Do be do be do.

   A few weekends ago Dad, Shanae and I visited the Grandparents in Devises. It was Grandpa's Birthday on the Monday and we went to the cinema to see Les Miserables, I made lasagna with Grandma which we had for dinner and a lovely cake Shanae had assisted with as well. Coming to this house as a child meant that we would play board and card games, do puzzles, go across the valley and make forts in the green opposite the back garden, have pudding after each meal, and no WiFi. The latter was not noticeable until recent years and now with such smart phone technology it is no longer as applicable, but it is interesting to see how dependent I seem to be on keeping in the cyber loop.

 I enjoy keeping in touch with people and playing games online with people miles away, and of course I blog, but it struck me a few weeks ago how I am not as alright being alone as I used to be. Losing Mum probably has something to do with this, but I think I've been searching for something for years now to occupy my time, other than myself.

When I was younger, about 9-13 I had my head stuck in books so much so that my brother would get frustrated with me when I would refuse to play games with him choosing instead to finish off a chapter or two in the latest Jaqueline Wilson book. I used to write a lot, poems, stories, letters, journals, and draw still life, people from photos and dress designs. I used to be quite content being by myself and doing my own thing and somewhere between then and late adolescence I got hooked onto social networking in different forms. 

When I started my journals for this book I reclaimed my passion for writing. Having started my degree in English and Film Studies I have rekindled my love of reading and expanded the horizons of my interest in film, but since my studies took a pause last May I feel I've fallen back into the habit of being cyber-social 24/7. A while ago I started 'The Glass Virgin' by Catherine Cookson and I'm over half way through it, an interesting read! At my Grandparent's house I completed a 1000 piece puzzle and remembered, I love puzzles. This may all seem elementary for some people, and maybe others are thinking my habits sound rather similar to their own, but I am discovering new likes and dislikes I was before unaware of because I hadn't spent the time to figure them out.

To make a long story short - I am doing more things now in the real world, by myself, rather than staring at a computer screen/waiting for a message response, and it's awfully refreshing. 

The other day I met a friend at my house and we walked up to a wee nature reserve in my village with a lake and watched the sunrise. I took along some hot chocolate in a flask and a few breakfast bars and we sat and talked and enjoyed the fresh breeze. It was surprisingly invigorating. Over the past few weeks I have been blitz clearing out my room, rearranging furniture and making it look generally more homey, my next project is to make a 'wall of frames' above the bed and it'll be done. A few days ago I dyed my hair red! My sister and I found the dye whilst clearing things out and I thought - why the heck not. 
   I have also been doing a few colourful things in my diary lately, and have a new idea to make my life from here on out more positive: I re-read my diary from last year and realised I complain in it a lot. Reading back over the things that went wrong, disappointments, sad thoughts and unwanted memories and I realised that they aren't the things that I want to remember. So I have decided that I will only write positive things in my diary. An idea on Pinterest was to have a clear glass jar and fill it with small notes of good things that happen each day in 2013, to re-read at the end of the year. If you use different coloured pieces of paper it can be a pretty display piece and you can be reminded daily of the good things that happen in your life.

So here's a wee list of things to brighten up your dull days as we wish the winter chills away:
- Go for a walk somewhere different (even just down a street or path you don't normally venture)
- Watch the sunrise/sunset with a friend (prefferably outside, if it's raining - take a brolly!)
- Drink Hot Chocolate in the morning (sweet starts to the day are always the best)
- Read a book (or finish all those ones you started and never finished)
- Do something different with your appearance (dye your hair/wear your good shirt to work)
- Clear out your room/redecorate (tidy house, tidy mind)
- Make a new playlist, discover some new music or get back into the stuff that you really used to love (I've been listening to a lot of country recently which reminds me of Spring Cleaning with Mum <3)
- Give a compliment a day (a 'Pay it Forward' idea - give a little love and it all comes back to you)
- Make something (a card/present/cake/smoothie - Valentine's Day coming up! We have a special ability to be creative, and Doing It Yourself can be rather therapeutic)

Do something new. Be content in what you have. Do something for someone else. And repeat - do, be, do, be, do...

Travel Journal #8 - Hidy Ho Henderson :]

Monday 22nd October

   Got up. Lunch. Shopping with Marie. Dinner with Kid President's family and another couple. Watched the 3rd Presidential debate - interesting stuff.

   If you would like to see what Kid President does, look here: Kid President - YouTube

Tuesday 23rd October

   Went to an early lunch in a Japanese restaurant near Jackson. Pretty good. Rice tea. I had a non-adventurous-but-delicious sweet and sour chicken dish and Dad had the Mongolian beef. Others had sushi and such but I'll wait 'til I get to Japan to try the cuisine... Went back to campus later on in the day and spoke with Marco for a bit then went to Chickasaw Park with Matt Wallace. 'Fall' over here is SO beautiful, I whacked out my camera and was snapping away at the beautiful colours on the trees as they're changing, and the lake was so still it was amazing. Like a mirror giving us twice the splendor of the forest. Fun stuff :] Went to the Robertson's for dinner and stayed talking 'til 1130pm. Good conversations.

Wednesday 24th October

   Met Cassidy Williams at 10am in the Old House then went to chapel and lunch. Went to Chickasaw State Park with Matt again for a bit and he took me to the house we were eating at for dinner. Went to Pincin in the evening to give a talk, was pretty good. Went back to campus to evening singing and stayed in Cassidy's dorm!

Thursday 25th October

   Went to chapel, had lunch in Gano, went to Cassidy's class on Hebrews, went to Chickasaw with Matt and Cody and played guitar and watched Cody muck about. Had dinner at Pizza Hut with Matt, Cassidy, Cody, Dad, Marie, Bill and his wife (Dean of Bible), good stuff!! Back to Campus, watched a bit of 'Cool Runnings' in Old Main on the projector, went to get coffee before the MM and ended up staying in the cafe paying Mau (the card game) and came home.

Friday 26th October

   I got about 5 hours sleep last night as I got in late, packed and was up speaking to a friend back home <3 So I'm knackered. Talking to people and making good friendships has also worm me out, emotionally. I'm so sad to be leaving Steve and Marie, I consider them as Grandparents, they're so precious in my heart. Sad also to be leaving new friends, though I'm sure we'll see each other again.

   We're leaving for Ohio today - a 12 hour drive. Please pray for a safe journey as there's meant to be storms nearby and I would love to get there in one piece. :]

We have to go pack the car, so have a good day and I'll see you in Ohio!

Love and peace.

Travel Journal #4 Sat 13th Oct

   Today we all had a bit of a lie in and Marie and I went shopping! Again... She's quickly becoming one of my favourite people. Not just because she takes me to neat shops and encourages me to buy pretty dresses ;] She's also very much interested in literature, crafts, tea and said shopping - so pretty much me a few years down the line! She's wonderful. 

   So yes, I bought 3 dresses, 2 tops, a hat (Marie bought me that grey one) mine has an OWL on it :] and some presents for some folk back home! Awfully successful outing. We had lunch at a burger place and then came home. Later Dad and I head out to the Blackwelder's house (peeps I did the horse volunteer thing with the other day) and we had a lovely dinner and visit. I went out to feed the horses with Beata and Alex as well which was cool :] All in all a very good day! Now I MUST get sleep as we're leaving at 0730 hrs to go to Corinth, Mississippi then up to Kentucky and back to Henderson TN. All in a day's work! 3 states, 1 day. 

Travel Journal #3

     Friday 5th October
Up early, packed the car and now heading to Oklahoma! The roads here don't really tell you when you're coming up to a junction, so Dad and I were speaking and we flew past it... re-routed us a bit but I think we'll actually save time this way! Nae bad.... Waffle House for lunch - SO GOOD!

We arrived at Russell and Jennifer's, had a tour round their house, went round on their buggy thing into their woods and I drove it round a bit and Dad was a bit concerned I was going fast - but Russell was encouraging me to go faster. :] Had dinner - funny dinner conversations with the boys. Up talking, playing guitar then bed.

     Saturday 6th October
Soccer games at 9 and 10 with Jennifer's dad and it was cooold. Down to 38*F at one point. Back for shooting clay targets with a shot gun! Rode round on buggy a bit more. Met Jennifer's mum. :] Had delicious pizza for lunch in Tulsa. Went to the Christian shop, bought stuff... Went to the 'Hobby Lobby' store - amazing, Mum would have loved it. And to a fantastic music shop. 
   Then went to the Langdons... Rope swing, zip wire, gorgeous house with the children's beds on the ceiling!!! They have two cows, three horses, four dogs and chickens. Dan talked about how life should go at 'that pace' looking at the horses moseying through the gate. We rode on horses quite a bit, round the other fields and over a wee dry creek... We had a campfire and the first ever international partaking of Camp Tayside Hot Choccy Choccy That Tastes Jolly Good! Dan prayed "Thank you for this moment and moments like this to come" whilst we were at the campfire. <3
   And SLEEP.
     Sunday 7th October
Church - Dad preached, spoke about our family and his work with the British Bible School. Preached a good lesson :]  They were having a pumpkin patch so we helped unload the 2000 pumpkins after pot luck, Dad on a wee digger and my in the truck (after taking lots of pictures). 
   A guy who used to be a professional country singer had brought his PA system and set it up on the back of a lorry bed and Jen had told him I played guitar and sang and he insisted I play his new shiny guitar. I obliged, of course. We sang I'm Yours by Jason Mraz then I played Ghosts for him, Dad, Russell, Jennifer and her Dad. Was so much fun. We had to head before the festival thing started, down to Edmond to see John and Connie Maple.
   We had a sandwich dinner then head out to Oklahoma Christian University campus for the evening lecture of their Lectureship. Walking into the building and Kevin Peters is walking towards us! An old friend who lived in Dundee, Scotland for a while and was involved in Camp Tayside (which I blogged about in July/August) - so good to see him!! After the lecture we got to see Acappella perform - the original and the current in a 30 Year Reunion!!! 

   They were soooo goood! And the bassist sheesh! Made the ground vibrate! Good stuff. Met Kevin's lovely wife Amanda briefly after the concert then tried to find Dad as he'd wandered off to see people. Met Keith Lancaster as we were on our way to the car - good friend of Dad's and his wife was close with Mum, so was lovely to see them. <3
     Monday 8th October 
Up and ready and at a lecture with Dad at 9. Saw Kevin briefly as we went through the book and mission stalls. Spoke to Jed and Shiloh Lovejoy who we knew when they were in the UK and are involved in running a Christian Children's Home in Oklahoma called Tipton House. http://www.tiptonhome.com/ I went with Amanda P for some coffee in OK City and we drove around for a bit, she showed me the nice spots and the not-so-nice spots, the church she worked at and the area Kevin worked in as well. Had lunch with Amanda, Kevin and their friend Jamie. Then coffee with Dad and Kevin and back to the house. After dinner Dad, Connie and John went to the evening lecture and I stayed in to edit photos/relax/pack/sleep...
     Tuesday 9th October
Had breakfast with John and Connie, packed the car and went to OCU to see some people before leaving. Met Eric Tryggestad who is the Assistant Managing Editor of The Christian Chronicle publication which is based at OCU. Nice contact to have as a writer ;] We went to the Uni Library's book sale and bought a few books. Then we went to the University Bookshop and bought a fair few more books. Which we'll probably have to mail home - they had to give us a box instead of a bag to carry them out... We then head back across to Searcy, AK, stopping in at Wendy's to eat a late lunch then Sonic for a lovely chocolate malt each. Got to the Shelton's and had some dinner, some catch up conversation and went to bed. And I blogged. http://thoughtsofshellymarie.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-city-is-big-but-god-is-bigger.html

     Wednesday 10th October
Slept in 'til 9 :] Had SUCH a lazy day it was wonderful. Typed out this Travel Journal... Need to finish it with links and pictures tomorrow (which will already be there by the time you read it!) Had a funny conversation with my friend Brooke. Yeah, thought I'd give you a shout out ;] BED!
     Thursday 11th October
Slept in 'til 9, up and ready and packed, caught up with my lovely friend at home Nicola <3 Finished this journal and heading off to Henderson soon! See you there :] // Arrived at Steve and Marie Johnson's house and got a well needed cup of tea! Dinner and some catching up then Marie got out some craft stuff and we started making button rings! Thanks Pinterest ;]

     Friday 12th October
Slept in 'til 9, up and ready, Skyped with Jayne, Stuart and Eli for a good while - he's getting so big and I miss my beautiful friends!! Skyped with a friend from school David as well and spoke to Nicola today as well <3 So many shout out's here :] Blogged 'Travel Journal #2', and I guess now #3 as you're reading it! Think we're going out in Henderson to eat tonight, and then lots more shenannegans over the weekend.. Have a good one, blog to ya soon.


Peace and Love.

Travel Journal #2

     Wednesday 26th September

Chapel at Freed Hardeman then set off for Searcy. Realised we left the projector in Gallatin - doh! - so we detoured to the Apple store in Memphis to get a connector for Dad's computer. We got to Searcy, Arkansas, to the Shelton's house, had a bit of dinner, met Hannah's fiencee Jake and chatted for a while about the trip so far. Went to bed and slept amazingly. 

     Thursday 27th September

Today marks a year since God took Mum home to be with Him. We didn't plan anything for today. I stayed in, blogging, played guitar, editing photos and such, speaking with some good friends back home. Went to Hannah and Jake's flat-to-be which Jake is living in at the moment, went to a coffee shop 'Midnight Oil' and came back to the house to chill for a bit.

http://thoughtsofshellymarie.blogspot.com/2012/09/remember-remember.html

     Friday 28th September

I went to chapel with Hannah this morning, Corey Stumne gave the devotional and it was brilliant! I went with Hannah and Jake to register for wedding gifts at Hallmark. Fun stuff. 
Went to lunch at a mexican restaurant with Dad and the Brown's (went to school with their oldest daughter and Hannah on my 7th Birthday!) and we went to a place called 'Shorty's' for dinner tonight. Pretty small place out in nowhere pretty much but they do excellent catfish! #hanginwiththelocals From there we went to 'Get Down Downtown' where there were a bunch of market stalls and food vans and a stage with country singers. We got some amazing ice cream from a wee shop and went into this really groovy 'open studio' thing where artists have their own cubicle for making stuff and they can display it so when the public walks around their pieces can be bought! Crazy cool.

     Saturday 29th September

Went to the Beebe flea market - BIT of a 'cultural experience', looked properly like a 3rd world country.. IT was interesting to say the least. We then went to Little Rock to see Hannah's older sister Sarah who is a Pharmacist there. We walked a bit across the bridge, went to a cool food emporium place and stood on the War Memorial Stadium's Football field. Pretty cool! 
Had dinner at the house with the Brown's and went to my first ever American Football game, Harding Bison's vs. ECU (Oklahoma) Tigers and we won 31-14 it was so much fun! (And that was another Harding "FIRST DOWN!" woop woop!) I am now a fan.

     Sunday 30th September

So it was a year since we had a Bithday dinner and cake for Mum, without her.

   Went to church, Dad preached and I cried when he mentioned Mum and this anniversary. <3 A woman came up to us afterwards and told her it touched her as well as today is her son's birthday, and she lost her husband earlier this year. We sat in on a college bible class talking about religion and science, the guy mentioned some philosophical terms and schools of thinking which I actually understood and I felt all studious again aha. Went back to the house for dinner sandwiches and some friends of the Shelton's came round to eat with us. We then to Harding to hear their University Choir and and evening Lecture beginning the Lectureship officially! Monte Cox spoke about 'Faith in a New Place and Time', kicking off the talks for the week which were all taken from the book of Joshua. Hannah and I then went to an evening song service for the youth at a church nearby and I met up with a friend Sophie and stayed in her dorm for the night which was fun! Met her friends and enjoyed a late trip to Walmart :]

http://thoughtsofshellymarie.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-do-you-know-when-youre-in-love.html

     Monday 1st October

First day of lectureship! Got ready and head into 10am chapel - which Dad was giving all this week, (student chapel at 9am and 10am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Lectureships) which can be found on iTunes, if you follow this link it will come up in your iTunes App store - just search for the speaker 'Patrick Boyns' and you shall hear my Daddy! 

https://itunes.apple.com/institution/harding-university/id448940916

   Had lunch at the house and went to a women's lecture in the afternoon with Hannah on the verse 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' It was really inspiring, 3 women in different circumstances - the 'single' household, the 'newly-married' household and the 'mother and grandmother' household. They spoke to us briefly about their experiences in their relationships and how it has influenced their service to the Kingdom. Lunch and dinner at the houseWe all went to the evening lecture given by Keith Tompson entitled 'Faith That Doesn't Fear the City.'

     Tuesday 2nd October

Chapel with Lori. Went to a women's lecture with Lori entitled 'Women's Ministry and Programs: Leading the Journey' given by Anessa Westbrook. Went to one art exhibition called 'A Tourist of Saints: a photo graphic journal of Haiti'. Went to Hannah's British Novel class - Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush! Lunch with Hannah and Jake at a Mexican restaurant. The evening lecture was given by Clifton Ganus, who is about 90 years old, spoke about a 'Faith That Grows Stronger With Age.' We caught up with an old friend of Dad's, Dwight Smith, and then went to Bruce McLarty's for tea after evening lecture and sat with a bunch of great people - then came back and blogged about it. :] 

http://thoughtsofshellymarie.blogspot.com/2012/10/thank-you-for-purple-people.html

     Wednesday 3rd October 

Chapel in the morning with Lori then went round the mission tables, bought some wee gifts and picked up leaflets. Went to the second art exhibition - a series of prints based on passages from Joshua. Didn't get to go to the student lecture I had wanted to catch, but I'll catch it on iTunes, it was given by Will Waldron called 'Connections Through the Cross'. Went to Hannah's meeting about wedding catering in one of the Harding offices. Came home and blogged. Dinner in the house out to the evening lecture given by Nathan Guy called 'Faith That Is Constantly Renewed.' 
http://thoughtsofshellymarie.blogspot.com/2012/10/b-e-u-tiful.html

     Thursday 4th October

Day in sorting stuff and packing. Bit of writing. Edited photos. Dinner at night with the Shelton's and played the 'game of things' 'til late. FUNNY stuff. 

Making a move.

   As I get ready to go home for the first time since New Years I feel anxious, and then confused. I have written already about 'Home Sweet Home' being where the heart is, and I do believe this, but Mum isn't at home anymore so it changes the place as a whole. It'll be strange going in and seeing her hand painted plaques, 'mumsie' magnets on the fridge and country home ornaments dotted upon various surfaces. It'll be strange visiting her grave and seeing how the grass has gown over evenly, giving her flowers that she'll never be able to really appreciate. It's just strange. Almost a year on, and it's even stranger so. It feels like Christmas, the air is thinning, and an anxious excitement has been creeping up on me for the past week. 

   I had said that I was going to write up entries from a year ago, see where I was this time last year and here's one from the 9th and 10th September... 

[[

9th September 2011
Dundee Church Retreat September 2011
Frank Worgan - “But of course you’re Mum will never die, with you alive you’re a spitting image of her.”
<3 You will never know the lump in my throat that came, and went, before I cried into your shoulder.
--------------------------------------
10th September 2011
 Mum got the stair lift put in 2 days after I left them.
It’s the 10th September - 3 months before the wedding. I’m at the Dundee Church Retreat in Arbroath and I was falling asleep yesterday thinking about the wedding. About how Mum might be at Aubrey’s, about how she might not be at mine or Shanae’s - so she should be documented, so we can play it back and live it with her there in some form.
    Then I thought, well, how it could be done, and who could do it - Brittney Cameron. She is an amazing photographer, really waits for the shot, naturally... maybe she could film a bit as well…
    I’d have to ask Aubrey and Sara and Dad for permission, and maybe Mum? But that might make her self conscious and not act naturally… Imagine preparing testimony to those you love because you know you’re going to die... That’s no way to live the time you have left, is it?
    I’d pay her and everything, who can put a price on memories of her Mother?
-----------------------------
   I don’t know how I will be when she goes. Be it a few months, years or decades - losing your Mother is much the same how ever old you are.
I’m reminded of Tawny Owl from Brownies. She dies last year at the age of 42 or something close, her daughter was Oswald’s house at school and I didn’t even realise at the time. Tawny Owl didn’t have anything wrong with her, and she wasn’t even the victim of a crime. A bubble of air got into her bloodstream, she complained of a pain in her knee - she collapsed hours later and died, the bubble got into her heart. There was nothing wrong with her, she just died.
    At least I’ll be prepared for grieving.

]]

Ah crazy. Well, I think it's time for me to make a move and get my suitcase in the car. 

   Readership - I'll see you in England.

Mobile blogging..

So I've now got the Blogger app which means I can keep you more up to date with stuff :) fun times. Taking advantage of this here is a pic of my tools for this project: diaries, pen and camera!

More coming soon...