The Big Three O

Today is my birthday! 

My 30th birthday! 

Happy Birthday to me!

Damn it, I'm 30! Sorry, but life wasn't planned that way. I never agreed to being thirty and still at uni, tutoring and not teaching at school, being single and everything else life threw my way over the last few years! No! That's not how I imagined it!

BUT

I am happy! I have a great life - well, obviously not the dream life 10 year old me imagined - but I have an amazing family, great friends (some for 20 or even 25 years), the best parents ever, a career goal, a job I really like, the best and most loyal dog a girl could wish for, ...

I learned a lot over my 30 years of existence - talking, walking, writing, reading (Thank God), arguing, forgiving, concentrating, test taking, playing an instrument, forgetting how to play an instrument - best of all I learned to let go - of so-called friends, of friends who just went another way, of negative thoughts, of prejudices, of a self-image that's no longer true, of hoping that the world evolves around me (yes, I realized that this won't happen)...

I am living a fabulous life and I achieved so much over the last years that I can be so proud of myself - so proud!

So let's raise a glass: "To many more incredible years to come with old and new friends, many more books and a loving family by my side!"

Happy Birthday Gramps!

Today would have been my grandpa's 80th birthday.

Sadly he passes away almost 5 years ago and left a huge hole in mine, my mum's and my grandma's lives.

I cannot remember a time when he wouldn't film. At special occasions, like birthdays or Christmas, he would always have his video camera ready. Coming into their living room on the 26th of December the first thing you saw, was the red camera light next to the tree. It was so annoying most of the time but it captured so many memories and I am thankful for that (not that I have watched any of these videos since he died because I cannot bare the thought of hearing his voice).

Apart from being the first vlogger, he was also a caring dad and grandpa. My mum's stories about adventures they went on and events the went to are amazing and fun to listem to. I went on many trips with them as well and will always cherish the little things.
He would spent hours in the pool with me even though my lips were already blue and my grandma wanted us out of the water but we didn't come out. Having three or four ice cream cones a day when on vacation was something that happened regularly and not getting a toy I really really wanted was not on his agenda. I was his only grandchild and it always felt like making me happy was his sole purpose in life.

My gramps favorite story was of me when I was little (we're talking two, three max) and I was walking through HUGE piles of fallen leaves in the gardens of Schönbrunn Castle and was mumbling "So many leaves!". Yes, he got it on camera (of course) but each year when fall came 'round he would tell this story and the whole family knew what season it was.

Okay, since I made it this far without crying hysterically (which I'm so proud of) I will end this post now.

Happy Birthday Grandpa and take care!

Sorry for any typos but I just couldn't reread it. Some part of me is still a bit in denial and doesn't want to think too much about him not being with us anymore but it felt right honoring his birthday and telling you all about him. 

My most personal post yet

My last post was my 800th on this blog. On the one hand it feels a bit like a milestone but on the other I must say I feel like I lost my blogging mojo this year. So I sat down and thought about it for quite a while and I think I now know why that happened.

A really good friend (yes, I'm looking at you, Judith) told me last week that sometimes you just need somebody to listen to you rambling to figure things out. So I'm taking her advice and start rambling to you, my friends.

As some of you might know, at the beginning of 2013 (what a f**ked up year, I can tell you) medical problems started to appear quite regularly and no doctor was able to figure out what I really had. It took them almost the whole year to come to a result and I had more visits to doctors this one year than my whole life before (I'm guessing here but it sure felt that way). In the end we were able to get me on some medication which is working pretty well (knock on wood) and I am fine - most of the time. What I never realized was, how much energy this whole procedure took from me. I felt tired, had no motivation to do anything university related, felt drained and like crying a lot. I never really talked about it - either with friends and family or with you guys. The only people who really knew how hard it was, were my parents because they were right there, living through it with me. I cannot tell you how important mum and dad were during that time (I mean, they always are but I would have broken down way more regularly without them by my side). After being on medication for a while, it still took me a long time to regain trust in my body and myself again and I'm still not 100% where I was before this all started. I still have days where I don't feel secure enough to do certain things but I'm getting there - slowly but surely. I have a wonderful family and great friends helping me through more difficult times and it means the world to me when friends are attentive. One of my best friends recently postponed his leaving the bar because we had the same way home and he let me finish my drink first. He just knew that it would make me feel better if we went together. I will also never forget when I told Judith about my medical conditions and told her that I would totally understand if she would prefer finding a different babysitter her one year old son and she looked me in the eye and told me she trusted me. That literally meant so much to me.

In July 2014, after over a year of misery, anger and self-doubt, something clicked in me and I realized that I only had one life to live and I started changing - on the outside and on the inside.

I changed from this person

to this

in a year. 

Not only did I lose a hell of a lot of weight, I also gained confidence, feel way more happy because I'm able to do so much more and see such a huge difference in my experiencing the world, I also - and I think that's the thing I am most proud of - did it just for me! I don't care about numbers on a scale, I don't care about compliment (don't get me wrong, they are nice and flattering), I don't care about the size of me jeans. I just wanted to feel better in my own body and I absolutely do. It really hit me when I saw this picture of me and little cousin and liked it so much. I always hated pictures of me but this one I truly love (so much that I downloaded it from my aunt's blog just so that I have it on my computer).

I'm still trying to figure out my life and what I want to do. I'm determined to get my degree and to overcome my fears but I'm confident that I can do this.

After seeing all the things I accomplished in the last 22 months, I have to say that I'm really proud of myself but these transformations in my personal life also took a lot of energie and willpower. I really do hope that I will soon get back into the swing of things with living my life more confidently and being more sure about myself, getting my university degree back on track and getting back into blogging - which I really miss. I want to finally be the person I always dreamed I could be and I'm on the road to achieving this dream. I just know it!

Read you soon guys and thanks so much for listening!

A different kind of heartbreak

I'm not a mum (yet) and since I am an only child, I will never be a real aunt. Yes, I know that there is the possibility that I will marry a nice guy who has siblings but I won't have any nieces or nephews from my side of the family. But that's actually not what I wanted to talk about today. Maybe one day I'll phantasize about future men in my life with you but not today...

Focus, Karin!

Over the last 3 years I quite often mentioned the little baby boy of a good friend of mine. He was the first baby born in my big group of friends and we spent a lot of time together. We had long walks around campus when he was a baby and his parents were at a lecture, we spent hours at a playground the last two years when his parents were at lectures, he was the only guy I slow danced with at his parents' wedding (he was 2 years at that time), we did many puzzles and I got explained many books over the last three years. He will forever be my baby bear and he's so special to me. Honestly I love him as much as if I were his aunt.

Over the last months I was pretty busy, my friend got another boy so he's a big brother now and since he started kindergarden meeting was a lot more difficult and he got sick a lot - hello, germs. So we didn't see each other a lot and the last time I had to cancel on the day we were suppose to meet. I'm still sorry about that by the way.

I recently sent an e-mail to my friend asking her how they were doing and if her big boy still remembers me and she answered: "He was so sad when you had to cancel last time because I promised him in the morning that you would pick him up from kindergarden with me in the afternoon and since that day he regularly asks if you're coming today to pick him up. So I'm pretty sure he remembers you just fine."

I never ever knew how true heartbreak felt until this minute. I had to fight back tears and had real difficulties getting my sh*t together. He's my little baby bear and I haven't seen him in far too long.

Just don't forget to see your friends and their kids (if you are part of their lives - which I hope you all are) because you are an important part in their lives and they miss you. Time flies for us but not for them and I can only promise that I won't ever let so much time pass between spending time with all my little bears I am blessed enough to know.

Wow, that got corny pretty quick but this e-mail really hit me hard and I just had to pour my heart out.

The One With The Football Game

The reference of the post's title to the titles of Friends episodes is totally intentional ;)

As some of you may already know, I have a good friend who introduced me to American Football about 5 years ago. He is a total sports guy, started watching NFL games on TV, began playing Flagfootball and landed on the Austrian National Flagfootball Team. He's also the one organizing our Superbowl Party each year and some years ago he invited me to come and watch with them. It took me about two quarters until I was able to follow the game without having to bother one of the guys for explanation and since that day I am at least invited to the Superbowl each February.

A couple of months ago said friend hinted at the opportunity of us watching a Football game at the stadium one day and two weeks ago I took the liberty of reminding him of this promise. On Sunday we and two other friends went to a game between local team and one from Germany and it was so much fun. We weren't so sure that the weather would be cooperative but in the end we sat in the grass, had some beers, burgers and ice cream and watched the Germans beat our butts while the sun was shining on our backs. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday and I totally get why Ellice and many other Americans love spending their weekends at Football games. It's just a great way to have a lovely day outside with people you love, good food and entertainment.

It took me 29 years till I entered a stadium in Austria to watch a game. When I was about 5 me and my parents watched a Baseball game in the States and when the European Soccer Championships were in Austria and Switzerland, everyone I know attended the public viewing when Austria played Germany at the soccer stadium in my district and we had a huge party there but on Sunday was the first time I ever watched any game live and I kind of want to do that more often.

Friendships are hard work

My good book blogger friend Celine wrote a blog post last Wednesday that made me think. She mentions that keeping friendships alive after high school is work and sometimes it doesn't work. One line really stood out to me:

You know that people say high school sucks, and that your time at university is going to be the best time of your life? Well, those people are wrong, at least in my case.

Celine, don't worry, they are wrong in my case as well. 

I graduated high school almost 11 years ago (dang, time flies). I had an amazing time in school. In Austria we have a group of people that form a class and we stay together during all of our lessons. We have a fixed schedule and not a course system like we all know from American TV-series. This enables students to form a close group of friends and helps them feel like a community. We were a great class. Even today, 11 years after graduating high school, almost all of the teachers in my old school know who we were. We were pretty legendary! We did a lot of stupid things but we always stuck together like glue and no teacher or another class was able to go against us. I'm pretty sure we were not easy but a lovely bunch and great fun for teachers if we liked them (and we did like almost all of them).

During school I wove strong bonds with people I still call may friends - some closer than others but still...

I went off to university after graduation but stayed in the same city since Vienna is my home and I never dreamed about living somewhere else. I first started a course in economics which wasn't my cup of tea at all and which I dropped out of after 3ish semesters. I am now doing my teacher training in English and Geographie which I really like and enjoy. Of course, the courses I have to take are not really easy and the topics not always interesting but overall I know why I'm doing it and I cannot wait to teach students.

But did I find friends? Not really!

I had some people I took courses with, some people I passed at campus I knew by sight but no real friends. Neither at the English nor at the Geographie department. English majors are all pretty focused and a bit selfish when it comes to sharing notes or knowledge - not cool people, not cool!

I did find one of my best friends via a uni course but we basically clicked years after she left uni. We are now pretty close but all in all I can say she's the only real friend I found at uni.

What did happen to my friends from high school? Well, most of them are still living in Vienna and we still see each other from time to time but my best friend after graduation and the girl who asked me to be her maid of honour at her wedding got a baby girl almost 3 years ago and we hardly see each other (I would say 10 times max in the last 3 years). I miss her and when we see each other it is still like old times, which makes it even sadder. Her husband, a dear friend of mine, almost dropped of the earth for me (I think the boys in our group see him more often but I honestly don't know). We all got busy with life, jobs, family, trying to figure out what we want out of life, etc.

I know that there are a handfull of friends I can count on if I ever need them real bad and this has been tested. I have some great friends, some friends, some acquaintances, some people I used to call my friends but sadly don't see anymore and maybe two people I fell out with but none of them are people I talk to daily or see at least once a week.

I would never say my life is lonely because I'm also busy with living my life and I tend to see my friends for fun times in between but I never had a BFF or a really good girl-friend or a friendship you see in films or on TV but that's okay. I have friends, I know a lot of people through blogging and I know that there are some I can count on if I need them in this group too.

I just wanted to say, maintaining friendships is hard and sometimes, as much as it hurts, impossible but we, as book lovers and Twitter addicts, are never alone and there's always someone providing a virtual hug and has a shoulder to cry on. I am really glad to be part of such an amazing world-wide group of like-minded book lovers.

Don't forget to check out Celine's two amazing blogs Nyx Book Reviews and Irresponsible Cactus.

Change...

 

Wow, you can really forget how to write a blog post after some time...so please excuse any weird rambly bits. As a regular reader of my blog you might have noticed a slight decrease in posts over the last months. I needed a break. A break to think about things, to figure out if I was missing blogging, to realize that I do but that I needed to change my blog because I changed.

Over the last 18 months a big part of my life changed. I encountered some health issues in February 2013 and it took the doctors almost a year to figure out what it was and how to treat it which really wore me down. I became a recluse, which I had never been, and after being on the right medication, I had to start building up my confidence again. I needed to realize that I was able to do all the things I did before and that is still a work in progress. I am still not 100% the old me and I will never again be the old me.

I always was a bit (or a lot, to be completely honest) chubby but I always had a big group of friends and never felt left out or even bullied because of my weight. I know how incredibly lucky I am but still I didn't feel comfortable. I wanted to be able to chase my friend's baby boy around the playground for more than a few minutes and I wanted to feel good about myself. So one day without any intention I stopped eating too much and started to loose weight. It really just happened. The well known switch in my brain just turned.

So all of these personal changes forced me into thinking about my blog as well. I never intended it to become solely a book blog. I always had a wide variety of interests which I wanted to share here but the bookish community is so lovely and welcoming that I immediately felt at home and focused on all things bookish. I don't want to stop book blogging - don't get me wrong, it still is my biggest hobby and the one thing none of my friends is really getting - I just want to incorporate my other interests as well. I love photography, cooking, traveling, going on adventures, exploring new and old places and I want to start sharing bigger parts of my life with you guys. I want to be able to talk to you about my ideas, my worries, my small steps into fitness (maybe, hopefully) and other things that are on my mind. I will, of course, keep talking about books, authors, the pure joy of reading but in the future you will also find other things on here and I can happily say:  

"I changed, so my blog did too!" 

Which brings me to my new layout - what do you guys think about it? Do you like it? The header is one of my photographs taken in Western Australia in July 2011. I just love the colors, the remoteness, these wide open spaces.

I am really glad to be back and getting into the swing of things again. It also felt amazing telling you what has been going on in my life and what has brought these changes. I hope you're all doing well and I cannot wait to start writing blog posts regularly again. I have so many ideas that I want to tell you about, things to try and things to change, so I'm really glad that next week (March 23rd till March 29th) will be Spring Bloggiesta (for more information click here). I am already working on my to do list.

It was great October...

Monthly Rewind

October

My Pic of October

 Fall and Winter time is chocolate time - I love baking brownies because they are the perfect treat with a nice cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate.

October in One Word

Warm

We had a super warm October here in Austria. Some days were unfortunately grey and rainy but still warm and we didn't need to bring out the warm winter clothes yet.

5 Things that Happened in October

• My blog celebrated its third birthday and I had a week long blogoversary bash with some of my best friends here. I am still a bit shocked that I've been blogging for three years now but I love every minute of it. 
• I met up with my good friend Judith and her little boy who just started kindergarten and we wanted to go to the playground. He was so tired after a morning in kindergarden that we changed plans and went to Starbucks for some hot chocolate and a cookie instead. 
• Another friend came to my place for brunch and we had a really nice morning chatting and catching up again. 
• My mum went on her 2 week trip to the States. She's currently in New Orleans and has a great time, which I am really happy about but I cannot wait for her to come home and tell me everything that she did. Yes, I am a mamma's girl!
• My dad and I were invited to dinner at an old family friend. It was a really fun evening with good food and great wine. I love seeing people I've known my whole life. There are always so many memories to talk about.

An Album that Was Popular on my i-Pod

Lady Antebellum brought their new album out in October and I listened to it over and over and over again. I love them and their music. 

Books I Read this Month

Christopher Healy - The Hero's Guide to Saving a Kingdom
Rachel Gibson - Run to You
Kerstin Gier - Ruby Red
Colleen Gleason - The Clockwork Scarab
Ali McNamara - From Notting Hill to New York...Actually
Julie James - Something About You
Jenn McKinlay - Books Can Be Deceiving
Jenn McKinlay - Due or Die
Gail Carriger - Etiquette & Espionage
Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg - The Shell Game
Darynda Jones - Second Grave on the Left
Kerstin Gier - Dream a Little Dream (German Edition)

12 books

3870 pages

A TV-Series I like this Month

In October the new season of The Voice started and I've been watching. I love the new and old coaches - Rea Garvey, Samu Haber from Sunrise Avenue, Michi and Smudo from a well-known German Rap Quartet and Stephanie from the German band Silbermond. I am especially fond of Rea and Samu because they are hilarious and such fun to watch. We just started the Battles but I still have no favorites.

Things I am Looking Forward to in November

• Obviously my mum coming home again!
• It's my grandma's birthday at the beginning of the month and me and my dad are taking her and my dad's dad out to lunch. She sounded thrilled when I suggested it :)
• Kerstin Gier is here for a signing on the 14th and I plan on going. 
• Enjoying a warm cup of mulled wine on the Christmas market for the first time. The first ones open at the 21st of November. 
• Having a dinner date with some lovely friends.

Felix in October

Felix was a little bit more cuddly than usual but I didn't mind.We spent some evenings watching TV like this.

A little update for you all

This week I went from this

to this

Yes, school started again and I'm currently working quite a bit too due to the first tests coming up in school and my students starting to realize that they need some extra help with their English. Even though I've had this transition from summer vacation to school each year since I was 7, it surprises me still.

I am also preparing my third blogoversary which I'll be celebrating on the blog for the whole of next week with some wonderful guestposts by my bestest bloggging friends and also with a little giveaway. So mark your calenders and come back Monday for the first day of my blogoversary bash.

I'm also catching up on my still unwritten reviews and blog posts so that I have a small selection of posts in case there's something urgent I need to do for university or work.

So as you can see, I am pretty busy this week but with a bit of determination (which I think I don't possess but let's find out) and some chocolate, things will be back to normal soon. I just need a bit of time to adjust.

My Life...

Monthly Rewind

August

My Pic of August

August in One Word

Amazing

A lot of things happened in August and I had a great time. Unfortunately it was a really cold and wet month. It rained a lot and was way cooler than usually and it also marks the end of summer holidays for high school students. I still have September off but I need to prepare for next semester and study for some exams I want to take.

7 Things that Happened in August

• I went to London for a week with my mum. It's an annual tradition and we had a really great time but it felt like such a short trip. I could have stayed there so much longer.
• While I was in London I met the lovely Vicky from Books, Biscuits and Tea and we spent a wonderful Saturday together at Waterstone's, talking books, hunting down a good pub and had some delicious Fish&Chips. I really had a great day and hope to see her again really soon. 
• I also met two amazing authors while in London. Amy Plum and C.J. Daugherty did a little coffeeshop meet & greet. These two are so lovely. We had a great time and laughed a lot and both of them recognized me from Twitter conversations we had (I think that kind of made my day). 
• I had to work just a little bit this month which on the one side was great because I had a lot of free time but it also meant that I didn't earn a lot of money through tutoring. It also meant that I fell in a bit of a slump - reading-, blogging-, life-wise. I felt not motivated at all and spent a lot of time in front of the TV. I am really not good when I don't have structured days and too much free time. For a short amount of time I love it but after a week I start feeling drained. I hope it'll get better now that September's around the corner and my days need to become more structured again. 
• I reached my Goodreads Challenge goal! I wanted to read 60 books this year and I achieved this at the end of August. I am really proud of myself, especially since I had the feeling that I wasn't reading as much this year as I did in 2013. 
• Good friends of mine married in April and me and a friend presented them with an evening cruise and a voucher to babysit for their 2 1/2 year old son. They finally went on their trip at the end of August and we had a nice evening with their son until the point where we decided it would be time to stop chasing around the flat with the bobby car and get to bed. Boy, was he mad at us but after some tears (his) and some chocolate (us) he fell asleep on a bench at the kitchen table. His parents loved the cruise and we loved the time we spent with their baby and that was the most important thing for all of us. 
• It was also my dad's birthday which we celebrated with the whole family and had a fun day talking and laughing. 

Books I Read this Month

• Richelle Mead - Shadow Kiss
• Ally Carter - Perfect Scoundrels 
• Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham - Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line 
• Cleo Coyle - On What Grounds 
• Noelle August - Boomerang
• Rachel Gibson - Crazy on You
• Rachel Gibson - Rescue Me 

7 books

2153 pages 

Rachel Gibson's Crazy on You was the 60th book I read this year, which means that I officially finished my Goodreads Challenge in August!

a TV series I liked this Month

 

At the beginning of July I discovered that Poppy Montgomery, whom I know from the TV-series Unforgettable, also starred in Without a Trace so I started watching it in August and I really like it so far. 

 Things I'm Looking Forward to in September

• Getting a bit more structure back in my days.
• Finding more motivation to blog again. I really wanted to write some posts but I just couldn't find enough energy to do it during August.
• Some more warm days and some early fall days. 
• Going on long afternoon walks with Felix. 
• Enjoying the last days of summer vacation before university starts again. 
• Finally finding time again to have a long chat with my beloved Kat. It's been too long since we last had a really long talk and I miss her.
  

Felix in August

Since my parents were away at the end of August, Felix got really cuddly and followed me everywhere. I'm pretty sure he was a bit scared that the last person of his pack might get lost too.

My Life...

Right now, this is exactly how I feel...

Over the last two months I struggled a bit with my life in general. My summer break started at the beginning of July and everything was fine. I was looking forward to spending more time reading and blogging but I never was really good at having too much spare time (yes, I said it - too much spare time). I always liked a structured day. During high school I always got grumpy at the end of the holidays or rather at the beginning of August (which was the middle of my holidays). I need structure in my life and in my days and right now I am lacking just that.

I spend my days mostly browsing the internet and either reading, sleeping or watching way too much TV. I feel really bad about that but there's nothing I can do to change that. It feels a bit like I am standing behind me, yelling at myself to get going but I just can't!

Why am I telling you this? Well, I decided to take a break from blogging for at least this week. Uni starts again in October but September is my preparation month where I decide which exams to take at the beginning of the semster, organizing my courses, etc. This week I want to get some structure back in my days, decide on what I want to do with my uni life, social life, blogging life and get back on track. I need to make some decisions and I will try to do this over the course of the next couple of days.

Hope to see you soon guys!

My Life...

My Life...

Every summer I pack my bags and am off to visit one of my favorite city in the whole wide world - London!

I cannot tell you why I am so in love with the huge city, full of people running around but visit London is vacation. Vienna is a lot smaller and not as busy as the British capital but when I visited for the first time in 2004, I was hooked.

I went on a school trip to Cambridge for a week and we drove down to London for a day and visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and took the boat back to Westmister. There we were told that we now had 3 hours to do whatever we wanted and after that we went back to Cambridge. 3 hours? No way, that we were able to do or see anything. So me and one of my boys took a walk up Whitehall and ended at Picadilly Circus. We sat there, did some people watching and enjoyed soaking up the flair. When we came back to meet the rest of our class, we were the ones who had a good time. The others either got frightened at the London Dungeon or went shopping on Oxford Street (which meant rushing from store to store). That day I knew I had to come back as soon as possible.

Since the summer of 2004 my mum and I go to London each summer and enjoy a few days of vacation, book shopping, people watching and amazing food (yes, I never had a bad experience with English food).

 

This year marks our 10 year anniversary and I am so ready to take my passport, head to the airport, board a plane (which I not really like doing but it's London, Baby) and go to the city that feels like a second home to me now.

Have a great week because I sure will!

My Life...

Monthly Rewind

July

  

My Pic of July

I went to the zoo twice this month. Once with one of my best friends and her baby girl and once with my mum and my camera to take some pictures. More to come soon.
 

July in Some Words 

July wasn't the best month for me. The weather was a micture of a lot of rain and high temperatures = humidity and I hate these weather conditions. I had some tutoring session but other than that I had little energie to do stuff so I am hoping that August will be a lot better.

3 Songs that Were Popular on My i-Pod

George Ezra - Budapest

The Dandy Warholes - We used to be friends 

Julia Sheer - Dear John


Books I Read this Month 

Janet Evanovich - Fearless Fourteen 

Terry Pratchett - Making Money 

Bernie Su & Kate Rorick - The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet 

Rachel Gibson - Daisy's Back in Town 

Terry Pratchett - Raising Steam

Colleen Helme - Fast Money 

Lindsey Kelk - About a Girl 

C.J. Daugherty - Night School

Janet Evanovich - Finger Lickin' Fifteen

9 books
2843 pages


a TV series I liked this Month

Yes, I did it again. I went on a huge Veronica Mars binge fest and I enjoyed every second. My plan was to watch the remaining episodes of season 2 I hadn't seen and watch season 3 before my DVD of the movie arrives at the beginning of August but after dreaming night after night after night about Logan (not that this is a bad thing. Not at all!) I had to take a break before starting season 3 but I think I'm ready now. 

Things I'm Looking Forward to in August

• Going to London for almost a week with my mum. It is a tradition of ours and this year will be our 10 year anniversary. I cannot tell you how excited I am. I'm writing lists of things I want to do, books I need to buy and other products I want to look into. I can be found with a guidebook in hand to see if there's anything we haven't seen. I am soooooooooo excited!
• It's my dad's birthday on the 15th and since it is a national holiday here in Austria we are celebrating with the whole family. 
• Babysitting my favorite little boy while his parents are on an evening cruise enjoying themselves - hopefully ;) 
• Having more time to see my friends and hug my two favorite guys. Yes, I miss them. 
  

Felix in July

 Felix' "I have no idea what you want but if I would I would do it" face. I love this little rascal!