A day in the life

The sun is coming through the clouds sometimes. Every now and then it enlightens us with its warmth and brightness and we go outside for a long walk with the dog or just to get a subtle tan. The sky is clear and blue and birds are singing.



In a few weeks, there will be lambs, chicks, calves, foals. We might go feeding them some clover or just watching them.
It's like there's new life being brought to us as the flowers come back, trees bloom again and temperatures increase.
Maybe it is a good moment to take some time to think things over and clean up your mind...



Everything changes, but it's good to have a stable place to turn to, a familiar voice to talk to and a well-known bed to loose yourself in dreams.
It makes me think of the upcoming months, as it won't be long before we change familiar things for new cities, new studies, new places to live and new people to meet.
Some are going pretty far away, but for me, there's no place like home - for now, at least.

Happy Easter.

With love,
Kirsten.

The wind of change blows straight into the face of time
Like a stormwind that will ring the freedom bell
For peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

- Scorpions - 

Floating through the sky

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this year.
Lots of joy, pleasure and love. A good time with your family. The prettiest Christmas tree.
Everything you wished for and more.



I hope you celebrated and had a gorgeous New Year's Eve yesterday night, and that you can look back to a great year.
I had a party with some friends and we talked for a while about last year. It made me think of some special 2011-moments.

I did a lot of travelling, saw so many places I never saw before and fell in love with in.
Rome, with all the art, the buildings, the Italian ambiance, and all my friends from school. Secretly smoking cigarettes in the bathroom of our hotel room when we felt down the last day, talking and sharing our problems. The blisters on my feet from walking all day long for a week. The sun, the Colosseum, the Trevi-fountain.

Germany, a four week-trip from Bonn to a tiny town, from Munich to Berlin. How good it felt to see the sun again in Munich after two weeks of rain. How Berlin was pretty in both sunlight and rain. Cycling in Berlin, the wind blowing through my hair on a summer's evening, with people from all over the world. The museums, the busy days, and above all, the people.

And there were so much more lovely moments. Too much to mention. The year feels complete.
Eventually, this must be somewhat the same for everyone. We all had some good and some bad moments, but I hope there were more of the good ones.
And if you look back to the bad memories, I hope you notice you've learned something from them and have grown stronger.



Now all we have to do is looking forward. A new year, new chances, new possibilities.
New plans to make, new dreams to fulfill, new goals to achieve.
There are so many things waiting for me: My eighteenth birthday, graduation, the final-dance. Letting go of my high school friends, university, my driver's licence. A summer holiday to the south of France with my parents, sisters, my sister's sweetheart and my own.

I'm sure not everything will go according to plan.
But to be honest... It would be boring, and I would not want it any other way.
Happy new year.

With love,
Kirsten

Here’s to us one more toast and then we’ll pay the bill
Deep inside both of us can feel the autumn chill
Birds of passage, you and me
We fly instinctively
When the summer’s over and the dark clouds hide the sun
Neither you nor I’m to blame when all is said and done.

It’s so strange when you’re down and lying on the floor
How you rise, shake your head, get up and ask for more
Clear-headed and open-eyed
With nothing left untried
Standing calmly at the crossroads,no desire to run
There’s no hurry any more when all is said and done.

- ABBA -

I can't wait to see those faces

These are the days when the air is cold and fresh in the morning.
The days when the air feels heavy and smoky in the late afternoon.
The days you come home with red cheeks and frozen fingers from blowing winds.
And then, when you walk the driveway to the front door, yell: "I'm home!" and open the door, it feels like coming home in every way it could.

Tripping puppy toes on the wooden floor. Songs playing on the readio softly. Light in the garden, in the living room. It feels like they're in my body, too.



These days always pass in a blur.
It goes too fast, too slow. There's too little time to get everything fixed and perfect in time, yet it always works out. Presents, dinners, meetings. Family, friends, decoration.
I've always loved this time of the year.

Come home, make yourself comfy-cosy on the couch with a good cup of hot tea and a lovely chicklit or your favorite classic.
Watch all the movies on the television, sing along with the songs and put on the loveliest Christmas tree.
It's all a lovely tradition and makes a big difference.



But this year, I feel like I have a problem.
I've had the very same feeling every year, but it always is over when December starts, at last.
And now, it just won't leave me and I don't know what to do about it, but:

I just don't know what to ask for Christmas!

I already have everthing I need and more, so what is left for me to ask for?
So the only things I'll ask for this year are loads of snow, loads of glitter, candle light, a warm home and as always love, lots of it.
And every gift received, is a nice bonus.
Every gift given, is entirely different. It's a smile received.
And I believe that that is much better.

With love,
Kirsten


So this is Christmas, and what have you done ?
Another year over and a new one just begun.
And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun.
The near and the dear ones, the old and the young.

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year.
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear.


And so this is Christmas for weak and for strong
(War is over if you want it)
For rich and the poor ones the world is so wrong
(War is over now)
And so Happy Christmas for black and for white
(War is over if you want it)
For yellow and red ones, let's stop all the fight.
(War is over now).

- John Lennon -

Fall colors

Sun shines through the glass roof.
It warms my arms, my neck, my hair.
Here in our garden, it seems like summer still is on it's highest peak.
But if you look better, it's evidently there.
Autumn.



The greens are starting to loose.
Red, orange, yellow, brown is taking over the world outside.
I can't say I don't like it.
Red is warm, it's the color you see when you look at the sun and close your eyes...



Autumn is cosy.
Rainy days are perfect for creating things, from baking a perfect cake to painting.
Reading, writing, or going outside for a long walk in the forest.
Falling leafs smell so good...



In the morning and evening, as the sun starts to rise or to set, I do miss the warming feeling it ususally provides me with when I'm going outside.
But there are other things that manage to keep me warm. I love warm sweaters, fuzzy blankets, hot tea and lying comfy-cosy on the couch with a good movie on the TV.
But above all and more important, love warms us all from the inside out.
And there's nothing better than that.

With love,
Kirsten

P.S.:  I can't wait for next week. I have something to tell you then.

One day you'll look to see I've gone
For tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
Some day you'll know I was the one
But tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
And now the time has come
And so my love I must go.
And though I lose a friend,
In the end you will know.
One day you'll find that I have gone
But tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
Yes, tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.

- The Beatles -

Close-ups.

The opposite of hate is not love.
It is intimacy.
It's being close to someone, something.
It's being able to tell anything without being ashamed.
It's saying what's on your mind.
Above all, it's being yourself. 

If you come closer and look better, you will see so many things you never noticed before
Look at the sea and see the glistening waves.
Look at a friend and notice you share the same thought.
Look into someone's eyes and suddenly they're multi-colored.
Look into someone's soul and feel it's alright.



Details make things worth looking at.
They make you wanna get closer, they make you wanna understand the complexity that hides behind the simple things.
Nothing is perfect, no one is perfect.
But these details, these little things!
Above all, they make things beautiful. 



Sparkles, flowers, patterns. Colors, patches, dots.
These details, once again.
 
Everything we know is built out of parts.
Every little flower has dozens of petals, perfect for plucking: "Love me, love me not, love me, love me not..."
Every person has his own whims, the things that make you one-of-a-kind.
We're all pretty, we shine and sparkle and enlight.



Little surprises are hidden everywhere.
They are there to catch us when we least expect it, and therefore we call them surprises.
Never expect, always be prepared for what might come.
But also let everything come to you. It might wash you over, it might bring you down.
But there will be things that will bring you up again, make you stronger, make it worth it. 

Adore who loves you. Love who adores you.
Laugh with these who make you laugh. Laugh because of yourself.

Accept that it's not always the way you want it to be. Make it that way, then.

Go for it. 

Don't rush, take your time to relax. 

Smell the flowers, the grass, the ocean.

Hold on tight when you found what you've been looking for.

With love,

Kirsten

I know a way to something much better
Hold it inside me
I know a fairytale that 's longer
Than anyone will read
I know a way to something much higher
Keep it inside me
I know the way to touch the sky

Into the light we go, we 're speeding
With all headlights on
I know the glory moment's approaching
This can go so wrong
I know a way to something much higher
Keep it inside me
We 're away from today and this time.

- Sunrise Avenue -  

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Let's think about something deeply...

Life is beautiful.
La vie est belle.
Das Leben ist schön.
La vida es buena.
Het leven is mooi.
La vita è bella.

So many ways to say it, and they all lead to the same conclusion.
Is that something we can apply to other things, too? If so, how many ways are there that lead to a happy end then, or to love?

Things might seem different once you notice they have turned upside down. But the essential thing remains the same... So wouldn't that mean that things never really change, but all you have to do is look at them in a different way?
Doesn't upside down just mean the same, but different? That would mean, all we have to do, is changing our perspectives, and we can change everything from bad to good, from good to better... 

How many ways are there to bring a smile to someone's face?
Must be a million... 

Music, singing, dancing.
High heels, a floral dress, a shimmering necklace.
Bright red lipstick, lovely nails, a wonderful smile.
Family, friends, lovers.
The ones who are there for you, the ones that can make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts and tears stream down your face.



How many ways are there to reach your destiny? To find find someone who is the same, but different, too? Made for each other, a perfect match.
If one thing goes wrong, doesn't mean you can't be happy in another way. I don't believe we are made for a certain life, I believe we can do what makes us happy and that will be different things. I could be happy being a writer, I could be happy studying medicine. Two things which will end in complete different lives...
Can that very same attitude be used in case of love? As in, there's not one person who can make me happy, there are more?
I'd like to believe there's only one true love, though I have to admit that there probably are more. I've gone through that, too. It's not bad, for I know, that eventually everything will be fine.

Who never has been walking the edge, who never has known the fear of falling down, doesn't know the relief, the happiness that runs through you whenever you reached your destiny.
It's not bad, being afraid of falling. Everyone is. I am too, all the time.
But as long as I know that I'll have people who will always help me to get back up again, I can handle that fear.
Never let fear keep you from doing something, it's better to regret what you have done than what you have not done.



How many ways are there to see the beauty in something common?
It's a talent to create something pretty with the most simple things. And I can't do more than hoping, wishing to have only the slightest bit of that talent.
It makes life bereable.

With love,
Kirsten

Give me something, I've been wanting
Take my feelings to the sky.

Give my something, I've been wondering

Give my feelings wings to fly.

Destiny is to be by your side.

- Sunrise Avenue

If you search for it, you'll find it everywhere.

Ah well, eventually, there are so many incredible things... But you manage to facinate me all the time, and no matter how many time I spend thinking about it, it never gets exactly clear to me.
But maybe that's not the intention at all. 

And I just wanted to let you know that I am happy. Not all day every day, but every day. And that's what counts. Though I'm confused and sad sometimes, I always find happiness in little things.

Sticking together with my friends, for an example.
When I was going through one of my hardest times, they were the ones who were there for me, and now, they still are. With me being hard to handle , feeling misunderstood or being incredibly happy sometimes, friends are the most important thing one could have, to share emotions and moods with.

Whatever you cause us to feel, we're there and we're ready. We can handle you.

Seeing things from another angle opens a lot of doors.

Let us be together. I know it's possible.

Let us change the natural things, make them even prettier. It's all we need.

Come closer. It changes everything.

I'll find my place to be. It will be fine.
And after all...

With love,
Kirsten.

I’ve been running far away from love
I’ve been trying to rise above
Thought I’d be cooler with no one
And I thought it would be easy
I thought it’s easy.

There was not a warning sign on you
There was nothing I could do
You opened all the gates from me
And you made me see it’s easy
You just feel the love and sing. 

Better for worse, to rain or shine
Now you’re mine, it brings me
Happiness happiness happiness
You are the one (you bring me happiness)
You call me dear and hold me close
Give sweet love and it glows
Happines happiness happiness
You are the one (you bring me happiness)

Lately she’s been dreaming about the one
About her prince, the golden son
She’s waiting for the perfect match
But that ain’t quite the catch
It’s easy
She should find someone who sings.

 

- Sunrise Avenue - 

Let us tumble through fields filled with flowers

Take my hand, let me hold yours. Take me to all the places that I wonder, to all the places I've never been. Show me all your colors, let me taste the sweetness, and feel it all inside.
Hold me high in your arms, whisper the words I long to hear.
It'll feel like home then, so natural...

Show me how colors fade, watch the sunset on the beach. Let us dive deep under water and see mermaids with shiny tails and braided hair.

Canto el ansia de estatua que persigues sin tregua         
el miedo a la emoción que te aguarda en la calle.
Canto la sirenita de la mar que te canta              
montada en bicicleta de corales y conchas.
Pero ante todo canto un común pensamiento
que nos une en las horas oscuras y doradas. 
No es el Arte la luz que nos ciega los ojos.
Es primero el amor, la amistad, o la esgrima.


I sing your restless longing for the statue
your fear of the feeling that awaits you in the street.
I sing the small sea siren who sings to you
riding her bicycle or corals and conches.
But above all I sing a common thought
that joins us in the dark and golden hours.
The light that blinds our eyes is not art.
Rather it is love, friendship, crossed swords.

From: Oda a Salvador Dalí, by Federico García Lorca

Let the flowers grow wildly, follow their natural paths. It will be as it has to be, and it is as it is.

They'll grow over our heads, reach to the sky. Take me up there, I want to get higher whenever I'm in your arms, as I feel when you stroke my hair. I could lie there in your arms forever, just staring at the sky...

It'll be our own magical place, a place like home. It will be familiar every Spring, when the leaves come back to the trees again and the sun enlightens the world.

There will be flowers everywhere...

It will look like it's been there for a hundred years. Like it belongs there. Maybe it really does. We'll belong in that fairytale world, just like you belong in my arms and my heart belongs to yours.

Now, please, give me space to think, to speculate, to philosophize, and to rearrange my blurry mind. You messed it up completely, and therefore I love you.

Set me free, let me go whenever I feel like going. I need my freedom, I need fresh air to breathe. I wanna fall and tumble and fall again, but I don't want to touch the ground. Make me feel like I'm flying.

But above all, make me even happier than I already was. I can make my own base of luck, I can brew it in my mind, but I need you to complete it. For my own made luck will match your elixir or happiness, mixed up they'll make a sweet venom called love.

Let us search all the forests, the deserts, let us climb every mountain and we'll find all the treasures life made for us. They're there to be discovered.

Oh, what I would give to escape, to run away and explore. 

There's gold in the air and diamonds in the water, and only you and me.

Isn't that enough?
Yes, it is. It's enough for forever. 

With love,
Kirsten

Well on his way, his head in a cloud

The man of a thousand voices, talking perfectly loud.

But nobody ever hears him,

or the sound he appears to make

And he never seems to notice

But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down.

And the eyes in his head see the world spinning around.

- The Beatles - 

Ti amo Roma

It was a lovely week.

A splendid sun burning on our shoulders and arms. Drinking water which comes from wells in the city. Laughter filling the air. Sneaking to the boys's rooms in the middle of the night. Smoking cigarettes out of the bathroom window secretly.

An enormous city. Ancient history is visible everywhere you go. Walks from early morning till late afternoon. Tired legs, blisters on our feet.

Art, lots and lots of art. The feeling of walking around in a theatre play wearing the wrong costumes. Buildings so high you can hardly see their top if you're right in front of them. Thousands of years of history.

Roma, the eternal city.

There's so much to see, and therefore there are so many pictures. I took almost 600 pictures, of us, of art, of everything. Let's take a look at the prettiest ones...

Of course we couldn't leave without throwing some coins into the Trevi-fountain...

Piazza Navona

 Vatican City. I can't say I'm religious, but seeing all those people who are, who believe in their church so truly, really touched me somehow. Even the church itself, with all its art and decoration, was incredibly impressive...

 Every detail looks so small in that huge building, untill you stand next to it...

St. Peter's Square

Chilling like a bunch of hippies next to the Angels & Demons obelisk.

The Vatican Musea

I wonder how much art there is... If you could buy it, what would the price be? I don't think anyone would have that amount of money.

  School of Athens by Rafaël

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo.

Forum Romanum

 The Spanish Steps

Me, Lisa and Maud at the Colosseum.

Having fun at Ostia Antica, doing things which weren't allowed...

An antique jacuzzi? I have the funniest friends...

And then, according to the guys, they suddenly saw three goddesses...

Piazza della Republica by night...

Vicky is happy as a child with the ice-cream I owed her, for graduading in Spanish two years ago.
Congrats, Vicks!

After all, it's important to have fun, even when you're feet hurt and you're marching along the Tiber...

So we took a little break to take funny close-ups...

Castel Sant Angelo, with the Bernini sculptures on the bridge.

Paintings in the Santa Maria del Populo, by Caravaggio.

G is for Gelato!

It was an awesome week. My feet are still tense and I'm still tired. I'm wearin the I heart Roma sweater I (and almost everyone else) bought. I'll see everyone again tomorrow, in Latin class, and we sure will discuss everything over and over again. We'll be remembering like it was only yesterday. We're going to share all the pictures and remember how much fun we had. We'll be whining that we want to go back.

And who knows, we might even go... There's so many beautiful places to visit, so we're not finished travelling at all. Like I once read in a store, painted on the wall: 

Nur Reisen ist Leben, wie umgekehrt das Leben Reisen ist: 

The journey alone is living, as much as life is the journey.

- Jean Paul - 

With love,
Kirsten

Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me
Oh, yesterday came suddenly

- The Beatles -