I'll Tell You What I Want, What I Really Really Want...

• An E Type Jaguar (they are the coolest cars ever, and they're really cute, too!)

Picture found on Google

• A Red Pea Coat (All of my coats are really boring, and red is my favourite colour)

Pictue found on Google

• A Sewing Machine (I really like the idea of making my own clothes, so a sewing machine is a must have!)

Picture found on Google

• A Record Player (they're cool and there's something quite amazing about listening to older music like The Cure on vinyl)

Picture found on Google

• To meet the cast of One Tree Hill and Mark Schwahn (nuff said really)

Picture found on Google

Keep safe and Keep smiling!

Els x

Summer

Hey all!

The past two days have changed me in the best possible way. Last year at Christmas time was the last time I was this altered as a person (but that was a negative way, whereas this is not); the only similar thing between that experience and this one is the way music makes me feel. Back then, Willie Nelson's 'Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground' reduced me to tears every time, and it made me feel like my heart weighed a tonne and my bones were equally heavy, but frail also. It, along with 'War Sweater' by Wakey!Wakey! were pretty much the soundtrack of that strange time in my life. It was a time of insomnia, coffee, tears, darkness, warmth and emotional distance.  It goes without saying that I recovered from the 'dark days' for the most part when I got back to school - it was mainly because I had to; I couldn't just mope around for the last 6 months or so of my secondary school career, could I? But although it got better, it never went away fully; the weight, the sleepless nights.

I'm glad to have had that experience, though. (I know, crazy right??) Looking back on it now, the days where I'd hide in my room watching One Tree Hill and the periods when I wouldnt sleep, I'd just wait until around 3am and then go downstairs to make coffee...they don't bring me the feelings that I had back then, I'm at peace with those memories now.

From January to about three days ago, I hadn't felt like me. I didn't even know who I was, really; but I knew that I wasn't the girl who crushed on teachers, I wasn't the girl who's mood swing were like a pendulum, I wasn't this selfish girl, who was so wrapped up in her own problems that she couldn't find the time to look out for her friends. I knew it wasn't me, but I was scared that I would stay that way forever. I haven't been changed completely over night, but I've grown enough to realise that I'm ready to start becoming the person I want to be.

There are moments in your life that you know you'll remember forever. It took two of those moments and one song to clear away the darkness that was left behind from Christmas. The first was at prom, dancing with my best buddies, singing along to Mr Brightside; I felt light and I was so happy that laughter fell out of my mouth. Then yesterday, I was in town with my big sister and the sky opened up. It was still boiling hot, but the rain fell nonetheless; I was only wearing a dress (I refused to walk under an umbrella, much to my sister's dismay) but it was something about that day. It was One Tree Hill Day, it was warm, and the way the rain fell on me just was the cherry on top. The song? Brooklyn by Wakey!Wakey! What makes it even better is that I met Grubbs twice at his concert a couple of months ago and I was front row to him singing my favourite songs (alongside one of my best friends Vee). I think the moment I became at peace with Christmastime was when they played War Sweater live.

Yeah, that's me with Grubbs!

Sorry for this long and very wordy post, but I had to share this with someone, and who better than a bunch of strangers, right?

Keep safe and keep smiling!

Els x

Prom and Beyond

Hey all!

So, 3 days ago it was my prom, and I thought I'd share some pictures/stories!

Here I am, getting my hair did! (Yes, that IS in fact One Tree Hill on my tv in the background. The obsesssion continues...)

Then (when I had got into my dress), I rocked on over to school and took some pictures with my friends. (The red bus was our mode of transport to Prom). You'll notice the gorgeous picture of me and Georgia ;)

Then we trundled (in our big red bus) over to the mansion. (I am well aware that the picture of us by the tree is bright pink. It was not intentional, and if I hadn't nearly frozen for the sake of this picture, I wouldn't have put it up)

These also weren't the only pictures of prom I took, but these (I think) are the best ones.

Also, it's worth noting that I had some moments that I will never forget (i.e dancing and singing along to Mr Brightside with my best friends). But I'm going to be honest, it wasn't what I'd thought. All of you should know that I never had a fairytale view on prom, but I certainly had ideas about what I wanted myself to do etc etc. And all in one moment on the night, I either realised that I had failed to do so, or that I changed so much as a person that it was no longer relevant. This realisation obviously threw me a bit, which explains my absences from blogger, twitter and society.

But I'm back to my normal self (mostly) and I'm ready for summer!!

Keep safe and keep smiling!

Elsie x

Went Along Many Moors, Walked Through Many Doors...

Hey all!

So last night, I couldnt sleep (probably because I drank about 1000000 cups of coffee) and I managed to catch the sunrise (again). I would post a picture, but it looks exactly the same, so there's not much point :L

But anyway, yesterday evening I was looking through old photos of me on holiday and stuff and I realised just how lucky I am to have been to so many places! I guess I was bit by the 'travel' bug quite early on...and although I've been to so many places, in really cool ways (driving through Europe in a motor home was definitely a highlight); I still have SO many places I want to go...

• Paris - Yep! I want to see the eiffel tower at night and all that mushy stuff
• Wilmington and Washington Depot - aka 'Tree Hill' and 'Star Hollow'. Nuff said.
• All over America, really
• Europe (again)
• I'd quite like to do the whole Poland, Germany Auschwitz trip. I was supposed to go for a history trip but it got cancelled; but I'd like to pay my respects to those who suffered.
• Australia - Just to be on the beach!

From experience, I've found that the most memorable places are the quaint villages that you stumble upon when you get lost. Or on the side of a foreign motorway (yes, I have had more than one motorway side adventure).

I'll leave you with one of my favourite holiday pictures!

Keep safe and Keep smiling!

Els x

Just For Tonight, Just Maybe We Made It

Hey all!

Just another 5 Things post :)

5 songs I love at the moment:

1. Closer - Kings Of Leon (I guess this song will always be on my list because it'd do goshdarn awesome!)
2. Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds (I've recently become re-obsessed with the Breakfast Club; which explains the 'theme' song being played on repeat ;) I just love the first 30 seconds or so, it makes me want to dance around Molly Ringwald style)
3. I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers (I first came across this song on one of my favourite episodes of One Tree Hill* and thought it was cute. After I bought it on iTunes and listened to the whole song, I was actually blown away by it's awesome-ness)
4. Elsewhere - Sarah Mclauchlin (Again, I originally heard it one One Tree Hill**, but I have only recently heard the origianl version. In my opinion, it really 'hits the nail on the head' in terms of my mindset alot of the time; which I find rare in music nowadays)
5. Just For Tonight - One Night Only (I heard this song first a few years ago because it was the theme song for Nearly Famous - anybody remember that show? Anyway, I loved the program so I listened to the song in full. It's always been kind of floating around my iTunes, but I recently came across it and fell in love with it all over again!)

(*The one where you find out about Clay's wife & when Renee is proved to be a liar & when you kind of understand Quinn and David's divorce. Series 7)
(**The bit when Haley sings to Nathan in Karen's Cafe. Series 1)

Speaking of One Tree Hill, Series 8 airs in England soon!!!!!!! When I found out and saw the advert I jumped around screaming (much to my family's dismay); I'm just so excited!

Keep safe and keep smiling!

Els x

The List: Take A Trip Up To The Yellow Castle **DONE**

 I've always wanted my own 'List' of things to do, but I never really did any of the things I put on there. Today, it was sunny and I was bored, so I went with my mum, dad and Boo up to the Yellow Castle; it was a real motivation to start completing my list!

Hey all!

Sorry it's been a bit quiet on the blog front for the past few days, I've been a busy bee!

But anyway, on to the important stuff; the past three days have been filled with things that I would usually write a post about, but I don't really think it would be a good idea to do a stream of three or four separate posts; equally, I didn't want to write a novel length blog post either.

So! I thought I'd just post some pictures and explain (briefly) the stories behind them. Obviously, if you want to hear the full blown stories then just comment and I'll do a post on whatever you want :) But for now I'll stick to the pictures...














Well, after my first day of work (yippee!) I went out for a meal with my family, the grandparents who were visiting and my sister's boyfriend. I took these pictures on the way back to the car; what beautiful weather, eh? Shame it didn't last...

 The next morning, I woke up well rested (but still a little sore from work) and when I got downstairs, I found my mum making us all french toast and bacon! Then a little while later, we were all talking in the kitchen, when I noticed the little guy on the window! My little sister got freaked out, but the rest of us loved it!

Then, when we were all dressed and looking presentable, we talked about me going up to Glasgow during the summer. We booked the tickets and emptied the Teramundi pot that my grandparents gave me for my birthday. It says 'Elsie's Arctic Fund' because I was supposed to be going to Greenland, but now I'm not.
Anyway, we were supposed to smash it, but I thought it was really pretty, so we slowly emptied it using a knife and some tweezers. The money in there managed to pay for my Glasgow trip! The kind of ripped card on the right came with the pot, I was told to write my 'desires' and put it in the pot.

On Friday, it was also my last exam, so I'm done with school! I'm going in on Wednesday to clear out my locker and stuff, so I'll probably write a post about that on Thursday or something.

Keep safe and keep smiling!

Els x

P.S, I'm also BLONDE now! I'll post pictures when I have a nice one :)

When Elsie Met Holland...

Once upon a time there was a girl, she got on a plane to a far away place called Holland...

Then, when they landed in the airport, the girl and her family hopped on a double decker train...

Then, once the girl got off of the train, she caught a taxi and smiled as it wove through the beautiful streets of Amsterdam...

When the girl and her family got to their hotel, it was very late...after they had dinner they went straight to bed...

Then, the next morning, the girl went with her mother and two sisters to the Anne Frank museum...

The girl loved seeing the place where she'd read about and heard about for years...but she cried because of the horrible thing that had happened to the family that hid in that annexe.

After the Anne Frank Museum, the girl, her mother and her sisters went to Dam square to meet up with her Dad before leaving Holland...

While waiting for her dad to show up, the girl made some interesting friends in Dam Square...

The girl then marvelled at some kind of art being created in front of a memorial...

Then, her father arrived, so the girl and her family walked to a charming cafe for lunch...

After they had gobbled up their lunch, the girl and her family travelled back to the airport to fly on home; but in the 30 hours that the girl had been in Holland, she had witnessed beauty that couldn't be matched, and as she saw Holland disappear beneath the clouds, she wished that someday, she would return...