A significant week

Most weeks seem to me follow the same old pattern of work, sleep, food, laughing, church, meetings and maybe the odd eventful or exciting thing.

But this week two events are happening which may in the future alter the life of Mr & Mrs B. The events themselves may not be that significant when they occur but feel significant contemplating them. On Tuesday Mr B is going to ring Lancashire Constabulary to apply for an application form to leave teaching and join the police. On Thursday I'm going to have my first meeting with a vocations advisor to consider my future in Christian ministry.

Both events are new, challenging and also exciting. As well as scary. It's at times like this I'm very grateful to be a Christian, at the start of a significant week where Mr B and I are setting off on a path not before travelled, we go knowing that there is One who has prepared the path for us, who will hold our hands and guide us as we go down the path and who knows what's at the end.
Here's to a significant week!

The Creative resolution

I just remembered I had 4 resolutions and I haven't mentioned my being creative resolution: in a word I haven't!!!

Bother not doing at all well am I?

Perhaps I should have made my resolutions more achievable like:
watch lots of Ally McBeal on DVD
check my facebook regularly
clean my house often
declutter my study
teach children for five days a week
enjoy the new series of Grand Designs on TV
Get annoyed at the people on superskinny versus supersize (don't you just love the term 'supersize'?)
Go to Church every Sunday

All of which I've done - easily!!!

2 months 1 resolution!!

Well it's almost the end of Feb half term and I have to say I'm proud of myself for arranging and spending some good quality time with some friends this week. I've seen people from uni and my old place of work and eaten lots of nice yummy food. So that's one resolution going well.

As for the other two... I brought home a ton of work and have done it all and I still can't fit in my trousers!!! Ha ha. I'm considering giving up chocolate for lent as the next drastic step. I've got two days to decide so will have a think.

My New Year's Resolutions

I know they're very late and not everyone agrees with setting new year's resolutions but this year I have made several. The reason for this is that when we came to write our annual Christmas letter Mr B had loads of things he had done in the past 12 months that were exciting and newsworthy and I had none!!

Oh dear what did I do with 12 months of my life?

All I could think of was: I got a new job and I had to get glasses hmmm not very much to account of 365 days of opportunities so I have set some goals to try and improve this year.

• I am not going to try and not be a workaholic because I have to admit I am
• To partake of some regular exercise, I have discovered in my 28th year of life that I can no longer eat as much food as I wish and still wear small size trousers!
• To spend more quality time with my friends, this will also hopefully help with the not being a workaholic
• To try and spend a bit more time being creative and particularly scrapping memories and events as a record to keep.

We shall see how I get on...

Two weeks into January I have managed my time better with regards to school but still far too busy, the laptop lives on my knee in the evenings. I have been for one jog but I have spent some super time with my friends and am going round for dinner with some friends tomorrow evening.

Rebel with a cause

Oh dear! I seem to have become a rebel at Church quite without realising it, let me explain. At the weekend we had a 24 hour prayer event to pray for the Church's general future, new vicar etc etc. We were asked to sign up to attend in one hour intervals and I was asked to lead one of these hours.

Now me being me I thought, well an hour is a long time to sit and pray for one thing so I'll have four fifteen minute session on different topics, I made some power points and was ready.

I decided to go to Church before my hour and join the people in the previous hour, this is when I noticed I'm a bit different - turns out that at prayer events we normally just sit in silence, in rows and pray in silence. I didn't know that. I moved the chairs into a semi-circle had the group praying out loud, had the PowerPoint's and generally had a really good hour of prayer. The people who were there said they'd really enjoyed it.

Next morning the organiser comes up to me and says thanks for doing the slot Hannah, I hear you moved the chairs. Oh dear again. But actually I am gobsmacked, I've been at this Church for over 18months now and didn't know that's what was always done. Well it isn't anymore. Apparently some other people used the chairs I'd set out as well so my rebel ways are spreading already.

Thank goodness is all I can say. Sorry if I'm making my Church sound boring and out dated, I'm quite sure they re not about most things but I was not designed to pray in silence for an hour and I'm not going to.

Now back to editing the Alpha talk for Saturday - my rebel ways continue, it's going to be shorter than the talks normally are!!!

2 months!!!

Oh dear, it has been far too long since my last post. My excuses will be lame so I won't bother.

Suffice to say my recollections of events of the past two months are not many:

• my new school is not laid back, is busy, busy and then some more busy.
• It's a challenge but ultimately I hope a good one (although there have been many dark moments when I have not felt very positive about my move.)
• I leave for work earlier than I did at my last school which is bizarre as it's only 5 minutes away from the house.
• I have been to 3 fabulous weddings.
• I have fantastic friends (lots of whom I saw at the weddings).
• I'm going to be an auntie next year, which is highly exciting.
• I discovered last Sunday afternoon, the first free day of half term, that as I had decided to leave so many 'jobs' that needed doing for Church till half term - I had better start quickly!! So in the past week I have prepared an Alpha talk, a quiz for all age service, a talk for the light party tomorrow and an hour slot for the 24 hour prayer event.
• I go to an excellent Church (filled with grace and imperfect people) - our Mission Action Plan for the coming year is super, forward thinking and achievable, which is a huge blessing.
• As to is our Parish profile while we look for a new vicar. If you are interested in finding out about this excellent church please look here or here.

I'll try to post more regularly!!

P.S. the Christening I went to was a lot longer than it said online but a very welcoming, friendly Church just a bit too high brow for moi!!

Punctuality

In the morning We are going to a Christening at St. Anne's-on-sea parish Church. I was emailed a link to the website to get directions which I have just done and was rather intrigued to read this:

Parish Eucharist
The main celebration of the day using contemporary language with hymns, full choir, Sunday School, and creche. Everyone is welcome.Every Sunday at 10:30 AM for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

How can they measure every service that precisely? What if an unforeseen thing arises and they run over to 1 hour and 15 minutes? Do people walk out? Also rather sadly wonder how the Holy Spirit is allowed to have his way if we stick that rigidly to time? Or do we not mention him?

Anyway I shall be timing very closely and will let you know!!