3 Years, 1 Baby, 7 Cars...

I haven’t the time to blog, due to tight work deadlines, but Liz just reminded me that it was our 3 year dating anniversary last week! One of the best decisions ever and a night that would change my life forever. I like to think I’m a stats man, a straight thinker. If you want “outside the box” then I’m not your man.

One of the first things I thought of when “3 years” was brought to my attention was just how many cars we’ve had in that time… for the record, it’s 3 years, 7 cars! Here’s the breakdown

- Skoda Fabia – my housemates car which was leant to me for a year. The car we went on our first date in

- Ford Fiesta – Liz’s insanely beat up (by the end) first car in the UK. Served us amazingly well, despite obviously flaws (and lack of obvious floors dues to Liz’s “dump on site” philosophy!)
- Toyota Carina – Belonged to my sister-in-laws parents. We loved this car for a day – it worked! Day 2, the fuel pump broke, £300. After a month the head-gasket blew. Another car down.

- Vauxhall Vectra – Another car from a friend. This time the turbo was broken – 0-30 in 15-18 seconds. We went no where fast.
- Toyota something – my first Automatic car. Came at the right time, fun to drive until I tried putting the non-existent clutch down which was the break.

- Ford Focus – an almost new car. Work offered me a company car, this was my interim. The car of my dreams since I was a wee lad. Loved it
- VW Golf Estate – At 24 I was choosing a car based on the size of its trunk, unexpected. Received with less than 100 miles on the clock, this will now be our car for 2 and a half years.



Wow…

Recent Distant Memories...

From nowhere I was just reminded of a conversation I had with my dad the day we brought Josephine home. It went something like this:

Me: I can’t believe she’s so long… she can’t even see her feet

Dad: How far can she see?
Me: About a foot, and she’s 18 inches (or something like that length – I can’t recall exactly)
Dad: She can see her feet!
Me: A foot is 12 inches, Granddad.
Dad: [Laughed a lot] Oh yeah.

It’s a conversation that I don’t expect dad to remember, heck, it’s a conversation I’m surprised I remember. I don’t know what makes it so memorable, or why it warms my heart so much. Was it that it was the first moment I had alone with my hero and my daughter at the same time; was it the fact that dad got it wrong (and he never gets it wrong) because he was overjoyed at seeing his first granddaughter (I assume)? Or maybe it just warms my heart thinking about the early days with my daughter?

She already seems so grown up – supporting her head, occupying herself by talking and playing, the need of independence already and awareness of the outside world- I wonder where the time has gone! I am truly besotted with my daughter – every morning I now have to catch my breath twice; when I realise who I’m married to, and when I get the first glimpse of Josephine before work. I am blessed.

The Man with Many Faces…

Sounds a bit like a great song title, doesn’t it? But increasingly I feel like I have too many personas.

Over the years, I’ve not put much theology or much about Church or Christianity at all in my blog – I even thought of creating a separate blog for such musings; a personal and fun one, and a serious theological one. Actually, such is the impact of God on my life, my everyday thought patterns naturally have my relationship with God splattered all over them.

This week I have been strongly reminded that my confidence should be who God says I am. Looking at scripture, the stand out things is that I am a son of God, and as such am an heir. This should give me increasing confidence in who I am – chosen by the King of kings!

I’ve noticed recently that I am a lot of different people in a lot of different settings. At work, I am quiet, secluded, timid, lacking in confidence because I feel that people will judge my character by how I perform my job – a job in which I still feel I’m finding my feet in despite being here for 2.5 years now. I’m the quiet boy who gets on with his work, who stutters and mumbles and panics and goes red when those in authority ask me questions. At home I’m comfortable and relaxed and feel like I’m the “real Phil” – being around Liz is being in a comfortable environment because I know I can screw up and she’ll still love me and be for me. At leaders meetings at church I’m often quiet, because I’m all too aware that there are many in the room of have a deeper biblical knowledge than I. On the football pitch I am full of confidence, a joker and (I like to think) fun to play with because, actually, I think sport is a strength and this is reflected in my attitude. Around my in-laws I’m quiet, wouldn’t say boo to a ghost, polite because I still feel like I’m trying to make a good impression and come from a completely different culture.

In short, I put on a face dependant on where my comfort zone and confidence is in that particular scenario. They overlap, too. At work, if I’m comparing baby stories, I’m me, because I know about that!

My aim is to have this approach no longer – I am who God says I am, and that’s more than enough for me!!!

Dogs...

I've been in an exceptionally good mood these last few days. I have a loving wife, the cutest daughter in the world and a God who works all things for His glory. Yet I've been in a ranting mood. So we have the following to add to yesterday's rant...

Last night my friend got chased by a large dog. He had to go to hospital, is now on crutches, has many injuries, and had major shock. He broke his phone, he has a family with 3 children under 20 months, he's had to stay off work today.

Can you imagine the outrage if I were to chase a dog down the street for no reason and cause these injuries. Can you imagine the call for me to be locked up.

Why is it that people care more about their pets than, well, people. Why is it that there is a greater call for justice when a man attacks a dog than a dog attacks a man? That's twisted in my opinion.

What's Hot, What's Not...

Dear Cars all over the world,

Cyclists have rights too. Just because you have the horsepower, doesn’t mean I am not allowed to overtake you. Just because you’re bigger, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to look in your mirrors when you turn. A cycle lane is for cycling, not for parking, and certainly not for swerving into when you’ve made a mistake or aren’t concentrating.

I don’t have a hooter… if I need to, I will shout to make my presence known – if you don’t like it, please suggest a suitable alternative.

A helmet doesn’t make me indestructible.

That is all… for now. The vendetta may continue.

What’s Hot, What’s Not…

Wind… I don’t like you. You only seem to make things worse.

Spooner… I like you. Liz is always in a good mood after spending two and a half hours talking to you.

Guitar… I like you, but please stop hurting my fingers. I caress your strings as often as I can.

In other News…

Two years ago yesterday, Liz agreed to marry me. My life has never been the same since. A whirlwind of adventure has ensued in a non-stop fashion; if a montage was created of the last two years it would definitely be set to a high tempo song with lots going on, as opposed to Aqualung’s Strange and Beautiful. We managed to get married, have operations, have fun holidays, and are on the brink of our first child popping out. We’ve had weddings, funerals, baby dedications, special birthday parties, have 2 god-children, have seen both sets of parents become grandparents… a huge amount has happened in just two years. Was there really ever a time that I wasn’t married?? It seems peculiar that there may have been.

Liz is my favourite person on this world… that I get to spend every day with her for the rest of my life is kind of overwhelming, I am a blessed man. Her commitment to me is beyond question, just as I’d do anything for her. At the risk of sounding cheesy, it is 100% the grace of God on our lives that blesses us in this inexplicable way. How the heck did a girl grow up an ocean apart from me, mature into the most amazing woman, then somehow end up with a wet Englishman… crazy. I am wholly bemused by this!

Thanks for an amazing two years, Liz!

It's Been a While...

How do I do this again?

It’s been a while coming- I apologize for my lack of posting… now where to start the catch up? My baby boy is due in less than a month now (which means the World Cup is also less than a month away now!)…that’s kinda weird! He already appears to be a child who knows what he wants; if my arm is rested against Liz’s tummy he will kick and push until I finally move it. Its fun discovering the positions my baby is getting himself into within the womb and feeling for body parts!

Something that has recently made me even more eager to meet our man and see what kind of personality he has is that my friends, Justin and Louise, have just had twin girls. They are so sweet and so small and are so different in personality already! Poppy is a bit of a crier, but a quiet crier, where as Bella cries little, but is a high achiever on the decibel meter! Here are some pictures of us all:

I have now kicked my last football until the baby is here. My friend, Ben Leaman (http://benleaman.blogspot.com/), managed to break his leg at football three weeks ago, bringing a sharp perspective into how long we’ve got left before the little guy gets here. It’s odd to think that there was a time I valued football over family and to an extent I’m genuinely shocked that football has taken a back seat since I met Liz – she must be a heck of a girl! I’m already having physio on my back; I’d like to be able to move when the boy gets here!

Today was the day I finally cycled to work wear shorts…the summer has been ushered in! Unfortunately (I hope Liz has stopped reading my this point) it was a while before I noticed that my front break wasn’t actually re-attached after I’d put my wheel back on this morning… was quite the shock when I pulled on it after a car tried to knock me off my bike. I’m ok though!

There’s plenty more going on, such a Tottenham Hotspurs reaching the Champions League next year… I’d be stupid to put everything into one post though… right?


P.S. Check out this hair!!!

We Did It...

We’ve moved!

People laughed at me, mocked me even for my optimistic timescale for the day (i.e. getting the van loaded and unloaded at our new place by 1.30pm)… but I passed with flying colours. Not only was every single item out of the van and 5 car loads by 12.30pm, but we were completely unpacked by 6 in the evening and could then settle down for pizza and friends.

This was not done without a butt-load of hard work and help from friends, however. Big Steve turned up with a massive van, Mikey Allen was unpacking and fixing bits in our house all afternoon- seeing the Church pulling together and helping out was very stirring.

It’s now a 10 days into a new life chapter with Liz, and I love it. It’s our house with our stuff with more space! I love walking into our living room and seeing how nice it looks and thinking that this is my life with Liz. We’re very blessed to be here. There is something about moving which is painful- the upheaval of solid roots and all that is familiar with it- but I love that I get to lay these new foundations with my wife.

Part of our new life together is the presence of close friends, something we craved at our old place. Mark and Hannah (who worked with Liz at Young Life) now live about 5 metres away on the floor below (we’re in a block of flats) and a new girl at church lives directly across the hall from us! We see Mark and Han every day and love it- they are so much fun to be around and we can totally be ourselves with them- plus they have the cutest baby who loves my face!

Life is pretty good right now- I love that I get to do life with a wonderful and caring woman by my side.

Marriage comes recommended by Phil…

I'm No Lyre...

Liz has found out- post engagement, I hasten to add- that I have a real love for animal programs and animals (not so much measly domestic ones, but crazy wild ones!!). I have book on the subject (soon to be books, I hope) and will read it while in the bathroom- I'll often announce said duty done with a fascinating animal fact that bewilders and amazes! 

I feel that below is a certain animal who is most extraordinary, yet has surprisingly little coverage given its unexpected, yet sensational talent.

If I could be a bird, I probably would be this one, but still, this is ruddy brilliant!

Lyre Bird, take a bow...

">0" alt="" />

Wonderful.