The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader..........

Official Synopsis: Return to the magic and wonder of C.S. Lewis’ beloved world – via the fantastic Narnian ship, the Dawn Treader. In this new installment of the blockbuster “The Chronicles of Narnia” motion picture franchise, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their cousin Eustace, their royal friend King Caspian, and a warrior mouse named Reepicheep, find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to the Dawn Treader. Their mission – on which rests the fate of Narnia itself – takes the courageous voyagers to mysterious islands and a river that turns to gold, to fateful confrontations with magical creatures and sinister enemies, and to a reunion with their friend and protector, the “Great Lion” Aslan.



i am so excited going to see this movie tonight....i have never seen a movie in 3D so this will be a first for me...secondly i haved loved C S Lewis' The Cronicles of Narnia adatped for the big screen so far.... ....( plus i bought the series of books for stuart as a gift when we were dating)....and lastly i love Aslan and can't wait to see him on big screen again....i will let you all know what i think later....


reporting back:...firstly loved the look..3d glasses..not..but most enjoyed my first 3d experience....this movie is possibly not as brilliant as The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe...but nevertheless still most enjoyable and as i suspected my highlight was seeing Aslan again...they have captured something of the Father heart of God through this mighty lion...

my life in 2010 via my facebook status updates....

from this it confirms cups of tea are important to me....:-)

a break in the clouds...

i came across this photo my hubby took and had named 'a break in the clouds'....this represents life at times to me..waitig for those beautiful moments when the cloud breaks and the sun pierces through....sometimes it feels like the clouds are climbing across the sky ever so slowly and then there are seasons when they are hurtling and the sun breaks through before you know it....the only thing is we never know on any particular cloudy day..which it will be...

compassion...

stuart and i have been writing our first letter to a second new addition in our family..Ines in Bolivia ...who we are sponsering through compassion ...take a moment to check this organisation out and for a very small amount a month you could help some child be equipped for a better life.....sometimes for me it is easy to be moved with compassion in a moment of hearing tragic stories of people living in extreme poverty and then move on in my daily life and not respond.....thankfully this time was not one of those moments...it is brilliant to be a part of such a worthwhile work.....

tonight at stormont...

Stuart and i were invited to an event in Stormont tonight held by

NICCY

(Northern Ireland Commision for Children and Young People)..it was so uplifting seeing primary school children who had been through workshops with NICCY learning about their rights.....being motivated to hold our countries leaders to account....so exciting to see these kids have a voice and make a stand for justice...

beach....

no matter the weather the beach is still one of my favourite places..the wilder the weather the more dramatic the backdrop......on this early morning visit....the sand had a dusting of snow.....

inspiration of the week..

this charity has been a real inspiration to me this week..check it out...

my new love....

love

this has to be one of my most favourite books i have read in a long time....so much so i have picked it up again tonight to begin reading it again..the message is simple..God loves us.......brennan has such an amazing understanding and experience of the father heart of God it is hard to read this book without the occassional use of a hanky.....i have been in a season latley of growing a deeper understanding of the love of God....i have always known God loves me and God is love...but began to realise i wasnt living my life reflecting this truth....it has been a season of revelation and understanding that has brought me more freedom and joy...if you are wanting a deeper revelation of the love of God..or maybe would even like a glimpse of what follows of Jesus cant live without...then get yourself a copy of this book...you wont regret it.......

bright star.....

i watched this movie last night..about the poet John Keats.......i loved it..it was beautiful..artisic...romantic...tragic.........the movie title was one of Keats poems....as someone who studied english literature and a romantic at heart i highly recommend this beautiful story....



Bright Star, Would I Were Steadfast as Thou Art
by John Keats


Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient sleepless eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors;
No yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever or else swoon to death

favourite things *11

we cut our lawn today for the first time this spring....freshly cut grass is one of my favourite smells......instantly taking me back to childhood memories of carefree days playing games on the lawn with my friends.....

fitness....

hubby and i played some more squash today......all in the pursuit of fulfilling the vision..........must learn to be more technical as sheer strength alone is not winning me matches against my 6ft6 hubby.......must get strategising for the next squash date....



since my exercise love is returning....inspire me...what is your favourite way to work out?....

how to design a bridge....

a few weeks ago i came across this quote...sorry i can't remember who said it.....

never ask a designer to design a bridge..ask them to design a way to the other side

since reading this quote i have thought about it quite frequently....i wonder why.....last night as i thought of it again..i thought of the country in which i live..northern ireland.....and thought afresh its not the questions as a country that we are asking that is the problem ..it is maybe how we are asking them, that keeps giving us the same boring result.....maybe we need to begin asking some of the same fundamental questions in a different way...to let us to come up with creative and innovative solutions to enable us as a nation to finally begin to move forward....something to think about as we are drawing closer to elections....

one more day....

one more day left of annual leave before i have to return to work.....i have been off for a week...a much needed week of R & R...but the frustrating thing for me is it takes me until about two days ago to begin switching of and really begin relaxing.....and now i have to gear myself back up again for action.........note to self...learn to unwind faster.........

time to prioritise life......

over the last few weeks i had to prioritise my life afresh...after allowing many things to slowly gather up and begin to fester in my life...until God in his faithfulness....caused me to stand still and have a fresh look at me...to recognise the reasons why i had allowed stress to creep in and begin to ebb away my peace.... the most important thing was taking time to climb the mountain and get alone with Jesus... allowing Him to speak into my life...reminding me that i am carrying things i was not designed to carry..choose to ....leave them with Him...thus enabling me to journey down the mountain back into life, without the weight of burdens he said he would carry for me.....the second thing that required an important place again in my life was exercise.........for many years i was super fit...it was a natural by product of my then career working with horses......so i took all its benefits for granted and it wasn't something i ever had to shedule in.........
for about two years God has been placing on my heart the desire to run .....i have spent moments enjoying the image in my imagination of me running with the greatest of ease feeling the wind in my hair

'me in my imagination' :-)

...but that's as far as it ever went i pushed it into the background and got busy with life again....until lately .....i have realised in a very real way the need to exercise on a regular base...i am made body, soul and spirit and i cannot ignore looking after all of these areas that make up me......so the vision is going to be brought into a reality, and it has begun this week.........i have dusted of my bike ...booked in regular squash matches...and yes i am gearing up to begin starting to run.................if only i would be obedient quickly and stop putting things off life would be simpler......definitely a work in progress....

what have you been challenged to make a priority in your life?...

Blind Side....

stuart and i saw this movie yesterday ..i loved it......by the end i was holding back the tears ...and to be honest if i had been in a room alone i would have balled my eyes out like a little girl...why?...not because the movie was sad..the very opposite..it was so uplifting....it was the family snapshots in the credits of the real people the movie was about..that set me of...i think it is because we are adopting from Thailand and will also be a multi racial family..that it really struck a cord with me on one level...while being apart of a family from your culture and race is important on some levels..at the end of the day nothing is more valuable than being loved, accepted, wanted and believed in...on another level i was challenged ...as this young guy joined the family in the movie as a 17 year old..having had the most difficult start in life....after many years in youth work i have heard many say 'it's too late for him to make something out of his life'...that he was too 'damaged'......but thankfully no-one is out of the reach of God moving and changing their lives.....as christians there is no one we should think is to far gone to reach out the hand of help and hope to open our homes and lives to......i know we say all the right things but do our daily lives really reflect this belief..........so as i said before....i shed some tears at the end of this movie... it both uplifted and deeply challenged me.....

favourite things *10

this is my all time favourite show...i never tire of re-watching the episodes.......i guess i appreciate other females who can talk fast..with little need for pause of breath.....a trait of my own which i have just learnt to embrace..and provide those having conversations with me ...with oxygen packs so they can keep up without passing out....:-)

favourite things *9

you guessed it ...twinkle lights.......i love this little white lights .... like hundreds of little fire flies...i have them all over my house.....they add a welcoming glo...i can never have too many .......

in a weeks time......

on the 5th of Feb i will have been married for ten years.....i can't believe it ...feels like only yesterday i walked up the aisle and said 'i do'.....it has been the best ten years and i am more in love with my husband today than ever......looking forward to celebrating it together in Prague......the best is yet to come........

when necessary use words..........

i am quite a vocal person...when i feel stirred and passionate about something i find it hard to stay silent.........but that is all very well when it is something i need to shout about to the world...the downside to this kind of personality is when i know i should stay silent ....speak out loud anyway.....thankfully over the years those moments are not just so frequent.........the times of quiet created by my outspokenness that leave a heaviness in my heart...as i know i missed an opportunity to grow and handle something differently........the words resound in my head....WILL I NEVER LEARN..............but eventually after tossing and turning and beating myself up...i remember........grace.....mercy.....forgiveness........of which without i could not stand.......now the challenge is to receive them and walk in them and move on and grow....life is a continual road of highs and lows....the mountain top and the valleys.........both of which no man will escape...so we should all remember afresh that as much mercy as we pour out will in turn be poured out on us......and in my case i need gallons as i navigate this thing called life....so maybe today before we allow our mouths to open...we need to pause and think........do i really need to speak.........one of my favouite ladies once said 'Preach the gospel at all times... when necessary use words . ..... One filled with joy preaches without preaching......... - Mother Teresa......our lives should reflect Jesus...........whats yours reflect.............

we cannot stay silent......time to mobilise.......

take a minute to watch this short clip...raising awareness on modern day slavery......if you are anything like me keep a tissue close by........as you who read this blog know that this topic is one very close to my heart....we must do all we can to bring an end to this!!