Here’s to forcibly removing the British from the New World so long ago… hey?
For your viewing pleasure: A few pictures from yesterday’s Collierville Independence Day festivities. A couple of great bands & some stellar fireworks made for a fun evening with my family. Over 15,000 people attended the event. Who knew Collierville could attract that kind of crowd? Jeepers.
We’re a little hardcore. Yeah.
Happy 4th, everyone. 
xxAimeeCait
Okay, yeah, that was shamelessly bad.
But I’m excited:
The Newseum has opened in D.C.!
It sounds like my new favorite thing to see in the capitol. I still have yet to see the spy museum… Mum loved it though. But an entire museum “dedicated to free speech, free press and free spirit”… that sounds amazing. It supposedly houses “thousands of newspaper front pages and photographs, plus artefacts and hours of film.”
Just sounds brilliant. Field trippppp!
Right then. More posts to come this evening.
(Quotes & image courtesy of BBCnews!)
xx Aimee Cait
Plus side:
Fancy hardcore hollow chocolate Easter eggs.
Downside:
NO PEEPS.
(Gutted, mate. Properly gutted.)
Peeps/Cadbury Creme Egg fight to the death:
xx Aimee Cait
Submitted for your approval…
THE SNEETCHES
by Dr. Seuss
Now the Star-bellied Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-bellied Sneetches had none upon thars.
The stars weren’t so big; they were really quite small.
You would think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.
But because they had stars, all the Star-bellied Sneetches
would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”
With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort, “
We’ll have nothing to do with the plain-bellied sort.”
And whenever they met some, when they were out walking,
they’d hike right on past them without even talking.
When the Star-bellied children went out to play ball,
could the Plain-bellies join in their game? Not at all!
You could only play ball if your bellies had stars,
and the Plain-bellied children had none upon thars.
When the Star-bellied Sneetches had frankfurter roasts,
or picnics or parties or marshmallow toasts,
they never invited the Plain-bellied Sneetches.
Left them out cold in the dark of the beaches.
Kept them away; never let them come near,
and that’s how they treated them year after year.
Then one day, it seems, while the Plain-bellied Sneetches
were moping, just moping alone on the beaches,
sitting there, wishing their bellies had stars,
up zipped a stranger in the strangest of cars.
“My friends, ” he announced in a voice clear and keen,
“My name is Sylvester McMonkey McBean.
I’ve heard of your troubles; I’ve heard you’re unhappy.
But I can fix that; I’m the fix-it-up chappie.
I’ve come here to help you; I have what you need.
My prices are low, and I work with great speed,
and my work is one hundred per cent guaranteed.”
Then quickly, Sylvester McMonkey McBean
put together a very peculiar machine.
Then he said, “You want stars like a Star-bellied Sneetch?
My friends, you can have them . . . . for three dollars each.
Just hand me your money and climb on aboard.”
They clambered inside and the big machine roared.
It bonked. It clonked. It jerked. It berked.
It bopped them around, but the thing really worked.
When the Plain-bellied Sneetches popped out, they had stars!
They actually did, they had stars upon thars!
Then they yelled at the ones who had stars from the start,
“We’re exactly like you; you can’t tell us apart.
We’re all just the same now, you snooty old smarties.
Now we can come to your frankfurter parties!”
“Good grief!” groaned the one who had stars from the first.
“We’re still the best Sneetches, and they are the worst.
But how in the world will we know,” they all frowned,
“if which kind is what or the other way ’round?”
Then up stepped McBean with a very sly wink, and he said,
“Things are not quite as bad as you think.
You don’t know who’s who, that is perfectly true.
But come with me, friends, do you know what I’ll do?
I’ll make you again the best Sneetches on beaches,
and all it will cost you is ten dollars eaches.
Belly stars are no longer in style, ” said McBean.
“What you need is a trip through my stars-off machine.
This wondrous contraption will take off your stars,
so you won’t look like Sneetches who have them on thars.”
That handy machine, working very precisely,
removed all the stars from their bellies quite nicely.
Then, with snoots in the air, they paraded about.
They opened their beaks and proceeded to shout,
“We now know who’s who, and there isn’t a doubt,
the best kind of Sneetches are Sneetches without.”
Then, of course those with stars all got frightfully mad.
To be wearing a star now was frightfully bad.
Then, of course old Sylvester McMonkey McBean
invited them into his stars-off machine.
Then, of course from then on, you can probably guess,
things really got into a horrible mess.
All the rest of the day on those wild screaming beaches,
the Fix-it-up-Chappie was fixing up Sneetches.
Off again, on again, in again, out again,
through the machine and back round about again,
still paying money, still running through,
changing their stars every minute or two,
until neither the Plain- nor the Star-bellies knew
whether this one was that one or that one was this one
or which one was what one or what one was who!
Then, when every last cent of their money was spent,
the Fix-It-Up-Chappie packed up and he went.
And he laughed as he drove in his car up the beach,
“They never will learn; no, you can’t teach a Sneetch!”
But McBean was quite wrong, I’m quite happy to say,
the Sneetches got quite a bit smarter that day.
That day, they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches,
and no kind of Sneetch is the BEST on the beaches.
That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars,
and whether they had one or not upon thars.
Yes, it applies.
You have now heard possibly the greatest bedtime story ever.
Feeling blessed? That’s ’cause you arrrrre.
Borrowed from Wikipedia:
There is a reference to The Sneetches in the Dead Kennedys song, “Holiday in Cambodia”
Also: “The Sneetches” is written in anapestic tetrameter, and – as is typical for Seuss books – follows the rhyme scheme and meter very strictly.
Brilliant, much? I know.
The story of The Sneetches came up today whilst I was reviewing/planning with Kate for a few lessons we’re doing next Wednesday at a school. Our themes are respect, individuality, looking at who they are and why they are the way they are. Prejudice came up, and Kate started talking about some story where people have green noses, and then I suddenly remembered the glory of the Sneetches. One of my favorite films growing up (sooooo retro) it also had the story of the Zax (South Going & North Going — you remember, right?) and the little musical interludes with the Cat in the Hat were fabulous. So groovy. It makes me smile, ’cause I know my mom is going to read this and smile. (Bubba, thank you for raising me on the finer things in life: my name is the Lorax, I speak for the trees!)
So at any rate, I hope this gives you a bit of a laugh. Youth work is good fun & manages to be different every day. Love it.
xx Aimee Cait
Right, so in the States, we’ve always given the Irish a nod come March 17. Every year I’ve been on this earth, I’ve ‘celebrated’ somehow — even if that just meant wearing the obligatory kelly green in an effort to minimalize the risk of suffering a pinch at the hands of my fellow classmates. Being a bit of a mutt, nationality-wise, (we’ll settle on Welsh/Scot for the purpose of this post) I don’t have that sort of distinct identity based on my heritage. Granted, I hold my 18 years in South Louisiana in high regard, but I’m no Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, Bajoie or Martinez. I am Gwaltney. I’ve never been able to say “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” or anything fun like that. So this year, I’m taking St. Patrick’s Day and making it my own.
Right, so we don’t actually do St. Patrick’s Day like we do in the States ’cause here they’ve got something of a friendly cultural rivalry goin’ on with Ireland. Understandable, yeah. But that means no local parades, no green beer, no wearing of the green, nothin’.
Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m initiating my own festivities.
Nigella Lawson (my new favourite kitchen guru) has an amazing recipe for a chocolate Guinness cake. In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I’m making it tomorrow & lovely shall be its name.
Also, I’m sharing the recipe here with you! Yayyy for increasing your calorie intake! Cheers!
CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE
from Nigella Lawson’s book, Feastcake
250ml Guinness
1 cup butter
75g cocoa
400g caster sugar
140ml sour cream
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking sodaicing
300g cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125ml heavy creampreparation
Sounds lovely! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Also – quick note – Slum Survivor was amazing, and it’s going to take a few posts to debrief on that. Thank you so much for your prayers, they were sincerely felt. I saw God move in me and my kids this weekend — total blessing. I’ll also hopefully be able to give you a sum total of what we raised this weekend for Tearfund. We had several raise over £100 (over $200 USD). That’s amazing. We’re marrying passionate words with passionate works and that’s exciting. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we really delved into the subject of poverty and tried to experience just a bit of how others spend their entire lives. It was so worth it.
xx Aimee Cait
Public Radio is my favorite. Call me a nerd, I don’t care - one of the things I miss most about living in the states is my unbridled access to National Public Radio. I might enjoy the medium more than I enjoy — dare I say — television. I have a few favorite programs. If I’ve know you longer than five minutes, you know that I’m a devoted (read: crazed) fan of Ira Glass’s ‘This American Life’. Others near the top of the list (TAL is number 1) are ‘Car Talk’ & ‘Fresh Air’. ‘Marketplace’ if I’m feelin’ particularly interested in what’s going on in the business world, but ‘Morning Edition’ was lovely as well. Oh, NPR. I miss you so.
Imagine my joy & surprise when I heard a familiar voice this morning on BBC Radio1. I listened for a moment, then realized it was one of my absolute favorite TAL contributors (it has a HUGE list of contributors, but a small list of regulars that are just proper LEGENDS) – Shalom Auslander – reading a short satirical bit he’s written concerning his being spammed by the Barack Obama campaign following a $100 campaign contribution. Comparing Barack Obama’s email campaign to a clingy girlfriend? Amazing.
Off to make myself an early morning omelette. Hope you have a lovely day!
xx Aimee Cait
Monday, Monday… so good to me. (Lies!)
But, I digress… Haha. Man oh man, it’s good to be back in Durham, but I’m already missing my Stockton partners in crime. I love y’all so dearly.
Woke up late late last night (early early this mornin’) with a hardcore stomachache. Long story short, I was grey & proper freezing/cold sweat for about 15 minutes. I mean, I felt like death, full flippin’ stop. That was just utterly rubbish. The last time I felt that terrible, I was in Uganda, and I was PROPERLY ill. I still managed to get some sleep, but not enough. Please pray that I don’t have another night like that – I really can’t afford it. I’ve got important things goin’ on in the morning! Hello, Valentine’s Day assembly at the Durham High School for Girls. Should be lovely, am really lookin’ forward to it. Get to dress a bit smarter, do a bit of public speaking, should be interesting, hey? Someone might wear proper shoes… you never know.
I’ll post more about that soon – give you a brief rundown on the chain of events, etc.
Right: coming soon this half term holiday – residential time away with Ben & Sophie’s youth! I’m stoked, goin’ to a youth hostel in Pickering…? Wherever that is. South. But from Durham, most things are south of here. Ha. Also, get to have lunch with Fiona next Tuesday, should be lovely. I love my life most days.
Also, working on planning 2 events in the lovely month of May. More on that note as things progress. Exciting things are happening with Durham YFC, I only wish you were here.
This Thursday is Valentine’s Day, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate love than by declaring a girly evening with my friend Katharine. There will be chocolate, ice cream, maybe some pizza, and best of all: Bridget Jones. (I know, right?) It’s that or Breakfast at Tiffany’s – either way, we’re indulging & it’s going to be brilliant. Who says you have to be dating someone to enjoy Valentine’s Day, yeah? Hannah put on a load of love songs today while we were working - it was so nice to just sing & laugh and revel in some of the greatest love songs ever. (Many were by The Beatles – fittingly so, considering Hannah is a certified Scouse. To die for accent, no lie.) But yeah – I’ll definitely be missing my family this Valentine’s Day. Every year, mom has always given us little samplers of chocolate with a little note saying I love you… man. I miss you, Bubba! I love you big! I’ll be thinking about you while I hang out with my friends and laugh at how love makes such a mess out of our lives… it’ll be lovely.
This Friday: REEL BIG FISH IN NEWCASTLE!!!!11!1!11111!!!
(I know, right?) I’m SO excited, I can scarcely breathe. It should be right wicked. I love going to shows & actually knowing all the words. I don’t enjoy not bein’ able to sing along. Naturally, I know most RBF songs… so this is the concert experience for me. Should be immense. Naturally, I’ll let you know afterwards. Aghhh Newcastle is lush. So excited!
Back to this Thursday afternoon… Exciting outreach events in Durham are my favorite. One of the main streets in the Centre of Durham is called North Road – it’s got loads of shops, restaurants & clubs lining it. Hundreds of people walk it everyday. Valentine’s Day is a day that can make some people feel fantastic, while it leaves others vacant and upset. Therefore, we’re sending out our youth in 2’s, armed with chocolate bars, smiles & the love of Christ. Should be awesome. I’m such a fan of the ‘random act of kindness’ approach. So appealing to my awkward social nature, haha. I don’t actually get to attend, I’m all tied up with my Thursday afternoon group, Super6, but it’ll be fine – sounds like we’ve got a good few coming, and that’ll be awesome. Let’s see how much love we can manage to spread in one sitting!!
Right, that’s all I can think of right now. I love you more than all things, I’m praying for you – please keep me in yours as you go throughout your week. Every word is appreciated.
xx Aimee Cait
Sorry, it’s too late to actually come up with a good witticism for a title.
Adventure in Amsterdam will not soon be forgotten. Made some friends — I’ve now got myself some people in Seattle that are like family. It’s amazing what the stress of traveling can do to a group of people.
Lindsey and Bubba picked me up from the airport and as I hugged my mom hello, I just started to cry. It’s such a relief to be here with my family, even though we’re not all together just yet. Tomorrow, I’ll see everyone and life will be gorgeous again.
It’s really strange being back in the States. Just walking about the Memphis airport was strange. I miss the accents, the clothing, the people… the familiar unfamiliarity of England. I’ll say it now: I miss England already. Ben, Sophie, YFC family & friends: I love you & can’t wait to see you at Staff Conference! It’ll be a blast.
Anyway, I’ve been awake for FAR too long, so I’m going to go crawl into bed. I’m off to Texas tomorrow… so as per usual, if you could pray for safe travel, that’d be lush.
Note: I’m SO excited just to have a dryer for my clothes. Goodness. I do quite miss the convenience of a proper kettle, though.
Merry Christmas, I love you!
xx Aimee Cait
In less than 10 hours, I will be in the sweet blue sky on my way to Memphis, Tennessee… flyin’ nice & fast towards home sweet home.
Say a prayer or two for me as I make my way back to The States. I’m stoked — I get to go through one of my favorite airports tomorrow. Amsterdam, here I come. I’ll be in Amsterdam @ 12:20 pm tomorrow, but then in Memphis @ 5:50 pm… gainin’ some serious daylight, baby. Should be immense. Can’t wait to see my sweet family & check in with my loved ones. There’ll be pictures at every stop along the way, hopefully. I’ll try to keep my word on that one… it gets really crazy & I can’t seem to keep my camera charged, haha. Anyway, smile big and I’ll try to keep you updated. Merry Christmas and you’ll hear from me soon!
A Christmas Message from Ben: “Aimee has spent some time with me and some friends and it was a blast, for now her time in America is a loan, she will be back so use your minutes with her wisely…. if not I’ll be forced to come and take her back… ENGLISH STYLE BABY!”
That’s all
xxACait
This will undoubtedly be a ‘bits and bobs’ post. I apologize for the random nature of this content. -shrug- Variety is good for you.
First, to all you fabulous Mac users out there: I have happily happened upon the most awesome widget for your Dashboard this Christmas season. I’m talking about the Festive Lights widget (created by Interdimension Media), which lets your Dashboard blink and twinkle with holiday cheer. You can choose a style of lights (I picked the cute old-fashioned ones) and you can also make them blink, chase, twinkle, etc. You can then adjust the scale and speed of the glorious glittering, and then you can choose whether you’d like them to frame your screen or whether you’d prefer them to just hang across the top of your screen. Mine are simply gorgeous and they make me happy. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
My little sister is extraordinary and famous (duh). Check my girl ChelleBelle out in this Washington Post article! She and her bff Rhea are in the first picture in the slideshow. So gorgeous. Love that girl. The article is really cool and accurately portrays PEG (from my outsider perspective). I’m proud of you, Chelle! Love you!
Yesterday was my dear sweet big brother Judson Payne Gwaltney’s 21st birthday. He is all grown up and that’s awesome. A little scary, but nevertheless awesome. It’s weird… we’re all inching towards adulthood. Naturally, JP’s been there a while. But Chelle turns 18 this summer… I’ve just turned 19 in October. Weird weird weird. Even my sweet Cassidy is about to be flippin’ 13. Yikes! Too grown up — how do you stop this thing?! Anyway — happy birthday again, young man. I love you big. x
Three words: Benjamin Daniel Shaw.
Moving right along… I’m baking this week!! Expect gorgeous pictures of fabulous confectionery masterpieces! (Expect nothing less, you hear me?) It’s exciting… Hopefully I’ll be able to create something that will become a Christmas tradition in the Gwaltney house. Chocolate Candy Cane cookies — look for pictures of these once I finish. They’ll be fabulous… they already taste great! Making pink peppermint icing really just makes it feel like Christmas… something about it, man. Haha. I love life.
While in Waitrose (grocery store) today, I was purchasing some almond extract (which was priced ridiculously, mind you, as Waitrose is quite posh) and at the till, the lady stopped and says (completely absent-mindedly) “I’m ’sposed to ask you if you’re 18. You’re 18?” I laughed and said automatically, “Oh, yes ma’am!” Here is where I remembered that almond extract has a small amount of alcohol in it. What sneaky little underage kid is going to go into a store and buy bottles of baking extracts to get drunk? Right, Listerine. But high-quality almond extract? Give me a break. She and I laughed about it, it was magic. I smiled and wished her a Happy Christmas as I scooted out of the store.
This morning, I got to attend (at the gracious invitation of Mrs. Liz Hewitt) a Nativity play at the Durham Cathedral. The school that is attached to the Cathedral is the Chorister School. Really neat place. Upon my arrival, she lead me to a room called the Chapter House (I was just barely 1 minute late & exhausted — it’s warm today, 51 degrees and humid) and I sat down in this gorgeous stone room and watched these sweet 4 – 7 year olds tell the story of Toby, the little drummer boy. (Anyone from the US who’s seen the old film knows that the little drummer boy’s name was actually Aaron.) They were absolutely angelic, it was wonderful! While the short play went on, I found my eyes wandering about the room, examining the carved stone and the intricate arches, the chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, glowing warmly. I felt like I’d been in the room before. I couldn’t place it, though, so I focused on the little kids singing. After it was all over and Liz and I were chatting about nothing in particular, she turned to me and said, “Do you recognize this room…?” And suddenly, it clicked. “Am I… in Professor McGonagall’s classroom…?”
And indeed I was.
I live in a very, very magical place. (Please excuse the cheap pun.) More exciting, though — they’re filming the 6th film here in Durham in April! The filming will take place at night, so I won’t see any real goings on, but that doesn’t really matter to me. Harry Potter madness will be at its height in Durham, and I’ll be here to absorb it all. I could not be more excited, haha.
15 more days, boys and girls. Home sweet home, here I come! I love y’all! Have a brilliant day!
xx Aimee Cait
