I bought a new digital camera yesterday...Lord help the lot of you...I'll be blogging loads of pictures now....once I figured out how it works!!!

The Lake House

I went to see this movie with a friend on Friday night. Don't you just love those evenings of good company, good food and a good movie! My friend Becky and I work together (it's beyond a joke how many Becky's I know!) and we only really get to chat for 5 minutes or so when we see one another in work so it was lovely to go out for the evening with her and catch up properly.

We went to Bella Italia in Cheshire Oaks and I was saddedned to see that my favourite item on the menu was no longer there; the Marco Polo duck pizza. I mentioned to the waitress and she was saying that they were trying this new menu and it had only just begun this week. We said we'd need a few more minutes to decide but then she came back a little later and said that she'd spoken to the chef and that he was more than willing to make the pizza for me! You don't get many restaurants like that...so I would highly recommend this one!!

Anyway, the movie was a little slow to start with but boy was a trip down memory lane for me! There were all of these shots of Chicago and my eyes just filled up. There was the park that I remember wandering around with Becky (another one!) Hill and Emma Luckie when we first arrived in Chicago but had missed our train in Chicago to Holland; there was the bar that I am positive was the one Emma and I had lunch and drinks in when we were in Chicago for fall break (I recognised all the photos around the room and the little stainglass windows between the booths) and there was N Lake US 41 which I remember driving down with Aaron Otis last time I was in the US and we were heading up to Holland to Amy's. The memories just washed over me and there was such a longing to be over there again. There will always be a part of my heart that belongs to the USA....just trying to figure out whether God wants me over there on a long term basis, short term or to lay it down completely...

They are both mini-me's of my brother

Osian Tomos after watering the plants in Taid's garden
Lowri in carseat ready to go home for dinner!

My 101st post!!

Wow, can't believe I've been blogging this long!!

I was away this weekend on the women's weekend that was for our church and North Wales Coast Church (formerly Towyn Pentecostal Church). It was such a great weekend and I don't think I've laughed as much as I did over that 48 hours in such a long time. The weather was glorious and as you can see from this picture we were staying in a gorgeous part of Mid-Wales. The campsite was called Cefn Lea and is a Christian run Caravan/Campsite that also has chalets that you can stay in. That was where we were staying with an average of 4 people per chalet.

We arrived around 6:30 on Friday evening after stopping in Newtown for something to eat. We then went to our first meeting on the Friday evening which was a games/introduction session. Its random when you see someone and you think 'I know them from somewhere but I don't know where'. I was paired with this girl called Esther and I knew her face but had no idea from where. As it turned out she used to attend Wellspring Church in Rhyl and had been friends with John.....small world.

Saturday saw another glorious day and I suddenly realised that I needed to figure out what I was going to say in my testimony. Sharon had asked me the Sunday before and I just wanted to get it straight in my head. I also wanted to make sure that I was doing it for the Gods glory and not my own and that the Holy Spirit would guide me on what I was meant to share. As it turned out I shared a lot and though I was petrified when I got up there I soon settled into it. It seemed to bless so many people and everyone was very encouraging. What blew me away though was the way God used it to touch so many people there; things that people had gone through or are going through were part of what I'd been through so it's an encouragement to know that we're not alone.

The afternoon saw the laughter and madness arrive. Sandra, Kathy, Sharon and myself decided to go and have a game of glof. Though the temperature was really high (late 20's oC) there was such a high wind. The pitch and putt course in Cefn Lea is actuall on a hill, if you can believe it. So we trapse up this track to the start of the course and that was when all sanity disappeared!! We were so bad, each and every one of us. Kathy's golf ball ended up over the fence going down the other side of hill, another ended up in bracken where Sharon had to go through a gate to try and find it, I was horrific and managed to 360 degree spins as I attemped to hit the ball. After my third one of these on the run and then just hitting up a load of dirt I turn around to see Sharon on the ground doubled over in laughter. There was another point where Kathy had appeared to 'professionally' be practicing hitting the ball, stepped up to it and missed it completely. At this point Sandra laughed so much there were tears streaming down her face and she had the rest of us in fits.

It was just the funniest time that I've had in ages. There was more hilarious activities in the evening when myself, Gail and Mair B all did rolly-polly's down the bank outside our chalet after playing a game of sermons by charades with some other ladies.

I am so looking forward to next years!! (The teaching was also excellent over the weekend!!)

Old friends

I went out for a lovely dinner last night with one of my old friends from school and her mum. It's amazing the comfort being with someone who knows every old thing about you. I've been friends with Joey since we went on a school holiday to Italy 10 years ago. I would then spend most Friday evenings round at her house and we'd go shopping with her and her mum on a Saturday. Moomin soon became my adoptive mum as it wasn't long since my mum had died.
Joey and I then lived together for a short time during University and the friendship has survived her working/travelling in New Zealand & Australia, my living in America, boys, other friendships and so much more. It was such a lovely evening full of laughter, memories and catching up with one another. It had been such a long time since the 3 of us had done that together, it brought so much comfort knowing that though we move on & grow up the bonds of friendship are still there.

The thing that really cracked me up was the birthday card (belated;-) that Joey gave me. I've included a picture of it here; you could hear my laughter resonating through Joey's house as I opened it. I hope you find it as funny as I did

~Blessings~

PS Becky R, we chatted about the fun we had with you 18 months ago on Boxing day and that sleep over for my birthday...such good memories!