formal stress

There's so much I have to say. But then again there always is.
The formal date is looming. I'm excited, but at the same time stressed. Afters was going to be at Stacey's, but now she is having renovations during that time, we can't have it at hers. So it's like a month to go and the whole year (well maybe not the whole year, definatley me) are in crisis as what to do. I seem to have been delegated one of the people to run around frantically asking people to offer up there houses for 200 people for the night, and trying to convince them that, "No, boys under the influence of alcohol won't start fights" and "No your wine cellar that is as big as Hinemoa will not be raided, I mean we are hiring $1000 worth of security" But alas it seems not to be working, and we have no afters as of yet. :'( I am so distraught.

Then.. I've gotta organise hair, makeup, nails, TRANSPORT (to pres, from pres to formal, from formal to afters, from afters to home at like 3am) and my shoes. Then figure out the money to pay for it all. I haven't worked for a month cause of all my leave, and Mum took $1,500 out of my account for shares so now I've only got like $400 in there, plus I've gotta pay for Sal's party on Fri night, plus Fondue night, plus Taste of Chaos = like costume money, present money, food money, formal money.. aweejfbksjfbjkrbgjekbrktgjrth....

I hope it all works out. Whoever knew planning a formal was so hectic!! It seemed so EASY lat year!!

AND to top it all off! The school sent out a letter to home today containing such information as this, and i quote:

"Roseville does not support pre or after parties. We particularly advise that parents do not allow their daughters to attend any after parties and we strongly recommend parents investigate any plans your daughter may have made..."

How RUDE is that. I'm so annoyed. It's none of their business I wish they'd just piss off.

a spiritual experience

"Be still, and know that I am God"
Psalm 46:10

This verse came to me last night when I found myself in the depths of a dark place I remember visiting before and never wanted to go back again. I found myself in despair, in tears, crying out to a God I couldnt find. It was an increasingly desperate plea on what I have been praying for weeks. I was searching and not finding and then it appeared just like spoken word, the verse just came like out of the ceiling. The verse kept on repeating itself and my crying stopped immediatley, I felt this feeling surge through my body and calm me down as I fell asleep. I woke up feeling better. Still not exactly what I want to be feeling with God but it's getting there. And I'm very thankful for that much needed piece of spiritual comfort last night. Thanks God.

If you guys could all pray for me that I would experience a touch of God again, that I would be once again able to worship out of wonder and awe as well as duty (which is what I'm finding myself stuck in now) and that as I draw near to him he will draw near to me. That would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

ouchie rips

These are rips in my hands from gymnastics (bars)
This is just after I rippped them that morning (I was having a private extra early morning traning at Allambie with my evil coach the day before the big comp. She forgot to put grips on my hands before I went on bars for half an hour) This is of my right hand, but I also hurt my left one as well. So I like couldnt move my hands and I was supposed to compete on bars the next day.

So I went the next day to IGGSA and she put grips on my hands, and then I went and warmed up on bars, which was a bad idea (I now realise in hindsight) becuase the grips werent enough to stop the rubbing on my hands and so my left rip on my right hand (I had about 3 all up and 2 small ones in the inside of each hand) which we hadnt cut the dead skin off it the day before (because I was like in shock and was having bad dizzy spell) so Laura was like "I told you so!" and grabbed my hand and ripped the skin off it and I was like afjhnsgijbndsgiustdngjsknges!!!! It hurt so much. Then I competed and my hands were so sore. I fully screwed up my routine. I did my toe shoot and then I fell off. I couldnt hold on anymore becuase of the pain. This was the third time my hands had re-ripped (so like ripping an already ripped part) and I could feel it happneing and I just fell. I never found out what my mark was for the apparatus I just didnt bother.

It's so annoying becuase I knew I could do this apparatus and I screwed it up! Oh well.. So my hands were like even worse than they were when this pic was taken. People said it was the worst rips they had ever seen. Damn bars. Yet I still love them lol. Oh yeah they gave me bruises on my hips as well lol.

I love "Ben 111 the Ute", "Assassin" and "Articulate" and I shall be having multiple babies with all of them :)

work exp., worship leading and iggsa

Ok I'm blogging at the lovely cathy's request.
Well well well, this week I've been at work experience which has been lots of fun really. Today I ran a pre-school scripture class which was really cute. The topic was "God is SO big!" and we sung the song as well :) One little kid made a very cute comment to Steve; he said "excuse me, you have no hair in the middle of your head just like my daddy" It was quite amusing.

I'm running Ernie this Sunday as well so all the prep for that's pretty much done. I'll just run it by Tom and then it's all cool. Gemma planned the ball game and I did the teaching, which I quite enjoyed. We're discussing an evangelism issue, so feel free to come along. And I'm getting someone to share their testimony as well.

Then tomorrow I'm teaching a Year 2 class scripture at Belrose. Beck gave us the responsibility of preparing the lesson. The topic is "Listening to God" and its based on Exodus 2:11-4:10 so lots to do. I'm telling the story while Gemma acts out the drama to my story.

Then I've also basically been doing some admin work (answering phone, writing emails, making church bulletin etc) taking over Beck and Maryanne's office, been to 4 meetings (Helen, Steve, Stephen and Beck) and had lunch breaks with Gemmie.

This friday I have my IGGSA Gym comp, which for regular readers you will prolly all know bout, which is my gym comp that I train for all year and compete in every year. Turns out there has been this massive last minute prob and change so on Friday night I found out I had to go up a level and learn a whole new routine in a week, ready for competiton, going against people who have been learning and refining the routine ALL YEAR. Argh. And also I'm competing on bars, and our bars at school have been broken all year, so now I've got to go to all these outside school tranings at Allambie and stuff to try and perfect this routine!! Quite the stress..

Um.. what else can I update about my life with you?? Singing.
Yes singing is going well, my voice has like DEF improved. I would so reccomend to anyone who wants to improve their voice to get lessons from Ben Loomes. He's really very good. Which is prolly why he like has no spaces left except in the middle of the day on Thu. Lol..
Hmm.. I feel like figuring out what my range is. I know I'm a soprano but i wanna know how low and high I can go. I'll get back to you. Singing is so much fun I love it. Sometime in the near future I'll give backup vocals at church a go. That'll be the next step in my aspiration the lead worship. I know I've got a long way to go, but I'm definatley proving and I can see my own potential. I mean if I have my heart in the right place, and its what God wants me to do, then its going to happen right? Just all in his time. I've got to learn patience. Sometimes I get very frustrated about my position in worship band (this is quite a complicated issue: its not as simple as "i want to be worship leader. im upset i'm not" it actually has nothing to do with that. eh can't be bothered to explain over blog) I've just got to remember to excerise grace, control and patience.

Hmm.. I have so much to learn. Lately my spiritual life has been what you could call a struggle. It's kind of like Ali McInnes' sermon (at the Soul night couple of weeks ago) about how there are two types of worship: worship out of duty and worship out of wonder and awe. How you can worship becuase you are so in love and amazed at God, and how you can worship becuase you know you must, but you dont get that nice fuzzy feeling of "closeness"
I've been feeling like that a lot lately, worshipping out of duty, and my soul is just in a state of longing closeness. It's coming to the feeling of being about to explode with frustration. Reading my bible on the bus on way to work exp today a verse jumped out at me:

" 'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the LORD Almighty. "
- Zechariah 7:13

I'm not listening. And I know what I have to do to get God to listen to my prayers. It's just a matter of actually doing it. Lol..

Operation "take over office"!!

no one will notice we just stuck it over maryanne and beck's sign ;)

big sign in "our office" :)

my meetings and events roster :)

I start Work Experience at the church today. Yay. In approximatley 3mins: I better start walking :)

i want to be a teacup.

Stump.. in pictures

Jon after being very artistically made up with some black marker (love the monobrow ;))

ben and gemmie being silly

i asked for a "nice picture" and this is what i got! lol

ben's "artistic" photo of the female toilets

road to our comapsite

why herrow jodie!

nic

welcome to stump!

steph eating some orange

lunch helpers :)

making lunch

tent village

all my luggage for only a 2night stay :P

hi ho hi ho its off to stump i go