Powerful Promises

3432 hours = 143 days = 20 weeks. That's how long it's been since my last post and I've really missed writing them! So I've decided to spend some energy today writing on here again.

Just last week I was driving home and it was the sunniest it had been in a while. I was travelling along the all too familiar 15 mile stretch of motorway, usually so mundane, and yet the sun was lifting my mood. I felt good. Then the rain came - out of nowhere. It poured down so hard and fast that the lorries around me created a mist that mimicked a foggy night in the middle of winter. Sticking to my lane, sandwiched by lorries, I had no choice but to turn my fog lights on so that my little car could be seen. I was taken aback by this sudden turn in the weather. Where had it all come from? Then came the hail, each tiny pebble of ice hitting the ground in front of me and bouncing upwards with no predictable direction. What was happening? My drive had started so pleasant, so blissful and yet here I was driving through the rain and mist and now the hail too. 
I kept my eyes on the road ahead of me, uncertain of when the hail would let off and when I'd be able to increase my speed again. A few colours started dancing around at the back of the lorry next to me, catching my eye. Where were they coming from? And then they moved. They were in front of my car. A tiny rainbow, I realised. The sun must've been shining through the clouds again, hitting the mist in front of my car in just the perfect way to give me a little light show in amongst this miserable weather. I couldn't watch for long, though, because I needed to stay focussed on the drive.
As I continued off the motorway and down the country lanes to my home I pondered on the significance of this rainbow. I was at the end of it, perhaps the gold at the end of the rainbow? It felt like there was more to it than that; there was more to discover.  Promises.  Rainbows are a symbol of God's promise never to flood the Earth again - that's not His only promise, though. As I lay here writing this post, lacking any and all energy for the day ahead of me, I have realised that I was reciting the lyrics to a song (just hours before this rainbow glistened in the mist that was covering road ahead of me) with one of the girls in the after school club I run:
"The rainbows in the sky to show God's promises are true. The rainbows in the sky to show the world He's the only way, for your everyday"
So, what are God's promises for everyone?

And there are so many more! Keep looking for those promises today, tomorrow, this week, this year. And hold onto them. Recently, I was told of an amazing lady who has written down all of the promises of God that are in the Bible onto small strips of paper and put them in a jar. Each morning she grabs a handful of them and puts them in her pocket. Throughout each day she reaches into her pocket and reads the promise that God has for her. This is such an amazing way to live life secure in His promises.
So today I'm remembering that God has so many promises for me, and these are just a few of them.
H E   I S   M Y   S T R E N G T H “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31 H E   C A R E S   F O R   M E “Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 H E   K N O W S   M Y   P A T H “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
What promises is God highlighting to you today? 
Amy xo

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She travels... Prague

| Lows: 8°C || Highs: 28°C |
European holiday post no.3! This time we went to visit our cousins in the beautiful Czech city, Prague. This post is long overdue, but here are some highlights from our trip. And I totally 100% recommend this city to anyone looking for a short break away.

On day one, we explored the gardens next door to our hotel. Following a some-what interesting breakfast (European breakfasts never fail to throw something new in) - of salted bread and butter, scrambled egg, and cake - we were met with the beautiful sights of Pruhonicky park. Can you spot Becca and I amongst the flowers above?
Dad loved the park, he's been working on walking 10,000+ steps a day and daily walks around this park meant he exceeded that goal. And those burnt calories meant more room for great food!

Obligatory family picture in the park. Aren't we just the cutest? 
Over the next few days we ate more weird food for breakfast, spent more time in the park, chilled with our cousins and celebrated lots. There was lots to celebrate! And many a happy birthday was sung!
This day was filled with sights, food and some rather strong drinks! (Who knew their standard shot size is almost triple that of a UK measure?! Oops! Haha).
We crossed Charles bridge...

Took a boat tour along the river...

And made our way above the city for a cold glass of Rhum and coke...

What a view! And at the very top of this hill was a labyrinth that I just couldn't resist completing!

I was in my element.

Then we Uber-ed our way across the city to eat Chinese and drink cocktails.

On mum's birthday we visited the zoo. We saw the penguins, and the giraffes! Happiness all around.

At the zoo, there is a ski-lift that you can take up to the top! And of course we wanted to try it. It didn't feel the slightest bit safe and I held onto my phone so tightly, but it was beautiful and we loved it so much we travelled back down the same way.

Have a few more pictures from the zoo...

Following an excellent day out, we had a wonderful meal with the whole family! Prepare yourselves for another obligatory family photograph! Cute.

Granny loved her cake, and I love this picture...!

We spent our last day of the holiday exploring the city some more and I had one goal in mind: Eat. Chimney. Cakes. & so we did!

We walked down some beautiful streets...

and found an underground bar... :D

Then the time came to head to our airport hotel. We even saw a stag do carrying balloons en route. Not the weirdest stag party we'd seen this holiday, but certainly the most photographable!

We finished our stay in Prague in a quaint hotel full of aircraft memorabilia. We said our goodbyes, and headed to bed before our journey home the next morning!
Certainly so grateful to Granny and Gramps, mum and dad for this holiday!
Amy xo

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Lent / Love

Image Source: Google

This year for lent I've decided to do two things, and one of these makes me very happy indeed!
The not-so-interesting one of the two involves McDonald's. I've given up all McDonald's and alternative fast food outlets until Easter. That's the bit that tests my patience and self-control. Especially with these hot days - a Dairy Milk McFlurry and Fanta would go down amazingly in this unexpected sunshine! The second is as much fun for me as I imagine it is great for the people involved. Each day I'm sending an encouragement to whoever is on my mind. Be it a short and sweet message in the hope it gives them a reason to smile, or a longer and deeper message, encouraging them that who they are is great! It's the love within these messages that I think shows God's heart most. It's great to give stuff up for lent - to sacrifice something and work on making yourself a more patient and self-controlled being. But where is the love? Jesus died because he loved us. To quote a great children's Bible: 'it wasn't the nails that kept Jesus to the cross, it was love.' Surely lent should be about love too?
I've loved loved loved the responses that I've had from people - just a simple message and some thought from me has helped to make their day that little (or a lot?) bit better. I've slacked off a bit these last few days so I'll be sending a week's worth of messages tonight but that's an exciting task to look forward to.
Here's to a great Easter, and a love-filled lent in the days before, 
Amy xo

She travels... Budapest

| Lows: -3°C || Highs: 0°C | I'm going to have a go at writing, in a few words, about our trip to Budapest last week. For those that prefer pictures, there will be plenty of those as well, so just keep on scrolling! We flew out from London Gatwick, and the trip started a little different to any other flight I've taken. We had special assistance this time around for various medical reasons. This meant a speedy trip on an indoor airport vehicle (caddy?) through passport and boarding, straight onto the plane. A new and pain-free experience!

Upon arriving at the hotel, our hungry stomachs led the way to food! I ordered a Weiner Schnitzel with a lemonade. It turns out that Hungarian lemonade is nothing like the lemonade we drink in England! It's flat, and way more full of flavour.

Mum and I went for a late-night spa trip before heading to bed. The spa entrance certainly set the scene for the salt caves, saunas, and aroma rooms that greeted us through the doors.

Day 1 Breakfast consisted of freshly squeezed orange juice, lightly toasted bread, and miniature croissants with homemade jam for me. Whilst dad and the grandparents tucked into scrambled egg and hot dog sausages!

Satisfied that we had fuelled up for the morning, we hopped on the metro and made our way into Pest (pronounced: pesht). 

Our first stop was the cat café, but upon finding that closed until later in the afternoon, we wandered over to the City Park where we found an interesting permanent art installation, and walked past a lake that had been dammed and turned into a real ice skating area! It was huge! 

Heroes Square was just nearby too, and then our stomachs called us towards any place that sold decent food at decent prices. The first place we came across was going to cost us 41euros per meal(!) so we kept searching. We stumbled across an excellent burger place, with it's seating area set up inside a shipping container! I was more than content.

Next, we had a spontaneous trip to Budapest zoo! I wanted to see the penguins, the sloths and the Komodo dragon. Becca wanted to see the Elephants and mum was desperate to see the Giraffes! We were not disappointed.

The lonely bear did make me sad, though. Next stop, hot drinks. And where better to go than head back to the cat café which would now be open! We even got a 20% discount with the card we picked up from the hotel.

This little fella loved dad, whilst another curled up on granny's coat. Following our purr-fect drinks, we made our way through old town Pest, dipping into souvenir shops for warmth! We found a beautiful Italian restaurant for dinner and tried a Hungarian drink: 'Palinka' afterwards - I wasn't a fan! On our bus trip back to the hotel we saw a magical-Disney-looking tram! We were all very excited at the sight.

And the magic didn't end there! Not long after getting back to our rooms, some fireworks were being displayed across the road and we had the perfect view from our top floor windows! Day 2 Another morning, another breakfast. Becca, Granny and I had a slow, chilled morning at the pool whilst mum, dad, and Gramps went to the Holocaust museum. Reunited in the early afternoon after some bus complications, we ended up at the nearby McDonald's. They sell much the same in Hungary - but pork burgers are an addition to the menu, as well as double quarter pounders! Dressed in jeans, 3 tops, a jumper, a coat, a scarf, and a hat - I felt more prepared for the minus numbers than I had been the day before! Tonight was all about the Christmas markets.

Granny and Grampy headed into the warm after the first market and some mulled wine, whilst we went in search of the cinnamon chimney cakes.

The lights around all of the markets are absolutely amazing!

After watching a light show projected onto the front of St Stephens Basilica, we found Granny and Gramps waiting for us in the Hot Stone restaurant. This was an interesting meal, and although tasty it was definitely the most stressful meal I've ever eaten! Becca and I ordered chicken breast. The spices were spectacular, the 'steak potatoes' were amazing, and the miniature vegetables in oil were oh so cute. There was one problem... we didn't realise the chicken would be served the same as the steak: 'cook it yourself'. We'd been served raw chicken on a hot stone!

Day 3 This day was more action-packed than the other two. So I'm going to bullet point it and fill it with even more pictures! - Breakfast - Late start, chill at the hotel - Metro into Pest - St Stephen's Square market - full of police arming the area during mass - Cute Café - I've decided the decor is what I'd like in my dream shipping container home!

- A walk around the inside of the Basilica

- Lunch: Hungarian Pizza! Deep fried dough with fried chicken and peppers placed on top.

- The ICE BAR! -1°C

 - Danube Shoes at the side of the river

- Tram rides... (we nearly didn't get out before the doors shut, leaving dad on his own outside!)

- We walked from Pest to Buda, across the bridge to see a waterfall which had no water in it! :(

- We decided it was too many steps to climb to the Citadel in -2, so we hopped on the venicular railway to get a bird's eye view of the river from Buda
- Hot chocolate at the top of the Buda hill, in a café who's door handles were giant forks and knives! - Bus back down to Pest - Italian for dinner again! Celebrating Granny and Gramps 51st Wedding Anniversary - We crossed 6 zebra crossings on the way back before realising we were going the wrong way, and crossed them all back again to the right bus stop - It snowed!!!! - Bed If you made it to the end, congratulations! Here are a few spare pictures from the trip whilst I wait for my disposable ones to be developed!

 Amy xo