Christmas!!

Oh 'tis the season - to be jolly, to go the wrong way down a one way system, to be offered an eye test on Christmas eve! Umm...how about NO!

Sorry there's been no picture, but once again my laptop decided to give up, as soon as the internet was turned off, so is in the process.

Dad, you did reconise me, but didn't say much about my hair!!

Sexy, everything about me's so sexy!

I've had a hair cut! Yeah! I'll put a photo up as soon as I've done some work!

Dissertation is going well, as well as procastinating can do!

The First of the 'lasts'....

There's a time in your life when you will do 'lasts'. Today that kinda hit me. As a house we've had our last christmas meal, which was good. Today was the last time I would tell the Christmas story to the pre-schoolers. Having done it three years in a row I have got very used to it, and they have got used to me. They sang me a christmas song, which was brilliant and I gave them chocolates! I cried on the way home - how sad am I?

One other thing happened today. Our landlord came over to fix a few things (very efficient!) and asked about Henry. When I told him that we were engaged he almost had a heart attack, as did I to his reaction! So he left with a smile on his face, he always enjoys seeing us!!

Christmas Dinner

One of four! The first was today, with my housemates, and it was gorgeous! Well done to Alex for cooking the turkey perfectly and bringing it altogether before henry had to leave! It was wonderful, I don't normally agree with using packets of food but this was good! Aunt Bessie, saviour for students!
The second one is happening on thursday with the girls from my course, if I can book it! The third is on sunday, with fusion, we're having X factor stylee kareoke, for which I am doing drinks (non-alcoholic) and the final one is on Christmas day with my famil and a very special guest - Henry :D. Oh and I'll add the last one on Boxing day, with close family, and Henry!

Yeay for Chirstmas!

A birthday worth celebrating!

Lisa with drink in hand, Alex with a smile on her face! Yes we dressed as builders! Says it all really!
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Birthday girl, Diane, how beautiful
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21 is an amazing age to be, we're pretty much all there at the moment. It has it's stresses but thats all part of life, and you deal with it in your own way! We tend to deal with it by celebrating a birthday....

The cake I made, with a little help from Alex... A mississippi mud pie that, although a little heavy, went down a treat!
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Do you want to go to University?

FCH in the snow! I'm not one to do advertising, but doesn't it look amazing?
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Here's a pretty good place! God said Wow at the same time I did, just as I walked on to campus, and saw the chapel in all its glory!

A wedding

Ewan and Rachel - 12th November 2005
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A Cheltenham youth worker nd a University friend. A good celebration of a wonderful couple! God Bless them both!

From a Different Point of View

I attended a very interesting lecture today. It was on the narrative of Joseph. I walked to the lecture singing every Joseph song I could remember.

Joseph is portrayed in the musical as being picked on by his brothers, but having done a course in the whole of Genesis, it looks very different if you read it with a little knowledge! In Chapter 37v3 it says about Joseph giving a bad report of the sons of the maidservants. Is he being deceptive, because he knows he's favourite, or is he telling the truth? Jacob's past isn't all that pure. Looking back at Chapter 27, Jacob poses as he brother to get his inheritance, after feeding Isaac! You can learn a lot about someones character by looking at their father! Next time you come across this story, look at it from a different point of view, you will be very surprised!

We also went out as a house last night for the first time in ages. We went out as builders and got lots of offers to paint student houses and do a bit of plumbing, surprisingly I was the only one who made it to lectures today! Bless them all!

What a weekend

Luton was really good, going home was good too. I got to talk about weddings all weekend, from chocolate fountains to dresses! (Sorry mike for boring you silly on saturday!) I managed to get everything I wanted except the thing I actually wanted, now I have to buy wrapping paper for christmas, with just proves how dim I acutally am.

Lectures and Lisa tomorrow. It's diane's birthday and we're in full preparation mode at the moment. We're dressing up as builders, and I will have photos of everything by the end of the week for you!!

Luton!

Back I go!! There are four places I'm very familiar with now, home, cheltenham, luton and malvern. Spending the weekend in luton without my sister is going to be really weird. I've almost got no one to follow round like sheep for a couple of days, for the first time I'll be Henry's fiancee rather than Karen's sister! WEIRD! It's going to be a lot of fun though, cos I get to go home while I'm over that side of the country. I'm going to see if the magic fairy still lives at number 24!

Saturday is going to be a long day, but a fun one too! I've got clothes and wrapping paper to pick up - all related to christmas in some way!

I'm enjoying Advent, its been a lot of fun so far. Yes I have finished my Christmas shopping, so I can enjoy the reason for the season now, with only my dissertation hanging over me!

Strange world

Something weird is going on in Cheltenham. Children are generally crawling the walls (three schools almost shut down because of 'riots') and the people living in our area are getting worse. Someone knocked in the back window of one of my housemates car today, just because she was blocking a track that leads to some houses. An over-reaction by any standards. That kind of thing is becoming more regular. Also we are getting mixed signals from lecturers in our department. The regulations for the university state that students must be within 10% of the word limit for any assignment submitted otherwise they face penalties, but lecturers are telling some students that they can go over the 10% and will not be marked down.
Pray for this town, it's becoming harder to live here. I'm definitely looking forward to going home..but then I always do!

Ebay-ing

Yes I know it's not a word, but I had my first experience of the world of ebay. You must've been locked in an cupboard for the last 5 years or so if you don't know what ebay is, but just to refresh the memory of those who can't remember it's an online auction site.
I had my first taste of it today, bidding for a friend, and I can't see the draw. Sat in front of a computer, bidding for an item you've never touched? Only a picture, from a source that you've never met. Some find it exciting, I only find it frustrating and a waste of time! Go shopping, not online, but get all touchy-feely with what you want to buy!!

Love

It's a strange thing. We were asked the question - Have you ever felt love in any way? It's surprising the amount of people who don't immediately put their hands up or nod in a satisfactory way. Society attaches love to relationship love, eros, for those of you studying greek. Boy/girl, can't keep your hands off them love. Ok so I thought of Henry first off and had to be reminded that my friends, my parents and my siblings all love me, in one way or another.

So in fact we are all loved, by someone (probably more than one person) at any one time. One of the chain emails that goes around is 'someone is thinking of you right now', and then it gets all soppy after that, but it is true. Ok, most people find that hard to figure, but I don't. I know God always loves me and is always thinking of me. Even when I'm in the darkest place, hiding from the lamp on the stand ("Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house" Matt 5:15). God is there, thinking of me, us. We are not alone (that is a tagline, but I don't where from). We ARE loved.

I was going to give my testimony, but there wasn't enough time, so maybe its not right for me to tell it just yet. There are things we all need to think about...

"You...may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" Ephesians 3:17-19

It's tough being in this world, but God loves us to the ends of the earth, and that's when we are closest to Him!

P.S. No I didn't hand write it all, click here to find out why!

A bad night's sleep

Umm... I was woken up at 2am and kept awake for ages last night. I had to be up at 8am this morning, which is the earliest I have to get up during the week, and not having any sleep the night before I was not a happy bunny!! Tomorrow I have to get up at 5.45 to go to bristol to do some paid work! It's going to be loads of fun if I get woken up tonight!

Genesis

Give an account of the themes and theology of the creation narratives (Genesis 1-3)?

I started today, and am taking a quick break before doing more. I know you're asking, how can she get two thousand words out of that? Well consider that I've got to look at other creation stories along the way and there are about four different takes on the theology of genesis that I've come across, I know there are more too. I could get an essay out of just 'Discuss the theology of creation in genesis'. Don't forget it also includes the Fall of Man!

Argh, here I go again.

P.S. No-one has owned up to the chocolate spread stealing, none has been stolen since I told everyone though...ummm...what do I make of that?

Chocolate spread, amongst other things!

Someone is stealing my chocolate spread... I thought I was safe, I was sure no-one else likes the stuff in my house, and generally people ask if they want something, but no. Someone has taken some and not owned up. I know I am unnecessarily stressing, but it is a luxury and I have lived with these girls for at least two years. I'm not angry, just upset that they didn't ask first.

It's all good otherwise. I keep getting asked what it's like to be engaged. It's like being asked how it feels to be older on the day of your birthday. I don't feel any different, because I've always felt like this. Ok happier than I've ever been before, but then I've felt that way since I started going out with Henry. So yeah, it's like normal.

I'm watching Taming of the Shrew, very good!

Giving Blood

I gave blood today, for the 5th time, though I actually have two donor cards so I probably won't get a new card just yet. Not that it matters, I always enjoy doing it and feel its the only worthwhile thing my blood can do (other than keep me alive)!! The staff are always wonderful and make the whole experience fun. Ok so if needles aren't your thing then you won't like it, but I promise you its a good feeling. Just remeber to press hard after the needles been taken out, otherwise you could have issues (like me, there's always one!)
Anyway, on with work!

Religious Education

What is Religious Education meant to do? What did it do for you? Can you remember what you learnt from time in Religious Education?

I'm ashamed to say I didn't learn a lot up to the age of 16 because it didn't make me think. GCSE RE, I found out today, is simple in comparision to Year 9 RE. How wrong is that? I feel very cheated! Ok so I only acheived a D but at least I turned up to the exam, which is more than can be said for some!

Macbeth on the BBC, worthwhile, I'll be tempted if they're going to bring out this series on DVD!