Worldwide

So I love the fact that on blogspot I can see what countries people who read this blog are from. 

I am always amazed that I have people all over the world who read it! I am also intrigued by who you people are.

So if you are from:

• The USA
• Germany
• Brazil
• India
• Italy
• Russia
• Ukraine
• Canada 
• France
• Norway

Could you leave a comment to let me know who you are please.

Merry Christmas, Nadolig Llawen, Joyeux Noel, Frohliche Weihnachten...that's it ran out of languages now.

May you all have a fantastic Christmas celebrating our Saviour's birth.

Slow it down

The last week has LITERALLY passed in a blur. 


Normally I would say that Christmas is a busy time, but this year it just seems to have gone to another level. 


It all started a week ago with my work's Christmas Party - that was on Friday at this place in Canary Wharf, nice enough - good to socialise with work people. Had a WELL embarrassing moment which included 3 of my co-workers writing a note to the waiter dressed as an elf giving him my ACTUAL number...he responded by grabbing my face and kissing me as my boss walked past...AWKWARD. 


Anyway, then Sat was actually a really good day of just getting myself and my room sorted. In the eve I went to a Christmas/House Warming/Cheese and Cocktail Party and thoroughly enjoyed some tasty home made salsa and a glass or two of mulled wine. 


Sunday was Carol Service Day. I went to my Church's Carol Service in the morning which was fantastic! Then in the evening I went to a Carol Service at the Church around the corner from me and then on to have more mulled wine/mince pies/snacks. It was SO nice to go somewhere in London with people who I don't know from work and have an ace time. LOVED it.


Monday was my last day of work. I spent the day finishing off things and working out how to turn my out of office on. The I met my friend Kirsty off the train and we went to this FANTASTIC pub. Honestly, it was so cool. Firstly its called "The Old Nun's Head" (what a corker of a name!) and it stocks board games behind the bar that you can ask to use. Then the menu was pretty good too - a mix of pub classics and thai cuisine...we had fun. And then we finished the night off by going to see Sherlock Holmes - cracking film! Would highly recommend it.


Tuesday I was off to the matinee of the Nutcracker with Kirsty at the Royal Opera House. It was my first Ballet and I have to say I did enjoy it - we had ace seats and the music was great. I think I still prefer musicals just because you know what's going on more but still was a nice festive thing to do. Got food (and posted my passport application only a year after my last one got stolen...) and then hopped on a train to Cardiff where I got picked up to blaze a trail to Aberystwyth making a slight detour to pick up our friend Jon. Arrived approx 12:30am


Wednesday was my old work (Aberystwyth University Guild of Students) Christmas Meal. I and my old colleagues had been invited back to join in and no lies it was an intense day. Champagne at 11am, food at 1pm, sleep at 3am


Thursday bus at 6:20am, Cardiff at 10:30am, shopping until train at 1:55pm, train cancelled GAH! next train got me back to my London home by 5:30 where I literally emptied my bag to refill it for a week and hopped on a train to Tunbridge Wells.


Friday up to visit the Grandparents, managed to end up staying for lunch (win) back to bake Christmas cookies and wrap presents before meeting a friend at the pub to catch up....




and breathe.....


now to slow down.

Tidiness and Myers Briggs

You may not know this about me...but I am a pretty untidy person.

Well I say that...I HATE untidy bathrooms and kitchens...but bedrooms are a completely different field. My bedroom currently is the biggest one I have ever had...so you would think that means I would have space to put all my stuff and that everything would have a home. 

Nope. 

I have literally just spent at least 3 hours hanging up clothes, doing washing, sifting through bits of paper and deciphering between what needs recycling and what needs filing for the future. Not going to lie I am SO easily distracted that it takes me A LONG time to finish any task because a few mins in I want to read that card someone sent me months ago, or want to eat the biscuits that have been on my desk since Sept.

Now I know that part of my short attention span is probably a lack of food/drink but some of it might have to do with who I am...like my personality.

At work we recently had to take part in a Myers Briggs Personality Test. For those of you who don't know what it is, you basically answer loads of questions and come out as one of a possible 16 personalities. I am an ESFP (Extrovert, Sensing, Feeler, Perceiver). Once you have worked out what you are, you are given a sheet which explains generally what you tend towards. Under the "works best" section I am told that I am most effective when "working on several projects at once, needs variety" 

I have always thought that there was something wrong with me because I find it really hard to concentrate on one thing at a time...I always have LOADS of tabs up on a computer. It generally will take me about an hour to write a blog post because I'll be doing other things in between. In my last job I found it quite hard as there were generally really quick deadlines which meant I had no time not to focus on something fully. 

I love finding out about myself and working out a bit more about why I think/act like I do.

What about you? Do you like personality tests or do you not like being put in a box? 

First bit of Christmas

For the last few years I have been pretty good at enjoying Christmas hype without really getting my head around the fact that Christmas is getting closer.

It generally hits me like 3 days before or like last year....the day before....

This year I have already done some Christmas shopping, drank some mulled wine, eaten a fair few mince pies, had a Christmas dinner, been to a carol service and listened to carol singers in the street....

however, this is what has made me ready for Christmas.

We watched it in Church this morning as an intro into the sermon. I can honestly say I think this is possibly the best advert I have ever seen.

It's made me happy inside. So ready for Christmas now.

Hendo Tribute

So, I just felt the need to write an entire post just about two of my favourite people in the world. 

This is them.


Malcolm and Naomi Henderson


Now you may think....hmmm there's nothing special looking about them and they don't look like they would be great friends....


but honestly...


they rock my world.


I went for a flying visit to stay with them in Birmingham last night because they are off to Aus a week today for like 6 whole weeks!! Obviously I didn't think I would be able to last a whole Christmas/New Years without seeing them so I jetted up to see them. 


We spent the night drinking mulled wine, and then white wine and looking at various things (including this) and just catching up.


There are many reasons why I love this pair, but a main one would be that they are easy to be around. Like you can just relax with them and be stupid and remember things, and not have to have a pre-planned activity to do. I think that is quite refreshing - I love being able to be spontaneous and these two do it very well. 


They are both incredible photographers (obviously they will both become my personal ones when I become famous...) and have a blog which you can look at here

After spending one night with them I have realised how much I love and miss them. 


Guys I hope you have a cracking holiday!

The Me I Want To Be

Some of you may know that I am a typical Christian who has LOADS of holy books on my shelf but in practice I have only read maybe half of them. 


Well recently I was surprised by the standard of a book I bought while I was in Aberystwyth. It's called "the me I want to be: becoming God's best version of you" by John Ortberg

In 22 chapters the author covers:

• Finding my identity
• Flowing with the Holy Spirit
• Renewing my mind
• Redeeming my time
• Deepening my relationships
• Transforming my experience

It has been a book that I have actually LOVED reading. Like, if you have actually been anywhere near me for the last month you will probably have heard me talk about something I am learning from it or how amazing I think it is. I even bought my friend a copy of it for her birthday!

I've been reflecting on why I liked it and there are a few reasons:

1. FRESH: Honestly, I generally find books about Christian life good in theory but never very practical. However, Ortberg is actually real! Like he isn't super holy (or at least from his book he doesn't come across as being like that), but he is human and struggles the same as I do with living a life that would make God proud. I think he just gave me a fresh perspective on how to view God and how God views me - which has actually really helped the way I relate to God.
2. CHALLENGING: I am generally someone who needs a new challenge quite frequently to stay engaged, and focused. This book honestly does make you ask some tough questions of yourself about where you are excusing yourself for sin and how you can actually deal with it. Like it's hard to read, but actually it's not because it brings life.
3. DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL HUGELY GUILTY: Linked to above, there are parts of this book where I was really convicted of different areas of my life; however I didn't have that feeling of oh my word I am such a bad Christian because I don't get up at 6am to have a quiet time every morning. The book talks about engaging with God in loads of different ways and accepts that people are individuals and aren't all going to work the same. I found it really releasing!
4. IT LOOKS GOOD: You might guess but I have a relatively short attention span and this book is just EASY to read. Like there are short chapters and diagrams/graphs/pics to keep you reading. Plus the way Ortberg writes is fantastic - like he throws in stories from his own life and elsewhere to make it easier to relate to.

All in all I would really recommend this book to you - its not even that expensive (£7.99 in Waterstones)

Question - What is a book that has really inspired you?