My friend Amy came over from the UK for a nice long weekend – mostly for Fasnacht, but we also managed to fit in a trip to the spa and into the snowy Bernese Alps. She also got me to finally sign up to Instagram. I’ve set up DsgnWrks Instagram Importer, because I figure this might be a nice way to share a bit of my day-to-day life here on my own, forever-neglected blog… Enjoy! 🙂
Category Archives: Photos
Happy Christmas!
How is the year already almost over? It’s been a pretty good one for me, especially compared to 2014, which was rather difficult, to say the least. However, I’m in a good place now, for which I’m very grateful. And naturally I hope the same for all of you – may these holidays (if you celebrate them) be filled with love and laughter and 2016 bring you lots of joy and adventure!
Happy birthday, Papi…
I still miss you. Today I was very busy with our annual conference, but it just hit me again. I think this space in my heart will never be not broken, but I’m lucky to have so many amazing memories with you. Love forever, your loving daughter.
Oh, and to end on an up note: May the Fourth be with you… 🙂
Happy holidays!
In a little while my mom will be here. We’ll celebrate this afternoon/evening at my brother’s, and she’s spending the night at mine. It’s Elias’ first Christmas, so it’ll be a bit different, but I’m looking very much forward to it.
I hope each and every one of you is also able to spend this holiday with people you love. Thanks for sticking with me for another year! <3
Happy holidays!
Yesterday I returned home from an amazing four weeks in what still feels like my second home. You can read about my time in New Zealand in my travel blog and also look at the photos, but today I just wanted to say “hi!” and wish all of you a wonderful holiday, in whatever form you celebrate – or not…
This year’s “greeting card” comes to you from Wellington, to be exact from Scorching Bay. 🙂
I’m off to my mom’s today – tomorrow my brother and sister-in-law will join us for our family celebration. It’s the first one in my mom’s new, smaller flat, making it kind of officially her home, if that makes sense…
Well, finally…
Tonight I felt like doing something “webby”, so I finally went looking for a new Twitter plugin, because Twitter Tools no longer supports daily digest posts since its integration with Social. I feel rather awful about the flood of separate tweets that were posted – but thanks to Twitter Digest, this is a thing of the past (I hope)!
I also changed the theme, just because I was bored of the old look. I might change it again if I ever find a theme that seem appropriate for a rarely-updated blog like this one…
In other news, the year has started, my birthday has passed, and with some new meds I’m hoping that 2013 will be decidedly more cheerful than 2012. Last Saturday I invited a bunch of friends (and their kids, because that’s how old we are *g*) on a very Swiss outing: first the cheese making exhibit in Gruyère (my favorite cheese!) and then the chocolate factory of Cailler. It turned out to be an excellent day, especially the chocolate exhibition was very well done and exciting. This is my new favorite picture of myself:
The handful of other pics I took can be found, as always, on my Flickr.
Farewell, Papi…
Last week, my father died after a long struggle with cancer. In the end, it all happened quickly, and we were all with him when he passed, which is what he had wished for.
He is now at peace, of that I am certain, and it helps me deal with the loss. Also, so many people have been with us in their thoughts and prayers, as well as at the funeral last Friday.
One of the cards we received had this beautiful quote on it, which I tried to translate:
Wenn etwas von uns fortgenommen wird,
womit wir tief und wunderbar zusammenhängen,
so ist viel von uns selbst mit fortgenommen.
Gott aber will, dass wir uns wieder finden,
reicher um alles Verlorene und
vermehrt um jenen unendlichen Schmerz.
– Rainer Maria Rilke, Brief 1908
***
When something was taken from us which we were deeply and wonderfully connected with, we lose much of ourselves. However, God wants us to find ourselves again, richer for all that we lost and increased by this infinite pain.
– Rainer Maria Rilke, letter 1908
Not doing so good
I’ve been fighting a bad turn of depression for a couple of months now, and it’s gotten to the point that this week my shrink (the same I went to during uni – it’s so good that I don’t have to start from scratch with a new doctor!) convinced me to go on sick leave from work for ten days. I do hope that’ll help!
In any case, my plan for this week is to do lots of stuff that’s good for my soul, and I started by visiting my school friend Sandra with her two little boys yesterday. The weather was glorious, so we took a nice little walk, caught up with each other’s lives a little, and I got to hold her brand new baby (4 weeks!) a whole lot… Best therapy ever! 🙂
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Want to see my flat?
After getting the key on Friday I made a little movie of the empty flat that will be my home soon. Moving people and Ikea furniture are scheduled for tomorrow – I’m so excited, seriously!
It’s not huge, but it’s a nicely laid-out, light space, and my furniture will fit in nicely. A world of difference from my tiny shoebox one-room flat in Zurich! *twirls*
Losing focus
Or rather, shifting it, away from this blog. It’s my last month at work, my last month in my flat, and only a bit more than a month left until I leave for Haiti. I’m also spending more time with my family because it will be hard to be away while my dad is still sick. I’m trying not to get too nervous about the big empty space that is my future after Haiti – what’s the use of worrying after all, when there’s nothing I can really do about the fact that I’ll turn 30 while being (almost) broke, unemployed and living at my parents? (This has become a bit of a catch phrase for me, I like to make people smile with me instead of pity me.) 🙂
It’s a valuable time for me, this month gearing up to what will probably be one of the toughest but hopefully also most rewarding challenges in my life. Also (slight non-sequitur), yesterday I got see my dad’s face naked for the first time ever! *g*
He’s had a beard since I was two or so, so I’ve only seen photos of him without one. I must say, I like it:
*squishes her Papi*