Snow?

Today I made a very significant accomplishment and I know a lot of you will be very proud of me. Very uncharacteristically it snowed last night and so the ground this morning was pretty icey and frozen. Not much of the snow is actually left, just mainly ice but it's still wintry. My accomplishment is this, I wore my back heeled boots today and had to walk into work and I did so without so much as slipping once on the ice! (Applause is now appropriate) Personally I think I'm growing out of my adolescent awkwardness and gaining a better sense of balance and coordination. Yup! That's right! I'm sorry Ryan Chuckrey, soon I won't have many stories left to tell you about falling down.

This past weekend was very full indeed. Friday evening I had the house to myself so after we finished our manic club I walked to Blockbuster and rented Batman Begins. I got home made myself some steak - medium rare of course and the closer to rare the better - and then sat down and watched my film. I really enjoyed it and thought it was the best Batman film yet.

On Saturday I went shopping in Newcastle with Anne Moore. It was a really nice afternoon. Anne showed up at my door around 10:30 and we made a day of it. It was really sweet of her to take me out for the day. Her and John are such an awesome couple! With my bank account a bit lighter and some Christmas shopping accomplished Anne dropped me off and that evening I went to "A Mass For Peace" which was a choir/orchestra production at the Leisure Centre. It was huge! It was the high school choir combined with another choir plus the tynne side orchestra. Sophie was in the choir along with many other youth that I've come to know while being over here.

Sunday, I'm afraid to report, I slept in and missed church...I'm such a heathen, I know! But I am a gentile after all! The afternoon I went to the cinema with the Hatch women and that evening I went to Durham to attend the advent service at Durham Cathedral. It was amazing! We were a bit late so we missed the choir entering with candles but what we made it in time for was beautiful. After the service the Bishop was at the back shaking peoples hands and talking and I saw him praying for a man in the midst of the crowd. It really touched my heart. Anna was telling me really good things about him on the way home.

So, that was my weekend! This coming one I'm heading down to Tamworth to visit my friends down there which I'm really looking forward to. It's always nice to get away from work for a bit and relax. Fi is always a blast and I have so much fun with her.

I have a cute story from when we were going up to the high school yesterday for our lunchtime drop in. Lisa and I were walking to the door of the school when a piece of gum flew past my head and I heard a very loud "SORRY!" from two lads behind us. I laughed and we kept going and then I heard "EXCUSE ME!!...EXCUSE ME!" so I turned around to see if they were calling us and said "Yes?" and the one lad said "he really fancies you!" while pointing to his mate. I laughed and said "well, I think I'm a bit too old for you, sorry" to which the other lad said "it's not me it's him that fancies you!" and then they rushed off inside the school. I thought it was funny and had a laugh about it.

Another interesting thing happened this morning. The doorbell to the church building rang and so I picked up the phone to answer and it was a man from the Methodist Church. I pressed the button to let him in and went downstairs to meet him and he had a young african looking woman with him. He said she'd gone to the Methodist Church looking for our church so he's brought here over. He then left and I was alone with this girl. She had quite a heavy accent but she told me that she was a born again Christian and looking for a church to worship at and wondered if we had a program. No one else from the church was in so I took her around the building and found a church program for her. She then asked if she could meet with the Pastor and I had to explain there wasn't a pastor at the moment but a grouop of elders. She seemed a bit taken aback that we didn't have a pastor but said she would come on Sunday. I thought that whole situation was really encouraging...to have someone just walk in off the street looking for a church to attend and coming to ours. It's exciting really and it gives you a sense that God is doing something through the church even when it really doesn't seem like it at times. I'm a bit sad I won't be here this Sunday to meet her but I'll talk to some of the other members so they can be sure to welcome her.

Well I'm off to do some work now and prepare for our youth alpha tonight!

Later, JMo* x