Valentines Weekend In Paris

I had never been to Paris before, but this weekend my husband Isaac surprised me with a trip to the city of romance to celebrate Valentine's day in the most lovey-Dovey way possible! 

I use the word 'surprise' lightly because he actually told me a week earlier which I am SO glad about because his original plan was to say we were going on a spa weekend, so as you can imagine I would have packed a very different set of outfits and probably end up being preeeeettyy cold in Paris.

Anyway, Isaac booked our Eurostar and an incredible Air BnB, and I sorted the itinerary.

We set off on Friday evening at 8pm. Due to it being valentines weekend and the beginning of half term, St Pancras was CRAZY busy! They said there would be an extra 20,000 people taking the Eurostar that Friday. It meant our train was slightly delayed but nothing too drastic.

We arrived in Paris at about quarter past midnight and jumped in a taxi to take us to where we were staying over the other side of town by the Eiffel Tower. This was much cheaper than we had anticipated at around €16.

Staying in an Air BnB rather than a hotel was SUCH A GOOD DECISION. The man who owned the property was lovely and super helpful and easy to get hold of. It was a beautifully clean studio apartment with a lovely little balcony, kitchen, and bathroom. It was also nice and warm which I've heard is quite a rarity in Paris.

On Saturday morning we set off reasonably early at about 10am for a day of sight-seeing and exploring. The moment we stepped out of the apartment the heavens opened and it rained consistently for pretty much the whole day. But it didn't dampen our spirits, we just bought an umbrella and went on our way!

First stop was the Eiffel Tower, obvs. 

We had originally planned to go up it first thing that morning, but it was so misty and rainy you really wouldn't be able to see much from the top at all. We then wandered over the bridge to Trocadero. From here you get an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower and can take nice pictures. There is a pretty water fountain too.

By this time we were getting hungry so the search for food began, but we didn't have to look very far. If you've been to Paris before you'll know I'm not exaggerating when I say there is somewhere to eat on every corner. 

We chose a little place called Café Kléber and I couldn't resist trying their seafood pasta. It was delicious, however, rather pricy and the drinks for some reason are extortionate everywhere in Paris! This Peach Ice Tea will set you back €6. I drank it really slowly. 

Our next landmark on the itinerary was the Arc De Triomphe which is about a 10 minute walk from Trocadero. What made this experience a bit more entertaining than just looking at a big statue in the middle of a roundabout was that there was a wedding photoshoot going on in the middle of the road with the cars still zooming past. The bride was terrified but the pictures would look ah-maaaazing. 

One of the exits from the Arc De Triumph leads you down the Champs Elysées, the famous shopping street of Paris. Kind of like Oxford Street but with all the luxury stores like Cartier, Louis Vuitton and Mercedes. 

It was raining quite heavily by this point so it was time for another pit-stop. I managed to convince Isaac that we HAD to go in to Ladurée for a macaroon or two. He had never had one before so there were the expected comments like "why is it so small?" "It costs HOW MUCH!?" But he soon got over it and he was won over by the vanilla flavour and wanted to get more! Success!

The decor in Ladurée was beautiful, it felt like I was in a fairy cave. 

We headed back to our apartment to get ready for dinner and then made our way to the restaurant back at Trocadero. We really wanted to see the Eiffel tower when it was all lit up at night too so that's why we decided to come back to the same area. Earlier in the day we had made a reservation at a restaurant called Le Coq and my tummy had been looking forward to the meal all day long.

It was beautiful inside and the service was great albeit rather pricy. I ordered steak but I'm not sure if that was the best decision I could have made. The French cook their steak slightly differently to the way I am used to so I spent the majority of the meal poking it saying "I'm sure this is rare" but on the whole it was a lovely evening. 

We discovered that every hour the Eiffel Tower lights up with sparkles for about 10 minutes. It's really pretty! So we had an evening stroll, crepe in hand (only since writing this have I realised how much we ate!), surrounded by the beautiful lights of Paris.

Valentines Day!

Check out was at 11am so we aimed to be out of the apartment by this time, slightly later than the day before but it was nice to have a lie-in. 

Today's agenda was to see the sights over on the other side of the city. We decided to get the metro because it took the same amount of time as getting a taxi and it was a fun thing to do! It only cost €1.80 for a ticket, Bargain! 

Our first stop was Notre Dame. Embarrassingly, neither of us had any idea what this looked like so we thought a few buildings might be the famous cathedral until we walked a little further and the hoards of tourists taking pictures confirmed our hunch (get it!?....HUNCH back of Notre Dame!)

We saw what was the old Love Lock Bridge with now only a few padlocks left in tact (RIP) and then walked for what felt like forever with our huge back-packs on, to find the Louvre.

I've got to say, the Louvre was the most disappointing landmark of them all. I had seen pictures of it before as an incredible, shiny glass architectural beauty, but instead it just looked a bit dirty. The weather was way better on this day but by this point it had started to rain a little so it may have looked more dull than usual because of this.

With our stomachs rumbling yet again it was time for us to stop for lunch. After filling ourselves up on chicken, duck and the most delicious 'pommes frites' we made our way to sight number 3, Montmartre. Our backs were almost broken by this point from the weight of our bags so we opted for the metro rather than another 30 minute walk. 

Montmartre without a doubt exceeded my expectations. 

Once we had climbed up the stairs to get to the top the view was breath-taking. I would say this is a must-see (along with all the others I've mentioned) if you're a Paris newbie.

Our time in Paris was coming to an end so we made our way to the Eurostar station and had one last snack stop before boarding the train back to London.

As a Paris-first timer I had the most wonderful time and I am so grateful to Isaac for taking me to such an incredible city! 

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

Au revior,

Emma

   xx

The wrestle is worth it

Recently we went to visit some friends of ours at their new house in Tonbridge, and went along with them to church. They go to Hillsong Kent and that week Luke Brendling was preaching on the story of Jacob wrestling with God. It was a powerful preach in so many ways, but one thing that really stood out to me was what Luke said about giving God your time.

I don’t have it word for word, but my notes read:

“Getting on your knees [to pray] gives God the honour he deserves. It gives Him our time and our undivided attention. It tells Him that you are ready for business.”

If I’m honest, I probably pray most when I’m walking to the station or in my head on the train or a few quick little prayers throughout the day. This is all fine and I should keep on doing it but I think this preach really challenged me to honour God with my time. It’s all well and good me talking to God all day long but if I’m always doing it whilst rushing about to somewhere else, I’m not giving God any of the time he deserves...the time He has given me!  And most of all, I’m not spending any time listening.

It’s easy for us to go on and on about our problems and ask God to fix them, but if we aren’t giving any time to receive His peace or His wisdom we are really just using prayer as a way to off-load rather than to see His power at work and grow in faith.

“Without the behind the scenes you would have no scene to look at.” – Luke Brendling

This statement is so simple but so true. How often do you find yourself saying you really want to see change in your situation but you haven’t spent any time ‘behind the scenes’ praying and speaking to God about it? God cares more about shaping your heart than changing your situation. If we seek first the kingdom of heaven, then all these things really will be added to us! [Matt 6:33 paraphrased]

This lent I’m going to give up an extra 30 minutes in bed every morning and commit to using that time giving God my undivided attention.

Love Versus Fear

I don't know about you, but when I first heard about the Syria air strikes vote I was instantly filled with fear.

 

What does this mean for me? What does this mean for the coming few years? What does this mean for the world?

 

I'm not even really much of a worrier, but the whole debate had me thinking of possibility after possibility.

 

Then this morning when I was getting ready for work I remembered a preach I listened to last week called Love Versus Fear by Bill Johnson. It was such a powerful and impacting message, but I realised I had completely forgotten all the truth that I had heard because I was focusing so much on the bad things that were happening around me. I also realised that my fear made me selfish.

 

Why was my instant thought 'what does this mean for me?' when we all know that the real ones in immediate danger are innocent men, women, and children in Syria. But, that's what fear does. It's a lie that we tell ourselves over and over until we become so completely self absorbed and ineffective in helping anyone else.

 

The preach wasn't about war specifically, but it's an important message of strength, and perspective that we need to hear in amongst the messages in the media that are telling us to fear.

 

We have the ability through God to be fearlessly effective in our communities and in our world by putting others first both in our actions and in our prayers. Don't let fear tell you you can't.

 

You can listen here: http://podcasts.ibethel.org/en/podcasts/love-versus-fear

 

Let me know what you think.

 

Emma

  xx

The Wedding Video

I got married to Isaac earlier this year (if you didn't already know) and I am really thankful that we had it captured on video.

When I watched it for the first time I cried SO much. Like, more than when Marissa died in the OC. I think for me, it was so emotional because I got to see the reactions of my family and friends that I didn't notice on the day because they were all standing behind me. But even though I've now watched it about 300 times, I still manage to shed a tear.

Massive thanks to Kevin Hudson and the team at KH Creations for putting together this short film of our wedding. I hope you like it! 

Emma

  xx

Girl Got Faith

HEY! It’s been a while since I've last posted anything, and I promised myself I’d be more consistent but life just got in the way. It’s all been very exciting though!

You may have seen that I have launched a brand new website called Girl Got Faith. This is something I have been working on for so long. If you count from the first time I started thinking about it it would be about 2 years ago. I'm quite a slow processor, and I guess I wanted to discern if it was God’s idea or just mine that would quickly pass if it became too much work. As time went on I thought about it more and more and things started happening that seemed to confirm it all for me that this was something I should get serious about.

So I did. I developed the idea and created a website that, hopefully, can impact a lot of Christian teenage girls to help them navigate through all they face in their adolescence but with God at the centre of it all.

I grew up with two older sisters, and when I look back now I see how important they were in keeping me on track with God. They never forced me to go to church or anything, I got to watch them navigate THEIR way through their teenage lives, and in my opinion, they did a pretty good job. I could see what it was like when they got a boyfriend, when they made new friends, what they involved themselves with in church, what kind of decisions they made. I respected them and their advice was everything to me.

I want Girl Got Faith to be the big sister to so many teen girls across the country, maybe even the world if God wants that! It’s not just about ramming bible verses down their throats and telling them what decisions to make all the time. But it’s displaying the adventure that can be had with God. 

Some people may look at the website and think "why have they got beauty in there? Isn't popularised beauty standards and vanity everything this magazine is supposed to be running away from because it’s ‘Christian’?" well no, not really. Are you a woman? Do you wear makeup? Does this make God love you less? Of course not. I saw what makeup my sisters used to wear. I remember my sisters used to always wear eyeliner, so I wore just eyeliner for about 4 years just to copy them. That didn't make me vein or desperate to change my appearance, but discovering things like makeup is something all girls will do, it's how you discover that's important.

The Beauty section on Girl Got Faith will never be to teach girls to use makeup to cover up insecurity, or to tell girls what they should look like or what features are prettiest, but how to have fun with things like makeup and hairstyles, all from the viewpoint of a team of writers that know the truest beauty comes from within and they’ll do everything they can to let this shine through.

Anyway, I think you get the Girl Got Faith gist. I would loveee it if you had a little look at it and shared it with as many people as you can: www.girlgotfaith.com

I could go on to tell you about everything else I've been up to since my last post but that could get long, so I’ll leave you with a gallery instead. Pictures are more fun anyway.

Enjoy!

When we went to India... (I'll do a proper post on this soon!)

Impulsive Blogger event with Keeks... 

I got to present some awards through my work at the Q Awards...

 Family weekend away at the woods...

Emma
xx

It's OK if you can't!

I've recently been trying to design a website for something new that I'm working on, and, believe me, it is the HARDEST. THING. EVER.

I get so confused with the codes and layouts and the difference between a domain and a host and how to change this box to something else and how to upload that image. Today I spent four hours trying to work it out. And I just couldn't!

I don't know about you, but I always want to do everything myself. Sooner or later though, I come to a point where I get so frustrated I give up altogether. After my four hour website designing and failing episode I went out to get some chocolate buttons (because that makes everything better) and on my way I felt so annoyed with myself that I couldn't work out how to do something which is supposed to be so simple.

Then I realised, other people CAN design websites. There are human beings in the world that actually know what a HTML code is. I could choose to feel inadequate by comparing myself to their amazing skill and wondering why I can't do the same, but instead I chose to be joyful because they can help me.

To combat any feelings of 'I'M SO RUBBISH AT EVERYTHING' I started to list in my head all the things I can do.

I can write, I can think of ideas, I can bake cakes, I can play sport. There will definitely be people in the world that can't do some of those things and feel my same frustration as when I can't design a website. 

My point is, God made us all totally unique with different strengths and weaknesses. So rather than beating ourselves up about everything we can't do, why not focus on the gifts and talents God has already put inside of us.

If you are really bad at something by all means give it a go, but don't get down on yourself if you aren't as good as you'd like to be. Remind yourself of all the things you are good at. 

I think God made us all different so that we could learn to ask for help from time to time. We have learnt to be so self-sufficient, we're a DIY generation. 'Be your own boss' 'Make this at home' 'watch this online tutorial' is what we are fed daily, so when we come up against something that we can't do it's like woaahhh what is wrong with me! 

Our weaknesses teach us that we need others. And as much as you might need help from someone else, there will be someone that needs help from you, too.

Be masters of the things you are good at, and all the other stuff...just ask for help.

With that being said, anyone want to design a website for me? #Kidding!

Emma

  xx

*Please Dream Responsibly

If you’re anything like me, when you have a big idea or a dream for the future you want to get started on it straight away. It can be so frustrating when you realise that most things in life take TIME!

Maybe you have a specific vision for something you would like to achieve in your life. Becoming a sports personality, making an album, being an actor, writing your own book or being on the runway at London Fashion Week?… We are a generation of dreamers, and it’s a good thing, but where do we find the balance in taking care of our responsibilities whilst still being able to pursue our dreams?

It can be so tempting to feel like ‘if only I didn't have to work here I would be so much further ahead with my goal by now’ or ‘if only I didn't have to write this essay I would have so much more time to work on what’s really important to me!’ But what we often forget is that the job or school you're in now is one you were probably praying for at one point!

Your current responsibilities can also provide for your future dream. Maybe you could set up a separate savings account for it if it’s something you’ll need to fund one day. 

You can also look out for things in your workplace that you can learn. If you want to run your own business, are you making the most of already being in a business with some very experienced people? Watch closely how they do things. If you have a good relationship with them why don’t you see if you can speak to one of them to gain a greater understanding of how they go about their work. What’s their routine?

 If you don’t feel like you could speak to them, just watch from afar and take notes! Not in a stalkerish way (lols), but if they put in a team meeting every Monday morning, think about why they do this and if it’s something you would need to do in your future business.

I've had a few annoying managers in my career (not now, though – LOVE YOU GUYS! PLEASE DON’T FIRE ME) and I would moan to my mum about how unfair they are or how they spoke to their employees. My mum would say to me “Make sure you remember these things, so that when you’re a manager one day you don’t do the same to your employees!” It taught me to learn from the good and bad of every part of life.

Timing really is everything. There will be a point when you are going to need to take a leap of faith and drop your day job to fully take hold of your vision, but that will need careful consideration and, I'm not saying that will be an easy choice, but I think you will know when that time is coming. If you drop your current responsibilities too early, your dream may not be solid enough to put your full weight on yet and it will crack under the pressure.

In the meantime, why not work out all the things you are able to do whilst you’re still studying or in your career. Have you put together a business plan? A time line? Have you worked out how much it will cost and how you will get the money? Having a firm foundation will future-proof your ambition. 

If you’re serious about it, then having to work on your dream when you get home from your day job will be tough but you’ll want to do it.

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

Emma

 xx

100 Day Goal

My friend text me yesterday asking if I wanted to take on a challenge with her, it’s called the 100 Day Goal.

It’s the beginning of a new month and a new season so why not take up a new challenge? I’ve had an idea I’ve been working on for about a year now. Most of the time I’ve not been very proactive. I’ve just been developing ideas in my head and writing little things down here and there.

More recently, though, I had decided to get serious about making these ideas become a tangible reality but I encountered a BIG problem.

Focus.

When I was doing my dissertation at university I remember suffering with a lack of focus, but I thought it was just because I wasn’t interested in the topic. However, I’m now working on something I am truly passionate about and I still have the same problem with focus so I need to throw away the excuses and start taking action.

The 100 Day Goal is incredible. It was created by a website called the Business Bakery and the best thing about it is everything is FREE! They provide a workbook and weekly and daily to do lists which hopefully will help me be a bit more focused.

I love the idea of it being 100 days. It’s enough time to do something really substantial yet it’s not tooooooo long that it drags out and you lose motivation.

If you want to get involved you can check it out here http://www.thebusinessbakery.com.au/the-100-day-goal-were-doing-it-again/. It doesn't have to be a business goal.. Maybe you have a fitness goal in mind, or want to learn a new instrument, or master a skill...whatever you want! 

It’s great to do it with a buddy, too, because it means that you can keep an eye on each other and be encouraging when the other person is slacking.

Today is day 1. Let’s see what I’ve achieved in 100 days!

Emma

  xx 

The Story Of Success (ft. Cara Delevingne and King Solomon)

I've always seen Cara Delevingne as this eccentric, happy, iconic model who, by the age of 22, has already had more success than others could imagine.

However, in her recent interview with The Saturday Times Magazine she explains why it wasn't all as it seemed.

Cara suffered with a skin condition called psoriasis that was triggered by stress. Psoriasis causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales. For her modelling jobs this would have to be covered with thick make-up and she said: 'People would put on gloves and not want to touch me because they thought it was, like, leprosy or something.' Cara said she felt ‘hollow’ and so stressed that at times she even hated her body.

Reading this really took me by surprise. How could one of the world’s top models hate her body? The way she would walk down the catwalk with so much confidence, and pose playfully in campaigns for Burberry, DKNY, Chanel and Topshop made us all believe she was living out her dreams and loving every minute of it.

It made me realise that everyone is on their own journey, no matter how successful they may seem. 

In the worlds eyes being the face of hundreds of campaigns and being an icon in the modelling industry should have been success, but for Cara it was depression. She also shared that she looks back at old shoots and feels disgusted at the nature of what she was asked to do. She told the Saturday Times magazine: 'It's horrible and it's disgusting. [We're talking about] young girls. You start when you are really young and you do, you get subjected to…not great stuff’.

What is success to you?

It’s so easy to get caught up in the world’s values and expectations for your life that you forget what really makes you tick. Success doesn't have to be loads of money and recognition. Maybe success to you is being a good friend, working hard at everything you do regardless of the reward, or just helping someone out with something that can really impact their life for the better.

If you’re a girl and you absolutely love football and would love to play for a professional women’s team but you’re worried you won’t make enough money, so what? Go for it! I know it’s cheesy, but money really can’t buy you happiness. I'm sure if you asked Cara Delevingne what she would want more out of the two, she would say happiness now that she really understands that money doesn't bring fulfilment.

I love the account in the bible of King Solomon. He was the wisest man that has ever lived (1 Kings 3:12) but God also made him very wealthy and successful (1 Kings 3:13). He had tasted all of the earthly enjoyments, and then wrote a book (Proverbs) to show us that all of it is worth nothing in comparison to knowing God. He recommends putting God above everything which will do so much more to make us happy than any wealth or power.

Whenever I find myself focusing on money or my own success too much I think of King Solomon. If he was the wisest person ever, I should probably take his advice.

It doesn't mean you shouldn't go hard for the things that you are passionate about and want to succeed in, because God loves a hard worker. But check yourself along the way that you aren't loosing sight of what is really important. 

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 (NLT).

Emma

xx

Video: The Newday Diary

It's now been a whole week since Newday and, as promised, I put together a little video diary to share my week with you!

If you don't know, Newday is a Christian youth festival that runs every year in Norwich. There are around 7,000 young people that camp for the week, go along to church like meetings, hear talks about things they are particularly interested in, and have loads of fun! In the evenings there is something for everyone; milkshakes, sweets, gigs, basketball, nerf wars, glow parties and more!

I was a part of the Rhythm factory. We put on shows and parties every night...it was C-R-A-Z-Y! In the day we had our own seminar stream called #ThatsNotMe which followed the story of the prodigal son and each day addressed a different topic from the story that is applicable for the teens at Newday. We also did some Q&A sessions in the afternoon which were really good fun. It was so good to hear all the questions and, hopefully, everyone went home with a deeper knowledge and understanding of how much God loves them!

This was my first ever video diary so it's not too detailed. It's more of a 10 minute round up of the week... 

I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to see if you can spot yourself if you were at Newday this year!

Emma

  xx