House-sitting

Rach and her family went away on the 20th for a holiday, and they asked Elyse and I to house-sit for them.
They get back tomorrow, and I'm kind of wishing they didn't (no offense Rach. I want you to come back, I just don't want to leave your house :P). It's been fun, and it's been good.
Without any further ado, I give you a list of pros and cons about house-sitting for Rach's family:

Pros:

• I don't have to check with someone every time I go somewhere.
• I can read lots
• I'm only vying for the computer with one other person :P
• I don't get told to clean up
• I have a 50/50 say in what we have for tea
• I can have the music up loud without someone telling me that the kids need quiet to concentrate on school
• I've had some good conversations with Elyse
• I've been able to spend time with Elyse even though we've been going in opposite directions a lot
• I've been referring to Rach's place as 'home', and my home as 'Mum & Dad's' :D
  

Cons:

• It's a little bit scary knowing that I am ultimately responsible for my actions
• I've been on the computer a little bit too much
• I'm responsible for cleaning up my own mess, and no one else will tell me to clean up
• It's been hard to motivate myself to work (I have been sick as well which has something to do with that)
• I've had to drive 20 minutes in order to get to all the church activities I'm involved in as well as work in the first week.
• Elyse and I have had to organize what we're having for tea, or if we're going to our parents houses for tea
  

It's been really good, and I've really enjoyed it. I miss my family a little bit, but I'm sure if I was to house-sit for longer I would end up missing them more.
It's been lots of fun doing my own thing, and it's been good to live with Elyse because I haven't seen heaps of her for awhile because we've both been busy.

I've been sick the whole time that we've been house-sitting which has been a bit hard, but it was really only this week that it got really bad :(
I'm slowly getting better though I think. I'm not looking forward to going home, but I am at the same time because I miss my family and I miss my normal routine :)

Catch Up

Well, once again it's been way too long since I've posted, so instead of catching you up with what's been going on in my life (because it's way too long to go through) I thought I'd just post about what happened today :)

I was working today, and Dad needed a 100-metre tape measure so he got me to ring around a few places to find one. I found one at a place about 15 minutes from home for a reasonable price, and so Dad asked me to head down there and get it. I decided that I'd wear Mum's brown boots because I'd been wearing them last night, they were comfortable, and they looked good :)
Anyway, I got to the place, and I walked in and I'm thinking "Okay, I feel SO out of place!" It's a tradesman's store, I'm wearing high-heeled boots and a long denim skirt, and clip-clopping everywhere...
There was a few tradies there, and some of the looks they had on their faces made for a good laugh at myself. I clip-clopped my way through the store looking for the tape measure, but couldn't find it and so I ended up having to go and ask at the desk. I finally got it, paid for it, and clip-clopped my way out.
It was pretty funny, and it made for a good break in my day and gave me a chance to laugh at myself!

Steve

I was thinking about Steve (my brother-in-law) today, and I thought I'd share some thoughts about him :)
Steve died in March of last year after being married to Kristy for 10 weeks.
I didn't know him for very long, and I really wish I had been able to get to know him better, but some of the things that I remember about him are:

• When I was learning to drive, he would ask me about how I was going, and if he found me studying my driving rules book, he'd ask me questions about driving and what the rules were nowadays (:P)
• I remember one time where I was studying my rules out in the dining room, and he sat down next to me and started chatting with me about driving and telling me stories of when he learnt to drive :)
• He was really happy for me when I finished school :)
  
• He gave me an icecream maker for Christmas of 2007 :D
• He was SO happy when he married Kristy!

He was a great guy, and I'm really thankful that I got to know him!

Pounding stakes is tiring

Well, I got a message yesterday informing me that I hadn't blogged in awhile, so I figured that I should blog.
Today was good, but crazy. Dad asked me yesterday if I would be willing to go help Jimmy pound some stakes into the ground, and considering that I would be getting paid for it, I said yes.
So last night I set my alarm for 6:45am so that I'd have plenty of time to get ready before 8:30 which was when Jimmy was coming so that we could go work. As it turns out, it's best not to go to sleep after 11pm the night before you have to pound stakes into the ground. My alarm went off at 6:45 and then again at 7, and both times I turned it off and went back to sleep. I ended up waking up around 7:20, and then dawdled around for awhile, so at 8:30 I was still eating breakfast when Jimmy turned up. Luckily Dad had to explain to him what we were meant to be doing, so I had time to finish breakfast and brush my teeth.
We ended up at the substation around 9, and after Dad showed Jimmy where he had to set up, we started working. Unfortunately, some things came up, and in the end I had to go down to the shops by myself because Jimmy had to look after the equipment. That meant that I had to drive Jimmy's car coz it was the only one that we'd taken (not much point taking two). Well, I managed to drive down there, to home, and then back to the substation without stalling it! It was great! I revved it a little bit much because I wasn't used to the clutch, but I was really happy that I didn't stall it.
After that, things went a bit more smoothly until we had about 20 minutes left in which to finish it before I had to be back home before my piano teacher turned up.
It ended up that Dad drove my car to the substation, and stayed there to help Jimmy finish up while I drove home. It was great to drive my car after driving Jimmy's! My clutch is so much lighter, and the gears are easier to shift. Driving Jimmy's car made me so thankful for my car :)
I got home just a couple minutes after my piano teacher turned up, and you'd better believe that she did not let me forget it!
So now I'm pretty tired, but feeling fairly good about my work this morning :)

TAFE

Well, I haven't really posted an update on TAFE in awhile, so I thought I would do that.
I've pretty much finished all of my theory work for Cert 2. All that I have left to do is a resume, which I'm gonna do on Friday at TAFE, and then I'll be finished theory.
That means that on Tuesdays I'm now in the pracfirm all day trying to finish off the one department that I have left! That's right, I am really close to being finished Certificate 2 in Business!!
After that, we're going to sign me up for a second traineeship with Dad so that I can do Certificate 3 in Business Admin.
I'm a little bit sick of studying, but I'm getting some good skills, and it means that I can do more work for Dad. That means that he can focus more on the work that actually brings in the money, which means that he's doing the work that brings in the money which pays me :P
So yeah, I'm really happy that I'm almost finished Cert 2 :)

What's happening in my life

On Monday I had my dermatologist appointment, and she gave me a stronger cream to put on my legs. I'm supposed to put it on twice a day for a month, and to try shaving without soap.
The cream seems to have already made a massive difference! My legs have barely itched this week, and I haven't scratched them! It's great, especially considering the fact that I've been wearing long skirts all week. I'm LOVING it!

On another note, I've eaten waaaaayy to much junk food this week. If I keep going like this, I'm gonna be broke and as big as a house. Maybe even two houses!
So this week, my goal is not to eat anything that I've bought with my own money.
For example, cream buns, jam buns, icecream... (coffee doesn't count :D)
I really want to eat healthily, but I need to learn to tell myself no.

My legs

For the past 2-3 years, I've had a rash on my lower legs. In the past year and a half, it's gotten really bad. I've times where I cannot stop scratching, because while I'm scratching I have relief.
As a result, my legs have been red and raw at times, and I can't shave for weeks on end.
Near Christmas it was getting better and seemed like it had gone. Then I started absentmindedly rubbing my leg, and then scratching, which brought it all back again!
I had a week of relief from it a couple weeks ago, and I thought it might be on its way out, but then it came back full force, and so I've decided to go see a dermatologist. I rang up on Friday, but then found out that I needed a referral. So I went to see a doctor to get a referral, and finally made the appointment today!
My appointment is next Monday at 2:45pm, and it would be great if you could all pray that it would be able to be stopped coz I'm sick of living with it :)

Jittery, jittery

Wow! I don't think I have ever drunk as much coffee in one day as I did today.
I'm jittery. That should tell you something :)
It wasn't weak coffee either. It was strong, espresso coffee.
I took a barista course today because I've always wanted to learn how to make cafe style coffee. I made cappucinos, caramel lattes, iced coffee (espresso style), hot chocolates, and watched the other girl make affogatos, and normal lattes.
I drank one and a half cappuccinos (one c? two c's?), half a caramel latte, and an iced coffee (well, that's all I can remember anyway).
I'm not hypo because coffee generally makes me sleepy. This lot hasn't been too bad, but my hands are really jittery. Because I'm not used to drinking this much coffee, the guy teaching us told us to drink lots of water over the next 24 hours. In a little over an hour I've drunk almost a litre of water :) I'll probably drink another litre by the end of tonight.
I'm feeling pretty tired, so I'm gonna go. Catchya later

My Week in Hell

Otherwise known as My Week Without Computer :P

It wasn't too bad. It was really hard not to be able to go on the internet and waste time, and it was really hard to think about what else I could do instead.

BUT......

My room is clean. I now have my brother's old bookcase in there, and my room looks pretty cool. I cleaned it on Sunday, and almost a week later it's still clean!! Miracle of miracles.

I've exercised on my gym ball more. Man, bouncing up and down on that thing for 3 minutes and 48 seconds really kills your legs!
I also got a sore back and really sore shoulders coz I was punching the air for most of that time. Yeah, I'm not really used to that.

I didn't dig into God's Word as much as I had planned, but I did do it a little bit. I started a book called 'Do Hard Things' by Alex & Brett Harris, which is great! I haven't finished it, but it's really, really good.

SO....

My plans for the next week are that I'll only spend half an hour on the internet/computer a day. No more. Also, I won't go on straight after work. Instead, I'll do something else like read my Bible, clean my room, wash/iron my clothes, or read a devotional/inspirational book.

It taught me that I can live without the internet, and that I accomplish so much more if I don't go on :)

Computer usage

I've recently been reading a book for book club called 'What Happens When Women Say Yes to God' by Lysa TerKeurst.
In reading it today, I've really been challenged to dramatically cut my computer usage.
In chapter 3, Lysa writes about how God told her to stop watching TV.
Here's her reasons as to why God told her to stop watching TV: "I wasn't a TV junkie, ... but as I prayed, I felt God telling me why the TV had to go. I enjoyed sitting down after a tiresome day and being entertained. God showed me that I was vulnerable and empty during those times. It wasn't that what I was watching was bad -- it just wasn't God's best. I was filling myself with the world's perspectives and influences, while He wanted to be my strength and fill me with Himself. I knew it would be hard to break this habit, but I was determined to ask God for the strength to do so. I prayed that my desire to please Him would be stronger than my desire for television."*

I've been feeling that through this book, God is asking me to dramatically cut my computer usage. I go on the computer several times a day. I go on before work, after work, late in the afternoon, before bed, and quite often at other times of the day as well.
I was talking to a friend the other day, and saying that I wanted to dig into the Word of God, and really grow through that.
I feel that always being on the computer is filling me up with things that God doesn't want me filled up with, and that I'm putting the computer before Him. I feel like I HAVE to go on the computer because 'something might have happened!'.
I don't want to HAVE to go on the computer every day because I feel like I can't function without it. So, for the next week I'm not going to go on the computer at all except to check my email address that I use for book reviewing, and (of course) to work and study.
I plan to use the leisure time that I would usually spend on the computer, for spending time digging into God's Word and doing my jobs at home.
In a week I'll evaluate how it's gone, and plan what to do from then on. Please keep me accountable to this, and I'll try and post about what I've learnt in the time that I spend with God.


*'What Happens When Women Say Yes to God' by Lysa TerKeurst. Chapter 3, pg. 44.