It's never too late apparently!

Read this.

I'm just speechless lol!

Bleurrrgghhhhh.

It's early.

I'm off to walk to work now.

(I've been regularly walking to work for the last few weeks to save money. The City Centre is about 3.6 miles away so it takes me about an hour and ten minutes)

Got to pack my suit in my backpack and get going, I've got some good sermons to listen to on the way!

That's it for now.............

Catch Up!

Ok, it's been a long time I know, so here goes.... (deep breath)

I am married (five months now!) and loving it! We're still figuring out our own routine, which is a bit complicated, not because of schedules, but because I'm so, erm... ditzy!

I think we're getting there, but because I'd lived on my own for 3 and a half months before we got married, I'd quickly developed my own routines and foibles, and Meg kinda wrecked them when she arrived!! I'm happy to say that actually, there was lots of very good reasons why they should have been wrecked, and she was absolutely right!

Although I actually enjoyed food shopping and other stuff, (which is generally weird for a guy I know) I actually realised after she started doing it herself that I really wasn't as great at it as I thought surprisingly! Meg has an eye fr bargains and good deals, and I haven't really got the brain for it to be honest. On the few occasions when we first got married that we went together, I kept getting distracted by foods and treats and yummy stuff that looked good, but was actually designed to look appealing, while not being that great a deal! We eventually decided that she should do the food shopping, and I would only lend a hand when they were heavy things, or she needed to buy a lot. It's worked well so far!

Marriage is alot different to how I thought it would be, but it's so much better!! It does take a lot of work, especially if you're a bloke who wasn't really very used to talking, and who's communication skills resembled a mute rhino. Thankfully I am (slowly) learning to appreciate the art of "talking" and not just making noises to give the appearance of listening to my bride.

My biggest battle so far has honestly been with that dreaded idol, the TV. If you've grown up in a family where it's always on in the background, for a while it seems really strange and almost blasphemous to use the remote for what it's meant for, and turn it off. It was something that took some getting used to, and in a way I'm still battling against it, but I think I'm starting to win now. It just seems to be my default source of comfort and security, so much so that sometimes I switch it on and walk away from it, without even watching!

Work has been really difficult. With plummeting sales and unreachable budgets every month, things aren't looking very positive for the shop at the moment. Last week, I received instructions form my Area Manager that I have to cut my staff budget in half by the beginning of March, which means I'm going to have to make some staff redundant. It's an awful business, and because we're due to gbe moving the shop in September anyway, the future looks a bit uncertain at the moment. I'm trying not to worry about it, as if they don't move the shop but close it in September, I will at least be entitled to redundancy, which could give me a month or two to find a new job. Mind you, having said that, jobs around here are not exactly growing on trees at the moment.

Church is good, but challenging at the moment. We're going through the book of Romans at the moment in the morning, and asking "What Would Jesus Say To...?" in the evenings. It's a series looking at what Jesus might have said to lots of different characters, both fictional and literal. Last night we looked at "What Would Jesus Say To Barack Obama?", and our Pastor suggested Jesus might refer Barack at the start of his presidency to a verse in Micah:

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" (NKJV)

It was actually quite a good sermon, and got me thinking on ways of being more practical as a church, to respond to those whose needs are greater than ours. Will (one of our Pastors) reffered to God always telling Israel to look after the "orphan, the alien and the widow", and he's actually taking a sabbatical in April for three months to think through some ways in which we as a church can make a practical difference in our community in the future. It'll be exciting to see what he and God come up with in the coming months.

I actually got to do part of that today, as I had lunch with Liviu, (pronounced "leeve-yoo") a Romanian guy who's been coming to our small group for the last 9 or 10 months with his brother Mercia (pronounced "Mercha") as they'd come to the UK to find work. Mercia came first, and wanted to find a local church, and had seen our website! Mercia actually went home just before Christmas, as he couldn't find any more work at the moment. We became good friends with him in our small group, and since his brother went home, meg and I have become friends with Liviu, inviting him round for supper every Friday for the last couple of weeks. Liviu's english wasn't brilliant at first, but it soon improved as he had to practice before he came round to eat!

Unfortunately, the job offers that Liviu had had fell through this last week, so after staying an extra month after his brother went home to Romania, sadly Liviu had to go today as well. I had lunch with him today, and we talked about how hard it is to fit in when english isnt your first language, and when you don't know the culture, etc. These are some of the things that I've been learning from Meg, because although we both speak the same language, the british and american culture is very different, and from time to time Meg has found it a struggle to come to terms with, something which I need to be aware of and help her with.

It was sad to see Liviu go today, it's been really good to have him in our home group every wenesday, even though at times he couldn't make a long contribution. Hopefully, him and Mercia will be able to find jobs in the next few weeks back home. We'll keep in touch, and maybe they can come back someday.

Anyway, that'll have to be enough of an update for now, as my wife is calling me to go help her fix a duvet so she can go to sleep!!

Bye for now.....

Things I've learnt today...

1. That rumous start from the simplest comment mis-interpreted
2. That washing up is actually FUN whilst listening to Coldplay
3. That the best language to share is not english but friendship
4. That COOKED celery tastes YUMMY!!
5. That the best tasting food ALWAYS makes a mess when preparing
6. That laughter really is the best medicine
7. That I have zero knowledge of grammar
8. That I also have zero knowledge of punctuation
9. That my wife is (nearly!) always right
10. That I like vanilla coffee
11. That stuffed toys can be cute AND funny
12. That I don't like Jonathan Edwards (the theolgian)
13. That Reading is good for you
14. That the best condiment with a good meal is good conversation
15. That you shouldn't have to work at love, but you do have to!
16. That Bebo Norman is excellent for chilling out to!
17. That TV rots my mind and my heart when I let it
18. That dishwater used to wash home-cooking dishes gets dirty REAL QUICK!!
19. That wherever I am in the world, I want to be with Meg
20. That sometimes our biggest fear is fear itself.

My Bride & Me...

Well, what can I say?!

It's been five months and 10 days, and I'm still loving every minute of it...

That day does feel a long time ago sometimes, but it never fades from my memory.

I have lot's of memories from that day...

The hot, scorching sun listening to dad preach after we'd given our vows to each other

My face being absolutely covered with mosquito bites, so much so that from one side I looked like I'd been attacked by a swarm!

Your smile as we walked down the aisle afterwards, with everyone smiling and crying and knowing we'd finally done it and got there!

My brothers and sister teasing me on my penguin suit, even though they were wearing posh stuff too!

The glorious sunshine that we thought wouldn't appear that day

Trying to show my nearly 2 year old nephew how to take a picture with a camera

Feeling that it was the happiest day of my life.

I love you Meg! (and I get to keep you!!)

:D

Hello!!!

Wow, I've been away for a lonnnnnnnnggggggg time!

HAPPY NEW 2009!!!

Ok, now I've got that out of the way, I'll explain why I'm posting again after so long an abscence.

I've decided (even though I don't usually do them) that I'm gonna make one resolution to regularly blog again, starting today.

If anybody is still out there who is still interested, I LOVE being married, and I love my wife very much! Marriage is certainly a major change in your thinking, your outlook, in fact your life. While the last four and a half months haven't been easy, they have been absolutely spectacular, and I wouldn't swap it for anything! Yes, yes I know I'm still a newlywed, but I genuinely mean it. Proverbs is right when it says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing.

Anyway, I'll do a longer update tonight, when I've got the time; Meg and I are off to my Mum and Dad's for dinner... Yum!

I hope to catch up with some of you soon!

Bye for now!

Jm

Squishy Stuff, Loud Sales Assistants & Male Humiliation!!! :s :p

I guess you all know it's 2 weeks today till my wedding in the states to a beautiful woman!

Well, there are certain preparations you have to make before you're married, and I thought the following story would amuse people out there, as a very inexperienced male goes into a well-known chemist that has the same name of footwear, if you get my drift...

I went fearfully into the Chemist clutching my previous grocery shopping list with one item circled and underlined nervously, approached the counter, very carefully making sure there was no-one else around, I even waited for a few minutes until the queue cleared, and asked for the particular product I needed.....

My actual words to the sales assistant were: "This is a bit embarassing, but I'm getting married in two weeks, have you got any ********?" lol

The girl behind the counter must have been about 20 years old at most and said "what's that, I've never heard of it?" mortified I had to explain that it was a ********!
(You would have thought the fact I said I was embarrassed and I needed it because I was getting married would have been a clue!)

She said "oh!" and SHOUTED (!) across to her colleague "this lad needs some *******, where do we keep it?"

The thought rushing around inside my rapidly blushing mind? - GAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It may be my own paranoia, but I'm convinced every single woman in the place looked at me like I was a pervert or something!! :-(

Eventually something was found, but it involved at least two female sales assistant searching the aisles, and picking up things and saying "is this it?" To which I barely whispered "no, I don't think so", keeping my gaze to the floor so I could avoid eye contact wth every person in the shop...

Eventually, a suitable product was found, and after paying, I quickly escaped, almost running to catch any shreds of dignity that I had left which were escaping through the door....

I'm sure I heard laughter as I left, a distinct female tone...

:-(

Just Keep Breathing...

I'm pretending to be civilised folks.

Yes, that's right, you heard me right.

I'm currently sitting at my desk, typing out this post whilst listening and chilling out to... ah, currently I have "Meditation From Thais", a classical piano piece playing in the background.

Actually...

It's not just in the background.

Actually...

It's keeping me sane.

I have precisely 19 days until I fly out to the States, and then I will have precisely 6 days before I am wed to the girl of my dreams. No... she is real, I mean THE girl of my dreams. I'm absolutely bewildered by the rush of emotions and feelings I'm having at this moment, realising I'm giving my life to someone else, and commiting the rest of my days to a woman that I love, till death do us part, as I will say in a few weeks time.

Don't misunderstand me, it's not fear. Fear is the furthest it's ever been from me in actual matter of fact. It's Joy. Pure unadulterated joy that I've found someone to spend my life with, someone who I'm attracted to, someone who I love to laugh and cry with, but most of all, someone who fascinates me and enthralls me, and who interests me on the tiniest level. I'm truly humbled by what God has done for us both in these last eighteen months or so, and maybe it's the music I'm listening to, but I feel so at peace and so grateful to God for bringing me someone as beautiful as Meg into my life.

I don't just mean on the outside, though she is incredibly beautiful. I mean someone who has that rare quality of being beautiful on the inside too, someone who captivates me and who is kind and graceful and generous and all those things every man secretly wants in his bride. As men we may mess around and struggle to be serious and have a bit of depth to us at times, but secretly deep down, we all want that beauty to rescue, that beauty to fight for, that girl that brings out a protectiveness in us, and that we long to hold close and keep safe.

Meg brings out all those things in me, and I confess, I'm no man really in the masculine scheme of things, but somehow, my heart aches to be all those things for her, and my instinct is to care for her and be gentle with her and protect her. Not because she's some wisp of a thing with no backbone and timid to the point of weakness, but rather because I see a passion and a love in her that awakens feelings of protection in me, almost as a great work of art compels you to appreciate it.

I cannot verbally state how much I love her, and I'm finding amazingly that my love for her has grown and grown in leaps and bounds since even we were last together a week ago. I can't wait to declare my love for her publicly in a few weeks time, and to state to the world how much she takes my breath away. She is truly beautiful, not just a skin deep shallow beauty, but one that is God created and lasts and lasts, and one that compels it in others too.

I can't help but pour out my feelings as I blog because I can't keep them in. I've been waiting for such a long time to find a person who I could spend the rest of my life with, not in some soppy way, but in a real gut wrenching way. Someone not only who I would be amazed at, but someone who would compel me to be a better man, a better Jesus Follower, a better husband, a better person.

I can't really express it here, but I know I'm going to weep like I never have at my wedding, and you can call me a big girls blouse if you want, I don't care!! It's not just because I love her so deeply, it's because God has been so unbelievably good to me this year. Jesus has given me everything I ever wanted in a wife, and he's given me a new job, and a home to live in, and so, so many other things this year. He's provided when we've needed stuff, provided patience when we found the going tough, and provided grace when we found the going rough.

All through the Visa Application, we were so fearful that it wouldn't go through and that we'd be separated. All our fears were ever so gently wiped away by the One who knows our doubting hearts. Three days was all it took. 3 days!!! God is so full of Grace and gives and gives and gives until you think he musn't have anything else to give, and He gives a little more. His love and His gentleness with me break my heart.

And all this spoken through the gift of my beautiful bride.

I can't wait to see her walking down that aisle to meet me.

ONE Month to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it!!!

1 more month of singleness!

Well, Megan flew over for a week and she flew back yesterday to make the final preparations for our wedding in Maine on the 16th August.

I have a strange mix of emotions realising that's it's just one calendar month until I marry my beautiful fiance, but mostly excitement. The night before she left, we went over the vows with my dad (who's marrying us) and I think at that point, hearing those ancient words (we're using the traditional vows, words like "I give you my troth", etc) I must admit, I got just the teensiest bit nervous!!

Not nervous of spending my life with Meg, because that's all I want at this point with having so many separations, but just nervousness about the holiness of it all. To make those promises, in front of God Himself... that's a little scary!!

It's good though. I need to be a little scared, because if I was totally confident and approached it knowing I can be everything she wants then I would be making a huge mistake. Meg and I love each other, and I can honestly say she is all I want, but if I'm looking for some huge emotional physical sponge that can meet all my needs for the rest of my life in Meg, then I'm looking in the wrong place. It's really important for us to keep reminding ourselves that it's in the giving of love to each other through our relationship with God that we'll make this work, not some silly sentimentality that says we'll never argue or disagree.

I'm excited at what God has for both of us in our life together, and excited about what he wants to do through us as uniquely, as a couple. I guess time will tell what that will eventually be!!

Success!!!

Long time no blog I know.

Megan and I have had so much to do, so many documents to file, so much internet research and phonecalls, and so much busyness...

But it's all paid off!!

Megan was granted her 2 year Visa to live in the UK as my Spouse yesterday!!!

We're so excited and so pleased, there just aren't the words!!

Because of a technical hitch we didn't know about, Megan has only 28 days to enter the UK from yesterday, so she will be coming over to visit for a week or so before the end of July! She could wait until after the wedding and the honeymoon, but that then has a knock on effect of reducing her two years because we didn't realise we could post-date the visa.

Her visa has multiple entries in it, so she can visit the U.S. as often as she wants during the next two years, and return to the U.K. We were worried at one stage that when she got the Visa, she wouldn't be able to go home for two years, but thankfully that was mis-information!

After all our prayers and worrying, her visa was granted in three days!!! God has been very good to us, and those of you out there in the blogging world who have prayed or held us in your thoughts, whether briefly or contsantly, thank you so, so much!

I'm off to be domestic and clean, as I've got a day off today!!

I will try and keep more up to date with blogging now that all the Visa stuff is over, and work is starting to calm down a bit.

Oh yeah, work.

Hmmmm. Far far too much has happenned in work over the last few months to explain in a sentence, so I'll post on that and on my general health in the next blog...

Only 40 days to go until I'm married!!!

:D

:p

Exciting & Frantic!!

That is my life at the moment!

2 months and 18 days till I marry the woman of my dreams, and theres still suits to sort out and a visa to apply for, but I'm at least in my ownplace with running hot and cold water, electricity, tv, a bed and three piece suite and most importantly, internet access!!

I don't ask for much, do I? ;)

I shall blog a bit more now that I'm online at home, because I just don't have the time in work at the moment.

tarrah for now!!

Moving!!

No, no I've not been weeping tears of joy or sadness!

I'm leaving home, my parents hone, for good tommorow!!!

I'm moving furniture into my and megan's flat tommorow (or should I say today cos of the time), and then I'll be living there!!!

It's so exciting!!

Anyway, I'd better get to bed, I'm up in six and a half hours...!!

:-)

Roll On Holidays...!!

Update!!

Well, I have a house phone, a filter coffee machine, a 6ft fridge/freezer a kettle, an oak video cabinet, a tv licence and running water...

That's about it at the moment!!

I haven't moved in yet, and I've kept the electricity switched off at the moment to save money, but I'm hoping to hire a big van for the 17th, and that weekend will be my official moving in date!! It's only next weekend, it's not far away!!

In 2 weeks time, I should have broadband installed, although I've got to buy a usb wireless adaptor first. I've been advised to get netgear.

Well, that's it for now, I'm off on saturday so I'm going to go and clean like a maniac, hoovering and cleaning the oven and the kitchen and the fridge, etc while I've got the chance before I move in.

Life is at a hectic pace at the moment, but I'm surviving so far!