new habits november.

{via: wolf eyebrows.}

it's halloween. which means it's still october. but man, i'm ready for november. & so, i'll just get a jump on it. & over on this side of the ocean, we're a mere 3 hours away from november. mehr oder weniger. 

so let's kick it, shall we?

exercise 30 minutes a day. maybe a walk around the block? a bike ride along the beach? a jaunt on the elliptical? something, anna. just something!
write 30 minutes a day. about anything. the time you got a conduct card on the bus? your first crush at the ripe age of 7? ideas for recipes? funny names to name eyeshadows? anything, anna. just write it d-o-w-n.
clean out your inbox. because anna, this is getting out of hand. really.
take more photos. your in a beautiful city. in a beautiful country. why wouldn't you try & take as many pictures as possible? 
save your money. well, at least try your best to. & remember: "no, you do not need another striped shirt. auf keinen fall."
keep your coca-cola intake to a minimum. baby steps, my friend. baby steps.
love yourself more. quit being so darn rude to yourself. ya hear?


start small. take your time. keep your hopes high and your head higher.

{Quote of the Week.}

{via: note to self.}

{happy halloweekend.}

{kindergarten 1994. me. & that's geoff in the red sweatshirt looking at the camera!}

here in northern germany they don't really do halloween like i'm used to... 

so i'm staying in this weekend & catching up on some television & writing.

Spookishly boring, i know--

but i hope your weekend is full of frightful delight. ; )

tis true.

{via: flickr.}

with this fall brings...

{deutschland 10.25.2011.}

fresh apples plucked off the tree
this deliciously scented candle
the crunching of leaves under our gummistiefel
new (rain-proof) winter coat
baking devouring apfelkuchen
a new bag for school
adventures with flat nathan
this song on repeat

{Quote of the Week.}

{via: flickr.}

*all the more reason to hold on to everything you are. 

he's worth waiting for. 

the one who speaks of you, every little part of you, with such love. 

stay courageous. sincere. & keep your self respect always.

missing you. (x's five.)

 [the nieces & nephews trip to california. october 2011.]

while i've be exploring half way across the world, these little loves have been doing their fair share of adventuring, too. and boy, oh boy. how i miss their little smiles. 

i've seen some beautiful sights, i must say, but nothing beats seeing the beauty of the world through their wonderful eyes. 

let the countdown to my christmas visit begin!

{Copenhagen} part two: the city of endless possibilities for the perfect date.

 [copenhagen. october 2011.]

i'll be honest. i wouldn't call myself a "nature-enthusiast" by any means. (actually, i have never even made it through a whole night sleeping in a tent. whether it having been in my backyard, or even my living room, camping has never really been my thing.)

but i digress...

copenhagen is the perfect mix of bustling city, lush, green parks, walking trails, playgrounds (coolest playgrounds i've ever seen...) and opportunities for dates galore. seriously. you can go from a sweet dinner in the center of town to strolling along the geese and castles(!) amazing, right?

it is the city of modern meets classic romance. how could i not be head over heels in love with that city? 

another note: the northern europeans are so great at getting out there & appreciating whatever weather they have each day (i'm slowly trying to gain that same mindset...) they understand layers & the concept of baby buggies stuffed to the brim with cozy blankets. 

Joanna wrote a fascinating post on just that concept here.

how to: bike fancy.

[deutschland. 10.20.2011.]

red nail polish-- check.

red tennies-- check.

cropped cords-- check.

(yellow cap-- check.)

happy & odd.

[biking about in Deutschland. 10/19/2011.]

“'I’d rather be happy and odd 
than miserable and ordinary,’ 
she said, sticking her chin in the air.”

My favorite souvenir from Copenhangen...

[deutschland. oktober 14. 2011.]

i wore these bad boys (which i landed in copenhagen's top shop for 50% off!) out to the diskothek last weekend after i returned from copenhagen and lemme tell ya, wearing them gave me a confidence totally unbeknownst to me. 

because, trust me, you need a very special sort of confidence to dance on a table in a foreign country to this song.

p.s. quite possibly my favorite moment captured during my visit to Copenhagen...

[copenhagen. october 2011.]

heart officially melted.

p.s. love how chic even the little kids dress! way chic-er than me, i tell ya!

{Copenhagen} part one: the city of bright colors, smiling faces & rad bikes.

[copenhagen. october 2011.]

I loved Italy. adored Crotia. was mesmerized by Turkey. (posting those photos soon, promise. ; ) charmed by Glasgow. dazzled by London.  enchanted by Germany...

but Copenhagen. 
Copenhagen stole my heart in a way no city has done before.

maybe it was the crowds of smiling people-- all wearing happy, brightly colored clothes-- and rocking plastic glasses like it was their day job... and maybe it's the fact that my great grandfather once did, in fact, call Denmark home.

what i know for sure is that it felt so familiar. so comforting. and that it would be mighty easy to someday call home. and in my dreams, it's exactly where i would love to call home. (at least for a while.)

{Quote of the Week.}

[copenhagen, october 2011.]

a little extra dose of sweetness for your sunday.

Caleb and Jes. from andrew+carissa on Vimeo.

because i certainly know mine needed some. ; )

With Love-- from Copenhagen.

{illustration above by mads berg.}

off to København to meet up with my cousin Geoff for a few days.

be back soon with lots of photos & adventures to share!

xoxo-

p.s. i'm slightly obsessed with bicycling about here where i live now in Germany... so i'm pretty convinced my mind will be blown when i see first-hand the rad amount of bike riders in copenhagen (36% of commuters are by bike--wowza!)

p.p.s. this made me giggle.

{Quote of the Week.}

{via: tumblr.}

“Every experience in life, everything with which we have come in contact in life, is a chisel which has been cutting away at our life statue, molding, modifying, shaping it. We are part of all we have met. Everything we have seen, heard, felt, or thought has had its hand in molding us, shaping us." 

-Orison Swett Marden

Darlin' do not fear, what you don't really know...

[train station. germany september 2011.]

you're anxious. i get that.  

you're also a little sad that you're not in cali with these loves right now, aren't ya? 

but girl, listen up, k? you're on the right path. 

i know you wake up each morning with a bit of hesitation... what if you shook up what was coming your way? what if you were supposed to be there, not here?  

lemme tell ya, whatever was/is coming your way-- you certainly did shake it up, but that's what life's all about. making the most of it. shaking things up-- keeping things spicy? am i right. plus, it's all still coming your way. 

and you're up & moving to a new country on a whim? that was all part of the plan, too! (promise.) 

you do know that you're braver than you were last year at this time, don't you?that you are experiencing something many will never, ever do? you're almost fluent in another language! dude, your 5-year-old-self would be proud.  

you're baking bread (scrumptious bread, i might add) building new friendships, going to a university in a different country-- on a different continent. 
your 22-year-old-self should be proud.  

and all of those other adventures you're pumped for? be patient.  

would ya have thought you'd be on this adventure right now a year ago? heck no. 

so who knows what this next year has rolled up it's sleeve. 

it's all gravy. 

p.s. listen to this song daily. it's a great jam-- and an even better reminder for you.

get your giggles on friday part III.

{via: tumblr.}

happy friday!

p.s. click through each gif to see the whole scene.

happy birthday to my pop's (aka the prof.)

[atop St.Peter's Basilica ,Vatican City.july 2011.]

happy birthday, dad!

i am so grateful to have him as my father.

above is a photo from this summer when i met him in rome/vatican city & had the most amazing time. (a time i still need to blog about!)

from being the godfather of radars to his remarkable faith, i'm so happy & blessed to be able to say "that's my dad."

i love you, dad!

we move on the double.

[flat nathan & me on the train to citti-park kiel from eckernförde. oktober 6. 2011.]

oh, i've decided this is mine & flat nathan's official theme song.
because, we obviously needed a theme song.

playlist for your october.

// nestle right up with your favorite magazine (like one of these beauts: here & here.) // 

// grab your knitting needles // 

// dig-out those fall hues // 

// and crank these beats //

Welcoming Flat Nathan to Germany.

note above reads:

         My class read Flat Stanley. Stanley is a boy who is flat. He mailed himself to a friend in California.  

    I've made a Flat Nathan to send to you. Please take Flat Nathan to places near you. Take pictures of him and send him back with the pictures so that way my class can learn where you live. Thank you. 

                       Love Nathan.s P.S.
                     He's a fire fighter.

My nephew Nathan is now in second grade. (gasps.) I know, right? They seriously grow up obnoxiously quick. (Le sigh...)

He is doing a project on one of my all-time favorite books Flat Stanley and sent me Flat Nathan ala Stan the Man himself. I received Flat Nathan in the mail today and cannot, absolutely cannot, wait to take him out on the town here in Germany. We'll take pictures galore and write a letter back for Nathan's class to enjoy. I'm going to make sure he sees the most original, exotic things - because being the coolest aunt I can be is what I long to be most of all.

Did i mention how much I miss those little ones? Or how much I love being an aunt? Cause i do - like bananas.

More Flat Nathan adventures coming up. Get pumped. ; )

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{Quote of the Week.}

{via: flickr.}