The year that passed - A pic per month 2018

In January we went for a week of real winter, snowshoeing and hiking in the mountains. It was so cold that my hair became fairytale-white of the frost after only a few minutes. February meant a ten day diving trip to Mexico. The Wonderland grew and we had the opportunity to try a new cavern, which ended up with buying props and trying out whether balloons or a small umbrella would do the trick.  We guarded the ballons with our lives and the free divers on the surface did as well. I lived like Mary Poppins and flew to the Madhatter's tea party in the mist. I loved every second of it and it will always be the one place in the world, where life truly makes sense. March was a month of patient waiting for the spring. I don't know how many anemonies I bought just to make it bearable. In April spring was already very warm and right before Walpurgis the magnolias started blooming. I found so many different kinds this year and spring finally came.

In May the choir went on tour to Germany and Denmark and that very picture is taken by one of my roomies after a late night out in Copenhagen. Any choir member surely dreams of being a part of a cool band, one just doesn't know it until it is captured like this. In June, during this summer's only week of rain and cold weather, we hiked through the valleys and over the marshland and brought the tent to camp by the Ice-lake. It was bright all night through and I haven't slept so well ever. In July we had a week of nerve-wrecking wreck-diving in Malta. One morning I woke up with symptoms as if I had caught the bent. It led to some sightseeing on land and luckily I didn't have to visit the pressure chamber. In August we hiked in the heat through the southern parts of Sweden and discovered fishing villages, fields and forests. It felt like the summer was endless and I figured it is a true privilege living on walking distance from a morning swim.

When September hit Sweden we went for a movie-like wedding in the countryside of France and I then went to Paris with my mother, brother and nephews. We sure did Paris thoroughly by the three hours waiting for the Eiffel tower, the pretty streets and squares of Montmartre and the grand avenue of Champs Elysees. I went to the loveliest of porcelain shops and handled the despair without repairing anything with gold.  October was an endless discussion about where to live and how, which ended with some kind of decision about staying in Stockholm for a while. And in Helsingborg, for sure. In November I finally turned 40 and invited friends and family to a mad tea-party in a Wonderland greenhouse. It was magical from beginning to end and truly amazing just to be in the middle of that atmosphere. And then Christmas came, with loads of singing, rest, food, family and a tree. 

And I usually avoid any resolutions for the new year, but this year I have made an exception. When my husband said that 2019 he will avoid making bad decisions, I decided to make 2019 into a year when I will be happier about the things I am happy for. It makes sense, doesn't it? Anything else would be a waste.