I'm only glancing... for to dwell on the past is wasted energy... Particularly as my ability to remember anything other than useless trivia is a bit retarded...
I spent the click over to the year 2000 partying with friends in Oakura, NZ. We partied with a spinning torch some streamers and a kickarse game of trivial pursuit. Girls against guys. Girls won. BOOH YAH.
That first summer of the decade, and millennium for that matter, was the last one one I spent any great length of time in NZ (3 months), I was also dead certain I was only coming back to Australia for one more year (and God laughed so hard his orange juice came out of his nose).
12 months later, at the end of 2000 my best mate was praying for me backstage before we went on to lead worship and said... "you KNOW what you're doing next year..."
True that. In my guts I knew then I was coming back for more study but I'd been avoiding the issue, I had no idea it would be for this long, neither did I know that Freddysmamma would become SO much a huge part of my life... she's the mother of my godkids, partner in choral crime (such as it is) and general all round good egg (so good she's not going to be fazed at all that I posted this photo, no she won't... oh and it wasn't taken in the year 2000, this is more like Christmas 2008)
BTW, She's the one on the right..
I spent the click over to the year 2000 partying with friends in Oakura, NZ. We partied with a spinning torch some streamers and a kickarse game of trivial pursuit. Girls against guys. Girls won. BOOH YAH.
That first summer of the decade, and millennium for that matter, was the last one one I spent any great length of time in NZ (3 months), I was also dead certain I was only coming back to Australia for one more year (and God laughed so hard his orange juice came out of his nose).
12 months later, at the end of 2000 my best mate was praying for me backstage before we went on to lead worship and said... "you KNOW what you're doing next year..."
True that. In my guts I knew then I was coming back for more study but I'd been avoiding the issue, I had no idea it would be for this long, neither did I know that Freddysmamma would become SO much a huge part of my life... she's the mother of my godkids, partner in choral crime (such as it is) and general all round good egg (so good she's not going to be fazed at all that I posted this photo, no she won't... oh and it wasn't taken in the year 2000, this is more like Christmas 2008)
BTW, She's the one on the right..Spent the year working as a nanny to 3 very over achieving kids, one of whom recently played one of the Billy Elliots in the Sydney production!
First nephew was born.
2001 dawned. Last year of college... Moved house, down to 3 other flatmates instead of 4, still house-mother to a bunch of younger girls... but all very independent, thankfully!
Finally got home to visit first nephew.
Big highlight was the Arts Festival wherein the two girls pictured above were joined by two marvellous fellas and sang an a capella set of musical arrangements for an audience - our major work with such classic tracks as 'Tuxedo Junction, Amazing Grace and Java Jive' classic barbershop numbers, some of which were our own arrangements and we had a BLAST! Oh, and we passed with flying colours...
2001 was the 2nd year I had volunteered with the Music Department at church and at the close of that year, which finished out my college career to that point, I walked into a job as Assistant to the Music Director - the first of the 13 3rd years who graduated to get a full time job... but more about that later...
2002 Was my first full year of being a PA. It was busy, I was on call, I babysat the kids, ran errands, booked travel. We recorded an album that year and gradually work and my boss moved into the central focus of my world. Truth is I loved them, I loved the life.
Moved house again, this time with one other flatmate. It was a great flat in Queenscliff with beautiful views of the Ocean. My flatmate Bliss was a dream to live with and we had a great time singing and working together in the Music Team.
2003 Another year of work. All the the same really as the year above with the further reduction of time and space for anything (singing, photography) else. It was unhealthy, I was unhappy that the fun stuff was being shafted in favour of working. But I still loved work, loved my boss, loved the people around me. Thankfully my familial and social relationships remained mostly intact.
Nephew number 2 was born and I went home to see him at have Christmas with the family.
2004
Was my rock bottom year of the decade. By Easter my boss whom I'd loved and served like a Labrador for 4.5 years (2 as a volunteer) was exposed as a workplace bully. It's a long story, the centering of my world around him was down to his particularly manipulative management strategies and when my eyes were opened to how damaging that was to me and to the rest of the team I was absolutely gutted. Worse still was that I'd been an unwitting party to his games and perpetuated the problems and manipulation. It goes to show that some charismatic people can be dangerous. I cut ties with him and his family for my own safety.
I spent the rest of the year in therapy. Some of which was blogging... Singular Scene was born!
I remained on staff and by a whole series of fortuitous experiences I ended up working in the IT department as the Web Princess.
Whether or not you belive the Bible, there's a passage that reads "all things work together for good...: and in spite of the incredible angst in that time, much of what I'd learned of web technology in those Assitant years actually served to be the ground work for what I'm doing now... but that's another story too.
My Godson was born, his mother's name is Freddysmamma but his name isn't Freddy...
Bliss decided to move on... NOOOOO! She went home to Queensland, and I had 9 weeks at the end of the year with a fella for a flatmate, a very quirky one, we called him The Count...
2005 Flick moved into the Queenscliff flat with me. We had lots of fun, initiated the apartment building christmas barbeque and generally socialised over champagne and cards! Wow, halfway through the decade. Nephew number 3 was born, I got home to see him in his early weeks too. Nephew number 4 came later in the year.
Work carried on with a couple of very different foci. I refused ever again to let work or my boss have that central focus in my life. As a Christian I decided that such a place was better left for God... Sensible really... shocking I had to learn it in such a traumatic way... I also worked only from 9-5, also sensible but unfortunate that I remained one of the few people in that organisation who ever managed to keep that boundary firmly in place.
I got to go to Hawaii for the annual global conference. It had been so long since I'd done any kind of decent travel I went with some trepidation... however I LOVED it and got that spark lit to do some more adventuring...
I started the As Scene business this year as a means of supplementing my church income, never thought it would be come my sole means of support later in the decade!!
2006 was the year I embarked on the higher educational path taking up the opportunity to get my existing Adv Dip quals upgraded to Bachelors Degree. It was an interesting journey, one that lasted that year and into the next where I juggled full time work, part time business and part time study... I thought I was busy then... guess it was good prep for 2009 when life got INSANE... Still it was an incredible fulfilling year!
It is also the year I became an Australian... (but shhh... don't remind the Kiwis).
Flick and I went on holiday to see Bliss in Brisbane - highlight of that trip was riding EVERY ride at Dreamworld!!!
The other big events were that my adventuring took me to a wedding in Asheville NC to be bridesmaid for a girl I'd never met. And while that was going on my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and bravely had her 'girls' removed as a preventative measure. (have you had yours checked recently?).
In the last weeks of the year I packed up my seaside flat and moved to Balgowlah. Still close enough to walk to Manly but no longer any sea views. Instead, I have a garden and I live on my own, which I love!
2007 was my 2nd year of studying and the year that I finally became a cat owner again after 8 years without one. Chino moved into the house and my heart and between us 2007 was basically pretty uneventful!
Nephew number 5 was born.
2008 - Chino got finished off on the road at Easter, I turned 40 and went home to celebrate my birthday with family. I graduated with my Bachelors' Degree and the seed was sown for what would become the year of upheaval...
Nephew number 6 was born.
In May I made a home for Princess Lulubelle a rehomed Burmese who had big shoes to fill, and she has done so in her own inimitable way... a very clever puss with loads of personality and she's wormed her way into my home and heart, and the hearts of a few of my friends who love to come over for cuddles (hers, not mine!)
In August I wrote my leaving speech to wrap up 7 years of working for the church, In December I actually resigned with an offer of a place in the Masters' Program at Sydney Uni.
And so we come to 2009, and if you've been reading along all year you are pretty much up to date with the comings and goings around here...
I think it's safe to say it was the scariest and most thrilling year of my life to date!!! It was wonderful to stretch my brain in the gorgeous halls of the University of Sydney, it was challenging to stretch my faith and my mettle to support myself wholly by my little tiny web business!!
To top it all off, I jetted home for Christmas and a visit with nephew number 7 who arrived while I was there!
Thanks to those of you who read along and comment occasionally! I hope the Noughties was as fun and thrilling for you and that the 'teens' are even better!
First nephew was born.
2001 dawned. Last year of college... Moved house, down to 3 other flatmates instead of 4, still house-mother to a bunch of younger girls... but all very independent, thankfully!
Finally got home to visit first nephew.
Big highlight was the Arts Festival wherein the two girls pictured above were joined by two marvellous fellas and sang an a capella set of musical arrangements for an audience - our major work with such classic tracks as 'Tuxedo Junction, Amazing Grace and Java Jive' classic barbershop numbers, some of which were our own arrangements and we had a BLAST! Oh, and we passed with flying colours...
2001 was the 2nd year I had volunteered with the Music Department at church and at the close of that year, which finished out my college career to that point, I walked into a job as Assistant to the Music Director - the first of the 13 3rd years who graduated to get a full time job... but more about that later...
2002 Was my first full year of being a PA. It was busy, I was on call, I babysat the kids, ran errands, booked travel. We recorded an album that year and gradually work and my boss moved into the central focus of my world. Truth is I loved them, I loved the life.
Moved house again, this time with one other flatmate. It was a great flat in Queenscliff with beautiful views of the Ocean. My flatmate Bliss was a dream to live with and we had a great time singing and working together in the Music Team.
2003 Another year of work. All the the same really as the year above with the further reduction of time and space for anything (singing, photography) else. It was unhealthy, I was unhappy that the fun stuff was being shafted in favour of working. But I still loved work, loved my boss, loved the people around me. Thankfully my familial and social relationships remained mostly intact.
Nephew number 2 was born and I went home to see him at have Christmas with the family.
2004
Was my rock bottom year of the decade. By Easter my boss whom I'd loved and served like a Labrador for 4.5 years (2 as a volunteer) was exposed as a workplace bully. It's a long story, the centering of my world around him was down to his particularly manipulative management strategies and when my eyes were opened to how damaging that was to me and to the rest of the team I was absolutely gutted. Worse still was that I'd been an unwitting party to his games and perpetuated the problems and manipulation. It goes to show that some charismatic people can be dangerous. I cut ties with him and his family for my own safety.
I spent the rest of the year in therapy. Some of which was blogging... Singular Scene was born!
I remained on staff and by a whole series of fortuitous experiences I ended up working in the IT department as the Web Princess.
Whether or not you belive the Bible, there's a passage that reads "all things work together for good...: and in spite of the incredible angst in that time, much of what I'd learned of web technology in those Assitant years actually served to be the ground work for what I'm doing now... but that's another story too.
My Godson was born, his mother's name is Freddysmamma but his name isn't Freddy...
Bliss decided to move on... NOOOOO! She went home to Queensland, and I had 9 weeks at the end of the year with a fella for a flatmate, a very quirky one, we called him The Count...
2005 Flick moved into the Queenscliff flat with me. We had lots of fun, initiated the apartment building christmas barbeque and generally socialised over champagne and cards! Wow, halfway through the decade. Nephew number 3 was born, I got home to see him in his early weeks too. Nephew number 4 came later in the year.
Work carried on with a couple of very different foci. I refused ever again to let work or my boss have that central focus in my life. As a Christian I decided that such a place was better left for God... Sensible really... shocking I had to learn it in such a traumatic way... I also worked only from 9-5, also sensible but unfortunate that I remained one of the few people in that organisation who ever managed to keep that boundary firmly in place.
I got to go to Hawaii for the annual global conference. It had been so long since I'd done any kind of decent travel I went with some trepidation... however I LOVED it and got that spark lit to do some more adventuring...
I started the As Scene business this year as a means of supplementing my church income, never thought it would be come my sole means of support later in the decade!!
2006 was the year I embarked on the higher educational path taking up the opportunity to get my existing Adv Dip quals upgraded to Bachelors Degree. It was an interesting journey, one that lasted that year and into the next where I juggled full time work, part time business and part time study... I thought I was busy then... guess it was good prep for 2009 when life got INSANE... Still it was an incredible fulfilling year!
It is also the year I became an Australian... (but shhh... don't remind the Kiwis).
Flick and I went on holiday to see Bliss in Brisbane - highlight of that trip was riding EVERY ride at Dreamworld!!!
The other big events were that my adventuring took me to a wedding in Asheville NC to be bridesmaid for a girl I'd never met. And while that was going on my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and bravely had her 'girls' removed as a preventative measure. (have you had yours checked recently?).
In the last weeks of the year I packed up my seaside flat and moved to Balgowlah. Still close enough to walk to Manly but no longer any sea views. Instead, I have a garden and I live on my own, which I love!
2007 was my 2nd year of studying and the year that I finally became a cat owner again after 8 years without one. Chino moved into the house and my heart and between us 2007 was basically pretty uneventful!
Nephew number 5 was born.
2008 - Chino got finished off on the road at Easter, I turned 40 and went home to celebrate my birthday with family. I graduated with my Bachelors' Degree and the seed was sown for what would become the year of upheaval...
Nephew number 6 was born.
In May I made a home for Princess Lulubelle a rehomed Burmese who had big shoes to fill, and she has done so in her own inimitable way... a very clever puss with loads of personality and she's wormed her way into my home and heart, and the hearts of a few of my friends who love to come over for cuddles (hers, not mine!)
In August I wrote my leaving speech to wrap up 7 years of working for the church, In December I actually resigned with an offer of a place in the Masters' Program at Sydney Uni.
And so we come to 2009, and if you've been reading along all year you are pretty much up to date with the comings and goings around here...
I think it's safe to say it was the scariest and most thrilling year of my life to date!!! It was wonderful to stretch my brain in the gorgeous halls of the University of Sydney, it was challenging to stretch my faith and my mettle to support myself wholly by my little tiny web business!!
To top it all off, I jetted home for Christmas and a visit with nephew number 7 who arrived while I was there!
Thanks to those of you who read along and comment occasionally! I hope the Noughties was as fun and thrilling for you and that the 'teens' are even better!
I've filched this quote from Don Miller's Blog
For the last 10 years I've loved a church whose focus is 'Build the Church' but the biggest paradigm shift that happened for me (and not coincidentally that got sparked by Don's book 'Blue Like Jazz'), and the primary reason I now worship somewhere else is because I have been unable to shake the conviction that if we 'Build the People' the church will come rather than the other way around.
If our primary focus is on building the church, on having more numbers, on having more souls saved, the very people we hope to touch become secondary to the institution and we lose sight of the incredible value each member has NOT because they are a member and because they contribute, but because the are valuable to their Maker and by extension should be valuable to us all.
If we love, people love in return, if the place where they find love and acceptance is the church then they will love the church, if they love the church they will serve. On the contrary if the church expects service, if the love we offer is conditional on what our people do for the church (or how they look, or how old they are, or how clever.... etc. etc. etc.) rather than being unconditional and offered on the basis of their value to God, then it's only a question of time before something gives.
I read Don's obituary for David and I'm challenged to be the kind of person that David Gentiles was, and I'd never even heard of him before today. I'm challenged to live in such a way that the people with whom I come into contact leave me feeling as though they've been loved, and I'm challenged to be a part of a church that puts people ahead of programs.
You know, the way Jesus did.
2009 was the year I started to see things differently, and it broke my heart in ways I never anticipated. My heart breaks still for those who've felt the sting of being discarded because they no longer are considered to fit in the church they were so committed to building. It breaks for those who've built themselves out of a position, those who have aged out of one. My heart breaks for those whose memories of their pastor are vastly different than Don's of David, and it breaks too for those pastors who've become so caught up in the vision they've lost sight of not only the people who are helping bring it to pass but also lost Jesus' view of their sheep, their people.
On the eve of a new year and a of new decade, I still pray "may your kingdom come, may your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." but I can't help suspecting that the kingdom we're waiting for probably looks a lot less like our image/skill/talent focused world and that the churches therein look a lot less like our concert halls and stadiums and a lot more like our living rooms and cafes, like darkened doorways, like city parks and shopping malls.
You know, like Jesus saw them.
In a culture where professional ministers are tempted to use people to build churches, David Gentiles used the church to get to people.Don's context is an obituary for a man who loved and was dearly loved and I don't want to take anything away from that. David Gentiles sounds like the kind of pastor (and man, for that matter) we all wish we knew. But in the middle of the celebration David's life and of Don's memories of him, this quote spoke volumes to me because it's what I've been saying all year. In a way, while 2009 was primarily all my Masters' Degree the thing that has had the biggest impact on me personally is all about church. In short, 2009 was the year my thoughts about church underwent fundamental change.
For the last 10 years I've loved a church whose focus is 'Build the Church' but the biggest paradigm shift that happened for me (and not coincidentally that got sparked by Don's book 'Blue Like Jazz'), and the primary reason I now worship somewhere else is because I have been unable to shake the conviction that if we 'Build the People' the church will come rather than the other way around.
If our primary focus is on building the church, on having more numbers, on having more souls saved, the very people we hope to touch become secondary to the institution and we lose sight of the incredible value each member has NOT because they are a member and because they contribute, but because the are valuable to their Maker and by extension should be valuable to us all.
If we love, people love in return, if the place where they find love and acceptance is the church then they will love the church, if they love the church they will serve. On the contrary if the church expects service, if the love we offer is conditional on what our people do for the church (or how they look, or how old they are, or how clever.... etc. etc. etc.) rather than being unconditional and offered on the basis of their value to God, then it's only a question of time before something gives.
I read Don's obituary for David and I'm challenged to be the kind of person that David Gentiles was, and I'd never even heard of him before today. I'm challenged to live in such a way that the people with whom I come into contact leave me feeling as though they've been loved, and I'm challenged to be a part of a church that puts people ahead of programs.
You know, the way Jesus did.
2009 was the year I started to see things differently, and it broke my heart in ways I never anticipated. My heart breaks still for those who've felt the sting of being discarded because they no longer are considered to fit in the church they were so committed to building. It breaks for those who've built themselves out of a position, those who have aged out of one. My heart breaks for those whose memories of their pastor are vastly different than Don's of David, and it breaks too for those pastors who've become so caught up in the vision they've lost sight of not only the people who are helping bring it to pass but also lost Jesus' view of their sheep, their people.
On the eve of a new year and a of new decade, I still pray "may your kingdom come, may your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." but I can't help suspecting that the kingdom we're waiting for probably looks a lot less like our image/skill/talent focused world and that the churches therein look a lot less like our concert halls and stadiums and a lot more like our living rooms and cafes, like darkened doorways, like city parks and shopping malls.
You know, like Jesus saw them.
So, if you're a Kiwi of my vintage you may understand the reference above. Once upon a time there was an ad on the telly for the 'Smokefree Rally of NZ' and two possums in the middle of the road see a car coming... with the anticipated results. Those who follow me on twitter may guess the reference I'm making to it today,..
Ok. So it really was one moon last night, it's just that I had the opportunity to see it repeatedly had I wished to and my exhibitionist neighbour certainly appeared to wish me to see his 'glory' repeatedly if the noisome attempts to attract my attention were anything to go by.
He was subtle about it, of course, because to actively shout out to me would not be seemly, But, coughs and throat clearings, heavy sighs and moving in and out of the security's sensor to flick the light on and off also featured. When I didn't look up (I had noticed early on in the show when his back (thank goodness) was turned) he crossed the window in my kitchen to sit his (NAKED) butt down on my patio chairs.
To give him the benefit of the doubt I'll go out on a limb and say it may merely have been that he was hot (only in the temperature sense of the word) as last night was particularly warm and humid. However, as he was outside for about an hour between the hours of 1 and 2 and as I was also up between those hours (fully clothed I might add) there did appear to be an element of 'creepy' about the whole situation.
I maintained an 'ignorantly blissful' demeanour the whole time. I noticed him early on and as such spent the hour ignoring him. Once I'd finished my final Christmas preparations (at around 1.45) I turned out the lights, showered and went to bed.
At this point the Streaker (as he shall now be called) spent the next half an hour cruising outside my bedroom window. Again, huffing and puffing, grunting (omg please don't let me think about what THAT might have meant) and again, trying to elicit some response from me. I ignored him, switched out the light, hung my rug against the window to block some of the flickering light from the security lamp, plugged in my earplugs and went to sleep.
So yeah, 2009 will go down in my history as not so much of the old 'Silent Night...
or Holy Night, for that matter...
He was subtle about it, of course, because to actively shout out to me would not be seemly, But, coughs and throat clearings, heavy sighs and moving in and out of the security's sensor to flick the light on and off also featured. When I didn't look up (I had noticed early on in the show when his back (thank goodness) was turned) he crossed the window in my kitchen to sit his (NAKED) butt down on my patio chairs.
To give him the benefit of the doubt I'll go out on a limb and say it may merely have been that he was hot (only in the temperature sense of the word) as last night was particularly warm and humid. However, as he was outside for about an hour between the hours of 1 and 2 and as I was also up between those hours (fully clothed I might add) there did appear to be an element of 'creepy' about the whole situation.
I maintained an 'ignorantly blissful' demeanour the whole time. I noticed him early on and as such spent the hour ignoring him. Once I'd finished my final Christmas preparations (at around 1.45) I turned out the lights, showered and went to bed.
At this point the Streaker (as he shall now be called) spent the next half an hour cruising outside my bedroom window. Again, huffing and puffing, grunting (omg please don't let me think about what THAT might have meant) and again, trying to elicit some response from me. I ignored him, switched out the light, hung my rug against the window to block some of the flickering light from the security lamp, plugged in my earplugs and went to sleep.
So yeah, 2009 will go down in my history as not so much of the old 'Silent Night...
or Holy Night, for that matter...
- Animotion (13)
- Blog Happy (69)
- Boob Checking (7)
- Brain Dump (43)
- Cat-a-Plex (22)
- Christmastide (25)
- City of Gold (15)
- Encyclopaedia (10)
- Feeding Frenzy (11)
- Flight Plan (26)
- For Crying Out Loud (10)
- Get Serious (11)
- Get Your Vox Off (7)
- Good Vibes (20)
- Kid Wrangling (12)
- Life Happens (67)
- Margaritaville (1)
- Oddbins (41)
- Seaside Oasis (6)
- Shutter Up (58)
- Singletown (32)
- Student Village (29)
- Survey (2)
- Technodrama (18)
- Textual Healing (12)
- Worthless Drivel (2)