Thoughts of a Scouser

Snowboarding and Dance

2009-03-17T21:43:00.002Z

i have just watched a video on facebook of the lovely sophia and eleanor dancing the most beautiful dances to the most beautiful music with their wonderful parents cheering them on...
it took me back to my snowboarding days on grouse mountain in vancouver. words cannot express how much i miss the freedom of taking off to the mountain and feeling like i was dancing my very own dance with God. it was just me and Him. sometimes i would fall but i would get back up and keep going because i was being cheered on by the best encourager that has ever existed.
i miss vancouver.
i miss grouse mountain.
i miss snowboarding.
i miss my ywam family.

i would leave my mark in the snow as i 'danced' down the white terrain and as i rode back up the mountain on the chair lift i would try and look to see if my mark was still visable.. i wonder what leaving my mark looks like these days? im not really sure. i have a longing inside to be doing something more but just need to figure out what that looks like...

im not even sure if anyone reads these anymore its been so long since i posted but anyway, until next time...

BC : AD by U A Fanthorpe

2009-01-30T19:01:00.002Z

This was the moment when Before
Turned into After, and the future's
Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.

This was the moment when nothing happened.
Only dull peace sprawled boringly over the earth.

This was the moment when even energetic Romans
could find nothing better to do than counting
heads in remote provinces.

And this was the moment
When a few farm workers and three
Members of an obscure Persian sect
walked haphazard by starlight straight
Into the Kingdom of Heaven.

26th July 2008

2008-08-12T14:00:00.006+01:00

Quite probably the most magical, dream come true day of my life just happened...well, just over 3 weeks ago now but just thought i would post a couple of photos for you to take a glance at! i have just had an email from our photographer so the official ones will be available to view soon! if we are friends on facebook, i have added a few more on there...

until next time...

Time Flies

2008-05-07T17:35:00.007+01:00

time certainly flies when im...
planning our wedding
going to uni
writing essays
working shifts
finding somewhere to live after we are married (success with that!!)
...just to name a few things going on at the moment!!

so, things are majorly hectic at the moment and my brain feels like it is about to explode. i seem to be lacking the ability lately to cope with the smallest issue...normally im pretty go with the flow...its annoying, im not a fan!!

anyway, on a happier note, tim and i managed to get FREE FIRST CLASS train tickets to london in april and i happened to be off for easter so tim took a day off work and off we went. it was such a fantastic time and great to see dear friends ralph, katie and karen. i hadnt seen katie or karen for 3 years so it was fun to catch up! some of you my know that one of my fav movies is notting hill...well i had never been to that area of london so while ralph and karen went to work, tim, katie and i went off to find the filming location! it was fab...we walked miles and finally found the travel bookshop but i was disappointed not to see the blue front door which is apparently now black!! other highlights of the day were the changing of the guard at buckingham palace, a walk through the park and an amazing meal in covent garden to end with!

i cant believe that it is only 2 1/2 months until our wedding. plans are coming along nicely but i have to say i just cant wait for the day to be here and no more planning. IT IS SO STRESSFUL!!
i am happy to say that tim and i have found a lovely house to rent within 10 minutes walk to the hospital i work in. its ideal for us. our landlords are great too. they have done it all up and it looks like a brand new house inside. we get the keys in june so i will post photos of it then!

i have just started a new hospital placement and all seems to be going well so far. its always difficult settling in for the first few weeks but im sure i will manage! i have been off today though and the weather has been stunning. i have been in the garden nearly all day either hanging washing out, gardening or just sitting in the sun! its been a good day!

i think thats about all the news for now.

until next time...

The Easter Weekend

2008-03-25T13:26:00.005Z

well, my easter weekend has been busy but good.
i was working on good friday...my last shift as a first year student...scary!!! i really enjoyed my placement and was actually kinda sad to leave but it is nice to have a bit of a break now and i few good lie ins!!

saturday tim and i went into town and ended up skipping lunch and so went for a really nice meal at a little italian restaurant. it was an unexpected meal out but a really nice time together!

i was out of bed at 5.30am on easter sunday and went to a stunning sunrise service at tims church and then back to the church hall for breakfast. a beautiful way to start a day of such celebration. we also went to the 10.30am family service at my church which was great.
as well as it being easter sunday, it was also our niece phoebes 3rd birthday so we had a family lunch/afternoon which was great fun. tim and i went into the garden and hid loads of easter eggs and then phoebe and rowan went out to find them. so super cute!

Happy Easter everyone!

until next time...

Life

2008-03-18T14:45:00.007Z

well, i finally am back and am going to try and update you on my life. its been a few months since i posted properly so you will have to bear with me. also, i seem to have lost my camera wire so unfortunately can only use photos i already have saved on my computer...ok so here goes...

at the beginning of january tim had his 30th birthday. he decided that it would be fun to have 80's themed fancy dress (i have always hated fancy dress but went along with it!). i have to say it really was a fantastic night and everyone really made an effort to make it special...tim and i went as fred and wilma flinstone which certainly made us stand out!!!

in mid-january i said goodbye to my cousin, emma, for 3 months as she jetted off to costa rica to work in the rainforests there. her words to me when i said i would miss her loads where 'now you know how i felt 5 years ago!!'. she is having an absolute blast and im so proud of her but cant wait to see her in a month or so!!

i cant believe i get married in just over 4 months. time is just flying!! it has been quite stressful lately as there has been lots needing to be done in a short space of time at a time when i wasnt really wanting to do any of it. we got through it though and things are progressing!
rachael (my matron of honor) and i are going round to my friend hilary's tonight. hilary is making our bridesmaids dresses so rachael is going to have her first fitting!!! it is all seeming very close now that things like this are happening. im so excited though and just cant wait!
i am missing my vancouver girlies though in all the build up! i think of you all often!
for the last 4 weeks tim and i have been going to our marriage preparation classes. they have been so good for us. we share a meal with other couples that are getting married at the same church this year and it is so good to talk with people that are going through the same things as you. then we have the teaching session and opportunities to talk as a couple about various topics. its great!
we have also heard this week that we are able to rent the house that we have been looking at. it is much closer to where i work which is great and just a real answer to prayer. hopefully everything will be confirmed next wednesday when we go and see our landlady!

my nursing course is still going well. i am in my last week of this placement which i have really enjoyed. i will miss the ward but am ready for my couple of weeks holiday.
i am very pleased to say that i passed my exam that i took at the end of january as well as the assignment that i had to resubmit which means i just have to pass this placement to go into my second year which starts at the beginning of april.
i cant believe where the time has gone!!

well, i think that is all my news for now. i hope that gets you all up to speed and hopefully people are still checking my blog!!

until next time...

Lots to Say, So Little Time

2008-01-22T13:59:00.000Z

so, as my title suggests, i have lots to say due to my lack of blogging lately but very little time as i have an exam tomorrow and need to revise! i just wanted to say, please dont stop checking to see if i have posted...i will be back very soon with photos and the like!

until next time (soon, i promise)...

Tagged

2007-11-21T13:29:00.000Z

its now been weeks since i was tagged and only now am i getting round to updating my blog! i figured it was about time and i need a break from writing my essay!! (my essay has now been given in 2 weeks and im still writing this post!). as you can see from the date...i started this post on 21st november...its now 7th december!!

Here are the rules: You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.) When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post and then choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

im not usually very good at this kinda thing but here goes...

rachel louise

L - laughter. i love to laugh...especially from the pit of my stomach and then the tears stream down my face! its a great feeling to laugh that hard!

O - outreach. been on a few over the years and have been blessed to travel to many countries.

U- unique.

I - ice-cream! gelato, denman street, vancouver, canada!

S - starbucks red cups! this is a kind of cheat one because i dont have an r in louise! i get so excited when the red cups are brought out at christmas! also, snowboarding and student!

E - engaged. im engaged to the wonderful tim and im loving it!

i tag anyone reading this who hasnt been tagged already!!

until next time...

Tired

2007-10-01T17:54:00.000+01:00

im sitting here at my laptop after a full and very long day of lectures. my eyes are burning and i can hardly keep them open after working on an assignment till 5am that had to be in this morning.
im glad its in. who knows whether i will pass it or not but it brought back some fun dts memories!! oh how i loved doing my journal in the middle of the night, sometimes catching 20 mins shut eye on the couch before leaving for class!! to those of you who know what im talking about...good times!

until next time...

Finally A Post

2007-09-14T13:17:00.000+01:00

i have had a varied, interesting and fairly hectic last few weeks. apologies for not posting in such a long time!

i only have one more week of my current nursing placement to go...how six weeks has flown by!! it has been very hard work but really good. better than expected in fact. i have my final assessmet/review for it on tuesday so we will see what my mentor has to say!
back into lectures for a couple of weeks and then begin another placement in the middle of october!

in the midst of all that, my friend lyndsey's baby, jessica, was christened and my nephew (on tims side), rowan, was one so we had a birthday party in the park with a great picnic...and i decided on my wedding dress! im posting photos of the first 2 events but no dress!!

cake!

jessica

me, rachael, jessica and lyndsey

rowans 1st birthday party in the park

phoebe (rowans sister) blowing bubbles

jon (making a speech), sue and rowan...and birthday cake!

tim and rowan

until next time...

2007-08-13T17:07:00.000+01:00

well i am now back from prague and think it is an absolutely amazing city! if architecture and history interest you, then this is a place to go. im a little diappointed in myself that i didnt really sample any traditional cuisine...except beer, but we were only there for 2 days. if i went again that is a must on my list!!

it was a great end to my 2 weeks holiday even though it did rain and thunder more than it didnt!
it was nice to spend some time with tim too without having to work out what shifts im working etc. we could just be together!

i have added some photos to give you a small sample of our trip!

tomorrow i start my new placement in a nursing home. i am looking forward to it but am nervous too. i think it is going to be so different from the hospital and i am only there for 6 six weeks so hope i settle in quickly and learn lots!!

until next time...

A Year Ago

2007-08-05T19:40:00.000+01:00

well, i thought it was about time i posted again seenas it has been over a month now and i hate it when people dont post because i feel like im missing out on whats going on in lives!
anyway, i am nice and relaxed, well sort of, as i have been on holiday for a week and have another week to go. there is a very nice feeling on a sunday especially when you dont have to go to work or uni or whatever the next day...well i have that feeling this evening.
in fact, tomorrow, my mum and i are going to a place called "courtyard crafts" to try and get some ideas for my wedding invitations! its a while till i need to send them out but figured i may as well get ideas...im excited!!

tim is away at the moment at soul survivor so i am missing him. i love the event but i didnt really want to spend my 2 weeks holiday in a tent with the unpredictable english weather!!!
i think i mentioned it in another post but tim and i are going to prague on wednesday for a few days so will post about that with some photos on my return!!!

it has been lovely catching up with friends this last week. i went for lunch with my friend lyndsey and her baby jessica and seen as it was a niceish day we went to the swing park...theres a couple of photos below.

i am almost unable to believe that it is a year ago this weekend that my mum and i arrived back in england after for her an incredible 3 weeks and for me an incredible 4 1/2 years in vancouver!
so much has happened in both my life and my friends lives as well as in the life of YWAM vancouver over this last year, its quite amazing really. sometimes it feels so long ago that i was there and then other times it only feels like yesterday! i am so thankful for the memories i share with so many great people and look forward to whats ahead for us all.

until next time...keep blogging if you blog and keep reading if you dont!

2007-07-02T14:37:00.000+01:00

well, it feels like a long time since my last post so i will try and give a decent update of my life in the last little while.

things have been really busy actually, trying to get the major things booked for our wedding. i cant believe its only just over a year till i will be married. well, the church is booked, reception is booked aswell as the cars and the photographer!!! i didnt realise how quickly things like that get taken. our reception venue has bookings for 2010!!! its an exciting time though and i am loving planning it all!
i would actually like to say a big thank you to all my friends who have got married in the last few years, i have learnt lots!! im not actually sure what are english traditions (other than the obvious hats) and what are north american traditions so i have a feeling its going to be a bit of both!!!

my church had a flower festival a couple of weeks ago which was really fun. it was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of john lennon meeting paul mcartney in the church hall so the theme of the flower show was beatles songs! i definately enjoyed the tea and strawberry cream scones afterwards!!
i have also now been let lose on the hospital wards for the last couple of weeks which i am really enjoying. it is hard work but i am learning so much and loving it!
i am almost half way through this one and then i have 2 weeks holiday...yay!

tim and i are going to prauge at the beginning of august and i cant wait! i have never been to the czech republic so i am really excited!

i think that is about all my news for now. i wish i could have been in canada yesterday to celebrate canada day. i have lots of good memories of that holiday!!

until next time...

Save The Date

2007-06-11T16:28:00.000+01:00

26th july 2008 - the day tim and i get married!!

im so excited we have set a date!! lots to do between now and then!

until next time...

Engaged

2007-06-01T11:47:00.000+01:00

well i thought it was about time that i updated my blog finally and what better way than to announce that tim and i are engaged!!

i am overwhelmed by all the emails, texts and phone calls that i have received from friends and family far and near over the last 2 days...thank you so much!!!

for those of you who are hearing this news for the first time, it was very unexpected as far as timing goes but a question i was waiting for!! it was a fantastic suprize!

it was a complete suprize to me when we went back to a friends house after playing pool on wednesday night and tim dropped to one knee infront of me and whipped out this ring that is perfect! i couldnt have chosen better myself!

little did i know that a couple of my friends were in on it and there was champagne already chilling in the fridge and people on their way round to celebrate!

it was a fantastic night and one that i will remember for a long long time!

below are a couple of photos that a friend took of the night! enjoy!

and to my fiance tim...i love you!

2007-05-03T21:58:00.000+01:00

well here we are again at the beginning of another month. i seriously cant believe that we are now into may and i am almost a month into uni!!
i am really loving being home in england at the moment. it is the first april/may that i have had at home since 2001 and we are being blessed with the most incredible sunny weather!!
it was great to be able to study outside in my garden today as you can see from the photos below!! and my mum had one of those throw away bbqs in the garage so we got that out and had yummy sausages and vegetable kebabs!!! the smell brought back lots of really fun memories!

i have had a good couple of weeks. nothing too interesting to report im afraid other that just getting on with uni work and i work looking after the lovely old folks still on saturday mornings.

tim and i went to a friends 21st birthday bash a couple of weeks ago and i really like this photo so thought i would share it!

i think that is all for now!
until next time...

In My Liverpool Home

2007-04-22T19:45:00.000+01:00

the weather here in england has been absolutely gourgeous the last couple of weeks. today its raining again but oh well!
so to make the most of the nice weather tim and i went down to our famous liverpool waterfront/docks and i acted all touristy...taking photos, buying sweets and yummy homemade fudge!! it was a lovely evening.
some photos are below.

i have now been at university for a week and a half and i absolutely love it.
its a bit of information overload at the moment but with a bit of extra reading and studying i'll get the hang of it!

so in general i am doing really well at the moment. i finally made it to my church morning service today and it was exactly what i needed. i have found life getting so busy lately that God has been getting pushed out a bit and this morning is really when i realised it. as i dragged myself out of bed this morning i knew that today was for me. God met me where i was at throughout the morning and i am truly thankful!

 When I survey the wondrous cross
 on which the Prince of Glory died;
 my richest gain I count but loss,
 and pour contempt on all my pride.

 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
 save in the death of Christ, my God;
 all the vain things that charm me most,
 I sacrifice them to his blood.

 See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
 sorrow and love flow mingled down.
 Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
 or thorns compose so rich a crown.

 Were the whole realm of nature mine,
 that were an offering far too small;
 love so amazing, so divine,
 demands my soul, my life, my all.

until next time...

Easter and Uni

2007-04-15T14:00:00.000+01:00

well finally i have found a space of time to update and batteries to put in my camera both at the same time so here goes...
easter certainly seems a long time ago now even though it was infact only 1 week ago.
the last 2-3 weeks for me have been a mixture of highs and lows. having had my interview for uni a few weeks ago and finding there werent any places left to then a week later having an offer letter dropping through my door for my first choice...i was in shock when i read that the start date was in 11 days time!!
yes, so i started university on wednesday and am now officially a student nurse!!
God is amazing. this is the exact course, the exact uni and the exact timing that i felt God say when i felt like i was to come back from vancouver.
its going to be hard work but i am really looking forward to it. i'll keep you posted...

it was nice to be home for easter this year especially as it was my mums birthday on easter sunday. i was working a lot of the weekend but easter saturday i was off and went on a beautiful walk that friends from church had organised! we walked 10.5 miles (approx 18km) so my feet were killing by the end but it was fabulous to get out in the sunshine and fresh air and catch up with friends.
below are a few photos i took!

Me and Tim

2007-03-28T20:45:00.000+01:00

this is a photo of me and tim on my birthday...i feel really short!!
that is all for now!

until next time...

Am I Abe Lincoln?

2007-03-21T22:14:00.000Z

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Time Flies..

2007-03-19T21:07:00.000Z

where has time gone?
tim and i have now been together for 6 months. it was our anniversary on friday and he bought me a dozen red roses!! 2 for every month weve been dating! they are absolutely gourgeous as you can see!!

i spent the afternoon with my friend lyndsey and her baby jessica last week. she is just so cute and so good. it is nice to be able to see jessica growing and changing but it does make me miss all my ywam friends and seeing the kids over there growing!

the last couple of weeks have been really busy. since being back from japan i feel like my feet have hardly touched the ground..
even though i have been busy i feel like i have nothing really very interesting to write about.
i feel like im just plodding along, going to work, doing random things, sleeping and going to work again!

i have an interview on wednesday of my university so we will see how that goes. i will keep you posted on what happens with that!

i think thats about it for now. thought id better show my face before everyone stops looking at my blog!!!

until next time...

Japan

2007-02-24T13:01:00.000Z

hey all,
finally i have time to sit down and post on my neglected blog...
well, i have now been home for a week after spending 2 fabolous weeks in japan with audrey.
it really was fantastic.
it was great to catch up on whats new and reminice about the good old days...
snowboading for 3 days in the beautiful sunshine was spectacular and the whole trip was very restful and refreshing for me.
it was good to visit with one of our home stay families and hang out a bit with glynis and judith again which included teaching them the wonderful game thats called dutch blitz!! VERY FUNNY!!!

heres a few photos for now. i'll have more snowboarding ones once i get my disposable camera developed!!

thanks audge for a fantastic time!

until next time...

Birthday Post

2007-01-29T22:31:00.000Z

well, saturday was the 27th january and the day i turned 24! i seriously dont know where the years have gone.
i spent a large part of the day with my mum in town eating lunch, shopping, drinking coffee etc. it was so nice seenas ive been away for my last 5 birthdays!
tim cooked me a lovely meal in the evening and then a bunch of friends came round and we had a bit of a party! i think kirsty and i got home about 2.30am! it was so fun.
it was a seriously good birthday. i will post some photos as soon as tim gives me a cd with them on!!!
yesterday tim and i went over to my dad and lesleys and we had a birthday meal with them which was lovely. so really its been a birthday weekend.
i am so blessed to have such a great family and friends!

until next time...

Finally An Update

2007-01-02T11:52:00.000Z

its been a while i know but finally here is an update of my last few weeks!!

london...
i had a womderful trip down to london to visit my good friends henri and ralph. henri is now back in vancouver but ralph has moved back for however long hes here.
it was fantastic to see them...we ate lunch and had a beer, visited big ben, houses of parliment and indeed buckingham palace. the queen was home but unfortunately we didnt have time to pop in for tea!!
heres a few pics...

happy christmas...
i had a lovely christmas. tim and i went to my dad and lesleys on christmas eve which was really fun. we ate lots of yummy food and watched "over the hedge" (pretty funny!). it was great to see the kids so excited and especially 3 year old harvey looking up the chimmy saying "father christmas might come down here.." super cute!!

christmas day was fab as always. i went to church in the morning. tim came round for a while after and we swapped pressies...oh my goodness is all i have to say, i am the luckiest person ever!!! then my mum and i went to my aunties with the rest of the family for christmas dinner and evening entertainment...this year that consisted of the "now thats what i call music dvd quiz" and the brain tester game on the nintendo ds lite!!! it was a really fun day!

i was working boxing day but it was fine. fairly laid back with lots of chocolates going round!

happy new year!!!!
i cannot believe it is the 2nd of january already!
looking back over 2006 is very exciting as so many fun memories were made but also sad because lots of goodbyes were said. overall though i can look back and say that it was a good year and here's to a great 2007!

until next time...

X-Scape

2006-12-12T13:32:00.000Z

well, seenas im not in vancouver and i cant just go up grouse mountain whenever i want, my mum and i went to an indoor snow dome!
its not grouse but at least i got to snowboard for 2 hours!!
it was fantastic. of course i fell at the top of the lift a couple of times but hey, why change the habit of a lifetime!!
the lift though was no chair lift that you can sit back and relax in, it was a button lift, like in the picture, and they are not so easy to relax on!!!!
it was a really fun day though...i really enjoyed spending the day with my mum!
tim is open to the idea of learning either snowboarding or skiing so thats great too!!!
until next time...

Newspaper Headlines Of 1998

2006-12-07T22:19:00.000Z

1. include your children when baking cookies

2. iraqi head seeks arms

3. panda mating fails. veterinarian takes over.

4. miners refuse to work after death

5. stolen painting found by tree

6. war dims hope for peace

7. if strike isnt settled quickly, it may last a while.

8. kids make nutritious snacks

9. hospitals are sued by seven foot doctors.

10. enraged cow injures farmer with axe

A Weekend Of Fun

2006-12-05T12:39:00.000Z

i had a rare 4 days off in a row this weekend and really made the most of it...
my friend henri is over from vancouver for christmas so she came up to liverpool. the 2 of us and tim went up to scotland on friday to visit mike and jessi and their baby kael who i was meeting for the first time!! he is absolutely adorable.
it was a really fun weekend. we went bowling and tim thrashed all of us and then had a great mexican meal. it was a very relaxing time although things did get a bit heated in a game of dutch blitz!!
henri, tim and i travelled back to liverpool on sunday and henri and i met up with kirsty (also a product of ywam vancouver) and hung out in liverpool for the day...eating, drinking coffee, shopping and visiting "the beatles" sights!
below are some photos of our time together...

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

2006-11-19T12:56:00.000Z

last night i went to the live theatre to see "chitty chitty bang bang".
it was fantastic!!! i didnt really know the story of it at all, except the fact that it was about a magical car. that made it even more exciting!
i love the theatre, especially musicals and this didnt disappoint!
the actors were great, the props were great, everything was great!!

until next time...

Snow Season

2006-11-11T14:13:00.000Z

well, the time of year has come where i am even sadder to not be in vancouver...

it is snowing on grouse mountain!!!!

i might not be there but i do keep a check on the snow conditions because i know exactly how it feels when that first snowfall comes!!

jamie, craig, stu, mike...
i hope it is a fantastic season...sorry i cant be there to enjoy it with you!!

until next time...

Hair Cut

2006-11-05T21:45:00.000Z

ok, so i have finally had my hair cut. the last time it was done was june for jamie and craigs wedding. i was just so sick of it and i finally had a morning where i wasnt doing anything so i booked myself in!

tim and i went to a friends 21st last night too which is always fun when youve just had your hair done!!!

random little post i know, but thought id share!!

until next time...

Remember Remember The 5th Of November

2006-11-05T20:43:00.000Z

today is the 5th of november and it has made me miss vancouver!
this time last year jo and wade hosted a party for us brits as it is "guy fawkes night" or "bonfire night".
for those who dont know, here is an explanation of why we remember such a day...

On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung ,drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason.

The Tradition begins...
The following year in 1606 it became an annual custom for the King and Parliament to commission a sermon to commemorate the event. Lancelot Andrewes delivered the first of many Gunpowder Plot Sermons. This practice, together with the nursery rhyme, ensured that this crime would never be forgotten! Hence the words " Remember , remember the 5th of November" It serves as a warning to each new generation that treason will never be forgotten. In England the 5th of November is still commemorated each year with fireworks and bonfires culminating with the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes (the guy). The 'guys' are made by children by filling old clothes with crumpled newspapers to look like a man. Tradition allows British children to display their 'guys' to passers-by and asking for " A penny for the guy".

so thats that. as i write i can hear explosions and see fireworks lighting the sky as i look out my window.
i have to say though, i am yet to see better than the celebration of light in vancouver, although my mum said the display she went to tonight could rival it!!!

oh vancouver and all my vancouver friends, how i miss you!!!

until next time...

The Last Week Or So

2006-10-18T23:44:00.000+01:00

well, i thought it was aboout time i gave you a decent update as to what life has been for me the last couple of weeks or so...
there hasnt really been too many fireworks i just like this photo that i took of part of the china display in the vancouver celebration of light this summer!

the weeks just seem to be passing by way too quickly for my liking. i mean, come on, we are only 2 weeks away from november!

ok, one thing that really threw me this week was seeing an advert for "The Devil Wears Prada" on tv the other day. i thought it was going to say when the dvd would be out but no, it is coming to cinemas everywhere soon!!!! i watched it the beginning of july in vancouver! i would totally watch it again though so im excited!

work has been keeping me nice and busy. it is definately still tiring but i am enjoying it more and the residents are still fab. i constantly have songs from world war 2 in my head as that is quite often what is on the cd player!! the residents might not remember what day it is but alot of them sure do know every word to those songs!!

kirsty (right) who was on this last china trip that i led, has moved to liverpool for a couple of months before going back to the US which i am very excited about! we spent the day together yesterday and then she came to the vision (18 - 30's) group at my church. i had a great day and it was so nice to reminice about things and catch up on whats new. it made us miss the rest of our team loads though!!

i think thats about it for now!

everyone who i know who blogs, KEEP BLOGGING, i love it!

until next time...

Meet Tim

2006-10-11T22:37:00.000+01:00

well, i think its finally time to intoduce my special someone to anyone who hasnt heard either from me or through the grape vine...
his name is tim and he is fantastic. we met orgininally at a church service and then i just went to a few things with my good friend vicky that tim also went to and it just went from there...
if you want more details you will just have to email me!!

until next time...

Meet Jessica

2006-10-06T18:58:00.000+01:00

congratulations to my friend lyndsey on the birth of her baby girl, jessica katlin!
i went to visit them today and she is just the cutest little thing!!
heres a photo...

until next time...

Explanation

2006-09-30T14:24:00.000+01:00

ok, i have to explain myself here...
this is going to sound really dumb but i thought i had compltely lost my blog forever but in actual fact i had started to spell 'scouser' with double 's' so of course is wouldnt appear!!!
i tried to post and then reload it all, which explains the not writing anything in the previous post. all very confusing but i am very happy now that my blog is not lost forever and i can continue to update all you faithful readers!

until next time...

2006-09-29T23:17:00.000+01:00

Loren, 100 Hours And Work

2006-09-15T00:22:00.000+01:00

well, it seems a while ago now but just over a week ago i went with a bunch of friends to hear the great loren cunningham (founder of ywam) speak at a local church here in my home city!!! he actually had some really great things to say especially about missions and the uk!
also, a big highlight of the night was having 100 hours lead worship. it was fantastic!
i realised that it really is true that once a ywam-er, always a ywam-er!!!

lets see, i have been working quite alot which has been hard work but good. i feel like i am getting into a bit more of a routine now and getting the hang of how to do various things. the routine in the home is exactly the same every day so ive just about got that down now!
i am really enjoying being round the residents, they really make me chuckle sometimes. it is really hard to stay somewhat detatched because they are a big part of my days and i really care about them!
this job makes me really appreciate my days off though!!!

so i have realised that i am an absolute soap (as in tv) addict. not only do i watch all the programs that i have always loved in england, now there are the ones such as csi and law and order: svu that i was introduced to in canada!! i am even sad enough to go on the websites to see whats going to happen!!! oh well, what can you do really?!

well, i think thats about all for now. not really anything too interesting to report at this moment in time...other than the fact, as i mentioned earlier, for all you ywam-ers reading this, that i did see loren cunningham in the flesh and when i mentioned i was just in ywam vancouver, we had a conversation about randy and then he asked me to go to hawaii..haha!!!

until next time...

Work And Friends

2006-09-07T17:11:00.000+01:00

i realise that i havent posted for quite a while a i sincerely apologise for that as i know how it feels when you go to a persons blog faithfully and they never update!!!
anyway, as many of you will know i got a job in a nursing home and i started last monday!
i could not believe how tired i was after just a 6 hour shift, i mean all those months in dts and i had to take a nap after 6 hours!!
my first day was really hard, i wasnt sure if it was really wanted to do anymore but i stuck it out and went in on tuesday and it was awesome. the seniors that i was working with and the other staff were great, really helpful and a real laugh!
i have experienced things and done things that i never thought i would but i wont expand on that here!
its really nice to be working again, having some sort of routine again. i found that i was beginning to get a bit lazy just being home all day most days!

i have certainly been very blessed with a great group of friends since being back.
i have joined in the friday night cell group that they run and we generally hang out any time a bunch of us are free...including a beer tasting night on saturday which should be good!
we also have a sunday night "meeting" at a local pub which is rather enjoyable!!

i have to say congratualtions to my friends jessi and mike oates (friends from vancouver) on the birth of their baby boy, kael asher! i miss you lots!

i will do my best to update more frequently..

until next time...

3 Weeks In England

2006-08-23T23:18:00.000+01:00

well, it is about this time that i would usually be packing up to return to vancouver. not so this time...
and funily enough it is right now that things are really starting to take shape with regards to my future plans...hmmm...funny how God works isnt it. he is in all of this. i know he is right beside me every step of the way and even carrying me some days!

so on saturday my mum and i went to visit the university i am wanting to go to. it is amazing. it is a great campus, full of incredible resources for everything.
its a good thing we went because i found out that the diploma course that i want to do is in april and its the last one in 2007! so, if i get in it looks like i will be starting in april and not september like i thought. it was overwhelming at first but it feels so right!

dont worry...it gets better...
as most of you probably know i wanted a job that would give me some experience for my nursing.
well, i was at church on sunday and gave a little talk about what i was up to in the next few months. all i said was, im looking for work and then wanting to do nursing next year...
then we had a praise report time and a guy got up that i had never met before and shared what he had to say and part of it was that he was the manager of a care home about 10 minuites walk from my house...
he ended by saying "by the way, rachel, if you want a job come and talk to me!!"
i was like "WHAT???!!!"
so i have a job as a care assistant for elderly people! i start on september 4th!
way to go God!!! woo hoo!!

i'll keep you posted!

until next time...

Back In The UK

2006-07-29T06:52:00.000+01:00

well, i am now safely back in england after a fantastic 4 1/2 years in vancouver. my last 3 weeks holidaying with my mum and hanging out with friends was a great finish.
my flight back was fine...our vancouver flight was slightly delayed which meant we had to get sent through the priority line at heathrow security in order to make our manchester connection so i was not complaining one little bit!!

being back in england is nice but really strange. i have only seen a couple of people since being back so i dont think it will really hit me that im here to stay until i get back into normal everyday life here...probably in 2 or 3 weeks once ive seen most people!

i am realising how much i have missed watching the sports that i really love and followed growing up...
the european athletics (track and field) championships is on at the moment so i am having a lot of fun watching that and...
football! i followed it on the internet while i was in canada but i watched it on the tv last night and tonight!!!

i had a banana and peanut butter as a snack tonight though which i certainly didnt do before i went to canada!! in our supermarkets we only have a choice of 2 kinds and theres probably 15 jars of each on the shelf and thats it...not an aisle of it and as far as i know it is not a staple in everyones cupboard here!!!

ok, i feel like im babbling now so im going to end for now.

until next time...

Flying High

2006-07-24T07:37:00.000+01:00

hey all..
greetings from victoria, bc, canada. yes thats right, my mum and i are now on vancouver island and having a great time. we are having a super relaxing time, just hanging out and
GOING UP IN SEA PLANES on a scenic tour of victoria!!!!!
it was seriously the coolest flying trip ever!!! i havent been on one with ben yet so this is not a comparison with him!!!
so my mum and i have been on cloud 9 all afternoon after that trip. it was just amazing!
and tonight, on my friend wades recommendation, we went for "barbs" fish and chips!
a great day!
tomorrow we are travelling a couple hours north of here to parksville. i have a feeling its going to be another pretty laid back few days! suits me just fine!!
on friday we head back to the mainland for our final week in canada!!!
i have a whole bunch of pics on my camera but right now i have no way of getting them off so when i do i will post some pics to go with the writing!!!

until next time...

Holidaying

2006-07-20T07:50:00.000+01:00

hey everyone..
just a quick note to let you know that i havent disappeared off the face of the planet. i am holidaying in vancouver with my mum and internet is scarce!!
its been really good so far having my mum here. we spent the day on commercial drive today which was a big hit!!
its really fun being able to introduce my mum to so many of my friends here. just today we went for coffee with pam and to jo and wades for dinner!!
yeah, its been awesome and its going to be hard to leave this beautiful city!!

until next time...

Another Sad Goodbye

2006-07-14T07:30:00.000+01:00

well, my dear friend audrey is on a flight to japan as i write this about to touch down in tokyo ready to embark on this new chapter!
goodbyes are just so hard. even though i know we will see each other again, it doesnt make me feel any better in the moment!
i feel really priviledeged that i got to see where she is going and some of the people she will be with last year when we were there!
audrey is an incredible person with an incredible heart for God and for asia. i am so thankful for her and am excited to see what the future brings...
i love you audge!!

the top photo is of audrey and i when we were in japan last summer and the other 2 are on grouse mountain in vancouver on one of our snowboarding days! (jamie is lying on the snow in the background of the middle one!!! it had been a long day!)

World Cup Final

2006-07-12T08:40:00.000+01:00

well, italy it is and i have to say i am not as disappointed as i thought i was going to be!!
i watched the game on commercial drive in vancouver and the atmosphere was incredible!
commercial drive is the "little italy" part of town so i will leave it to your imaginations to discover how crazy it was...well..heres a couple of pics to help you a long!!

until next time...

Utter Disbelief

2006-07-01T23:20:00.000+01:00

unbelieveable...im speechless!
losing on penalties again. i think i went through every possible emotion between 8am and 10:30am this morning as i watched the england v portugal game with supporters from both sides!
the lads played well. i think we deserved to win. penelties is such a cruel way to go out!

i am really happy that france beat brazil...that has lightened my mood slightly! that and it's canada day!
happy 139th birthday canada!!!

until next time...

England v Portugal

2006-06-30T08:34:00.000+01:00

with my second team, australia knocked out on monday, england is my last hope!!

come on boys...
do us proud!!!!!

Me And My Friend Jamie

2006-06-29T07:47:00.000+01:00

jamie and i have been friends since i first came to vancouver in 2002 and today i had to say goodbye to her.

jamie and i did our dts together, we lived together for part of the time we were on staff, we worked together in staffing dts's and i really love and value the friendship that we have.

jamie got married on saturday to another ywam friend, craig, and today they left for their honeymoon. it is a time of such celebration and yet it is so sad at the same time as i am really going to miss her. i leave for england before jamie and craig get back to vancouver.

i have so many precious memories of our times together and last winter we spent a lot of our time up on grouse mountain on our snowboards making a few more!!!

i love you jamie!

until next time...

2006-06-29T06:43:00.000+01:00

so this is me and my friend maggie last week when she came to visit from utah..
and i got my hair cut for jamies wedding and its the only picture i have of it freshly done...

until next time...

A Glimpse of China

2006-06-16T23:31:00.000+01:00

well, looking at these photos makes it feel like china was a million years ago but it really wasnt at all!
these are just a few of the 1000's of photos that were taken during our amaing 2 month trip!
enjoy!
until next time...

Aussie Aussie Aussie

2006-06-13T01:26:00.000+01:00

getting up at 5:15am today was totally worth it to watch australias world cup opener against japan. it was an incredible game! my dear australian friends leigh and stuart where overjoyed with the result to say the least. my good friend angela, who is married to leigh, now understands what all the fuss is about!!!
great start boys! CONGRATS to all my australian friends out there, especially kim p, kim a-r, ben and paul! i have no idea if you are watching the footie but if you are taking an interest...CONGRATS!!

ENGLAND v TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
thursday 9am (PST)

until next time...

World Cup Fever

2006-06-09T08:38:00.000+01:00

6am saturady morning and ralph, stu, henri and myself were up watching england take on paraguay in their opening match of the world cup!
i am happy that it was the result we wanted but im looking forward to see them play better in future games!
COME ON ENGLAND!!
there are a few of us getting up tomorrow to watch the 6am australia v japan game so we'll see how that plays out!
i love the world cup!

until next time...

Graduation Night

2006-06-07T06:27:00.000+01:00

just thought id share this photo with you from the graduation night!
thats all!

until next time...

Back In Vancouver And Sad Goodbyes

2006-06-04T21:36:00.000+01:00

well, my team and i arrived back in vancouver just under a week ago and they are all now either home or on their way to going home.
we had a good final few days together in vancouver and a fun graduation dinner on thursday. it was my first experience of the brazilian all you can eat meat place and it didnt disappoint!!! MEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
friday morning was the time we were all dreading and when it came around it was just as bad as i thought it would be...it was time for all of us to say goodbye!
my heart is sad. i miss my girls so much it hurts! it was an incredible priviledge to lead their outreach and i would do it all over again if it meant i could have them with me again....weird i know!!!
im enjoying being back in vancouver though and seeing friends i havent seen for 2 months. im excited about hanging out with them more as i now begin to somehow prepare myself for leaving vancouver and the countless more goodbyes i have to go through!
im going to go now before i get too emotional!!!
oh yeah...incase you didnt guess, the photo is of our team in china!!! the empty chair is stuarts coz he's taking the photo!!!! i'll have more photos on here soon!

until next time...

2.5 Days

2006-05-26T14:42:00.000+01:00

2.5 days seriously...unbelieveable! we just had our final day of ministry here in HK and it was awesome! we were working with a bunch of kids from ages 6 to 12 years and our team thrived off of it! a great end!
the staff here at the HK base prayed for our team this morning as we end our time which was super cool. maggie and karen and stu led base worship this morning which really was freakin awesome. i was so proud of them!!
so all thats left now is some debriefing and packing and cleaning!! i think there will be a few rubbish bags full of clothes that the thrift stores couldnt even use being put into the dumpster...and its about time...we HATE each others clothes! i understand that HATE is a strong word but its true this time around!!!
ok, i think this may well be my last post until i get back to vancouver!! how time flies!!
congrats to heath and dave...your 2 boys are super cute! i love you both!

until next time...

The Final Countdown

2006-05-22T09:05:00.000+01:00

here we are entering our final week in hong kong and our final week of outreach. i cannot believe how fast time has gone and yet how long i have been away! it has been an incredible 2 months but im ready to get home!
i love hong kong. it is a beautiful city with so much happening. the ministries that we have been involved in here are incredible. its amazing all the awesome things that are happening that we just dont know about!
we went to the history museum here yesterday and it was awesome. i think i can go so far as to say it is the best museum ive ever been to! i love learning about the places i am visiting. there really is so much history here...more than i can ever learn by walking round a museum for a couple of hours!!
the Y base here is awesome. i am so encouraged by them. a couple of them have taken an interest in who i am as a person and not just the usual question "hows the team doing? whats God doing in the students?". all fine questions but im tired and i didnt realise how much 1 or 2 people asking me how im doing really would affect me.
so yeah...one week!!! i will actually really be sad to leave asia but glad to get to north america! i really miss my friends! and then my mum comes to visit vancouver in july and thats sooooo exciting coz i really miss her too!!!
ok, enough of me babbling...

until next time...

FACup Victory!!!

2006-05-22T08:47:00.000+01:00

even though i was in china i still managed to watch some detailed highlights of our spectacular FACup victory over my dear friend ralphs team, west ham!!!
i cannot explain to you how excited i was!! as i looked at the result in an internet cafe in the middle of china an irish guy (a cute irish guy) leaned over and said "i cant believe they showed a germany league game on the tv instead of a game like that!!!". i was quick to agree and we proceeded to talk about football for the next 15 minutes!!
and thats the story of how i found out about liverpools 2006 FACup win!!!!

until next time...

Back In Hot And Humid HK

2006-05-18T05:07:00.000+01:00

hey all...wow, its been so long since i last posted...or it certainly feels like a long time anyway!!!
we just arrived back in hong kong yesterday after an incredible 5 weeks in mainland china! i cant even begin to describe all that went on right now but it was awesome.
i love my team, they are real fighters. im so proud of them all!
this post is really only to let people know im alive as im running out of time. i spent most of my time on here updating myself on everyone elses blogs!!!
ill try to write in more detail next time!

until next time...

Still

2006-03-29T09:40:00.000+01:00

i heard this song for the first time last night during a worship time at the international students ministry i am involved in.

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

it spoke to right where i was at. it was exactly the place where i longed to be, finding rest and being still before God, and yet i was so far from it with no idea how to get there. my brain is continually thinking about the next thing i need to do and everything else i have to get done before i leave on monday that i never just stop and just be and i cant keep going for very long when im not consistently spending time with God.
we had a time of quiet at the end of the worship time and for the first time in a long time i was able to quieten my heart and be "still"! i felt God's arms wrap around me like a blanket and i was safe and still and at rest even though i was in a room full of people.
i was challenged to take at least 10 minutes a day to just be still and quiet before God. i did that this morning and it was a beautiful thing and it certainly got my day off on the right foot!!

i had an interesting conversation with a friend about quiet times/devotion times. i dont know if its like this for you but i know it is for me...when ever i have too much to do or im rushed in the morning, the quiet time, the bible reading etc is the first thing to go! why is that? its the best thing to start my day with and i toss it out...it just doesnt make any sense!! a shower and a cup of coffee is what usually happens and a conversation with God on my walk to work. actually, its not usually a conversation, its usually me rambling on about one thing or another and often i dont wait for a response i just carry on with the next thing i have to do!

i think i have been challenged on enough things to keep me going for a while so im going to end here. especially as the clock has turned itself round to being way past my bedtime!!!
if youve managed to read this far...thank you!!!

until next time...

Beautiful Vancouver

2006-03-28T07:10:00.000+01:00

here is a few photos of a couple of the guys i teach english with on a monday night and a couple of the students! it was my last night with them tonight which is sad but i will see most of them again in june!
check out that sushi!!!!

Powder Fun

2006-03-28T06:56:00.000+01:00

ok, so jamie and i went snowboarding last night and it was so super fun!! it was snowing like crazy but the powder was awesome. i fell more times than i care to remember but laughed almost to the point of peeing my pants at every single one!!
we spent most of our time in the park...wow i sound like im really good!!! actually, my 3rd attempt at one of the jumps ended in my falling at the top of it and rolling all the way down...i looked like a snowman when i got up!!!
it felt so good to be up on the mountain again and it felt so good to laugh again, its such a release! it may be the last time before i go on outreach...im hoping i'll go once more but it was a good one to end on if i dont!!!!

until next time...

Farewell To Dave And Heather

2006-03-26T07:39:00.000+01:00

i am happy to say that we still have dave and heather around for another few days but we did have their goodbye party tonight which was really fun!

theres lots of things i could say about dave and heather but for now i will just say i love you guys (i can say it directly to them on this because i know for a fact that heather will read this!!!) and i will miss you a lot!

pictures from top to bottom:
1. ryan, stefan, dawn and lorrain hanging out eating some great pot luck food and sipping on some incredible lemonade punch (made by jamie!!!).

2. dave!

3. pam and sophia.

4. wade, jonathan and leigh enjoying a huge amount of lego!

Let The Jumping Begin

2006-03-20T05:54:00.000Z

i went snowboarding on friday evening and for the first time i gave the terrain park a try!!! it was a beautiful evening, not cold at all with an incredible view of the city so i thought, why not try something new where i would likely be spending most of my time on the ground!!
IT WAS SOOOO FUN!!!! i tried what they call the "small jump" first and that was what i stayed on all evening.
even though i fell pretty heavily on my last try it still made me feel great!! i guess thats the weird thing about extreme sports...even when you get hurt, for some reason you still love it!!!
i had a day of resting yesterday but im sure i'll be back out there sometime this week!!!

until next time...

In Good Company

2006-03-15T07:20:00.000Z

well i just got back from eating huge amounts of japanese/korean bbq!!! oh it was good!!
the person who thought of combining japanese food and korean bbq was a genious!
my friend henry took me out for dinner and it was really fun. my left arm was aching more and more as the evening went by due to the fact that i had just got my typhoid shot 1/2 an hour earlier but oh well..
anyway, back to the copious amounts of food i consumed tonight...
i had never been to an "all you can eat" japanese place other than in japan so i was pretty convinced that it wouldnt be as good but i was wrong! it was definately just as good...great food, great company, great atmosphere, what more could i ask for...??!!!
so then...to top the evening off we went to death by chocolate for dessert!!! for those of you who havent been there i highly recommend it! i just added both places to the list of where i will take my mum in the summer!!!!

until next time...

Beef Stew and Dumplings

2006-03-14T06:33:00.000Z

i feel like i should do a quick follow up on the "food glorious food" post and say that having talked about beef stew and dumplings so much ralph began to crave it and i reaped the benefits!!!
ralph made it on saturday for audrey, jo, wade and i and it totally reminded us both of jolly old england!
thanks ralph!!!

Snow In The City

2006-03-14T06:22:00.000Z

we woke up to snow on the ground on friday!!
it was fun to look at but not so fun to walk to work in. it was all slushy because the sun was shining...yes thats right, i said the sun was shining!!! my shoes were drying on the heater for the remainder of the day!!!
lots on the mountain though!!!

the weather here has been stunning all weekend. it was so beautiful.
stuart and i went snowboarding on sunday and it was once again incredible.
perfect blue sky and great snow conditions. it got pretty icy by the end in the shaded parts but it was fun anyway!

until next time...

Food Glorious Food

2006-03-10T22:18:00.000Z

ralph, audrey and i were talking today about the food we ate growing up! it is so interesting to see the difference between food types in what seems to be 2 similar countries...
we (ralph and i) ate beef stew and dumplings, audrey ate chicken and dumplings..
we ate sausage, chips and baked beans, audrey didnt!
there were things we as brits eat that she had never heard of never mind eaten and vice versa!!
fish fingers and chips
sausage rolls and chips
bubble 'n' squeak
ambrosia rice pudding (chocolate flavour)
chippy tea and a nicer dessert on friday nights!!!
ahh good times!
i have to say that audrey cooks up a mean mexican dish which i never ate growing up!!!! the beauty of diversity!

until next time...

Boxes

2006-03-09T18:04:00.000Z

last night i began to pack up some of my things here in vancouver into various size boxes some of which will be shipped back to england...
i just returned from the post office having mailed my first box! it is extremely strange to be packing up to move and not putting all my things in YWAM storage just while i am on outreach. its going to take some getting used to!
there are a number of us leaving in the next few weeks heading off to all sorts of places and the realisation of it is beginning to hit home for me.
i emptied my draw at the office yesterday too which i have been putting off for weeks. as i was going through it i found things from 2 or 3 years ago which normally wouldnt be a big deal but because this chapter will be coming to an end soon it seemed to be slightly more emotional than necessary!
i think thats all i will say for now!

until next time...

The Cute Factor

2006-03-08T23:33:00.000Z

apologies for not posting in a while!!!
some friends sent me this photo and i thought i would just share it with you as philippa and camilla are just so cute!

until next time...

Disappointment at Anfield

2006-03-08T23:15:00.000Z

i am very sorry to say that liverpool crashed out of the champions league today.
i would have loved to have seen a repeat of last seasons win but it wasnt to be...
lets see what happens in our 2 remaining competitions!!!

congratulations to mike and heidi and any other arsenal fans that read this!!!

until next time...

Children On Skis

2006-02-26T07:54:00.000Z

grouse mountain once again had a customer appreciation day so a few of us took ourselves up the mountain for a great days snowboarding...
i think one of the great stories of my day was when i was standing at the bottom of the lift watching ralph (who did absolutely incredible seen as it was his first time on a snowboard) make his way down and next thing i know i see a small pair of skis come flying through the mesh fence attatched to a child that cant have been more than 5!!! we managed to get him untangled from the fence and back on his feet and everything worked out well but it was just so funny and so cute! kids on skis or snowboards just completely amaze me...they just have no fear!
i am very excited to say that the forecast for snow is looking great this week. hopefully we will have another 10cm by the end of the weekend!
until next time...

Day To Day Runnings

2006-02-22T17:50:00.000Z

well, it is so long since i blogged that im not really sure where to begin. i feel like i have been busier than usual the last couple of weeks but im not really sure why!!
a few weeks ago audrey and i met a south african couple on the sea bus here in vancouver. we were on our way up to grouse mountain to snowboard, which i am finding is a great conversation starter!! anyway, we talked to this couple for the 15 minute journey and found out they were christians and they invited us to their house for lunch one sunday. so last week thats what we did and it was incredible. we met their whole family and it was a very encouraging time for all of us. i am continuing to ask God the significance of this relationship as i believe it was Him that brought us together and their is something special about it.

speaking of snowboarding, a few of us went up to grouse for the day on sunday. it was a beautiful day, sunny but a little icy!
while my dad and lesley were here in the summer we took a trip up to the mountain and i looked up at one the trails and decided that conquering it would be my goal for this season...
i am pleased to announce that i achieved that goal on sunday!!! im not saying i achieved it without falling but i achieved it none the less!
we are hoping for some more snow this week to get rid of this ice!

i continue to do my weekly outreach, teaching english at a local church, on monday evenings.
i am really enjoying getting to know the students and having some incredible conversations with them about who God is and what He did for them.
i am going out for coffee with a brazilian lady, renata, this morning. she really wants to improve in her english conversation so i am really loking forward to talking more with her!

i think that is pretty much the updates for now.
until next time...

A Weekend In Winnipeg

2006-02-07T05:55:00.000Z

well i am now back in vancouver after a great long weekend in winnipeg, manitoba, canada! when don and i arrived at midnight on thursday the temperature was -18...completely out of my grid! it was so cold the inside of my nose froze every time i stepped outside!!! it actually felt much warmer on sunday at -6!!! "warm" and "-6" shouldnt be allowed to be in the same sentence but it really is true...it actually feels "warmer"!!!
i was in shock everytime i looked out of the window because i kept forgetting there was snow on the ground!!

missions fest was great. it was a really busy and tiring weekend but i had a lot of fun talking to a lot of different people. people were so friendly...i was amazed at the difference in atmosphere between vancouver and winnipeg. people that were familar with ywam stopped by which is always fun as well parents that have had kids come through ywam vancouver and that have kids in the dts right now!!!
it became clear to me this weekend how much the dts program has impacted me and how much i believe in it because everytime i talked about it, it brought me to tears...the experiences that i have had, the people i have met and the friendships that i have made go so deep its hard to put into words what it is like.
it was really fun to see kim and jamie. i stayed in their newly renovated house which i actually helped work on during my time in wininipeg on my dts...it was exciting to see what the end result was!
it was a great suprize to see renee dueck...we got to hang out a lot this weekend as she was great and helped out man the vancouver booth! thanks renee!!!
i got to see my dear dear friend lindsey. it was so wonderful to catch up on all thats going on. renee, lindsey and i ate great thai food last night and then linds and i went out for breakfast this morning. thanks linds for a great time! i miss you!

so now we are all up to date i am of to bed. my body still thinks its winnipeg time...2 hours ahead!!!
until next time...

In Her Shoes

2006-02-02T06:29:00.000Z

"in her shoes": one of the best movies ive seen in a while...you should see it if you havent seen it! lesley i think you would like this one!!!
i watched it last night and it was the perfect late night movie...

until next time!

Missions Fest

2006-01-30T02:33:00.000Z

it was that time of year again this weekend...missions fest vancouver....
"Its three-fold purpose is to inform, celebrate and challenge people of all ages to get involved in missions by sending, praying, giving and going".

ywam had a booth in the exhibition hall so we as ywam staff took shifts to promote ywam international.
i love missions fest. you get to meet so many interesting people...some genuinely interested in ywam and some not so genuine!!! its always interesting to meet people who were in ywam way back when and hear their stories!

next weekend i am off to winipegg to promote ywam at the missions fest there. while i am there i also get to see my dear friend lindsey which i am very excited about!!!

until next time...

23

2006-01-28T06:43:00.000Z

well today was my 23rd birthday and to celebrate i went snowboarding with audrey, jamie and henri! it was a really great day. we begun with a good breakfast and then loaded our stuff into a van and went up to grouse mountain. the conditions were pretty bad but we made the most of what we had and i had a really fun birthday!
this will probably be my last birthday in canada so its a good one to end on!!
to end our day we went and got japanese food! for my japanese friends that are reading this, audrey and i both had pork donbori...almost as good as what i had when i was in Japan!
thanks for a fun day girls!

More on Snowboarding...

2006-01-25T06:50:00.000Z

on friday grouse mountain had an incredible offer on; that anyone who had a seasons pass could take a friend for free...so audge and i went up for the day. it was amazing. audrey's snowboarding improved so much in the space of about 1/2 an hour and it really just felt we were just playing in the snow together. it was so fun.
stuart and jamie came up to join us for the evening. the view was absolutely spectacular...a clear view of the lights of vancouver!

stuart taught audge and i how to wax our snowboards!!! its actually quite a theraputic exercise and works out much cheaper than putting it in to be professionally done every time!!!
all it really takes is some snowboard wax, an old iron, a scraper and some good old elbow grease!!!

until next time...

Prayer

2006-01-22T21:21:00.000Z

prayer is...

me being me

in the presence

of God being God

prayer...

takes the tangled ball of wool

and gently untagles it

without snapping it or cutting it

Ice Skating

2006-01-19T06:27:00.000Z

last night jamie, craig and i decided to go ice skating at a local rink here in vancouver. bare in mind that the last time i went skating was when i was about 13 years old at the deeside rink with the girl guides! you can imagine how wobbly i was to begin with!!! it was so much fun though once i got my feet back...id forgotten how much i loved it. im definately feeling it today though. the leg muscles are pretty sore!!!!
until next time...

A Taste of Heaven

2006-01-17T05:26:00.000Z

i just had the snowboarding night of my life!! stu and i went up to grouse for the night boarding and it was incredible. its been snowing pretty heavily now for a good week so there was some great powder and when the snow is soft i make the most of going at high speeds so it doesnt hurt so much when i fall...i am able to be a bit more daring when its soft so tonight was awesome!!!
until next time..

Cream Tea, Oprah and Taco Soup

2006-01-15T07:45:00.000Z

henri, audrey, jamie and i had a british afternoon today. we had cream tea (tea and scones with jam and clotted cream) and talked about a bunch of random things. henri has this really funny book of the positives and negatives about england so that was fun to read too!
once we were done stuffing our faces with cream tea and biscuits and lemon cake we spent a bit of time with our good friend oprah. jamie got the dvd's for christmas and its so great!
thanks girls, i had a great time!

my good friend audrey made dinner for me tonight. we had taco soup and it was soooo good.
i had never had it before...its a mexican dish i believe. mmm...yummy! thanks audge!

YWAM in England...

2006-01-12T04:33:00.000Z

i just found this really cool map of all the places in england that have ywam bases in them so i thought i would just post it because i didnt even realise there was so many!!! cool eh!!!
google images is awesome...you should check it out some time!!!

i did write a slightly more interesting blog before this so if you are finding the fact that i posted this slightly boring please dont just hit back and go to someone elses, scroll down a bit..pleeease!

until next time...

Girls, Girls, Girls...

2006-01-12T04:09:00.000Z

well, here we are again at the beginning of another year and with that comes new dts students at ywam vancouver. we welcomed 8 lovely students (all girls this time) through our doors yesterday and im excited to begin to get to know them as the months go by.

just yesterday i was realising how much things, especially technology, has changed even since my dts in 2002...
during my school i knew very few people with laptops, no one had ever heard of an ipod shuffle let alone nano, only the koreans had digital cameras and i was just learning about email!!!! now most of the students have it all!!!!

i would also like to give a shout out to our newest member of staff, stuart. he is an aussie who loves snowboarding and cricket and he knows my dear friend benjamin!!!!! welcome to vancouver stu!!

until next time...

100 Minute Bible

2006-01-07T01:33:00.000Z

for those who havent heard of this, it is the 100 minute bible. it is an overview of the whole bible which you are supposed to be able to read in 100 minutes.
it picks out the essential elements of the bible from genesis to revelation using universal language. i have to say, it really is very easy to read!! i havent read it start to finish yet but i have heard good reviews and from what i have read it looks great.

christmas overview part 2

2006-01-06T07:06:00.000Z

a not so great photo of me with my christmas hair cut!

i had a couple of days with my dad and lesley and lesleys mum before coming back to vancouver. it was really fun...i loved it!

a really cute but really old picture of my really cute godson, andrew!

remember the baby, anna, who was featured a couple of months ago....well this is her now at 2 months old!!! super cute!

it was good to finally meet her and catch up with her parents, lisa and stephen. thanks for lunch and the chat, it was great!

Christmas Overview

2006-01-05T19:45:00.000Z

my mum and i visited warick castle on our way home from heathrow airport...

we also visited family that i havent seen for a year! i just met molly who you will see in the picture opposite...cute or what?!

christmas eve with my dad, lesley and family in manchester.

christmas day with mum, aunties, uncles and cousins...

the lighting of the christmas pudding...

me and emma, and claire chillin' after dinner!

Beautiful British Columbia

2006-01-05T06:19:00.000Z

well i just arrived back to vancouver a few hours ago and it feels good. my friends ryan and henri picked me up and we stopped for coffee and doughnuts on the way home...i thought it would be a quick trip in and out but as we were about to get in the van the key broke in the lock!!! pam came to our rescue and brought us the spare key. and now im home and have already unpacked and am definately looking forward to getting into bed. im trying to keep myself up for at least a little while so i will get back into a regular routine quickly! its 10.30pm now so i think its about that time. i will put some pictures of my time home in england on here soon.
until next time...

Happy New Year

2006-01-02T07:01:00.000Z

a very happy new year to you all. i cant get over the fact that it is january 1st already (the 2nd for those in places like australia!) where has this last year gone?!
i have had a wonderful past few days. i spent friday and most of saturday with my dad and lesley and lesleys mum (otherwise know as norah) and it was great. WE WENT SHOPPING!!! and we ate a lot of great indian food and watched the movie "saving grace". anyone seen it??
new years eve...i laughed and laughed and laughed some more. i spent the evening with my mum and a few family friends sandie and graham (those who have heard me talk of rachael..her mum and dad), joyce and diane. again we ate heaps of great food drank a range of great beverages and played games until big ben chimed 12 and we let off party poppers and had other things and went out into the street to watch fireworks and wish the neighbours happy new year...as you do!
new years day...one of those days that its tradition (in my house anyway) to do nothing!!! a new craze to hit britain is the number game "sudoku" (sp??) and now im addicted too so my mum and i did a few puzzles this afternoon...i guess you have to experience it to think its fun!!!
i think thats pretty much it for now. i have a few things planned for the next few days before travelling back to vancouver but i'll fill you in on those later!!
until next time..

Merry Christmas

2005-12-28T08:51:00.000Z

a belated merry christmas to you all. i hope anyone reading this is having a good christmas season!
i am still really enjoying being home in england but i have to admit that i am missing vancouver quite a lot.
my last few days have actually been pretty hectic but relaxing at the same time if that makes any sense!
christmas eve was spent with my dad and lesley and my extended family in manchester. we had a really enjoyable day...eating lots of yummy food, watching the kids go crazy as well as trying to watch the garfield movie in the midst of the chaos...it was quite good actually, a little silly but good none the less!!
christmas day was great as usual...my mum and i went to church christmas morning which we have done ever since i can remember and i absolutely love it. then we went round to some really good friends of ours for coffee and mince pies/biscuits and exchanged gifts. and then we went round to my uncle dave and auntie barbaras for christmas dinner. there were 9 of us altogether and it was just an absolute blast! i was in total stitches all afternoon! i think this year was the best christmas dinner we have had. i cant put my finger on exactly why but it was just amazing. of course we ended the meal with good old home made christmas pud...we got to the point that we werent sure if the flames were ever going to go out there was so much brandy in it!!! it sure tasted great though!!!
boxing day was extremely restful...i spent most of the day sleeping due to a bad cold i had picked up. liverpool beat newcastle 2-0 which is a definate highlight! welcome back to anfield michael!
so that just about sums up my last few days...so until next time...

In My Liverpool Home

2005-12-22T19:17:00.000Z

well i made it safe and sound back to liverpool a whole week ago now and its great to be back. sorry i cant put pics up at the moment...im in a similar boat to lindsey in that my computer here cant take the stress of it all!!!
well things have been much quieter than usual...its nice to have a bit longer here so i dont need to rush round as much. i have managed to see a few people though and it has been wonderful. my friend who is living in mexico for a year actually came on a suprize visit home for christmas...she didnt know i was home and i didnt know she was home so you can imagine the suprize!!!
i got my hair cut and highlighted yesterday which is all very exciting...i have had the same hairdresser, andrea, since i was about 6 so it was fun to catch up with her.
i have been sorting out my room beginning to get ready for it to be decorated so thats been fun. everyone who knows me will know that i am not one to throw too much out but i have actually been really good and got rid of a bunch of things...woo hoo for cleaning!
well i am going to end this update here but will try to write more soon...
bye for now

Homeward Bound

2005-12-12T04:47:00.000Z

it is now 9pm on sunday evening and i have spent the entire weekend preparing to go to england for christmas! all the usual things that need to happen before going on holiday happened or are at least going to happen...
laundry, packing etc!
packing was a slightly bigger job this time as i am also taking some things home to leave there in preparation for my return to england next year!!!
my english friend henri is also on the same flight as me so it is going to be great having a travel companion.
i leave vancouver on tuesday evening and arrive in london on wednesday afternoon...

Christmas Lights

2005-12-08T06:18:00.000Z

last night was our staff christmas party...
we ate good food, sung a few christmas carols and then a group of us went to stanley park for the annual visit to view the christmas lights. i have visited the lights every year that i have been on staff here in vancouver and i look forward to it every year. usually it is encorporated into a wonderful christmas lights tour of vancouver but that doesnt start until after i go to england so it was just stanley park for me this year!
there was a huge homer simpson blow up thing which can be seen in the picture to the right...interesting!
i feel like i am just beginning to realise that it is christmas day in 2 1/2 weeks!!! last night begun to get me in the mood!
my ben memory from this event is that last year as we were walking around, he tried to touch a raccoon...crazy boy! i miss you buddy!

dream come true

2005-12-08T02:57:00.000Z

this post isnt just me talking about going snowboarding again, i have now actually been and i have pictures to prove it!!!
audrey and i took ourselves up to grouse mountain yesterday and had an incredible day. i loved every minute of it...even when i fell!
for me, going up the mountain isnt just about snowboarding, although that is a huge part of it obviously, it is worship. worshiping the creator in His creation...its beautiful!
there was a fresh dump of snow a couple of days ago which made conditions almost perfect. it got a little icy towards the end but it was still awesome. i love going with audrey too...its fun to learn new things together!!!
we are both a little sore today but its all worth it!
here is a few other photos of our day on the slopes...!!!

Farewell Benjamin!

2005-12-02T07:16:00.000Z

my dear australian friend benjamin left vancouver on tuesday to go back to australia and pursue his dreams of being a pilot. i am so excited for him but it was very hard to say goodbye and i miss him so so much!
ben and i have been friends for 4 years now and he is like an older brother to me. we did our dts together in 2002 and have led 2 dts outreaches together.
i love ben so much and will always remember the great times we had together and i hope there will be many more when we see each other again sometime!
i now have a great reason to visit australia too!!!
ben has taught me so much over the past 4 years and he has impacted more lives than he will ever know.
thanks ben, i love you!

Prayer Station

2005-12-01T00:41:00.000Z

"The ministry of the Prayer Station is based on the fact that we are providing an opportunity to pray for people who have a variety of needs and believeing that God will hear our prayer and act on behalf of those for whom we pray. Our prayer of faith then becomes a starting point for us to share our faith." YWAM New York

the prayer station ministry began in new york and has spread worldwide. mike and craig, from our base here in vancouver, have started one in our local community and they go out twice a week at the moment. i have been out with them a few times now and it definately takes me out of my comfort zone. it is an absolutely incredible ministry though and i am excited to see what else God does through it!
the picture to the right is jessi, jamie and i today before going out!!!
i am always pretty nervous about it before hand because you never quite know what response you are going to get when you ask someone if you can pray for them. i have to keep reminding myself why i am doing what i am and who i am doing it for. i am learning so much about myself and most of all who God is and seeing people how he sees them. it brings a whole new dimension to interacting with people. i love it!
God has really provided some incredible opportunities for us to share the Gospel through this. it is not always easy to go out there, especially when it is freezing and raining/snowing like yesterday, but consistency is the key! i have a bunch of cool stories from it which i wont go into now but if you want to hear more about it please talk to me!!!

to find out more about the prayer station ministry go to:
http://www.ywam-ny.com/ click on urban ministry then prayer stations.

24 hours in a day

2005-11-26T02:28:00.000Z

i cannot quite believe how fast this whole week has gone for me. it has been one of the best weeks i have had in a while. doesn't that always happen...good weeks always go by fast and boring or rough weeks seem like they drag on forever but no matter what happens everyone always has 24 hours in a day. over the last few days i have really started to think more about how i spend my time. what are the things that are important to me? getting my priorities straight.
how am i investing the life God gave me?
i certainly do not have all the answers to this question but it is making me think and i like it.
more on this week later...

How Great You Are

2005-11-23T07:05:00.000Z

here i am back blogging again. im not quite sure where time has gone these last few days but they seem to have flown by.

on monday evenings i am part of a group at a local church here in vancouver that teaches english to asian students in a converstation club style environment. we discuss topics relevent to the students that come, eat dinner together, have a time of musical worship and over the past few weeks we have begun the alpha course with them. i am finding that through this outreach i am also learning so much both from the christians and non-christians there.
i am really enjoying making friends from countries like china, hong kong, south korea and japan.
all that to say that when i was there last night i was reminded again of how great God is.
God's character never changes. His posture towards me is always an open hand. He loves me and is always pursuing me.
i walked away from last night with an overwhelming sense of God's greatness and majesty.
How great You are. i stand in awe of You my God.

for me, there is nothing that reveals His splendor and majesty more than being in His breath taking creation. the mountains here in vancouver had an early dump of snow this year which meant they could open early. so this week i was able to get up there and it was exhilarating.
a lot of my thoughts these days are planning my next trip to grouse mountain. i just cant get enough of it.

when i was up there on my snowboard, flying down the mountain with the wind in my hair (well maybe not quite flying!) i felt for the first time in a long time, graceful!
snowboarding isnt really a sport that i have ever thought of as graceful but it was almost like a dance between me and God and i felt amazing.

thank you God, You are awesome!

O Canada

2005-11-14T22:37:00.000Z

it was the rememberence day service at church yesterday and i think it is actually the first one i have been to since being in canada for one reason or another.
anyway, for as long as i can remember, rememberence sunday for me has always been important. it was always an honour for me, as a girl guide, to carry my countrys flag into church, to stand as we sung our national anthem and lay a remeberence wreath at the memorial.
im not sure what it is about singing my national anthem but i always get emotional.
yesterday we sang the canadian national anthem, "O Canada" and it hit me again that canada is home. i love this country and feel proud to sing these words...

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

canada will always have a very special place in my heart!

a day with friends

2005-11-12T06:14:00.000Z

audrey, ben and i spent the day in downtown vancouver.
what an incredible city i live in!
shopping, great food, great drinks, a walk around the waterfront looking out over the mountains and to end the evening, caramel apple cider at starbucks in the new christmas cups...and all this with 2 incredible people and very dear friends!
hanging out with ben and audrey is always interesting. i love it...you never quite know whats going to happen next. its so much fun!!
ben and i did our dts together in 2002 and i am sad to have to say goodbye to him at the end of this month. he is going back to australia to pursue his career as a pilot. i love you ben, i will miss you!
thanks ben and audge...today was great!

the season begins

2005-11-11T21:43:00.000Z

the snow is falling, the pistes are being groomed, snowboards are being serviced and i am happy to announce that grouse mountain will be opening next weekend. i can't quite put into words how excited i am about this.
last season when i was up on the mountain i just felt a million miles from everything. it was so peaceful, a chance to clear my head. there is something about being up there that makes everything seem ok. i was continually reminded of the awesomeness of God and His creation.
audrey and i are planning to go up to grouse as soon as possible and we are prepared for the fact that we won't be able to move the next day but somehow it's worth it!
woo hoo...snowboarding!!!!

Gone Fishing

2005-11-10T18:29:00.000Z

i would like to introduce my dear friend kristina to anyone who doesn't know her. we were on the same dts and she is currently with ywam in norway and she posted this photo on her blog a few days ago! i like it so much that i want not only the people who look on her blog to see it, but everyone who looks at mine too!
i love you kristina and miss you lots!