this dress

Lio and I have decided to tie the knot. Well, we decided to do that a while ago, and have now set a date. We are thinking about a teeny tiny ceremony at the courthouse this spring (possibly April 1) and a bigger one with all the family in May 2011 (bc it will take that long to plan and save money!)

I’ve been doing all the paperwork and planning while Lio is still in Spain, and tonight to take a break, I watched ‘Paris When It Sizzles’ – one of my fave Audrey Hepburn films. It was while watching that I discovered the dress I want to wear for the civil ceremony. I did some google image searches and couldn’t find it anywhere. I was about to give up when I found this website: http://glassoffashion.wordpress.com/ that has pics of it!!! So a HUGE thank you to whoever writes over there and I will def be following the site bc it is really cool!

Pics of the dress:

paul simon kind of day

Once in a while from out of nowhere
When you don’t expect it, and you’re unprepared
Somebody will come and lift you higher
And your burdens will be shared
Yes I do believe, if I hadn’t met you
I might still be sinking fast
I’ve had a long streak of bad luck
But I’m praying it’s gone at last

She said a good day
Ain’t got no rain
She said a bad day’s when I lie in bed
And think of things that might have been

Many’s the time I’ve been mistaken, and many times confused
And I’ve often felt forsaken, and certainly misused.
But it’s all right, it’s all right, I’m just weary to my bones
Still, you don’t expect to be bright and Bon Vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home.
I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered
Don’t have a friend who feels at ease
Don’t know a dream that’s not been shattered
Or driven to it’s knees.
But it’s all right, all right, We’ve lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road we’re traveling on,
I wonder what went wrong, I can’t help it

I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the civil war

Trust your intuition
It’s just like goin fishin’
You cast your line and hope you get a bite
You don’t need to waste your time
Worryin’ about the market place
Trying to help the human race
Strugglin to survive it’s harshest hour

not forgetting myself

I spend so much time taking care of other people and other things, I often forget to take care of myself. In the past few years I have yoyo-ed in weight, forgotten all about skin/hair care, and generally stopped doing anything that could help my appearance. It wasn’t until I saw myself on TV a few weeks ago that I relized how bad I have actually let myself get.

Until tonight. Tonight I am deciding that I need to make myself a priority again. This doesn’t just include things to help my appearance, but things that help me be me again. Taking the time to take a bath, or go on a walk, or just read.

And while not a lot of people would agree with me, I do think that if you take steps to look nice, you will feel nicer too. Tonight I took a long bath and gave myself a pedicure and finally got around to plucking my eyebrows and even this makes me feel so luxurious and glamourous. I need to keep doing things that help me feel better about myself because that will just make me happier, which in turn make the people around me happier.

How do I keep forgetting that??

Well, I started following Dita von Teese on twitter. I think just reading the things she does and the incredible life she leads will help me remember to do what makes me happy and keep being me bc she is so true to herself and has become famous doing what she loves – no matter what anyone thinks. I also like to see how glam her life is and try to bring little pieces of the gracefulness and thoughtfulness of what she does into my life. So shout out to Dita – thanks for living your life and inspiring others to add a bit of glam into theirs.

explore!

alice

A few months ago I was in a rut. A big, bad, very serious rut. These ruts come and go for me, but this one was particularly bad because I was even thinking about leaving Germany and going home to try to hide from everything. I’m not exactly sure what shook me out of it, but I just had to start moving forward. I could feel that deep inside. I needed to start looking forward and setting goals for myself. I’m still not entirely sure what I want to do, but I am so happy just getting ideas and trying to envision myself doing something in the future. Like the picture from Alice in Wonderland, you’ve got to just start going, and you’ll get somewhere.

lalalalife

First things first.

Hi, I’m Gabi. A twenty something living in Munich Germany, I gave up basically all I had in the search for myself and happiness. I left a high paying job to start teaching Kindergarten, and my fiance Lio is currently living in Spain. My family and close friends are all still in the US and I don’t get to see them more than once a year. It may seem like I don’t have a whole lot, at least not in how other people value things, but I have never been happier than this moment.

I’ve realized that we have to look for inspiration in everything. We must seek our own happiness. It is okay to be depressed or sad or angry or anything besides happy, only if we know that what we are feeling is part of the cycle in finding our true happiness.

I was talking to a friend of mine from home yesterday, and she suggested that I start a blog to spread the inspiration and happiness I find. I think it’s a great idea. Not only could it maybe possibly help someone else, but it will remind me of what is clear to me now and may not be later. Especially with the winter months approaching (I get pretty bad SAD) it will be nice to try to keep up this blog so I can force myself to find those little things that make me happy.

If you find inspiration, please share it! Send me links, pictures, or stories that help you to smile. I love comments and can’t wait to hear from some people about this little project I’m starting now. Make it a great day!