Coffee & Cupcakes

Graduation Days began bright and early, as we were due to be there about 8am, actually meaning 9:30am! But just incase one had to be ready. The kids were dressed in their outfits, which stayed clean for a whole 10 minutes! Sweat, dust, sun cream, insect repelant cream and juicy mangoes- is not a reciepe for clean children! I learned to let it go....after a few days!! We often treated ourselves to a "rice-less" breakfast and a sachet of coffee! (For all you Miranda fans, we did often "sachet to the sachet") to start the day and then we waited ... ... for our lift to arrive. As the honoured guest nothing started without us being there so the pressure is off and I simply learned to enjoy the peace of waiting before the heat of the madness of the rest of the day. We arrived at the church or Hall and so began the day. I have never before felt the need to experience the life of a celebrity walking down town trying to quietly do their shopping, but I feel this may be the

My lesson of humility began as I sat on the porch of a lovely wooden built house in Dingasan, responding to the question: "Would it be ok to start at 9am, just to give those walking 4 hours enough time to get here?" ... I'm sorry walking how far?! ... ... Josh and I as part of our trip to the Philippines had agreed to do some training and teaching days round the issues we had learnt from through our studies at University and work in church. On this particular occassion we were doing a training day on "Working with faith and families", looking at how the church should or could be engaging families. One way that we have found encourages families along to church is family services. Family services allow space for the family to be together and worship together. For parents who are just begining to consider the idea of God or faith, for children who have heard something from a club or school assembly, these family services are an ideal "danger-free" sp

Our Philippine journey was about to begin, we had spent the night at an airport hotel in Dublin, indulging in pot noodles, crisps and 7up. We had snuggled up in a family room, attempted to get some sleep and woke up bright and early to catch the shuttle bus to the airport. So apart from having to get up at 3am all was going well... ... until we arrived at the airport!! We were welcomed by a massive queue, confused and some slightly angry looking people & a frustated sounding woman announcing the there was a "slight" system malfunction and there will be a delay... I should say that when you are begining a journey that will take 22 hours starting it with a delay is never positive! (I was immediately blamed for it, as I joked a little drama always helps a blogger)! Rude I know! Anyway we did finally reach the check in desk after a system override but the joy of this malfunction went on... Alarms were going off every, I mean everywhere! You could not walk anywhere in the

Dear Readers, I have so much to share with you my mind boggles! Life in Ireland, parenting trials, wifely duties and our recent Philippines Trip. I hope to fill you in all of the above things in due course but as many of you are asking about the Philippines trip I will start with that. My mind is still trying to process that went on over our three week visit and there is much news to share with you and many lessons I learned! However I thought I would start by helping you align your thinking with that of a Flippino. So here are my top ten Philippines fact: 1. If you don't like Rice - don't ever visit the Philippines! Rice is the foundational food, it's served breakfast, lunch and dinner! 2. If you get served what appears a meal but there is no rice - Be Careful - this is just a snack, don't fill up, the main meal will arrive shortly. 3. There is no such thing as "just a banana"! Over our 3 weeks there I had 4/5 different varieties of banana (none o

As I dived into the back seat of the hire car, recieving a handful of sick from my daughter as an arrival gift, I couldn't but question the madness of what we were doing. This thought came and left rapidly as Kezzia continued to be sick and I in a desperate attempt to keep the hire car clean was trying to direct the "deposit" anywhere other than on the car. A quick stop, disposal of some clothes, car seat covers and almost a packet of baby wipes later - I still question how the world survived without wipes - we were back on route and my question cropped up again... Had Josh and I lost all sense and reason? There we were heading for Holyhead, all our belongings following behind in a van - and what exactly were we heading toward? That was the scary part, in reality we didn't really know! We knew Ireland, Sligo was right but in essence that was it! We were leaving behind family, wonderful family, friends, the most incredible friends, a church that we loved and Worth

Well, my dear readers it as come to the point that I must share with you a journey that I have been on for over a year. A journey that I have so longed to share with you but for various reasons it has remained a very private and personal journey until now. I am not ill, nor pregnant as most people seem to conclude when you begin a conversation like this but I will no longer be writting my blogs from the South Coast of England, a sunny place someone once told me, but rather from April this year my blog writting shall happen over the sea, on the green green grass of Ireland! It is time for me to return home! I cannot begin to tell you the range of emotions that venture around your body when you decide to up root and move your family to a new country, leaving behind the security of a job, a home, friends, such wonderful friends! I go from laughing with excitment to struck with fear and then end up in tears at the thought of those I won't see day to day... sounds silly when we are