Because You're Special

You may have noticed that today is St. Georges Day, something I have celebrated every year since 1999. Not this year, you will find no flags flying at my house - this year I am on strike. The real reason I usually celebrate St Georges day is because it was Matt's birthday. But you can't celebrate without the guest of honour, its no fun and their is little to celebrate.

But I am going to be brave today, I can't celebrate his birthday - because he is not here. So I dedicate this post to celebrate him and a couple of his many achievements.

Receiving his degree

Playing on Villa Park

Drinking a beer in the pool in Spain

The last photo may not seem like much of an achievement - well it is one of my favourite photos. So I have come up with the achievement. He spent so long trying to get into that dingy that when he did it really was an achievement and the fact that it didn't burst in the process is a miracle.

So this is how I remember him today - drinking a beer and smiling, if we could have got a curry into the dingy he would have been smiling even more. So if you know Matt and are having a beer today just remember him and thing of a fun memory.

PS. Yes it is sunny and no it won't rain x

Mind Games 2!

At the weekend I bought Trivial Pursuit. I used to love this game and thought that the 90's part of it would mean I would be able to answer at least some of the questions. I was wrong!! Lee had all of the wedges and was back at the centre and I had just one!!

Throughout the game I thought I knew the answers but they were just out of reach. Now either I originally did have the knowledge but with my memory loss it has all gone, or I never knew anything. I really hope it isn't the latter!! But I can't remember!

I am feeling pretty stupid at the moment. I can't remember how to cook properly either so maybe it is linked! I found that I would be desperately trying to think of the answer but the wrong word would be there that had no relevance to the question!!! I did eventually get all the wedges - but still feeling a bit stupid. I'm wondering how on earth I got a degree!!

I want my memory back - I think it was abducted by Aliens!!

Alcohol Units: 0, Cigarettes: 0, Chocolate cakes consumed: Not as Many, Calories: Not nearly enough, Pounds gained: 4, Pounds gained but then lost: 2, Incidents of Stupidity: At least 3.

Sleepless In Birmingham!

Not quite the same ring to it as 'Sleepless in Seattle', but hey this is the second night of being awake. Yesterday I spent the night trying to get to sleep - I was still awake at 5.30am!

I tried reading a book and the story scared me lots.

Lots of random thoughts seemed to pop into my head:

• Ooh I need to take my coat to the drycleaners, that red wine will have stained.
• What will I do if its stained?
• I hope there wasn't too much chilli in the dinner for grandad, I hope he is ok
• I wonder whether I should have poured water on the fire before I came up.
• Um should I go and check it?
• What course should I study at uni?
• Where should I study?
• Should I have eaten that cake before I came to bed
• I wonder what is happening in the cricket
• I hope mum and dad were ok with dinner being so late
• I wonder whether mum is watching the cricket
• I hope Hannah is feeling better
• What will I do if the laptop blows up before I get the photos off it?
• What is Dave can't save the laptop files?
• What is that noise?
• Why is it so cold in here?
• I could really eat a kebab
• Shall I read some more? maybe not I got scared earlier
• Why can I not get to sleep?

Alcohol Units 0, Cigarettes 0, Chocolate cakes consumed - Many, Calories 1775, Pounds gained 2, Pounds gained but then lost 2, Instances of getting stuck in clothes 2.

Bridget Jones Moment!

We live in an ever changing world where less is meant to be more, but in reality more is actually less! We get more things to make us happy. We constantly wonder whether we are good enough, will people like us? Do I look fat in this? We can't go out without looking good - who dictates what looks good?!!

Are we ever truly happy in our own skin?

We constantly compare ourselves to those around us and obviously we are not as good. We could never look as nice, we could never be that successful, we could never be that happy, we could never be ...........

Why do we put ourselves through it?

Over the last week as I have been resting and having a think about what and where next I have been struck by some of this. Still no idea what to do and increasingly feeling that maybe I won't make the grade, may be I won't be as good.

You get used to the old way and I am stepping into the unknown. Someone will have been there before, they will have done things their way, but what if you just don't compare, or meet expectations - what then? I have not been in this position for a very long time - its all new and it was different then.

Donald talked about a fear of doors last night - the fear of whether to knock, whether to wait, what will greet you on the other side. I feel a bit like that. But my problem is not doors it is the fear of not measuring up.

Is it worth the stress and hurt that we put ourselves through?

Alcohol Units 0, Cigarettes 0, Chocolate cake eaten lots, Calories 2129, Pounds gained 2.

Plans for my 31st year!

Well I have been 30 for a few days now and to be honest it doesn't feel any different. I feel a little sad that I am no longer in my 20's. I also feel sad that Matt was right when he joked that I would catch him up soon!

The 20's ended with me being ill and the 30's began with me being ill!!!

I know I don't feel any different now I am 30 but things are going to change. Important decisions need making. Yet again, life will never be the same again....

In the next few weeks and months I need to decide - what next? That sounds simple written down - but its not - its life changing.

It's about a new job, possibly a new career, maybe retraining - A few ideas but no fixed plan - maybe a holiday - maybe traveling. I've no idea and that is exciting and scary all at the same time.


But I know one thing in some ways its freeing but in others a lonely place - no expectations, no hopes, no dream. So thats another thing - working out what my hopes and dreams are!


So then plans thus far:

1. Get well
2. Do handover at work - then I have left
   
3. Eat 3 meals a day
4. Gain 1 1/2 stone
5. Sort out remaining paperwork
6. Sort out the house
7. Have some thinking space
8. Have a holiday
9. Do something amazing!
10. Who knows whats next?

Life's full of change, I just hope good comes out of difficult and painful!

Nearly 30 aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Well in the next week I will be thirty. I thought I was ok with this but last week I freaked out a bit about it. 30 is a land mark - it is no longer 'in your twenties' it signifies something different. Am I ready to be 30 I ask myself - maybe not.

I find myself looking back at what I have done over the last 30 years - the best bits, the worst bits, and the run of the mill bits.

Best Bits:
Getting Married to Matt
Being part of a big family
Being a youth worker
Being in a youth group

Worst Bits:
Don't need to write anymore - you already know!


I have done a lot of things in the past 30 years - can't remember some (see last blog entry!) - here are some of the amusing things that have happened to me - ooh there are so many more than I have listed:

Years:
2) ran away with the boy down the road and walked hand in hand under a herd of cows!!
3) undid side of playpen and escaped
4) got a slide for Christmas and tried to drag it upstairs to show my mum.

skipping a few years.......
9) Elastic snapped in tracksuit bottoms just as I was answering the front door - trousers ended up round ankles!
10) Went to school with swimming costume under uniform for swimming and left my knickers at home!!!
13) First kiss - boy goes to kiss me and I pushed him out of the way, ran in the bathroom and threw up!! (I had previously eaten peanut butter)
15) Helped some Russian children with their English (yes they now have Chorley accents).
17) Horrid shower incident on youth camp!!!! (no more can be said)
19) Got stuck in a toilet cubicle at Uni and then a man tried to help me - and then there was me and a man stuck in a toilet cubicle!!
20) Did the Fancy dress for the uni ball - only 4 of us dressed up!!!
22) Had to be cut out of an item of clothing in a shop!!!
27) Laughed so much I wet myself!
29) Fell into the boot of my car!


Wonder what 30 will bring?

Mind Games!

Something that is driving me nuts at the moment.....

I have large holes in my memory. I can remember things now from when I was a child and a teenager, that I could not remember 2 years ago. But I can't remember things from the last 7 years. I try to piece things together by looking at photos and talking to people but its like having a 10,000 piece jigsaw with the outline done and all the middle missing.

Its strange really - there are things that I could do that I now can't, or can't remember how to - cooking is hilarious. I could cook well but over the last year and a half, nothing is ready in order, I burn things, I forget they are in the oven and generally the things I make are inedible!!! I could not remember how to light my fire, or that you don't wash George Foreman grills under running water!!! At work we were talking about activities we did last summer on our summer scheme - I had to ask whether I worked last summer!! Oh I was there I just don't remember. I saw some photos of one of the activities and it took a while to think I really was there.

I also say or do things and then realise that what I said or did was really clumsy, stupid and/ or funny. My brain does not seem to engage first, like it did - so have had some hilarious times. I fell into an archive box at work (they are pretty small), I fell into the boot of my car (legs dangling and everything), I called a lip brush a crisp, I picked up a Pyrex dish straight from the oven (not noticing it was hot for quite some time!!!!)

Although it is funny, it is very frustrating, cause although I am generally a bit scatty, this is insane even by my standards. It seems that my mind has compartmentalised parts of my life, anything traumatic or associated with it has been moved to a safe place (like when you think I will put those keys in a safe place so I can find them - but then you can't remember where the safe place is).

So is my mind playing games! Or just preserving itself for filing later!