Up, Up And Away!

Just 24 hours from now, I will be at Heathrow Airport, hanging around waiting for my flight to take me to St Louis to visit my darling man. I have so much to do today, I don't know whether I'm coming or going right now but all I can think is a mixture of /squeee and oh my gosh, where's the time disappearing to!

I was determined that this trip, I would pack earlier than the last evening but I've been awake for 3 hours and I'm only now getting round to being productive! Maybe it's the 4th coffee kicking in at last but I'm getting so hyped to see him again, it could be that which is fueling my mad panic to get all the things done.

This trip is special to me, it will be the third anniversary of my first trip to see him and I just can't wait! It's been a rollercoaster three years, divorce, selling a house and surviving breast cancer as well as learning to live alone for the first time in my life. I've said it before but I don't know how I would have got through it all without him. He's been my tower of strength, my butt-kicker when I needed it but mostly, he's just been there through every thing with me, holding my hand and giving encouragement, love and being a total goofball at just the right times.

Inspiration for Ghostbusters building

I love St Louis too - it's so very different from anything I expected from an American city but then my impressions of American city life come from TV and movies. Of course, I know those aren't accurate depictions of the way of life but it was and is, still a shock to me. I think the huge difference in lifestyle helps contribute to the culture shock too - I've always been a country girl, living in a small town rather than a city girl.

Having so many facilities and restaurants close at hand where he lives is great but it doesn't help my waistline, that's for sure. The City Diner is literally just across the road and it becomes my second home from home when I'm there. Two of the waitresses have taken me under their wings and took me out for a Girls Night last summer. I can't wait to see my friends again - both have had some heavy duty life experiences since my last trip & I need to give them big hugs.

There's also a few friends I have made in his apartment building that I'm dying to see again. Robert is an old man who spends his days hanging out in the foyer or watching the world go by from the sidewalk outside. I struggle with his deep voice and accent sometimes but he's such a nice old man and has some really interesting stories to tell. I know I'll get a big hug and a huge grin from him on Wednesday morning when I see him.

We've made a few plans for some of my visit, including a day out with his Mom, a must do Crawfish Festival at the Broadway Oyster Bar and possibly even a meet up with a Twitter friend or two. There's also an Italian Calzone restaurant he's promised to take me too and I'm insisting we have to go back to the little Mexican restaurant where he took me for my first Margarita way back on my first trip! It's going to be a great 3 weeks and I'm stubbornly refusing to even think about coming home. There will enough time for that later, much later!

Can you tell I'm excited? I feel like a kid on my way to Disneyland :)

(500 Word Challenge - Day 11 word count 621)

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L is for Live Life!

Live Life!

Being true to my Welsh roots, today's post is a double L. Live Life is something I still need to learn to do well - I have good days when I live to the full but for quite a while now, I've just been a passenger, staring out at the world as it passes me by in a bit of a blur. I've been living for my trips to St Louis for a while now and the rest is just the necessary evil bits in between. I have to change that though, it's not good for me or my love.

I was off work for 4 years until last year and I rarely left the house. My life was lived on this box and screen we call a computer with people from all over the world. Oh, I loved a lot of it and it helped me come alive again but it still doesn't really count towards Living Life - at least, not in my head. The people are real, the voices in my headset are real but it's all a bit arm's length kind of stuff.

When I started this A to Z Challenge, it was just a way to make myself sit down and write but even over just 10 or 11 posts, I'm already feeling better. I thought I would stick to mainly gaming articles with a bit of life thrown in but actually, the topics I've been drawn to so far have been much more personal - stuff that is or has happened to me. Things I've found and want to talk about as well as explore further.

It seems so long ago that I wrote about Depression but that was only 7 posts ago but since then, I've written about Hope and Happiness, Ideas & Inspiration and now today, Live Life! I have so much more positive energy already that it's beginning to become a habit - and one I hope I can maintain!

Smell the Roses

Take time to smell the flowers, watch the birds or the clouds on a sunny day. Hold out a helping hand to a Mum strugggling with a pushchair or hold a door open for an old lady. Give a few pennies to a homeless person or a charity collector in the shopping area.

All these little things add up and if you let yourself soak them up and feel good about doing something positive, your next action will be more positive. It accumulates over time and you will feel better in yourself, you'll find yourself smiling at strangers as you pass or not having to force a smile at work when someone asks if you're ok - you will be!

I found the 100 Happy Days site via a Facebook friend the other day and although I know I won't manage 100 days, it's a great idea for anyone to try, especially if they feel a bit down after the long winter. I also picked up a book at the airport on one of my prior trips, called The Happiness Project which I finished reading before I landed at Heathrow. I've just lent it to a friend and colleague but as soon as she returns it, I'll be reading it again.

As Gretchen the author says - 'even the smallest changes can make a big difference'.

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