Finding Joy in the Little Things

Image: Google

What's better than joy? I absolutely love laughter and happiness - it's the best thing! Sometimes life can be going really great and it's really easy to be happy, sometimes life can be neutral, and sometimes life can be painstakingly numb.
But I've learnt that in all seasons, seeking joy (even just in the little things) is key to my happiness. I've been so blessed this year with colleagues that love to laugh, and love to make each other laugh. Working with kids certainly has it's joyful moments, too. Kids allow anything and everything to be amusing - and it's so much fun to witness and enjoy. We really do have lots to learn from children's minds!
About a year ago, I completed my first ever A-Z of Thanks list. It was amidst a really difficult season in my life, arguably the most difficult time of my life to date. Spending a day thinking up the contents of my list really helped to show me that finding gratitude in the little things was a little yet big stepping stone to feeling more grateful for my life day to day. Perhaps it's time for another list, just for fun? An A-Z of Joy. Watch this space.
Joy is right there, staring you in the face, hidden in plain sight. Last week I was driving home from work. It was hot, my air con was taking too long to kick in, and I hit traffic almost straight away. I looked up to see that the car's numberplate in front of me read WASHED and I was instantly reminded of the day that I got baptised. And looking even further up, I saw a dog in the back of that same car who's hair was styled brilliantly! Like it had just had a wash and blow dry!! The dog looked like a giant, white, fluffy pom pom. The traffic started moving, I laughed to myself and we went our separate ways, only for me to be met with another dog in the car in front at the next set of traffic lights. This dog was sat in the middle back seat of the car, and just as one of it's owners reached over towards the other, the dog sprung up eager to be part of the family love. Looking hopefully from owner to owner, as if it was watching a tennis match, in anticipation of getting some attention too. Really cute, and really quite funny.
It's these small moments, ones that are so easy for us fly through life without seeing, that are so worth slowing down to enJOY.
I really hope this weekend that lots of these silly/funny/joyful moments pop up to brighten your ordinary days.
Click here to see last year's A-Z of Thanks.
A little life update for you:

The last week of my gap year is just around the corner, and with all the amazing things going on in the office and at camp over the next week, these days are going to fly by! But that won't be the end. I've been offered, and I've accepted, a short term contract (maternity cover for a colleague) with the charity that I've been gap year-ing with! It's such amazing timing and such good news. Over the course of this entire year, never have I felt that dreaded 'back to school' feeling that was all too familiar a few years ago. I love my job and the people I work with. And I'm so happy to be staying for a few months longer! I'll also get to continue sharing a room with Tortellini the tortoise, and be greeted by Rupert's cute little puppy face after work each day!
That's all for now, 
Amy xo

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Deeper Than Music

Image Source: Google

It's a Friday morning, a much-needed day off, and I would love to be told: "Open your eyes, it's the weekend, and great things are going to happen". But unless I scroll endlessly through Facebook memes and 'cute text quotes' to find my motivation, there's very little chance someone is going to know exactly what I want to hear. Except... this Friday I woke up with a song in my head: 
'Wake up it's a beautiful morning, the sun shining for your eyes... so wake up boo, there's so many things for us to do, things that we can do-o-o'
Surely, in other words, I'm waking up hearing 'open your eyes, it's the weekend, great things are going to happen' and more than that... 'it's a beautiful day for doing things together!' So recently I stumbled across this new way that God likes to communicate with me! And it's a way that I love; He definitely knows how to talk to me during the day when I'm tired and just not up for conversation. And He talks (sings) to me in a way I love to listen.

Image Source: Quote Fancy

M U S I C The thing with these moments is that they can't be forced. A song just pops into my head and then I notice it. A couple of weeks ago, I was hearing...
'Girl put your love on me, and I won't let you down, and we will be singing'
 ...over and over and over again in my head until I noticed the lyrics. It was in the lyrics that I could take this message even deeper. Deeper than the music. A quick Google search of the Bible led me to these words 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you' and 'the Lord your God is with you... He... Rejoice(s) over you with singing'. So, it's biblically sound - If I put my love on God, He won't let me down and He loves to sing with me. So I can forget these fancy words like 'forsake' and 'rejoice' and remember God's promise to a catchy tune: 'Girl put your love on me, and I won't let you down, and we will be singing'. So maybe your thing isn't music, maybe it's TV, art, or nature. Seek motivation in those things because they're in your language, you notice them every day naturally. As a tree goes through seasons, so do we - sometimes we need to let go of our leaves and after that we blossom. As a paint brush splashes colour onto a blank canvas, so can we - splashing colour into the lives of people who feel bare and empty. If TV is your thing, find motivation in those scenes you love! 

Image Source: Pinterest

Find your thing and explore it! Discover what keeps you going, what motivates you, and what your language is! If you want to hear from God, ask Him to reveal things to you in your own language, and then forget about it! Things will just pop out at you in the middle of your weekly shop, during your drive to work, or any other time of day (or night). Roll with it and enjoy the ride. Okay, that's me done rambling for today...
"You are the music in me... To hear your voice, above the noise, and no, I'm not alone. Oh, you're singing to me"
Amy xo
(Who doesn't love a Disney finish!)

The Adventures of 2016...

At the start of the year I wrote myself an adventure list. I started out with 7 items on my list, leaving room for a couple of spontaneous things to add throughout the year. Here's what I started with, nothing too fancy:

- Drive to nowhere in particular

- Make waffles

- Go camping lots

- Go to Mexico

- Spontaneous holiday

- Build a snowman

- Climb a tree

I quickly ticked make waffles off the list, more than once! 

In Easter, we made it to Mexico!

By May we were camping again! This time, at BCDO!

Then the Summer came and I could add a couple of things to my list...

Swim in a lake!

... and swim in the sea at midnight!

A couple of months passed before I spent an evening with Beverley driving to nowhere in particular!

It reached NYE before I could tick off climb a tree and build a snowman!

I may have cheated the system slightly by only climbing a foot and a half because 'the tree was slimy' and by using artificial snow for my snowman (we got no snow this year!) but it was fun none the less.

I have half-stamped spontaneous holiday. Here are a few of the lovely things that almost qualified for the title!

A surprise day trip to London thanks to Emma!!

A spontaneous trip to the beach to chase a rainbow!

A roadtrip or three to Essex!

A few days in Liverpool!

and a sudden Christmas in France!

All in all it's been a rocky year but one full of great memories!

Here's to the adventures of 2017! Amy xo

The BIG Move!

So, I did it. I moved out.  ...sort of. Following a new job position, I have packed up and moved homes to a different town during the week. From Sunday night to Friday afternoon every week I will be at my new home, whilst coming back to see my family at weekends.

Image source: Google

If you were to tell me 5 years ago that this was coming I'd have run into my mummy's arms screaming 'please don't let me go!' In fact, if you'd have told me this 6 months ago I'm not sure that my reaction would have been too dissimilar from that! But still, here I am.
When I ponder how I ended up here, it's a pretty amazing story* (see the end of the post for the details). If you don't fancy reading the ins and outs of my 'adventurous' life then trust me when I say that so many loose ends have fused together this summer in an explosion of love, faith, and excitement!

Not only has there been a BIG move in terms of accommodation, town, and job, there has also been a BIG move of God in my heart and mind. I've felt so much peace, entirely God-given, and I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy this season after a few seasons of disappointment and grieving.
I have taken that leap of faith so now I am reaping the rewards and it's such a beautiful process. If you find yourself right now in a season of doubt, distress, and fear - fear not! For He is with you, He is laying the path out ahead of you. In fact, the path is already laid, slowly and bit-by-bit He is illuminating that path to you. Do you have the courage to take the next step?
NEVER let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. What's keeping you from playing the game?

Take it to God, ask Him for help, ask Him for the specifics! He's waiting to give you what you need, and He loves to hear you speak to Him. No prayer is silly! I prayed with my parents that I wouldn't see a spider when looking around my new home and bedroom last week. Lo and behold I saw no spiders, and my first 36 hours here were spider free! When one joined me at work today, I was totally cool with it and let him sit on the beam next to me all day! If that's not a God-given peace then I don't know what is! Keep on asking and keep on trusting! Keep the faith. You can do this; He loves and cares for you.
Here's to many happy memories and encouraging challenges and so much joy!


* the ever-so-slightly-longer-and-more-explanatory story:
Born Started going to summer kids camps every year as a leader's child Got a sister Went to nursery Moved house Started school Attended Girl's Brigade Went to church Became house captain in year 6 Went as a youth to the summer kids camp, in my own dorm Started secondary school Moved church Started youth group Helped out with school community production/panto (4 years running) Started doing more talks at youth group Ran a charity campaign at school resulting in a 1000 balloon launch Spoke in assemblies at school Got baptised Took my GCSEs Got a piece of art selected for exhibition Became an older junior youth leader (helping to run clubs) Took my A-levels Ran a summer youth camp (4 day event) Became deputy community captain Ran the community panto show set design! A year-long internship: kids and youth work Ran another summer youth event (one whole day) Started up monthly youth worship nights (June 2016 onwards) Approached by my new work place Moved out Started my new job
My new job includes: running after-school clubs, running assemblies, youth mentoring, preparing Christmas panto (inc. set design), planning and being a leader at the summer kids camp (week long), doing prayer spaces in schools (arty space + prayer).
If you have a look at what I've done and what I'm now doing, you'll see that so many of my skills and so much of my experience is being utilised this year and for that I am so excited! There's so much more I could mention too; many more of my interests and hobbies come into play in my job for this academic year.

Yay! Be blessed, 
Amy xo

It's time to shine

Orbit Advert 2016

I was really uncertain whether to write and explore this blog post, let alone publish it. But in that indecisive moment I saw a chewing gum advert. "It's time to shine" boomed out from the TV. So, here I am. *I have no idea what chewing gum has to do with shining a light, though?*

Basically, this post is about my face. Read on. Over the past year, in particular the past 4 months, I've seen a real shift in my thought patterns towards my face. To give some context and explanation I'm going to use some examples. 2015: *wakes up for school*, *sees face in mirror*, *can't bare to look*, *covers it in make up*, *checks out face in mirror*, *thinks 'decent'*, *goes to school* Late 2015: *wakes up for school*, *too tired to look in mirror and put on face*, *goes to school*, *gets asked if I'm ill because I look really pale*, *wishes I put make up on*, *feels sad*

Image source: Google

Early 2016: *wakes up for work*, *sees face in mirror*, *thinks I'm doing the world a favour by covering up those bags under my eyes*, *puts make up on*, *feels like that was a lot of effort*, *envies the majority of the male species for not needing make up*, *goes to work* Late 2016: *wakes up for work*, *doesn't even look in mirror*, *goes to work*, *feels happy* Where did the shift happen?! Somewhere in 2016 I stopped seeing my face for all its flaws and started loving it for what it is. I've got a young face - granted I still get IDed for Strepsils, and they triple check my ID in Spoons, but when I'm 50 and looking 30 I'll be glad of it! At least I don't look old enough to get stopped in the streets to take surveys yet!

The point I'm really trying to get down to is that just a year ago I had so much dislike for my face and now I'm full of love for it! It's a fabulous feeling. From an artistic perspective I still love, love, love plastering my face in make-up and subtly contouring it into a different shape, adding eyeliner and finishing with lipstick until I reach Barbie status.

I absolutely love the 'imagination, life is your creation' line in Barbie's song. Life is all about imagining and creating! And something great about make up is the opportunity to imagine and create art on a real life face - it's art that moves and speaks.
I found very little freedom in forcing myself to wear make up every day, however. It became a time-consuming, mundane, unimaginative experience every morning. I was starting the day conforming to what I thought pleased others: a face with the least amount of flaws possible. But what I really owe the world is a happy face! A face that beams joy and light. At the moment I'm happiest without make up on when I'm out and about. I feel more myself and I'm without the added worry that an itchy eye will cause a smudged wing. I wish I knew the perfect formula for what shifted inside of me. I can only pinpoint it to an amazing God who created this face in the first place and an encouraging friend who speaks truth from her lips. She tells me I'm beautiful until I believe it, helps me to love myself when I'm not feeling it, and shows me I'm great when I don't see it. If you're fortunate enough to have one of these friends, hold on to him or her! Perhaps you are that friend to some people - keep going. If not, I'm telling you right now, yes you the one reading this, that you are beautiful in every single way! You were created by an almighty creator who doesn't make mistakes. You are amazing.  Read it until you believe it. It's true. You're so stunning. On Saturday night last week I went out to a party. With it being a party, we got dressed up, and I decided I was feeling creative. So I did my hair and make up. As soon as the make up was on, I wanted to take it off. I'd made the art, created something new, loved it, and then wanted my real face back. The face I had been wearing for the last 3 months was now hiding!  Upon returning from the party I was so happy to wash my face! It was one of the best feelings.

Saturday night's 'artwork'

Clean face, happy face

Please don't get me wrong here: if you wear make up and it's who you are then that's awesome! We love that about you too! If you don't wear make up and don't enjoy doing make up either and that's who you are, that's great! We love that about you too! See, we're all different. It turns out that wearing make-up isn't for me, in my life, right now. Contrary to what I thought it isn't even part of who I am. I'm much happier now that I've been encouraged to fall in love with my bare face. I think that's about it for now,  Amy xo

Moonlit Adventures

Since the last time I wrote (which was my A>Z of Thanks) I've spent my days trying to be more positive. I can feel a shift happening and I can feel that the more I focus on the positive, the happier I feel and the happier I feel people are feeling when they are around me. I had gotten myself into this negative spiral of being unhappy which was I felt was making other people feel unhappy so I was more unhappy, etc. My usual tact to making myself feel happier is to lift someone else up, do something for them and see them happy - that's what fuels me! So seeing people unhappy and thinking that I was always the cause and feeling like I couldn't do anything to help was de-fuelling me to the max! Little did I know that I needed to start with me and start working through some negativities: Why does it upset me? Can I do anything to make it better? Is it worth worrying about? Being open with myself about my feelings has meant that I can feel happiness a whole lot more and I know a lot more about what will make me happy! That is something that I never want to lose.

Image Source: Google

On Thursday night I sat in the car as mum drove me passed the edge of the beach on our way to visit my sister. This was a spontaneous trip and one that required very little energy (my family are quite forgiving on days when I'm in a lot of pain and have just a small amount of energy, thank you guys!). As we drove passed the sea wall, I pictured what lay behind: A long strip of pebbles that turned into soft, fine sand further down the beach; the sea lapping at the shore line, rolling pebbles back and forth; the sunset reflecting off everything that it could: the sand, the pebbles, the sea, the boats. I couldn't help myself and I exclaimed to my mum 'do you know what I really wanna do one day?!' *pause* 'I want to sit on the beach with some friends as the sun goes down and wait until it's completely dark before going for a swim!' She thought I was crazy, and so did I... until last night.  Yesterday I played golf with some friends to celebrate JP's birthday. We chose the driving the range as the activity for the afternoon. 

Photo credit: MT

Following our little golfing experience we headed back to my house for fajitas and profiteroles before we were due to meet more friends at the pub at 8pm. It was here that someone exclaimed we should go to the beach after we've been to the pub. Initially I was not game, I definitely wanted sleep more than I wanted an adventure. But it was JP's birthday after all and he got the final say. The pub gathering was a lot of fun! It was poo-stories-galore! With a nurse and a nursery worker sat around the table with us, we heard of some interesting experiences. As the pub gathering drew to a close, we said our goodbyes, hid JP's car, and continued laughing as we went our separate ways. For some, they headed home. For the 6 of us, the night was just beginning. The sun had set and the moon and stars were out. A quick drive down the road, whilst singing along to All Sons and Daughters, landed us at our nearest pebbled beach. There are no words for what happened next! It hit midnight and we went swimming, in the sea! The water was warmer than expected, calmer than anticipated, and more fun that I could ever describe! The only light source, bar a couple of dim streetlamps, was the moon's solid reflection on the water. Thank goodness MS decided not to swim. She grabbed our hoodies and keys as the tide came in and moved them out of the water's path. If you've never been swimming in the sea at midnight, or when it's dark for that matter, do it! Add it to your Adventure List, or your Bucket List, or every single list you ever make. Just make sure you do it one day!

Post-swim selfie

We dried off and drove off, but we weren't going home just yet. We went up onto the hills and sat in the cars, in the quiet. Processing what had just happened and enjoying the calm euphoria that had overwhelmed us all. Amy xo

A > Z of Thanks

Bonjour! I'm currently writing this whilst sat at my Granny's desk in her house (in France!)
A couple of days ago I picked up my third book of the French getaway holiday: Katie Piper's 'Things Get Better'. It's an awesome book so far; I'm at chapter 4 and loving every page.
A big theme in the book at the moment is positivity in the form of gratitude. I'd thought I'd give an A > Z of Thanks a try and I'd love to share it with you. I've found it so refreshing.
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A) Adventures (however big or small I can find adventure in everything and I'm so thankful for that)

B) Bibz-a-Libz (my cheeky monkey of a sister. She's so stunning and I'm grateful for her ability to laugh my pain away)

C) Church Family(I'm truly grateful for all of the people around me that have become my church family; they help me to keep faith when I'm feeling weak and celebrate with me when I'm feeling strong, thank you guys) 

D) Doctors (having sat with countless doctors throughout my life, from having vaccinations to discussing the ways to best deal with my Joint Hypermobility (JHS/EDS-JHT), I can truly say I'm extremely grateful for all of the advice and support that I have received) 

E) Emma (I'm so thankful for the giggles and surprises and waves that we share)

F) Family (cliché or not, they're my foundation and I'm so thankful to have three people that love me and that I love in my life)

G) Guitar (I'm extremely grateful that I can escape my problems for a while and strum at my guitar; it's awesomely soothing)

H) Hope For Justice (the injustice of human trafficking is forever on my heart. I'm really thankful for all that the guys over at Hope For Justice do, helping this world get one step closer to perfect) 

I) Independence (I'm grateful that I live in a country where woman are allowed to be independent and are treated with respect)

J) Joy (I'm extremely thankful for evenings and days filled with uncontrollable laughter and joy, and for the people that bring such joy into my life)

K) Knowledge (I'm thankful for the knowledge that has been passed onto me by teachers, friends and family throughout my life. I love that I have the opportunity to learn and to be educated)

L) Lampshade (the group chat name for some friends who I am so *jump-up-and-down-with-gratitude* grateful for) 

M) Maize (I'm so thankful for this awesome lady(!); she's a beautiful human being who helps me see beauty in everything) 

N) Nature (nature provides stunning scenery: from still lakes to harsh waterfalls, from sunrise to sunset. I'm so thankful for the beauty that I can find in nature all of the time) 

O) Orange Juice (freshly-squeezed, of course. I'm just so thankful for its amazing taste, haha!) 

P) Parents (I'm grateful for my lovely, gorgeous parents who love me eternally)

Q) Questions (I love asking questions, haha! I'll often be heard saying: 'Random Question.... ?' So I'm grateful for the conversation-openers that questions can become, funny and serious)

R) Rainbows (I absolutely adore rainbows. They're so pretty and they bring a smile to my face every time they pop up in the sky above me. For that I'm thankful) 

S) Skills (I'm thankful for the creative and logical skills that I've been blessed with and for the many that I will learn in the future; they make life all the more interesting and adventurous for me)

T) Tigger and Cinnamon (These are the names of my pretty cats. They give purrfect little cuddles!)

U) Unity (I'm thankful for the variety of friendship groups that I have the pleasure of being involved in, the sense of unity I feel with some individuals and groups is such a blessing)

V) Vision (I have such vision in life, I see things for what they can become and I get to dream BIG, for this I'm ever grateful)

W) Water (I love a good lake, a swimming pool, an ocean, the sea, beautiful cloud formations... without water none of these would exist)

X) Xenial-ity: hospitality, especially to visiting strangers or foreigners. Of the relation between a host and a guest; friendly. (I'm always so thankful for people who are welcoming and hospitable towards me and others) 

Y) Young people (Little minds can teach old souls so much! The innocent honesty of small children is so amazing to witness, whilst the bubbly energy of teenagers is infectious too)

Z) Zeal (People who are passionate about change always fuel my passion to create and see a better world. I'm thankful for these humans)

So many things to be happy for, and there's so much more. I look forward to being able to look back at this list on good and bad days to remind myself of a few happy things.

I'd really encourage you to do the same if you're reading this. It can be as detailed as you like. Get creative with the difficult letters and have a lot of fun!

Smile,

Amy xo