3 sleeps to go...

Yep. Only 3 sleep until I jump on a plane and spend two weeks in the glorious city of Melbourne =D
I can't wait. I have a feeling this trip will be even better than the last one. I'm really looking forward to spending a day at Luna Park. I'm pretty weak when it comes to rollercoasters and the like, so I've vowed to be adventurous this time and dare to go on most of the rides. hehe
Not keen on the pirate/boat thing that does a full on 360 though!! No thanks!
Besides a day of potentially throwing up I'm hoping to do a bit of shopping at the old markets and a few stores aswell. I love the shopping in Melbourne - it's insane. So much choice!
More than shopping and adrenaline junkie stuff though is the chance to catch up with some mates and just have fun. Develop relationships in a real setting, not cyberworld. Should be interesting. Or something. =P

I am quite anxious about having two weeks off TAFE however. It didn't bother me until tonight when I got handed all the assessment schedule and realised I'll be missing a significant chunk of classwork in relation to these assessments. Nevermind, I don't want that to be a dampener. I'll just have to work smarter when I get back. Procastination will not exist in my vocabulary this year.

I was late for TAFE tonight. Was at church for a Youth Team meeting, which ended up being a time a worship and prayer. It was lovely. Mark really touched me this afternoon when he read a verse from the Bible as a prophecy over the year. It was amazing. I'll have to get the verse off him so I can remember it. It was about how the Holy Spirit will be with me each and every day because I have been called to give witness to all around me. To bring sight to the blind and lift people out of oppression. I can't remember the exact words, but it was really touching at this time and I want to remember the message of it now and always.
Man, I'm so so grateful to have such amazing and encouraging people around me. Our Youth Team continue to inspire me. They're fantastic. And I think it's because God has placed a calling on each of them to be doing this and we're relying on Him for our everything.

I got frustrated this evening at TAFE as I was leaving. My teacher wanted to speak to me about the first part of class I missed and questioned whether it was because of work that I was late and if it were going to be a continual thing. I explained how I was at church and lost track of time, hence arriving late and her response was "well can you make TAFE your priority and not church. Go to church another day, just not TAFE days".
She wasn't nasty about it but just emphasised that this year is much more demanding than last and reminded me that my final weeks last year weren't my best in terms of dedication and she doesn't want me to start this year on that foot. I don't want that for myself either, but I'm not willing to give up church committments for a year so I can excel at TAFE.
Because, when it comes down to it, my church life is more important than anything else. I am my happiest when I am at church and around fellow believers, worshipping, praying and serving. I'm not willing to sacrifice a moment of that for a TAFE lecture.
Perhaps that's silly. Maybe I need to re-evaluate and work out a better way of spreading my time between all my committments, because at the moment, between work, church and TAFE I'm not going to have a whole lot left over to study and I will seriously need to this year.

I wonder what I'll be doing this time next year...

hmm....that will be my motivation for this year - it all enables me to do what I really want to do full-time - Youth Ministry. Without this course I won't be able to follow on to bigger, greener pastures (or valleys of bones, for that matter =P)

Well, here's hoping my ill-timed holiday will see me refreshed and ready to take up the challenge that will be my 2006.

Bella xx