Happy new year everyone!
What a bumpy ride the last year has been which, at some point, applies to every year [kinda repeating myself here]~!
One of my big highlights was our trip to Scotland. It was our first vacation together for Hannes and me and we had a great time in Edinburgh. Such a beautiful city and there is still so much more to explore! So we definitely will be back some time! We also got along pretty well regarding that I was at a mental low at the time, which sadly dominated most of 2016. I started to draw again, which I hadn't done much for around 5 years I think. I'm very pessimistic about my art but I'm happy I do finally draw again and want to keep it up! Get better!!!
I got to be maid of honor at my aunts medieval wedding in summer which was an exciting experience. The wedding was sooo~ beautiful and took place at the Ronneburg. The had the loveliest garments and many guests where clad in medieval or casual fitting clothes. We got a special show with the castles birds of prey and a herald was narrating through the evening which was a lot of fun!
I managed to start working out on a more or less regular basis during summer as we got some fitness supplies and lost one pant size! :) I also reduced a lot of my sugar consumption and got motivated from Don Saladino's videos! He's the personal trainer of my actor crush and so I came to see pics of a sweaty Sebastian Stan but got so caught up in the casual tone and fun those guys are having in their sessions that it actually motivates me a lot. Those guys have a lot of fun and it's literally just giant kids being hilarious. I love that. Also Don is doing a lot of Q&A's regarding fitness questions and has a very good attitude towards the whole fitness and healthy eating thing. And of cause there is a sweaty Seb every now and then! XD
One of my coworkers got a beautiful baby boy this autumn and I'm quite in love with little Arthur since I got to hold him for a while ♥ On the other hand I missed a great opportunity while Supernatural actor Osric Chau was visiting our store and as I identified him I was to shy and thought he might be annoyd of this to ask him for a picture and tell him how I liked his character in the show... missed chance indeed. He posted something about our store on his instagram though :)
In general at work I'm doing much more office work now. Stuff I've done for a few years now anyway but now I was able to actually be in the office most of the time and not doing it in the store where customers and the phone are distracting me all the time. I enjoy serving customers in the store but being around people for so many hours a day for all those years now paid it's tribute. I'm a person who needs to be alone sometimes to fill my social batteries and it has gotten harder and harder. As 2016 ended with a bang and big news for out company I'm looking forward to what is to come this year! January will be tough as we move the office and storage rooms to a bigger building in another city. The store in Frankfurt will be closed for good end of January and we will focus much more on our huge online customer community and have a storage sale once a month. The new webshop will be badass! I have to take my car to work then which has pros and cons and I will see how this works out. The rail ticket is at 178€ a month now and fees will be raised again this month... so I actually might save a few bucks. We will see~ :)
In autumn I also got to finally try horseback archery! I was pretty nervous since the description said we will ride bareback which I hadn't done in ages despite a tiny bareback lesson at my stable in which I was a sissy and didn't dare to lope even though I rode our gentle senior that day.
The clinic took place on a weekend at a beautiful location. The group was only 5 people small which was really good, as we all had more time to learn. Otherwise I was literally the 5th wheel as the others where a couple and two friends. We did a few really funny warm up games from martial arts and I was really clumsy at the beginning. All the others had done martial arts prior and had a much better coordination. We started with ground work at the first day learning how to shoot properly and instinctively and nock the arrows without looking. We did this also while walking around and at the end of the day everyone got to shoot a few arrows from horseback while another participant lead the horse. The next day we started with warm ups and nocking + shooting arrows while walking, running and jumping and did some balance training. Then it was time to ride! We luckily had some suede bareback pads on the ponies which made me far more relaxed at the whole loping bareback thing and I'm proud of me I did it (yeah I'm a sissy I know). Bali the Huzule pony was working with me and did a good deal in calming me down too ♥! I didn't get to shoot in lope though as I was so occupied in riding and the time where you could actually aim and shoot was limited but as only two of the five participants managed to shoot while loping I'm OK with that.
I got a lot of good things and confidence from that weekend and shooting and landing an arrow from horseback, even if it was only in walk, was an awesome feeling! The woman holding the clinic impressed me pretty much with all the things she new and had done in her life. What a strong and awe-inspiring person! I would love to continue horseback archery with her but It is just to expansive for me and even if I could somehow get the money I'm afraid of not being able to continue it afterwards for I not have a horse of my own :/ But it will definitely not be the last time for me doing this!
2016 I haven't been at the stable as much as I wanted to and even had a span of two months where I wasn't there at all... but I managed to take part in a clinic about longing and had some great training lessons and also jumped again with the rascal pony. I'm now taking lessons on Saturdays and have a lovely adult group now with great people! Hannes also took some riding lessons and might have a few more so he can come on forest adventures with me some time~ or we can do a fancy ranch vacation as pictured in the movie City Slickers XD
So this was my pretty rough report on 2016 and we spent new years eve with good food and mead on the sofa watching TV. At 0:00 we clinked glasses and went outside to see the fireworks and wish a happy new year to the neighborhood. The neighbors had lot's of fireworks and one had put up a firebasked on the sidewalk. So the whole street was standing at the fire drinking and talking. What a lovely night! We got inside at 2am :)
my resolutions for 2017
- more blogging -
- finally updating my Ghoulqueen FB page -
- more drawing/crafting/sewing -
- doing archery more often -
- making the apartment cool and comfy -
- more time at the stable/more trailrides -
- continuing healthy eating and sports/going swimming -
- getting rid of an old dept -
- awareness, calm and love -
