Learning to Walk

going away

We are going away for the weekend!

We will be staying here and going to a wedding here, before heading to our Godson's 1st birthday party on Sunday.

Happy days!

training south

Today, for the first time in almost 10 months of marriage, I am leaving my wife in Glasgow and going down to visit some family in England.  It isn't the first time we will have been apart - she has been away 3 or 4 times - but it feels a bit odd that it is me doing the leaving.

I came to faith in Christ 5 years ago now, and at the time that I did my God Mother (also my Aunt) was living in the UK in between relocating their family from Pakistan to the US.  As a committed Christian her (and my Uncle) played a big role in those early months and I was gutted when they moved.  Last summer we were meant to visit them as part of our America trip but unfortunately, due to my mis-spent youth (or 1 night to be more precise), the trip had to be cancelled.  But she has come over to visit my Grandparents for a couple of weeks (with my two youngest cousins - making travel to Glasgow pretty tricky) and so I am going to go down to see them.  The only sad thing is that with the timing of the school holidays YKW can't come too so they will have to meet another time.

So I am off to the train station in a few minutes.  I booked in advance last week and got a first class ticket for £5 more than the normal ticket so I will be travelling in luxury with a table and a plug socket which means that I will be able to do some of my sermon prep for Sunday as well as getting a bit of a glimpse into how the other half live!

going away

We are going down to London tomorrow morning - getting picked up by a taxi at 5.30am, and flying at 7am.  We are spending 5 nights in Blackheath near to where YKW's sister and her boyfriend live and are then traveling up to Coventry by train to see my folks for New Year.

It'll be nice to get away and to see some family and friends who we don't get to see so often.  It should also be a great chance to spend some time together as it has been a busy few weeks in the run up to the end of our work and college terms.

journeying

We spent an enjoyable few days down in Englandshire and then endured a terrible journey back.  We left before 12.30 in order to be back for church more than 6 hours later; we didn't make it.  It is the worst trip that I have ever had over that distance and I am sorely tempted to make it one of the last that I will do by car (although I am sure that unless the cost of flying goes down even further we will continue to drive!)

So back into the swing of things.  A lunchtime meeting today followed by a full week of college and work should keep me busy.  If you are into praying then please pray for our family at the moment.  Without wanting to give out any more details it is going to be quite a tough week.  Thanks.

going south

We are heading down to England tomorrow to stay at my parent's home for a few days.  On Saturday a good friend of mine is getting married so we will be going to that and the rest of the time we will be catching up with family and putting our feet up a bit.  We are really looking forward to a change of scenery, routine and returning back to our home refreshed.

date night

Friday night, as has been mentioned previously, is date night and tonight's date is perhaps the most exciting yet.  A few weeks before our wedding we went to the Hawks end of season dance.  Two friends from down south were with us and decided that if they won anything on the raffle that was based in Scotland they would give it to us.  As a result we will be staying here tonight.

I am excited as it will be my first time visiting Edinburgh for a decent amount of time (during which I don't have to play rugby) and because we will get to go for a drink in a pub called the 'Kenilworth' which also happens to be the name of the town where I was brought up.  It'd be rude not to!

heading north

We are heading up north to Fort William today.  We are meeting up with my parents who are finishing the West Highland Way and then walking up Ben Nevis tomorrow and coming back down tomorrow night.  It is my first time venturing significantly beyond Loch Lomond and I am really looking forward to getting out into the great Scottish outdoors!

what type of husband?

It is just after 6am and we are about to drive to the airport as my wife is leaving me for the weekend, for the first time, and the question I (and quite possibly my wife) am asking is: what type of husband am I?

Am I the sort of husband who will get straight on the phone to his drinking buddies and go out partying all weekend?

Am I the sort of husband who will sit looking at the washing all weekend never quite getting any of it done?

Am I the sort of husband who will live on take out all weekend?

What sort of husband am I?!?!

i want to be a part of it...

New York, New York!

As any regular readers will know we were meant to go to America this summer but due to my misspent youth were forced to cancel at the last minute.  Our trip was to have culminated at one of YKW's best friends wedding in New York this Saturday.  YKW decided that having lost the money on our tickets - for now at least; complaint will be in the post to head office next week - that she wouldn't go out for the wedding.

Then last night I thought I'd have one more try at persuading her and this morning she decided that she would go.  We got what I think was a good deal, especially considering the fact that she is leaving tomorrow morning and coming back in time for a 9am meeting on Monday!  I am really glad that she can make it as, I'm sure, everyone 'State Side' is too.  I just wish that I could be a part of it too!

elvis lives!

We are back in Glasgow! 

We have been married for 7 weeks and have spent more than 5 of them away from home but yesterday, in time for church, we finally completed the nearly 600 mile trip back from Cornwall.  It is good to be back and this week there is a lot of work to be done, both in the flat and out of it, before we both get stuck into our new jobs next week.

We had a very good time away especially considering the last minute nature of the trip and the fact that at times throughout the two weeks we were both upset at the fact that we had to cancel our America trip.  There was all the excitement (generated mostly by The Sun) about the shark, there were lovely meals out, there was the final Harry Potter (read it, read it, read it) and much, much more.

But one of the most memorable moments of the trip occurred at Truro Cathedral.  As many of you are probably aware lots of churches have signs up outside advertising in some way shape or form that Jesus is Lord and that you should check him out.  But not at Truro Cathedral.  Yet as we walked in our eyes were caught by another sign; "Elvis Lives!"  I wondered if it was some new strategy for evangelism - tell people Elvis is inside and then once they're in bash them over the head with a bible - but apparently not, it was just a poster for a local show.  But it amused me!

On the topic of church advertising I'll leave you with a story that my Dad likes to tell.  It was during Euro 96 when England were doing quite well.  One of the churches in the town we lived had put up a big sign outside saying "Jesus Saves!" only for a football fan on his (or her) way home to scrawl underneath - "Gazza scores on the rebound."