My friends 21st birthday and a lovely holiday with my other family

Dear Friends and Family,

Yes it's that time again for another news update :)! I love keeping a blog because I love writing and I suppose one day if my memory fades I can go back and read my blogs and see everything lol. It's just nice to have memories.

On the 13th of August I was working my normal shift and getting excited because it was only 4 days to go until my holiday. On the 14th of August I watched the Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan, I have the dvd. It's one of my favourite childhood movies. I remember when I watched it as a kid and taped it I kept watching it over and over for weeks after that and I even brought my dvd with me from South Africa when I moved here. It's legend if you haven't seen it.

I absolutely love music and this is another amazing song I found by Carrie Underwood.



Did you know that in Tokyo they fill up the trains to the max and literally pack people like sardines in to a train, the conductors even push the people so the doors will close. I watched a program that talked about it and showed them pushing people. Here is a video on youtube that shows it. LOL I am glad this isn't practiced in the Uk.



I found this quote which I love:
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. ~ St. Augustine

I love travelling and there is so much to see in the world and experience. It really broadens your horizons when you travel and you get to meet different people and experience different cultures. There is so much to see and a whole world out there to explore. I have lived in 4 different countries and lived in so many different areas. I've also done quite a bit of travelling this year to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Northern Ireland, London, other parts of the Uk. And I have got so many travelling plans in the works. If you haven't traveled, it's so worth saving up for it. The things I love most about travelling is meeting new people or visiting friends and family in other countries and seeing the lovely sights there. Traveling to a new place is one of the most wonderful experiences you can have.

On the 16th of August it was officially one day until my travels and I finished the last of my packing! Yeah!

On the 17th in the morning I got ready and then took the bus to Exeter where I had a full breakfast, great having a full breakfast before a long journey and from there at about 11am I had a 7 and a half hour journey to my friends up North. The buses are really relaxed and chilled, I really prefer them to the trains so I wasn't worried about the journey. However we got stuck in major traffic and I had to catch another bus in Birmingham so I was a little worried I wouldn't make my second bus on time. Although I really enjoyed the journey and made a new friend and we chatted all the way and I even made my 2nd bus on time so it all worked out great. I got to my friends bus station on time and he came to pick me up with his friend. Then I went home and saw all his family for the 1st time in a year.

My sister also sent me a picture of her cat's kitten which is the cutest thing so here it is on my blog - it just has to go on my blog hehe! My sister said she would post him/her to me - I haven't got anything in the mail yet though.



Oh yes on my journey as well I also updated my facebook places and tagged myself at random places along the way that I wasn't even at. My favourite was the Bullring in Birmingham where I said I was being chased (by bulls), however I don't even know what the Bullring is maybe it's just a shopping centre haha. So yes the journey was fun lol.

The first night I was at Dan's - Dan , Josh and I were already taking photos and having lots of fun. There is a page on facebook that says "Sometimes I lie on the kitchen floor and pretend to be a crumb" so we took pictures of us lying on the floor pretending to be crumbs hahahaha. Because you know it's just something everybody does, I am sure everyone has been a crumb at some time in their life hmmm..... I should hope not lol!

On the 18th of August was Dan's 21st birthday. In the morning we all gave him our prezies and took pictures. I got him a mop. You know because I am a housekeeper and I know mops can be very useful. Haha actually I got him other things and a big 21st badge just in case anyone wonders how old he is. Dan, Josh and I went and watched Cowboys VS Aliens at the movies on his birthday.

He got a Wii (pronounced wee) for his birthday (the game) and so we all played on the Wii. His 21st status should have been "I'm playing with my Wii" haha!

We took lots of photos on his birthday which are already on facebook.

I found these bible verses about friendship on the 19th. I was thinking about how much I love all my friends and how each of them have something special about them that I like. I really love my friends.

These are the bibles verses I found and I found the perfect video dedicated to all my friends.
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. ~Proverbs 17:17.
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. ~Proverbs 27:17




I took a break off facebook on the 20th because it was Dan's 21st birthday braai (barbeque) and I wanted to spend it with everyone. His friends and family came over for the braai. We took loads of photos. And he had 21 helium balloons from his mom and so we all sang songs and things with helium, it was hilarious! It was such a lovely braai and day! Here are a few pics from it.











On Sunday we had a nice chilled day at the house.

On Monday the 22nd of August I went Tenpin bowling with Dan and Josh :)! It was the first time I had been bowling in the Uk. It was loads of fun and I came 2nd. I was very good at bowling *cough* I was actually lucky they had things on the sides so the bowling ball couldn't go in the gutter because the gutter would have been the favoured place for my bowling ball haha. It was awesome we also played some of the arcade games too. I tried to win a smurf but couldn't lol. Dan played a game where you punch a punching bag to get a top score and on his first go he beat the top score lol!

Here are some pics.





In case you are wondering I didn't eat all this lol, we got a platter to share.



On the 23rd we had a relaxed day. I also started playing all sorts of facebook games, I actually spent most of the day playing facebook games. It was so fun being unproductive I hadn't had an unproductive day in a long time. I have all the facebook games but I hadn't played them in a while. Which reminds me I was supposed to collect my crops in farmville and get my food off the stove in cafe world - and it's now the 29th of August - so I will getting some withered crops and burnt food LOL.

On the 24th I went to Newcastle Under Lyme with Dan's mom Trish and his sister Leigh-Amy and her kids. Her little boy is only 6 months, he's the sweetist thing and I've nicknamed him ET because of his name (from the movie ET) lol. We did some shopping and they left me there to do some shopping and went home. Dan and Josh came later and Josh and I waited around while Dan had a 3 hour haircut. I thought girls haircuts took long haha!

On the 25th I finally watched Tangled which I had been wanting to watch for ages! It was an amazing movie. Here is a song from it.



Here is another song I found which I loved. Which reminded me of parents and how they must wish their kids stayed young.



On the 26th it was time for the next part of my holiday. Dan and Josh drove me to the bus station. I had had a lovely time with them all! It was so good to see everyone again!

There were major traffic because of accidents as I took the bus back and the bus driver even made a plan for me to get on another type of bus that was even nicer to get to my destination but I eventually did get to my destination one and a half hours later than I was supposed to arrive lol! It was about an 7 hour journey all together.

I will write more about where my journey continues later - for now I shall love and leave you with this news.

I hope you are all having a wonderful time, I have been having an incredible holiday with amazing people!

Love to you all,
Nix

The August Edition of news

Dear Friends and Family

I left you last at the beginning of Folk week which was on the 29th of July. In the evening of the 29th I went out with friends for the first night of Folk week. It was also my day off as I get Fridays off every week. There were already so many people in my town that night! The day before I had just bought a new camera and yes I took photos on Friday :).

Here are a few.

I tried Pimms for my first time which is a really nice drink if you haven't had it before. It was so good it had lemonade and fruit in it too.










On the 30th of July some friends came to visit me and we had a good afternoon walking around and seeing some of the festival and of course taking pictures.





Even by the 31st I was starting to have withdrawals from being on my laptop. Actually people teased me a lot when my laptop wasn't working saying how will you survive so I did milk it a bit when it was gone ;)! You probably saw my facebook statuses like I was dying and my laptop is like oxygen to me and I can't live without it and whatever. I thought if I am going to write about missing my laptop, I am going to do it properly haha. So I had a bit of fun with that. In fact it was also a nice break not to have a computer and I had a good time doing other things.

On the 2nd of August as I was walking around my town I'd never seen so many people. It almost seemed as busy as Exeter. It made a nice change for the week of Folk week. I was looking around at the people in amusement - who knew my town would be the place to be.

I expected to get my laptop back on the 4th of August but it was only going to be delivered on the 7th. It wasn't that I couldn't live without my computer for a while but it was a problem for me because I had important things to do on there that week and the fact that it was delayed even more delayed everything I needed to do. The week it stopped working was the week I was going to do something I'd wanted to do for a long time so it wasn't the not having a laptop that bothered me, it was that I had spilt coffee on it the week I needed it the most. I still haven't done the main thing I want to do on there but I will :).

On the 3rd of August in the evening after work they played drums in the Market Square for the festival and oh my word they were - AMAZING! I did video a lot of it and I will be posting the videos but even the videos don't do it justice. It was so awesome! It even started raining near the end of their show and everyone just stood in the rain and listened we didn't even care about the rain. Folk week was the best atmosphere I have seen in the Uk.

On the 4th of August I walked all the way to Lidl's in Sidmouth. I'd never walked that far down and I've lived here since September last year. It actually was quite amusing in the end because I walked to the furthest store and bought the heaviest things and then I had to walk all the way back. Let's just say my arms got a really good work out that day haha. I enjoyed the view so much as I was walking and seeing the hills and the park, Sidmouth is such a beautiful area.

On the 5th of August was the last day of the Folk week festival. It was such an awesome festival and it ended with a bang - Fireworks! They also had a parade down the sea front and closed off the road there. The parade was awesome! I have pics of course. All of us at the hotel went out for the end of Folk week. I also had a haircut earlier, well just a trim and that's a bit of a funny story. I got my hair washed and the hairdresser put my hair up with a towel and gave me one of those robes and sat me town then she went to get me some tea. By the time she came back my hair was out the towel on my lap and I was fiddling with my robe trying to put it back on - I had unraveled everything. Don't ask how it's just a Nicola moment I am unexplainable sometimes haha. I was thinking oh no but hey that's me I told you before I am a walking disaster lol.

Here are some pics of the last night of the festival.





This is the best picture I took from the parade - I caught her just in time.



We were going to get a pic of us with the fireworks in the background but it was hard to catch the fireworks and this was the first picture and that tiny dot in the sky is a bit of a firework haha.







And so Sidmouth Folk Week festival was over and what an incredible festival it was! If you missed it, you missed a lot, it was so cool! The atmosphere was fantastic and the music and dancing and everything was brilliant! It was a good week but also busier for us at work. On the 6th of August the day after it was straight back to the peaceful Sidmouth I know.

I love writing and I was feeling writing withdrawals most of all and on the 7th I finally got my laptop back. It had been two weeks since I had had a computer. Also my laptop is my connection to most of my friends and family around the world who are not here with me so I felt very disconnected from everyone while it was getting repaired and I am the kind of person that likes to be in touch with people. Although since I have had it back I haven't actually spent much time at the computer and I've actually been out quite a bit.

I really made a big thing of not having my laptop, most of it being my sense of humour, I even told the staff here I was on a date with my laptop because now I sit in the staff room a lot because I get better wifi-signal and they all see me in the staff room. Haha yes Nicola and her computers. I have always been a techno-geek with laptops, ipods, mobile phones, cameras - you name it, I like it.

I found this song again I like by Natalie Grant, I think I have posted it on one of my blog posts before. I like how it emphasises the fact that we all are human. It's true no matter what our background is we are ALL God's children and we should treat each other like brothers and sisters in Christ.

We gotta do better than this 'cause we only got
One life that we've been given
A little love, a little kindness
A little light in this time of darkness
It'll be what makes us different
It'll be what makes us human
I'm human, you're human, we are human



I always have a song of the day on facebook, well on some days I do and this was one of them this week that someone showed me.



On Tuesday I heard about the riots in the Uk. So much violence and fires and looting and all sorts. I am on the coast so although we live in the Uk it doesn't really affect us, it's like a different world down here. I can't really say much about the riots I heard about things on facebook and watched a tiny bit of the news but I haven't seen much since then so I can't really say more.

I also got the night off work on Tuesday and went to visit Exmouth to see a friend. It was my first time going to Exmouth during the day because my first time there I'd been there at night for dinner. Yes there are pics.

On the beach in Exmouth.





We had mussels for dinner which were sooo awesome! Really tasty!






On Wednesday the 10th of August it was exactly one week until my trip :)! In the evening I went and watched Cars 2 in 3D with a friend at the cinema in Sidmouth because I got the night off work again.

Yesterday I worked in the morning and then I spent most of the day relaxing and writing because it was my half day. I work until lunchtime on Thursday then I get the rest of the day off and I get the whole day on Friday off every week.

Today I went to Exeter to do some shopping for my trip. I wanted to buy a suitcase and I'd seen one a couple of weeks ago there at a store but when I went to get it, it was out of stock. As I was standing outside I saw a stand that sells suitcases and one looked almost exactly like the suitcase I used to have. I was so happy that I found one and it just shows how God comes through for you because I was praying I'd find a suitcase on time and I wasn't sure what to do when the one I wanted wasn't there. When there is no plan God always makes a plan. So I got a nice new suitcase and it's only 5 days to go :)))!

I shall love and leave you with this news, love hearing your news too,
Keep in touch,
Stay cool,
Love Nicola

News update now my laptop is back - End of July 2011 - the life of Nicola Hill

Dear Friends and Family!

It has been ages since my last blog update due to the fact that I spilt coffee on my computer and had to send it for repairs. I just got it back today which is awesome because I missed being online so much. I did borrow my friends German and Slovakian computers to use briefly while I didn't have one, which was interesting lol as the keyboards are a bit different. Now I'm back to update all my internet sites after about two weeks so I've got a lot to do ;).

On the 18th of July it was departure day (when most of the guests leave the hotel) so a busy day for us housekeepers. I also spent quite a bit of time with my friend who broke her ankle. And I cleaned my room, I know it's shocking. I remember when I was younger my sister used to go in my room and clean it because it would annoy her that I could live in such mess haha. Actually over the years I have become a lot better with cleaning my room, I even have my laundry day and all sorts now, see I am learning. My sister would be proud lol.

As usual I post bible verses I like on facebook.

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. ~ Luke 6:45

I laugh very easily and I love the different types of humour in life from different people and in tv shows (I get almost any humour because I have a very varied sense of humour). I was watching Gilmour Girls on the 19th of July and I got this quote from there that really made me laugh :D.
Lorelai: "I'll be your guide."
Rory: "What do you know about Harvard?" Lorelai:
"I know this... Look there is Harvard."

I started a new Wordpress blog on the on the 19th of July - nicolahill7.wordpress.com which is going to be my journalism blog. I am going to write stories from people and reviews and just everything I find interesting that I want to write about. I haven't posted anything on it yet due to having no laptop but I will be so stay tuned and if you'd like you can follow me if you're on there.

I was playing Cityville on facebook on the 21st of July. It had been a long time since I played it. I used to be addicted to facebook games but now a lot of the time I forget I have them but when I do go on they are fun. I think I may have hundreds of requests I need to get around to accepting lol. My city in Cityville is called Awesomeville - yip if you know me you know Awesome is my word :)!

I also post songs on my blog that I've previously posted on facebook. I totally love music! I usually have music in the background no matter what I am doing.

I found this amazing song to Psalm 62 - they sang Psalm 62 - how awesome is that :)!



On the 21st of July I watched the final Harry Potter movie and it was incredible! To think that the whole story and everything in the Harry Potter movies were all part of of a book and a whole idea 1 person came up with, such amazing creativity! So much went in to it! How wonderful to be able to create such a story. The movie was brilliant, a great end to a wonderful story and books that I have read since I was a young teenager. And my Godfather bought most of the books for me 1-6. I lost the 2nd one though somewhere but the others are still in South Africa. I love stories and reading and I love writing too. I have a story of my own that I've completed and with God's help hopefully one day it will be published, I've got to work on it and send it off :) which is one of the things I have to do now I have my computer back :D!

One of my best friends gave me this song as my song of the day on facebook. I usually post a song of the day on facebook because of my love for music and on that particular day that's the song I start off with and think about the whole day or it's a song that stood out to me during the day or just a great song I found.

This song reminds me of the tv show Dawson's Creek as it was the theme song.



On the 22nd of July I met up with some aupairs in Exeter and we had a wonderful day together. And I found out I can do places (saying where I am) on my blackberry so I was joking I was going to announce when I in the toilet and things - you know give the people the vital information.

On the 23rd of July it was DOOMS-DAY for me because that was the day I spilt coffee on my computer. Let me tell you how this unfortunate incident happened. I have a lap tray for my laptop and it has a coffee cup holder. And after I'd got my morning coffee, I took it to my room and put it in the coffee holder in my laptop tray, I them picked up the laptop tray to put it on my lap and the coffee titled and spilt all over my keyboard. You know that moment when your heart just sinks - this was one of those moments. I actually turned my laptop upside down and I was shaking coffee out of it lol. It was still working fine but after a few minutes the keys started to get stuck down and some stopped working but thank God I got insurance on my laptop so I just organised for it to be repaired.

On facebook I like status shuffle not because I can't think of a status because I alway have things to write but I like the funny quotes and jokes on there and I liked this one - "Says I'm that kind of person that could get run over...by a parked car!" - My sister replied saying it's true and if you know me, you'll know I'm the ultimate clumsy person or person who random things happen to, I'm always doing crazy things.

On the 24th of July I went out for Pizza with the Social Media team at my church, I'm part of the Social Media team at my church, I'd just joined a couple weeks before. It was a wonderful day and there was loads of pizza!
I found it funny later that the cursor on my map on my blackberry was showing me in the sea when I was sitting in the staff room at the hotel.

On the 25th of July they picked up my laptop to get fixed. I was told I'd get it back on the 4th of August.

A verse I liked.

The Lord shall protect you; the Lord is your shelter at your right hand. The sun shall not burn you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; The Lord shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in, from this time forth, and forevermore.

I felt very relaxed on the 26th, free and chilled (love days like that) and I was considering writing with a pen and paper the old fashioned way because my laptop was gone but I actually never got around to it because the weeks that followed were so busy and a pen and paper takes way longer.

On 27th of July I found out I'd have time off work end of August and so I could take a holiday in August which was an answer to my prayers :)! It's times like that when I am so thankful of God's goodness in your life.

Someone posted this on facebook which I really liked,
God doesn't have a BlackBerry or an iPhone, but He is my favourite contact. He doesn't have Facebook, but He is my best friend. He doesn't have Twitter, but I follow Him and He doesn't have internet, but I am connected to Him. Copy and paste this as your status if you think ♥ God is great

On the 28th of July I did some shopping and finally bought a brand new camera. It's a Sony 16.1 megapixels and it takes the most beautiful clear photos ever! If you want a camera I suggest you get this one! It's great! I'm very happy with it. Then I went to Starbucks and had some coffee and chill time before going to a friends birthday dinner later that evening. It was a lovely dinner with wonderful ladies. Here are a couple pictures.



Anya and I on her 20th Birthday :)))



I said this on the 28th because I was thinking about how good of a day it was and how awesomely God works in our lives, "God is a wonderful loving God who always watches over us and is with us through everything and He makes life sweeter and us sweeter." ~N.H.

The Sidmouth Folk Week Festival began on Friday the 29th of July and it was a week long until the 5th of August ( ended two days ago)! It was AMAZING! I had so much FUN! I loved everything about it and I loved the atmosphere in my town, it was the most wonderful atmosphere ever! It did also mean we had a super busy week at the hotel work wise but for one week it was fine. There was so much to do in Sidmouth every day and there were so many people there! I'd never seen so many people here before!

I will update about Folk week and the beginning of August later.

For now I shall love and leave you with this song, it just came on the radio now (I listen to the radio on the tv) and I absolutely LOVE it! It's sooooo beautiful! Me and my music lol!



Love you all, keep being the awesome people God created you to be and love having you in my life!

More news to come,
Love Nix