Random Thoughts & Snaps...

   The last few days have been a lovely blend of relaxing, creating, relating, experimenting, & working. Here are some of my favorite shots.

We walked to The Orchard in Granchester on Saturday. It's a lovely two mile walk & the weather was perfect. They were out of scones (*sigh*), but we made due with cake.

We've had a few rainy days, but not many. I enjoy them when they come, but I know I'll be singing a different tune in a few weeks. I'm trying to soak up the sun before it disappears for the rest of our time here.

Mum made a chicken pot pie & had a little extra pie crust. I liked it, so I put a bunting on it. =)

A friend came over yesterday & we baked these amazingly delicious raspberry lemon muffins. I'm eating the last one now, & I'm definitely going to make them again. You can find the recipe here.

I bought some flowers at the market to put in my lemonade bottle. They look so happy.

   This week I've also started my senior year of high school! Say WHAT? It's going to be the best year ever! More on that soon.

   I still miss all of you dreadfully, but I do love it here. Is that how most of life is? A mix of joy & pain, of longing & contentment, of questions & thankfulness? 
   Even though all the emotions can be confusing, they are what makes us human. We are aware of our humanity when our hearts ache & our minds spin with tons of emotions. But we are also reminded of God's faithfulness & kindness because His Word tells us to:

Give all your worries & cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

(New Living Translation) 

   He wants us to let Him take on all our crazy emotions. He wants to walk with us, to comfort us, to teach us, & to turn the pain into something beautiful. So will you let Him?

Oxford!

   We made the transition from Cambridge to Oxford today! We did a ton of walking. Not that we walked from Cambridge, we road the bus for three and a half hours. But once we got to Oxford, we did a ton of walking. In the sun. And the (surprising) heat. With our suitcases. For forty-five minutes. But we made it to our hotel, and that's what counts. I suppose. 

We saw our first swan of this trip today! Swans just seem to radiate elegance.

I got a chocolate-strawberry-almond-whipped-cream crepe for supper. It was bigger than I expected. 

   But most importantly, tonight we went to a worship service at Saint Aldates Church. It was wonderful. I really missed Northbrook this morning, I'm tearing up just thinking about you all. But God has blessed me so much more abundantly than I deserve. It was so wonderful, after five days of seeing almost all strangers, to be amongst the body of Christ. We sang at the top of our lungs, listened to a short sermon, and were renewed. We are greatly blessed. 

   To all my Northbrook friends, I love you and miss you! Have a blessed Sunday.

P.S. All photo credit in this post goes to my dad! 

Of Tea and Wanderings

   I can't believe we've only been gone for five days, it feels like so much longer. We've had a lovely time, but we can't wait to settle into Tyndale house next week. Until then I'll be visiting Oxford & the Cotswolds! (More on that tomorrow.)

   As far as these last two days are concerned, they have been filled with exploring Cambridge, resting, & drinking tea. Here are some random snapshots of Cambridge life.

We had tea (super) at Auntie's Tea Shop yesterday, which was delightful. 

We loved Auntie's last time we were here, so we were excited to go back!

Dad got a traditional English breakfast. This is about as British as it gets folks. 

A Traditional English Breakfast consists of:

• Toast
• Fried eggs
• British sausage 
• Grilled tomatoes 
• Baked beans
• Rashers (British bacon)
• Hashbrown squares 
• Various jams and butters

You might also have:

• Mushrooms
• Crumpets

And of course it always includes the extremely important:

• Tea

Lovely little flats (apartments). If our ivy did this I'd sure be happy. 

The whole city is made up of these lovely old buildings.

Bright flowers! 

I went for a walk yesterday in the park that is literally behind our hotel. And there's this big, beautiful, old building off to the side. 

Street view! Very narrow sidewalks & lots of old buildings.

My first bubble tea.

   I went out to the market by myself today (I feel so grown up) & had the best time. I just wandered around, browsing all the jewelry, scarves, cheese, purses, smoothies, & veg. The church bells were ringing, delicious smells floated around, & buskers (street performers) played lively music. I bought a beautiful blue floral scarf & my first bubble tea! I've been wanting to try bubble tea for a while and I really liked it. 

   What I enjoyed most was simply having the freedom to go where I wanted, when I wanted! And walking is so good for you, it gives you extra incentive to shop (like I need it)! =D