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!)

She travels... Amsterdam

| Lows: 2°C || Highs: 14°C | Seeing as I enjoy reading back on my Budapest post so much, I've written one for Amsterdam to keep a beautifully picture-filled record of my time in the city. On Monday afternoon my sister, Becca, and I set out on our first holiday together without our parents - adventure time! We parked at a good friend's house in Essex, followed by a lift to the airport (thank you, J!)

Cue fast food meal number one of the holiday. London Southend Airport is really small and with just 5 gates it was very easy to navigate! Before we knew it we had landed in Amsterdam, and we were now going to see if my many hours of planning would pay off! After buying our transport tickets and hopping on the hotel shuttle we checked into hotel number one! Hotel numero uno was the cheapest of all the hotels to allow for one night in a really nice hotel at the end of our stay (continue reading to see just how cool it really was)! Day 1 We awoke to the snow that we hadn't seen in the dark the night before...

...and then our stomachs led us across the road to the nearby McDonald's for breakfast - fun fact: they don't serve hash browns with their McMuffins in the Netherlands, their meal deal includes a croissant instead! On the way to breakfast we passed a river that was almost entirely frozen over(!), and below is a picture of it, still frozen, that evening.

After a quick bus ride we were nearly at Anne Frank's house, just a 15 minute walk down the side of the canal stood between us and the museum. Inside the house I learnt so much about Anne Frank and her family. I didn't know much before we went in, other than my (very) limited knowledge that stems from the film The Fault In Our Stars... Speaking of which, after we'd checked a few more items of our 'must do/see list', we went in hunt of the TFIOS bench. I didn't know what this bench was and why it was significant but Becca informed me it was from a famous scene in the film. And it wasn't too hard to find once we discovered it has it's own spot on Google Maps! 

 We headed further into the city after a drink in the Anne Frank café, or rather we headed further out when I navigated us the wrong way up the canal! Tram line 14 to the rescue, we were now back on track and in search of the Sex Museum... yes you heard it right, and yes it really is full of everything sex-related. I'll let you discover it all for yourself should you ever find yourself in Amsterdam...

Moving swiftly on, we went in search of a street I've been wanting to photograph ever since I saw it on one of Pinterest's '10 places in the world you must visit' lists. Wijdesteeg - a small street covered in graffiti, including the paving tiles!!

Image: Google/Flickr

Now what stood in front of us (or not) was one of the biggest 'Pinterest Fails' I've ever witnessed - the entire street has been torn out, buildings and all...

We could only laugh!!

After a quick trip to Primark, a walk up the red light district, an inappropriate question asked by a man on a bike, a short shopping spree in Pandora and a souvenir shop visit, we were ready for dinner: New York Pizza takeaway it was! The evening was spent in our hotel room eating our way through so many carbs and watching NCIS. Day 2 Day two began much like day one, only with a later start. Fuelled up on McDonald's breakfast, we checked out of the budget hotel and took everything by bus to hotel number two. I was very excited! I'd read somewhere that the hotel rooms are made from shipping containers stacked one on top of the other. And we all know my thoughts on shipping containers (if you don't know but you want to then click here).

Picture Source: Google Maps

There are so many perks and quirks in Amsterdam's inner city CitizenM hotel - for starters, your room is controlled by an iPad - mood lighting, blinds, tv, and all!

We had a play with all of the rooms features before making our way to the nearby train station. Adventure number 2 was underway, we were to head out into Old Holland in search of some very cute houses and a bike hire shop. We found the houses but no sign of the bike hire shop! Deciding we now didn't have enough time to cycle around, we strolled through the pretty houses and shops. And we were so glad we did because we found a hidden gem that one would only find on foot! We stopped by for a waffle whilst surrounded by the cutest of things.

Zaanse Schans is a very picturesque area, see below for yourself!

 As we left this little town(?) we smelt chocolate in the air! Quickly followed by the scent of the local brewery... not so nice! But the sweet smell of chocolate returned soon enough (which was a much welcomed scent, especially compared to the weed fumes we'd been exposed to on our way past every "coffee shop" back in the city centre). On board the train back to the hotel we reached a speed of 141km/hour, which in comparison to the slow and peaceful tram rides felt really really fast.
Becca had booked us a table at a local Italian restaurant. Walking down the streets we felt so out of place; everything look really expensive. Modern houses with fancy garages lined the streets that held countless Porsche cars.

The man who greeted us took our coats and led us to our table. We had a bread basket, a main and drink each, followed by a dessert to share - the total cost coming to no more than €34! Upon leaving we were taken to retrieve our coats, given a lollipop, and wished a safe flight home! L'Arena we hope to visit you again soon.

An evening in the hotel followed: we grabbed a couple of Barcardi Cokes at the bar before heading to our room and watching The Danish Girl, one of the many films available to watch for free in the XL Kingsized bed.

Day 3

The arrival of day three meant the arrival of our last day in Amsterdam. We left our baggage at the hotel whilst we made our last trip into the city. Today was to be more chilled than the previous two; we were both tired and had a late drive home ahead of us.

We grabbed brunch and finished it in style with a 'mix your own' McFlurry! Yes, they really do exist.

After paying €1 (!) for us both use the restaurant loo, we made our way to the AlbertCuypMarkt, a really big market not too far from the centre of Amsterdam!  

A short Primark shopping spree (and a *free* toilet trip) later, we were in search of YoYo Fresh Tea Bar. We'd heard that they sell bubble tea, something we both apprehensively wanted to try. If you haven't experienced bubble tea before, you are truly missing out! We went for small drinks, and it really was plenty. Our choice... Base: Iced Green Tea, Flavour Shot: Passion Fruit, Topping: Mango Poppings. 'Poppings' are little balls of liquid coated in a thin jelly layer that disintegrates on your tongue, causing the flavour to burst out of them. One of the best things about bubble teas are the 'pierce your own' lids with giant straws! Like a bigger, grown up, improved 'Kwenchy Cup'!

Our next stop was to be our last stop before heading back to the hotel and collecting our luggage. This next stop was also to be food-related. There was a definite food theme arising in day three. We were on the hunt for some Poffertjes (mini pancakes), a Dutch speciality. They were delicious! Definitely a food to try when in Holland.

And there marked the end of our first ever sisters only holiday. All that was to follow was an hour in the hotel playing on the iMacs and waiting for our train, a one-stop train journey to the airport, a McDonald's, a flight, a long queue at the UK border control, and a drive home.

I spent almost the entire of the next 48 hours in bed recovering from all of the travelling (the life of a girl with chronic fatigue)! But I'm so grateful that my body held up so well whilst we were away.

**this post is not sponsored by McDonald's**

***we just ate a lot of it, and now I'm glad to be eating fruit and veg again!***

I'll finish typing there, but here are just a few more pictures of a such beautiful place...

Amy xo

Storage Almost Full

Picture from Google

Have you ever seen this warning message? If you're an Android user, it's likely you've seen various other messages; 'insufficient storage available', 'storage space running low', 'low on space', etc.

If you have seen this message more than a few times it's perhaps likely that you're like me. You hold onto photos and videos too long before moving them to the cloud or Dropbox, and/or you have apps on your phone that are barely used but 'might come in handy one day'. I also like my music, as much as I can fit is downloaded onto my phone.

When I see this message pop up I click 'done' every time. Rarely have I clicked 'settings' and got to the root of the problem. But then my phone starts freezing on the unlock screen and I panic each time that maybe, just maybe, I've pushed my little phone too far. When it unfreezes and I get in to read my messages I sigh a sigh of relief. But I don't delete those photos I've been meaning to delete because, for now at least, my phone is still functioning - albeit not at it's best.

I began to notice a few months ago that I was treating my body much the same; holding onto things that I could let go of. If you've not read my previous posts and don't know much about me, I'll sum it up for you: I live in one beautiful town during the week with a lovely couple, a puppy, and a tortoise (he's my roommate). At the weekends I return to the town where I grew up to spend time with my family and friends. In my 'spare time' I am known for running monthly worship events and summer camps, organising fundraising activities for Mexico, and getting groups of people together for a drink or two.  

"If anyone serves they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Christ Jesus." 1 Peter 4:11

"With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of" Ephesians 3:20

These are dangerous verses. Mostly because they are true - we have God on our side and we can do more than we could ever imagine through His strength. Great. Amazing. But when your workload becomes 'superhuman' and you just about get through each day knowing that you can sleep many hours that night, it's not sustainable.

I recently re-evaluated, following a bad few months health-wise, all that I was doing in my 'spare time' and what 'spare time' I actually had. See, in the summer these 'spare time' activities arose because 1. I had no job and 2. I wanted to spend time with my friends before we all separated in September. I had spare time to spend in abundance! Fast forward to December... I have a job that I love (9-4 Monday - Thursday) which, with my health as it stands, equates to a normal person's 9-5 Monday - Friday. I'm living with a new family who I'm loving getting to know. I'm going home at weekends to spend precious time with my family. A non-busy weekend day in my life might look a bit like this at the moment: a few hours at church, cooking lunch with my dad, creating a poster with mum for a campaign, seeing some friends at their new house - cooking them dinner and playing games all evening. When I told a friend that that was my chilled day he was shocked. *ping* 'storage almost full' ignored again.

I'm in the process of learning what it's like to be not-busy and stay not-busy. When I first began to get not-busy I filled it with seeing people that I otherwise wouldn't have had time to see. Then I became busy again but busy with new and exciting things. Note to self: must keep trying to stay 'not-busy' for a while.

You might be pleased to know that I have released the monthly worship nights into the hands of a great team of youth leaders and my almighty God. Because "He who has started a good work is faithful and just to complete it" (ref. Philippians 1:6). This was not a decision that I took lightly because I really didn't want to let go but my storage is almost full so I had to hit 'delete'. I'll still visit and play a part from a distance, but a part that isn't taking up storage space in my life. I have also passed the Mexico fundraising baton to the other leaders whilst they run their part in the team race. Another app deleted.

In essence, I have hit 'factory data reset' - leaving only the vital apps in tact. First, I'll get to know my body in this state. Then I'll look at downloading a new app or two into my life. For now I'm in no rush.

"Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. Accept my work and learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will find rest for your souls. The work that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is not heavy." Matthew 11:28-30

So, this month, I'm focussing on:

- Family

- Friendships

- God as my first love

- Work

- Colleagues

- Strengthening my body physically to overcome my disability

Out with the old stuff and in with the new nothing!

Cool,

Cheers for reading!

Amy xo

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