Somewhere Over the Rainbow

As the days tick by into weeks and weeks into months, I have somehow gotten here. In just less than a month I'll be heading off to the "big wide world"! (I hear they have stocked supermarkets and working buses there).

University has been my dream since I was little. I've always loved learning and always loved being around those who have a lot to teach. How blessed I am to be going to one of the best universities in one of the loveliest cities in the country to learn about my passion! Everyday I feel so grateful and blessed. The word blessed here is one of importance.

I believe that this wonderful opportunity has not simply occurred through the work of my hands or that of others' alone, but from the work of God's hands. He has put so many opportunities before me this year which have led to my successful application. Opportunities such as a "chance" meeting with a graduate of Edinburgh University's Film & TV Course who has been able to help me critique and better my work for my application; surrounding me with the right people at the right time in order to produce the films for my application; turning me away from a university I had originally intended as my first choice and showing me why; guiding me to another university (Edinburgh University) which coincides with my career goals better and will offer me greater opportunities relating to my career. There are so many more ways I have seen God shine through this whole process this year. It has been a complete journey of faith, growth and blessings in many different ways.

You may still be wondering about the title of this post. You see, every time I was approaching a new stage of my application, feeling anxious about the future or simply just needed to know God was still there beside me, a rainbow would appear in the sky - on that day or in that week - and always just after I had been praying about the situation. That to me is not a coincidence, it is a God-incidence.

God sent Noah a rainbow as a reminder of a promise he made to him (Genesis 9:12-17) and in the same way, each rainbow I have witnessed in the midst of fear or uncertainty has reminded me of God's promise to us: "I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

So as moving day continues to draw near, I will find comfort in knowing that I am not alone in any of this, but that God is with me and He will guide me. So I will simply let go and let God.

Exciting Things Ahead

Hello everyone.

It's been a while since I last uploaded (a week) because I didn't upload my usual "Mollie'sThoughts" post on Monday. Sorry for deserting you for so long *cuddle*. Well, I say I didn't upload a Mollie'sThoughts post but in truth I did, I just didn't keep it up. It was written very quickly and my heart wasn't in it and so it was only up for a night and a morning before I decided to take it down. I think quality rather than quantity is what I'd prefer to advertise on my blog (though I will of course upload at least once a week for you lovely people) which is why I didn't want to just post it for the sake of it if I wasn't happy with the quality. Anyway, now that I've finished nattering.
I'd like to start off by saying I was so pleased to get some really nice comments on my last post-link. It's so lovely to hear from you guys! There's a massive difference between seeing the number of page views on a blog and seeing the number of comments. Of course I appreciate everyone who reads my posts but seeing that someone has taken the time to leave a comment is really nice. As is putting a face to a reader as it helps me to find your blogs so that I can visit your page too!

Now in my last post, I talked about everything that I wanted to achieve in 5 years times so in this post I thought I write about the steps I'm taking in order to achieve these goals and it's all very exciting. So here's a list of what I've been doing/planning so far.

1. Travelling goal: Rome

That's right, I'm going to Rome! I'm actually going to be doing a little travelling and it's very soon. You see my dad works in IT and so he has to travel a lot to help out with programs and systems all around the world (though I'm convinced he's secretly a spy and that's why he travels so much) and this time he's going to Rome. As a joke I said "Oh, can I come too?" and we kind of chatted about it a bit, and then said nothing of it. A few days later and he says "You're going to Rome.". Yay! So in less than a months time I'll be heading over to Rome for 3 days with my dad. He'll be working some of the time and for safety reasons I'll be staying in the hotel during the hours he's away but we will still have the afternoon of the first day,  late afternoon of the second day and most of the 3rd day to explore Rome! I'm so excited!

2.Travelling/ Volunteering/Growing in Faith Goal: ABBAS Rest

Now this one is a work in progress and may not work out however there are other opportunities that are similar that I will look into if this doesn't work out. ABBAS Rest is a Christian charity that helps orphans in Africa in places that other charities have not yet reached. This charity is owned by people that my parents and the churches on Arran know as it is a Scottish charity and they visit Arran sometimes and so I am going to e-mail them about possibly going with them to Africa to volunteer for a few week some time next year depending on their schedules. It would be an amazing opportunity however it is hanging in the balance as we don't know their plans for next year so all I can do is ask. And if it doesn't work at least I've began to aim for my volunteering goal in a big way!

3. Becoming a film-maker: Camera and Laptop

Despite my inability to walk into a shop and leave without having purchased at least one item, I have somehow over the summer earned enough money to buy myself a decent camcorder (as I've mentioned) and now a laptop of my own! (I use my parents' usually) And so now I have the resources necessary to begin making more videos more easily. Hooray.

4. Becoming a film-maker: University

Of course, in order to become a qualified film-maker I shall have to study it and the place I'd love to study film would be at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. They have an amazing course which doesn't just involve talking about film, it involves making them! It's very exclusive however so I will of course have back-up universities. The reason I'm mentioning this now is because the application process is fast approaching (ahh, slow down!) as are the open days so I have them to work towards.

5. Creating my own business: Bags, cushions, cards

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my goals is to one day have my own successful business where I sell lots of different products with my floral artwork on them. So far my dad has kindly helped me look into it and has found a website which could print my artwork onto canvas bags. Just now we are in the process of sending a photo to this company in order to get a quote for how much the printing will cost.

Also relating to this goal, today was the first day of the exhibition of mine and my two classmates' artwork from our Advanced Higher course. Each year at the cafe/shop where I now work, artwork from the highschool students is exhibited for a few days. Usually there is art shown from different year groups but as the cafe has been re-designed there is now less room and so there is only enough room for the Advanced Higher work. This is good news for me and my friends who took Advanced Higher though as we have at least 7 of our A1 sheets on show each and so we are able to get our artwork promoted for selling! Hopefully this will begin to attract attention for my bags and cards aswell once I get them printed. If you would be interested in purchasing some of my artwork (you can find some examples of my work here) then feel free to contact me at molliesart@hotmail.co.uk.

So there we are. My first baby steps towards reaching my goals. I know some aren't finalised and are only beginnings but I thought I'd share them with you anyway so you can follow their progress. I can't wait to see how/whether things come together. I will of course keep you informed of progress.
Much love,

Mollie

♥

What steps are you taking to achieve your goals? What advice do you have for making your dreams a reality?