Best Of 2012

 - Going the Carribean was most definitely one of my best trips this year!10 days in the sun on the island called St.Maarten, buying fruit from fruit stands, going on a sailboat and jumping off a swing into the middle of the ocean!Experiencing island life, snorkelling, and also, cocktails on the beach!

- Also, April is my birthday month, i had a really special one this year, a daytime picnic with close friends, lots of good food, drinks, jokes, games and laughter.The day after, a few of us did a rockclimbing course at EarthTreks..FUN!

-My two best friends getting married, even though i missed both weddings.

- Visiting home (South-Africa) in August.Seeing all my friends and family and waking up in the same bed i woke up every day through high school, was priceless and soooo worth saving for.

- Accepting the past. Can't change it, but learnt from it.

- AU cups and all the stories with Cornelia Lundgren (you know..)

- Becoming a Certified Spin Instructor (December)

- New York and staying at the Waldorf Astoria (Cornelia's dream..)

- Going brunette (again!)

- Nights at The Hamilton with my amazing friends.

- "Hunting"

Weddings!

Both my best friends recently got married!..and..being in America, i missed both weddings! (sad, sad face!)

But they looked amazing, and i'm such a super proud best friend..

Wishing all 4 of you many happy married years!

Spinning

Received my official licence to teach spin yesterday! - Proud moment :)

Thinking Of You..

It's almost been a year and 8 months since our accident..
Your time on earth was done, but i was lucky enough to get a second chance...
I miss you every day!!!

Goodbyes..

I've never really been a big fan of goodbyes.. in fact, i'm almost certain i hate them..
It might be cause i'm just no good at them, but then again... i've never heard anyone say that they are great at saying goodbye.. so i'm gonna assume i'm relatively normal.. atleast .. when it comes to this..

Sadly, with the way life works, there comes times where we are all faced with having to greet someone so special and dear to us..whether it's due to death, people moving or simply just life drifting you in different directions.

In my case, my best friend is relocating back to her home country in a few days.. no more funfilled Friday night escapades, Cava Saterdays or even just lunch meetings when we feel like it..
The sad thing is, every once in a while, someone walks into your life and before you know it, you try and think back to life as you knew it before the arrival of that specific person.. and you realise.. you can't imagine life ever being just that again..

Cornelia, to me.. was one of those people.. i don't open up easily about anything, and i don't just cry.. but before i knew it, she knew everything there was to know about this crazy, amazing, sad, and wonderfull life i'm living .. and the best part was.. she still loved me!

Yes, it's true..people come into our lives for a reason, they change us, and they help us grow, they inspire, motivate and love us for who we are.. but somehow there will always come a time to say goodbye..

In a few days we'll no longer be able to see each other every day,we'll be on seperate continents, living our seperate lives and doing our own things.. seperately..

I'll always remember our time in the US.. living our dream, dreaming bout Dupont , our hunting days and  'our lives being set!'
Its been fun, it's been crazy, it's been extremely good.. but all good things come to an end!
We're now growing seperately, but we'll never grow apart!

Love you my Corny xx (.. i believe we just spoke about being corny today!but hey, just this one time.. it can be how i roll!)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year will be a whole lot different than other years.. in fact.. where i come from, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving.
Through my life, many things have happened, sadness, pain, laughter and silly moments, all for which i'm very thankfull as they brought me to where i am in life right now..

I give thanks to my amazing family, through the years they've always been there, through them i've learnt what it feels like to be loved unconditionally!They say you can't choose your family, but honestly, if i had the choice .. i'd pick mine twice!

In the last 15 months, i have made awesome friends, many who i'll forever keep in my heart, no matter where we  are in this world!Because.. true friendship really is when you realize you can grow seperately without growing apart..

I'm thankfull for what living in the US has taught me, i'm thankfull for growing so much, for being more responsible than ever, for learning to accept myself, my circumstances, my choices in life and the things i cannot change..

Though there won't be any turkey on our table ..(i live with vegetarians) it makes no difference to the message behind it all..i'm blessed, i'm happy, i'm healthy and i have so many things to be thankfull for, today.. and every other day of the year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

L xx



Part of my awesome family in 2009



Change and weekends away..

People always say : Change is as good as a holiday!
I beg to differ, because .. even though change might make the world's difference, NOTHING and i really mean.. NOTHING, beats packing up your crap, leaving town and not worrying about anything.. even if it's only for a day!

Which is exactly what we did this weekend, decided on Friday that we'll leave for New York on Saterday morning and return on Sunday!Booked a hotel and got ourselves down to the Big Apple!
What an amazing time, no worries, no drama, no dishes, no laundry and no work at all..just me, my best friend, a bottle of wine and a failed attempt at watching some girly movie!
PURE BLISS..

Though we've both been to Times Square before, it never seems to dissapoint.. and somehow all the lights always get me feeling extremely happy.. almost like i'm a kid again..
We also found this extremely cute little restaurant somewhere on Broadway Avenue and decided to pop in.. just in time.. as it was happy hour (the entire day!) a few drinks later and we were both ready to get out of there and leave the craziness of NYC behing and return to our beautiful DC and face the new week with new found enthusiasm!

What a weekend! and yes, change might be great, but a holiday is even better!;)
L

Memories

Ever look back at those old pictures and wonder where the time has gone?..
I feel like when i do, i can almost still remember every single one of those moments, but yet, it's so long ago..
I have done alot of living inbetween, alot of growing up and so much has changed me to who i am right now!
Still, i get a little sentimental about those memories, for thats all they'll ever be to me now, i'll never go back to being a cute little blonde-haired toddler or a 9year old in school uniform.Yet, i remember when being that age, all i wanted to be was a grown-up..

Photographs are memories taken by the heart!
I never really realized how important they were until my dad passed away, and we spent forever just finding a single picture of him for his funeral. He never enjoyed pictures, many people don't.. but in the end we all somehow look at those one day and it brings back the sweetest of memories..

Start making memories today, they'll last you a lifetime!:)

L xx

Sundays

Sundays are always lazy days for me.. where all i wanna do is stay in PJ's , sleep late and eat junk food!
Usually it's the only day i get to really sleep in.. and somehow, someone always manages to wake me up way before i would have gotten up!Today.. it was a phonecall at 8am from my grandmother back in SA!
The worst part.. when she heard i was still half asleep, she decided to not disturb me any further and told me i can go back to bed.. which ofcourse, was impossible.. as i'm one of those lucky people who can't sleep again once i'm awake..

So, besides that, the weather today is just amazing!Real Fall weather!After the few really cold days we've had, i am really enjoying this!Which is why, i decided to actually leave the house today and WALK to my gym for a Sunday afternoon yoga class!

I only recently got into yoga, before that i never really believed in it at all and thought that it was one of those lame things lazy people do so they can also tell their friends that they actually work out!But.. after quite a bit of research and some amazing instructors..i am now hooked!Yoga is actually a really good way of relaxing, which is definetly a very important thing in our stressfull lives these days..
I also have issues with breathing, and found that since i started yoga, i focus more on the importance of correct breathing , especially while working out..(i used to be one of those crazy people holding my breath while running on a treadmill!!)
Besides the two great benefits mentioned, there are still a ton of others, like improved flexibillity, lower blood pressure, lower heartrate, improved mood, strenght and confidence!
I'd say thats more than enough reason to atleast try a class or two!

Well, that's it from me on this lovely Sunday afternoon in November!
I'm off to be yoga-licious!

L :)

Nov 10 2012 - Getting Started..

The writer in me has finally come out..
I've always wanted to write a blog before, but never really took the time to figure out how exactly this whole situation works!Technology was never really one of my strongest qualities.. writing, on the other hand, is one of my biggest passions in life!

First off, a little about the writer herself :)
My name is Le-Marie, i come from Africa (people never believe me when i tell them that!) and i am currently living in the US.Life as i know it now, is pretty good, life as i knew it back then, was pretty good too.. but the lives themselves are literally worlds apart and way different from one another!
 my native language is Afrikaans, i'm fluent in English!

My goal here, is to share my wonderfull, crazy, sometimes extremely hectic, sad and happy life!Yes, alot happens.. and i feel like there's never a dull moment!
Incase you missed my introduction, note that i am indeed new to blogging, so i hope the first try wasn't too bad!:)

Today i'm advocating for Afterschool Alliance, a non-profit which helps kids with afterschool activities, it's a great program but the president is sadly trying to kill it.. i am not part of this organization in any matter, but i do know alot about them and i can tell you, their work done is AMAZING!Therefore, i proudly wear my 'Lights on Afterschool' Shirt!

That's all i have for today!
Like a proper Afrikaans person would say .. Totsiens! (it means Goodbye!) :D