BE APPROPRIATE TO YOUR AGE BUT JUST LET IT BE A NUMBER AS WELL

no no. this headline is not confusing at all. well..yeah it is. but let me get into the details behind this little, weird sentence. 

acting appropriate to the date on your passport, aka your age, can be a tricky thing to do. growing up we're all fascinated by the older kids and just can't wait until we count as a 'grown up' or are at least old enough to make more independent decisions..well. we never actually listened to those teenagers or adults that we admired with envy..and for sure did not believe them when they told us that they would swap with us in a heartbeat.

well.let's just put it that way. the shit that's waiting on the other side of the rocky road to adluthood is most definitely not what anyone dreamed of as a careless child haha..but then again i don't mean that your childhood needs to be the best years of your life. that's sort of the dilemma i want to adress today.

if only i could underline enough how important it is to use the moment right here and now in your hand. don't stress about the what-if-s. let go of what you can't change. for today is the biggest gift you will ever be given. so just embrace the stage you're in, in this very moment. altough society can make you feel pressured in certain ways as in how to dress, talk, eat, consume and most sadly..think, try to free yourself from those harmful restrictions and cut off those boundries. act however the heck you want to act like. just don't feel pressuered by any means to live your life any different from what you truly would love to do.

it is way too late at night right now and i most definitely should recharge for a gorgeous day ahead..but this age-defining-thing keeps me wide awake. 

since i am travelling right now i meet new people each day. some of them stick around and will be mentioned in a few years time when i'll tell someone about my adventures abroad. some leave right after exchanging our names. and that's cool with me.

daily i chat to someone i don't know and eventually they ask about my age. 'oh. i am eighteen' 'no! are you kidding me? now i see you differently!' ok.maybe that's not the exact answer i get..but the content of it aplies to most of the replies. why does it matter that i have been on this earth for 'only' eighteen years? it shouldn't. i might have filled my eighteen years with more things than some fill fifty with. why would you treat me any different now then a minute ago? 

i'm not to sure if there even is a definite conclusion to my rambles today. there is an encouragement though. don't be defined by a number. in fact any number. and don't look back envious on your chldhood or be impatient until your older..just decide to be happy NOW and not if ______ happens.

xxxx from a sleepy and slightly overthinking juli 

WE SHOULD CELEBRATE ALL DAYS LIKE BIRTHDAY PARTYS

over the past weekend we hosted a high tea party to celebrate 'my' older child's 9th birthday..let's describe the party in a few key words : beautiful, messy, loud, exiting, romantic, exhausting, delicious, sickly sweet. we had an amazing cake made by a family friend. i've never seen anything like it! and it even tasted great..considering that those artsy things taste like boring, sugary cardboard usually haha.

 but we didn't leave it with on party for the weekend..i went out into the city that night to have a change from 9 yer old screamig kids to 20 year old screaming kids by joining a pub crawl which was great fun..and then we just continued celebrating..sunday was mother's day in australia(and the usa and germany) so we had a lovely breakfast (bacon and egg roll..sounds great when you are a tinytiny bit hungover(i literally mean a tinytiny bit))..and then visited luna park. an old fashioned amusement park in north sydney. we went out for an amazing dinner and i tried my very first dumpling..now i understand what all the fuzz is about..they are quite alright actually

and the next day i explored around scotland island. altough my writing job is really poor and shit today (apologies..but it's waaay past my bed time and my brain is on standby for a few hours now..can't blame it though after those screaming munchkins haha) i hope that the pictures tell a better story of how enchanting day to day life can be. a little party never killed nobody right? so let's celebrate every single day like it's our birthday! it's always someones birthday somewhere after all:)!

why in the world are balloons so much fun? a silicon sack of old breath? really? however..they never fail to amuse me..and are such a happy party decoration

there are such talented people out there! look at this beauty! the flowers and handles and everything are edible! sugar magic

high tea is always a good idea. mhmmm carrot cake, finger sandwiches and tea. lovely saturday lunch

vanilla bean scones with raspberry jam and a generous scoope of whipped cream. ahm..yes please?

a bunch of little posh ladies came to celebrate..but we had pink lemonade instead of tea haha

and the artwork of cake tasted like havenly, moist and rich chocolate..it doesn't really get any better does it?

i'm in love with this stunning tea service. altough i stuck to my trusty old 'english breakfast' most of the time i swapped it for a raspberry tea for this picture..just for the pretty colour:)

luna park is such a cute and romantic place

i don't want to sound like a whinger but this little ferris wheel is faster and higher than expected

the view is worth any height, wind or trouble though..my beloved harbour bridge! and the opera house..which i am still not to crazy about..but it's still nice to look at

no need to be jealous of our beauty haha..wonky mirrors are so fun

haven't had a cotton candy/fairy floss for literally aaaages. it's so fun to bite into a sugary cloud

the view oer milson's point from the ferris wheel. perfect timing with the wheather conditions after a good few days of rain.

such a lovely café at church point! and i converted from beeing a flat white addict to mochas..why did i never consider them! chocolate and coffee? of course!

we had to catch the ferry from church point to get to scotland island. well..because it's an island haha

this cute little cheeky munchkin acompanied us:) such a fluff ball!

and she did not miss out on a single puddle on the island..oh boy..this puppy

such a refreshing change to the busy and hectic city life..just in between mama nature

i loved my weekend and i am looking forward to keep exloring around here..but rather the nature..i am getting slightly claustrophobic in this rushed city..

take care,

juli xx

TODAY WAS BLUE AND VIBRANT

after dropping 'my' kids off at school i grabbed my camera and notebook and just left. my head's been doing crazy after hours and overthinking a lot lately. but thankfully i've already found my little quite happy place in this busy and exhausting city. it's the wharf just a few blocks down from where i live. and when someone in sydney says down..they actually mean crazily steep streets haha..so the walk home took me at least twice as long..but i don't mind. who would with those views? 

neutral bay wharf is a little, simple ponton from where the ferry leaves every half an hour to go into the cbd. it has an café called 'thelma and louise'(they made my panini..i think the picture says more than words.yumm!) and a cute little convieniece store run by a young couple. and weirdly enough..they make sydney's BEST coffee! i am serious! i've tried nearly every single coffee shop around here..and nothing can beat 'haye's general store.

sydney i hope you have a few of those sunny autumn days in store..where everything seems light, blue and easy. or maybe that's my bodyclock..which is still expecting spring haha

hope your day is sunny no matter what the weather looks like!

 julieanor xx

YOUR SOUL IN ANOTHER BODY

disclaimer : get your nachos ready (or grapes or crackers) this is going to be an extremly cheesy post (again haha).

if've been on the other side of the globe for nearly three months now. for some this might seem like a short vacation..some might not like to go away for longer then a weekend. i still have quite a few months planned to look forward to. but that means i haven't seen my friends and loved ones in a while. altough i met lovely people and started to develop meaningful friendships..i still get a tiny bit of 'fear of missing out' which i know i don't need to. but i would just love to grab my bike and drive to my friends house at the end of the day. to have a good cry about what went wrong, to share what makes me happy, to plan little adventures ahead or to just unwind with a beer (i meant tea) on the couch.

however this distance and absence had me revalue and rethankful(it's a word now) one of the most beautiful relationships, FRIENDSHIP. i don't understand why a lot of people put more meaning and effort and time towards their romantic relationships..first of all, none of the ...-ships should be build upon effort. but friendship should be the fundament of everything. but it's everything on it's own already.

oh boy. i wish i was a writer who could make sense..and project this sense into his words. but at least i can pour my emotions into my lines..eventhough they are all tumbled, mixed and all over the place.

now to the core of this post. a huge mental hug to everyone. and if someday some of my friends stumble across this little place on the internet (which seems uncomfortably awkward right now..but time may change my outlook on that one..don't think so tough) this ones for you. i am a bit sorry for sharing sliiiightly embarrasing pictures of you..but not really;) i want you to feel as loved as you can imagine and then even some more. 

this whole thought actually came to me on a ferry today. it was called friendSHIP. haha made me laugh..i love literal things like that. i am quite easy to please in that way i guess.

have a friendly day

 xx julieanor

A REMINDER ABOUT VALUES

this one is going to be a short but a deep one.

it's a reminder of how little we actually know.

and that's not meant in an offensive way at all! neither is it critcizing someones education or intellect..but it just sort of came through to me. we only grow up with one set of values, one routine, one pair of manners, understanding of respect,love,religion and only one single little view on LIFE.

it's so fulfilling to mix with other cultures and see their way of life! you see new things, try new food, do different activities. i am madly in love with learning right now. soaking up as much of new expierience as possible. i think it's comforting that we only know so little..there's sooo much more out there to discover!

 let's go:)

let's see more! love you lots, julieanor xx

HOME AWAY FROM HOME - A SYDNEY APPRECIATION POST

a few reasons while living in sydney will ruin your life:

- you will get used to jumping into the ocean at any given month (if your brave) because coming from the nordic sea..the water here seems like a bath tub haha

- any other city you visit will seem not as warmly welcoming after beeing hugged "How are you going matie?" by strangers

- because there are blue skies all year round

- and if you want a coffee break there are endless cute little coffee shops to choose from

- you can walk to nearly all of your destinations

- the public art is amazing and for free! as well as most of the museums ( love the musuem of contemporary art in "the rocks" a lot)

- surfing during your lunch breack? it's not a problem here!

- going on a round the world trip without leaving the city..sydney's culinary options are amazing! every single cousine is represnted here!

- because you see animals that look like they escaped from an exotic zoo..but they really are just living on beautiful big trees in the middle of the city watching you go along your day

- there are incredible outdoor and ocean rock pools

have a gorgeous day! xxx juli