my town ROCKS

so melbourne is currently hosting the world swimming championships. i know that if daz and i were home right now, it would be consuming our lives! i also know that i would watch numerous sessions with jayne and that the three of us would have done our absolute best to get into the stadium in any way possible.
they built the pool in a sports arena that seats about 15,000. watch the clip below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niJb6fv8-I0

you've gotta love MELBOURNE!!!

thoughts and learning

i've been getting itchy feet this week about my learning. i feel like i have stopped. and i've just noticed this. i need to read more. i want to learn more. about so many different things. if you don't make this a priority, it's something that can easily slip away. go by unnoticed. but the feeling i am feeling now is where to start. there are so many areas that i am interested in. arrgghh. i am wishing there were more hours in the day. goals are important to have. i think i need to write down some tangible goals and some out there goals, just to help get my head sorted about which areas are really the ones i am going to pursue. i am also going to start eating better and exercising properly again come monday. i have been slack the last few weeks. the snow is all gone now, so i can start running outside again.

i got some great news today. my grandma and auntie mary are coming to my wedding! i think dad said they are booking their tickets this week. woo hoo. i feel very special that grandma will be at my wedding. i remember when our oldest cousin paul got married, she kept commenting that the rest of us had better hurry up and get married before she dies! well since then only kerryn and louise have gotten married. grandma didn't make it to kerryn's wedding, but made up for that by visiting at daniels birth. so i'll be the 4th grandchild to get married (she's only got 9 and after me, there's one promising relationship but who knows about the other 4 boys...). so i guess that's why i'm priviledged enough for her to fly to the opposite side of the world! by that stage, she'll be 85! but she's going to kick on forever. yay for grandma.

also, i missed a birthday this week. kat mellody turned 21. oh i wish i could have been at her 21st. she's one of the funniest girls i know. love ya kat, happy birthday. (kat is 2nd from left - pictured with emma, annie and miriam - left to right).

birthdays birthdays birthdays

Today is a day to wish more birthday wishes (and there's more to come this week!)

seth, jodie and me

Tuesday was Jodie Lomer's birthday. Jodie is a great friend of mine. Wife of Jay and mother of Ethan and Seth. She's a strong pray-er and always up for a chat. She's been a long time friend of mine and i was priviledged to be in her wedding party (all those years ago - ha ha). She loves and cares for people well. She's a constant.

Today is Shirl Lewis' birthday. Shirl is an extremely busy woman. Wife of Chris and mother of Emma, Dustin and Jake. Shirl is also a great friend of mine. She's like family. Both Darren and I have spent time living with the Lewis family and both of us had a great time there. Two Christmases ago, while I back home, the Lewis family were in Seattle with my family. We love them a lot.

Happy Birthday to both of you!!! Wish I could be there to celebrate (and to swim in your pool shirl - i am still wearing my winter jacket and mitts - much rather be in your backyard with my bathers on!).

shirl is in the blue

My week is going well, though i am getting tired. After march break last week, with these guys here from new york this week, while it's fun and going well, i am getting less sleep than i did on camp and have more responsibility. but thats all good. got to go.

exhausted

so i am still feeling very tired after my last 10 days or so. i slept for a long time last night, but still need some more sleep. i am now sitting in my office waiting for the next storm to arrive. this storm consists of 13 people from the Project 1:17 Team who are here with us for a week of mission. i'm responsible for them. so that will be a lovely time i am sure. no seriously, i am looking forward to it, but it is a little stressful and busy!!!
our new ignite hoodies arrived today so that was a nice little surprise. i like them. i will take a picture soon and post it so you can all see!!!
it's matt's birthday on sunday, but he's going away with geoff down to illinois on friday and won't be back till monday, so that will be sad that he's gone, but we can celebrate when he gets back. i know what i am getting him, but i can't tell coz sometimes he reads my blogs, as do some of the other gateway boys and i'm sure it would get out. i hope he likes it. i can't wait. i think it's great! ha ha.
ok, well have a nice day. and take my new quiz. come on. don't be scared, just do it. nice to see that heather power is in the lead as she and cath (cate) called me and matt a long time before we even met!!!

long time no blog

so it's been a while. last weekend i went to our church's 6th anniversary. it was a good time. i didn't get much sleep though...but that's another story...not my fault this time either.
then after that i spent the whole week at march break camp. basically, canadian spring break. so i was up at jacksons point with about 60 crazy kids and even crazier leaders (crazier because we volunteered to go and look after the crazy kids). it was a hard time, yet really great. i was looking after the teens and i got to spend some good quality time with them, but also got to have a lot of fun as well. i also realised after playing ball hockey with them for an hour and a half on tuesday that i am possibly nt as fit as i should or could be. i must get on to that. it will be easier as the snow is nearly gone. i can't wait.
anyway, just wanted to give a quick update. this will be a busy week too, i am looking after a mission team that is coming up from new york tomorrow. ahh things are never quiet round here.
mum and dad have confirmed their trip here too. so that's sweet. they arrive on april18th and will be here for a week. daz might be able to squeeze in a trip also while they are here, so that will be great!
also, it was merf's birthday yesterday, i haven't had a chance to call her yet and say happy birthday, so if you see her, tell her i send a big hug and kisses. i love you merf. happy birthday.

options options

life is all about options. there are always choices to be made and sometimes we can make decisions that can affect our lives hugely. yesterday my husband to be preached the best sermon i have ever heard him preach and the best one i've heard in a while! of course, as it always is the case, when it comes to God, we are the ones who have to make the decisions. in our lives we can be presented with many opportunities, and while sometimes they can be great, they may not necessarily be God's best.
i can remember a few clear moments in my life when i knew i was about to make a decision that would alter the rest of my life.
more recently one was in october 2005 when i decided to move to canada. i didn't know how much at the time, but i knew my life would be different because of this. i also knew things would never be the same again. last year, my mum was around late july and at that stage when i decided to not go back to vermont this year but to stay here longer, i knew again that was another major decision that would alter the course of my life.
these decisions are becoming more frequent in my life at the moment. i could look at that as being scary, but i find it exciting. i feel blessed and want to make the most of these opportunities and life. to quote (with a few little adjustments) the founder of TSA, william booth 'my days, at the most, cannot be very long, so i must use them to the best of my ability for the glory of God and the benefit of my generation'!

bec

this is just a quick post. i have a pic of bec smiling! some other tributes to bec on blogspot can be found by emma and our t.c. (jim knaggs) (australia southern).

celebrate life today!