Another one bites the dust...

So I told you a while ago that I don't have the best history with fish. Now that Pen's little Olivia is safe and sound (and been around for more than a few days - and she knows this story) I feel that I can share this with you all. Let it be know that the only reason I haven't posted it sooner is not cos I feel foolish (although that may be true) but because I didn't want a hormonal and emotional new mother being distressed. So here goes...
Last Tuesday, the day before Olivia was born, Penny and I went to Macquarie to waste some time and watch a movie ("The Breakup" - not what I expected but still good). Afterwards we went to the petshop where we had a little look at some fishies.


One that we saw was this little fishy. We cacked ourselves laughing because it just looked like Pen did - big, round, uncomfortable and like you could roll it down a hill really easily. So I bought it and named it "Olivia" in Pen's honour (I did name a fish after Penny one time - it didn't last too long - how ironic).
Took it home, talked to it soothingly as I put it in the tank with the others - I did everything right, I promise. Except one little thing. As you might be able to see from this picture, these fish (pearlscales is the name of the breed) have thin delicate little fins...
I came back to check on it after a bit, only to find that it's fins had been sucked into the filtration system!!! In case you didn't know, when fish don't move, they drown...
This little"Olivia" lasted in my care less than 3 hours...
I'm not naming any more fish after friends or loved ones...

On another note - I'm off on another road trip. While many of you will be waking up to face another Monday morning of work or exams I shall be heading back to Ballina via Tamworth (to see some other friends from college). Get back next Wednesday. I love being on holidays.

Will the world please welcome Olivia Siobhan Daley

she's gorgeous - it's that simple...




i'm chosing not to take the look on her face personally, she looks crankier in the next one with her mum

Emotions and anticipation

Friends will tell you that I am an emotional kinda gal. One friend used to ask where abouts on the rollercoaster I was; ie - how up or down am I at that particular moment. Well things have mellowed out over time, but I am still an emotional sucker and will cry at some really random things. For example, I don't actually watched the show 'Survivor' - yet I can turn on to a random episode and if it's a family reunion or something I'll cry. No matter how many times I watched a re-run of MASH where Henry dies or Hawkeye leaves - I'll bawl my damn eyes out.
It's worse when it comes to my best friends. When Penny told me that she and Marty were engaged, I cried. When she showed me her wedding dress, I cried. When she told me she was pregnant, I cried. When we went to buy the baby some clothes to come home in, you guessed it, I cried...
So you can imagine what I am going to be like in a couple of hours when I finally get to hold that precious little one. As I type, Pen is in labor and I'm basically just filling in/wasting time until I get the call telling me to come to the hospital.
Photos will come sometime soon!
YEAH!!!
(and anyone who reads this before the photos come, then get praying for a happy, healthy delivery!)

The trouble with blogs is...

So here is the problem with blogs - so much to say and that I want to share, and knowing that it isn't appropriate to do so. As much as I believe in the theory that if you have a thought, you should have the integrity to own it - sometimes, it's just not going to work in practice. People can get hurt, and there are some things that I don't want strangers knowing about me.
So if it feels as though the following post is vague - it is. It should be. And that's why my blog is for me and not necessarily for you.
Suffice to say it's been a tough week on many levels - and also a really good one. Relationships have been a little mended and bridges are half way to being built - and for a couple of others the footing will get a little rocking. One thing that I've been pondering is other people's expectations of you when you're in ministry. What I should be saying... What I should be doing... Who I should be sitting with... So the question at hand is how much do you take on board - to genuinely love and serve them and their needs - and to what extent do you say "sorry - that's your baggage, don't put it on me"? So much to ponder...


But on the flip side it was great to see many of the AFES snr staff for a week, some of them I went to college with and don't get to see all that often. These are my brothers and sisters - both in the Lord, and also through just sharing experiences and living together.



We heard some amazing talks on 1 Corinthians and about scripture (preaching from it and how we approach it). Most importantly I was confronted (in a good way) by the godliness of some other wonderful men and women.
It was such a blessing to spend time with people, many of whom who have been in ministry for as long as I have been alive, and just sit and listen to them and learn from their example. It was a blessing and a privileged. You know when you have the experience of thinking "I want to be like them"? - I had a lot of that this week meeting some new women. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better between now and heaven...
Oh - and I took some photos too (should be on flickr soon for those interested) - but I think the photo ppl over developed them (boo!)
And now for the best part - I am officially on holidays for the next 2 weeks. This week I get to lounge around Sydney and catch up on some things and then next week I'm off on another road trip to Tamworth and Ballina. Aaaahhhh - the sweetness of holidays...

A bit of reflection - and a day in the life of...

I've been doing a bit of thinking this week about all that has happened in the last year or so. My only real conclusion? God has been very gracious to me - esp in the way that He has been growing and maturing me through the good, and the not so pretty things of life.
A couple of weeks ago (and after a few post work drinks after a particularly draining day) I caught the train home with an old friend and the conversation turned a little philosophical. We were talking about frustrations and sadnesses, and he was saying that he thinks there is beauty even in the most ugly of things and circumstances. At the time I wasn't sure that I agreed, but it's kind of stuck with me and so I've been thinking a lot about how, and where, it is that we look for beauty.
Whether you think it's a cliche or not, if there is beauty and grace in the most ugly symbol that has ever been on the earth - then the cross has to be it. And if that can be beautiful, aren't we forced to say that there must be beauty (somewhere?) in everything else too?
I have to admit that to say this doesn't come easily to me. I get a little cynical from time to time, but I'm determined to be changing this.

On a very different note, there are many things that I thought staff working would entail when I started at UTS - some have been actualised, others... not so much. Some general expectations of what I would do include; reading the bible with people, praying with people, having coffee etc etc - but hairdressing...???

For a fundraiser, Joel offered to 'save' or 'shave' his hair to raise money for a Credo mission trip - $1200 was raised all up.


Me shaving Joels head and (below) a couple of unhappy girls at seeing his beautiful hair fall to the ground.


This week though, staffworking takes me to Stanwell Tops and to a conference for all of AFES's snr staff from across the country. Some things I'm looking forward to about it, others I am definitely not. For those who feel compelled to pray, if you could be asking for God for lots of love, wisdom, patience and contentment - well, that would be wonderful...

Til next week

For your amusement and interaction

Ok - let me set the tone for you... I don't hate needles per se (tattoos and piercings attest to that fact) but I do HATE having blood tests. In a moment of weakness four years ago I was manipulated into donating blood and vowed never to do it again as I literally felt the life getting sucked out of me.

But last weekend I was talking to my sister and she told me how she goes every quarter and I felt a little ashamed. Sure, I hate it but doing it helps God's creation and people. I felt convicted that I needed to get over myself and my discomfort and do something for someone else.
So, this afternoon I trudged through the rain (with another trusty Credo snr student - Glenn) to the mobile blood bank at Ultimo's TAFE. As I settled in to lie down I started chatting with the woman who was taking my blood. The conversation went a little like this:

(her) so what are you studying?
(me) actually I'm not studying but I work with a Christian group at UTS doing ministry full time
(her - groaning) oh don't tell me your one of those stupid fundamentalists who take the bible literally are you?
(me - shocked/angry/nervous that she was going to burst one of my precious little veins) uummmm, yeesss - yes I am...

The next 6.5 minutes of this vampire like process just brought about more confrontation and accusations from her. I'm now lumped in with the rest of those crazy people who have repressed women (huh? what? me???!!!), alienated the homosexual community and divorced women - blah blah blah...

The thing that ticks me off the most is that fact that it is my faith, my fundamentalist (shall we say evangelical?) faith that persuaded me to go so that I could do something small to help my Lords human beings.

So, my interactive poll for you is this. What do I do now?

a) send as many Credo students as possible in to see her telling her that they're there because they want to help serve God's people/creation
b) write to the Red Cross and tell them what some of their staff are doing and saying to people (esp in light of the fact that the Red Cross was started as a Christian mission movement to serve those in need and that most of their board members are involved in churches)
c) get over it

(PS - part of my motivation for this poll is to see who is reading this blog. I've been hearing from ppl lately that they are, and yet none of you say hello! :( .Pls do so now - even if you think i know - as you influence this poll!)

(PPS - go donate blood. Other people need your blood. my experience will not stop me going again in ten weeks time)

(PPPS - update - please esp say hi even if we've never met. Just got an email from Woody saying that someone in NY at Moff's church came up and asked him if he knew me because she's been reading my blog...that's kinda cool!)

Simple Saturdays

It would seem that my Saturday's have recently settled into comfortably predictable patterns. Over the last few weeks they've consisted of waking up and lying in my cozy queen bed for half an hour or so, followed by getting up and heading off to brunch with someone before turning into a soccermum and racing all over the northside to get to two or three Emerald games. The only OCD pattern that I've ever really had is I have this thing about locking my car twice (always think that I forget to lock it the first time so I have to head back)... So whilst these Saturdays aren't really on the same level, it's still a little strange for me to have become so habitual...


But I think I'm getting to like it. Some things change - like the companions and locations - last week it was yum cha at Market City and this weeks culinary delight came from a cute cafe called "Milk & Two" in Pyrmont down by the waterside (you've got to try their scrambled eggs sometime!).
The simplicity is, well... just plain nice really. For so many years I've been used to working on my weekends - and esp in the last few doing lots of makeup work then - so it's so good to do the simple things. I also discovered rundown and overgrown vine covered pub today, also in Pyrmont - but I think that's for another post.

PS: for those that care there are some new photos on the flicker - I've updated the soccer one for some photos today (mostly for Tiddy's benefit cos he was complaining there weren't any of him) as well as a few shots of things around Sydney. I'm going to learn how to take good photos!