Olympicness

Ok so I have gone through another one of these phases where I don't blog for a few weeks but I feel like recently there have been lots of things I have had thoughts about which should be shared with the world.


Here is an overview:

• In London you can literally not move without being reminded the Olympics start tomorrow evening. Now I am in 2 minds about them - clearly they are VERY exciting and it's good investment in terms of tourism etc. However, I don't have tickets for actual olympics (I do have paralympic tickets), also NONE of the kids I work with are able to go because all the cheap youth tickets can only be bought with a full price adult ticket. So this AWESOME experience is happening in our city but the young people I work with are not able to participate in it. 
• This evening I had a lovely dinner picnic with Tom in St James' Park and while we were there there was a group of about 10 women in bikinis dancing a routine while being filmed for something to do with the Olympics. Now this was amusing enough, but as we were sitting in the vague vicinity, it was hilarious watching guys slowly get closer and get their phones out to film. Pervetastic.
• I have now finished my first year with XLP and said goodbye to my first team which was really weird. Like the last few weeks were REALLY busy so when we had their leaving service it was like the last in a long list of things to do and it didn't really sink in until I was back to work on Monday without a team. It feels very odd knowing that I don't have people looking for me or to do projects with. Thankfully I'll see them all in a couple weeks for a Summer Project we're doing.
• Last week I had a week off and it was really good. Normally I'm a bit rubbish at actually having a rest because I pack my time seeing people I can't normally see. But last week I went home for 4 days and had a good break hanging out with my family. I also had a chance to see some of my friends, go to Somerset for a day and watch my friend get baptised. It was a good time for a break - like I had been working really hard and so needed some time off, but also it was just before the summer so not everyone was totally free which could have been disastrous for my rest strategy.
• Bugs. Ok so this morning I had a horrible incident with a spider (a really fat thick legged black one) which I found climbing up my back/shoulder as I was hanging clothes up. I did the whole freak out shout and swipe thing and then was worried because I couldn't see where it had landed...found it and dealt in a brutal but quick fashion. Then later on today I was in Iceland buying icecream (bargain of the day 12 icecreams for £2) and I found a weird multicoloured bug in my cleavage! Arghh almost threw the icecream across the shop. Hoping it was a one off day.

Last thing, I'm pretty excited because I'm really close to hitting the 5000 blog views mark...just want to take this chance to thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy my random ramblings.

Latvia!

For the first time EVER Latvian readers have overtaken my American audience for this blog. I have family in the states as my Dad is from Illinois, however to my knowledge I can only know a couple of people from Latvia...

WHO ARE YOU?!

Losing the plot.

You may remember my post not too long ago about my phone miracle well in a similar vein the last 2 days have involved me losing things. Not just 1 thing....but 3 separate things! I genuinely am beginning to worry about my sanity because generally I'm quite a together, organised person but lately that has defo gone out the window.


Let me explain:
Thursday - After work I went to Sainsburys with my friend Becky to pick up some pizzas because we were having a games night at mine. Bought the pizzas, hopped on the bus back to mine, got off at the bus stop and then I realised I wasn't holding my keys as I had been all the way to Sainsburys...doh. Back to Sainsburys we had to go, thankfully a shop assistant had found them and had handed them in. Lost item number 1. Found relatively easily.


Friday - After our lunchclub myself and a friend went round to a lady from my Church's house to go for a walk with her and her dog. Had a LOVELY walk in the sun and good catch up. As we were walking to the bus stop from her house I realised I didn't have my phone in my pocket any more....doh! So I went back to retrace my steps and eventually found my phone in a patch of grass. Lost item number 2. Found with searching.


Friday - Before I had gone to the lunchclub I had gone to the Post Office to pick up my paralympic tickets of the men's wheelchair basketball final!! Later in the day I wanted to buy some toothpaste however as I went to pay I realised I did not have my purse....DOH! Thinking back I worked out that the last place I had it was at the Post Office Collecting Centre which was now closed. So had to make the decision do I cancel all my cards incase it's actually lost, or do I trust that it was at the PO? Went for option b with the idea that if it wasn't there then I would cancel everything. This morning got up to be there for opening at 8am and PRAISE THE LORD they had it. Lost item number 3. Found with prayer, bit of stress and lovely people at the Post Office looking after it.


So I'm seriously considering some bungee cords for all valuable items....then they at least will ping back if I leave them somewhere.


I am sure there is a lesson that God is trying to teach me through this, maybe that he will look after me - I mean all 3 of those things were found within a day pretty much of losing them. Or maybe it's that I need to trust him more. But yea I am listening...hoping that means I won't lose more things! 

Escape?!

Last night I had the fright of my life. 


I had been at a wedding all afternoon/evening. My friend Jess who I went on a mission trip to South Africa with almost 3 years ago was getting married to her long term boyfriend Luke. That was over in East London - not too far away. Had a WONDERFUL time. This wedding was so much fun!


Lots of dancing and my friend Helen (who was also in South Africa with us) proved to be ace company on the dance floor. Instead of a wedding cake they had a mountain of chocolate brownies! 


Anyway when I got home I was VERY happy to get out of my heels which had slowly been deforming my feet, and so flopped onto my bed thinking I would be sleeping soon. WRONG. As I got ready for bed I noticed that a tube had come unattached from my hamster's cage...Now my hamster Lewis is as close as I have to a child and all I can say is blind panic set in. 


Lewis was NOT in his cage!! 


I had been gone since 1:30 and it was now after midnight. That is a long time for a hamster to escape and go somewhere to chew things. I was worried that he might have got into my landlady's room and be chewing through her clothes...she would not be a fan. 


Anyway the search began and thankfully 20 mins later I found him in a far corner under my desk.  The wave of relief was ridiculous. Having got him safely back in his cage (which is amazing - a hamster space command cage!) I was struck by how God must feel when we run away from him. 


Like God has given us a few rules to live a life which is the best for us; when we run away from those he must be so worried for us. I know he knows everything, but the Bible says we can relate to him like a father who I'm sure would be worried if we went missing. 


Having experienced the fear that comes with losing my only hamster I feel like I am in a slightly better position to understand the kind of love God has for us.