I have mostly spent Bank Holiday re-introducing my friend to Match.com.
The last time I was on Match, was two years ago, and boy, how much has the service changed. It's more expensive, more interactive and generally very different. It is really interesting to see that there are nearly 70,000 people at one time. THAT amazes me. I know there are 60 million-ish people in the UK, but still... who would've thought that it would take off like that AND they are still running adverts for it... it must be worth millions!
Well, it has been interesting to see what is now going on in the world of match and to help someone get back on their feet a little bit too.
Chris and I met through Match and we have not looked back since. I am kinda kicking myself that I deleted all the emails he sent me, cos I thought I wouldn't want to look back at them, but after this weekend I do.
It's just over a week and a half until we go to Le Mans too. we're getting things ready and that means that I have to pack for France, though I don't know what the weather is going to be like! Tomorrow will be the day to get the suitcase down (because the weekend bag will not be big enough) and try to fit the first attempt at packing in! I have grown to love camping since forcing myself to do it with young people in 2008 at SOLID, so I do know what to expect... it's just being in a different country that scares me!!
Showing posts with label Chris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris. Show all posts
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, October 01, 2010
Eating well
Eating is one of the things I love to do. I have always been near food, I have done a little bit of experimenting in the kitchen, some has worked, some hasn't, but I am a follower of instructions, so I find making things really easy. I also get distracted easily, so I'm often blaming my tools when something doesn't turn out right.
I want my own kitchen most of the time, but I love cooking with Chris and Mum though I love it when Chris cooks for me! I'm looking forward to having a house and being able to fill my cupboards with basics and my freezer with meals. I'm hoping that I will have more than 7 meals in my repertoire when I have a family (after I saw the BBC report the other week!). I'm hoping I'll learn something from Chris' mum and my mum too, as well as my Nan who makes a mean roast.
It's interesting to me when I find a flavour that I didn't expect but tastes like something that I've eaten a lot of the time. I found some crisps that fit that description... here they are
The taste exactly like a curry I've had and I think it's the one that Chris' mum makes! It smells divine though and they aren't too spicy, though if you like a mild curry, it's best to stay away. If you can get hold of some Hairy Biker crips, I would recommend them. Full of flavour!
I want my own kitchen most of the time, but I love cooking with Chris and Mum though I love it when Chris cooks for me! I'm looking forward to having a house and being able to fill my cupboards with basics and my freezer with meals. I'm hoping that I will have more than 7 meals in my repertoire when I have a family (after I saw the BBC report the other week!). I'm hoping I'll learn something from Chris' mum and my mum too, as well as my Nan who makes a mean roast.
It's interesting to me when I find a flavour that I didn't expect but tastes like something that I've eaten a lot of the time. I found some crisps that fit that description... here they are
The taste exactly like a curry I've had and I think it's the one that Chris' mum makes! It smells divine though and they aren't too spicy, though if you like a mild curry, it's best to stay away. If you can get hold of some Hairy Biker crips, I would recommend them. Full of flavour!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
What's on my mind...
I'm hoping that doing a short blog will inspire me to work on my talk a little bit more, perhaps putting down some of what is in my head will clear the cobwebs and get me writing.
This weekend I spent time in two places that I've never been to before. I was on the outskirts of North Swindon for a wedding and then to Silverstone for some racing.
On Saturday, we celebrated the marriage of Julie and Paul. Paul used to be the vicar at the church I work for now and Julie was a volunteer. They've been friend for a very long time, so we were all excited when they announced that they were going to get married.
Here's the wonderful couple
With Bridesmaid. I could've put up a photo of the aftermath of the confetti moment, but I know Julie would never forgive me! We spent time as a bunch of friends, chatting and catching up with people that we haven't seen for a long time. Very happy to see my old boss for a few minutes with her wonderful husband
I was at their wedding too! It's exciting that they are moving on and my old boss is going to be a vicar's wife soon! She's even learnt to make marmalade! :) Very happy for all four of them, it's exciting to see how things have changed and what has developed.
On Sunday we got up early, again, and heading two hours north to Silverstone. The journey there was interesting, the sat nav doing it's best to take us off the M1 too early, especially when there isn't much traffic around. We got to Silverstone and were instantly confused. It's a huge circuit, so finding a programme and getting some idea of what is going on was really hard. The staff were ok, but information about important things, like the pit walk and changes to the programme were hard to come by. It's different at Silverstone, because it's not owned by Motor Sport Vision, it's difficult to get my head around how different it can be. The other thing about Silverstone is that there's no cash point at the circuit (in a place that probably needs two or three.)
Any way, we had a really good day, sat in the sun, walking around and watching the BTCC races. Here's a video of Tom Chilton and the boys going round the bend at Maggotts.
Chris and I watched the highlights on Tuesday, only to hear Jason Plato complain all of the time! The less I say about it, the better. I'm still a bit annoyed about all of it really!
Still it was a good result for Team Aon over the weekend and Chris got some good photos. It was his first time with a media pass at a big event, and it was nice to have a conversation with him, whilst he was in the media centre and I was on the pit lane!
Here's a photo to prove that I was there
I love the races and I love that Chris has spent a summer doing somethig he loves. He has worked really hard recently, all of free, so here's hoping he gets some sort of recognition for it in the future. We're hopefully heading to the DTM on the Saturday again in a couple of weeks. More load cars and clever driving.
Other things are happening around me at the moment, some of which are exciting, but others are harder to take on board. There is a lot to do before term starts in a couple of weeks, I've got to get my head around what happened at Soul Survivor and how best to work with it. Seeing what God has put on the hearts of the young people and try to think about my own experiences. Lots of exciting conversations to happen.
There is a wet dog sat at my feet, looking at me, telling me to move on. So I will. There is more to come I promise!
This weekend I spent time in two places that I've never been to before. I was on the outskirts of North Swindon for a wedding and then to Silverstone for some racing.
On Saturday, we celebrated the marriage of Julie and Paul. Paul used to be the vicar at the church I work for now and Julie was a volunteer. They've been friend for a very long time, so we were all excited when they announced that they were going to get married.
Here's the wonderful couple
With Bridesmaid. I could've put up a photo of the aftermath of the confetti moment, but I know Julie would never forgive me! We spent time as a bunch of friends, chatting and catching up with people that we haven't seen for a long time. Very happy to see my old boss for a few minutes with her wonderful husband
I was at their wedding too! It's exciting that they are moving on and my old boss is going to be a vicar's wife soon! She's even learnt to make marmalade! :) Very happy for all four of them, it's exciting to see how things have changed and what has developed.
On Sunday we got up early, again, and heading two hours north to Silverstone. The journey there was interesting, the sat nav doing it's best to take us off the M1 too early, especially when there isn't much traffic around. We got to Silverstone and were instantly confused. It's a huge circuit, so finding a programme and getting some idea of what is going on was really hard. The staff were ok, but information about important things, like the pit walk and changes to the programme were hard to come by. It's different at Silverstone, because it's not owned by Motor Sport Vision, it's difficult to get my head around how different it can be. The other thing about Silverstone is that there's no cash point at the circuit (in a place that probably needs two or three.)
Any way, we had a really good day, sat in the sun, walking around and watching the BTCC races. Here's a video of Tom Chilton and the boys going round the bend at Maggotts.
Chris and I watched the highlights on Tuesday, only to hear Jason Plato complain all of the time! The less I say about it, the better. I'm still a bit annoyed about all of it really!
Still it was a good result for Team Aon over the weekend and Chris got some good photos. It was his first time with a media pass at a big event, and it was nice to have a conversation with him, whilst he was in the media centre and I was on the pit lane!
Here's a photo to prove that I was there
I love the races and I love that Chris has spent a summer doing somethig he loves. He has worked really hard recently, all of free, so here's hoping he gets some sort of recognition for it in the future. We're hopefully heading to the DTM on the Saturday again in a couple of weeks. More load cars and clever driving.
Other things are happening around me at the moment, some of which are exciting, but others are harder to take on board. There is a lot to do before term starts in a couple of weeks, I've got to get my head around what happened at Soul Survivor and how best to work with it. Seeing what God has put on the hearts of the young people and try to think about my own experiences. Lots of exciting conversations to happen.
There is a wet dog sat at my feet, looking at me, telling me to move on. So I will. There is more to come I promise!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Nearly There!
A new video for you to have a look at!
I am at the end of my epic journey, ok, so I've not gone very far physically, but spending time cycling has been interesting and a good chance to do some reading and thinking.
Today is no different, for thinking that is. My wonderful boyfriend of a year set me off this morning... it's two years this week since I started my current job, which means it's two years since I had to get on a bus to get to work, it's also two years and two weeks since I passed my driving test. It's two years since my brothers went on holiday with their friends and I was left in the house on my own. Which means it's two years that my Dad has been in his current job too, 18 months since he fell over and broke his arm and had a plate put in it.
My life at the moment feels like it centers around working for ECC, although I'm not there any more, the 11 months that I spent in that office were some of the best moments and hardest moments too. I'd never had a 9-5 job before and so far, I haven't had one since. Although the stresses are completely different I wouldn't change my job for the world.
It also means that it's a year since Chris and I decided to make it official. I didn't blog about it at the time, there was a lot going on, and although it didn't slip my mind, I didn't feel it was right to broadcast my relationship so shortly after it started.
Chris and I had been on a couple of dates before I eventually said yes to his question, and it was my mum's fault that I did - she posed a very awkward question the first time that Chris came over for dinner. I literally could've died, I was so embarrassed and I did tell her off after Chris had left!
But a year on, we've done a lot together and there is still more to do. we've had our experiences, the ups and downs of learning about each other and travelling 32 miles each way to see each other (I hold the record for the longest time taken - 2h 05min).
Today we're heading back to the city where we had our first date, to eat something I've never had before - sushi. I've had sushi that hasn't had any raw fish, but it's time to take the step to eat raw fish and know that it's not going to kill me, because it's been prepared properly.
Our first date was at Pizza Express and I really enjoyed every moment of it! I'm looking forward to this date as much as I was looking forward to the first one. I'm even nervous about it!!
I am at the end of my epic journey, ok, so I've not gone very far physically, but spending time cycling has been interesting and a good chance to do some reading and thinking.
Today is no different, for thinking that is. My wonderful boyfriend of a year set me off this morning... it's two years this week since I started my current job, which means it's two years since I had to get on a bus to get to work, it's also two years and two weeks since I passed my driving test. It's two years since my brothers went on holiday with their friends and I was left in the house on my own. Which means it's two years that my Dad has been in his current job too, 18 months since he fell over and broke his arm and had a plate put in it.
My life at the moment feels like it centers around working for ECC, although I'm not there any more, the 11 months that I spent in that office were some of the best moments and hardest moments too. I'd never had a 9-5 job before and so far, I haven't had one since. Although the stresses are completely different I wouldn't change my job for the world.
It also means that it's a year since Chris and I decided to make it official. I didn't blog about it at the time, there was a lot going on, and although it didn't slip my mind, I didn't feel it was right to broadcast my relationship so shortly after it started.
Chris and I had been on a couple of dates before I eventually said yes to his question, and it was my mum's fault that I did - she posed a very awkward question the first time that Chris came over for dinner. I literally could've died, I was so embarrassed and I did tell her off after Chris had left!
But a year on, we've done a lot together and there is still more to do. we've had our experiences, the ups and downs of learning about each other and travelling 32 miles each way to see each other (I hold the record for the longest time taken - 2h 05min).
Today we're heading back to the city where we had our first date, to eat something I've never had before - sushi. I've had sushi that hasn't had any raw fish, but it's time to take the step to eat raw fish and know that it's not going to kill me, because it's been prepared properly.
Our first date was at Pizza Express and I really enjoyed every moment of it! I'm looking forward to this date as much as I was looking forward to the first one. I'm even nervous about it!!
Friday, July 02, 2010
Nearly there!
I am actually incredibly excited today - I'm over the 300 mile mark and I'm going on holiday, in about two hours!
I have almost sorted next weekends activities too - a little shops during this week have helped me immensely, it means I won't be rushing around like a headless chicken on the three days I'm at work next week. So far I can only think of one thing that I have forgotten and I don't think that the yong people are going to miss it if I forget entirely... though I probably won't, it's a very important part of SOLID, having hot chocolate on Friday and Saturday after the main celebration is a key part of my ministry (!?!) we all get to sit around a chat through the day and life. I must remember to pack cards too and find out if we've still got the cutlery that I brought last year!
I think this holiday is gonig to be well deserved, but I really don't know how long it will take me to switch off!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Two Thirds of the way there!
Another mile stone reached today. I'm now well on my way to being finished - here's the latest video
W're also well on our way to a very busy July... There's a holiday (at the end of the week) and a weekend away at Stubber's the week after, which I'm now an old hand at! My birthday and a special celebration party during the third weekend, by which point I will have finished my cycling, and then finally the run up to Falcon camp, and then actually Falcon camp, I'm not really going to be at church this month... but when I am it will hopefully be really exciting! We have got BBC Essex visiting church, so although I'll be at work really early on my birthday, I'll hopefully have an opportunity to hear the young families and young people on the radio!
Time to get on with work!
W're also well on our way to a very busy July... There's a holiday (at the end of the week) and a weekend away at Stubber's the week after, which I'm now an old hand at! My birthday and a special celebration party during the third weekend, by which point I will have finished my cycling, and then finally the run up to Falcon camp, and then actually Falcon camp, I'm not really going to be at church this month... but when I am it will hopefully be really exciting! We have got BBC Essex visiting church, so although I'll be at work really early on my birthday, I'll hopefully have an opportunity to hear the young families and young people on the radio!
Time to get on with work!
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Fairtrade Cafes
Al Fresco!
It went really well, for all the chocolate I had brought, it all disappeared over the three days and here's the video (play spot the youth worker) to prove that we did well!
I had a lot of fun, and I would like to say thank you to everyone who helped out (including the people at the Fairtrade offices) and everyone who ate the chocolate!
Time to sleep, and then discuss mission and the future of discipleship with those around me...plus a trip to see my sisters youth group and time to prepare for leading the 11-14's on Sunday... It's busy, somewhere in all that I have another coffee date to fit in and a boyfriend to see.
On Tuesday night, Chris and I headed to the Royal Albert Hall to see Ludovico Einaudi in concert with a fifteen strong string orchestra from 'Romeo and Juliet country' (their group name is - I have really got no idea - Chris, what are they called?). I loved it, I've seen live music before, but this was in an entirely different league, I'm not a classical music type person, that was, until Einaudi sat down and started playing. I've heard orchestras before, but nothing like what I heard on Tuesday... blown away is an understatement! I will be keeping an eye out for concerts in the future.
It went really well, for all the chocolate I had brought, it all disappeared over the three days and here's the video (play spot the youth worker) to prove that we did well!
I had a lot of fun, and I would like to say thank you to everyone who helped out (including the people at the Fairtrade offices) and everyone who ate the chocolate!
Time to sleep, and then discuss mission and the future of discipleship with those around me...plus a trip to see my sisters youth group and time to prepare for leading the 11-14's on Sunday... It's busy, somewhere in all that I have another coffee date to fit in and a boyfriend to see.
On Tuesday night, Chris and I headed to the Royal Albert Hall to see Ludovico Einaudi in concert with a fifteen strong string orchestra from 'Romeo and Juliet country' (their group name is - I have really got no idea - Chris, what are they called?). I loved it, I've seen live music before, but this was in an entirely different league, I'm not a classical music type person, that was, until Einaudi sat down and started playing. I've heard orchestras before, but nothing like what I heard on Tuesday... blown away is an understatement! I will be keeping an eye out for concerts in the future.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
The Big Swap
If you're not aware for Fair Trade, you will be soon. I keep harping on about it to everyone, and I can't wait to get my hands on a Fairtrade KitKat!
The years campagin for Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd Feb - 7th March) is 'The Big Swap'so if you want to find out a bit more watch the video below
Or head to fairtrade.org.uk to have a look at everything that is going on and the ideas that you can adapt for your own situation.
We're going to hold our regular cafes and have drinks available for anyone who would like to try tea or coffee 0r juice or chocolate for free!
So if you're in Billericay find us on facebook for more details!
That's the easy part of my life at the moment... the harder part is doing the teaching on Sunday with the 11 - 14 year olds. I'm teaching about the scantity of life. It's a tough one when it relates to abortion and euthanasia. But the Bible has a lot of wonderful things to say about humans as God's creation, how He gives us life and looks after us as well.
I'm praying a lot at the moment... mainly for Sunday, but also that Chris gets well soon and that we get to Karen's safely on Saturday!
The years campagin for Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd Feb - 7th March) is 'The Big Swap'so if you want to find out a bit more watch the video below
Or head to fairtrade.org.uk to have a look at everything that is going on and the ideas that you can adapt for your own situation.
We're going to hold our regular cafes and have drinks available for anyone who would like to try tea or coffee 0r juice or chocolate for free!
So if you're in Billericay find us on facebook for more details!
That's the easy part of my life at the moment... the harder part is doing the teaching on Sunday with the 11 - 14 year olds. I'm teaching about the scantity of life. It's a tough one when it relates to abortion and euthanasia. But the Bible has a lot of wonderful things to say about humans as God's creation, how He gives us life and looks after us as well.
I'm praying a lot at the moment... mainly for Sunday, but also that Chris gets well soon and that we get to Karen's safely on Saturday!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Good Game!
Chris and I both had an email from TopGolf for a free game, so we decided to take the opportunity last weekend to play a couple of games.
That was after we'd spent the night dressed as a Spice Girl and a Beatles...
Beautiful aren't we?
We were celebrating a couple of friends birthdays, and everyone made a little bit of effort, but I think Chris looked great... as did my sister
Then on Sunday after church and lunch, and a little sleep(!) we headed to Chigwell to find the TopGolf and take advantage of our free game. We've been to watford before and felt that it was a little too far away for just a couple of games, so we were really happy to find one that was half an hour down the road... why am I telling you this? Well at one point I was close to beating my boyfriend... he plays golf and works at a golf course, so I got a little bit excited about it - he has helped me to improve a lot, and I'm very consistent now....
Want some proof?
You have to do some maths, but at one point I was three points ahead! 3 points!!
Life has been a little quiet because of illness and weather - so I'm making my own entertainment!
That was after we'd spent the night dressed as a Spice Girl and a Beatles...
Beautiful aren't we?
We were celebrating a couple of friends birthdays, and everyone made a little bit of effort, but I think Chris looked great... as did my sister
Then on Sunday after church and lunch, and a little sleep(!) we headed to Chigwell to find the TopGolf and take advantage of our free game. We've been to watford before and felt that it was a little too far away for just a couple of games, so we were really happy to find one that was half an hour down the road... why am I telling you this? Well at one point I was close to beating my boyfriend... he plays golf and works at a golf course, so I got a little bit excited about it - he has helped me to improve a lot, and I'm very consistent now....
Want some proof?
You have to do some maths, but at one point I was three points ahead! 3 points!!
Life has been a little quiet because of illness and weather - so I'm making my own entertainment!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Default
"Default option - an option that is selected automatically unless an alternative is specified."
My default option after this weekend seems to be singing. I was with Chris on Saturday night, at a Harvest Supper in the wilds of North Essex, and found myself singing a lot of the time to the music that was playing. It seems that whilst I'm concentrating on something else, if there is music playing in the background, I will sing along to it. Of course, this is made easier by the knowledge that all the songs were really well known to me, but still, when I woke up the following morning and realised I had a sore throat, I had to think as to why that was. Strange. I sing a lot of the time. Some times are better than others, but mostly I do it for my own amusement/to worship God.
Anyway, like I said, I have spent most of my weekend with Chris and seeing family that I haven't seen for a very long time. Catching up with news is always good, it's nice to hear that things are moving on, but the way that it happens doesn't change very much...
This week is half term and I will be preparing for Christmas with my free time and preparing an essay for CCS. This will be my first attempt at writing such a think in more than three tears, so I'm a little apprehensive to say the least and I'm trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to fit it in whilst working, because the last time I had to write the only focus was the essay. So time to read up and answer the question! I'll tell you what it is when I've got some idea of where I'm going, because I haven't got the piece of paper that's got the exact title in front of me... but it's definitely something to do with the story of the Exodus and Christians today.
So here's to spending a week reading and planning!
P.S. The links are different for Chris' name because he now has a photography website and a blog!
My default option after this weekend seems to be singing. I was with Chris on Saturday night, at a Harvest Supper in the wilds of North Essex, and found myself singing a lot of the time to the music that was playing. It seems that whilst I'm concentrating on something else, if there is music playing in the background, I will sing along to it. Of course, this is made easier by the knowledge that all the songs were really well known to me, but still, when I woke up the following morning and realised I had a sore throat, I had to think as to why that was. Strange. I sing a lot of the time. Some times are better than others, but mostly I do it for my own amusement/to worship God.
Anyway, like I said, I have spent most of my weekend with Chris and seeing family that I haven't seen for a very long time. Catching up with news is always good, it's nice to hear that things are moving on, but the way that it happens doesn't change very much...
This week is half term and I will be preparing for Christmas with my free time and preparing an essay for CCS. This will be my first attempt at writing such a think in more than three tears, so I'm a little apprehensive to say the least and I'm trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to fit it in whilst working, because the last time I had to write the only focus was the essay. So time to read up and answer the question! I'll tell you what it is when I've got some idea of where I'm going, because I haven't got the piece of paper that's got the exact title in front of me... but it's definitely something to do with the story of the Exodus and Christians today.
So here's to spending a week reading and planning!
P.S. The links are different for Chris' name because he now has a photography website and a blog!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Giving Blood
Is a different experience every time. This time Chris and I headed to Christ Church to share the experience.
Strangely, I enjoy giving blood. I love that I can do it, and do it as regularly as possible. I have a rare blood type, so I know that it is important to give. I'm A RH Negative so I'm already in the 16% of the population that are negative.
I got in first and it took about 8 mins to fill the bag up, with some pain, but I thought I was going to be ok. Chris took about half that time and although it's never a competition, he was pleased that he was quicker than me.
I got a bruise that was quite painful. I normally don't bruise so I was a little worried, but I think it was just down to not applying pressure in the right place after the needle was pulled out.
So 17 weeks from now, I will be donating again unless I get ill...which hopefully I won't.
I'm starting to get into a routine, not all of the pieces are in place yet, but I am trying my hardest to make my week flow so that I know where I am and what I'm doing without having to think too much!
Strangely, I enjoy giving blood. I love that I can do it, and do it as regularly as possible. I have a rare blood type, so I know that it is important to give. I'm A RH Negative so I'm already in the 16% of the population that are negative.
I got in first and it took about 8 mins to fill the bag up, with some pain, but I thought I was going to be ok. Chris took about half that time and although it's never a competition, he was pleased that he was quicker than me.
I got a bruise that was quite painful. I normally don't bruise so I was a little worried, but I think it was just down to not applying pressure in the right place after the needle was pulled out.
So 17 weeks from now, I will be donating again unless I get ill...which hopefully I won't.
I'm starting to get into a routine, not all of the pieces are in place yet, but I am trying my hardest to make my week flow so that I know where I am and what I'm doing without having to think too much!
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Harvest
The response from our Harvest service has been really good this year. We spent a lot of time preparing and chatting through what would go in the service.
And the congragation seemed to like seeing the young people actively involved in the service. It was wonderful to have so many young boys in church, all of whom are more than willing to be a part of the family. So it was nice to have a lot of people saying thank you and well done.
We shared lunch together - which whilst being like every other gathering we've had, was ever so slightly different, with a lot of new families joining us and different types of food on offer. We even sang happy birthday to a little girl in our congregation.
The rest of the day was spent, for me, preparing for the week ahead, thinking about communication and labyrinths, doing my reading for CCS and resting as well after a bit of a busy month.
Tonight were meeting as youth and childrens leaders to have a look at nativity and the future of the groups that we run as a church.
My count of nights out in a row continues to grow...I've not done a top up, but I know there's only one night where I was confinded to my bedroom because of the start of a cold that never really materialised (I think that's due to going to Jazzercise and drinking plenty of water, plus some paracetomol!) the rest of the time I've been working or with Chris but on balance, my days aren't too busy, so I'm resting sufficently during the day.
There are some exciting plans in the pipelines, so keep an eye out for details!
And the congragation seemed to like seeing the young people actively involved in the service. It was wonderful to have so many young boys in church, all of whom are more than willing to be a part of the family. So it was nice to have a lot of people saying thank you and well done.
We shared lunch together - which whilst being like every other gathering we've had, was ever so slightly different, with a lot of new families joining us and different types of food on offer. We even sang happy birthday to a little girl in our congregation.
The rest of the day was spent, for me, preparing for the week ahead, thinking about communication and labyrinths, doing my reading for CCS and resting as well after a bit of a busy month.
Tonight were meeting as youth and childrens leaders to have a look at nativity and the future of the groups that we run as a church.
My count of nights out in a row continues to grow...I've not done a top up, but I know there's only one night where I was confinded to my bedroom because of the start of a cold that never really materialised (I think that's due to going to Jazzercise and drinking plenty of water, plus some paracetomol!) the rest of the time I've been working or with Chris but on balance, my days aren't too busy, so I'm resting sufficently during the day.
There are some exciting plans in the pipelines, so keep an eye out for details!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Drinking
Is something I really recommend after an hour of Jazzercise...though I seem to have really failed in keeping my liquid levels up after exercising! Hydration is key for my brain to work and I learnt this very quickly in second year after having too much of the stuff I'm going to talk about in the next paragraph...
Beer, particularly the Chappel Beer festival, which I promised I'd talk about when I found the one that I really enjoyed drinking. Chris and I had more than a couple of beers between us, a few which we really enjoyed and some that weren't so great...the two outstanding beers were the first ones we'd picked to try. I had a Raspberry Wheat Beer from the Milestone Brewery which was really enjoyable and I could drink a lot of, it wasn't too sweet and the flavour was at the back of your mouth rather than the first thing you taste. I liked it as an amateur, though if you type it into google the reviews are less favourable. Chris started with a beer called Bodger from the Idle Brewery which was really nice.
The rest didn't quite have the same impact (Brewer-Beer)
Stonehenge - Pigswill (not much better than it's name)
Green Tye - Union Jack (Meant to be biscuity, but wasn't)
Brentwood - Chockwork Orange (Very dark, very strong)
Cathedral - Eight Bells (a little too lemony)
Red Fox - Hunters Gold
Oakham - Warped
Being at Chappel was a little strange. I felt like I'd been there before and when I had a conversation with my mum she thought that we may have been there too. It's a railway station with a footbridge and there's a museum too. When my grandad was alive, he worked in the train industry and one summer, my younger brother drove a steam train with my grandad. I can remember the experience really well, and I think there are some photos somewhere of it. But other than that, here's not much else to go on. I might ask my Nan if she remembers it, because I can't imagine that she would've missed a day out with her grandchildren! If I get any more info, I'll let you know.
Talking of families, my mum continues working on finding out what the members of our family did for a living and where they've come from, she's been clearing out the loft, slowly and has come across literally hundreds of photos of my great grandparents (we think), grandparents on my dad's side and auntie, and of course my dad when he was a lot younger. So the saga goes on, we're not sure whether we're of German decent with an Anglicised surname, because my great grandad's birth certificate isn't in England, and he married a servant girl.... Interesting! I'll keep you posted!
Beer, particularly the Chappel Beer festival, which I promised I'd talk about when I found the one that I really enjoyed drinking. Chris and I had more than a couple of beers between us, a few which we really enjoyed and some that weren't so great...the two outstanding beers were the first ones we'd picked to try. I had a Raspberry Wheat Beer from the Milestone Brewery which was really enjoyable and I could drink a lot of, it wasn't too sweet and the flavour was at the back of your mouth rather than the first thing you taste. I liked it as an amateur, though if you type it into google the reviews are less favourable. Chris started with a beer called Bodger from the Idle Brewery which was really nice.
The rest didn't quite have the same impact (Brewer-Beer)
Stonehenge - Pigswill (not much better than it's name)
Green Tye - Union Jack (Meant to be biscuity, but wasn't)
Brentwood - Chockwork Orange (Very dark, very strong)
Cathedral - Eight Bells (a little too lemony)
Red Fox - Hunters Gold
Oakham - Warped
Being at Chappel was a little strange. I felt like I'd been there before and when I had a conversation with my mum she thought that we may have been there too. It's a railway station with a footbridge and there's a museum too. When my grandad was alive, he worked in the train industry and one summer, my younger brother drove a steam train with my grandad. I can remember the experience really well, and I think there are some photos somewhere of it. But other than that, here's not much else to go on. I might ask my Nan if she remembers it, because I can't imagine that she would've missed a day out with her grandchildren! If I get any more info, I'll let you know.
Talking of families, my mum continues working on finding out what the members of our family did for a living and where they've come from, she's been clearing out the loft, slowly and has come across literally hundreds of photos of my great grandparents (we think), grandparents on my dad's side and auntie, and of course my dad when he was a lot younger. So the saga goes on, we're not sure whether we're of German decent with an Anglicised surname, because my great grandad's birth certificate isn't in England, and he married a servant girl.... Interesting! I'll keep you posted!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Here it is...
The email that was promised has been delivered, so here is a photo blog with captions and photos by Chris...and the rest by me.
The weekend just gone was spent with numerous people, some whom I haven't seen for a long time, others I have spent a lot of time with recently.
We started off with a trip to the pub, for my youngest brother's birthday. Like my Dad said, there are no more teenagers in our family. It's shocking to think that he's two decades old, when I remember him being just two days old. A lot has happened in the last twenty years. I'm glad our family keeps growing. It has changed shape quite a lot and that's a good thing. We had a full clan, all four siblings together, plus significant others. It's weird to think that we could potentially be ten strong, if we were all together in the same room. It's nice to be able to share and know that everyone gets along. There aren't any pictures of this event as far as I know, it would've been nice to have one of all 10 of us though.
So that was Friday, and Saturday started earlier than I ever imagined. Chris and I were out of the door at 7:20am heading to Brands Hatch to see the DTM Qualifying. We were there as part of Chris' birthday present. So spent the morning watching the free practice and the support races. In the afternoon we walked around the pit lane (the surprise part of the birthday present) and paddock, and the photo's tell the rest of the story...
Sparks fly as Alexandre Premat exits Paddock Hill bend.
Me and British Driver Jamie Green who finished fourth in last seasons DTM Championship. (Jamie was lovely, he must've been out signing for ages)
Johannes Seidlitz's VeggieTales.de sponsored Audi sits in the Garage. (So excited about the sponsor for this one!)
British driver Katherine Legge blasts through Graham Hill bend.
Pole sitter and race winner, British driver Paul Di Resta heads round Druids bend.
Ralf Schumacher signs autographs after borrowing Chris' pen. (Chris was super excited)
Me on the Brabham Straight with the grid behind.
Brit Susie Stoddard in her bright pink Mercedes. (I want this car)
Winner of more Le Mans races than anyone in history, Tom Kristensen exits Druids followed closely by Christian Bakkerud.
Aren't they all brilliant pictures? Chris spent a long time taking photos and I think he's done a really good job of picking out some great photos for my blog. Of course you can visit his website here.
Sunday started early too, Chris went to race day and i had to be at church for the start of term. Then I went over to lakeside to be a bridesmaid for the afternoon.
It's been really busy, and I am really still recovering, but very happy that I get to start the year doing so many wonderful things! long may it continue!
The weekend just gone was spent with numerous people, some whom I haven't seen for a long time, others I have spent a lot of time with recently.
We started off with a trip to the pub, for my youngest brother's birthday. Like my Dad said, there are no more teenagers in our family. It's shocking to think that he's two decades old, when I remember him being just two days old. A lot has happened in the last twenty years. I'm glad our family keeps growing. It has changed shape quite a lot and that's a good thing. We had a full clan, all four siblings together, plus significant others. It's weird to think that we could potentially be ten strong, if we were all together in the same room. It's nice to be able to share and know that everyone gets along. There aren't any pictures of this event as far as I know, it would've been nice to have one of all 10 of us though.
So that was Friday, and Saturday started earlier than I ever imagined. Chris and I were out of the door at 7:20am heading to Brands Hatch to see the DTM Qualifying. We were there as part of Chris' birthday present. So spent the morning watching the free practice and the support races. In the afternoon we walked around the pit lane (the surprise part of the birthday present) and paddock, and the photo's tell the rest of the story...
Sparks fly as Alexandre Premat exits Paddock Hill bend.
Me and British Driver Jamie Green who finished fourth in last seasons DTM Championship. (Jamie was lovely, he must've been out signing for ages)
Johannes Seidlitz's VeggieTales.de sponsored Audi sits in the Garage. (So excited about the sponsor for this one!)
British driver Katherine Legge blasts through Graham Hill bend.
Pole sitter and race winner, British driver Paul Di Resta heads round Druids bend.
Ralf Schumacher signs autographs after borrowing Chris' pen. (Chris was super excited)
Me on the Brabham Straight with the grid behind.
Brit Susie Stoddard in her bright pink Mercedes. (I want this car)
Winner of more Le Mans races than anyone in history, Tom Kristensen exits Druids followed closely by Christian Bakkerud.
Aren't they all brilliant pictures? Chris spent a long time taking photos and I think he's done a really good job of picking out some great photos for my blog. Of course you can visit his website here.
Sunday started early too, Chris went to race day and i had to be at church for the start of term. Then I went over to lakeside to be a bridesmaid for the afternoon.
It's been really busy, and I am really still recovering, but very happy that I get to start the year doing so many wonderful things! long may it continue!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The Time Traveler's Wife
Chris and I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife last night at the Odeon in Colchester.
I've tried to explain the storyline to Chris, with very little success, purely because it is really complicated to do so, without giving huge chunks of the story away. So we went to see the movie, I went out of pure curiosity to see how the director would play it out, I think Chris went just for the clarification!
The movie has some of the elements of the book, but for me the book is far more exciting and fills in the characters a bit more. So I was a little disappointing that we didn't get to properly meet Alicia (Clair's sister) and I imagined Gomez to be taller and skinnier. I will still imagine them this way, the movie didn't have a great effect on my imagination that has been building characters for a few years now.
Still I cried. And passed comment. And knew how it would end. And enjoyed every moment of it. Although sometimes the characters seemed a little cold, and shallow.
There are parts of Claire's and henry's life that you just don't get from the movie, that to me are important in the story.
Read the book first, please.
I've tried to explain the storyline to Chris, with very little success, purely because it is really complicated to do so, without giving huge chunks of the story away. So we went to see the movie, I went out of pure curiosity to see how the director would play it out, I think Chris went just for the clarification!
The movie has some of the elements of the book, but for me the book is far more exciting and fills in the characters a bit more. So I was a little disappointing that we didn't get to properly meet Alicia (Clair's sister) and I imagined Gomez to be taller and skinnier. I will still imagine them this way, the movie didn't have a great effect on my imagination that has been building characters for a few years now.
Still I cried. And passed comment. And knew how it would end. And enjoyed every moment of it. Although sometimes the characters seemed a little cold, and shallow.
There are parts of Claire's and henry's life that you just don't get from the movie, that to me are important in the story.
Read the book first, please.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Memories
I've been looking at my blog really quickly to see if I ever mentioned my interview for St Michael's, Stoke Gifford, that I had dinner with the founder of imdb.com and his family, and I don't think I did. The actual post didn't say very much about the day, but was more a couple of photos.
Anyway, the founder of imdb.com is at a showing of The Time Traveler's Wife, which happens to be one of my favourite novels. Once again, I don't think I've mentioned it before now, which is a little strange, considering that Henry introduced me to it and that was a long time ago! Col is at a showing of the movie, which comes from the novel and I am dying to see it. (Ok, so on further investigation, it turns out I have mentioned the release of the movie before now!)
I'm like a die-hard Harry Potter fan about this. Extremely jealous that there's someone I know seeing it before me and wondering all of the time what it's going to be like, whether the characters are going to be just how I imagine them, or whether the director is going to give me a greater insight to what the characters are like. Which bits are going to be missed out (because we all know you can't fit everything in) and which bits are to be deemed central to the story (though I will tell you that all of it is equally important).
I would go to the premier of this one, if I knew when it was!
Umm..
My talk on King Josiah went really well on Sunday - lots of people commented on it, though as always, I think I could've done better. Soon I will set up a blog, like those before me (my dad and sister), for the sole purpose of publishing talks and essays etc!
Last weekend was spent with Chris on Saturday, in London, looking around the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. I had a really good time, looking at the history of the earth and the technology that has come from F1 cars. We both got to a point where we just said 'enough' and headed home. London was crazy busy, but we got home ok and in time for me to fall asleep before we had to go out again for drinks and dinner with Chris' friends. We spent Sunday sat in Chris' garden, in the wonderful weather, eating some of the best BBQ food!
Friday night was another Shaken Up summer party. I BBQ'd with an instant BBQ for 16 young people! It was a lot of fun after spending Thursday with the older members of the group at Adventure Island.
This week is recovery and preparation for the new term before holiday!
Anyway, the founder of imdb.com is at a showing of The Time Traveler's Wife, which happens to be one of my favourite novels. Once again, I don't think I've mentioned it before now, which is a little strange, considering that Henry introduced me to it and that was a long time ago! Col is at a showing of the movie, which comes from the novel and I am dying to see it. (Ok, so on further investigation, it turns out I have mentioned the release of the movie before now!)
I'm like a die-hard Harry Potter fan about this. Extremely jealous that there's someone I know seeing it before me and wondering all of the time what it's going to be like, whether the characters are going to be just how I imagine them, or whether the director is going to give me a greater insight to what the characters are like. Which bits are going to be missed out (because we all know you can't fit everything in) and which bits are to be deemed central to the story (though I will tell you that all of it is equally important).
I would go to the premier of this one, if I knew when it was!
Umm..
My talk on King Josiah went really well on Sunday - lots of people commented on it, though as always, I think I could've done better. Soon I will set up a blog, like those before me (my dad and sister), for the sole purpose of publishing talks and essays etc!
Last weekend was spent with Chris on Saturday, in London, looking around the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. I had a really good time, looking at the history of the earth and the technology that has come from F1 cars. We both got to a point where we just said 'enough' and headed home. London was crazy busy, but we got home ok and in time for me to fall asleep before we had to go out again for drinks and dinner with Chris' friends. We spent Sunday sat in Chris' garden, in the wonderful weather, eating some of the best BBQ food!
Friday night was another Shaken Up summer party. I BBQ'd with an instant BBQ for 16 young people! It was a lot of fun after spending Thursday with the older members of the group at Adventure Island.
This week is recovery and preparation for the new term before holiday!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Shaping the future
So I have had time to sit and think about various parts of my life over the last three weeks or so, and am blogging that the request of several people who think it is rude for me to leave you all waiting for the next installment. (I'm sure that blogging every day would serve me better as well, sorry everyone).
Firstly, before I reveal my thoughts, I'd promised to do something for someone very special. Well, it could probably be classed as a shameless plug, really, but I think, in my humble opinion that you should all click on the link below
http://www.chrisgurtonphotography.com/
Just because you know you want to spend some time looking at some amazing photographs! And possibly buying one that you really like.
Chris is really talented and I'm a very proud owner of two of his pictures.
This is one of my favourites
.jpg)
This is the original photo, but I've got a copy that's got my surname in place of the drivers surname, and it's framed, and hanging above my bed! I wish I had a Honda Civic, and I wish I could drive it properly!
Ta da, Chris, you're famous!
How do I know Chris? Well, glad you asked, we've been in a relationship for a month nearly, but it seems a lot longer, and I'm not shy about telling people that we met on match.com, I will recommend it to you. I was at an event that Chris was photographing last week and one of the mum's said 'We've probably got one of the fittest photographers in East Essex' - I can tell you that I didn't disagree with her!
So, I have thought more about being on a boat for a little shy of a week and will probably do it again. I had an amazing time, and had completely forgotten what it was like to be involved in the run up to and being on camp. I do love it lots and am grateful that the team Andy and Alice pulled together worked really hard and made camp lots of fun! Despite being constantly put down for my complete lack of skill when it comes to card shuffling and not knowing the first thing about boats, I think that Falcon is a unique camp and a great chance to work with young people full time. Again something I would highly recommend, if you like working with teens!
So this last week I have been running head long into preparation for doing the talk at next weeks 10am service. I'm preaching on King Josiah, who, at the age of 8, found himself a king of a ruined country. A country that didn't believe in God, didn't know what the rules were, let alone follow them and was just plain messy... sound familiar? So my question for the week is what are you doing to change your world? King Josiah was just 26 when he started to rebuild the main temple in Jerusalem...kinda puts my generation to shame really! He turned a whole nation around and honoured God wholly... quite an example for the church to follow!
It's not all been work though. Chris took me out for my birthday shopping trip, and we spent lots of money on many wonderful things, plus I 'helped' him (stood and watched) with an event and met some of the young farmers in the area. I also spent time with some friends from school and my last job, when we celebrated another 25th birthday. As well as spending time with the ladies who help run shaken up, we went for a meal to celebrate the summer holidays and the work that has taken place over the last year. It was a lot of fun but a very busy day!
I also saw my sister before she heads off to Uganda for a couple of weeks, next Sunday. I spent 7 hours in my car the Saturday before, after getting stuck in traffic both ways! It was not fun, but made better by good music, good food and a proper chance to catch up!
I then spent a further three hours in my car the next day, as we had our annual trip to a theme park! Tough going, but well worth it. We managed to get on the Saw ride, which totally panicked me, but was so much fun by the time the ride came to a stop. Quite a lot better than oblivion! I was exhausted the following day as I sat down to review the last couple of months with my line manager and the head of my management committee.
In all my tiredness and excitement though, I am seriously happy right now. With my job and the other parts of life. I am eternally grateful for the church that let me do my first year out...which has lead to so many opportunities!
That's all I have to say for now! I have planning and writing to do this week, plus a couple of events that might happen, but I will write about that when the time comes!
Firstly, before I reveal my thoughts, I'd promised to do something for someone very special. Well, it could probably be classed as a shameless plug, really, but I think, in my humble opinion that you should all click on the link below
http://www.chrisgurtonphotography.com/
Just because you know you want to spend some time looking at some amazing photographs! And possibly buying one that you really like.
Chris is really talented and I'm a very proud owner of two of his pictures.
This is one of my favourites
.jpg)
This is the original photo, but I've got a copy that's got my surname in place of the drivers surname, and it's framed, and hanging above my bed! I wish I had a Honda Civic, and I wish I could drive it properly!
Ta da, Chris, you're famous!
How do I know Chris? Well, glad you asked, we've been in a relationship for a month nearly, but it seems a lot longer, and I'm not shy about telling people that we met on match.com, I will recommend it to you. I was at an event that Chris was photographing last week and one of the mum's said 'We've probably got one of the fittest photographers in East Essex' - I can tell you that I didn't disagree with her!
So, I have thought more about being on a boat for a little shy of a week and will probably do it again. I had an amazing time, and had completely forgotten what it was like to be involved in the run up to and being on camp. I do love it lots and am grateful that the team Andy and Alice pulled together worked really hard and made camp lots of fun! Despite being constantly put down for my complete lack of skill when it comes to card shuffling and not knowing the first thing about boats, I think that Falcon is a unique camp and a great chance to work with young people full time. Again something I would highly recommend, if you like working with teens!
So this last week I have been running head long into preparation for doing the talk at next weeks 10am service. I'm preaching on King Josiah, who, at the age of 8, found himself a king of a ruined country. A country that didn't believe in God, didn't know what the rules were, let alone follow them and was just plain messy... sound familiar? So my question for the week is what are you doing to change your world? King Josiah was just 26 when he started to rebuild the main temple in Jerusalem...kinda puts my generation to shame really! He turned a whole nation around and honoured God wholly... quite an example for the church to follow!
It's not all been work though. Chris took me out for my birthday shopping trip, and we spent lots of money on many wonderful things, plus I 'helped' him (stood and watched) with an event and met some of the young farmers in the area. I also spent time with some friends from school and my last job, when we celebrated another 25th birthday. As well as spending time with the ladies who help run shaken up, we went for a meal to celebrate the summer holidays and the work that has taken place over the last year. It was a lot of fun but a very busy day!
I also saw my sister before she heads off to Uganda for a couple of weeks, next Sunday. I spent 7 hours in my car the Saturday before, after getting stuck in traffic both ways! It was not fun, but made better by good music, good food and a proper chance to catch up!
I then spent a further three hours in my car the next day, as we had our annual trip to a theme park! Tough going, but well worth it. We managed to get on the Saw ride, which totally panicked me, but was so much fun by the time the ride came to a stop. Quite a lot better than oblivion! I was exhausted the following day as I sat down to review the last couple of months with my line manager and the head of my management committee.
In all my tiredness and excitement though, I am seriously happy right now. With my job and the other parts of life. I am eternally grateful for the church that let me do my first year out...which has lead to so many opportunities!
That's all I have to say for now! I have planning and writing to do this week, plus a couple of events that might happen, but I will write about that when the time comes!
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