The New Year!

We had a happy New Year's Eve!
I hope all of you did too.

It's always exciting jumping into the car and driving off, into unknown fun times! So, we did. And it was so good.

Can you feel it too? The year of 2012 arriving, full of promise? I get all excited thinking about it. I kinda feel like it's gonna deliver...

No snow, not on Christmas nor on New Year's. Icy it was, at least.

Ready, steady, go!

To think ice and grey mist can be so darn beautiful.

Like a kind of magic.

Driving over this high point there's always sun, in between the mist on both sides.

New Year's Eve

It's a very special day, New Year's Eve. It draws my mind to the entire life of mine: the past, present and upcoming and it also brings the entire world to mind. When Australia celebrates with fireworks, we're getting ready for dinner and when we celebrate the USA gets ready for their dinner.

So if we're in their future, the aussies are in ours! Weird stuff...

John Lennon's words in the Christmas song also speaks to me, every year, 

".... and so Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - let's hope it's a good one, without any fear..."

I feel like I'll be damned if there's not gonna be a year without fear for me soon!!

We visited Mr Fantastic, of course, and had some 45 minutes in paradise.

He loves the new apartment, central in the city.

Have you ever seen a cuter little kitchen, I ask ya!?

The driver stretched out!

Gearing stuff up, in order for The Boy to be able to play Kinect!

He aced it!!

Am I not the luckiest in the world?!

Why on earth does time pass so horribly terribly quickly???

Leaving The Old Son, going to our friends. Seeing our old hometown being ready to celebrate.

The marvel of children

Hubs and I have always been off, been wrong. Compared to people our age. We both became parents at 20 years of age and none of our friends had kids or plans for kids. Hence no parties for us, with any friends, since they preferred the parties to be kids-free...

When our friends had kids around 28-30 years of age, our kids were big and no babies any longer, then the friends started to have get-togethers with their other friends that had babies, their childhood friends. Hence, again no place for us.

Then when their kids were getting bigger we had a small one again, a baby, and then  our friends had left that stage.... You can't win, we thought and kept celebrating at home, with kids all ages and dinner in the living room.

Then we bought our first house, got the most wonderful people for neighbors and The Boy became fast friend with their daughter.

The rest is history: we had both Midsummers and New Years booked ever since!

We love it and cherish it deeply.

Our fantastic friends make the best parties and get-togethers. Love them.

The kids have a blast.

Their newly renovated greenhouse was up for inspection.

My friend, the proud owner.

It was so un-cold that no one minded just standing outside for a while, talking.

Always a good time for some fun!

My blooming heart wanted to stop time again. Doesn't it always?

My Boy experiences new things all the time. I love watching him.

What a New Year's Eve! To think I could stand outside, almost barefoot...!!

(yes, those old shoes got a reprieve)

Taking comfort in traditions. 

We actually started a new tradition too - more on that another day!

These babies sure do demand new beginnings for us all.

It's always magical and weird and very special. The birth of a new year.

Cheers!!

May 2012 be better, jollier, happier, lighter, more fun and a little bit more crazy...!

Going home after a weekend like that makes me sick to my stomach and brings tears to my eyes.

I question why we moved, why I see so little of my firstborn son and I can't breathe, thinking that I see him so seldom. 

The same goes for our friends: we never had better friends than when we lived in our first house, The Boy never had better friends either.

And then I know. I know why we had to move and why it's better.

I know I see my firstborn more intensely when we do meet, however I absolutely must go there just to be with HIM, not just pass by him.

I know we get even closer to our friends, since we always stay over on our meetings these days - so it's good in totally other ways!

There are different ways of good.

Contrasts enhances.

Longing is good.

Tiring all these celebrations...

Mom stretching out too...

Still wish I could... I know where I'd fly off to!

Hey, sistahs - wait for me, I'll just kick my shoes off...!

It's Wednesday.

Then there are some days off again. This time I'll do my very best to.... CHILL all the time!

Have a kick-ass Wednesday, folks!

40 years: check!

Check!!
What an achievement: making it through 40 years in this crazy, c*ckeyed world?!!
What else is there to say but:
- 41, nice to see you, let's kick ass this year 2012!
December 29:th is The Day for starting a new year in life. Always is and no exception this year.


Me, myself and I will take on this year head on, in this notion (now, THAT'S a promise):
"I'll show myself the way I am and I'll stand up for it 100%".

How else to spend the 24 hours that are my birthday? Hanging with loved ones.

Chilling.

Unpacking and putting together the sofa.

The top watch dog, watching out.

The evening of December 28:th happens only hours before the time I was born - 41 years ago.

41

It's nothing but a number, they say, but of course it's everything but a number! It's experience, impossible to buy. It's an altered view.

OK, so seeing those numbers 4. 1. I don't quite recognize myself. But: what did I learn this passed year?

I learned a lot.

Let's see:

- It's a challenge meeting myself in and down deep. It's a hard task working on those buried emotions and qualities that need working, need facing and bringing them up.

- Working as a leader, there's no choice - that facing of fears will be done. People will call your "bluffs" that you didn't even know you carried.

- It takes energy being in a way that is against your nature. When your nature is open and giving and you must close up a bit, it takes a whole lot more of you, than "just being a way that seems right, good and comfortable".

- Focusing on family and fun times will save your soul.

- Getting more sleep will refill you in an unthinkable way.

- The fact that you teach people how to treat you - as the dear Dr Phil says - is very true.

- The years pass scaringly quick. To aim to have a Favorite Day each and every day, is the way to go.

- Letting music guide you to good emotions, is wise.

- Letting you be inspired by those that inspire you - no matter what others think - is a good thing.

- Standing up for you, is a good thing.

- Lighting a fire, a candle and snuggling with a glass of wine, a movie and a husband, is my idea of a perfect evening.

- Jogging is all good.

- Playing games with my boy, is all good.

- Raising a firstborn son (under pressure), turned out all good and seeing that son being a charming and perfect gentleman to his girlfriend, made me feel like I am a good mother.

-Life is only, ever and always here and now. There is nothing else.

In this pic it's still December 28:th. The new couch is in place.

December 29:th! My birthday gifts were pillows this year and boy do I love them!

A calm day after opening gifts, drinking hot cocoa with whipped cream.

My parents came to visit.

They're inspecting the pillows...

While The Boy keeps playing his Wii-game :-)

Trying to get all of us in a pic...

Nothing like family!!

My dad helps out in the kitchen.

One of their three dogs.

The Boy shows granddad his school photo.

And floor ball photo!

The day after, my father and I visited some relatives that has passed on.

A special kind of tranquility and time to think about time, life and what matters.

My father got us help to find my great grandparents' grave.

Here they lay. My paternal great grandparents.

My paternal grandparents.

I and daddy figured we might capture this happy moment, being in now and then, all at once!

Before their take off, back, we went to my mom at their hotel for a last photo shoot.

Another of their dogs, looking very cute!

Those are happy campers indeed.

Solid spring signs in our garden.

And in the comfort and security of our own home, this one awaited me.

ALL is so very good.

Head on, is what I said, head on it is!

And with that I hope that head on will mean a calmer and lighter year. I want to feel free and jolly, not only in my spare time. I aim for that!

2012 will be a good year. A very good year, I can feel it!