Advent Calendar filled with LOVE - No 6

This is our love story spread over 24 days - a little bit of love each day : )

Das ist unsere Liebesgeschichte verteilt über 24 Tage - jeden Tag ein kleines Stückchen Liebe : )  

Mozambique Summer 2005

FRIENDS
After more than 2 years of living in London we had gathered some interesting experiences sharing a flat with other people. It definitely made life more entertaining! Even though it wasn't always easy living with someone we didn't know, it also connected us to people who turned out to be friends more than flatmates. Which is how we got invited to Zimbabwe in August 2005 after living a few months with Mandy and Colin. This trip was and always will be very special to us. Their family had opened their home to us and even though times were very rough and fuel non-existent at that stage, they still managed to provide us with endless impressions. We got to enjoy the beauty of the African nature, see the close connection between the happiness and sadness of people who live together on such a diverse continent and they taught us a life time skill of always having a plan B or C or D just in case the prior one didn't quite turn out.

FREUNDE
Nach mehr als 2 Jahren in London haben wir einige interessante Erfahrungen in unserem WG- Leben gesammelt. Es hat das Zusammenleben mit Sicherheit unterhaltsamer gemacht! Es war jedoch nicht immer einfach mit Menschen, die man kaum kannte, seine Zuhause zu teilen. Trotzallem haben wir mit manchen Mitbewohnern auch Freundschaft geschlossen. Daraus entstand auch unsere Einladung von Mandy und Colin nach Zimbabwe. Dieser Urlaub war und wird uns immer in ganz besonderer Erinnerung bleiben. Ihre Familie hat sich so herzlich um uns gekümmert und versucht so gut wie möglich uns die schönsten Seiten von Zimbabwe und Mozambique zu zeigen. Das war jedoch gar nicht so einfach, da es zu dem Zeitpunkt viele Unruhen gab und die gesamte Benzinversorgung in Zimbabwe eingestellt wurde. Wir haben trotzdessen die wunderschöne Afrikanische Natur bewundern können, haben das enge Zusammenspiel von ausgelassener Fröhlichkeit und erschütternder Traurigkeit der Afrikaner beobachten dürfen und sie haben uns beigebracht, wie wichtig es im Leben ist einen Plan B und C oder auch D zu haben. Man kann sich einfach nicht darauf verlassen, dass alles immer nach Plan A läuft.

Advent calendar filled with LOVE - No 5

This is our love story spread over 24 days - a little bit of love each day : )

Das ist unsere Liebesgeschichte verteilt über 24 Tage - jeden Tag ein kleines Stückchen Liebe : )  

Vigeland Park, Oslo January 2004

In 2004 we used every opportunity possible to travel near and far.  Looking through our scrapbooks I found this page where we went to visit the Vigeland Park in Oslo. All the sculpture in that park were just amazing and touching in so many ways! I took a photo of a young family embracing their baby. I knew from day one that Graeme was going to be the Dad of my children. The night we met I had this vivid image in my head including Graeme (who already had a little bit of grey hair) and a girl with long dark hair about 10 years old and a boy with lighter hair and a bit younger than the girl. They were all running through a park. I know what you are probably thinking now - CRAZY  - but it's true. We had been talking about getting married and having children one day. I loved the idea, but I wasn't quite ready yet.

Everyone thought Graeme was going to ask me to marry him on our first trip back to Australia in December 2004. Graeme and I had not seen his family for almost 2 years! We celebrated a lovely Christmas with everyone in Gladstone and for New Years we decided to treat ourselves to a long weekend on Heron Island. You can walk around the picturesque Island in less than half an hour - that's how tiny it is. All the turtles mommies laid their eggs on the beach at night times and apart from all the birds who aimed at us at least twice a day - it was ever so magical even though Graeme didn't ask me then ...

Heron Island December 2004

In 2004 nutzten wir jede Gelegenheit zum Reisen - nah und fern. Als ich mir unsere Photoalben von damals ansah, konnte ich nur schmunzeln als ich die Seite von uns im Vigeland Park in Oslo aufschlug. Die Skulpturen in dem Park sind einfach nur bezaubernd und rührend zu gleich! Ich fotografierte eine junge Familie mit ihrem Baby auf dem Schoß. Ich wußte bzw. fühlte vom ersten Tag an, dass Graeme der Papa meiner Kinder sein wird. In der Nacht als wir uns zum ersten Mal trafen, hatte ich so ein lebhaftes Bild vor Augen, welches mich immer wieder gerne in Erinnerung rufe. Darauf waren Graeme (mit ein paar grauen Haaren), ein Mädchen ungefähr 10 Jahre alt mit dunklen lange Haaren und ein Junge mit etwas helleren Haaren und vom Alter her etwas jünger als das Mädchen. Ich weiß, was ihr jetzt sicherlich denkt -VERRÜCKT - aber so war es nun mal! Wir haben damals schon ab und zu vom Heiraten und Kinder kriegen gesprochen. Natürlich fand ich die Vorstellung total schön, aber so richtig bereit war ich zu dem Zeitpunkt noch nicht.

Alle haben gedacht, dass Graeme mir einen Heiratsantrag in unserem Australienurlaub im Dezember 2004 machen würde. Nach fast 2 Jahren haben wir endlich seine Familie wiedersehen können. Wir haben mit Ihnen ein glückliches Weihnachtsfest verbracht und hatten beschlossen Neujahr auf einer kleinen Insel nur zu zweit zu verbringen. Heron Island ist bildschön und so klein, dass man nicht mal eine halbe Stunde braucht, um einmal rundum zu laufen. Die Schildkrötenmamas haben in der Zeit ihre Eier nachts am Strand verbuddelt und abgesehen von den vielen Vögeln (die mindestens 2mal am Tag auf uns gezielt haben), war es ein traumhafter Urlaub auch ohne Heiratsantrag ...

New Years Eve 2004 on Heron Island

Advent calendar filled with LOVE - No 4

This is our love story spread over 24 days - a little bit of love each day : )

Das ist unsere Liebesgeschichte verteilt über 24 Tage - jeden Tag ein kleines Stückchen Liebe : )  

One of my favorites

During our first year in London we had to learn so many things. The two of us basically started a new live together in a new country that we didn't know much about. We moved twice more until we were happy with the flat, the area and the people we lived with. In Barnes,South West London we were able to afford a tiny room in a partly furnished two bed room flat. Graeme found a job at a sweet little private school in Kew and I got offered a place at University to do an art degree in 'Art for Public Space'. In the afternoons I worked as a Nanny and looked after 2 British girls. On the weekends we explored the city and went for many walks through East Sheen, Richmond and Putney. So many things fell into place and even though money was tight we made sure that we always had enough cash for a flight ticket home.

My family had welcomed Graeme with the same open arms as his family had welcomed me in Australia. The only difficult part was the communication. Graeme only knew a few very basic words in German: numbers from 1 - 12, a few animal names and "My name is Graeme." and "I am 25 years old." . It wasn't easy for him in the beginning, but he picked up more and more words and his confidence in speaking grew every time we went back. Amazing what love can do!

In front of our flat in Barnes November 2003

In London haben wir in den ersten 12 Monaten vieles dazugelernt! Immerhin haben wir es irgendwie geschafft gemeinsames ein Leben in einem neuen Land, von dem wir beide nicht viel Ahnung hatten, aufzubauen. Wir sind noch zwei weitere Male umgezogen bis wir eine schöne Wohnung in einer netten Gegend mit angenehmen Leuten gefunden hatten. In Barnes, Süd-West London haben wir uns ein klitzekleines Zimmer in einer spärlich bemöbelten 3 Raumwohnung/WG mieten können. Graeme fand einen Job in einer privaten Schule in Kew und ich wurde an der Uni angenommen,um dort für 3 Jahre 'Kunst im öffentlichen Raum' zu studieren. Unter der Woche jobbte ich als Nanny und kümmerte ich mich nachmittags um zwei Britische Mädchen. An den Wochenenden erkundeten wir weiterhin die Stadt und gingen vorallen in East Sheen, Richmond und Putney viel spazieren. Alles nahm seinen Lauf und obwohl wir nie viel Geld am Ende des Monats übrig hatten, legten wir immer genug beiseite um ein Flugticket nach Hause kaufen zu können. 

Meine Familie hatte Graeme mit den gleichen offenen Armen aufgenommen, wie seine Familie mich in Australien. Der einzige Haken war die Kommunikation. Graeme kannte nur ein paar einfache Deutsche Wörter: die Zahlen von 1-12, ein paar Tiernamen und "Mein Name ist Graeme.", "Ich bin 25 Jahre alt". Es viel ihm am Anfang wirklich nicht leicht sich in Gespräche mit einzubeziehen, aber er lernte immer mehr neue Wörter und sein Selbstbewußtsein im Sprechen wurde größer und größer mit jedem neuen Besuch. Wahnsinn, was Liebe auswirken kann! 

 

Summer 2003 in Mecklenburg Vorpommern

Advent calendar filled with LOVE - No 3

This is our love story spread over 24 days - a little bit of love each day : ) 

Das ist unsere Liebesgeschichte verteilt über 24 Tage - jeden Tag ein kleines Stückchen Liebe : )  

April 2003

Do I cut my time in Australia short and move to London (the most expensive city in Europe) with no savings to follow a man that I only met 3 months ago? My heart was screaming "YES!" and my head just as loud "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" I had planned to see a huge continent and instead I spent 3 months in an industrial town not mentioned in any tourist guide. I was pretty sure I had to see more of Australia before I could move on. We decided I would follow Graeme to London 4 months later. Well, I didn't stop crying for a whole week once he was gone and all of the sudden I couldn't care less anymore about any of the beautiful beaches and the amazing wild life! I was love sick and therefore I changed my flights again and headed to London 2 months early. 

We lived in a flat share in Fulham with 6 other guys for the first 3 weeks. Graeme and I soon realized that we needed to find something more cozy. We did - just down the road from Portobello Market (I love that market!!) in Notting Hill. We moved in with a French couple in a tiny place on the 7th floor (with no water pressure). After Graeme came home from supply teaching around London and I finished my shift at a dodgy shoe shop in Portobello Road we would climb up on the roof and eat potato bake (another one of my dishes that hardly ever fails). We discovered London through pink glasses and loved it.

June 2003

Sollte ich meine Zeit in Australien abbrechen, nach London (die teuerste Stadt Europas) ohne Ersparnisse ziehen, um dort mit einem Mann zusammen zu wohnen, den ich erst seit 3 Monaten kannte? Mein Herz schreite "JAAA!" und mein Kopf mindestens genauso laut "BIST DU NOCH ZU RETTEN?" Ich hatte geplant mir einen riesen Kontinent anzuschauen und nicht 3 Monate lang in einer Industriestadt zu verbringen. Ich war mir ziemlich sicher, dass ich erst noch etwas mehr von Australien sehen wollte, bevor ich weiterziehen konnte. Wir hatten beschlossen, dass ich Graeme 4 Monate später nach London folgen würde. Dass ich jedoch eine Woche lang die Welt nur noch verschwommen wahrnahm und mir die schönsten Strände egal waren, damit hatte ich nicht gerechnet. Ich hatte solch eine Sehnsuch, dass ich entschloss mein Abflugsdatum um 2 weitere Monate nach vorne zu verschieben.


In den ersten 3 Wochen wohnten wir in einer WG mit 6 anderen Jungs in Fulham. Uns war ziemlich schnell klar, dass wir etwas Gemütlicheres brauchten. Das fanden wir auch - gleich in der Nähe vom Portobello Markt (mein absoluter Lieblingsmarkt!!) in Notting Hill. Wir zogen mit einem Französischen Paar zusammen in eine Miniwohnung im 7. Stock (null Wasserdruck). Wenn Graeme nach seinem Tag als Vertretungslehrer nach Hause kam und ich meine Schicht in einem sehr merkwürdigen Schuhladen in der Portobelle Road beendet hatte, kletterten wir auf unser Dach und genossen die Aussicht über London. Herrlich!

May 2003

Advent calendar filled with LOVE - No 2

This is our love story spread over 24 days - a little bit of love each day : ) 

Das ist unsere Liebesgeschichte verteilt über 24 Tage - jeden Tag ein kleines Stückchen Liebe : )  

New Years Eve 2002 in Brisbane

During our first week of getting to know each other we had many little dates: we went to movies (and watched Red Dragon - very scary : ), I cooked dinner for his family and made spaghetti with tomato sauce (one of my very few dishes that I actually can cook) , I went along to his school (and taught his Year 7 students how to draw portraits), we went out for dinner at Domino's pizza (and ate a potato pizza- yuck!), he took me for a ride on his motorbike (and tried to impress me by going super fast. I was sooo scared! BUT it didn't stop me from trying to ride that bike myself for the first time in my life and I somehow managed to do a wheely, which Graeme still talks about today. It was pure beginners luck! ).

After three weeks of knowing each other I moved in with Graeme's family who said to him: "What ever makes you happy - will make us happy too." Fleur and I had gone separate ways by that stage and didn't talk to each other for 6 months... Graeme had made plans to go England for a year before he met me, which left us with 3 months in his home town. We celebrated my 20th birthday together, I got to know is whole family throughout the Christmas season and I knew the day he way going to step on that plane was coming up quickly ...

 January 2003

Während unserer ersten Woche hatten wir viele kleine Verabredungen: wir gingen ins Kino (und guckten uns einen Gruselfilm an : ), ich kochte für seine Familie Spaghetti mit Tomatensosse und Jägerwurst (eines meiner wenigen Gerichte, die ich auch kochen kann), ich besuchte Graeme in seiner Schule (und brachte den 7.Klässlern bei wie man Portraits zeichnet), wir gingen Pizza essen bei Dominos (und bestellten eine Kartoffelpizza - nicht zu empfehlen!), er lud mich auf ein Motorbiketour ein und wollte mir imponieren in dem er viel zu schnell fuhr. (Mir war fast übel vor Angst, aber es hielt mich nicht davon ab noch am gleichen Tag auf das selbe Motorrad zu steigen und mit meinem Anfängerglück auf dem Hinterrad davonzusausen. Graeme ist heute noch stolz darauf, wie ich das geschafft habe ohne hinzusegeln.)


Nach 3 Wochen unserer ersten Begegnung zog ich bei Graemes Familie ein, die zu ihm gesagt hatten: "Wenn du glücklich bist, dann sind wir es auch." Fleur und ich hatten beschlossen getrennte Wege zu gehen und wir sprachen 6 Monate lang kein Wort miteinander ... Graeme hatte schon vor unserem Zusammentreffen einen Auslandsaufenthalt für ein Jahr in England geplant. Somit hatten wir noch 3 gemeinsame Monate in seiner Heimatstadt. Wir feierten meinen 20. Geburtstag zusammen, ich lernte seine gesamte Familie während der Weihnachtszeit kennen und ich wußte, dass der Tag an dem er ins Flugzeug steigen würde, immer näher kam ... 

Moments before Graeme took off to London - February 2003

Advent Calendar filled with LOVE - No1

This is our love story spread over 24 days - a little bit of love each day : ) 

Das ist unsere Liebesgeschichte verteilt über 24 Tage - jeden Tag ein kleines Stückchen Liebe : ) 

November 2002

This is our very first picture of the two of us. As you can see it's not done with a digital camera - they were far too expensive then! (I cannot find the original photograph, but my grandma found a copy and scanned it for me.) Graeme's mom Judy took this photo probably 4 weeks after we met - little did we know what an amazing journey was ahead of us!

In September 2002 I had been traveling through Australia with one of my closest friends Fleur. We decided to buy a camper van and drive through this amazingly beautiful continent. After 7 long weeks of traveling we stayed with a family in Gladstone, Queensland for a few days. During this week I met Graeme on a night out on the dance floor at CRAZY'S Club 3 in 1. It simply was love at first sight. We met again the next day and the day after ...

Das ist unser allererstes Foto von uns beiden zusammen. Es wurde, wie man sehen kann, nicht mit einer Digitalkamera gemacht, welche zu dem Zeitpunkt noch viel zu teuer waren. (Ich kann das Originalphoto leider nicht mehr finden und somit hat meine Oma eine Kopie von dem Foto für mich gescannt.) Graeme's Mama Judy hat dieses Foto von uns ca. 4 Wochen nach unserem Kennenlernen aufgenommen. Geahnt haben wir damals kaum, was für einen wunderschöne Reise vor uns liegt.


Ich bin im September 2002 mit meiner Freundin Fleur durch Australien gereist. Wir haben einen kleinen Wohnwagen in Sydney gekauft und sind damit durch diesen atemberaubenden Kontinent gefahren. Nach 7 langen Wochen umherreisen, haben wir für ein paar Tage bei einer Familie in Gladstone, Queensland gewohnt. Während dieser Woche habe ich Graeme an einem Samstagabend auf der Tanzfläche im CRAZY'S Club 3 in 1 zum ersten Mal gesehen. Es war schlicht und ergreifend Liebe auf den ersten Blick. Wir verabredeten uns für den darauffolgenden Tag and den danach ....

When one door shuts and another one opens (14.11.2011)

I found out today that I won't be able to teach at my school for a lot longer. Which is something I knew when I first signed up for the job, but I always thought something else might come up and I get to stay a bit longer.

I absolutely loved teaching Art to those children. I needed the challenge and a change from being home with my children after 2 1/2 years. The moment I walked through the school gates I was Mrs. Petersen again, I got to catch up with colleges and I had another role outside our sweet home live. Sometimes I felt bad admitting it, but I loved starting to work again.

Minna and Finn started Day Care with a team of loving and caring teachers. They are both in the same group, which made it a lot easier for me to start taking them there in the first place. Finn took a little bit longer to settle in, but now both of them wave to me with a big smile on their face when I drop them of in the mornings. In the afternoons I can hear a loud happy squeal from the other end of the room the moment I walk in the Day Care Center. Minna comes running towards me and lets everyone know that she is being picked up. Finni soon joins in and starts walking over to me in his sweet waddle-walk.

I now hope to be able to sew, sew and sew once the Christmas holidays are over. I have so many ideas stuck inside my head waiting to be released. I would love to actually make something out of all those beautiful materials that I have been buying all these months. I honestly cannot wait to get started! I know this time would be a great opportunity to getting closer to my dream of making and creating things that I love : )


Happy days!

The sound of rain (12.10.2011)

 
At first you hardly notice it and soon it becomes the most beautiful background noise. I love listening to rain as much as walking through it on warm summers night. I have listened to those little rain drops in a number of places. It seems like mother earth is sending us her love from the sky. My favorite rain time has to be at bed time when I am just about to go to sleep. I wonder when it will rain again ...

Lunch time phone calls from my husband (27.06.2011)

I love when the phone rings and my husband rings up to see how we are all doing. A little bit of TLC keeps me going even on a rough day. Thank you!

My Grand Parents (10.11.2011)

 




I am not sure what I would do without them! My grand parents have been there for me from the day I was born and have shared many wonderful moments with me throughout my whole life. They still look after me in so many sweet ways. I love spending time with them and I enjoy listening to their point of view of life.

Tomorrow is their 50th wedding anniversary and we will spend it together with the whole family. What a special day ahead!

Music that gives you goosebumps (22.09.11)

I love love love listening to music that gives me goosebumps. The sudden rush of happiness is incredible! Music is such a powerful tool underline your mood and turn a special moment into something else. How often do I drive down the road with the windows down and the radio turned up to the maximum. It makes me feel alive!

Time to myself (05.07.2011)

It seems like being a mom, wife, daughter, grand daughter, cousin, sister and girl friend should give you lots of reasons to always be doing something important for either of these roles in life. Some I chose to be, some I didn't. I love being all of them, but I know that I can only truly enjoy them when I had enough quality time with myself. Which is why I dropped both of my kids of at the child care center for the very first time today. It was a little sad to say goodbye to them and to know other people will look after them when they are happy, excited or sad. But I know they are in good hands and therefore I went home,switched on my sewing machine, had yummi breakfast on the balcony and enjoyed that very special time with myself. I even wrote a blog about to remind myself how important this is to me and everyone else : )

Our Love Nest (17.06.2011)

 This is where I have spent so many summers when I was growing up. It is so special to see my children enjoy this place as much as I did.

 Feeding the ducks with Minna and Finn. Overlooking the lake from this balcony makes me forget about anything. Two days of holiday feel like two weeks of relaxation.

I am always amazed that the sun goes down in the same spot every night. I love the fact that nothing changes in this place!

Vintage Images (27.05.2011)

I love looking at beautiful images like this one. It makes me feel like I am set back in time. Great break from a busy day! My Grandma gave this to me as part of a letter writing set.

My Children (26.05.11)

 This is Finni my son who makes me smile the minute he wakes up.

This is Minna my daughter who gives me the chance to see the world through the eyes of a child again.

Dreams (26.05.2011)

I think it is very important to have dreams and to believe in them! Sometimes it's hard to stay focused on them as there is so much or so little happening in life in that very moment. Dreams want to be cherished and some need a lot of patience, but it shouldn't stop us from glancing at them every day!I love dreaming!

Family Rock'n'Roll

 

We went to a Bindi Erwin's Birthday Party at Australia Zoo in the summer. The theme was Rock'n'Roll and I knew I had to wear my favorite dancing skirt that I once bought in London. I also knew that I had to dress up Minna and Finn and decided to make them matching clothes. Minna was so excited to be able to wear her special dancing skirt for the birthday party! I added the same poodle from Minna's skirt onto Finn's shirt. They looked so cute together! I still love putting on their matching clothes - even if we are not invited to a party : ) 

A little something sweet

 

Something so little can make such a big difference to a simple shirt or a plain jacket. I love adding small details to a piece of clothing that most likely hundreds of other people own as well. All of the sudden it's more personal and a sweet little eye catcher.  

Love Pants

These tiny pants were a birth present to Emilie. Her dear Mommy once was my host sister in Germany. She came all the way from Australia to stay with us for a year. We became great friends and stayed in touch ever since.

 I love these kind of pants on little kids. They always look so comfortable and I know exactly that the baby wearing them will enjoy the stretchy waistband and the extra room for nappies.

 Adding a special little something makes me smile. I don't think I will ever get tired of looking at hearts.

Geschwisterliebe

 

 Minna and Finn in their matching wedding outfit. I had so much joy looking at them through out the day. I loved the colors on them, which went perfectly with the blue ocean and the soft sand.

Minna's dancing dress. She was so excited until she could finally wear it. She didn't last until the actual party, but she had a dance with the flower girl at the ceremony.

Finni's comfortable pants gave him lots of room to move around. Having a toddler who loves to craw from one spot to another needs a pair of pants that allow him to have the freedom to move, but also to still look fancy for wedding. 

I bought the shirt, but added a few details. I used the same fabric for the elbow patched that I had used for the pants. I also managed to find buttons that matched the color of the fabric and the thread.