one word 2018

I love the calm, coffee-soaked days between Christmas and New Year’s. Days spent cozying up at home, reflecting on the year that’s passed and planning for the one to come. I’ve got a few exciting goals & projects planned for 2018 and I’m so excited to see how they turn out. One of the practices I most look forward to is picking a guiding word for each year. 

Last year I really struggled to pick a word. For the first time ever, January began and I still hadn't decided. The truth is, at the beginning of this past year I didn't have the faintest idea where I was heading- there was no flicker of a vision or direction on the horizon. I was feeling lost both in my role as a mother and my place in this corner of the world I currently call home. I not only did not know where my path was leading- I could not see the path. In the end I chose the word GROW because I knew I wanted to move forward, even if at the time I was completely unsure what that would look like. 

In some ways GROW was a good word- I certainly grew a lot. I watched my baby grow into a toddler at some point over the last 12 months (HOW did this even happen..?!). But during the course of the year, it was the word PURSUE that resonated. It chose me. This year was an incredible adventure of putting myself out there, taking risks and going after the things I wanted. From something as simple as starting the book club I'd always wanted to be a part of, to making new friends and digging deeper into a community here, to of course launching r&s yarn and taking on a new job.(much of this last point I owe to my work with Making Stories, as I shared over on IG here) 

This year’s word is SUSTAIN. I’m excited to see how this theme plays out over the weeks and months ahead and already have goals set in line with it. In 2017 I added a lot of new things to my life both personally and professionally, and now is the time to really sink into those things, to make sure that I'm able to sustain them all in a healthy way for both me and my family. This has a lot to do with time management, obviously but also with finances and self-care and mindfulness. 

Another angle on this word that I'm excited to explore is the whole sustainability aspect. In 2017 I had a lot of discussions (and learned a ton) about environmental issues. I've set a few very concrete goals for our family to hopefully reduce our ecological footprint and live with a little more kindness to our planet. I'm super excited to unpack this a little more over the next few months (probably via Instagram). 

So welcome 2018. I sincerely wish you all the best for this new year!

one word 2017

photo by Christine Pienaar 

okay so it's fascinating to me to look back over the past few years of choosing words. In 2013 I went with embrace (as in embrace all the change happening around and to me in moving to a new continent and city..) In 2014 the word was patience. 2015 was brave. And this past year, I had the word savour. 

It's not lost on me that the trend seems to be alternating between active and passive words. Of course, words like patience and savour are not entirely passive, but they aren't driving to see change such as a word like brave is. And after this year of savouring, I'm ready for something active again.

That's why I've decided to go with the word grow. As in, reaching out of my comfort zone and pushing myself to really set down roots here where I am. 

I've got to admit that there's a part of me that's hesitant to really sink in and make a home here in Germany. The possibility of another move in the not so distant future has been looming over me these past 4 years but the truth is we've already been here FOUR years. That's a hellofa lot of time and definitely long enough to establish roots. And yet, I sometimes let myself hesitate because of fear that I'll just be uprooted again at some point soon.

So. No more. This year I really want to dive deep into the community I find myself in. To grow where I'm planted so to speak. AND to push myself out of my comfort zone, take some risks and grow as a human being, a wife and mother, a creative. 

Scotland Part Two: Isle of Skye

Of course, having shared last week about our time in Edinburgh, I wanted to make sure and post about the second part of our time in Scotland, which we spent on the Isle of Skye. 

We were so enchanted by this beautiful place and managed to explore quite a bit while we were there. We didn't get to everything on our lists, but we did pretty good for our first trip to the island- because, oh yes, we will have to go back some day. Here's what we managed to see this time around:

Eilean Donan Castle

Okay, so this isn't technically on the Isle of Skye. We passed it on the way in and stopped to get a closer look. As can be seen in the photo we were there in the late afternoon, when the sun was shining brilliantly, which made it challenging to get a good photo. It would have been an amazing place to watch the sunset, but we didn't want to dawdle too much, as we wanted to get Caleb (and our weary selves) settled in at our cottage.

Talisker Bay

Day One saw us heading SW and we started with a walk to Talisker Bay. This is one of the lesser known spots on Skye and I'm so glad we did enough reading beforehand to find out about it. After driving down through some very wild landscape, we parked our car just outside of Talisker farm and walked out to the ocean. The beach was stunning, with jagged cliffs (which you can kind of see in the first photo above) and a misty waterfall- very romantic. It wasn't busy at all, which really allowed us to enjoy the beauty of the spot fully. Plus there were fields of sheep all along the path, which was really fun to see. 

Talisker Distillery

After our walk, Caleb needed a pitstop and a little downtime so we stopped at the Distillery so Waldi could take a tour, while we hung out in the car. Thankfully, he was able to fit in a group right away (since he was alone) and he said the tour was interesting & informative and that the guide was very nice and told some great stories.

Fairy Pools

Our final stop of the day was at the Fairy Pools. This was by far the busiest trail we visited during our time on Skye, and for good reason. The walk in is very accessible and the pools are quite simply magical. There was quite a bit of wind, so we decided to go down separately, so one of us could stay with C. Waldi jumped into that pool in the photo there and convinced an American tourist to jump in as well. My crazy husband, haha! He said it was all kinds of worth it though- and the water wasn't even as cold as he had been expecting.

Quiraing 

The next morning, Waldi got up early and headed out to hike the Quirang. He drove out as the sun was rising and managed to make the full trail before too many people showed up. I'm pretty bummed to have missed this, but Caleb and I had a lovely, cozy morning at the cottage, eating porridge and listening to back episodes of the Woolful podcast, which was pretty great as well. 

Portree

Once Waldi got back, we headed into Portree, the biggest "city" on the island and just a few minute's drive from our cottage. We stopped in for a coffee and some cookies at Arriba cafe, which had lovely views of the harbor and very good coffee. I can't describe it exactly, but it just had that feel of an island coffee shop that I've experienced at home along the westcoast- very laid back but also completely warm and cozy.

Next, we headed out to walk the Scorrybreac circut- a trail that starts just out of the harbor and heads along the coast before cutting up and through the fields & woods back into town. Again, I am so glad we did this. We had the trail basically to ourselves (though we did see some cows) and it was perfectly easy to do with Caleb. We also had an amazing view of the Old Man of Storr (which Waldi later returned to hike), as the day was so clear. It was an absolutely perfect 90mins. 

Then it was back into Portree for a wander down to the harbor and through a few shops. We were hoping to stay for a seafood dinner, but none of the restaurants opened early enough for us, as we didn't want to be out too late with C. Still really enjoyed our time in this little town. 

Neist Point

On our last day, we woke up early and drove out to the westernmost point of Skye- Neist Point. I am so glad we decided to do this, as it was a real highlight for me. We were there early enough that not too many people had arrived yet, and we had a lot of fun exploring. We walked up from the parking lot to get a view of the lighthouse down below and then went down about halfway to the point. The green cliffs against the open ocean are just amazing. This was my first experience with the open Atlantic, and I must admit it's going to be hard to top. 

On the way back we stopped at Cafe Lephin in Glendale for coffee and millionaire shortbread- yum! This was a really charming spot, selling local artwork, cards and other little treasures.

Stein Inn

From Neist Point we drove north towards Stein and Waternish. After a stop to buy some very special yarn (more on this later!) we had lunch at the Stein Inn. This was a perfectly cozy spot and we both enjoyed our meals immensely- seafood sandwiches with salad and crisps. There was a little gallery next door, which we popped into as well before heading out to our final stop of the day.  

Coral Beaches 

From Stein, we doubled back a bit and drove out to the coral beaches. The drive out here was really fun and took us past Dunvegan castle, which you get a great view of looking back after passing it. Then it was a short walk out to this lovely spot. It's quite funny to see something like this against the rest of the landscape, as you can see in the top photo of Waldi. We didn't spend long here, as we were pretty beat by this point but I'm so glad we stopped in for a visit. 

So there you have it- a quick overview of our time in Scotland. I'm working on putting together a post about the yarn shops we managed to visit and the yarns I picked up in case you aren't sick of seeing Scotland photos yet. 

This trip was wonderful and was basically brought to you by the letter W- wool, so much walking, a bit of whisky (for Waldi that is...), and we three Werwai's wandering around. We had such a great time!

Scotland Part One: Edinburgh

Today I'm super excited to share a little bit about our Scotland trip here on the blog. I've shared bits and pieces over on Instagram, but I thought it might be fun to share here about the different parts of our trip in a little more detail. Today is part one: Edinburgh. 

We spent two whirlwind days in the Scottish capital and throughly enjoyed ourselves. This was our first big trip with Caleb and though things were of course different with him along, we managed to do quite a few things by starting early in the morning and then heading back to our hotel by the mid to late afternoons. Here's what we got up to on those two days:

Edinburgh Castle 

This was quite impressive to see (specifically from below, walking up) and a great orientation point to start our wanderings from. We didn't actually go into the castle but we certainly enjoyed the views.

The Writers Museum

I had expected to enjoy this, but I was even more impressed than I thought. This lovely museum, tucked away in a close off the Royal Mile, in a small charming house is free to the public and showcases the work of three of Scotland's most famous writers: Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The exhibitions were quite interesting but even if you're not into literature, it's worth popping in just to wander through the house. 

Victoria Street

Of course, another author with a connection to this city is JK Rowling and we set off to visit a few Harry Potter themed spots throughout the morning. The first of these was Victoria Street, which is supposed to have inspired Diagon Alley. Whether it's true or not, this was a charming little street that was quite fun to meander down. 

Greyfriar's Kirk

Next we popped into the old graveyard, Greyfriar's Kirk. We meandered a bit through the paths, but what we had really come to find was Voldemort's grave- several of the gravestones here bear names that JK Rowling apparently borrowed for different characters in her books. One of these names is Tom Riddle. We met a very kind volunteer who kindly showed us where this grave was, as well as the graves of several other interesting historical figures.

Greyfriars Bobby

Another grave that can be found here is that of Greyfriars Bobby, a small dog who is said to have waited by his masters grave for many years after that master's death. He's got a pub and a little statue to mark his memory. This was a cute little story, and was fun to walk by, though I don't think I would have sought it out if we hadn't happened to be in the area. 

The Elephant House Cafe

Our final Harry Potter related stop of the trip. After all that walking these two Hufflepuffs needed a break, so we popped into this cafe, where JK Rowling wrote parts of the early Harry Potter books. We had coffee and a light lunch, and sat in the back, looking out at the castle in the distance. I will say, it was not as busy as I had been expecting and completely relaxing for both us and Caleb to hang out here. A really fun stop! 

Calton Hill

We continued being touristy in the afternoon and (after dashing undercover to wait out a quick rain shower) we headed up Calton Hill for some more views. It was lovely, especially on such a clear day and I would recommend heading up here- especially if you visit the city and are not able to make it up Arthur's Seat. 

Royal Mile & St Giles Cathedral

The next morning we headed down the Royal Mile, which is the street that runs from Edinburgh Castle all the way to Holyrood Palace. It's basically the old part of the city, with beautiful buildings and narrow alleyways (called closes) leading off it. We mailed a postcard to my family (in the British postbox because I'm into that sort of thing...) and stopped in at St Giles Cathedral. This was one of my very favorite cathedrals (and I've been to my fair share, including both St Paul's and the Dom in Cologne). I think this was partly to do with how the sunlight was shining through the stained glass- we'd never seen such a brightly lit (almost colorful) cathedral before.

Arthur's Seat

Once we got to the end of the Royal Mile we headed to Arthur's seat. We weren't too sure how this was going to be with Caleb, but we had a very warm day with little wind and so we headed up. We went up the path by the craigs and around to the back. We didn't actually make it up the highest part but the views were still stunning- how amazing that this is right in the middle of the city. 

Scottish tea house

To warm up after our hike, we stopped in at this cute tea house at the bottom of the Royal Mile for a cup of Scottish Breakfast tea and some scones with jam. This was the perfect pit stop, coming in from the fresh air to warm up and refuel in such a cozy place was just delightful. I especially loved how the place was decorated- so many of the items reminded me of the things my grandmother used to have. There was even a cross stitch map of the United Kingdom (which I meant to take a photo of but totally forgot...)


We did visit several other parts of the city in the afternoons- we made it to two yarn shops and into New Town for a late lunch at Jamie's Italian, though I didn't manage to get any photos there. I'll share more about the yarn shops in a separate post since this is already getting quite long, but there's a little recap of our (touristy) adventures in this city! 

5 years

five years, four jobs (each), three homes, two continents (& countries & languages...), and one beautiful baby later... 

today is our five year wedding anniversary. this month also marks 8 years since we met. amazing how time can seem to move so quickly, yet on the other hand it feels like whole lifetimes have passed since that sunny day in the countryside when we said our vows. 

of course, an anniversary is just one day but it has me feeling nostalgic and reflective and I thought it might be fun to share a few things we've learned so far about ourselves and each other and marriage in general. and since it is our five year anniversary, here are 5 humble insights into what makes our marriage work.

1. love can grow and change

Like most people on their wedding day, I'd assume, I couldn't imagine loving Waldi any more than I did while standing before him in that white dress. I loved him with everything I had then. But the truth is, I have more now- more history and experiences, more love, more sacrifice. Just more to give. Neither of us are the same person we were when we got married. But that's okay because our love has grown and changed as we have. 

2. separate but together

In our wedding ceremony we had a line from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet that talked about this idea- two people, very much together but also their own separate individuals. We've always been very close- we were best friends for almost a full year before dating, and moving to Germany drew us even closer as we relied on each other throughout the process of rebuilding a community. However. It's important to us that we both have the time and space to enjoy our own interests, to go off alone so that we can come back again. 

3. apologies come in many forms

I'm sure everyone's been told before that you shouldn't go to bed angry. And this is sometimes true. There have been times in our relationship where we've needed to hash things out in the moment. There have been issues and discussions that have required our immediate attention. But there have also been other times- petty grievances, groundless frustrations, or just plain grumpy days, where the best thing has really been to get a goodnight sleep and make up over coffee in the morning. The apology may look different but the important thing is that it always gets said. 

4. there is always room to be surprised

I like to think I know Waldi pretty well. And the truth is, I do- and he knows me better than anyone else. But one thing that gets clearer to me with each passing year is that it's impossible to know everything about another person- to get to the very bottom of who they are. Because as well as you know someone, there is still always room to be surprised. Whether it's as simple as Waldi enjoying a book or movie I'd assumed he wouldn't be interested in, or as intense as going through a brand new experience together and seeing how he reacts (like childbirth, or moving around the world...), there's still so much about Waldi that I do not know and cannot predict. 

5. we are still learning

I love to learn new things- be it languages, childbirth techniques, or a new knitting stitch. Realizing that I am still learning how to be a good partner to Waldi keeps me humble and energized to do my best everyday to show up for him and be fully present in our relationship. This is, for me, one of the most important things to remember about marriage- we are both still learning. We are both still going to need a lot of grace.



also, the fun thing about having a blog is that you can go back and read about old anniversaries: 4 years, 3 years, 2 years and (from Instagram) 1 year.

July's Quote & welcome Caleb James

"mothers carry their babies not for 9 months but for eternity"
- Elder Holland

A bit of a different post for this month's quote. It's most likely been obvious from the radio silence here on the blog (or if you follow me on Instagram...) but I wanted to pop in and announce it anyways.

Our son, Caleb James, was born on June 5th and we couldn't be happier. His birth was a very intense but empowering experience and we're settling in nicely to the new rhythms of our life as three.

I know it's what everyone says, but motherhood really does change everything. I picked that quote because giving birth is really just the beginning. 

we're so glad you're here sweet boy! 

5 little things: the waiting game

so things have been pretty interesting around here for the past days- or pretty uninteresting. It depends on how you look at it. 

we're in the midst of waiting for our little one, and while there's no way to tell if he'll arrive in 2 days or 2 weeks (or the next few hours...) we've been trying to go about life as usual. 

I do not do well with unknowns. I mentioned in my last post that it's a funny feeling, knowing that you're about to give birth and become a mother because you can't really prepare for it. I feel like I have all this time on my hands and yet I'm not really able to use it to prepare as I would like to. Of course there are things that need to be done to get ready for baby...but once those things are done, there's nothing much left to do but wait. 

or at least that's how it feels. 

so here are 5 little things that I'm filling my days with to help me enjoy this crazy and exciting time in our lives and this pregnancy.

1. reading on the balcony

this has been a seriously welcome part of my daily routine. For several years we lived in an apartment without a balcony, and now that we have one, I'm using it to it's full advantage. Every morning I sit out there for an hour or so, with breakfast or a warm drink and read a little. I've been reading books about parenting and childbirth but also this and this, with this up next. 

2. neighborhood walks

for the last week or so, I've really enjoyed going on nice, rambling walks around our neighborhood. I've explored some new streets and wandered without destination, but we're lucky enough to have a bakery, farmer's market and a park with a coffee cart all within a short walk's distance from our apartment. I've been enjoying heading to one of these spots to buy fresh flowers, or croissants, or sip cappuccino with Waldi. 

3. educating & preparing myself for childbirth and baby

so obviously I've been doing this for a lot of my pregnancy, but it's been good to use these last few weeks to squeeze in a bit more preparation. I've deep cleaned baby's room and done lots of adorable laundry. We've packed our bag to bring to the birthing centre. I've been filling up our freezer with healthy meals and snacks for after baby's arrival. 

I've also been getting my body ready for childbirth by following a few tips I got from my midwife and birthing class. This has mostly involved diet (raspberry leaf tea anyone...?) as well as some massage, breathing and exercises. I've also been reading a few last books and even watching some Ted Talks about parenting and childbirth. Mostly I try and do all this with an open heart and mind, since I know that baby will come when he's ready, no matter what I do, and his birth will be what it is, depending on him and me and many other factors I can't control. But it still feels good to do something.

4. writing things down

I've become rather quiet and introspective in the last few days. I suppose my mind and heart are just preparing themselves for what's ahead, as is my body. I spend a lot of time wondering what our baby will be like, how the birth will be, how Waldi will be as a father... it's overwhelming at times. I'm trying to document some of it in journals and our baby book and a little on Instagram (or this blog), because even though I'm not always finding this time easy, I know that in a blink it will be over. And I want to remember feeling this way.

5. trying to relax

this is a big one for me. I'm focusing on taking it slow and not giving in to anxiety or worry, which some days feel like giant tasks. Mostly I've been enjoying being at home together with Waldi, cooking meals, watching Netflix, or talking about our little one. I've been working on a few projects- mostly socks, as that's serious comfort knitting for me, but also some crochet coasters (pictured above) and dishcloths. Mostly I'm just trying to take things one day (or hour...) at a time and go from there. 


Also, I realize that over the past few weeks, this blog has been completely overtaken by posts about baby... it's just such a huge change and sometimes it feels hard to talk about anything else! My crafting and knitting has absolutely decreased in the last little while, but I do have some projects planned for the summer and hope to share more craft related goodness soon! If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me through this time of transition. 

a week with my sisters

this past week my sister & (soon-to-be) sister in law were here visiting Waldi & I (and Baby Werwai!) from Canada. It was an amazing fun-filled whirlwind week and today I wanted to share a few photos from our time together here on the blog. 

These last few weeks before our baby is born are quickly dwindling down and we're getting so excited to meet him. But we sure are enjoying our last few pre-baby adventures. I so loved having my sisters here for these precious days together- it's a time I know I'll look back often on. The part where they leave is always hard and all of yesterday I was thinking about them on their flight, landing home at the airport (the smell of Tim Hortons in the air...) and feeling so homesick. But I'm so thankful for every day we had together. Until next time girls! 

Here's a brief look at what we got up to in the last week!

 breakfast & pedicures in the Oberstadt (the old part of the city) to welcome them to town.

an impromptu photoshoot on the way to the movies...

on the Saturday I had a joint baby shower with a friend. So much decorating and so many delicious treats! I can't believe how special it turned out, and it was amazing to have so many of my friends & family there to celebrate our baby. 

 we spent the mornings leading up to the party decorating & baking, picking up fresh flowers from the market and re-arranging our entire apartment to accommodate all the guests. What an amazing feeling to have a house full of women to celebrate with us. It was quite simply overwhelming! 

I never could have pulled it off like this by myself so thanks girls for all your help! 

sunny Sunday afternoon walks while visiting some of the surrounding villages with friends.

 buying friendship bracelets & lunching at a favorite cafe 

 despite the not-always-cooperating weather we had to fit in a little sight seeing: the Elisabeth Kirche & Marburger Schloss are simply must-sees. 

 an amazing birthday breakfast of Dutch Babies cooked by Waldi, decorated by Beth and cleaned up by Abby...I didn't have to do a thing and felt so spoiled! 

goodbye dinner out with friends. delicious food & warm enough to sit outside! 

also:

this trip was basically brought to you by the letter B: birthdays, baby bumps, breakfasts, bakeries & Birkenstocks- both girls bought their first pair...

love you girls. come back and visit us soon! 

(photos are a mix taken by all three of us, plus Waldi)