My Ghostwalk Through Oakwood Cemetery

I have a lovely story to tell you all!

Let me give you a disclaimer that I have had few encounters with anything like this, and also, I love and fear the paranormal. If you are rolling your eyes right now, feel free to click away. I am just sharing a fun evening walk I had with my boyfriend, dog and his best friend.

So yesterday I was taken to this beautiful cemetery I think outside of Syracuse, called Oakwood Cemetery, and it was amazing!

It is gigantic and very historic, so it takes a while to get to a certain spot in the cemetery.

So you drive in, and go off the paved roads, down gravel, all the way to this old church, and park, then you walk up to the church where you can see a map of the entirety of Oakwood.

Then they took me to this statue of a lion. It is beautiful. I will have them attached below. His eyes are hollow so that when it rains, he cries. There is also rumor that he gets up and walks around at night. Which upon closer inspection I noticed he was not attached to the stone he was placed on. True story, you'll see.

We then went to various other locations, starting with an old abandoned barn. We walked past a clearing, on this gravel road, and I immediately noticed a temperature drop as soon as we stepped on the road. I also had this feeling of not dread, but like there was something weighing down my chest. As we kept walking, I noticed a little bit of a foul feeling, but kept along, I love seeing old structures and I especially love cemeteries.

The barn ended up not being there, and the feeling let up when we were in the clearing that had been the barn, as well as the temperature, but I do wonder what the temperature drop on the road was.

We also went to different structures, and I won't be able to remember them all, but don't worry, I already am itching to go back. We went to a circle pyramid, a few archways, another pyramid where there have been stories of lights seen at night, and if you put your hand at the top of the now cemented over door, you can feel the cool air coming out.

We also went to this monument where it was open on one side, and opposite to that was a window, with a bag hanging under it. I was told by my companions that people peed in there, and to not sit down. Dually noted, I thought. Also, it smelled of pee, and my germophobe kicked in. I had a weird unsettled feeling while in there, I also think that I was on edge because I didn't want to interrupt these people's resting grounds, these graves were from the early 1800's and I certainly had to right to be tramping all over, so I was trying my best to be cautious.

The bag ended up being full of trash, so we left it hanging on a giant branch outside of the building, against the window, and to me it was unsettling but lovely.

I believe it was across from that structure, or a little bit later, I saw an archway that was dedicated to a soldier, and I wanted to go look at it. So, I walked over to it, despite my boyfriends warning of, "Don't stand in that archway"

And as I walked over to the archway, I put one hand in, then another, felt a cool rush over me, and decided not to stand in it... Funny how we don't listen to the best warnings...

They showed me many beautiful things, old crypts, and baby headstones, and it was all so amazing. I am sourcing these pictures, because for my first introduction, I wanted it to be raw.

We also had a deer follow us through a lot of our walk, so I will post pictures of that!

So I hope most of you stayed to read this. And I will take more pictures next time I go, and hopefully go one night.

A baby tombstone

The chapel 

The Lion, hidden up a path, and as you can see, not connected to anything. 

An entire map of Oakwood cemetery

The pyramid that has been said to have weird lights at night, and the cool breeze

The John Crause Mausoleum 

A lady did the GHOSTWALK tour, and they let her inside the chapel, or the church

This is a headless lady, I believe she has something headless on her left side

I cannot remember the name of this one, but I remember them telling me stories

If I Was You, Would You Want To Be Me Too? (Part Two FINALLY)

So I finally am writing this part two, and I am sorry for taking such a long time to continue this, and writing another post between this and part one. Life has been super crazy, and I barely have time to write this one and I totally understand that you're thinking, "Wait, you don't have a job yet, and you're at home all day though?"

Well you are half right, and just because I am at home all day does not mean I am sitting on my hands waiting for a task. There is this small thing called cleaning, my puppy, and self hygiene and whatnot, plus let me just add that David's car was hit the first week we were here so that is a whole other beast we had to deal with.

So let us begin shall we?

So the first two weeks we were here, we were living with David's dad and his lovely wife Maria, whom became such a wonderful net of support for me when I moved, because I needed to not be alone and isolated. While it was nice to have meals with other people every night, and be social and learn the life of New York, and I have come to love them so much, it was also stressful because most of our stuff was in two Uboxes, and we only had access to what we could cram into our car, and we only had a room to ourselves, and we felt bad about taking up other spaces, when we were guests, plus we had brought a dog who sheds into their house, so most of my day could be spent cleaning up after the three of us, trying to make as little of a mess as possible. One stress that grew with tension as the two weeks went on.

Now let it be known that I had the leisure of a pool! And a back yard for Cooper, and privacy. It was amazing!!! I can not be thankful enough. Make no mistake, I am endlessly lucky.
Let me know if you all would like to hear about our adventures there, I have lots of stories, of exploring and walks and pools and all of the fun, Maria and I especially explored a lot.

Onto the next thing. We moved into our apartment on the first of August, which let me add, if you are ever moving, DO NOT use Uhaul. It was stressful, and how they are such a big company baffles me, and please let me know if you would like me to add that into the stories of living in Manlius, I will. It really is its own separate story. And I don't hold any grudges, it just has happen three times now and I am finished with that moving company.
So we moved into our new apartment, and the fourth day we were there a woman hit his parked car, and it was almost totaled so we are waiting to buy a new jeep, and I am borrowing one of his parents cars, essentially.

Then this last weekend, we drove to Buffalo to David's family reunion, and Maria's car broke down on the way there, so we had to drive the car I was borrowing to Manlius so she could use it, but now she is on vacation so I will hopefully be able to use it soon, although we will be gone this weekend anyways.

Now, I have been on one antidepressant for a year or two and with this big change I feel like it is not working anymore, and I need a new one so I am currently in my third day of changing it, and so my emotions are off the deep end as well, so sometimes all I want to do is sit.

And it is hard to deal with the change and my raging emotional highs and lows as well as trying to adjust to a whole new lifestyle. But I've started just forcing myself to do things. Sometimes small like putting a dish in the dishwasher, or sweeping. Or even just taking my dog on a walk. But it has gotten easier. 

Yesterday David and I went to Washington DC to watch the Portland Timbers play DC United with the Timbers Army East Coast Platoon. And that felt a lot like home away from home. I even made a new friend. So things are slowly looking up. If you get anything out of this, and if you have kept reading this far down, good for you! 

Seriously, my advice from experience would be never turn down a once in a lifetime opportunity, there are no bad decisions, because they are just all leading you down one specific path called life, and just trust yourself. And always be positive that eventually it will be okay. You might have to work at it, but remember what your parents told you? "life's not fair." So go out and work and grab whatever you can and make life work for you. Until next time. Love you all, and updates on DC to come soon. 

Xoxox 

-Shelbs

If I Was You, Would You Want To Be Me Too? (Part One)

Yes I want to be Meghan Trainer and no you cannot stop me!

So now over one week into being an official New York resident, and let me tell you how interesting and stressful this whole change has been. Along with everything that is going on in the world. Although if I am being honest, I like that there are other things to focus on, (No I do not enjoy the bad things happening in the world, you sadist) so I can keep my mind bouncing off other things and not get overwhelmed. 

I am having such issues focusing today!

Alright my song is on. Perfect. So I survived this week with no car, and doing everything from home. But I worked out everyday, made that routine, spent time with David's step-mother, and that was very nice. She has helped with my transition to a new place a lot. I am super grateful to have someone who loves me, and has a beautiful family all over to support us. That always makes me feel happy. 

So today, my friends, here is what I hope to enlighten you about a new move across the world, whether it is a country, state, town, wherever. Change is change. Whether you are ready or not. 

Since I am now settled-ish, I am hoping to plan out my blogs more. So today I am hoping to talk about dealing with the transition, the trial and error I have experienced, as well as things I have learned to do better. 

We are going to reflect on my first week here, compared to others' first weeks in new places. 

Dealing with stress, and anxiety, depression, or all of the new feelings that flood to you. 

Feeling lonely or homesick, 

AND the biggest one! 

Friends and family back home. 

This is a huge one, and you will figure out why. Ready? Here we go!

So my first week here was filled lots of adjustments. We will talk about that too. 

The first day we were here, we relaxed, and tried to be outside a lot, or standing, because we had just spent the last five days driving, cramped in a car, and never further than four inches from each other. I mean I love that we are close, but that becomes intense. And by intense I mean we made our own language... Yeah. 

The rest of the week, was David going to work, and me trying to start applying for jobs, applying like a madwoman. Calling college advisors, working to get things set up for me, because I am coming to a new place with nothing. 

Then, his Step-mom took me out to get our nails done, and that was nice, because just for a few minutes, I could forget all these things I had to do, and have my hands massaged, and my legs massaged, and talk to other ladies in there. Or sit and have my back massaged in those awesome pedicure seats we all love, (Am I right though?) 

We also went shopping for clothes, shoes, and furniture shopping yesterday. I mean the move made us pretty broke, so it was window shopping for me, but it was nice to feel somewhat normal. They also have a pool, so if I would have a moment, or feel stressed, I would lay in the sun, or go swimming at night, and just try to relax. 

Let me explain how this is stressful, because I feel like right about now you might be saying, "How are you stressed if you have been spending your days on vacation?"

I get it, and the first couple days were nice, but, this was a typical day for me. 

Get up, let Cooper outside, play with him, bring him in, feed him. No one is home but me and the dog, so I go downstairs and workout, come back up, and have coffee and breakfast. 

Then, I spend most of my day on my phone and computer until it dies, and David has the charge cord, so then I am on my phone. Go outside, walk around. Walk Cooper. Call people. 

Find things to do. Clean sheets, clean counters, clean room. Make bed. 

Sit... Sit.... Sit...

Then people come home! Talk about their day, go workout, eat dinner watch TV, Go to bed because they had a long day... But what if I wanted to go somewhere. I am still awake. 

And Repeat. That was my first week. Stressful right? And no one else gets it because it is JUST YOU. 

At first I felt horrible, well, I still feel bad, because I am surrounded by these amazing people, but I still feel alone. Such a whirlwind of complications.

Now, I am into a better routine, and I have a car! I will be working from home today mostly because I have a charged computer now and can do most of these things online now! No travel necessary. 

Coffee or tea shops in the evening. Perfect. 

So the transition for me, was much easier, because I had people to surround me on the weekends, and evenings to have dinner with. I am very fortunate for that. A lot of other people are not. 

For those of you who are not or will not be staying with a family, I suggest going out to a coffee shop, or a tea shop, or trying to find a place with communal tables, or even getting the app meetup, because you can meet hundreds of people who love doing the same thing you do, wherever you are. 

***That being said, if you are alone, always be careful. Never let your guard down, that is important***

Now, moving onto stress, anxiety, and depression. 

And I totally get it, if you are the type of person, and there are these awesome people out there, who go to a whole new place, and settle right in, make new friends, and are perfectly fine, or close to it. Kudos to you, you miracle human beings!!! I love it, and I wish you the best!

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are others who become very lonely, very depressed, and become very under stress when they have this large of a change. There is also an anxiety that is solely associated with change, which is something I have. 

To Be Continued... 

I am what I say I Sam

I am sorry that my blogs sometimes don't make sense. I am still so new to the blogging process.

Sometimes, as I was telling my friend the other day, I will be typing something, or telling everyone how my day was, and then I will have an overflow of emotion that comes to quickly for me to put into words, so I decide to quit writing and pick up where I leave off the next time I feel like writing my blog.

Like right now, I feel overwhelmed even though I don't have much that has happened today. I mean I did find out that we have to bring my horse out later than I thought we were going to be able to. And it is hard for me because being with my horse is like therapy for me, which really sucks.

I have become so sad already and stressed because of the changes that are happening, any unfortunate news that occurs really makes me shut down. I am weak when it comes to that. I am hoping that being here makes me thrive.

To Be Continued...

Welcome to Syracuse!!!

Well, I feel like I am finally home!

Although I am feeling pretty homesick as I am watching the timbers game from here. But we are doing pretty dang well!!!

Three points for the Portland Timbers against Seattle!!!

So it is the day after the game, last night we met David's brother and went out to Empire brewhouse, and had dinner. Then we were walking him to his car, and all of a sudden, there was a man throwing up on the side of the street. And I do not mean like little throw up, I mean ALL of the stomach fluids.

Anyways, so we are witnessing this man's stomach contents being unburdened unto this sidewalk, I ignored it at first. Then, as he started trying to stumble while puking, I felt sick. And David and his brother were making puke jokes, his brother was pretending to start gagging, and then the smell. UGH!

So I said we needed to leave, and we did.

Then David gave me a driving tour, meaning me doing the driving, through the neighborhood of Syracuse, and where we were living in relation to streets and locations I knew.

Today, I spent time with David's step-mother, Maria. It was so nice to get to know her, as well as have so girl time. Even just getting a pedicure really helped me feel human again. We cleaned in the morning, then I went and tried out some of my new makeup products that I had not tried yet. Then we left to go to the appointment.

Afterwards, she took me to a plaza in Cazenovia? I think. We went to T.J. Maxx, and looked through all of the home section. I found a set of new navy blue towels, and a saying for my love, I think it says, "You have my whole heart, for my whole life".

I also found two presents for my lovely friend who can't always make it out of the house. I miss her so.

Then David called because he had no key for the house. Which made us run back and let him in. I felt so bad. I am adjusting very well to this life. It is not as stressful as I thought it would be.

***

Now that I said that, that night I laid down in bed and sobbed for hours. I called my mom, messaged my dad, my friends. I was so sad. The reality hit me... I was away from all of the people I grew up with.

But then I realized that these people I had come to know these last few months are my family too. I had nothing to worry about. Yes I miss hugging, but I will get used to it just like I made David get used to hugging me, and cuddling. It takes time.

This too shall pass.

Tell The World That I'm Coming... Home

Alright sheaps. We are here. Day five. 

Last night was amazing. I saw my sister, we had deep dish pizza from Lou Malnatis, tried beer from Chicago, and David got to spend time with someone other than me, and vice versa. 

Seeing more family made it easier to be across the country. Plus we hadn't seen each other in over a year, minus a small visit during last Christmas. 

My sister moved to Illinois about four years ago, met the love of her life, and married him two years ago this week. Even though she doesn't like Chicago, I mean we are Oregonians, and let's be real, we all like rain and sun. Two seasons, she still loves her husband, and they love where they live. 

They are ten hours from our new home, so visits will be easier. Weekend visits, and so forth. 

Cooper loved being out of the car, although I was afraid because my sister has cats. There is Gretel, the fattest and grumpiest cat. Then there is Khajii, the awesome cat who acts like a dog, then finally Felix, the cat who I have decided is a British Jewish kitten. 

They all were up all night because they did not like the fact that a giant dog was invading their home. Really though, Cooper just wanted to be their friends, and after all, he hadn't seen animals for three days. 

We celebrated my sisters birthday, stayed up until it was midnight, and then played some birthday songs, until we all became very very tired, and went to bed. Then this morning we got ready, and armed with coffee and cake, made our way out. 

On our way out, we drove through Gary, Indiana and it was barren to say the least. I couldn't imagine the population was more than a thousand people. Almost everywhere was closed down, it was definitely a solve where you know not to get out of the car. 

Now we are about to cross over to IOWA, and that makes me very very happy because I am ready to not ever ride in a car again! 

We have run out of podcasts, the music won't play, we are at each other's throats, and just want to be home already. Six more hours to go!

Operation Maximize

Well, here we are. 

I do not reside in Portland, Oregon anymore. As I set out on my first night, across Idaho, I was watching the cars go by and a panic set in my chest as I realized, "This is it. I am no longer home. I don't have a home right now" 

And then I looked at the man beside me, and the poke-dog behind him, and I knew I was not alone in this endeavor. 

Saying goodbye was hard. Probably the hardest thing I have ever done, but I also didn't realize how much strength I had to get in the car, and drive away, with my mom sobbing in the rear view mirror. 

But when I got to Burley, Idaho the first night, I was so exhausted I couldn't be emotional.

The second day of travel we decided to add another day to our travels to alleviate the stress of driving twelve hours everyday, and no stopping. We already had to kick out idea of roadside attractions. I was extremely disappointed. When we got into Laramie, Wyoming, we went to a brewery and watched the Timbers play on our phones while also watching the red bulls on the television. I had an amazing salmon burger and iced tea there, and then we grabbed wine and watched a documentary on bats. Which was hilarious because I had just found a bat in my horse's stall. 

We then went to bed, and woke up around ten, to me sneezing, a tired and upset Cooper (the poke-dog), and to hunger.  We went to this place called Cool Creek Coffee, and got caffeine and bagels, only to find that Wyomings definition of bagels are Kaiser rolls. But the veggie cream cheese was killer.

Now onto Cheyenne, which we only drove by, but that is fine, because we have a timeline to keep, and on to Grand Island, Nebraska, where we will go to a place called Noodle House, and get pho, because my friend whom I miss very very much, had her first pho last night and I feel the need to celebrate. 

Our stop tonight is Des Moines, Nebraska. I have family friends here, but they are too far north. I also think they will be gone when I am here. 

More to come along they way, follow me on Facebook, Shelby Peabody. 

My Instagram is Isthislove8 

And my snapchat which is always live is pandagirl3. 

Love you all! Sorry this is horribly put together, I am currently in the car and on my phones version of Google blogger. 

Until next time! 

To Good Health

This is going to be a short one my friends.

I am going to be real.

When sad things happen, shootings, bombings, etc. I am overwhelmed with emotion. But that does not mean I am going to post my feelings or opinions to the internet.

It continuously makes me sad when my social media sites are flooded with nasty comments that are full of false facts, and rage/hurt-fueled messages and posts. I may not understand everything that I see, but it hurts me to see people start to tear each other apart.

What we are supposed to learn from these incidents, or what I thought we were supposed learn was to work together and communicate, not fight each other and start pointing fingers.

This is why I have always and will continue to stay on the sidelines on my social media when these situations and things happen.

I was always taught to treat others the way I wanted to be treated.

I really wish that people would start remembering that. If I lose followers, then oh well.

I just want people to remember to love each other and stop hating or pushing blame.

I am going to go drink coffee and cuddle my dog.

Do something today for yourself, even if it is just going for a walk, or doing a headstand for a minute.
Take you time.

Love you all.

Six Days Left

This week has been interesting.

I fell off of my mother's horse, I got very intoxicated twice, I went to hood river, explored five breweries, and realized that in less than a week I will be living somewhere else.

All of reality has really started to hit me.

It is strange, because when I announced that I was moving away, everyone commented that they wanted to see me, that we should get together, all of these things. But here I am, less than 6 days away from moving, and the only friend I have seen in a week is my upstairs neighbor. Not that I am complaining, She is amazing, I am honored to know her, yet sad to leave her.

Anyways, while I am sitting here, eating whole radishes as a lunch, and wondering what I am doing with my time here, I am shallowly breathing because my ribs still hurt from falling off a horse. Long story, but really, everything still hurts.

I did get two days of relaxation in Hood River, the Boy, pooch and I drove out there and spent two days by the river watching sunsets, eating amazing food, and soaking up the sun for the fourth. It was romantic as heck, and also just so reminiscent of what we are going to miss.

We visited five local breweries within thirty minutes of each other, and that I will miss. Good food, good drinks, great company, and beautiful mountains.

But I am so happy to be moving to my man's home where I can learn about his childhood.

I think we often take where we live for granted, thinking that if we have to drive an hour that it is too far. But when we leave, or if something happens, we realize all we have missed from our excuses and busy lives. So if you take anything from this rambling of a post, it would be to just live out each day and explore as much as you can. You would be surprised at how much you're missing when you are only looking at your phone and thinking about what it would be like to go to Europe or [insert here].

Until next time,

Live, Laugh, Love, and make sure you are happy with yourself.

I know I am still working on that one. XoX