Happy :)

I'm really happy :D long time since last blog and this one is just a short post.

Today I got a new car!!! very exciting...it's a ford fiesta, blue, 2008 and I love it!

I also picked up the new CU hoodies which is exciting...

I'm on track with work, just a bit left to do.

Two weeks of placement left :)

I've booked flights to America and my 21st birthday trip to Disneyland Paris :D

Life is good right now!
That's all :)
Much love xxx

Busy!

Sorry for the lack of blog (Mum has complained!) but I've been busy with uni work and CU stuff.

-Last weekend we went on the exec weekend away which was AMAZING! I had a brilliant time and we got lots planned...plus we just got to know each other better.
-Handed in my mental health assignment yesterday, handing in my adults one on monday...then about a month to write my portfolio which is stressing me less fortunately!
-Am soon to book my flights to america and also hotel for Disneyland trip :D very exciting!
-Yesterday I brought a beautiful dress for a friend's wedding...more expensive than planned but more beautiful than planned so it's all good!
-Placement is going well although I'm in the end straight which makes me sad :( I mean, I can't wait to start the summer...but I love my placement and I love the people I work with...leaving will be sad. Last week I put together the rota for April and realised that my last day was on it and that made it very real!

I've probably missed some stuff out but that's the stuff I remember! Except for the most important thing, obviously:
HANNAH IS BACK IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!

That is all for today :)
Much love xxx

Breathe and let it go

So today was the women's day that Christchurch runs annually...I've been for the last few years and each year it gets bigger (today there were 185 women there!) and it's just a chance to meet with God as women together, we worship and pray and eat cake and are given some time out to just do business with God.

And I needed to do some business. For me, today served two purposes: firstly I needed the time out- I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed with everything I need to do (more about this later) and secondly I needed to let God do some work in me and just let some hurt and anger go and forgive some people.
Both of these things happened. I had some prayer for the second thing because I was stubbornly holding onto my anger and I didn't need to be and I realised that I didn't want to hold onto it either. So I took a breathe and I let it go. New day and no more hurt. Plus I got to hang out with a new friend and cement the friendship a bit more :)

About the overwhelmed-ness...this week I had an examined presentation for one of my modules, I have three assignments I should be writing (two due in over the next two weeks) and I officially started my new role in the CU as secretary.
I am incredibly humbled and honoured that I was asked to be on the CU exec team, it is something that I feel God is blessing me with and I am very excited about the next year and all the things we have coming up....however...we are a new group and with a new group comes teething problems as we try to work out how everyone else works and how we work as a group- incredibly normal for a new group of people but unfortunately leads to long and slightly stressful meetings. Secretary also comes with a couple of admin jobs...which I'm happy to do, I just worry about forgetting to do something because I'm so pre-occupied with normal uni work!

Silver lining? it is a lovely group that have come together, some people I know better than others, and the rest I'm looking forward to getting to know...we did have fun as a group and I can see it being an enjoyable team to work with. I'm excited about all our ideas and it'll be a good year :)
The presentation went alright I think- at least, I was happy with how I did so we'll see. The assignments are basically there and planned out...I just need to wait for the essay writing flow to hit and I'll get them done in time.
I'm just aware of timing and work and deadlines and how little free time I have!
Trying to prioritise and just trust in Him...I've managed it for the last three semesters so there's no reason this one should be any different!

Anyway, it's only just gone 10.30 and I'm going to get an early-ish night :)
Mother's day tomorrow and I'm looking forward to spending some time with my mummy!
Much love xxx

Spring is coming

Wow so it's March already and I haven't blogged in a while...things that have happened:
-I was off ill for a week after the sleepover weekend
-pushed myself to go to Lady Gaga concert which was brilliant but very long
- got back to Dina's car to find it had a flat tyre so waited for AA for 2 hours
- didn't manage to make it to the weekend away thing because I felt ill again...mostly from tiredness I think
- had a good week back at placement and uni
- spent this weekend working hard
- enjoyed the sunshine over the last couple of days, hope it lasts :)
- had a really good night out with some good friends last night

Coming up:
- I have a busy week including an examined presentation for one of my modules
- important stuff happening with CU which I'll expand on another time
- women's day next saturday
- lots of work for uni to do

I think that's all...not a long blog post but an update :)
night all!
Much love xxx

Rollercoaster Weekend

So this weekend was the Godzone Sleepover Weekend (yep that's right, all capitals...) and this is one of my favourite weekends! Full of fun with lovely kids at church playing silly games, learning more about God and generally exhausting ourselves for the Lord!

However I didn't really sleep Friday night and woke up with a stomachache...I told myself that it was just hunger because I hadn't eaten much on Friday and so I had some toast, followed by a Mcdonalds breakfast with PJ, Little Miss Ross and Mister Ross and headed to church to start the day.
The morning consisted of kids arriving, making a cool craft and the kids doing a bible study whilst we set up for lunch. (oh and brought expensive milk!)
By lunchtime my stomach was hurting again...decided it was probably just stomachache so ate a little bit of lunch.

The afternoon began with a brilliant widegame...teenagers dressed as ninjas, bikers and grannies (not for any reason, just for fun...I wore a cape!) and the kids having fun running around trying to find us. My stomach was still hurting so I just chilled out in one place!
Following this we had a brilliant time teaching the kids about prophesy which involved us as leaders and them as kids all praying for each other and receiving words from God...it was such a blessing to see the kids praying for each other and getting pictures/words.

Then came the party- 19 kids became 64 kids and I rushed around doing several different things without really doing much!
Dinner came and nothing really appealled to me...stomachache meaning that I only fancied eating oranges, carrots and some bread...had some medicine and realised that I was starting to feel worse...told myself it was just a stomachache, probably tiredness too, and went off to do 3 puppet sketches and a load of actions at the front of the party!

The other kids left and we took the sleepover kids over to set up their beds, I headed up the girls room and had fun getting the girls all ready before the film.
Off to the film...I got the kids all settled before going into the kitchen to help with tea...except the smell of food just made me feel worse....maybe a sit down...wow I really was starting to feel bad...
Found Mum and she sat me down, got me to just stop for a minute...it helped, I felt a bit better. Except then I moved...ah then I felt bad again...deep breaths...smell of food making me feel worse...Mum gently suggested that maybe I shouldn't stay over...I reluctantly agreed and then cried.
Mum took me home.

I hated leaving, I wanted to stay, I wanted to join in with expensive milk and putting the girls to bed and the morning service and everything.

Even as I went home I told myself, and Mum, that it was just tiredness and that I would feel better once I got home and that I should be staying...



At 1am as I threw up multiple times I acknowledged that maybe I was actually ill :(


I'm glad I wasn't sick at church and that I didn't get the kids sick either.
I wish I could've been there to enjoy the whole experience but there's always next year.
I have absolutely no idea how I got through yesterday.
I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to get through this week.

I do know that I need to go sleep and that it's not in my hands anyway...thankfully I implicitly trust His hands and I'm going to try and leave my worries with Him.
Much love xxx

Lent

Today is Pancake day (yey!) and that means that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and people have started thinking about what they want to give up for Lent (boo!)...
Different people have suggested different things that they could give up and things that I could give up and I have many reasons for dismissing them...some better than others!

- Chocolate (possible but I'm already limiting my chocolate, not sure I could eliminate it!)
- Alcohol (definitely do-able but I don't drink enough for it to really be counted)
- Biscuits (don't eat many biscuits but I do enjoy them alot so definitely a possibility)
- Work (haha I wish I could!)
- Bread (no...I'm a carbs girl unfortunately...bread just can't be replaced)

and the ultimate option:
-Facebook
I'm sorry but I can't do it....one of my best friends T is doing it and all credit to her, she is potentially on it as much as I am, which is partly my fault since I peer pressured her into getting it, and I'm impressed she is doing it and will support her all the way. But I can't do it...for a whole host of reasons...ranging from 'what would happen to my farm??' to 'How would I know what events were happening?' to 'how would I know what my overseas friends were doing?'

That last one is slightly more serious, my friends in the UK could text or email me and I would be able to see them. But what about my friends overseas who can't send me a text message...or actually even my friends who are away at uni in the UK, I like to know how they are getting on without them having to text me or call me all the time.

But I suppose I could deal with that...
However the one thing I can't deal with is the fact that I have assignments due throughout Lent...during assignments I get stressed out and I use facebook as a way to let out that stress, to distract myself with silly farm-based games, to cry out to my uni friends for help...

I wish I could give it up, and people will say that I shouldn't be so reliant on a social networking site, but right now, which assignments hanging over my head and stress in my life, I want to keep the small pleasures in life (facebook, chocolate, bread...) and I don't think there's that much wrong with that.


So what to give up for Lent? I might try the biscuits thing...but ultimately I was thinking about what Lent is about, and part of it is about giving up something like alot or spend too much time on, in order to focus more on God. I think that might be the key actually...rather than trying to give something up (because I like all my small pleasures) I think I'm going to decide to take 15 minutes each day to just focus on God. This is possibly something I should be doing already, but I'll be honest and admit that I'm not.
But for Lent I'm going to...I'm going to find 30 minutes each day and spend some time with God, sometimes praying, sometimes reading the bible...and sometimes to lying alone in his presence...I think that it is also important for me to take some time each day for me too :)

This is a long blog but an important blog :) not giving something up but gaining something instead...I like that.
Much love xxx

Overwhelmed

Sorry for the lack of blogs...there's been alot going on...I'm back at uni and on placement still and the amount of work I need to do is starting to sink in.
Sunday I felt very overwhelmed, particularly because of how busy my weekends are over the next few weeks which cuts down on my time to do assignment work- I had a bit of a cry and then took a deep breath and kept going.

My mum made a good point, I've done it before and I'll do it again...I was just feeling very unmotivated. Today I took a half day and came home, relaxed a bit and then did some work. I actually got more done that I'd planned and am feeling alot less stressed about my portfolio (the 10,000 word piece of work for my placement).

In other news I stayed in Oxford again last week and am planning to stay again tomorrow night. I think that I've finally gotten to that place where I'm able to stay in Oxford when it's convenient which is exactly what I wanted.

I think that's a good update, will try and write a more exciting blog soon :)
Much love xxx