holiday Club blog, not very long but I am about to blog again so that makes up for it!
Much love xxx

up early...

I thought I was done with this...being up early waiting nervously for results!
but they're in and the boy did good :)
3 A's and a B...one of those A's in the Maths A level that he did in a single year!

I'm very proud of him, obviously, but a little part of me just remembers how crap I did at A-levels :( although I said that to Dina just now and she pointed out that if I'd got better grades then I wouldn't have ended up at Brookes and we wouldn't be friends and I wouldn't be as happy as I am now and actually I'm doing really well at uni :D

So I'm proud of PJ, he worked very hard and I'm pleased that it showed...we're now just waiting for Hannah's results which are slightly more important because these dictate whether she gets into Southampton...I'm praying that the results mean she ends up in the right place for her :)


In other news, last week the family went to see Wicked in London which was fab :) it was our treat for Hannah since she's leaving in less that a month :(
Saturday was a huge family BBQ to celebrate Mum & Dad's 25th wedding anniversary and Nan & Grandad's 50th wedding anniversary, which was fun :) stressful to plan but enjoyable once it happened.
I also spent alot of time planning Holiday Club stuff and making decorations for it which is exciting!

Right I think that's all...I hope that's a good enough blog for you guys!
Much love xxx

apologies..

...for my lack of blogging!
I have no reason for it, except I got caught up in everyday life...
and now it's late and I need sleep :(
I will try and blog properly tomorrow!
Much love xxx

New Wine 2009: Mud, Beverages, Release and a very special Baptism...

So I'm back from New Wine...actually I got back yesterday but the tiredness has taken it's toll...mostly in the form of a lovely sore throat and blocked nose (don't panic my temperature is normal, I don't have the swine!) and therefore I've been mostly inclined to crash on the sofa and watch tv I recorded whilst away :)

I'm not sure how to describe New Wine...it was an interesting one, very different for me since I wasn't with the youth (not that it stopped me seeing lots of them, it's hard to stay away from such funny people), instead I spent the week with my Hannah, PJ, his Hannah, Mike, Jonnie, Stevie, Joe and Duncan (the last 3 of which were technically camping with the youth but what can I say? our group was just that enticing!)

It was a good week :) spiritually-wise I spent the week praying about a specific thing and asking God to show me the answer. On the last night the speaker encouraged everyone to open their hearts and encounter the Holy Spirit, to which I said to God 'This isn't what I want God, I want you to show me the answer to my problem, not have a spiritual moment!' (oh what I fool I was...) and God replied 'But Sarah, how am I supposed to help when you won't even let me in?' so I stopped asking, I just let my heart open and then the tears came! Lots of them too! Suddenly I was feeling all the emotions I'd suppressed; the grief over Grandpa, my worry over things, my utter heart-break over the situation I'd been praying about...and I sobbed, I sobbed my heart out and just let myself feel it all.
PJ's Hannah asked if they were sad tears or happy tears and I didn't know how to explain that they were both...sad emotions but a good thing that I was feeling them.
So I never got my answer to the problem but God has a plan, I just need to stop trying to solve it and feel the emotions instead.

Our group was alot of fun, we hung out at night just talking and laughing and drinking (hehe beverages...yum!) and generally enjoying each other's company :) nothing in particular to say about this, I just really enjoyed it...particularly since the boys outnumbered the girls and we got a vivid education in what boys talk about!

As for the very special Baptism...basically the daughter of some family friends of ours got baptised whilst at New Wine, she's 12 and profoundly disabled...and one of the most special people in my life. It was beautiful to see her baptised and it was a perfect setting (just on our campsite with church people around us) and God was really working there :) I cried because it was just so fitting and their family is so special to me.

Oh and the weather was horrible and rainy and muddy but then turned into glorious sunshine, but what's New Wine without a little mud eh?

That's all for now I think, will blog again tomorrow about what's happening in the next few weeks :)
Much love xxx

NEW WINE!!!

It's Sunday morning and in less than an hour I'm off to New Wine :D
Last night I stayed at the Ross' house which was alot of fun :) I stayed there coz Mum, Dad & PJ were all at New Wine already and I didn't want to be in the house alone!

This is a short blog coz I have a ton of things to do! I keep getting texts from Mum of things they've forgotten and I need to take!
But next time I blog will be when I get back :D
Much love xxx