family – Page 9 – that lemon life

It’s happening

Hola everyone.

Guys, I don’t even know what to say. I have no idea how to articulate what I’m feeling right now, what’s going on in my head. So I’m just going to say it: yesterday, at about five o’clock, I got the offer from BIMM. I seriously got accepted at the university I have been dreaming about the past few months. I did it. Oh my god.

I can’t believe that this is really happening. I mean, it got so real all of a sudden. Of course I’ve always talked about moving to another country, dreamed about living in London, imagined how my life would be if I could turn my biggest loves into a career – music and loves. And now it’s all happening. This is so unbelievable. Before it was all talking and stuff, dreaming about unrealistic scenarios. I mean, I’ve always been a pretty optimistic person, but if anyone would have told me that this would ever happen to me, I would have laughed in their face and maybe take them to the doctors. And now it’s all becoming reality. I can’t even tell you how happy I am. I feel like the luckiest person on earth. They seriously chose me. ME. How the hell is this real life? How did I deserve all of this? Am I still dreaming? Because if I am, please don’t wake me up.

When I got the email yesterday I immediately started to cry. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There it was, the offer. The offer from the one university I wanted to study at so so so bad. I don’t think I’ve wanted anything career related as bad as this. And I have to say, I really worked my damn ass off for this. And now all this truly paid off. At least I know now why I studied so hard at school and tried to get the best grades. I guess I did it for this, something I didn’t even know I would need it for three years later. Being such a perfectionist isn’t as bad as I thought, I guess.

And now I’m sitting here, listening to the new The Wombats album – it’s freaking amazing, prepare for the full review guys – still not quite fully aware of the fact that I’ll be moving to the UK in September. Holy moly. I can’t even tell you how long I’ve been dreaming about being able to say this. No joke. And now it’s really happening. I’ll move to the UK, either Brighton or London – I still have to decide on that one, but I think it will end up being Brighton, as it’s a little bit cheaper than London – and then I’ll study music journalism at one of the coolest universities ever, one that brought us stars like George Ezra, Marina and The Diamonds, The Kooks and Tom Odell. And now I’m tearing up again.

I’m just really happy that everyone, all of my friends and my family, is supporting me in this decision. My mum is still kind of torn and I fully understand her. Because I am too. I have to stop myself from thinking about it too hard, because I can already feel the anxious and sad feelings creep up in me. Of course it’s hard for me too. Moving to a completely different country, all on my own, leaving everything I know behind. It’s basically the biggest step I’ve ever taken. But I know I can do it. And my little town in the middle of nowhere is still my home. Home is where the heart is. And my heart is wherever my loved ones are. And if you’re asking me, yes, it’s possible to have more than one home. And I can’t wait to call Britain my home.

So yeah, this is it guys. I guess this is all really happening. I still have to digest all of this in order to be able to realize it. Isn’t it crazy how the mind truly needs its time to process news like this one? And I think the moment I fully understand all of this will be one of the best and happiest ones in my whole life. My dream is seriously coming true. And it feels so good that I’m able to share all of this with you guys. Here’s to some exciting months and even more exciting and very english years. Also, I hope you’re all doing good and I wish you an amazing weekend. And thanks for reading. x

I’M FREE

Hola everyone.

I know. I know. I know. Where have I been? Did I get stuck in a hole? Did I decide to disappear for a few weeks and start a new life? I have to say, it’s nothing like that. It’s uni. Or it was. Because two days ago, I finally had my last exams and now I’m free. I’m finally free. Free. Free. Free.

And I can’t even tell you how much I’ve missed posting stuff on here, talking to you guys. But I just couldn’t afford spending my time on anything else than studying and basically existing. That’s what I’ve been doing the past two weeks. And god, it was exhausting. You have no idea. I finally understand why exam week is called week of hell. Because it really feels like hell. But now it’s over and I’m so freaking happy. And I’ve got so many things to tell you guys. So, let’s get right to it.

First of all, the new Fall Out Boy album is out and it’s so damn good, holy moly. At first, due to Young and Menace, I was a little bit worried I’d loose my favorite punk boys. But thank god, I didn’t. The new album is so amazing, seriously. It’s the perfect mixture of punk songs, electronic beats, slow, soulful pieces and amazing guitars and Patricks angelic voice. It gets very close to being perfect, really really really close. Maybe it even is perfect. So I can just strongly recommend it to you guys, please go and have a listen, seriously. If I had to chose, I’d probably say that “Bishops Knife Trick” is my favorite track of the whole album. But let’s be honest, that basically changes after every single listen of the whole album. The songs are just too good. And, in typical FOB manner, the track titles are pretty much the coolest thing ever. I have no idea how they come up with names like “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea”, but I’m glad they do.

And now, the most important news. Yesterday, in order to end the semester in the most amazing way ever and have a nice party, my mum and I went to a concert, a Nothing But Thieves concert. And holy moly guys, I’m still so damn speechless, it was such a blast. And I know what you’re thinking right now – isn’t that the band I just saw a few weeks ago, two months, to be exact? And yes, indeed it is, you’re a 100 % percent right. You may question now why I would buy tickets to a show I basically went to two months before? And here’s the simple answer: because. And since yesterday, I will always go to see a band I love with all of my heart twice if I can. Because yesterday was easily ten times better than the first show. And I didn’t think that that was even possible.

First of all the venue was like a third of the venue in Vienna. The room was packed with people and it was hot as hell. I have no idea why, but somehow Conor, the lead singer, still decided to wear not only one, but two long sleeved sweaters. I was nearly dying there in the crowd, Price, the drummer, was half naked, and then there was Conor, jumping around cuddled into two sweaters. Such a weirdo, I love it. And due to the size of the venue, we were so close to the stage and, especially pleasant for me, close to Conor. We even had some eye contact going on once in a while. And I just loved it so much, watching him and the boys interact and do their thing, being able to notice all the little details about them.

Also, I don’t even know how, in the matter of the past two months, they got so much better, they even excelled themselves. It was crazy. You could see how comfortable they were on stage and how much they enjoyed it. Conors voice just gets better and better with every single show and just their whole set too. They are such an unbelievably amazing band. And I loved seeing how happy they were. For me, a show gets a hundred times better when you see that the band enjoys it as much as the crowd. If they are happy, I am happy too.

Another highlight was of course the updated setlist which included one of their most amazing songs – Number 13. And god, was it worth it. It’s such a blast live, holy moly. And a new cover of a song called “Be My Husband” replaced the one of “Free Falling”, which was extra special for me, as it was one of the songs Ed covered during the first show I ever saw him. And let’s be honest, Conors voice is just breathtaking. Thankfully I got to film the whole part of the show, even him chatting with the crowd for a while, laughing and joking around. He’s such a damn cutie. Seriously. Having his laugh on tape is literally the best thing.

But, I have to say, my most favorite part of the show has to be when they played “Ban All the Music” and somehow literally everyone went totally apeshit. No joke. I mean, the crowd was amazing throughout the whole show. Jumping around, dancing, crowdsurfing, doing moshpits over and over. Conor even said that it was the best moshpit he had ever seen. But when they played BATM, it got a totally different level of crazy. First of all, the crowd went completely berserk. Then Stu, their tour manager/handy-man, started crowdsurfing out of nowhere. God, I laughed so much. And the boys just followed, jumping around on stage, laughing and joking. At some point Dom, one of the guitarists, even went up to the mic and just screamed a note, while Conor stood next to him, looking at him like “what the hell are you doing???” and laughing his butt off. God, that was such an experience. It wasn’t just a concert, it was so much more.

So yeah guys, there you go. That was last night. I also have to mention that it ended in the coolest way possible, because when we walked out of the venue, we walked past the tour bus and I was like “oh my god, how cool. I’ve never been this close to one of these buses.” And there was this little gap in-between the curtains and I just randomly looked at it and there he was, sitting there, eating I don’t know what – Conor. I can’t really explain why, but somehow that was such a special moment for me. Because it’s something completely different when you see someone on stage, doing what they love and what they are best at, and then off-stage, all calm and relaxed, without the whole star appeal. It just was really special.

For me it was the most perfect way to end my semester and to start my break. And it was the perfect way of rewarding myself for all the exams and hard work. I think it’s important to give back to yourself once in a while. And I’m so happy that my mum enjoyed it as much as I did.

Apart from that, I am just really glad that I get to be at home now for the whole month. And it’s already my last semester of uni. How crazy is that? Time has really flown by. Oh and oh my god guys, tomorrow I’m having my interview with BIMM, you know, the university in Britain I applied for. On the one hand I’m really really really nervous, but on the other hand I’m also so excited. I’ll of course keep you updated. And expect to hear a lot more from me again, I am officially back. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and that you’re all doing good. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And of course, thanks for reading. x

Winter Wonderland

Hola everyone.

Snow is finally here. And in contrast to my parents, I was actually really damn happy to wake up to our garden looking like a beautiful location in a christmas fairytale. And as snow has been pretty rare this winter, I just had to grab my camera and take a few shots. And of course I took Peaches with me, who I followed around in the garden. I don’t know whether she enjoyed it as much as I did, but I hope. Anyways, please enjoy these clips of our own little winter wonderland. And, as always, thanks for reading and I wish you all an amazing week. x

Welcome to 2018 and Happy Anniversary

Hola everyone.

And welcome to a new year. I seriously can’t believe it’s 2018. Time is just flying by, it’s crazy.

You’re probably wondering where I’ve been the past week – at least I hope so – and I’d really really love to tell you that I spent my days watching movies, going out, meeting friends and family and basically just chilling, but unfortunately I can’t. I mean, of course I did all of these things, but today has only been the first day of uni and I’d really be up for a good holiday, what do you think? If there is one thing I haven’t been doing the past three weeks, it’s chilling and relaxing. I had one day I did nothing for uni and that was christmas eve. Apart from that, uni has been running and overtaking my mind day after day and I. CAN’T. STAND. IT. ANY. MORE.

I know, I know, stop whining Laura. Actually, I do have a reason to be happy, because in less than a month, I’ll be sitting at home, having completed and hopefully nailed all of my exams and finished my bachelor thesis. You can’t even imagine how much I’m looking forward to the 1st of February. The first day of semester break. I can’t wait.

But enough of that. What has been going on in your life? I have to say, as much as I had to work and study for uni, there actually happened quite a lot the past weeks. I am currently about to finish my application for uni (wish me luck guys), my first ever bachelor thesis finished alway through (yey), I’ve had the best christmas in years and new year’s eve was amazing too. I spent both events with my parents and my family, but I’ll tell you more about that in further posts. I of course have some pictures in my pockets, so stay tuned.

To be honest, I am actually so excited for this year. There is so much on my list, it’s nearly overwhelming. The concert season starts next month and if I’m not mistaken, I seriously have at least one concert scheduled for every single month until August – expect for May and June, but I’m more than positive that there is still more to come. I can’t believe I’ll be seeing two of my favorite people again this year – Martijn and Ed. It will be the third time seeing my favorite ginger and actually the fourth time seeing the cutest DJ on earth. I am so excited, I don’t even know how to articulate it. And holy moly, in March I’ll fly to London with my parents to see Fall Out Boy. So crazy. So awesome.

And there are so many amazing movies coming up. The first Infinity War movie – I’m already so excited. And Oscar season. And so many horror movies. And so many more. And oh my god, so many albums are coming up. Fall Out Boy, The Wombats and and and. I’m just really really excited.

And let’s not forget that I may or may not be moving to the UK in September. But honestly, if I start thinking about it I may get a panic attack and start to cry, so I’ll stop talking about it right now. Isn’t it crazy how a thing can both light up and break your heart?

So yeah guys, that’s just a little update from me. Here’s to 2018. Oh and guys, tomorrow is a really exciting date – it will be the two-year anniversary of this blog. It makes me so speechless. And I don’t even know how to thank you all enough. I mean, these past two years on here have been two of the best years of my life. And I got to share it all with you guys. You can’t imagine how happy this all makes me and how much this on here means to me. Seriously. Thank you all so much. And happy anniversary.

As always, I hope you’re all doing good and that 2018 has been good to you so far. I wish you all an awesome week and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or thought down below. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

My New Years Resolutions

Hola everyone.

The new year is literally just around the corner and in prospect of this I’ve been thinking pretty much about 2017 and what I achieved and what I’d like 2018 to be like and what my goals are.

I have to say that 2017 has been a pretty crazy year for me. I mean, I started off the year with my last month of living in Berlin and then I got back and continued university and recently I found this amazing university course in the UK and just an hour ago I started applying for it. I mean, how crazy is that? And I flew to Zürich to see Ed and then to Amsterdam to see Martijn. And I got to visit three new cities in the UK – Liverpool, Blackpool and Manchester – and flew to Paris with my mum and got a new, unbelievably beautiful tattoo there. I just started writing my first Bachelor thesis and I’ve just got this semester until February and then the last one and then I’ll be already finished with my Bachelor in Vienna. I seriously can’t believe how fast the time has flown by. And apart from all these huge things, I accomplished so much more and made so many more experiences and and and. I met new people, started new friendships, had quite an amount of exams, attended looots of concerts and started a job as a magazine journalist. I cried a lot but laughed even more. Went on many adventures and got out of my comfort zone. And when I look back at it, I don’t think I’d change anything (apart from all the bad stuff that happened and is happening in the world right now, but let’s not get started on that).

But there is a new year coming up and I want it to be a new start, a new beginning. A new year to meet goals, turn dreams into reality and so so much more. So I thought why not make a list of my personal new years resolutions? Let’s go.

I really want to stay the optimist I am – it doesn’t work all the times, but sometimes it’s the only thing that brightens up a shitty day
I want to dive even deeper into the topic of my heart – music.
I want to experience more, learn more, see more, hear more, feel more.
I want to meet new people, new cities, new cultures.
I want to get even more out of my comfort zone. Of course it’s scary, but those are the moments life turns from good to exciting.
I want to stay healthy.
I want laugh louder, cry harder and live every moment to its fullest.
I want to show the people around me that I love them and that they literally mean the world to me, because they all deserve it.
I want to go to as many concerts/festivals as I can – those are my happy places and I’m kind of addicted, so…
I want to read even more books, listen to even more songs and bands and watch even more movies.
I want to meet up with my friends and family as often as I can. I know it’s hard, because we all have our own lives and own tasks and jobs and so on, but when I look back I don’t remember the hours I spent scrolling through twitter on my phone, I remember the evenings I spent with my friends, drinking a Chai Latte and laughing about stories of when we were young.
I want to stop pressuring myself so much. I know I’m a perfectionist and that’s actually something I like about myself, but that changes when I start treating myself badly.
I want to continue working as hard as I do now or even harder (I know this kind of doesn’t go with the resolution above, but I’m sure there is a way to combine those two things).
I want to cuddle even more with my family and my pets.
I want to take even more pictures, cook more meals and maybe find a new fascinating hobby I can be passionate about.
I want to try out new things and new activities, maybe some kind of sport or something like that.
I want to try and start being punctual – this is actually the toughest aspect of this list, I am literally never punctual.
I want to go to sleep earlier and change my sleeping schedule – it’s slightly getting out of hand right now.
I want to be nicer to the people I love, I want to forgive more and stop freaking out because of little, stupid things I will probably have forgotten about an hour later.
I want to finish my Bachelor and try to get the best grades possible.
I want to nail my two Bachelor theses.
I want to keep faith and believe in myself, even when the times are hard and I feel like everything is getting too much (like now, when my to-do-list is literally far too long – I can do it and I know it).
I want to get into BIMM (the university in the UK) and find the cutest little flat ever.
I want to continue being this curious and childish and easily excited and funny.
I want to love more.
I want to continue writing this blog, as I love it so much that I can’t even describe it.

So guys, there you go. Those are my new years resolutions or let’s say those that I can think of right now. I’m pretty sure I could come up with about a hundred more if I had more time. But I want to try and make every single one of them and stick to them. Mostly because they all mean quite a lot to me. And I think this way 2018 can’t be anything but another amazing year.

But guys, what are your new years resolutions? Do you even have some? And do you stick to them? This is actually my very first time of writing them down like this, so wish me luck. And guys, I wish you all a happy new year and I hope you’re all doing good. I wish you all the best. Thank you so much for 2017. It’s been an amazing year and I’m more than thankful that I could spend and share it with all of you. Thank you. And, as always, thanks for reading. Here’s to 2018. x

Christmas Is Coming

Hola everyone.

First of all, sorry for not posting anything last Friday. I had my last exam of this year in the evening at 8 o’clock and I basically spent the whole day studying and preparing for the exam and then I just didn’t have any time at all, to be honest. So yeah, I’m sorry.

But the positive thing is, the exam was pretty easy and I think I pretty much nailed it and since then I’ve been in such a good and christmasy mood. Which also quite surprises me, as I felt anything but christmasy the last few days and weeks. I actually thought it would stay like that – but here I am, feeling the whole christmas magic filling up my heart. It’s actually so shocking that christmas is just around the corner. And that the year is really coming to an end. It feels like days ago that I came back home from my time in Berlin. So, so crazy. But I guess we are all also pretty much looking forward to 2018. At least I hope so, because I am, honestly. I mean, 2017 has both been one of the shittiest years for the world and one of the best years for me. So it’s kind of complicated to really decide on how to look back at this year. So I really do hope that 2018 is going to be a better, even more amazing year for me, for us, for the world. Because we really need it.

But that’s not what this post is about. It’s about feeling all christmasy, so let’s get right to it. So, my parents just came home today from their vacation and actually, yesterday, I had planned on going to a ball. I mean, I seriously have one of the most amazing dresses ever. I’ll once show it to you, I promise. And it would have been the ball of my own school, so yeah, I had planned on going. But then I basically lost every single sense of motivation I had. I remember standing in front of my mirror, dressed in this beautiful, breathtaking dress and I just didn’t want to go. So I stood there, looking at myself, and then I suddenly had a really cool idea. Because last year, when I got home for the holidays from Berlin, my parents had already put up the tree and the house was all christmasy and I loved it so much. So I had the idea to do the same for them and put up the tree myself. At one o’clock in the night. Yes, I was this motivated.

So, I took out my phone, put an indie christmas playlist on (thanks Spotify) and got to work. And it was so soothing, I can’t even describe it. Do you know the feeling when you’re just so comfortable and happy, that it feels like you’re cuddled in a big pillow made of happiness and love? Because that’s what I felt like right there and then. I mean, it still took my quite some time to finish the tree, but I enjoyed every single second of it. And now I’m sitting here, the tree right across me, sparkling with its shiny lights. And I still get this bubbly, happy feeling. I guess christmas has really got me now. And my parents were indeed really surprised and happy when they saw the tree today. And that just made everything even better.

And I, of course, had to take some pictures of the process and the tree. I really hope you enjoy them. And maybe I can transport some of my happy feelings to you through them. That would be amazing.

But guys, have you also already put up your tree? Are you feeling all christmasy? Oh, and please, tell me what you think about the tree. I got inspired for the colors when I walked past the big tree at university – it’s also blue and silver and gold. And I thought, oh wow, that really looks cool. So I just reconstructed this here at home, for us. And I am actually really proud of the outcome. But what do you think? And what do your trees look like? I’m really curious to know. And yeah, I wish you all an amazing week and I hope you enjoyed this post and the pictures and, as always, thanks for reading. x