I am so, so bad......

~
I've just finished packing and cleaning up the kitchen, all ready for tomorrows adventure. Yes, it kind of reminds me of the good ol' days where I was always unpacking and packing and heading off into the great yonder.....

However, everything is a bit different now when I leave. I don't have flatmates any more, so I have to get the house tidied up. I've realised this is something my mother ingrained in me from a young age. No one likes to come home to a mess.

So, Check. Kitchen is all cleaned. Dishes put away, rubbish out, and........

oh my gosh, Tiwggy!!!

Normally when I go away I take Twiggy over to the farm so she can hang out with her mother and grandmother and people. Now, upon realising that I didn't even think about it, I don't have the time to get her over there tomorrow - unless of course I do as my mother has suggested and get up at 6 to leave at 6:30 to get her over there and myself to work on time.

Not going to happen!

I know this makes me sound like the worst cat owner in the whole wide world, but instead I'm opting for option 2.

Twiggy is now stuck in the house. There are two big bowls of food and water for her, and the litter box is all clean and ready to go.

I know I'm going to come home to a very grumpy moggy, but she'll be ok.
Hopefully the house will still be standing.

Growlings will be responded to on my return from the Capital.

I CAN'T WAIT!!! :)

a night in the park....

~
Last weekend my friends Danica and Neil came up to hang out, and we ended up over in Tauranga at a concert in the Domain to see Brooke Fraser, along with a few other Kiwi Artists.

It was a super lovely night..... the stars came out and danced while we ate lots of yummy food and listened to so many great songs.

While there a lady from the local radio station sponsoring the event snapped our picture and put it on the website. Thought I would post it on here for you guys to see. :)

contentment.......

~
I was sent a card for New Years from a good friend down in Christchurch....
in it she wrote:

we pray the year ahead will be a most fantastic one full of joy, friendship, adventure & contentment!

Sweet, right.
I kind of took offense at it.

What does she mean, wishing me contentment?!
Am I not content?

contentment

noun

happiness with one's situation in life

Is discontentment my friend?

I realised that perhaps I am. I wonder if I should ever find contentment, or will I constantly be thinking about somewhere else, or what ifs?

I seem to recall God calling us to find peace and purpose in the place where we are, understanding that while it may not feel like a perfect spot, it is the spot that is perfect for us right now.

God knows what we need, how we need to grow, and the strengths that we will require for the future. The future that he has planned for us....
and in all of that I find hope. And right now I cling to that.

~

wolfing....

~

Just downing my coffee in quick gulps before I run out the door.
Still not feeling terribly awake. :)

I applied for a job yesterday.

I'm scared. Not so much that I have to go through the job interview process, but that God may want me here, while deep down I'm aching to get out of here.

Or is it that I can't figure out what my purpose is here.

Am I still meant to be sitting in a waiting room? The one that my life feels like.

I've never been one to sit around waiting. I'm trying to stay busy, but my life feels a tad empty, and I think a result of this had been my disinterest in pursuing my relationship with Christ.

I know, not something I admit easily. Not something I want to be true - but right now, I know that pride and hurt are there between God and myself, and in order for me to get "right" I need to get that out of the way.

In a strange way, I want to make myself accountable to you guys. Not because it's easier to be accountable to people who are not around.... but because I know that there are so many faithful people out there who will pray for me, and encourage me.
I'm telling my brother and sister in law too when I catch up with them at our next bible study, so I will be accountable to people here as well.

Thanks so much for being there.

"Difficulties exist to be surmounted."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The long awaited photos...

Yes... finally, photos of the spare room.

Everyone who has stayed so far has been very happy and comfortable. :)

So - anyone who needs some time away in a sleepy little country town, sheep in the backyard and fresh tomatoes - you know there is always somewhere to rest your head.


The plastering - finally finished!









YIPEEEEEEE!!!!

Mission.... almost accomplished!

~

So the latest of my missions has been the shower!

It had been leaking behind the wonderfully ugly aqua board, and so I wanted to rip it all out and see just what kind of damage had been done over the years, then replace it with tiles.

I am so blessed to have a very patient and able dad who came round to help me once I'd got most of the board off the walls and the fun of cutting out the cement board began. Certainly one of those moments where two hands were just not going to cut it. It took us a couple of afternoons to get it all up and ready for me to learn to tile.
I'd been given a few wise words from a friend and dad seemed to think I'd manage this part just fine. I managed to get all the tiles on the walls which didn't need to be cut to size in a day - cement everywhere. I decided pretty quickly that I was going to have to buy a tile cutter and after doing some research online with another friend sending me youtube links on how to cut holes I knew what I needed. :)
The next day I got everything else done - minus two tiles where will go around the bath taps which I haven't got yet.

Soooo... here you go. The finished product. I'm very happy with this as my first effort. Certainly way easier than plastering!

blast from the past.....

I was going through a bunch of paper work the other day, and I found this letter that my Grandmother wrote to her Mother back in 1946 while she was living in India during the war.

Thought I would share some of it on here.

St Dunstan's,
DehraDun

Darling Mummy,

I am sorry it is such a long time since I last wrote but I hope this letter will more than make up for the gap! I have a very big item of news which I hope won't shake you too much, and that is that Richard and I are engaged. Oh, I am so happy Mummy, and I just wish you were here to talk it all over with, I have so much to tell you and am finding it so difficult to put all my thoughts on paper. He is the most wonderful person and we were just made for each other. I don't know hos much I have told you about him before but you will remember that he stayed with us for a month at Christmas when we got on tremendously well and grew very fond of each other, since then he has been back on the Frontier and we have written constantly and got to know each other very well. He put in for 28 days leave for July and has just left here after four glorious weeks, the happiest weeks of my life I think.

It's quite a sweet letter.
My Grandmother was over there with her Father; Sir Clutha MacKenzie, who traveled around the world helping blind soldiers, after he himself was blinded at Gallipoli. She was pretty much his guide, and was working in the office at St Dunstan's a home used for the rehabilitation of the blinded service personnel of the Armed Forces.

She traveled all around Asia with him, and lived quite the adventuress life - though I know so little about it. We have a lot of old photos that are taken of them treking through Nepal, which must have been an experience.

Obviously the adventuress spirit has been embedded in my genes, and I have much to live up to!

duck, duck, goose......

'Tis New Years Eve..... almost 9:30pm.....

and here I sit in my kitchen.... there is a gorgeous cool breeze blowing in the kitchen door, and I can hear fireworks being let off into the almost dark sky.

I've just come in from watering the garden. It's my favourite time of day. The sky is dressing up - clothing herself in all those magnificent colours, and showing them off to anyone who bothers to look up and take a moment to appreciate them..... although she is constantly changing her mind about what she will wear tonight to enchant the moon... finally slipping away behind the hills.

I feel so much calmer and able to think once it's cooled off and the rest of the world seems to have gone to bed.

As is always the case on New Years Eve, I sit and ponder on the year that is ending and wonder about what lies ahead.

I don't feel as though I've achieved what it was I set out to do this year, and am slightly disappointed that I'm here in New Zealand, still. But... I'm really enjoying my little house, and while it's all been very slow, I can handle that.

It does leave me feeling like I have a HUGE question mark hanging over my head for this year. Only absolute right now would be wedding in April. After that - anything could happen.

I was watching the movie "The Holiday" the other day.... and stumbled across this. It actually kind of sums it all up for me right now.

".... sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. But after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new and you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again, and little pieces of your soul will finally come back and all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted - that will eventually begin to fade."

~ Iris, The Holiday

I feel like I may just be getting through to that place where I'm beginning to believe that I am worthwhile.

It's a long road.... but I'm trusting that I'll finish this race set out before me.....

It's certainly less lonely with all you wonderful people in my life who offer up words of encouragement and support.
You are all so appreciated.

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead of you.

Arohanui

xxxx

A time to give.....

Praying that everyone is having a Christmas blessed with much love and joy - and that we all find time to reflect on what it's all about.

God bless.

Born to die ~ Bebo Norman

They never knew a dark night
Always had the Son's light on
their face
Perfect in glory
Broken by the story of untold
grace.... come that day

Majesty had come down
Glory had succumbed now to flesh
and bone
In the arms of a manger
In the hands of strangers that could
not know
Just who they hold

* And the angels filled the sky
All of heaven wondered why
Why their King would choose to be
Be a baby born to die

And all fell silent
For the cry of an infant, the voice
of God
Was dividing history
For those with eyes to see, the Son
would shine
From earth that night

To break the chains
Of guilt and sin
To find us here
To pull us in
So we can join in Heaven's song
And with one voice around the throne

All the Angels filled the sky
And I can't help but wonder why
Why this King would choose to be
Be a baby born for me
Be a baby born to die

some more.....

photos.....

pics from the last wander

I was over on the Coromandel on Thursday. It was a stunning sunny day, and while driving around catching up with clients I managed to snap some pictures. It was really nice to be out armed with my camera. I haven't actually felt terribly inspired lately.

I was actually thinking about checking out some courses. I'd love to do some night classes to learn more, and maybe take it all a little further. You know that dream job of working for National Geographic, or Lonely Planet. Think I'm going to have to put a little more effort into that! :)




Computer isn't being very co-operative right now... so will have to try and download the pictures individually on here. A tad bit frustrating.

nuts?

the other cheeky monkey

~

Tawhai decided to use up an entire jar of Tamati's hair gel. Two hair washes, which he hates at the best of times, and you wouldn't know the difference. He's such a riot!

He helped me decorate cupcakes.... taking great delight in sprinkling hundreds and thousands all over them (and everything else), and wore his apron with such pride. I'm going to have to make him one of his own when my sewing machine arrives. A very enthusiastic little chef indeed.

The house looked immaculate before they arrived...... this morning when I left I walked out the door wondering what on earth had happened. Who needs a tidy house when you can have so much fun making a mess?!

Hope everyone else had as much fun this weekend. :)

sometimes.....

~

I think I know what she's thinking! hehehe.

I'm not sure that I can get away with making this expression any more?

The super happy couple

A picture of Danica and Neil.... out on our adventures. This bridge was originally built in the mid 1800's - which is pretty old by NZ standards! Was pretty cool that while it was closed back in the '80's a bunch of people got together and decided to give it a new lease of life.

Get a bunch of people jumping up and down on it, and it's quite an exciting place to be. :)

~

After the weekend.....

Managed to get a couple of pics before it started to RAIN.... and wow, did it rain! The whole weekend was spent jumping puddles.

It was still a wonderful weekend.

This pic was taken on Friday night from "the Bach" where we went for dinner. Fantastic company and great food.... plus it's hard to beat such a view.

moi

taking off....

I'm heading down to New Plymouth tomorrow..... our main supplier is based down there, so I'm going to go and check out the factory and meet all the top dogs as well as finally meet some of the people that I spend much of the day on the phone bothering with all my questions.

Really looking forward to meeting them!

We're going out to dinner tomorrow night - along with my old flatmate and her fiance.

Yep - also getting to talk wedding with Danica. Realised there are only 6 months until they want to get married, and I have no idea what the plans are. Hopefully I'll get to help out with the lists, and check out the venue and dress ideas that she has. :-)
(curious as to what she has in mind for me too... no pink frills I hope! )

I'll be armed with camera the whole time. I've been pretty slack about taking it with me these days - partly because the truck just doesn't have much space... which sounds kind of pitiful - but everything seems to take up so much room, espcially suitcases.

I should have some pics to post when I get back though. :)

I'll have oodles of time to drive and think, and hopefully come back with a clear mind ready to get focused on things that need to be done - like that plastering next weekend.

Happy weekend people.

xxxx

why?

I find myself doing things that I shouldn't.

Thinking thoughts that should never even enter my mind.

And I know that it's because I'm not spending enough time in the word, and yet... I feel like I've fallen so far short from where I should be that I don't know how to begin climbing back up.

How did I allow myself to fall into the traps that were laid out before me, and not see the truth?

I know that we all fall short, and that there is forgiveness. I know that when I hear the words muttered in my head that I don't deserve it that they are just lies.....
But finding the strength to scream out that I have been given the authority from Christ to trample on scorpions and snakes feels like such an effort.

Apathy.