Jess' Blog

When it hurts so bad...

When your heart is worse than broken...

When you feel so alone...

When you are so lost and confused...

When you cry yourself to sleep every night...

When you cry inwardly where no one else can see...

When you are in so much agony...

When you feel utterly hopeless...

When you feel completely helpless...

When you are terrified and afraid...

When you feel like nothing...

When you despise and hate what you see in the mirror...

When it is so overwhelming with no sign of relief...

When you are so far beyond exhausted and tired...

When everything around you is devoid of comfort...

When life has felt like one blow after another, when you can't catch a break...

When your emotions are so intense you can hardly breathe...

When you can't bear the thought of waking up to endure another day of this...

When you pray in earnest desperation for it all to end...

...Remember this ...

*(Isaiah 41: 10, 13)
^(John 14: 1,18)
`(Matt 11: 28-29)
**(2 Kings 20:5)

Whew! Have I had an awesome day today!

I'll just keep this simple and stick to the highlights.

Antho and I decided to go kayaking all day because its a beautiful day, we like outdoorsy activities and I'm a fish!

Here's a map of our kayak journeyings:

(If I calculated correctly the total journey was approx. 7.5km!)

We almost made it to woody island before we noticed the sheer cliffs of woody Island and realised we wouldn't be able to stop there so we detoured to a secluded beach for lunch:

Our private beach was very romantic. We were all alone for miles around. Exploring, snuggles, strolls and munchies... all alone. Just the two of us!

The beach there was untouched by other humans (as far as we know and excepting Antho and I of course) so the shells were both enormous and perfectly un-crushed and un-chipped! I haven't got a photo yet, but I collected a massive conch-like shell and fan shell both larger than my hands and perfectly formed, no chips or anything!

The view from our secluded beach (excluding Woody Island which would have been to the very left of this photo):

Checking out the view, where we've been and where we're going:

Antho and I in action:

[NB: The reason Antho hasn't got his life jacket on is because it was an ugly orange jacket and I told him to take it off for the photo... just in case you were wondering ;) ]

The Sand dunes (which look MUCH bigger in person):

The little ramp we used that was next to the jetty and main boat ramp (we didn't want to get squashed by the bigger boats that were coming and going!):

Here comes Antho in the 4WD!...

Packing up (it's a bit of a process!!):

Had a quick swim before finally saying goodbye... And after such a big day I only came home with a light pink glow. Win!

.

For those of you who liked Creative Problem Solving #1 and Creative Problem Solving #2... Well, you're going to love this one (I know I sure do)!

The problem: My jewellery is just sitting in a pile on the corner of my vanity. For those of you who have experienced this unfortunate problem will know about the little frustrations it causes; near-impossible tangles of necklaces, broken beaded bracelets, lost rings... And I don't exactly want to go and spend $30 + on a jewellery holder because a) most of them aren't what I want, and b) the ones I do like are nearing $80 (rip-off!!)

So I decided today to do something about it!

The creative solution:

I rode my bike down to Cornelian Bay in pursuit of a sturdy, interesting, beautiful looking stick. Yes, a stick. Haha.

I won't deny, I had quite a few strange looks as I rummaged around the base of the trees, examining a variety of sticks!

Then I rode my bike back home with the chosen stick (again, I had many people giving me looks as I rode up the street holding a stick).

I tweaked my twig (<-ha that sounds cool!). Painted it white. Sprayed it with lacquer, dusted it with a touch of fine gold glitter and topped it off with a few little flowers.

My stick was now beautiful.

So I stuck it in a mug filled with rice and rocks and voilà!

I now have a jewellery holder!

Problem solved! :)

So... With the little bit of extra time I now have in my life, I've decided to start up J.W. Portrait Art again!

I've re-vamped the site and tweaked a few things and now all I need are some people who want portraits done!

Check it out @ jwportraitart.blogspot.com.au

Change. It's been long overdue but has finally arrived at just the right moment in my life.

For starters, I am different.

After a life-altering event late last year, I am becoming acquainted with who I am and re-learning life (pretty much).

It's hard. Very hard. Even just the little things like getting out of bed, cooking dinner and thinking for myself are hard. But I'm starting to see and feel progress and starting to see that all the effort and endurance is worth it.

Also, Anthony and I have moved to HOBART! (WOO! I was SO sick of Launceston - such a hole).

We are in another unit but it is newer, cleaner, bigger, more economical, more sunny, better location and just all over nice! I love it to bits! Polished floor boards, newly renovated kitchen and bathroom, new carpet and paint in the bedrooms, outdoor lockable storage, etc... The perks go on for a while.

So far, I like (pretty much love) Hobart. There's more to do here, people are more friendly, the beach is only about a 5 min drive away and then some good hiking is only a short drive away too! My 2 loves (hiking mountains and swimming/playing at the beach) only a short distance from where I live! Disadvantages about Hobart so far: It's cold. But luckily our new unit is very warm and the courtyard is protected from the wind and gets sun all day round (so it's nice and toasty in the courtyard!). Another disadvantage: I'm now a 2 and a half hour drive from my side of the family, so I won't get to hang out with them as much :(

Another change, Anthony has started a full-time 'real' job! Woo - Thank you Glenorchy City Council!

He will be working as a building officer and studying as well (they're paying him to finish his study as well as paying for his study and giving him a day off a week to study!). This is a step towards his goal of becoming a building surveyor.

On a side note: His first day at work is also Valentine's day!

Another change, I am studying part-time at uni and for the first time in a long time I am unemployed. So, I now have more time to work out what I want to do next in life. All this change feels like an opportunity for me to re-evaluate what I want in my life, what are my new goals and dreams, and I have the time and means to just GO FOR IT!

So, that's about it for now.

I'm excited, I'm cautiously optimistic, I'm ready to embrace change.

Hello bloggers and other blog-visitors,

Today I am going to share something very personal with you.

You should feel very privileged.

Why am I sharing it? Well, some things just don't deserve to be shoved under the bed...

Sometimes, the Lord sends His blessings in such a highly unusual, dramatic, or precisely timed manner that... it is as though the Lord "signs" the blessing personally so that we will know with certainty that it comes from Him.

(Gerald N. Lund).

For those of you who don't know, I'm going through a very challenging phase in my life. More than ever, I have cried and plead to God for mercy, relief and healing. At one point I found myself crying 'O God, where art thou?', feeling completely and utterly alone, painfully hopeless and in the deepest despair and agony. The next morning, I picked up my scriptures and was lead to a passage of scripture. 2 Kings 20: 1 - 5. I could totally relate to Hezekiah's thoughts and feelings, then came the tender mercy of the Lord in verse 5:

I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee.

Words can't express how I felt as I read those words. For the first time in a long time I had hope. Hope. It was such a sweet feeling to finally have hope of healing, to finally feel like I was not alone, that He was listening and hearing, that he saw every single tear. I was so filled with emotion I nearly laughed out loud through my tears!

Then came the next tender mercy.

I was feeling lost. I finally had hope to heal, finally felt like I was stepping forward, but where am I going? What was I moving towards, what do I do know, where do I go, what path do I choose? Everything I knew before this challenging phase of life, I can't ever go back to again. My ambitions and goals. My sense of self, of who I was striving to be. All of it, I can never go back to again. My life has changed and I felt so confused and bewildered and lost. No one could understand enough to offer me help or guidance. Then once again the Lord whispered to me through the scriptures:

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you
(John 14:18)

.

And that's how this came about:

I am still learning to find my feet again. But at least now I have hope and no longer feel alone.

He hears my heartfelt prayers, sees every silent tear and offers His hand; for comfort, for guidance, for me.