Wow - Here's a Blast From the Past

Hey everyone who ever followed me on this old blog of mine. My dear blog, Wheaties, which turned into Bowl of Wheaties when I was trying to still blog, but block someone my heart was broken over.

I loved this space so much. I wrote and wrote. And it felt so wonderful to write about daily life...normal life. I will definitely look forward to going back and reading all these past entries.

I just wanted you to know - whomever YOU are...that if you want to follow my art and design life/career that you can sign up for a monthly newsletter that will be emailed out.

Here's the link to sign up: https://www.lorienhall.com/newsletter/

It's tempting to get back on here and write again. Write about the simple things and the unassuming parts of life. That's partly why I titled it Wheaties...because Wheaties is that common, everyday American cereal. Never mind that it is the breakfast of champions!

Now that I am feeling quite nostalgic, I want to say thank you for all the years of reading and following along. Especially for your support and friendship through your comments. I adore you all. And I hope you are super well.

Much love forever,

Lorien from Wheaties

Sans Makeup

Today it was either eat breakfast or finish putting on my makeup.

I diligently chose to eat my breakfast - steamed vegetables at that. With some salmon chunks.

I did put powder, blush and lip color on  - so I wasn't completely undone. But I did surprise my classmates as apparently I look very different without it. But not in a bad way - necessarily.

Yes, I got reactions which ranged from saying how great I looked, so refreshed, etc., to another pulling me aside and asking me if I was feeling well, that I indeed did not look well.

Looking well.

Apparently I have not been looking well for some time because I am being asked too many times if I am feeling well, if I am sad - or how am I doing, always asked with some underlying tone of suspicion.

I am...fine?

I don't know. How about - I am in pain? Yeah - I don't feel well? I am tired a lot of the time? Actually I feel fine, but my fine is your unwell?

One day when I first arrived to school I walked to the office to sign in and the first thing the director says is, "Lorien, are you well?" In that suspicious tone of voice. The principal of the school then retorted in a very proper elderly Englishwoman way..."Why shouldn't she be well!?" (Think Pride and Prejudice..."Wink at you, child? Why should I wink at my own daughter, pray?")

Anyway - I haven't been feeling well all of the time, just like how it was back home and most days my back is in constant pain. Non-stop - which is unlike back home. But I guess people can tell...but I still think it's weird. I think it's because I get lost in thought and have a serious look on my face. But I need to get lost in thought if I am going to design properly.

Next time I am asked if I am feeling well I am going to ask them why they think I am not well, instead of reassuring them that I am quite well.

Until then, I'll keep eating veggies for breakfast. 

Happy in London

I think this could be the title for every post!

Even though there have been frustrating times and tears shed since I got here - I really have been very happy every single day. I have this hovering of joy and a lightness that accompanies me regularly.

And it's wonderful.

I have nothing particular to say right now - it's the end of the week. A Friday night - I am in my flat typing typing (I updated my other blog) - and catching up with family. I am in a good place with my studies and will be well-prepared for next week come Monday morning.

The cold-flu thing that was trying to take me down didn't - I kept up with my Doterra oil regime and that seemed to help! One drop of OnGuard in the mouth regularly will keep me up all winter I do believe.

Well - check out my other blog to get some good reading....

My Mood Board

Q&A: What's Your Favorite Part About The Course Work?

Royal Academy of Arts: Australia

Otherwise, I will be back shortly!

Xoxo

Lazy Morning

I am having a lazy morning - a highly needed and I'll add, well-deserved, lazy morning!

We finished D1 (Design 1) a few weeks ago, we are full-steam-ahead into D2, and all is going well though I have been exhausted. I was so worn out at the end of Monday, that my instructor told me to take the day off Tuesday and go somewhere.

But I didn't go anywhere. Well, I did. I went back to school. :)

This morning I am feeling particularly mentally sound and refreshed, though my list of things to do and learn and study for school is still piled high, which can be taxing. But I can handle it.

I have increasingly been in need of disconnecting from my life back in Utah. Aside from keeping in touch with my family, it is proving difficult to maintain contact and swap stories with those back home. And when I do try to keep up, I feel so divided that my mind hurts. I feel I need to throw myself into London, and become saturated with these waters (whatever "these waters" are, I don't know - that's just the imagery that came to mind).

I also feel I will be able to write and blog more effectively if I center my entire self here. And in a way, that is a good method of keeping in touch with others...

Well, my lazy morning has ended! Time to shower, do some laundry, clean, purchase a train ticket - then head to the school to work on plant I.D.!

Wrong Roads

This is a valuable message to hear and remember. Plus Elder Holland is the Boss.

Oh yeah - three good things about my day...

...since I have a humdrum attitude right now I am going to write three good things about my day:

1) Keanan stopped by this morning before school to drop off all the goods my family had gathered to send me. Thank you!
2) Which means I can brush my teeth with Crest again!!
3) I finished my homework which is due tomorrow.

Headache

So I was going to do a fantastic post on the 3rd of November to celebrate my two month mark of being in London.

But I have been tired and tried and now I have a horrible headache - so no such post was or is being written....maybe on December 3rd I'll feel a little more up to it.

I am just so tired.

Danny and Annie

This is the sweetest!!! Expand the video to fit the entire screen so you can read the text.

I was probably the only person walking past Leicester (pronounced Lester) Square and Chinatown with two bags of groceries in my hands. Everyone else was either in front of a camera, behind a camera, at bar or restaurant or wearing a miniskirt heading to the club...basically having a Saturday night out. I was buying groceries and being busy at home writing a paper that's due Monday.

How mundane for a weekend night in London!

This past week was half-term - so no school. However, I was at the school EVERY SINGLE DAY working on my project that is also due Monday. Some people in the class had it done before the break started, others got it done early on in the week or part way through. Some were there until the end like I was and it was only today that I finished it! Except, now that I think about it - I have a few things to write...but it's just a sentence here and there. No big deal.

It's okay that my "free" week wasn't free. I wanted to explore the process rather than just get the assignment done...so more work for me. Yeahhh.......trailing off.

So I have good news. There are four rooms in this flat - three decent sized rooms (quite large for around here) and then there is my room. The baby bear of the bunch. The other day Tanvir, my flatmate and also owner of this flat, told me that they weren't going to worry about finding a 4th flatmate for now and that if I ever needed to use the table in the spare room for my projects I could!!! I went into the room to check it out and the table is big! Big enough to easily fit a plan that I would be working on! I am so happy about this! He told me I could use that room anytime for reading or studying or whatever. How awesome is that. (I think he feels bad about me being holed in this room when I do school work). And it looks out over Shaftesbury Avenue...pop some popcorn and pull up a chair. People watching out that window...

Other good news. I found a new artist that I really like! I have just posted some of her work on the right hand side where Michael Honnor's art work used to be. So enjoy that!

Another thing that makes me happy is this image that my sister took at Rivendell today! Ah! I love it! It is now the wallpaper on my phone.

I will be happy to be going to bed very soon. I still have 500 words to write that I really wanted to get done today, but my head is going to roll.

Last happy happy of the day (no I didn't type too many happys there) is that I live in London and I love it here and I feel so at home here. Even if I am stressed or tired, or if  my makeup isn't working (today) or my hair is hopeless (today) or my face is bleh (today) I am always happy. I laugh all the time when I see what I am surrounded by. These city streets bring me delight!

Hope you are happy wherever you are.

Sunday

Not a very creative post title, but my lower back is hurting from sitting at my desk so I can't think of anything else except for which day it is. In front of me I have watched the rain come and go. Blue skies are out for the evening, but I am sitting on the inside of my window - catching up on correspondence...although I am not doing a very good job.

Next week is half-term. So no classes. Just A LOT of school work. Yeah, when I think of all that has to be done by the time school starts again a week from tomorrow - well, I don't want to think about it so nevermind.

It's ten to 6 o'clock but I think I will take a 15 minute power nap. Then knock out the email I need to send. Then maybe some vegetables and hopefully an early bedtime.

Last night the flat directly above my bedroom partied until well past 2 am - you can image my sleep quality...

...15 minutes turned into....more than that.

Oh - and I have posted several things over at my other blog lately... Lorien Hall Everyday

Birthday Party for John Brooks!

Okay all - I just published a fantastic post of my adventurous night out! It revolves around attending the 80th birthday party for one of the most influential garden designers of the late 20th century - John Brooks.

Post can be found HERE

More personal stuff coming to Wheaties soon.

Yeah!!!