Getting soaked in Bath

Those road trips to meet up with friends you haven't seen for months, to explore somewhere you don't usually go which are planned months in advance...only to be hampered by the British weather? Still love them!

I hadn't been to Bath for years and some of the girls hadn't been at all so it was the obvious choice for a city to meet up in. It's also roughly halfway between Southampton and Cardiff so Sophie didn't have to do all of the driving to meet up with us. Bath is one of those cities you have to visit in the UK as it's rich in historical culture and is beautiful to wander around. The rain stopped after lunch and we enjoyed the gorgeous sunset whilst walking around the Royal Crescent giving stunning light for photos.

Being young professionals and not flushed with cash we decided not to do the Roman Baths tour (arguably what Bath is most famous for) and instead walked around the cobbled streets, had lunch at Giraffe and chatted not stop to catch up with each other. It was a perfect day!

(The photos are dark and many had rain drops on my lense so I couldn't use them, they're still memories though!)

Thankful Thursday

It's the first week of Autumn and there's so much to be thankful for I'm a little giddy from it all so here goes:

1. I found a room mate! Literally months of praying and my friend I lived with in Georgia is moving from France to live with me. Now that's worth waiting for. I can't wait for her to move in and we're already planning the next few months of fun. 

2. The Autumn weather has been beautiful. The mornings have been crisp and fresh with the bright sunshine shining all day and warming up my office. I've loved walking in my lunch break with the sun warming my face. 

3. I booked my summer holiday. Finally. So, I guess going on holiday in October doesn't really count as summer, but as we're off to the Algarve in Portugal I'm hoping it'll still be warm and sunny. The hotel is 4* and the deal was an absolute bargain. Can't wait to have time with my boyfriend without work/life distracting us from each other. 

4.  Sailing. Lots. I know my post the other day made it sound like I didn't like sailing with my boyfriend but I really do...even though we always disagree we have a great time still. The weather has been great for sailing lately and we're getting out on the water a lot. 

5. Where I am. This time last year I was in a job I despised and was ill through stress, anxiety and tiredness. This year I'm in a job which I feel good in, work 9-5.30 and have my evenings free. This makes me more available for other areas and people outside of my day job. Very thankful for where I am 12 months on. 

What are you thankful for? 

Hosea

I know I'm late with this Hosea thoughts post for She Reads Truth but it really took me a while to gather and decipher my own feelings about this book.

It's a story of unthinkable grace, love which abounds and mercy which only Christ can show to us. For a man to be told to marry the outcast; an unclean woman who cheats on him many a time, only for him to keep loving, keep forgiving.

God's love story for Israel and Judah are written out in this book and to be honest that was the hardest part to read. This isn't a book for the faint hearted that's for sure! His wrath is plain and it's almost scary to read, hard to swallow. Because the truth is, alike Israel and Judah, and alike  Gomer, I too prove faithless and flippant about God's love at times. The people is Israel had been rescued from slavery, brought out into a promised land, provided for by God in every respect yet they still complained bitterly. Hands up, I complain a lot of the time about many different (very unimportant) things. God provides for me and yet I throw my little worldly tantrums and console myself in people and Netflix more than I seek Him.

The book of Hosea speaks of God binding himself to us and I imagine he's not talking about bonds which can be broken. The theme of marriage is also prevalent: that when we marry this is a worldly picture of God's relationship with His Church; His people. When we stand at the altar and promise to love our spouse for the rest of our lives this is a picture of how God entered into relationship with us when he came into our lives. A relationship which perseveres, loves through all things and places God above all else.

Most powerfully to me though is the image of God waiting for my return, with love and no anger:

11 v.9: "I will not execute my burning anger...for I am God and not a man,

for the Holy One is in your midst, and I will not come in wrath"

Nanny McPhee wannabe

I've been M.I.A. this week and that's because I've been taking on the role of Nanny McPhee to three sweet kids.

I've learnt a lot from my 2 day nanny stint and I'll share a few with you (for you to laugh at me of course):

1. When giving 3 under 7's breakfast, don't wear the same clothes you were planning to go to work in - they'll get a little covered in Nutella/milk/mashed up bagel etc. 
2. Start the wake up and get dressed routine with the oldest NEVER the youngest - it's a little hectic keeping an eye on a hungry under 2 when she's dressed and wanting breakfast and at least one of the other kids isn't even out of bed yet. 
3. Don't let any of them into the kitchen without you - just don't.
4. Give a lot of time to breakfast - I never appreciated just how long it can take to eat a bagel when you're 4. 
5. Preparation is key! Their mum left out clothes before she left for work in the evening, so the following morning this wasn't an issue. Simple.
6. Get yourself up 15 minutes before even waking up one of the kids - it's nice to get ready for work without tripping over discarded pyjamas/nappies/soft toys and various other things which get strewn about in the morning. 
7. If there's a loud crash upstairs during the late evening it's not always awful - ya'know, it could just be a bookcase being tipped over and when you go to check the bookcase will be ignored and he'll just ask for water, from the fridge, because you can't drink water from the tap or you'll die.
8. Prep. your muscles to physically drag little bodies from bed. 
9. If you haven't heard the under-2 for a few minutes, find her - she's up to something. 
10. Laugh at yourself! I did this a lot. I did this when I couldn't buckle the car seat for the upteenth time, when I couldn't carry a toddler and a car seat and had to look a little weird across the car park as I lugged both, when we all sang to the radio in the car and when I wondered if I'd ever find the missing shoes (which were there the night before, I'm sure they were!) 

So thank you to their parents, who although this whole scenario was doubtless a little stressful, I enjoyed myself and I hope the kids did too (a little, maybe, hope so). 

Now I'm off to Starbucks to celebrate keeping 3 little humans alive and well, hooray! 

Cowes Week 2014

Okay, so I admit, we weren't competing! I would like to one day but the thought of sitting on the very edge of a yacht whilst it speeds through the ocean does stir up some fear. The four of us stormed through race starting lines and sailed into Cowes unscathed...it was an actual miracle given the number of boats whizzing past us at top speed.

It was a stormy day and monsoon rain showers would drench us only to be replaced with burning hot sunshine a minute later. The sea was fairly rough out in the Solent too which meant a lot of holding on and not much opportunity for sunbathing on the deck or photo taking. The above photo of the boats was zoomed in and has a filter on it hence the bad quality but we had actually just passed through the start line of their race. There were moments when I wanted to keep my eyes closed so I wouldn't have to witness 20 yachts speeding towards us!

Lunch at the pub was delicious and then it was back out onto the choppy waters to sail back to the mainland. Once back into the Beaulieu River the water was calm and the sun came out so I went onto the deck to have a snooze before mooring.

Summer Saturdays are pretty darn great!

If you're not a Southerner and want to know what Cowes Week 2014 is click here.

Meeting Sophie

Yesterday Matt and I got to meet gorgeous baby Sophie, my first niece and such a joy to our family. She was in a good mood, barely cried and enjoyed being cuddled all afternoon. I think I'm going to enjoy spoiling this little girl with aunt affection and attention!

 I tried swaddling her and failed miserably...

Ready for bed

Just look at how small and perfect she is! Also, she swung Matt's opinion of babies and for that I'm thankful.

Introducing...

Sophie Annabella! Born Saturday evening to my sister-in-law and brother, with gorgeous little cheeks and blonde whisps of hair she is a little treasure to our family. I'M AN AUNT!

This obviously isn't me, it's my mum, who is overjoyed at becoming a grandma! 

I will go and meet her at the end of the month and give her lots of cuddles and love. In the meantime, I will pester my brother for facetime requests and photos. Babies are the best!

Congratulations to my Jon and Victoria on becoming a family of three! I will take my aunt duties seriously, including but  not limited to:-

• Teaching her to sail
• Teaching her to climb
• Cinema trips with mountains of popcorn
• Park trips where I will climb the apparatus too. 

Shhhh....

I've been pretty quiet on here lately and that's been for a very good reason.

I've moved!

Due to moving I've been extremely busy with packing/unpacking, painting furniture, lugging boxes about and generally trying to catch up on sleep. Falling shower rails, blinds and rain hasn't helped matters. As with every move there is the obligatory no internet period and my new flat doesn't seem to get a great 3G signal.

It's been an adventure though! My parents helped me shift furniture on Saturday and I felt a little bad I couldn't offer them a drink more interesting then water to quench their thirst. It has been HOT these past few weeks! Do yourself a favour and don't move in the summer.

I've yet to discover how to work the boiler and get hot water for a shower, but I've done the important things like arrange my mantle over the fire and cushions on my sofa. The morning sun streams in through the kitchen window and the afternoon sun warms the lounge and the bedrooms - perfect!

I'll have to put some photos up soon when I'm through with organising everything, I'm pretty house proud!

And to all the friends and family who have put up with me for the past few months, there'll be a dinner invitation through your door very soon I promise :-)

                             
                                                              Image from Google - I was too busy to take photos on Saturday!

Are you a nice girl or a good woman?

I recently finished reading Nice Girls Don't Change The World by Lynne Hybels. I have to be honest, I only started reading it because my mum had left it in my room and I had run out of books to read. I really struggle with many Christian books and tend to avoid them. This one was a little different though.

To start with, it's not a thousand pages of a Christian superstar telling you what you should be doing with your life, It's simply another woman's true story of her discovery of a loving God. The realisation that God's love doesn't need to be earnt but is given freely to anybody who accepts it. That being a good woman, somebody whose foundations rest in God's love, knows that HER life, HER personality and HER talents are deeply valued and recognised by God even if by nobody else, and who doesn't let fear ever keep her from stepping out and living for God, is ultimately a better choice than being a nice girl.

This is an excerpt from the end of the book and it touches on what we as women need to be striving for, praying for and hoping for:

May we be dangerous women.

May we be women who acknowledge our power to change, and grow, and be radically alive for God. 

May we be healers of wounds and righters of wrongs.

May we weep with those who weep and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

May we cherish children, embrace the elderly, and empower the poor.

May we pray deeply and teach wisely.

May we be strong and gentle leaders.

May we sing songs of joy and talk down fear. 

May we never hesitate to let passion push us, conviction compel us, and righteous anger energize us. 

May we strike fear into all that is unjust and evil in the world. 

May we dismantle abusive systems and silence lies with truth.

May we shine like stars in a darkened generation. 

May we overflow with goodness in the name of God and by the power of Jesus. And in that name, and by that power, may we change the world. 

This isn't a book which preaches, it's a book which encourages and energises us to be the best we can be. 

All excerpts taken from Nice Girls Don't Change The World, Lynne Hybels, Zondervan, 2005.Picture from www.christianaudio.com. 

High Five for Friday!

Well I think it's almost sorted now this whole new blog design malarky. It's been a mission and i'm the first to admit I had a whole lot of help from various people and of course the designer herself. She has the coolest shop on Etsy so if you're looking for a bit of a revamp of style for your blog check out her designs here. Back to Friday though because it's my favourite day of the working week!

1. I had a bit of a baking frenzy on Sunday and ended up baking a fruit loaf, a chocolate fudge cake and sultana/vanilla mini cupcakes with fudge icing and Malteasers. Not sure what happened there. Nesting hormones gone wild?! Who cares, if I do say so myself they all tasted amazing (I have actual tasters to back up this opinion too though...just to be certain). Here's the chocolate fudge cake...

2. One of the best things about my relationship with the boyfriend is that we share similar hobbies and can do them together sometimes. Not ALL the time obviously but it's great to share common joys in life. Tuesday we went climbing with some friends and took an obligatory selfie...of our feet though because let's face it, sweaty exercising faces aren't the greatest are they? My shoes are obviously the cute turquoise pair...

3. Not that this really pertains to my life but I found out you can breed a husky/retriever cross and they're just about the cutest pups out there. I want one. 

4.  I absolutely love spending time with friends, drinking coffee and eating something delicious. When the sun comes out and it's heat warms my skin that is even better. That's why this coffee date was full of laughs and a time of relaxing on a Saturday morning.

5. I saw these cute slippers in the Joules shop before Christmas but definitely wasn't going to pay 15 pounds for them...getting them for 4.50 was much better. While typing this I realise I don't have a pound sign on my keyboard...that's a little problematic. I also note this is another picture of my feet for which I apologise but I kinda like shoes so...

  

Have a great weekend!

2013 In Review

 

Being my first Google Blogger year (a Tumblr graduate I like to think) I thought it would be fun if I did as some of my (more successful/grown up) counterparts do and write about my year in review. 2013 was a tough year and i sure do hope 2014 is better on almost all accounts. However, I still have a lot to be thankful for so in bullet-point form, here I go:

1. I finished graduate school and became a teacher

2. I met this fantastic man who I can be silly and real with

3. Lots of friends got married so many chances to celebrate

4. I finally visited a best friend in Berlin

5. There were days spent sailing with loved ones

6. Long dog walks and bike rides in the New Forest National Park

7. I went to Barcelona...finally!

8. I saw my first West End show 

9. I did some charity work with teenagers

10. I went on great nights out with friends 

While creating this post I found pictures I'd long forgotten about! I'm glad I did this - give it a try! So from me to you, Happy New Year! May 2014 be filled with God's love and promises, with joy and laughter, all year through.