2008

Again, same start as before - no posts for such a long while. But now that another year is close to an end I feel the need to document some aspects of it in some ways. Its been a mixture of a time - busy and quiet, exciting and frustrating and personally and work wise there have been a lot of changes.
At the beginning of the year, it seems hard to imagine it was so long ago, we were still writing and recording the CDs. I was busy writing and designing and we were buzzing with excitement that we'd finally have our music available. Well that all happened in April and has been fantastic. People have loved them and its so amazing when words that you've written hoping that they will somehow connect with people have been a real help and inspiration to people. Someone emailed last week after she'd just bought the very own life Cd and said how much she loved it and that she really liked the way that God is never mentioned but at the same time is all the way through the songs. It is just so amazing when someone gets what you have been trying to achieve.
Design wise I have been really busy too - doing the CDs and most recently the new bags which are great.
Confusingly we are dealing with Claire leaving. Which has not been confusing as we believe it to be the right thing and support her in her decision to focus on other things - but I have been feeling that it kind of leaves us in limbo. We cant really throw ourselves into performances as we have to find a stand in for these but it has meant we have finally had space to finally get on with all the jobs which get out aside when busy with out and about work. Applications for salaries have been the new craze and hopefully when we understand whats going on with this we'll be able to get someone else in properly and get back to being a 3 again. It's exciting thinking about that 3rd person out there somewhere - who is she and how will we come across her and will we have a salary for her?? Well thankfully God knows and will bring her crashing into us at the right time.
On a personal note I can not wait for Christmas. Next week I have a week off and we go to Center Parcs which I have never felt that I have needed more. It feels like a glass of water in front of me when consumed with thirst. Also I have been buying my own Christmas presents off ebay. There was a coat I wanted from topshop £70 which I noticed on ebay someone had put one on but with a really bad photo- which I had to pray and trust was a bad picture but a great coat - No other bids - £12 - fab coat! So pleased!

Take your own advice

Well it has been a pretty busy few months - I make no apologies for not writing anything down journals, blogs, perhaps even processing thoughts chatting with people. All that has gone on over the past 3 months is documented in 20,000 TTD lists spread over 4 different randomly but purposefully selected at the time notebooks. My family are different and better. we have a settled sort of chaos that we are used to enough, the EPs are finished, songs writen, recorded, mastered, manufactured, the designs completed, the CDs boxed and selling, the girls course running - and easily, the money coming in and ready in the bank for a few more things on the list, the team - developing- oh what a lot to get into here - I could write for hours on each one of these things!

GoldDigger have just got back from Spring Harvest. We were apprehensive before. Last year we had a tough year - for lots of reasons and mainly for reasons that we cant logically understand we had a horrid time and spent most of the week upset and extremely self critical. We had a fab time this year -good! But without diary ing the whole week I have just been really encouraged and become excited again about what we are called to. We were most worried that our performances would be irrelevant. That was our main fear - and we've had lots of encouragement - loads of people - girls and guys were really postive during the week bt loads have got intouch on different forums to say so... that is great. But actually now I'm kind of surprised that the highlight of the week was the amazing oportunity to do the girls sessions. I know I'm so confident in our material now and especially working with Rachel on them - we can run those sessions without a thought ... we know each others stories and points inside out. I know I was bothered about them as I asked my team small group to pray particularly or those as I knew I wouldnt get a chance to think about them before they happened so I did care that they went well - but they just weren't a horrid worry. But getting emails through this week from girls saying how helpful they had been has been so brilliant. Hearing people say - 'I liked your songs - you were really good' i really nice - but a bit empty - but using lyrics to affirm their identity - that is exciting and getting emails in from girls saying that they have taken all the pictures of models and celebs off their walls and are valuing themselves more is really really really really exciting.

And now I need to work on myself. I found myself this week reading in look magazine that if I didn't already have a pair of wide legged faded jeans then I really must get some. Apparently if you were one of the people who rushed out to get them last season then you did totally the right thing - well I didn't you see - so then I started to feel that I needed to go and get some. The fact that there is not enough money this month for new jeans - or perhaps food for the family - did not bother me at that moment. What an idiot I can be. So remembering the wisdom of the girls who listened in the girs seminars and have taken that advice I NEED to be inspired by them and not be such a forgetful-stupid-head. Why should I EVER feel inferior because a group of manipulators have got together to decide to try to make as many people as possible go out and give them money so that they can feel acceptable as they are wearing a pair of faded wide legged jeans?
Disclaimer: I do actually like wide legged trousers and am not saying that I will never buy a pair but I will never buy a pair as a result of bullying by look magazine- ok?