hmm...still not quite happy with the lettering. However, I have always loved this photo.

Australia

Project 365

I've heard of this a few times, but now that I have some internet friends doing it at the same time, I've finally decided to do Project 365.

The premise is pretty simple - take a photo a day for a year. The uploading part is optional I guess, but to me it's a pretty important part of the fun. At the end of the year, you have a little album.

I'm uploading my photos onto Flickr. They'll probably usually upload everyday, but sometimes I'll upload a bunch at once. Go here to see my Project 365 set!

Also, it's not too late to join in! Just start from today. If you want you can always do the first few days of next year too, or leave it at December 31st. If you don't think you'll make a year, why not a month? Or do a Project 52 and do one a week (that's 7 times less photos to take!!) The Flickr group I've joined to keep me going is here. Look through their photos too, there's already some great shots.

Oh, and Happy New Year =)

More free music love & obligatory end of year remarks

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/media.php

There are some free tracks on this website that are really good. I've downloaded a good number of them and love free music!

Now the 'end of year remarks'...

This year has been incredible. I've been to so many places and seen so many cool things. I have met people who will remain amongst my favourite people for a very long time. I have started university and lasted a term without dropping out. I have bought a car. I have learnt more about myself. I have learnt more about God.

I don't know if I could give a highlight of the year, there have been so many: going surfing and horseriding, doing Friday night evangelism in Townsville, watching certain other students transform during Identity week and carry a new strength with them the whole of the next five months, enjoying time with God, finding a new peace in my life, meeting my new nephew for the first time, taking beatuiful photos, arriving home after being away for six months, starting uni with the feeling that 'this is right', becomming a mentor for our two gap year students at church, stepping out in faith & seeing it work...those are just a few things off the top of my head.

I also was always very aware that whatever happened in Australia couldn't stay in Australia. For it to really count, it needed to transfer over to my life back in England and continue to bear fruit. I'm learning a lot about that. I've made some bad choices, which I continue to work through and some really good choices. I have new responsibilities here and a different culture and context in which to work. I look forward to 2009 in so many ways - running the gap year course and spending time with the youth group, hopefully moving to Spain at the end of the year to spend my second year of uni in Granada, completing my first year of uni in the summer - 4 years after I first registered as a student, and of course, the best bits - the great moments that happen in between all that other stuff.

Happy 2009 everyone, may God's blessing be with you now and always!

Philippa Hanna

I just listened to 'Return to Love' on Philippa's Myspace. I've not heard that song before & it's wonderful! Thought I'd share the love...call it an early Christmas present :)

http://www.myspace.com/philippahanna

Because It's Good For Me

I just sat here considering writing a post about how I won't be posting anymore for a while. After all, this blog has only a small handful of readers, is updated only about once a fortnight and in many ways...I don't even know what it's still here for. When I was in Australia, it seemed useful, and I felt like I had something to share. Of course things are still going on in my life but...I guess it doesn't seem so natural to share them now that those things are going on in my home country.

However, I've decided to keep blogging because, with no reason to believe this other than a vague feeling that it's true, I figure it's probably good for me. I don't know why or how, but it is.

I am face to face right now with how there's so many things I want to do and I simply can't fit them all into my life. I want to be a more committed daughter and sister, I want to excel at university. I want to go back and finish that snowboarding course. I want to serve enthusiastically at church and I want to invest energy in learning to really play an instrument or two. I want to take shifts at work more often. I also want to write a really good blog that's full of good, insightful stuff, or at least entertaining bits and pieces, rather than the self-absorbed monologues that I (along with most bloggers I guess) find myself posting more and more regularly of late.

But...I can't do everything, so I'll just keep fumbling along, trying to move forward and praying for guidance, wisdom and strength. I remember a preacher once saying "If you're going through hell tonight, keep going, because it's the last place you want to pitch your tent". That really stuck with me. Not that I'm going 'through hell'; I'm just busy and stayed up too late last night, but it's still worth remembering. I don't want to stop in a difficult place. By God's grace, I want to push through and come out the other side. So by His grace, I will.

Christmas Shopping.

I guess it's too late for most people to get involved now this year, but I just wanted to highlight the Operation Christmas Child programme that is run every year by Samaritan's Purse. I used to wonder how much good it really is to give trinkets to children who don't have food, but that changed somewhat when I met a man from South Africa. He explained to a group of us that he was a teenager before he ever received a gift, and that receiving a gift meant that someone loved you. It's easy to think of gift-giving as an obligation (as it so often becomes), but it's not that to these children. No one is obligated to give to them, their own parents can't afford to even if they want to. If spending £15 filling a shoe box means that one child will catch a glimpse of the fact that someone somewhere loves them (because their Heavenly Father does) then yes, I think it's money very well spent.

The videos make me tear up - every single time.