Glasgow 2

Well hellooo. It's approaching midday,
and i'm still not up. It's fantastic. Today, being wednesday, is basically empty - my lectures being crammed into monday, tuesday, thursday and friday, or so i have discovered. I like this set-up! me and suz didnt even get out of bed till about half an hour ago...sooo nice compared to the early starts we've been having - well ok, SUZ is the one with the 9am lectures, but i get up when she does, honest....


So what do you think of the wellies? i saw them as a suitable investment in scottish life, given that the rain here is like no other...if anyone is a bill bailey fan, or is attached to one, you may well remember him talking at some point about rain taking on a more, well, apocalyptic mantle? I would suggest that a weekend in Glasgow was the true inspiration behind this comic masterpiece. I wore these wellies pretty much solidly for the day or so following purchase, until they got stuck on my feet, at which point they became a little less loved. Kari, leana and helena actually had to remove them from my feet, as seen here ------->

Anyway, time for something a little more philosophical. Having been in Glasgow for nearly three weeks now, it seems as good a time as any to review what has happened in the story so far. So, what HAS happened? i've met countless new people, stayed up ridiculously late, been forced out into the rain for at least five unneccessary fire alarms (some drills, others cases of over-enthusiastic but under-skilled first year chefs), begun to study sociology, anthropology, russian language, and eastern and central european studies, been to four new churches, used glasgow public transport, walked lots, dressed up as a school girl, accompanied people to accident and emergency and the local doctors, cooked lots, joined the christian union....the list goes on.

But most importantly (and yes people, here comes the cheese), i've started the next chapter of my life. I have been waiting such a long time to get here; two years, in fact. Left school june 2004, went to kosova october 2004, returned to the UK april 2005, declined my place at Sheffield Uni june 2005, got engaged to Alan july 2005, watched everyone leave for uni/start college/go to far off places october 2005, worked two cruddy jobs december 2005 - september 2006.....and now i am HERE! at last. Before i came to uni, i wondered whether i would feel older than a lot of people here, many of whom are still 17 or newly 18. As it turns out, i'm rarely conscious of the difference (does that reflect on their maturity, or my lack of it?!), but occasionally someone will comment on getting their A level results this summer gone, and i realise what a long road i have been on in comparison.

But - and heres the amazing thing - it was all in God's hands. So many times throughout the last twenty-four months i have been unbelievably angry with God, with people around me, but most of all with myself, as i have struggled to understand my life and what has been happening in it. But i can say now that God knew it all, every single step. When i was fifteen, someone gave me the word of proverbs 16:9, which is

"a person can make plans, but the Lord determines their steps".

At the time, this seemed very general, and i didnt really take notice - afterall, it could be applied to us all. But over the last five years, i have been reminded again and again of this verse - and that the path and events of my life are never coincidental. It says in psalm 139,

"you saw me before i was born, every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed".

So to conclude. Ive reached a very exciting point in my life! I've moved away from home, from everything i know, to build a new life, in a new place, with new people, in a new church. And it's not just my life, it's our life - me and alan have less than ten months now until we get married. That is INCREDIBLE, and exciting, and petrifying, and amazing. Rubbish adjectives. But the challenge for this year is to grow, in everything that we do, in preparation for our future. We need God more than ever before!

Man, that came a long way from wellies....