One Year On......

On 4th January 2011 I made a life changing decision....I made the decision to have a Gastric Bypass and began the process of research and costing. The NHS would not help me as I was actually quite "healthy" and had none of the Co-morbidity's such as diabetes or high blood pressure so the only route open to me was to go privately. We had been debt free for over a year and God has been so good to us in the whole realm of finances so we were in the situation where we had funds available to us and both Chris and I felt that the huge cost would be an investment that could make a huge difference to my quality of life and certainly would increase my life expectancy.

I weighed myself on 4th January 2011 and the scales touched 20 stone 9lbs and I was wearing clothes that were size 24/26...my BMI was 52 and I was in the "super morbidly obese category " this was the heaviest I have ever been and I was so depressed....I think I cried for days ! I contacted via the Internet a surgeon and was quickly given an appointment later in January and began the process of appointments that resulted in my surgery being booked for a few weeks later.

For someone like me this in itself was a huge undertaking...I have a real phobia with needles and any kind of medical procedure..I need to lie down when blood samples are required and for things like smear tests I need to take diazepam.!!! I really really really don't do hospitals. The surgeon and staff were excellent and altho I wept a lot at the various appointments I finally went to theatre early on the morning of the 26th Feb. . The stay in hospital was 4 days and a lovely mix of morphine and sleep as well as constant walking up and down the corridor ...dragging my drips / catheter and various attachments with me..

Gastric Bypass surgery is not for the faint hearted and altho it is a keyhole surgery it is still major intervention...my stomach is cut so I have only a small pouch..think goose egg size ...and the rest is stapled off and left in situ....this small pouch is then re-connected to the small intestine..bypassing a few feet of this so that not only can I only eat very small portions but the absorption rate is also slowed down due to minimal intestinal area. It is also non -reversible and is for life. The next few weeks were a gigantic learning curve ...liquids only for 4 weeks...pureed food for next 4 weeks...mashed food for the 4 weeks after that then introducing ordinary food one food group at a time. There are some foods which I cant tolerate and result in illness....nausea or sitting on the loo...so it has been a few months of trial and error. This last 3 months life has begun to revert back to some semblance of normality as I pretty much know what I can and cannot eat and I very definitely know the actual portion size I can cope with....(think very small )

So....one year on what changes have occurred and was it worth it???

Well....I weighed myself this morning and the scales touched on 12 stones 8 lbs...so I have lost just over 8 stones...and my clothes size is approx 14/16 depending on where I buy and what style ....my BMI is 29 and altho I am still in the obese range I am not morbid or super anything.!! I have lost the predicted 70% weight reduction and whilst I was losing a stone per month I have slowed down as expected to approx 5lbs per month and probably will settle round about the 11 stone mark which should give me a BMI in the healthy range and weight classification as normal .

It has been an interesting process for me discovering aspects of myself which have encouraged me but also which I know I still have to work on. It is very true that weight doesn't really affect who we are deep down ...altho it does affect greatly how we function. I am still the same person with the same failings...the same character flaws ....but because I am not labouring under so much unhealthy - ness I am more able to deal with the day to day stuff that comes my way. I have more energy...more joy...more hope...more peace....more determination...more confidence....

So....what are the huge plus points .... the compliments are lovely....altho I do smile when the odd person says..."don't you go wasting away now."....I love shopping for clothes and being cross because the garment I like doesn't come in smaller sizes...what a hoot that is ! I still sometimes change my outfit several times before I go out...but now its because I have a great choice rather than hating how I look. I don't mind getting my photos taken....I can get down on my knees and play with Elisha...I can walk further and quicker than before. I don't have mysterious aches and pains....loads more but wont bore you.

The biggest negative is one which I realised only in this last month...and it surely is a spiritual battle which I may be destined to fight for quite some time. It reminds me of Paul when he wrote about the "thorn in the flesh " that he prayed for God to remove it from him....I have written in past blog entries about "thorns" and about some areas where I am still living in "the shadow of victory" and this particular thorn is still with me ... The desire to eat wrong food....I have never eaten huge amounts of what I call ordinary food..eg..potato..meat..bread etc...my overeating has always been sweet things...chocolate and ice cream and biscuits etc I have been shocked that I still want to eat these even when I know I cant and shouldnt and it could make me ill....Over the festive season I have nibbled away at things like shortbread...chocolate yule log etc and paid the price the following day. The emotions behind the sweet addiction are still there...surgery only dealt with the physical aspect of my over eating not the emotional reasons and I am setting my face towards God in 2012 in the hope that He will enable me to win through.

As friends have asked me how I am losing weight I have been honest and told them...and I have had several conversations with women who have dieted for years...like me dieting is the thing they can do and do well...but maintaining a healthy weight is the difficult part.Several times these conversations have led to tears as they have shared how they are weary of the fight!! I am so aware this is a battle field for many of us and have such empathy for those who are still struggling. It has made me also think about how we as a society view obesity . I truly believe it is an "illness" and I am not using this as a cop out but for me it has never been a simple case of " lose weight"...there are many reasons behind why I was overweight and eating too much is way too simplistic. It is an addiction but unlike other addictions it is portrayed as being easy to overcome....with so many TV programmes dedicated to dieting..so many magazine articles...so many celebrities pushing their latest DVD , We also embrace obesity as part and parcel of life...it is acceptable to offer the overweight person a piece of cake or buy them chocolates...yet we wouldn't dream of offering heroin to a drug addict or a large whisky to an alcoholic. I have no idea how I can change the way we view obesity.....or how I can be of help to others...maybe this is yet another dimension to my life that God has chosen for me to think and pray about.

LET NO DEBT REMAIN OUTSTANDING

Two years ago this month Chris and I were able to pay off our IVA early through the amazing gift of 10,000 being made available to us. After decades of struggling with debt and 39months in the IVA we were girding our loins for the last 2 years and praying it would go quickly. What worried us more than anything was the Redundancy that had been hanging over Chris head for months. We knew if this happened that our IVA would fail and we would have to go bankrupt and we were pretty sure we would lose our home too so it wasn't a great year for us.

When we knew we could pay off the debts early and not have to repay the gift we couldn't believe that God would bless us in this way....we spent most of December 2009 in a daze and until we got the actual certificate of completion in late January we kept thinking something would go wrong. So....for almost 2 years we have been debt free...!! All we have at the moment is 5 more years on our mortgage and when that's done and dusted we will owe no money anywhere.....

In last 2 years we have seen amazing blessing in every aspect of our lives....Yes.. Chris did get made redundant and even after 32 years with the same firm he didn't get a great package...this was because the jolly company went into administration so instead of a lovely big lump sum he was allocated the government maximum of 10,000...and now almost 20 months later we still havent had all of it as the CEO is a pain in the bum ...to put it politely...we have spent almost 1,500 in solicitors fees trying to get it but so far we have only had 6,000....in fact....we have kinda given up on the remaining few quid as the effort and emotional toll isn't worth it...if it ever appears we will be thanking God as it will surely be a major miracle if it does come our way,.LOL

Chris has taken early retirement and is now enjoying a good pension..(so at least his 32 years with the company did some good ) and is working as IT manager for the church 2 days a week. I am continuing to be Matt's PA and after 7 years I still cant believe I get paid for such a great job...Matt is so much a part of our lives and family that it seems weird to get paid. I also childmind a wee boy 2 days per week and have Elisha 3 days a week so Chris and get to share our days with such great kids and get paid for it....God is good.

As we have been able to over last 2 years we have shared our blessing with our family and friends in several different ways as we have been able and been prompted but more than that I have to say that being debt free is also a state of mind. For so long we always felt slightly guilty and ashamed that we hadn't been able to manage our money better and here we are years later with the ability to have money and not spend it!! This is fun...honest...to walk around a shop and come out with nothing is almost as much fun as a spending spree. To send a cheque to our son for no reason other than to bless him and his partner ranks fairly high on the joy scale....to buy Elisha a toy...or help Cat and Nick to decorate a room....to let our live in son off with rent for a month as he is off on hols...all these things are not just monetary blessings...but way more than that...it gives us joy.

Recently I experienced God speaking to me about these words from Romans Ch 13 verse 8

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another ...for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law."

I have been very aware this last few months of the "call" to love one another and at times have been stretched in my capacity to keep on loving people at times. I have also been looking at ways I can love people more than the norm...As this year draws to a close I have resolved to ensure I have no debt outstanding...not in the financial realm but in my relationships with others....I have been thinking through the petty disagreements I have had with Chris...and asking God to help me rise above it all and not carry any grudges over into 2012....I have been looking at friendships and working my way through any wrong and selfish thoughts I may have had and asking God to take charge and help me to love others....I am determined that as I celebrate the birth of Jesus and spend time with my family and friends that no debts will remain outstanding in our love for one another...Keeping "short accounts"is going to be my prayer for 2012 and ensuring I have asked for forgiveness if I know I have been hurtful in any way.

I know that some who may read this may have financial debts...may have emotional debts...may have stresses that I may have no understanding off... Being a Christian doesnt mean we dont have major trauma in our lives.... in recent months my closest friend has had a diagnosis of terminal cancer....and I heard this week that a precious young couple lost their first born child.....all these things are difficult to cope with and my prayer for us all is that 2012 will begin with an outpouring of Gods love into your life and that you know His perfect love in every sense. May you know the peace of God that passes all understanding .

For a look at a couple of others experiences have a read of a couple of friends blogs...listed on my page....Home Made Sal and her entry entitled...Extravangance and Ruthies Blog....The Reality of Debt...Two excellent viewpoints...

PEACE......

On Wednesdays I meet with a wee group of friends...we originally began over a year ago studying the Morph bible study....we so enjoyed and benefited from the study..but more than that we enjoyed and benefited from the friendship.. We are all different ages and all different life situations with 15 children between us..(I think ).Its been special to share myself with friends who care about me and I hope I have shown my love and concern for them too.

This year we have decided to read and study a book by Steven Furtick called ...Sun Stand Still...and its been quite different from the more structured study that we did with Morph but has nonetheless challenged us in our faith and our walk with God. Today we met for last time before Christmas and had lunch and chatted about what we were doing over the Festive season. Sandra gave us all a present and this is what prompted me to write this blog entry. It was a very simple gift of a candle . Each if us had a different word written on the candle and my word was ...PEACE.... Sandra had wrapped each the gifts in shiny red paper and tied a red ribbon round that was all curly and pretty and then attached a home made tag with my name written in gold letters. On the bottom Sandra attached a verse of scripture from Isaiah Ch 9 v 6

FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN AND TO US A SON IS GIVEN....AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE ON HIS SHOULDER AND HE WILL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELLOR...MIGHTY GOD..EVERLASTING FATHER ..PRINCE OF PEACE.

A simple gift but chosen and wrapped with Sandra's flare for creativity somehow or other did something in my spirit. When I got home Chris and I ...with the help of Matt and Elisha put up our tree and all the decorations and played Christmas songs and generally had a great time...we then put out the lights and lit the candles and just soaked in the atmosphere of Christmas. I lit Sandra's candle and I had already popped the scripture card beside it and I just felt this amazing warmth surround me as we gazed at our tree and and sat together.

Those of you who know me will perhaps remember that my name actually means PEACE and that I have always been a "peacemaker " Between my children and family and friends I have always sought to bring peace and harmony and I so dislike any tension or conflict so seek at all times to ensure that we all care for and love one another as best as we are able . This last three months I have been involved with several areas of conflict that have caused me some pain and anxiety and I have been praying and asking God to bring me to a place of PEACE....this afternoon I felt God answer that prayer in a very real way...The candle...the gift....the tree...the carols...Elisha and Matt and Chris...all just merged together for a short span of time in the candlelight and God touched my heart with His PEACE....I am grateful beyond words for this gift...Sandra may not have realised as she chose the gift...or wrapped it...or wrote out the words of scripture ..or attached the tag..that it was just what I needed and that it was so much more than "just a Christmas present"...God gives us so much more than "just a Christmas present " There are times when He steps in and makes His presence known in a very tangible way .

My hope and prayer for anyone who reads this is that you will also experience the PEACE of God this Christmas time for yourself...your circumstances...your family..and your friends .

In Honour of Mr Ben Davies

Yesterday I sat through the 7pm meeting at church mesmerised by Ben Davies as he preached through the Christmas Carol..Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Those of us who know Ben will remember this is his all time favourite Carol but as far as I can think back its the first actual "preach" he has made on it. It truly was amazing and if you didn't get to one of the three meetings yesterday then aim for the website and listen on the podcast.

I have been a part of this church for 27 years and Ben led it for decades before handing over the helm to our very own Simon and Catrina Benham and it was through Ben's teaching that both Chris and I became Christians all those years ago. We are so privileged in the church to have Simon and the other leaders who preach to us week in and week out but I confess to still hankering after Ben's preaching. There is something about his character that oozes his passion for Christ....his desire for all of us to know Jesus as our own personal saviour and to be right with God that still stirs me and shakes me to the core every time I listen to him.

With regards to this particular preach on this Carol....I loved Ben's explanations of each of the verses...the history of the actual writing of the Carol... (I didn't know that Wesley had written over 8,000 Hymns )...I waited almost breathlessly to see how he would bring in the Gospel message and he didn't disappoint.!!..The line "God and sinners reconciled " prompted the good news that through Christ... God has reconciled each of us to Him.!! I urge each of you reading this to listen to the podcast as it will also bring the Christmas message alive again .

Ben's style of preaching is sometimes referred to as "hell and fire and damnation"..(not by me...) but in reality it is TRUTH that he speaks and brings the reality of the Gospel straight into our spirits. No pussy footing around for Ben...he doesn't dress it up in pretty words ...he plainly refers to sin and salvation and repentance and reconciliation with no apology.!!.. There have been times over the decades when even though I have taken the steps and become a Christian that I almost want to do it all again as I listen to him speak!!

Ben has charisma....of that there is no doubt...but that seems almost an empty description....you have to see...or hear him to fully understand what I mean. He is physically a small man...I seem to think I may even be taller than him but as he speaks he seems to grow taller....as he walks from side to side...as he moves his head and his arms and makes point after point stand out it can be strangely fearsome. I don't mean that in a scary way and he certainly doesn't frighten people into the Kingdom...it is more that he is standing on the side of righteousness and is ensuring the powers of darkness that God has won the battle.

Ben often refers to himself as he speaks and is honest about his failings and his sin and this in itself helps me to move towards God as I can easily then admit that I too am a bit of mess at times. Over the years Ben has helped us in so many ways...I am not a personal friend of his but through his preaching and teaching both Chris and I have weathered some tough times. Ben's teaching about money has enabled us to finally break the hopelessness of personal debt...his teaching about being a family and parenting has definitely helped us in this respect....his teaching on personal sin and repentance has shown us areas in our lives where we need to get right ..not just with God but with others too.

Finally I write this entry simply to honour Ben.....he isn't perfect...he isn't sinless..I havent placed him on a pedestal and I certainly don't worship him....I simply want to honour a "man of God" . Looking back over my life there have been many people who have influenced me......some of them not great but I can say with absolute certainty that the influence Ben has had on my life has all been for the good. Ben pointed me to God...who through Jesus forgave my sin...showered me with mercy and grace and put my life back together again when at times it seemed as if it was broken forever. I am grateful beyond words for all that Ben has shared with us over the years and even at 72 is still sharing with us...if he was Scottish( argh I hear you cry...as he is as Welsh as they come )..I would say to him.." lang may yer lum reek "

My Grandads a Hero....

Today I have a guest Blogger....for the first time ever and in his debut entry.....Elisha Kent is blogging !!!

Thanks Granny.....I wanted to take the time to tell everyone about my Grandad....lots of people know him as Chris....or Mr Mooney....or your husband....or my mummy's daddy....it all gets very confusing but to me its very simple and easy....

He is MY Grandad....Grandad Mooney....he took over this title on the day I was born ...his daddy was always Grandad Mooney but of course he is now Great Grandad Mooney..so may different ways to describe all this but to me its very simple...

He is My Grandad....Grandad Mooney.... and he is my hero....I know lots of kids have fabby Grandparents but I think my Grandad is amazing ..let me tell you why.

He is really funny...he can make his eyebrows go weird...sort of up and down and wiggly waggly all over the place....
He lets me play with the hairy bits round his nipple.....
He lifts me way up high to the sky.....
He makes the fan turn round so I can touch it....
He lights the candles and helps me to blow it making silly noises....
He claps his hands like a nutter when I do something ordinary like smiling..
He never gets cross with me even when Granny has had enough...
He doesn't shout loud or groan when I am naughty....
He gives me my dummy whenever I want it.....
He offers me choices of food and lets me point at what I want....
He sits me on his knee and talks words that I have no idea what they mean....
He babysits for me whenever he is asked.....
He looks after me overnight ......
He gets up to me in the morning when Granny is still asleep...
He makes a mean Ready Brek and toast....
He splashes me in the bath and blows bubbles.....
He puts me on my new trike and walks all the way up to Sainsbury and back....
He tickles me under the arms and makes me giggle...
He makes a roast dinner and lets me chew on his Yorkshires and throw peas on the floor....
He loves my Granny.....
He sings to me when no-one is around....
He loves Jesus....
He sometimes does a burpy noise out of his mouth and his bottom too....
He gets to be with me a lot cos he doesn't work very much....
He is forever sneaking up on me and saying..peek boo....
He loves my mummy a lot...
He changes the stinkiest of nappies and isn't sick....
He is endlessly patient with me when I am grouchy....
He says he is besotted with me but I don't really know what that means unless it is all of the above....
He has the best laugh ever and tells jokes that are just plain awful....
He takes my picture all the time...
He crawls around the soft play places and takes me out all by himself....
He loves me very much....
He thanks God for me all the time....
He never gets tired of playing with me.....

My Grandad is a hero...I love my Grandad.....

ON BEING A GRANNY

Well....it is now one whole year since Elisha came into our world...he celebrated his birthday on Wednesday with his Godparents and friends then again on Saturday with both sets of families together. We raised a wee glass of champagne and toasted the wee boy!!

So...what has life been like this last year ....I know I possibly bore you all with my Elisha stuff but I cant seem to help it...he is such a blessing and that can sound a bit of a twee thing to say ....but one of the dictionary definitions of the word"blessing" is gift from God and Eli truly is a gift.

All the time that Nick and Cat were undergoing tests and then the time spent in treatment we didn't know what would be happening but we held on tight to God and believed for a miracle and when we heard that they were expecting it was a time of real gratefulness and knowing Gods favour.

The day Elisha was born was just amazing....the feeling of entering the ward for our first visit and seeing Nick holding this bundle in his arms was one of the memories I hold very close to my heart. I went straight to Cat and hugged her ....then I couldn't keep my eyes of this wee bundle....Nick...just said ..would you like to hold him...I was like...oh yes !!

When I held him in my arms I unfolded the towel/blanket and just gazed at this child as if I had never seen a babe before. I held my breath and my heart stopped beating ...at least I am sure it did as it felt as if time had stopped and all eternity was just waiting for me to breathe again. To be truthful I still feel like that...there are times when I catch myself looking at him....or laughing at him..or interacting with him..or just watching him with his mummy and daddy and I just hold it in my heart ...just catch and freeze that moment ....and I silently whisper my thanks to the God who gives life...

Many years ago when Cat and Nick first got together and became boyfriend and girlfriend it was a real pleasure watching life unfold for them as they discovered their love for each other...then when we walked through the pain of their infertility with them I felt bereft as I couldn't do anything other than love and support them and pray for them.....Then to see them experience the joy of knowing that God had created a new life ..this was just the very best thing anyone could have given them.

In this last year I have seen both Cat and Nick become "parents" and that is just the weirdest of things...watching your own children become a mummy and a daddy . Chris and I have been so privileged to be able to see them grow into parenthood knowing God as a God who loves and cares for them and has given them a miracle. I don't think a week goes by but they don't refer to Eli as their miracle child and in doing so they reflect glory back to God.

As for me.... Grannyhood is just the best thing ever....I am proud as punch to be called Granny Mooney....One person said to me a few weeks ago ...that I was "born for such a time as this" and I just know that this is true. Both Chris and I are so pleased that not only do we live in very close proximity with Cat and Nick but also that they so openly share him with us . From a very early age they let us have him to sleep over and left him with us as they recovered from sleepless nights or illness or just needing time to themselves . I know many grandparents who don't live close by to their grandchildren or for whatever reason don't see them often so we don't take it for granted and are thankful that God planted us here to be close to our family.

Each time I see the "wee boy" ( as we call him ) the depth of feeling just grows and I keep thinking ..surely the bubble will burst and we will have a dose of reality but so far....the novelty hasn't even begun to wear off...each time the doorbell rings and he is there my heart is full....every time he sleeps over and we bring him into our bed in the morning we smile...every time he chuckles and giggles or is tired and cross we just look at him and love him.

Being a granny is totally different from being a mummy....and its not really because we "get all the good bits and can give them back at night"....For me its way more than enjoying the good bits....its watching your daughter and husband become different and growing into being parents...I get so much pleasure watching Cat interact with Elisha and watching Nick give him a bath or playing with him....there is nothing better than watching Nick come home from work and seeing Elishas face light up cos daddys home . This is what being a granny is about ...this is the deeper meaning to being a granny....its way more than being on hand to babysit...or give advice its standing in the wings and seeing another "family" being formed...seeing them do things as a threesome...seeing them make decisions that are external to us and based on Elisha. This is the extra blessing we have as grandparents that I didn't expect and as such feel as if God has given me a double portion and as such I am grateful to God .It has been extra special this week as we celebrated all together for Elishas first birthday... I have felt close to God as I have been daily thanking Him for this precious gift and I am thankful to both Cat and Nick that they are so open and generous in allowing us to share Elisha with them .

FACEBOOK AND MEMORY LANE

This last Sunday Simon our pastor preached on Social Media and how we can use or abuse it.....really excellent message so check it out on website. One of the points he made was that Facebook was great for keeping in touch with friends who live all over the nation and world. For me...this has been the very best thing...I have friends and family in places like Canada...Amsterdam.... as well as dotted all over UK. Its been fantastic to share life with them and especially photos and news of family events.

Recently I had a friend request from someone whose name I didn't recognise so I
"ignored "it...the request came back a few days later with a note attached giving her maiden name ....Janie Maclachlan.....well....that was a blast from the past...I clicked "confirm" and away we went....30 years of our lives to catch up on and she had also read my blog posts so we talked about that too.

We exchanged messages and news and caught up on what we think is 30 years since we last saw one another and then last weekend I flew to Scotland for my sister in laws 60th birthday party and arranged to meet up with Janie....

Oh my.....what can I say....it was just the most amazing time....we met for lunch and spent over 2 hours catching up and learning some things we never would have expected to know.....we talked about our children and grandchildren and our hubbys and our jobs and our own parents all now deceased....we were surprised to know that I yearned for her parents to be mine as they were still together and she yearned for my dad to be hers because he was so lenient....I longed for her bedroom as she had a room to herself and was an only child...and she longed for my siblings and crowded one bedroom ...enjoying the times we shared a single bed in same room with my dad and 2 brothers.!!!YES...this was our lives...no bathrooms...just a loo....sinks in the windows of the one bedded flats we both lived in...us on a top floor...them on the second floor of old tenements. Our weekly trips to the "public baths" for our once a week bath..oh that was bliss as we had all the hot water we wanted...the rest of the week we had a "strip wash".....for some of you reading this you may think we were really poor people but we were just the average kind of family who lived in that part of Edinburgh.

We talked about all our escapades....we were champion shoplifters....we stayed out all night....we sneaked out of our homes when parents were asleep...we had huge crushes on guys way too old for us...we sneaked "fags" from our parents packets...we went to pubs and clubs way too young...we mixed with folk who nowadays would be criminals but in those days we were just larking about street corners!!..I have done all the repenting I needed to do a long time ago....

We laughed about who we fell in love with and who we ended up marrying...we took trips down memory lane about Revolva...the mobile disco that our guys worked for and how we were disco groupies.

It was with sadness we said bye bye....but I did say she would be more than welcome to the actual evening 60th party...and when she texted me later to say YES...it was so exciting as she would meet up with my brother who again she hadn't seen for decades. The party was amazing....I met up with my brother and sister in law...niece and nephew and some other friends I hadn't seen for some years...the disco played all the hits from my era...the 70s...so I boogied with Janie and anyone else who was on the dance floor...we jived...twisted...lip synced to Maggie May...I Cant get No Satisfaction....Sugar Sugar....Come on Eileen...I Will Walk Five Hundred Miles...Nutbush City Limits....and loads of others and generally had just the best time ever.

Facebook is tailor made for such a time as this....it reunites friends who for many different reasons lose touch ...it brings back memories that previously were forgotten....it allows all our mess ups and failures to be laughed about ....it shows us that we can be different ....it brings laughter into situations that could be so sad....it moves us to tears and tempts us to smile.....it promises us that the friends and family we have are only a few key strokes away......and it means we can share life with them no matter how many miles apart we are from each other.

I eventually headed back to the Bed and Breakfast I had booked ...(which overlooked the church where Chris and I got married)...somewhere round about 1am and crashed into bed...my feet were killing me and I slept like the dead. The following morning I was picked up by another great friend and we popped in on yet another friend before having lunch together and then heading back to the airport for my flight home...I reckon I was away something like 40 hours all told but think I have packed a whole lifetime into such a short space of time.

Finally....At the party I also met 2 old friends who I reckon I hadn't seen since I was 16,,,how cool was that....

So....

Janie ....you rock my friend
Sandra.....all those plans you shared...go for it girl
Anne...keep on dancing and keep on looking and believing
My Family....Love you all and look forward to the twins next year