California Road Trip pt. III : All Things Under The Sun

These are the last bits and pieces from our trip... Right now I'm in arctic Finland, surrounded by snow, frosty weather and candlelight, so going through  these pictures felt refreshing and distant at the same time. Only if you have experienced a full-on winter, one that lasts longer than three months (sometimes closer to five), you know how much weather can affect your mood. I lived my childhood in Austria and still remember how shocked I was after moving back to Finland when slowly each day got shorter until there was only a few hours of daylight left. Maybe because I knew about a better place, I developed a sour attitude and simply hated living in this Sun forsaken place for almost half of the year and only came to life when the first summer days arrived at our shores. Even though seasonal depression is a real thing (might sound made-up, but when you experience this darkness…), at some point I realised I was just making my own life more miserable. By constantly cursing at how dreadful everything was I only created first world problems that weren't even worth fretting about. Honestly, I perceived myself powerless to my circumstances and shifted the blame of my misery to everything else except my attitude and I did this with all negative things in my life. It did take a moment for me understand this completely, but my thoughts and my words do make a difference in how I feel and I how I will go about with my life. 

My mother introduced me to Viktor E. Frankl years ago. One of my favourite quotes from him is: 

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” 

This is not by some random neurologist and psychiatrist (although he was both). This man was a holocaust survivor. These thoughts were spoken after his time at the Auschwitz concentration camp and after loosing his whole family including his wife. What he understood in the most horrific circumstances was that he, and only he can be in control of himself. Even after he was stripped off all freedom and rights, no one or nothing else could take away his will unless he gave it to them freely. He got to choose who he is and who he will be.

You might have something far worse going on in your life than a dreadful, never-ending winter. But I want to encourage you, that no matter what it is, you're not just helplessly hanging on on the receiving end, having to just take anything that life throws at you.

You are in charge of yourself. You get to choose whether your circumstances define you or if you define your circumstances. You choose to either be a victim or a powerful person.

I know I've been a slow poster, but good things are worth the wait, right? :) My intention is to rather post when I honestly feel like I have something to say instead of coming up with all kinds of randomness just to keep you readers busy. But I'll try to speed up my game and keep the creative juices flowing more often than once a month!

xxx

Photos by me and my husband in Santa Monica, CA

California Road Trip pt. II : A Different World

On our trip we got to experience some of the treasures California has to offer. The first pictures are from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Looking at the creatures of the deep blue made me think of all the variety there is when I dare to look outside of my box. Even though we humans tend to create comfort zones, where everything is predictable and not too different, diversity inspires. 

There is so much hidden beauty all around us, but when we look through the glasses of how our society defines beauty, we are deceived. We begin to devalue and undermine features that go against the main stream, the alleged normal. It's such an appalling lie that everyone is supposed to look a certain way. It even sounds completely insane when said out loud, but that my friend is the sad reality. Most of us have been affected by the standards set by whoknowswho for so long, that we're not even able to discern the truth. We are used to sayings like "you're beautiful just the way you are" and " beauty comes from the inside out", but they don't really mean anything to us. We've heard and seen exactly what beautiful looks like through numerous presentations in the media and conversations of what's hot and what's not. The saddest part is that after accepting these standards as truths, we don't apply them only to ourselves, but everyone around us and judge accordingly. We become jealous, competitive and self-destructive.

For years I struggled with this myself, until I understood my unique purpose. I believe that we all have a special calling. Everyone brings something distinct to this world that no other person can. Nothing in you is a mistake, you were created intentionally exactly the way you are so that you can carry out your very own purpose. You're not in a competition with anyone else, you can't become someone else and no one can ever be you. Why waste any more time trying to be something you're not? 

When you stop fighting against who you are, you begin to unleash all the potential placed inside of you. When you start loving yourself, you learn to love others and you're able to focus on your own mission.

Dare to be different… Dare to be you.

The rest of the pictures are from our road trip down Highway 1 and from a very special location called the Hearst Castle (please google it, there are far more pictures showing off this majestic castle). The building began in 1919 and was actually never finished after the builders, the newspaper magnate William Hearst's, death in 1951, but his vision is still very much alive in that place. Great dreamers always leave the greatest legacies.

xxx

Photos by me 

(except the ones with me in them are by my husband)

Editing: Eino Manner

California Road Trip pt. I : Suits and Weddings

Our five week vacation to California has come to an end and I'm excited to share some of our highlights with you. The trip was really all that it was meant to be and I couldn't feel more blessed right now. Seeing the faces of my "other family", breathing in the warm coastal breeze, eating Mexican food every other night and enjoying the free spirited atmosphere that's so unique to this country, was exactly what my heart needed. 

We stayed in the Bay area (San Francisco) for the first week, because we had the honour to attend the wedding of these two extraordinary people. The thing is, during my relatively short life, I've already been to countless weddings. I've seen numerous beautiful brides and handsome grooms, distinguished decorations, breathtaking venues and mouthwatering foods. I know there are many who can't seem to understand the point of putting a ring on it and spending too much money on just a party. Why go through the trouble? This wedding felt like an answer to that. Even though the event was planned with care and everything and everyone was absolutely beautiful (seriously, when was the last time you saw a bride this gorgeous??) it wasn't about those things at all. It wasn't "just a party". It wasn't about making everything seem flawless and perfect. It was an invitation to their hearts and their journey. We got to be part of a vulnerable and powerful moment where two people committed their lives to honor and serve each other. In a world where marriage has lost it's meaning, they stood against the grain and declared their vows not to be afraid of other peoples failures, setting their own standards regardless of any statistics. They showed that they're not afraid and that's one of the corner stones of a lasting relationship.

Instead of wearing the traditional dress, I opted for something a little more modern. The suit. If I wasn't still such a beginner in photography and hadn't forgotten to bring my flash to the wedding (that's why some of the pictures are also a little blurry), you would be able to see my purple heels. They did bring a nice pop of color to the look, but now you just have to imagine it there :)

Have an interesting and eventful weekend! 

Stay tuned for part II!

xxx

Photos by me

Editing: Eino Manner

Suit: Zara

Silk shirt: Vintage