Southampton

and Jungle Jazz. St Andrews is looking really good, very jungle like, and the good news is I've already been pulled up in front of the whole team to do the actions to 'Who's the king of the Jungle?'. I think Andy wanted to deter me from making any trouble later on in the week, but I love kids work so much that getting up on stage is slowly becoming second nature.
Now Blind Date last week was hard, because 15 year olds are harder to please, but a whole team of volunteers is a walk in the park.
I'm slowly realising that kids and youth work is probably more my forte, I'm actually really gifted when it comes to working with anyone younger than me. I hate to gloat, but I'm so tired I can't stop myself! I'm having a really good, but really challenging couple of weeks. I'm going to learn a lot of things in the next week, its a totally different environment and a new team, plus we have guardian angels, so I'm hoping for some encouraging words throughout the week.

Nice and awake

After sleeping for most of yesterday, I am back to my usual self, still thinking about how well summer school went and all of the problems we had during the week with kids and members of staff. I'm going to post some photos and some more thoughts as I process everything and hear some evaluations from others.
I'm off to Southampton, rather early tomoro, to see Helen and do another week where I'm going to be tres busy, but love evey minute! Again!
I'll blog in more detail when I get home in a weeks time.

I'm at work!

I'm just going to let you all know that I achieved a lower second class degree, with an average grade of 56.5, which is a desmond, or a C - depending on how old you are. It's a 2:2 for those who hate me being cryptic!
I'm at work, so I have to go, but I will blog in full at the weekend!

MP3 players

There is always one more thing with me. This week it has been my beautiful MP3 player that wouldn't work. Dad spent ages trying to discover what was wrong on Tuesday evening, he got it to work, kind of and put Queen on to it (thanks). I had a little more trouble on Wednesday. The instruction manual says it plays .wma and .mp3 files, but all of my .wma's are data protected, so it wouldn't allow the files to transfer. I spent 5 hours ripping cd's to .mp3 and deleting all of the old stuff, that didn't work any more.
Simply put, I would be so annoyed if I didn't have technical support and the moral - don't follow the instruction booklet, don't rip cd's to .wma's, always use .mp3, and don't use media player cos it will protect your files!

365 days to go!

This blog officially becomes a wedding progress blog today, so from here on you will be hearing about all the things I've been keeping to myself. Plans and worries for the big day, which is 52 weeks away, as well as teasers for what the big day is going to look like!
On other things, I go to Malvern tomoro to see Henry and then to Cheltenham to discover how well my degree has treated me and participate in summer school! I don't know how long it'll be before I blog again. Summer school and holiday club will be incredibly tiring so you may not hear much between now and August 7th!
Hi Di! Nice to hear from you briefly, let me know how things are, if you have any planning tips get in touch!
Nothing else is going on. My best friends are off to Africa shortly, so I'm hoping to go for a drink this evening...a late one though.

Burfday and partying!

Hello everyone! It's a short time until I'm officially 22. I was born on 18 July 1984 at 18:24, four minutes after my sister, who is in Cardiff, probably blogging just as I am.

My birthday has always been a busy day, as most of the events in the family seem to revolve around 18th July. My Grandma (on my Dad's side) passed away on the same day of my birth and my Nan (Mum's side) got married 31 years before I was born, so its always been a day of mixed emotions for all who are involved. This year is a little sadder because of the loss of Grandad, earlier on in the year. But life goes on, and this birthday started earlier than most! I got woken up at 6.20 this morning by my dad and Mum to open presents and cards. I couldn't go back to sleep because of the unfortunate amount of drink I'd had last night, so I played with my new MP3 player (which isn't working since I installed the CD that came with it - I am cursed) and phoned my sister. I've had loads of texts from everyone, and my CD collection has grown, and now boasts the sounds of The Zutons, The Kooks and Keane. Wonderful! I'm finally getting things I want!

I've had my hair cut, well sheared. The lady was a trainee, who is going into cutting so she can earn more money. She kept walking away to get her supervisor, who looked like she'd been sucking a lemon, rather than chewing gum. She was chatting about Chantelle (of Celeb BB fame) all the time! It looks rather attractive, if I do say so myself, lighter at the bottom, worth it, because it was free!!

Lunch was taken at Hanningfield reservoir, with nan, Mum, mike and paul (mikes friend), it's a nice little resturaunt, but service was slow, so Nan got annoyed! Since getting home I've tried to work out what is wrong with the MP3 player - with little luck. I hope Technical Support is on his way home (otherwise known as Dad). I'm going to the Boar tonight to drink fruit jucies and rehydrate myself. I think I need it after two nights of drinking.

I was going to post some photos of the party that Dad mentioned but I can't transfer files, so you'll have to look at my flickr account a bit later on! The other thing you can look at while your here is my Dissertation is on the web, ready for you to read!!

At the moment Mike has my camera, my expensive digital one! He's at his prom looking good, in a light blue waist coat and a carvat. He's going to boil though, I feel sorry for the lads, but the girls must be loving wearing a dress today! I trust him to take some good photos and not to break the thing!

Birthday drinks here I come!!

The stupidity of it all

The world has gone craazy! I wandered into M and S today in Basildon looking for nothing in particular when I found this -

Guess what they were actually talking about? Expensive flip-flops. Please M and S do something about being snooty and calling flip-flops 'toe post' shoes! Really, it's not cool or clever, it just alienates people.

On another moment of absolute craaziness, McFly have covered 'Don't stop me now', which is obviously originally by Queen. It's a very special song as well as being truly awesome, so I can only assume that these babies had nothing better to do with their time other than create songs about Lindsay and practice other peoples material. So in a moment of absolute brilliance we are going to see Pirates of the Caribbean instead of watching sport relief (because I will only watch Children In Need - what are we American?). Huzzah!! I've already seen in once, but am more than happy to see it again!

The old lady inside me has finished moaning - it's back to normal until the next time I come across some stupidity, probably the price of pop corn tonight!

A day of fun!

Today has been a good day. I miss Henry loads but I spent a good four hours with my Nan, shopping for summer dresses and looking for bridesmaids dresses. It was loads of fun, we had a laugh. She tried on more clothes than I did, and she's a new look convert, scary stuff. I'm shopping in M & S now (even though its all low-fat!). I am really becoming my mother. It's so true, I've even started to interrupt Dad!

I've been singing a song all day and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you (it wouldn't be my blog without them!)

Caught in the half-light, I'm caught alone
Waking up to the sunrise and the radio
Feels like I'm tied up, what's holding me?
Just praying today will be the day I go free

I want to live like there's no tomorrow
I want to dance like no one's around
I want to sing like nobody's listening
Before I lay my body down
I want to give like I have plenty
I want to love like I'm not afraid
I want to be the man I was meant to be
I want to be the way I was made

Made in Your likeness, made with Your hands
Made to discover who You are and who I am
All I've forgotten help me to find
All that You've promised let it be in my life

It's a Chris Tomlin song called 'The Way I was Made' from the Arriving album. It's actually close to how I'm feeling at the moment. I have a will to break free - after three years at Uni, I know that I want to live with God in my life showing me the way and discovering more of Him, breaking free of my old ways. Singing like nobody's listening - the biggest challenge! This next year is going to be an interesting one - not only because of the wedding, but also because I'm in a totally new place and my way of being will change!

Stepping into the void...do you dare follow?

Traveling and general musings!

Ok so I have been traveling again today, and have found that I am becoming more and more stressed by the experience, no matter what my circumstances and in despite of the fact that I can probably do it with my eyes shut. My night's sleep hadn't been too good, but still I felt rested, and happy to travel. I got on the train and sat down in the busiest carriage I've seen for ages. That was ok, I managed to while away 2 hours, reading, writing and listening to the radio (I've asked for an MP3 player for my birthday, so I get just music!). I watched the country turn in to city always finding new things to look at. We were joined by young children on a day trip for a stop or so, I don't remember them getting off, I had my nose in my book!

I got off the train in search of some lunch and a few bits and pieces, as unlike any other journey, I could take my time getting home. I found what I needed and happily got on the tube, baked a bit and soon found myself in a packed Liverpool street station, looking for a train to take me home.

I got on the train and opened my lunch - low-fat probiotic natural yoghurt with raisin granola. I soon found out that natural yoghurt should not be eaten alone and was annoyed that all M & S do is low fat - sometimes you need extra sugar and fat just to make something taste good. Oh and please M & S, realise that when you bring out a new flavour of crisps (in this case parsnip and honey) try to fill at least half the bag? Please?

Anyway, I got over that and finished listening to Colin and Edith on Radio 1 - which always makes me laugh, I have to stop myself from pulling faces when I listen. And moved on to something a little more serious - more reading. I'm at a crucial point in the time travelers wife, so I couldn't put my book down.

I finally found my mum and nan. Got home to find we had to walk up the road because the removal van for the house opposite blocking the street!! Nice bit of exercise to end the travel!

I'm being chucked off! Good Night xxx

At Helen's

I've been at Helen's since thursday, having a great time!! Very tired now though, having done so much. Thursday evening was youth church, friday was dress shopping, drop-in and pathfinder camp. Now Helen in a dress is a special thing - she looked brilliant! Can't wait to find the right dress and see all of my bridesmaids in dresses! Pathfinder camp was different from anything I've ever experienced, even compared to scout camp. Proper toilets, but on the go all of the time, which is tiring. Saturday was back to normal, we went to a school fete, and had cream tea at the church. The evening was spent with Helen's family and watching Dr Who.

Now Dr Who was good, although daleks and cybermen having a long conversation? Doesn't happen! The story was good, but Rose didn't actually die, so we're going to see her again. Ummm...can't make up my mind.

Today has been church and speaking to people about who I am in relation to Helen and what I have done with my time since sidholm. I've also helped with Holy Smoke, finding out what they've been up to and what they think of being part of God's kingdom.

Tomorrow is helping create a display for the Jungle Jazz holiday club and travelling to Malvern to see Henry! Yeay! My time in Southampton has been great!!

Music

Something I forgot to add - The Kooks - brilliant! It's something about the way Luke Pritchard sings. It's jolly music, the kind I could bounce around a room to, and not worry about who is watching! Luke has a great voice and his accent is brilliant, it makes me laugh, because it's unusual. I'm a great one for imitating singers and spotting differences. Christina and Britney are totally different (you could argue that the former is a real singer, but when britney was at her height, blah, you get me?). Listen for it. Also if you listen to Dan Gillespie Sells, from The Feeling, he's quite well-spoken, which is unusual, it's nice to hear a 't' now and then!

Any way..packing. I'm doing a lot of traveling again over the next week, so I shall let you know what I see and think about. After all I have 11 hours all alone!

Job interview among other things

So Monday was a bit different than I expected. The interview was something I never expected. I had to do a data entry, a word and an excel programme test. Now I thought I was quite competent in these things until my test results were read out. I don't think I got about 70% in anything. Which when you're doing basic on excel is not good. Though if there's a way to use the mouse to do something, I'm not going to know the keyboard command for it, am I? So getting roughly 60% seems to be my life story. Degree results in less than 20 days - I am so scared. The interview its self went well, though I probably won't get a job with them, so keep praying for me and money!

Today has been a tad more exciting! I've been measured for my wedding dress! So slowly but surely I will have come back to billericay to get fitted for it! You do not know how excited I am! It's going to get made in kaliko first and then we're going to shop for materials! Tee Hee!!

Tomorrow I am travelling to Southampton, to see a very good friend and do even more wedding stuff and find out all about the events of recent months first hand! All good, but at the same time....

I have to go and pack!

The weekend

The big family news this weekend is that Karen has graduated from her job and she did it rather successfully, but its her job to tell you how well she did!



Here's a cheery photo of the group that she's worked with for the entire year. They're a great bunch of people who I probably won't see again, unless I bump into them at a conference or a networking bash for youthworkers somewhere, and even then I probably won't remember their names, as I've already forgotten them. Still Karen is in there somewhere!



Church was great on Sunday, as always at Glenwood. Uplifting an prayerful. I watched the music group pray together before the service, and discovered that prayer is worship too. I would've loved to join them because they pray with their hearts, by the looks of things! Most music groups quickly bow their heads and one person says something but this group were reciting scripture and laying hands. It was great to watch, it would be great if all groups were like that!

So I've done an absurd amount of traveling this weekend. Some 4 hours to Henry's on friday, 2 hours to Cardiff on Saturday and 5 hours back to Essex yesterday. I've looked at an awful lot of British countryside and been through places on the way home that I never thought I would. For a start the Cardiff to London train does not go through Bristol, as I assumed it would. Silly me. We do go around Bristol, but I am yet to find out which side! Then we went through Bath, (an old city that I would love to spend more time in, although I refuse to drink the water!) and came out surrounded by hills. The next thing we saw where the horses, two of them, made of chalk.

I can't remember why they exist, but there are lots of them in the area that we went through. I saw tepees and went through Newbury (horse racing). I also saw a canal boat in a lock, going down. Some really pretty churches and a striking contrast between town and country.

We finally reached the city and were stuffed into the tube. I got home, very hot and tired, but I made it!

I discovered on my long journeys that you can have too much of a good thing. My good thing at the moment is The Time Traveler's Wife. Its a wonderful love story of a couple who meet when she is 6 and he is 36, but they only start going but when she is 20 and he is 28. Confused? I was, but its a great story, so I'm reading it again. I had a bit too much of it on the way home from Cardiff, so I was bored for a bit, but there we go, I had a fiancee to keep me happy!

So today is merrily going along. I have an application form to fill out and a job interview! Hazzah, I'll let you know how it goes!