HAPPY BIRTHDAY FIONA!

Today is Fiona's birthday and seeing as Fiona is partly to blame for the existence of this blog I felt she deserved a post in her honour. I've said this before, but I'll say it again just for good measure, Fiona is one of my life's greatest treasures. She is a kindred spirit through and through. I am absolutely convinced that meeting her on my first day at Kendrick was the first stop on my journey of understanding who I was and feeling completely comfortable being a total nerd. I love that she really, honestly, completely, utterly and absolutely doesn't care what other people think about her and how she goes through life sticking two fingers up at convention not because she WANTS to be individual but because she IS. You can't put her in a box, because despite loving Lord of the Rings, all things Scandinavian and Virginia Wolf, she also was the person who introduced me to Glee and fashion blogs such as Selective Potential and Delightfully Tacky. We always have so much fun together, whether it's browsing charity shops, going for coffee, watching plays, gushing over how AWESOME Zooey Deschanel is in New Girl, having Ikea birthday parties , attempting to take fashion blog photos or gallivanting through Bavaria she's always a zany and loyal companion.

I'm so proud of the person she's becoming. After visiting her in Oxford I am pretty sure she is the most beautiful, fun and AWESOME person at her college! It's like she's a cheese, or wine or a tree: she just gets better and tastier and more impressive with age. I'm so gutted that I can't see her on her birthday, but I'm having my own little celebration here in 19 Woodland Road MML common room, spraying imaginary silly string, listening to Gotye, eating smelly quavers and drinking bottled tap water! WAAAHOOOO. PARTY PARTY PARTY.

Fiona you're great. Have a flippin' AWESOME birthday and thanks for being in my life.

Honour Spotlight: Kate Moreton

I have wanted to write one of these about Kate for a long time, probably from the moment I met her actually, but as always time and life got the better of me. More importantly I didn't feel like I knew her well enough to do her justice, but recently I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as knowing someone well ENOUGH, it is never enough, there is always more to learn. So here it is, why I love Kate from what I know of her and how she has impacted me so far. (I'm taking this moment now to put in a request to know her even better. Thanks.)

Firstly, Kate fascinates me. She may come across as intimidating but that's only because she is probably infinitely more interesting that you. And I love that, it challenges me. I recently read a couple of chapters of Captivating, a book about how women are created in God's image and so much of it rings true for Kate. She may not be a girly girl but she is a fiercely feminine woman of God.

There are many layers to Kate, one moment she is throwing banter (that rivals any man's) across the chaplaincy, then she might be viewing the world quietly and reflectively through her camera lens (she takes AWESOME photos!), or she might be leading a bible-study at SLOBS using REVELS (visual and nutritional aids - love 'em), or perhaps she'll be tying packets of Lovehearts to verses about guarding your heart to put on pillows, she might be running a CU weekend away, seamlessly, effortlessly and pretty much single handedly, or maybe participating in a weekend away, or she might be whizzing around on her bike or sitting in Boston Tea Party churning out wisdom to two very lost and tired cousins over iced tea.

Kate's the sort of person you can laugh with, the person you can guarantee will have brilliant ideas, the friend you can discuss theology and life with, without the fear of being shot down. In the time I have know her she has encouraged me, looked out for me, made me think about my position in life, inspired me to read my bible and forced me to buy Fairtrade chocolate (I'M ON A STUDENT BUDGET!!)

That's another thing, she has a massive heart for social justice. And she walks the talk. She doesn't churn out generic phrases to guilt-trip us all, she lives it day in, day out. It's not just third world poverty that makes her stomach churn, she is equally as passionate and gets equally angry at the poverty on the streets of Bristol - a challenge for all of us.

For me Kate is a great role model. I love it when she is open with me because I get to catch a glimpse of her inner workings and I feel so honoured and excited to know her. She has also been a companion for me in my grief, although we rarely talk about it, there is a silent peace and reassurance in knowing that she has some idea of my pain. There have been times, often in my darkest moments when she has texted me a verse that has restored my fragile faith and stopped me from feeling frightened.

Everyone who know Kate really well cherishes her. I have had numerous conversations where we have just gushed about how great Kate is. So this is a post to remind her that we love her and never, ever want to take her for granted.

P.S Kate, if you're reading this, don't hate me.

Honour Spotlight: Ben Jiggins

I haven't written one of these in a long time and this one in particular has to do the person justice. Ben Jiggins is one of the most unique, stubborn, generous and inspiring people I have ever met. We have nothing in common apart from an appreciation of under-ripe bananas, flat-coke and a love for Jesus but for some reason we can always find someone to talk about. He can make me laugh till I cry and my tummy is sore, he's always prepared to listen to my silly teenage girl problems often involving me sobbing ridiculously down the phone and offers advice that is sensitive and real. I see him as the older brother/cousin I never had and with that one of my best friends.

Ben is never afraid to tell you when you're wrong, especially when he thinks he's right. He's passionate about what he likes and equally passionate about what he dislikes. He's had a long, blonde ponytail for as long as I've known him (although rumour has it 2011 will be the year it gets chopped off - wooop!) he's tall and lanky and can run really fast. I'm not sure why his physical appearance is so important, but I think that if you met him you'd understand. He has the BEST laugh in the whole world! Just thinking about it makes me giggle. One of the things I love about him and also one of things that I find so inspiring about him, is how sure of himself he is. When presented with something new or unfamiliar he's always so determined to work out what he thinks about it and what impact it's going to have on him. His personality, interests and experiences seem to fit into these neat little boxes, whilst mine appear to have been chucked messily into a wardrobe with the door hanging off. He's unbelievably loyal and I mean that in the full sense of the word. He's loyal to his friends, to his family, to his faith and also to himself and it's this commitment that I want to emulate.

When I was 13 I wrote a prayer in my journal asking God for a friend who would be consistent and allow me to truly be myself (I also asked for a boyfriend but I'm going to blame that on hormones and an addiction to One Tree Hill!) Anyway, I truly believe that God gave me Ben as my friend to help me grow into my faith and my future, but also to show me a biblical, godly friendship in action. For this I will be eternally grateful because he's just brilliant.