I'm Still Here

So you know how Joaquin Phoenix said he was done with acting, was starting a rapping career, and then promptly dropped off the face of the earth? And then it all turned out that it was all just a big hoax, with the release of I'm Still Here, a mockumentary panned by critics which supposedly documents his fall from stardom?

Well that's kinda what we did. Except hopefully our comeback film won't be completely lame. And it wasn't really an elaborate hoax on our part. And we didn't needlessly throw away an incredible amount of acting talent. And instead of growing a crazy insane-man beard, I shaved mine off (and got a hair cut). Ok, so there weren't that many similarities. But suffice it to say, We're Still Here. I know Chelsea already expressed this sentiment at the beginning of the last post with an even better and even more clever reference to celebrity culture, but I couldn't think of a good way to start this post, so there.

And Chelsea wasn't the only one who did stuff over the break. I was quite busy myself. For starters, I finally officially started my photography business, McKelvey Photography. And I had my first two paying gigs as well, which were both a ton of fun, and I feel like went really well. So that was a great experience. Of course, now that I'm back in London, where there are approximately 8 professional photographers per block, there's not much of a market for my skills, especially running up against more established Londoners. If I were to pursue photography here, I'm afraid that by the time I got up and running, it would be time to leave. So I don't really plan to devote a lot of time or energy to that prospect at the moment, nor do I expect to make much money off of it while we're here. Hopefully I can still take advantage of the situation though and learn as much as I can here.

Which brings us up to what I've been doing lately: applying for jobs. As Chelsea mentioned, I got a work visa! So now I'm hoping to finally get a job here. It's quite a daunting task; I've heard quite a few horror stories about looking for work in London, and especially the way things are these days, the general vibe is not optimistic. Plus, I'm in a particularly strange situation. A) I can't apply to any permanent contract jobs, since they'll see on my work visa that I have to leave at the end of September. So only temporary positions. B) I'm American. That's not a huge problem, but generally speaking they'd rather give jobs to their own than to me. C) I don't have much relevant work experience, having just graduated. D) I basically have no chance of getting your typical minimum-wage, desperate for a job, just out of high school type jobs, like flipping burgers or bagging groceries, because all of those jobs give first priority to the massive list of people here on the unemployment registry, which I don't qualify for.

So, the odds are certainly stacked against me here. Which is why I have already applied for 15 different jobs so far, and hoping to find more vacancies to pursue in the coming weeks. Most temporary work tends to be like office assistants and similar positions, which has been the bulk of what I have applied for. I've applied for this sort of job at a few different book publishers, some charities, and some museums around London. I've also applied for a few photography positions, working in studios and doing editing work. I also applied for two jobs at the U.S. Embassy which Chelsea's mom found for me. She found the want ad for my last full time job, so here's hoping her track record holds up to 2-2. Hopefully something will work out, but I'll keep applying in the mean time.

Other than that, I've been editing the first complete draft of my novel, editing photos (as always), and reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It's over 1000 pages with small print, so hopefully I'll finish it before we move back to America.

We also celebrated our 6 month wedding anniversary on Tuesday, which was a lot of fun. We went to a free lunchtime concert at St. Martin's-in-the-fields (weirdest name for a church ever, in my opinion. It's in the heart of London, right next to Trafalgar Square...there definitely aren't any fields). It was a violin/piano duet, and it was really nice. Chelsea literally cried during one of the songs. The church itself was also really cool. After that, we hung out in Trafalgar Square a little.

See...no fields.

Then we took a walk to nearby St. James Park, our favorite park in London. On the way there, we saw an important looking building which we had seen before on the way to the park, but never knew what it was. So that day we decided to investigate.

Turned out it was the Royal Cavalry Museum, which happens to boast the most ridiculous looking guards in existence, and who serve no real purpose other than making silly pictures with tourists.

After that, we went to St. James Park for real, which was nice, as always.

Then Chelsea had a dissertation meeting she had to go to, so we popped over to her school for a little while. We got there a little early, so we got to go up to the Waterfront bar (where we had the infamous pub quiz upon first moving in to London, oh so long ago), on the top floor of her school overlooking the water. So that was nice, except there was a crazy lady sitting at the table behind us talking/singing to herself with mounds of trash all over her table. Soon she fell asleep though so it was alright.

Then Chelsea had to go dissertate (credit to John Rice for that one) and whatnot, so I went to a little student lounge to just hang out and read some while I waited.

Then it was about time for dinner, so we took a tube over to Notting Hill. Yea, that's right, THE Notting Hill. It's like, fancy and fashionable there. And other cool stuff.

We had a reservation at a really nice Chinese restaurant called Seventeen, which is also its street number (I don't know if naming it that was really creative or completely dull...)

I had gotten a really nice deal from the Groupon website (Mom will be proud) for a dinner for two, at like 60% off. So needless to say, we were dining at a much higher level than we're used to, so it was a really cool experience. The waiter placed our napkins on our laps for us, and it had a really nice atmosphere and ambiance. We had crispy duck rolls and Peking ribs for starters, which were both really good. Then we each split a lamb dish I can't pronounce and a chicken dish I can't pronounce. And all of it was really really good, and we had a spectacular time.

Then we came home and I bought some milk chocolate digestives (cookies...no idea why they have such an awful name) from Tesco for dessert, and the evening was complete.

We also went and saw a production of Hamlet yesterday at the National Theatre, which was also really fun.

Chelsea is basically like the world's foremost expert on Hamlet, other than like, actual experts (though she's getting there). She's only read it 6 times (literally), and writing a modern novel adaptation of it set in the American South. So needless to say, she's been looking forward to this for a while now. And Hamlet is definitely my favorite work of Shakespeare as well, so I was quite excited too.

The fact that the acting was...well quite simply not that interesting, did not at all hinder our enjoyment of the performance. The directing was actually quite good, and even though a few of the actors were quite flat, the play as a whole was still a nice performance, that in any case certainly allowed us to experience an appreciation for the Bard's poetic skill. Chelsea and I both enjoyed discussing how the actors could have improved their interpretations of the characters on the tube ride back to Harlesden.

No photography inside the theatre, obviously, but the lobbies still looked cool...

Chelsea realllly liked these weird orange chairs.

And yes, we both were wearing the same jackets and scarves that we wore Tuesday, but it's really freaking cold outside. Desperate times/measures. I promise the clothes underneath were different.

The theatre also looks really cool from the outside at night.

As does the London Eye.

So that's it for today. Hope you enjoyed!

“For the record, we never broke up, we just took a 14 year vacation”

Those of you from Georgia reading this will recognize the title if you've ever listened to “Tequila Sunrise” by the Eagles on 97.1 The River's radio station (and if you've listened to that station, you've heard the song, since they seem to have a limited amount of resources). No, the blog isn't dead, we've just taken a little vacation from it, and with good reason. Since Seth left the UK early to return to the States, we didn't want to advertise to the internet that I was alone in a foreign country. And then when I left, we didn't want to tell the whole world that our apartment in London was sitting unwatched. So, in order to get things up to speed here, I'll quickly go over everything that has happened...

Seth got his work visa!! This is obviously very exciting news on two counts, one being that he can work now in the UK and two that he can stay here with me rather than having to return to the States! So we are very blessed and fortunate that God has allowed him to return with me. We have a great support system here with the church, but I still don't know where I would be without him here with me.

In other news, my aunt Darlene passed away over the Christmas break. Most of you know that she was battling lung cancer for quite a while. The cancer was actually in remission, and she came down with pneumonia. It has been a really tough Christmas season obviously with this kind of news, since she was always the life of the party (especially around Christmas time). I think that my family and I are still stuck in the surreality of it, that being the fact that she is actually gone from us. But we know that she is in a better place – in Heaven with our Lord God. Her death has only made me realize even more the grace and love which God showers us with – we would be dead in our sins without Him, but because of Christ Jesus I know that Darlene is in a perfect and beautiful place now. She doesn't have to feel any more pain or fear. Just perfect joy and tranquillity in Heaven. This is the only true solace for my family at this time.

Dar was someone who just brought light into the room with her smiles, jokes, and laughter. She always showered all of us with love, and in our selfishness, we wanted to keep her here with us. I continue to also gain comfort from the fact that I was able to return home in time to see her one last time. I hope that she knew how much I loved her, and that she was not only a wonderful aunt, but a good friend. I believe that God wishes for us to seek wisdom in all things that happen to us, and this is no exception. I realize even more the importance of cherishing the moments that we have with one another, and to spend that time loving each other with the kind of heavenly love God puts within our hearts. In her death, Darlene reminded me how sweet life is, and to live it with vigour and laughter, and not to dwell on the bad times. We loved her, and we'll miss her, but thankfully she's in much better hands now.

Speaking of hardships (and because I think Darlene would have gotten a kick out of this story), my journey out of London was no piece of cake. I left my apartment early on a Saturday morning. I needed to take a train in order to get to the airport, so I allowed myself plenty of time before my flight. I knew there was supposed to be a bit of snow, so I left extra early just in case. Everything went smoothly until after I was through security, and walked by some large glass windows only to see everything outside already completely covered in white. The snow was coming down in torrents in big, bulky flakes. People were stopping just like me, looking out the window with a feeling of unease beginning to form a tight ball in their stomachs. Sure enough, my flight was delayed and delayed. After six hours of waiting to hear something, they announced that the flight was cancelled and that Heathrow was shutting down for the remainder of the day. All the televisions in the airport were on the weather, reporting that the snow was only going to get worse. Having never been in a situation of this sort before, I prayed that God would allow me to stay calm and make the right choices. Then, fighting back a strange sense of panic inside me, I went to the baggage claim where we were told we would receive more information.

Information simply meant a piece of paper telling us to rebook our flights. Well, duh! So I buy the internet at the airport, plop down on the ground out of the way, and start searching. My amazing husband was online and able to help me through it. The next available flight was for Monday – two days away. I was a little bummed, but happy that I at least had a flight out of the city before Christmas. Then, by a miracle (no, seriously) Seth found a seat on a plane for Sunday for me. I was ecstatic at this point. Seth followed up the good news with “Well, it is at another airport.” In that moment, I was so revitalized by the fact that I would be able to get out within 24 hours that I had convinced myself I could walk to the other airport if need be (just kidding...)

From that point, I was on a new mission. Find a way to Gatwick Airport, spend the night there, and get on my new flight in the morning. The line for taxis was insane (and the price...also insane), the buses that usually run between Heathrow and Gatwick weren't running because of the snow, and the tube was on and off. My best chance was to take a tube to Victoria in hopes that I could make it there by the time the last express train for Gatwick left. If I didn't make it to Victoria station in time, I would have to spend the night there, which was not as good of a prospect as the airport since Victoria station is drafty and unpoliced (as far as I know, anyway). On top of this was the risk that Gatwick Express wouldn't be running, and I'd simply miss my flight. I had to try.

The tube was successful at first, but then it stopped because of the snow on the tracks halfway to Victoria. Everyone had to get off with all their luggage (since many were in the same boat as me) and stand on the freezing, snowy platform, waiting in the darkness in hopes that another tube would come. We waited, shivering, and then miraculously another tube did arrive. I made it to Victoria just in time to catch the express train. The express train then also wasn't running because of snow on the rails, but they transferred all of us to another express train which did work for some reason.

Somehow I made it to Gatwick, slept on the floor (along with hundreds of others), and actually got on my flight. The airport was pandemonium, I was frightened and alone, but seriously, there's no way I made it without God. Somehow, I had this odd peace the entire time. Even if I got stranded somewhere or whatever, I knew that God was with me, and that He was going to protect me no matter what. I think the point of the entire experience was for me to learn to live in the moment, rather than always worrying about the next day and the next, because this was how it was during my flight adventure. Even though it was crazy and not very fun, I just felt peace.

Seth and I did have a wonderful time seeing family and friends while we were home. Now we're back in London for some time, not exactly sure how long. My mom said the other day that people ask her how she could stand it, us being so far away. Her response was “Because that's what she wants.” And she's right. We did want to come here and experience a different life, and that's what I plan to continue doing. More importantly, I want to do what God wants as well, and I know this is the plan He has for us at this time. But that's all for another post I suppose. The point is, we are back in London, and our families and friends are being amazingly supportive for this whole process. We can't wait to see what this new year holds for us!