I have been traveling again. Just back from Texas. I hope to post a "real" update very soon!!!

long over due photos and update

Finally, finally my computer is working again. Yippeeeee! (stupid power adapters)

Ok here we have an absolutely wonderful couple that I met at The Mission Society (margaret's mission agency). Ruth and Greg Burgner. We had a wonderful and encouraging dinner with them at this Indian restaurant. My ribs actually hurt from laughing.





Mags and I ate a dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. Oh my goodness - they are huge desserts. Good thing we only got one to share. What you see here are the left-overs!!!










Three generations of Buell women...Margaret, her mother and her mother's mother. And Margaret's nephew, Brogan. All sitting in the swing under a huge oak tree at Grandma's house down in Mississippi.









I found Grandma's house extremely peaceful. At one point I was the only one outside under the tree and it was so quiet that all I heard were birds chirping and the horses blowing occasionally. It was pure bliss.










The joy of being in the country.

That's me on the floor - don't I look professional? :) This was my work while I was in Mississippi. I ran a second camera while Margaret interviewed people for a church video and a mission video. My job was to try and get all sorts of funky and creative shots...I did my best:) It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed learning something new. Plus it was a real blessing to be with Margaret.






This is the birth home of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, MS where we shot one video. It is called a "shotgun" house b/c it is so small you can open the back door and the front door and shoot a bullet straight through.









Since I flew in and out of Memphis I was able to see Graceland - Elvis' home at his death. It cost about 27$ for the grand tour so Mags and I declined that and just took a pic from the road. (I enjoy Elvis' music but I am not that big of a fan...plus I do think he is dead).









While in Memphis we went to the Peabody hotel where everyday at 11am they have a "grandmarch" for 5 ducks who live there. The ducks come down in the elevator and waddle as fast as they can to this fountain where they spend the entire day until 5pm and then go back up to the top floor via the elevator. It is quite an attraction and there was a good sized crowd to watch the march. It was cute but I do have to say that only in America would we do such a thing:)











Famous Beale Street in Memphis. Home of the Blues. Wow, did we hear some incredible music. At night each restaurant has live music and there are more bands playing outside on the street. We watched one guy play the harmonica like I have never seen before. It was absolutely amazing!

One of the best things about being in Memphis - and staying an extra week in MS - was that I got to see Ama when she came to visit Mags. Ama was my Twi teacher in Ghana. She has been in the states for about 4 months and returns to Ghana in Nov. This was her coming around the corner with Mags...just before she screamed loudly when she saw I was there. We surprised her:) It was great.





Ama and me...and Mags' shadow:)













A week ago Sunday was the Chicago Marathon. One of my very best friend's, Brenda, ran in it. I was down town with her husband, Mike, sister, Stacey and brother-in-law, Mark, to cheer her on. We ran from mile marker to mile marker to stay ahead of her and cheer her as she ran by. Ok, I didn't really run but I did a seriously fast walk for about 3.5 miles at one point. Here she is almost to the finish line. One mile to go and still smiling!




Brenda and me after the race. She is so sweaty - gross! :)













It was a beautiful sunny fall day in Chicago during the marathon. The fall colors are bursting out all over and they are gorgeous. I love fall! Would be nice if we could jump from fall to spring but alas winter is not far away. Sigh

Last pictures for now

The new additions to the Slater family. While I was in Mississippi my mom decided to make these two kittens inside cats. They were the babies of our neighbor's cat and ran around in our yard and played with us. One day they wanted to come in and so my mom let them...now they are ours. I love it!! They are so cute and cuddly. This one is Simba and although you can't see it clearly here, he has long hair.






This one is Numa. He has short hair. They are great fun and entertainment.



Ok so by posting pictures and making little notes by them I have taken the very easy route to writing an update of sorts. But it gives you a snapshot of what I have been doing...well bits and pieces anyways. there is much to life right now that these pictures don't show. Hopefully as the week goes on I will be able to write more.

Sorry - again- I haven't written much lately. This time it is b/c of a computer malfunction. It is hard to write and post pictures when access to the internet is hit or miss. I have so much to write and pictures to post! Sigh. Well hopefully that all be remedied next week.

Below the Mason-Dixon Line

I have spent the better part of the last 3 weeks in what is commonly referred to as the "Deep South". That would mean - as far as I know - Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia (although I am not sure that Atlanta really qualifies). It has been...well...enlightening... strange ...and ...delightful. I am becoming increasingly aware of how generalities and stereotyping has impacted my thinking. In Nov. of 2006 I went to spend time in California - the Los Angeles area - for the first time and received quite a shock. What was so shocking - the fact that there are actually real people who live out there and the whole state isn't characterized by Hollywood. Yes, I know how sad that I even have to admit that but it is true. I was amazed at how - well - regular most places and people were and it was a welcome revelation. Not to mention how beautiful California is. Driving up highway 1 from LA area to Monterey was simply incredible. That shimmering, deep blue Pacific Ocean...well there are no words to adequately describe it. It was mesmerizing and let's just say it was a good thing I wasn't driving or I might have really become one with the ocean on that drive. And it was really interesting to see the cows up on the hills, oil rigs and those drilling things that bob up and down and then the ocean all within the same view. No wonder they have happy cows. They get to eat lush green grass on a hillside while looking at the ocean! Wait, what was my point? Oh yes, the south...similar reaction to what I had in California. I had always heard that Mississippi was one of the poorest states in the union and of course most of us have a stereotype about people who speak with that kind of drawl but I have been pleasantly surprised being down here. Again, I am sad to admit that I expected to see miles and miles of broken down houses with junk all over the front yard and people out front in their bathrobes - cringe - but it hasn't been true. I have driven over a fair part of the state while being here and I have seen very little of that - very little. What I have seen is miles and miles of really beautiful countryside. Did you know that Missississpi is so beautiful? I didn't. Rolling hills, trees and forests all over interspersed with acres of farm land, lakes and small towns. I mean yes, they have their share of poor sections and run down areas but so does every other state I have been in. And maybe I haven't seen the worst of it down here but I do know that it isn't as rampant as one might think. I am happy to say that having spent this time in Mississippi my preconceived notions have been dislodged as they were when I went to California.

What am I doing down here? Good question. Margaret, one of my roommates from Ghana, asked me to come down and help her do some video work at her mission agency. She wanted me to run a second camera. So I thought about it, prayed about it and decided it was a good thing. And it has been a good thing. Not only to see Margaret, which I will get to later, but just to see more of the US and to learn something new - like running a camera. This isn't just a little camcorder thing. It is a "real" camera for professional people. On the other hand it isn't a giant camera that you see on TV but a similar albeit smaller version. I wasn't too confident of my creativity and ability with this thing but Margaret seemed to have faith in me...or maybe she was just desperate...I don't know. I think I'll go with the "had faith in me" view. I flew into Memphis - for the first time - where she picked me up and we drove to her parent's place in Starkville, MS (pronounced Stark-vul) after a brief stop in Oxford, MS. We were in Oxford just days before the first presidential debate so needless to say I wasn't able to get a really good tour of the Ole Miss campus. Oh well. I did see Elvis' birth place in Tupelo so that has to be something, right? The tiniest little, "shotgun" house I have ever seen. Apparently it is called "shotgun" b/c you can open the front door and the back door and shoot a bullet right through. Seriously small house. Oh, but I digress again. Why does that keep happening? :) Anyway, after being at Margaret's house for a couple of days we drove over to Atlanta where we did the shoot. Her mission agency is The Mission Society and I met a bunch of really neat people. One woman who really touched me is named Ruth. The three of us hit it off so well that she drove the two hours it takes her to get to Atlanta from her home to have dinner with us (4 hours round-trip!). And she brought her husband who was a complete Georgia-boy riot. But this woman, Ruth, is a wonderful, encouraging woman and I am so blessed to have met her. She also writes and edits the mission's quarterly publication so she had some insights for me regarding writing for the future. Margaret was very glad for us to meet and get to talk about writing a bit. (Thank you Lord for that introduction).

The actual video shoot went very well. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I mean I knew I would enjoy working with Margaret - she wasn't nearly as bossy as I thought she would be :) -but I also really enjoyed running the second camera. B/c Margaret did the interviewing with the still camera, I got to be the one moving around trying to take all kinds of interesting and funky shots. I did my best after getting a lesson and some pointers from M and she seemed really pleased so that is all I can ask for. Two days of this shooting - what a trip. While in Atlanta we were able to eat at some great restaurants. I am seriously impressed with the variety of ethnic foods they have there. Unfortunately the main restaurant we wanted to eat at was a Ghanaian one we had heard of but apparently it has closed. We were so bummed. I really wanted some red-red and plantain or some palaver sauce and yam or some chicken and rice or....oh wait...there I go again....this time salivating over the thought of that wonderful food. Anyway, we did get to eat Cuban, Indian and Thai food. We almost had Ethiopian but on that day both our stomachs were protesting a little so we decided to leave well enough alone. All in all, it was great food and there were many more ethnic restaurants to try. It has become very obvious that a big part of my relationship with Margaret revolves around food. We both like to eat:) Fortunately we have a lot of the same tastes in what we eat so we have started sharing meals which cuts down on costs and calories. It does kind of freak out the server-people here that we don't mind eating off the same plate. You know just digging in with our own forks to everything. The servers keep bringing an extra plate even after we tell them we don't need it. Ah well. Some things learned in Ghana may never die:)

So I am still in Mississippi - a week longer than expected. Why is that you might ask? Well...the basement at my parent's where I am currently staying has had some water leakage and mold problems - which might explain the significant increase in sinus problems I have had since returning to the states. B/c of this and the fact that Margaret needed help with another video shoot this week, I decided to stay longer. Again, not to mention the fact that it has been a lot of fun too. Margaret is a great tour guide and loves to drive. I love to ride and look at the scenery as we go along so it works out great. Besides, having extended time riding in a car really gives you a chance to get into some good, deep conversations. And getting lost, running over curbs and eating some really bad fast food makes for good laughs. Oh did I mention that while driving from Mississippi to Atlanta, GA you go through Alabama? And what is just off the main highway that we were on? Talladega, Baby!!! You knew I had to mention NASCAR sooner or later! Talladega is a superspeedway and I was happy to just have a look at it as we drove by. The race was here yesterday (10/5) but we weren't able to go. Margaret's a really good friend but she does draw the line at NASCAR. You know for a girl raised in the south she's not very southern. I mean she doesn't like NASCAR or country music or grits or sweet tea. That is just wrong! Except for the grits part - I don't like them either. Oh by the way yesterday, Oct. 5th, was my three month anniversary for returning to the states. Only three months. It seems like so much longer. Weird.

Before we head off to do our video shooting on Tues., tomorrow I will get a chance to see the "real" south. We are going to visit Margaret's Grandmother - she's called Nanaw- who from what I understand is a genuine southern genteel woman. The Steel Magnolia type. The plan is to sit under the tree in the front yard, drink sweet tea, talk and play canasta. Oh and I guess be driven around the pasture and among the horses on a four wheeler. Sounds like a genuine southern exposure:) I can't wait to meet her! I'll let you know how it goes.

Ok it is 3:45am and I should really try to go back to sleep. I will continue this later. Night.

Last evening I had dinner with Margaret and two young girls she knows. One was in high school - a junior- and the other just started college. After a relatively brief but good conversation with these girls I realized a couple of things. One is that the pressures of life at that age are immense and I don't miss that a bit. I have thought more than once in the last couple of years that young people seem to face a lot more pressure regarding sex, drugs and alcohol than I remember facing at that age. I don't know if that is an actuality or just a perspective skewed by the years but it seems real. I imagine that these pressures have been the same for my generation and my mother's generation and her mother's before her. But it does appear that these pressures are starting at a much earlier age and are very overt. In light of all this, I realized a second thing - that other than the physical benefits of being college age - no wrinkles, more energy, etc. - I would not want to go back to that stage of my life. Well unless I could go with the experience and wisdom I have gained over the years. It is easy to long for the "good ole days" of my youth but really in spite of the challenges of the age I am at right now - which you don't really need to know- these are the better days. The pressures and issues are mostly different and some are pretty difficult but the rewards are better. Maybe my whole view is slanted b/c my relationship with the Lord is so vastly different now from what it was then. My outlook is more positive, I am more open and adventuresome and I am able to look at the reality of who I am better. Not to mention that I have a deeper understanding of how much God loves me and I think I am finally catching a glimpse of who He designed me to be. All in all, this is a much better place to be than what I was in my 20's. I hope I feel the same when I wake up tomorrow with a neck ache or worries about growing really old:) Regardless, all this does prompt me to pray more diligently for those young people in my life like my niece and nephews who haven't even reached junior high yet and are already facing many challenges and difficulties. God help them - literally!

Heartache Mended

Walked today though stumbled
from tears and pain.
Heart rejected, dreams crumbled,
plans changed.
Creation called all along
lifted head to see.
Words spoken in the soft sunlight,
in the whisper of the leaves.
The call is quiet, barely known
heart refuses to hear.
Shadows and fog all around, bird
song of no cheer.
Something glows, it pulls
persisting through the haze.
No longer to hide
Love sent to amaze.
Why wait and go so far
what is longed for is near.
Held in arms strong
soft words drying tears.
No hurry, linger here,
let love curl around.
No other presence comes
with gentle sounds.
Place of healing, comfort swirls
gone the heavy weight.
Ever Faithful One, never shifting sand
cradling arms await.

by Suzanne