OMG, I’m 30!

Barcelona BeachI absolutely cannot believe that this day is really here. Today is my 30th birthday and I have no clue how to feel about this. I know that it’s nothing bad and there is nothing that you can do about getting older anyway, but I think that 30 is a big thing. Birthdays in general have always been important to me and this one is of course no exception. I think my main problem is the fact that I’m not where I thought I would be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in a bad place. I just had plans that haven’t fully worked out yet and it just feels a bit weird. But I do know that I’m lucky and that I have to be grateful for everything I have: A family that loves and supports me unconditionally, even when I may be a bit old for all the support I’m getting, I have amazing friends in my life with whom I share the greatest memories, I’m working hard toward my career goals and my life truly isn’t terrible. It’s not perfect but if I learned one thing, it’s that it never is and never will be but that it is ok.

I’m currently in Barcelona with my best friend because I didn’t feel like sitting at home. And just the fact that she took time off from work and spent the money to come here with me is something I am unbelievably grateful for and we’re having an awesome time. I also have a big party planned for Saturday and I really hope that it will be a great one because I put a lot of planning into it. I will never not love birthdays, no matter how old I get and the only thing that really matters is to spend special days like this with the people you love. So I’m doing everything right and it’s definitely not the end of the world, I just have to constantly tell myself.

I sure have high hopes for my 30s because my 20s were great but also in many ways not so great and I feel like now is the time where I will hopefully really find myself and live my life to the fullest, as good as possible. However, I did want to look back on my life and remind myself of all the great things that have happened to me and which ultimately made me the person that I am today. And I like that person a lot.

Barcelona

01. I became god mother and I love the kid so much.
02. I visited the top travel destination on my bucket list: Hawaii.
03. I was Maid of Honor in one of my besties wedding.
04. I worked as an au pair for a year in San Francisco.
05. I swam with dolphins.
06. I finished my A-levels.
07. I partied really, really hard and definitely had amazing teenage years.
08. I built friendships that will last a lifetime.
09. I became a journalist, which has been my dream job for a very long time.
10. I spent part of my childhood living in the US and I loved growing up there.
11. I learned to stand up for myself and not let anyone rain on my parade.
12. I got my Master’s degree in American Studies.
13. I went on the craziest roller coaster rides and survived.
14. I was always 100% true to myself.
15. I started blogging years ago and I’m still doing it.
16. I travelled to beautiful places.
17. I was in the newspaper many times for different reasons.
18. I managed to build a collection of 700+ books.
19. I went to Disneyland and it was magical.
20. I achieved things that most people thought I wouldn’t.
21. I love to sing and I touched people with my voice.
22. I moved around a lot and learned to appreciate different cultures and became a very open minded person.
23. I enjoyed wonderful concerts by amazing artists like Adele, Beyoncé, Rihanna or the Backstreet Boys.
24. I visited the birth home and grave of Martin Luther King Jr., one of my ultimate heroes.
25. I saw amazing sights like the Golden Gate Bridge, Niagara Falls, Empire State Building and many more.
26. I gave speeches and wrote letters that moved other people to tears.
27. I always laughed the loudest about myself.
28. I danced barefoot in the sand.
29. I changed into a completely different person, but never my personality.
30. I lost my braces in the Pacific Ocean.

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Goodbye January 2018

Goodbye January,

and hello February. The fact that I’m putting out this post after more than a week into the month, shows that my blogging resolutions are going fantastic. I feel like I’ve been the worst with blogging and social media but I really have a lot going on. February is my birthday month and believe it or not, I’m turning 30. I tend to freak out about my special day and this one is no exception. So I’m travelling to Barcelona for a few days and I also have a big party planned and all of this costs me a lot of time. I’ve been ordering decorations, hitting up stores, writing lists, sending out invitations, trying to figure out what I want to do in Barcelona and everything else that needed to be done. And since I also work full-time, have a social life and also need a good dose of just doing nothing, I didn’t have much time or motivation for writing.

There are some resolutions though that are going great. I wanted to lose weight and I’m already down 7 kilos. Since I’m not really known as Sporty Spice, I have to really control my eating and I spend a lot of time cooking. But it’s working in a healthy way and I hope I can lose some more. I’m definitely happy with this result. I also picked up reading again and already managed three books. When I proudly told this to my friend, she was like: “I read 13.” She sure killed my vibe haha. But I also watch like 14 TV shows weekly and movies etc. so all is well and I’m looking forward to more books. The other resolutions still need some time, but I’m working on it.

I didn’t get out of the house a lot because I didn’t want to. I went to the movies once to watch Pitch Perfect 3, which definitely wasn’t as good as the first two pitches and I spent some time with my god son. We basically had a major cheat-day and ate so much junk food that we ended up feeling pretty sick. A friend of mine also hosted a swap party and I absolutely loved it. It’s a fun way to get rid of some stuff that you don’t need anymore and snatch up some other things. I’m definitely going to organize one of these parties in the near future. So this was pretty much it for the month. I can’t really remember any other special things I did. But that’s ok cause February will definitely make up for this.

Say yes to new adventures, listen to your body, make time for yourself, try not to care so much about the negative things, live in the moment, never be afraid to show your emotions, put in a cheat day, reward yourself, cherish the little things and never regret something that once made you smile.

Tons of love,
Hailey

Lovely life
sticking to resolutions  losing weight  Pitch Perfect  reading  eating healthy  #TimesUp  being tagged in memes on a daily basis  a good cheat day  fun with my godson  Dirty Dancing  sending out invitations via mail  Dschungelcamp  The Bachelor  trash TV in general  not wearing make-up  tanning beds  swap parties  sleeping in  lists  pizza soup  The People v. O.J. Simpson – American Crime Story  travel excitement  the feeling of starting a new planner 

Songs I love
Kay One feat. Pietro Lombardi – Senorita
Sia – Rainbow
James Arthur – Naked

Interesting articles and videos
17 Reasons The People Who Shower At Night Are The Right Ones // 27 “Daria” Moments That Are 100% Quotable For Any Situation // Reese Witherspoon’s Second Act: Big-Time Producer // THIS 1-YEAR-OLD’S DISNEY PRINCE-THEMED PHOTO SHOOT IS INCREDIBLY CHARMING // All the girls we wanted to be in 1999

My January posts
Happy New Year and Hello 2018 // Goodbye December 2017

My January InstagramsInstagram

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Goodbye December 2017

Goodbye December,

and hello January, hello new year. We have officially made it to 2018 and I truly hope that there are many good things waiting for all of us. I love how everyone is always so motivated in the beginning because it’s inspiring. I too want to better myself in many different ways, cause I would definitely love to experience and share more positivity. Therefore, I must be positive and make some changes in my life. These monthly round-ups always help me remember all the good that has happened. I think about fun moments I experienced and list all the small things that made me smile, because ultimately, they’re what matters.

So December is obviously the month of Christmas and mine was full of it. On occasion, there was also matching weather and I’m already completely over all the snow. It’s beautiful to look at, but it’s annoying when you have to leave the house. Gladly, I can work from home when it’s really bad. I doubt that we’ve seen the last of it, though. However, Christmas time was nice and stressful, as usual. I was happy to have a few days off leading up to the holiday’s and I had a lot on my to-do list. I baked cookies, bought lots of presents pretty last minute, got a tree and decorated it and all those shenanigans. Despite everything there is to do around this time of year, the festive season is just lovely. Tons of food, some family time and yeah, presents.

I also had some of my girls over for a huge Christmas breakfast. We always do a little get-together around the holiday’s at my place and it was super fun and also delicious. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to make it, but that’s just how it is, now that everyone has to adult. One of my friends had her baby girl with her for the first time (who by the way loooves me) and it went very well. Even though I’m not for having kids, my friends are always welcome to bring theirs. I’m actually thinking about getting a high chair for when the kids are brought along to make it a bit easier and more relaxing for the mother. We laughed, talked and ate so much that it lasted for hours. Breakfast is just the best meal of the day and tastes even better with friends.

What I really loved was the last weekend of the month. I’m not big on celebrating New Year’s and I always use this time to relax and get a lot of sleep. Three days of me-time with lots of junk food, visual entertainment and time in my bed were just what I really needed. It also gave me a chance to look back on the year and make plans for the new one. It wasn’t the best time, but it sure had great moments and who knows what 2018 will bring. I definitely made some resolutions (which you can read here) and hopefully, I will stick to all of them. I’m sure, all the things I came up with would make my life better.

And you know what else happened in December? Something at work changed and I got my requested leave for February which means, my planned birthday celebrations are actually happening. My best friend and I already booked flights to Barcelona and I’m sure this will be a great 30th birthday. I still have so much to plan for the trip and for the big party that will follow, but I’m really looking forward to having the time of my life. So there is a lot to do this month, but I’m sure it will all be worth it.

Be open to everything that’s coming, try sticking to your resolutions, but don’t beat yourself up, if you don’t, read more books, live a more healthy life, plan a fun trip, find a way to keep track of all the little things that make you happy, this year, declutter your life, give an old friend a call or send a surprise card, never feel too old to watch a Disney movie and have a great first month of the new year.

Tons of love,
Hailey 

Lovely life
♥  Christmas cute presents lights everywhere good food new year’s resolutions my new Instax Mini breakfast with friends me-time  Ocean Girl  Christmas cookies time with my bff  travel plans to Barcelona  making lists for the new year  advertising with great people  snow pictures  Reaching level 100 on Disneyemoji  chocolate  that moment when you have all the presents  fondue  when my friends have good news   doing “research”  Batman 

Songs I love
Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You
♪  Wham! – Last Christmas
♪  The whole Michael Bublé Christmas album

Interesting articles and videos
THE SILENCE BREAKERS // 15 Times Ryan Reynolds Was Really Damn Hilarious On Twitter In 2017 // 100 Genius Tweets From 2017 That Broke The 100K Retweet Barrier // This Grammar Quiz Is Designed To Mess You Up. Can You Get At Least 8/10? // 11 New Year’s resolution quotes to inspire you for 2018 // The 27 best books of 2017 // The Ultimate Gossip Girl Guide To New York // Final ‘House Of Cards’ Season Will Go Forward With Robin Wright As Its Lead

My December posts
Goodbye November 2017 // TV Shows I’m Currently Watching and Loving // 35 Reasons Why It’s Not So Great To Be Single (Sometimes) // The Christmas Tag

My December Instagram 
Instagram

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Happy New Year and Hello 2018

As I am writing this, it is New Year’s Eve and I’m in my bed, like pretty much every year. I just never know what else to do with myself because I don’t really feel like hanging out with a bunch of couples. So I’m in my sleeping clothes, eating tons of junk food, writing and binge-watching the fabulous 90s show “Ocean Girl.” My preferred drink is tea cause I have a cold, which seems to become my personal New Year’s tradition. Last year, I was much worse, though. I was also looking forward to a long weekend of me-time, so this is perfect.

As every year, I look back and can’t help myself but think: “Where the hell did the year go?” But I can’t say I’m mad, since it wasn’t exactly fabulous. I’m sure, I don’t have to recall all the terrible things that happened in this world, although admittedly, there were also some great things. We can probably all agree that we don’t want another 2017 and it can only get better. Right? RIGHT????

Personally, it wasn’t such a brilliant year, as well. My main goal was to find happiness and I have failed, miserably. The problem ist that nobody knows what will ultimately make them happy. Sure, there were great moments, but the big picture isn’t very satisfying. I guess my living situation, my forever single status, my not always great job and some other things all impact my mood and prevent me from being happy. And I’m also a super Negative Nancy which doesn’t help very much, as well. For me, the glass is always half empty which is annoying but just who I am.

So I guess, I need to come up with new resolutions and who knows, maybe 2018 will turn out better. This year, I didn’t read one book which is pretty embarrassing, but I was so incredibly addicted to watching TV shows. I didn’t gain many social media followers and my blogging game was not good, which I constantly blamed on being tired and stressed. Overall, I hardly did any of all the things I could’ve done and I must admit that I’ve just been extremely lazy in my spare time. I really need to work harder on my goals and stop being like this. It’s just so much easier to give in to it. See, what I’m doing? Being negative – it’s ridiculous.

Therefore, I will continue with some positive things. Although there have been greater years, there have also been worse. I did stick to my “One Line A Day” book and read through it today. It sure wasn’t uplifting cause I mainly moan about how tired and stressed I am, but I was also reminded of the fun memories that this past year has given me.

One of my besties made me her maid of honor and the wedding was lovely.
Boy, that bachelorette party was amazing.
We have a new baby in our friend group.
Breakfasts, dinners, movie nights, trips to the amusement park, walks etc. with my friends were always wonderful.
I bought a new old car.
I went on a wonderful trip to Copenhagen.
I met some really great people through my job and had the chance to write great stories.
Spent time with my god son and we always had a blast.
Super fun 90s parties.
I made new friends.

My year 2017

2018 is a big deal for me because I’m turning 30 and I feel like that’s a good reason to change things. I really want to feel good about myself and my life, so I definitely have to put in some work. A proper organization would already help a lot and I shouldn’t drown myself in misery and feeling tired. Not watching TV shows every spare minute and not staying up much too late would help the cause, as well. New year, new me – I would really love to achieve this.

Read more books – I’m so embarrassed about not reading any in 2017 but I have lots of interesting ones waiting for me.
Lose weight – For the past two years, I did nothing but eat and I’m getting a little disgusted by it and I don’t feel comfortable, anymore.
Travel more – I’ve already got a trip booked to Barcelona
Get my physical problems under control – I have issues that often keep me from living my life to the fullest and I just want to change that.
Gain more followers on social media – I really have to be more active and consistent.
Have the best year for my blog – Again, I have to work a lot on consistency.
Stop being negative and find happiness – I’m sure that this is the most difficult but someday, I will make it.
Get out more – I stay inside too much and there are many things I miss out on.
My “One Line A Day” book – At least one thing I managed to stick to.
Be better at adulting – You know, water my plants, be less chaotic, cook more regularly.
Finish my Au Pair scrapbooks – I’ve been back for more than two years.

So I wish you all a happy new year and hope that 2018 will be absolutely amazing.

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The Christmas Tag

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and I’m definitely one of the people who love Christmas. Everything about it is beautiful, so I loved finding this new tag that my friend Honey from Royal Lifestyle put together, with some fun questions that I wanted to answer, in order to share my thoughts on the holiday’s. I know I’m pretty late with this, since it’s December 23rd, but it has just been a really busy time. But better late than never, right?

I definitely wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and I hope you’ll have an amazing time with your loved ones. Eat as much as you can, enjoy giving and receiving gifts, listen to all the lovely holiday songs and just have a good time. And even if you’re not into Christmas, that’s fine too. Do whatever makes you happy.

01. What is your favorite Christmas song?
There are so many great ones, I don’t know how to decide. My top 4 would be “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt, “Last Christmas” by Wham! and “Christmas for Cowboys” by John Denver. For more inspiration, check out my Christmas mixtape here.

02. What is your favorite Christmas memory?
I have to admit that pretty much all my favorite memories have to do with presents. My parents did a fabulous job and spoiled us rotten. I’ve always been pretty nosy though, so I found lots of presents before the big day. But every year, there were some special ones that were pretty well hidden. Since I could never find them, I was so surprised when they ended up being under the tree. There are many pictures where I have a super red face from all the crying I did because I was so happy. It definitely happened when I got an awesome bike or a desk. Man, I sure miss being a kid. Another great memory is seeing and holding my godson for the first time, seven years ago, on Christmas Day. I also loved traveling home for Christmas during my year abroad as an au pair. Even though I had the worst jet lag of my life, it was so nice to see how happy it made my family to have me with them. I did constantly fall asleep though, but I was there and that’s all that mattered. You should’ve seen my godson when he realized I was actually home – it was super cute.

03. What is your favorite Christmas ornament?
On the big tree in the living room, I love an ornament that I bought in San Francisco, the most. It’s a festive cable car, which is definitely a good representation for this beautiful city and it always reminds me of my time there. There are also some little Native American drums from when my family and I lived in Texas. It’s just a little something different. On my own tree, I love the little pink nutcracker that I bought after watching the ballet, the most.

San Francisco Ornament

04. Do you talk about presents or are they hidden and a secret? When do you show them?
I usually don’t tell people what I bought them, so they’re usually a secret. In Germany, the main event is Christmas Eve – presents and all. But it depends on when I see the people I have gifts for.

05. What is your favorite Christmas movie?
Forever and always “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” which reminds me, I still need to watch it, this year. I also love “The Santa Clause” movies , “Home Alone” and “The Grinch” is a sweet one, as well.

06. Do you dress up for Christmas day?
It depends on my mood. I’d love to just hang out in my pj’s, but it doesn’t seem appropriate for Christmas. I’ve had years where I went all out but I’m not really a fan of annoying dresses and uncomfortable tights, anymore. I want to be able to eat without feeling constricted. But yeah, a little something nicer than usual happens with some christmassy accessories.

07. Do you find it hard to get all the presents?
I’m usually good at picking out presents for everyone, it just depends on how much time I have or whatever else I have going on in my life. This year, I was really late with everything and had my last present literally delivered today. I still have to fully put together three and then I’m done. I hate being this late with everything and I sure had some exhausting days this past week, so I hope I will have a better organization, next year.

08. What do you like to get for Christmas the most?
I love to get special surprises that I had no idea about. My friends always give me really cute things and I love it. As a kid, I was mad about everything Barbie and so much more. Seriously, presents are great and I’m honestly easy to shop for, so I mostly only get things I love. I honestly miss being a kid sometimes, cause I don’t get lots of actual presents, anymore. I mostly get money, but I admit that’s it definitely not the nicest gift to get, just the most useful.

Christmas cookies

09. Is there any special tradition for Christmas your family (your town or country) does?
Every year, my family and I make the same food and we only eat this once a year, so it’s pretty special and we’re always very excited for it. We always have fondue on Christmas Eve and it’s probably the only time of year when I eat actual meat. I’m not a vegetarian and I absolutely love ground beef and all, but I mean like steak, schnitzel and other actual pieces of meat – I don’t eat that. Except on Christmas, I eat beef filet and a lot of sides. We always make fondue and pretty much every year, I eat more than everything else. I can’t wait.

10. What are your plans for this Christmas time?
I’ve always wanted to spend Christmas time in New York, but that hasn’t worked out, yet. I definitely try to bake cookies, every year, while wearing my special Christmas apron, I always decorate the trees, I invite my girls over for a little Christmas get-together and you know, all the other Christmas madness. For the actual Christmas days, every year is pretty much the same. Christmas Eve with my family, on Christmas Day we visit our grandparents and see the rest of the fam and on the 2nd Christmas Day (yes, we have that in Germany), I visit the family of my mom’s partner. It seriously never changes. I really want to watch a Christmas movie or two tomorrow, clean my room and hopefully have everything ready for the best time of the year.

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