What a Difference a Year Makes

Mother Nature decided to give us a taste of a wintery wonderland, although there are plenty of people out there saying there’s nothing wonderful about it. The Chicago area received anywhere between 5 to 8 inches. I keep looking out the window, my car piled high with snow, hoping the sun will come out and it will all melt away before I have to go out there and clean it up.

The way it snowed yesterday reminded me of how it snowed in November 2010 when we were stranded in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here’s the link to that post, http://bit.ly/ysBOhP (the beauty of blogging—collected memories), and here’s the link about what we DID get to enjoy while in Scotland-http://bit.ly/gOuoCz.  

It’s amazing how much can happen and change in one year. I spent the winter of 2010-2011 in Germany, traveling to wonderful places, and seeing the bigger picture of life. My favorite was sampling the German Christmas markets in different towns. Here’s a glimpse at a few of the Christmas market booths-http://bit.ly/baJBsK. I also got the opportunity to record a German tradition in the town of Hattingen-http://bit.ly/eVvVp8.

In my 2010 Christmas post, http://bit.ly/vYWRaj, I talked about the changes in my life including my mother and I having the best relationship we ever had. Fast forward a year, and my mother is no longer in my life. If only I could have one more conversation with her, I’d tell her all the things I feel in my heart right now.

A little over a year ago, I finished my first revision of my 2008 National Novel Writing Month novel http://bit.ly/bP4ONG. This revision had transformed into many more revisions until it was published in 2011-http://bit.ly/vAZuqw.

I’ve always been one for change—except for this past year. But with bad things in life, good things do come out of it. I’ve learned who is important in my life—who cares for me—who was there for me in my time of need. I ended some friendships and rekindled some great friendships. I've also connected with my cousins, and can’t thank them enough for their support (life is full of surprises). I’m hoping for a happier future—a ‘life uninterrupted’.

How about you? What good and bad changes happened to you this last year?

Changes and hope,

Bea

A Walk through a Winter Wonderland

It’s been unseasonably snowy in Germany, and most days the clouds won’t let the sun come out and play. So you can imagine how everyone takes advantage of the outdoors when the sun does come out. Earlier this week, we drove a little bit up into the higher part of town and the snow really came down. I got some awesome pictures of the fog and snow.

We stopped the car, so I could take some pictures before getting to the trail and these are a few.

Then we arrived at this place that has a cabin that serves hot beverages and waffles topped with cherries and whipped cream. Mmmm…I forgot to take a picture of the waffles I ordered. I took these pictures when we first arrived.

When we got to the trail, we were greeted by these snowmen.

We started to walk the trail before the sun went to bed, and here are a few pictures of what I saw on the trail.

 

Happy Holidays!