Pancakes

It had been a goal for quite some time to eat at a pancake parlour. Since Miners in Bendigo closed down so long ago, I had only ever eaten in a pancake parlour once in my lifetime, and then only as a small child with little recollection. As there was never any local replacement, the novelty factor was high enough for me to plan a road trip to Ballarat.

Another place I had always wanted to try was La Piccolina, conveniently located just near my church. On the down side, La Piccolina closed down before I ever had the chance to visit for more than a hot chocolate. But on the plus side, it was converted into Bendigo's own Pancake Paradise! And so, with my fellow pancake fanatic Cara, I ate at a pancake parlour and completed my mission.

While at first sticking to my childhood vow of avoiding the senseless "savoury pancake", formed from my only hazy memory of Miners, I found myself eating a vegetarian crepe. While thoroughly tasty, I was disappointed in my missed opportunity for that stack of pancakes smothered in ice-cream, fruit and condiments, the pancake stack of my dreams.

So a new plan was made: Eat sweet pancakes at a pancake parlour.

This plan seemed simple enough to follow through on, since I no longer needed to hike over to Ballarat to complete it. However, the Sundays passed by one by one, filled with midday meetings and lunch appointments.

Until today.

Matt and I were determined not to be thwarted today. We resolutely decided on the Banana Paradise, a dreamy triple stack with ice-cream, banana and maple syrup. However as I perused the menu it was not long before I once again fell into the temptation offered up by the savouries, subsequently finding myself munching on a bacon, cheese and potato pancake, while across from me Matt consumed bolognaise atop his pancakes.

Not to be defeated, we pushed on and made our banana a split. Mission deliciously accomplished!

Engaging Times

How exciting! A few more of my friends have gotten engaged in the past few weeks, and I'm so excited for them! I love being around happy couples (not the sickeningly oozy ones, just the genuinely happy). You get to witness something really rare in our world today: deep love. It just seems to emanate from them and they can't help it (even if they wanted to). It leaves me feeling inspired, like there's hope for the world after all. Lots of people seem to get caught up in the 'wedding pressure' of engagements, but for me the elation of watching my friends enter into these exciting times is joy enough for me!

A shout out to you guys, and I can't wait to see you looking even more beautiful than usual in your gorgeous dresses! (I hope I'm invited :P)

Awareness Test

How aware are you? Do The Test
A simple message, but so true.

In all things give thanks

I had the noblest of plans last year, plans which I was excited about, plans which were the best of plans, plans which would break the mould of my recent life. I thought they were plans God wanted for me (and in part they were). As it turned out, those plans were taken away by other unforeseen happenings.

I often think wistfully about those lost plans. In the strain of everyday life, I find myself wanting to be living out that alternate plan instead of being where I am. It's particularly hard when I watch my friends living those dreams while I am denied them.

In reality, these blessings were not thrown away, but simply exchanged for greater ones. God's plans are always bigger than our plans (Isaiah 55:8-9). These plans are harder to live out, but they are good. I am truly thankful, and I need to remember to be (1 Thess 5:18).

Becoming a Mum

I often wonder if one day I'll wake up to find several small bodies nestled in my bed, a household strewn with children's clutter, a shopping list dominated by school items and birthday party supplies, and realise that I've become the super-woman I once admired.

It seems to me, as a naive and childless young adult, that the act of becoming a mother (or father) mysteriously grants you the super powers necessary for rearing young and transforms you into this admirable super being. You can sleep, but still hear everything. You can tell the weather without reading any forecast. You can detect the invisible emotions of your own children, and often others' as well.

On school camp this week, my lack of these skills was very apparent. Some kids got up around 3am to get up to some innocent mischief. I, the uninitiated, peacefully slept right through the sound of doors, footsteps and toilet flushes, while my experienced-parent colleagues, intuitively attuned, promptly rose to deal with the matter. It seems to me that I shall have to wait until I have become a mother myself before I'll ever be a good camp leader... unless anyone knows another way to train yourself to sleep lightly?

"Let me play among the stars"

Last Saturday Matt and I went star-gazing at the lake. As you might know, I love star-gazing, so the opportunity to peer through professionals' telescopes and see planets and constellations was not something I was going to miss for anything.

Mars was a little disappointing - it was just a big red blob, a magnified version of what you can see with the naked eye. We missed Pleiades, but saw some wispy clouds in an Orion cluster instead. The brightest star in our sky, Sirius, lived up to its reputation as a piercing brightness when viewed through the telescope.

The highlight of the night was definitely Saturn. After Mars' somewhat bland appearance, I was expecting a planet even further away to be less distinct again. When it finally rose around 10.30pm, the enthusiasts eagerly spun their telescopes to see it. Matt was excited because he was allowed to play with the telescope and line up Saturn himself. After a bit of fine-tuning by the expert, we were gazing at a brilliant orange planet complete with rings. Miniature when compared with NASA imagery, but recognisable and breath-taking nonetheless.

A second first day

Today was my second first day of teaching, if that makes any sense. It was my first day at Victory (with students), and although I only had two classes today, I am exhausted. Surprisingly, it actually felt good to be back in a classroom... But I'm sure the feeling will pass!