May 31, 2005
'God is always available to hear our prayers. But he can't listen if we don't talk!' - good point!!!
well today was an adventure, as promised! howie and i visited the blue mountains... photos are fun even if we've doubled up a bit.
this is us about to leave sunny hornsby
howie seemed pretty impressed with the three sisters
he looks a little more excited here after we walked to the sisters
this is us on the scenic railway - 52 degrees is quite the incline
and then howie on the replica old railway... it was a nice little boardwalk around the rainforest seeing chunks of old mining stuff and trees before taking the flyway back up
and howie pretended to be a wheel too
a big hoorah for holidays! and digital cameras!
May 30, 2005
"He will keep you strong right up to the end, and he will keep you free from all blame on the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns." 1 Corinthians 1:8 (NLT)
Do you struggle with guilt and regret? Regardless of your sins, God's grace is working in you if you trust in Christ. Receive his mercy and be free!
maybe i heard incorrectly, but i thought that it was said on some news update last night that people were giving to the red cross shield appeal on the condition that their money wasn't going to indonesia. how can that possibly be true. so so wrong. unbelievable.
i've been told a bit that often the qualities you admire in other people, are qualities that are latent within you. i wonder too then whether the qualities you despise in other people are qualities that you despise within yourself.
i seem to wake at 4:09am fairly often. besides it being very annoying and tiresome, this morning i freaked myself out a bit by thinking that somehow me waking up at this time is an indication that sometime in my life something awful will happen to me at 4:09am. so that wasn't very fun.
i had to do it too...
(x) = things I’ve done
(-) = things I think I’d like to do in this lifetime
(x) smoked a cigarette
() smoked a cigar
() made out with a member of the same sex
(x) been in love
() been dumped
(x) shoplifted
() been fired
() been in a fist fight
(x) snuck out of my parent's house
(x) had feelings for someone who didnt have them back
() been arrested
() made out with a stranger
() gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
(x) had a crush on a teacher
() skipped school
() slept with a co-worker
() seen someone die
() had a crush on one of your myspace friends
(-) been to Canada
(-) been to Mexico
(x) been on a plane
() thrown up in a bar
() set a part of myself on fire
(x) eaten sushi
() been moshing/crowd surfing at a show
(x) love someone and miss someone right now
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(-) made a snow angel
(x) had a tea party
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
(x) ridden through puddles on a bike
(x) gone puddle jumping
(x) played dress up
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
(x) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school
() used a fake id
(x) watched the sun set
(-) felt an earthquake
(x) touched a snake
(x) been tickled
(-) been robbed
(x) been misunderstood
(x) pet a reindeer/goat
(x) won a contest
(x) ran a red light
() been suspended from school
(x) been in a car accident (nothing major obviously)
() had braces
(x) felt like an outcast
() eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
(-) danced in the moonlight
(x) hated the way you look
() witnessed a crime
(x) questioned your heart
() been obsessed with post-it notes
(-) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
(-) been to the opposite side of the country
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like dying
(x) cried yourself to sleep
(x) played cops and robbers
(x) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
() sung karaoke
(-) paid for a meal with only coins
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) made prank phone calls
(-) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(-) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) danced in the rain
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
() been kissed under a mistletoe
(x) watched the sun set with someone you care about
(x) blown bubbles
(-) made a bonfire on the beach
() crashed a party
(x) gone rollerskating
(x) had a wish come true
(x) worn pearls
() jumped off a bridge
(x) ate dog/cat food
() told a complete stranger you loved them
() kissed a mirror
(x) sang in the shower
() have a black dress
() had a dream that you married someone
() glued your hand to something
() got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
() kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sexes clothes
() been a cheerleader
(x) sat on a roof top
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
(-) done a one-handed cartwheel
() talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) stayed up all night
() didn't take a shower for a week
(-) pick and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
() had a tree house
() are scared to watch scary movies alone
() believe in ghosts
() have more then 30 pairs of shoes
() worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
() gone streaking
() played chicken
(-) been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
() caught a fish then ate it
(x) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
(x) cried so hard you laughed
() mooned/flashed someone
(x) had someone moon/flash you
() cheated on a test
() have a Britney Spears CD
(x) forgotten someone's name
() slept naked
May 28, 2005
is it just me or is it kinda strange to focus on corby so much when there's reportedly another 155 australians in foreign gaols on drugs charges, with two facing the death penalty. why isn't the government, media and australian public getting behind them? i'm not saying anything against schappelle, and it sucks that she has and will have to spend so much time in an indonesian prison for something she may or may not have done, but what makes her story more newsworthy?
perhaps it's just me.
May 27, 2005
back to civilisation
well, after more than 11 hours of travelling, howie and i are home.
i had fun today. we left armidale at about 10am and drove to uralla. from there we took thunderbolts way and oxley highway through to port macquarie. such fun winding roads. it was crazy! just kilometres and kilometres of turns.
once we got to port we had some lunch in port central foodcourt. mmm lukewarm pies. and then took in the view a bit. the ocean is pretty. then we were off again.
we didn't bypass taree - we went to maccas to use the toilets. we stopped for another toilet break, and some biscuit purchasing somewhere near raymond terrace.
then for funs we went and visited justine! yay coz how fun is justie wustie and tootie! we sat around playing with george and mickie and loti (i think i spelt that wrong), and ordered and ate pizza. it was many funs and funnies.
and then we drove back to hornsby. so it was quite the day of travel! and of musical entertainment. hoorah for a cd player!
so much roadwork along the way. driving at 110 is always good fun too.
yay - i survived armidale. it was scary, but not horrible. quite a pleasant experience actually.
and hoorah for another week of holidays!!
May 26, 2005
howie pretty much summed up the experience. his nan is cool. she's very a very funny old lady.
aaand i like playing frisbee with the aerobie disc on our picnic this arvo. makes me feel much more coordinated.
and i'm looking forward to a good nights sleep coz we'll have a long and fun drive tomorrow. i'm looking forward to music in the car. and good old duckie is doing a good job. he doesn't seem to like the cold much on start up, but he's enjoying some off-road action. good old duckie.
meanwhile i'm spending too much money. another >$50 visit to koorong. money should be grown on trees. that would be helpful.
but hoorah for armidale. only one night to go.
May 25, 2005
i don't think i could be a truckdriver. i drove the furtherest i've driven myself yesterday. i've driven to old bar before, but armidale is a few hours longer than that. it's very tiring. never a good sign that i was struggling by the time we got to berowra. i'm sure i didn't have any microsleeps. there might have been a few moments that were touch and go. but i'm fine. music is fun. howie made good selections.
armidale is quite a town. woo. yep. so was singleton. and good old tamworth. ahh country new south wales.
May 24, 2005
latina pasta makes our house smell gross.
this morning i have to pack. whoops. i also have to wake up. i think i'm getting some weird cold. good.
oops. i just remembered i forgot to do something. better send an email. email comes in handy when you've done something wrong or whatever. much better than making a phone call. what a wuss.
i always have dreams about random uni subjects i didn't complete and dropping out.
ok. i'm going!
May 23, 2005
dinner saturday was quality. yay for such friendlies.
swans yesterday was quality. not just coz they won. but that's always good.
eurovision was quality. in a totally non-actual-quality way. and terry wogen was back!! so that made my night.
being on holidays is quality. i got up at 10:45am today. oh yeh!
and birthdays are quality... happy birthday bowen!
May 22, 2005
May 21, 2005
it's stuck in my head
i dance, i dance, i dance, around the mexican hat,
i dance, i dance, i dance, around the mexican hat,
i dance, i dance, i dance, around the mexican hat,
i dance, i dance, i dance, around the mexican hat...
i think i again got an alright night's sleep. i'm enjoying this. i'm still tired. but it much more satisfying if sleep is an enjoyable experience. i admit i'm taking 3 endep tablets a night, but that's fine. if it's doing it's job, as it seems to be, i'm not gonna complain. or stop taking them.
anyway. holidays!! i began in style, with a sleep in.
so after getting up after 9:30am, matt and i drove to westfield to buy some foodies to take to howie's picnic of fun. we got there first. yay for us. we were soon joined by fun people like howie, tom, david and a bit later lesley. we ate food. others came too after frisbee had commenced. i can't believe how poorly i throw a frisbee. how embarrassing.
after a few hours of frivolity, i dropped matt at hornsby station, and now i'm home chilling for a few hours before a super fun dinner with the likes of sam, libby, kirri, tim dabinett, jo kemp and howie... and maybe some others.
as always, i can't wait to see libby. i like the other people very much too!
i wanted to get in on the action with lachy and his blog talking a lot about poo. so this is a special post just for him.
May 20, 2005
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 15: 5,6
i was reading something the other day. and it got me thinking. because it is silly that so many Christians seem to emphasise denomination so often. i think that i do it a lot of the time without even thinking about it. and i reckon satan loves all the divisions, and the pride. but i reckon the coolest thing is when a bunch of people work together under God and have no idea what church or denomination each other 'belong' to. but simply know that they are all Jesus followers. that is cool.
May 19, 2005
off to mascot we go! yay! tamara and libby are many funs.
oh, and howie is too.
and that's right, no more car crashes either!
one more day til holidays!
May 18, 2005
last night howie accidentally called me jo for the first time. it was very funny.
the funnier thing is that i just found out that sam accidentally called jo jenny for the first time last night also!! how weird is that!
i was brave. commy dinner is still scary but not as much. i do like all those people. even if i don't really know many of them. but a special hoorah for sam.
the trumpet is back in my house.
too many chocolate biscuits.
i have a desire to spend money at koorong.
two more days til holidays!!!
i am tired.
May 17, 2005
May 16, 2005
well my car has been officially named "ATDUK"... all because lachy made a picture book. i never thought he'd do it. but i was presented it last night. and it is tops. good job lachy. and did i mention... happy birthday?
oh and my car's nickname might be duckie. because atduk is weird.
happy 16th birthday lachy!!!! hip hip hooray.
May 15, 2005
i'm sure they are lovely people, but how fun is it when the whole SCG is booing an umpire. it was gold today coz such dodgy dodgy calls. booing makes me giggle so much. but we won. well done good luck charm sam. it was all you.
"hold me close
let your love surround me
bring me near
draw me to your side
and as i wait
i'll rise up like the eagle
and i will soar with you
your spirit leads me on
in the power of your love"
go old school geoff bullock. church this morning included "onward christian soldiers", "when the saints go marching in", "power of your love", "turn your eyes upon jesus" and "here i am to worship". the band was huge - organ, keys, drums, bass, two guitars, sax, clarinet, recorder, percussion... phoaw. go morning church!
you just can't stay angry or annoyed at xander even when he keeps you up all night with his incessant pathetic meowing and sleeping on your bed and climbing all over your wardrobe. he's just too cute.
May 14, 2005
today was the day of many funs.
howie and i went on a daytripper adventure which included train to circular quay, ferry to parramatta, walkies and lunch out there, train back to hornsby. a number of new experiences... i've only been to parramatta like four times in my life, i've never caught a ferry out there, and i've never caught a train from there. how excitement. the best thing was not catching any buses. i don't like buses.
then tonight it was night of fun with sam, lachie, cath and debs. we ate fun dinner. we conversationalised and had many laughs. we looked at fun photos. we watched 'the terminal' - tops flick i must say. we were in stitches at one point. we ate lots of junk food. well, not too much. we had an early night.
but it was indeed a good day all round. hoorah.
so how many funs is GAP? i will say about 12. it was an awesome night. lots of kiddies. lots of laughs. fun conversations. real good atmosphere and energy. who knew that hitting nails into a piece of wood could be so fun or bring a group together so well!! i felt like quite the tradesman. it was great to see people again and be back in amongst it all. GAP is so quality. thanks God for GAP. young people are tops.
May 13, 2005
i am glad that tomorrow is the weekend. actually tonight heralds the beginning of a tops weekend. weekends are good value. espcially when it's the weekend of lachie and sam... and that's always fun. tonight at GAP should be tops. i haven't been to GAP in a million and one years, so it will be mega good to be back. and there will be a fun addition to the night too.
then tomorrow night the fun of cathy bell, debs, lachie and sam. oh that will be delightful indeed.
then swans game on sunday with sam and then church with lachie and sam and the rest of the world. good stuff indeed. and in amongst all that i get to hang out with young people a few times. and i also get to see howie. which is always good coz i like him.
i like my friends. good thing, otherwise it might be hard to call them my friends.
i think i only said 'indeed' twice. i said 'good' five times. i need to expand my vocabulary.
May 11, 2005
"If you give God the right to yourself, he will make a holy experiment out of you. God's experiments always succeed." - Oswald Chambers
Phil and I have started reading through "The Heavenly Man". I think it will be one of those books that I have to discipline myself not to read ahead but go through slowly, and absorb. It looks like a good read so far. I don't want it to be just a good read. I want it to be something God uses to speak to me. So I have to be listening. I know that when I read great stories, like with 'No Compromise' and Keith Green's story - it's too easy to write it off as something that happens to other people, ways that God uses 'them' and not me. But I don't know God's plans. If I'm fully abandoned to Him, who knows where He could take me. That is scary as much as it is exciting.
yay for days off. mine won't be anywhere as exciting as other peoples but i don't care. it's a day off. and that is just dandy.
meanwhile, i was thinking last night that i don't understand the reading on the toilet thing. you know when people take in a magazine or the paper or keep books in there. do you stay in there longer because you're reading? or do you take something in to read coz you're gonna be in there so long. i don't take long enough to read anything. i just don't get it.
May 10, 2005
some people are so exciting. i was very excited this arvo. yay for fun people.
aaand, i made origami for the first time ever. i made a swan and a rabbit. i also tried to make a whale, squid, tshirt and pig. meh. yay for swans and rabbits!
May 09, 2005
and of course, a very happy 19th birthday to joshy. yay!
May 08, 2005
dinner again at debbie's! this time we added sam to the mix. good fun.
today i have been very tired. keeping eyes open has been a challenge all day. that's not heaps good is it. oh well. it's becoming normal. i can adapt.
i was nice to my mum for mother's day. i gave her a box of chocolates that she'd bought herself last week. it's ok, coz i put them in a bag for her. no wrapping. no card. i love my mum. really i do.
i don't like public speaking. nope. not one bit. but yay jason, lachy and will. good job boys.
oh, and yay for catching up a bit with libby. always good for a laugh (i mean that in the non-mean way).
how exciting is holidays in two weeks. i'm excited.
May 07, 2005
long day. isn't finished yet. i was in such an unhelpful mood all day. i'm so tired. stupid body.
it's hard not to be disheartened. or frustrated. bler.
May 06, 2005
pill popping
them tablets making getting up in the morning a whole lot harder. but i think i might graduate to two tablets a night. you're allowed up to 15! 15 tablets in one go! imagine that. nah, i'll be fine thanks.
May 05, 2005
i really need to start eating properly. my tummy has forgotten what a meal is. it's become accustomed to snacks. and is never sure if it's full or not.
not quite sure how i'm feeling... i still woke up at 4:22am, but i think i got back to sleep? i'm a bit woozy, but i might just be imagining that. God sure must have a strange sense of humour. i have a more fully developed cold - snot, cough, heavy head. there's a trip on saturday. i always have a cold when there's a trip. well close enough to always. i reckon i hit it about 80% of the time. i'd like to ask why. but that's just how it is it seems.
May 04, 2005
zoe and sam turnbull are two of the most special people in my life. i love them so much. i love spending time with them, together and individually. my life would be much the worser if it wasn't for them in it. i would just like for everyone to know that.
never again in my life am i doing papier mache. never. i don't care if my life depends on it. i am never doing it again.
i even made a new category simply to convey how i feel...
doctor man has given me some tablets to help me sleep: Endep 10. Amitriptyline hydrochloride is usually taken for depression, so all the info tells me... not in my case. just to make me sleep longer and better. hope they work! and that i don't have side effects:
~dry mouth, altered taste
~feeling sick
~constipation
~blurred vision, dilated pupils, difficulty in focussing
~headache
~increased sweating
~drowsiness, tiredness
~dizziness, lightheadedness
~difficulty concentrating, confusion
~shakiness, tremors
~decreased muscle coordination
~weight gain
~hair loss or thinning
~changes in sex drive or impotence
it's ok coz i can already tick off feeling sick, difficulty focussing, headache, tiredness, lightheadedness, difficulty concentrating, and decreased muscle coordination. that's all normal. i think mostly i don't want increased sweating, weight gain or hair loss. bring on wellness!!!
May 03, 2005
oh and i have appointment at 8:45am tomorrow with dodgy second-rate doctor man. ok, that's not true, he's not dodgy. maybe he will fix me and that will be nice.
May 02, 2005
so maybe i'll book me a doctor's appointment. i'm so tired. i'm at that point of tiredness where crying is too easy - that level of tiredness sucks. and where my eyes are so heavy that i'm starting to think about how effective toothpicks will be at holding them open. and all i want to do is to be able to sleep properly and my body won't just do that. waaaaaa.
but how fun are reunions. kiddies are the bomb. photos are the bomb. memories are the bomb. stories are the bomb. and good times are absolutely the bomb. the bomb the bomb the bomb. who do i sound like? oh dear :p
ooh, deep, croaky voice this morning. i'm sure it'll wear off. what's that word... yeh, husky. that's the one.
it's not often that i have a dislike for another person. issues with other people aren't a thing i've really had to deal with over the course of my life. so when issues crop up i don't think i'm all that well equipped to deal with them. so i tend to not. just bury the issue. and generally it turns out fine (heaps healthy way of dealing i'm sure).
however, i've discovered recently that i have issue with a couple of people. i'm glad that love isn't about feelings. but feelings often impact on the way i love people. that agape love. so it's a bit of a battle. how best to be loving someone that presses your buttons. interesting. i don't think i often do a very good job of it.
meh, it'll be fine
May 01, 2005
howie and i are visiting debbie in cherrybrook for post-church eating and entertainment. she's housesitting. old people live here. they drive a volvo. and have lots of antique furniture. and two little dogs called rudi (a sausage dog!) and pickles. it's all very neat and cherrybrook-ey. i don't want to live in cherrybrook. but the people who live here must be nice. they've even got a room here for me if i want to stay. that's nice. and the dude's homepage is the radar loop. what a champ.