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Life's a journey..... this is mine.... |
When I first started this BLOG a year ago, I was turning over a new leaf in my life. Since then, several more have been turned - it is rather an ongoing process, leaving demons behind and moving forward with life. Join me on this, my journey through life - warts n' all  You will meet lots of RL characters in this BLOG, for I tend to write about people in my life, my loved ones and those who care about me. The main star is and will always be my daughter, Nathalie, my pride and joy, my raison-d'etre. She fills my heart with love and my life with sunshine and laughter. A co-starring role is held by my hubby, Neil, who puts up with me and is simply wonderful, my family and friends who are spread all around Europe and the US. A special Thank You at this juncture also to my Chemo Buddy, Tatum, for being my guardian angel and my very special friend. I now have a new Chemo Buddy called Isabel - joining the chemoangels program is the most amazing thing I have ever done, besides giving birth to my daughter. You would not believe how rewarding it is - I often think I am getting a whole lot more out of the deal than my buddies; it is so great to give, to bring a smile to someone's face, to make a difference! If you are interested in joining the scheme please check out www.chemoangels.com Hopefully you will also get to know me a little bit better by reading this BLOG, or perhaps just give you a good old laugh at some of the silly things I get up to. Who knows, from time to time you may even find little nuggets of wisdom in here...  Happy reading! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| gosh, when I think about it, my course is almost finished! I have to hand in a paper in economics on 18th April, then I am taking European Governance next term and writing my thesis - and THAT's IT!!! I can't believe it! BUT those things still outstanding involve a lot of work so it's not going to be a doddle. I am excited to be going to the USA next week with Neil & Nathalie! I got my car back after the accident, it's looking great! I just need BMW to do a cleaning job on the upholstry as there is oil on one of the seat backs that definitely wasn't there before. I am totally buzzing with stuff that I want to write, I seem to be past my writers block so I want to try and finish one of my novels when we get back from the USA - fingers crossed! |
| gosh - I can't remember the last time I had time to stop for a minute, smell the flowers, the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee from my brand new espresso maker, to muse about life, love, and the appaling state of the contenders in the music charts... I feel like I have been darting around like a loonie person for the past 18 months - and come to think of it, I have. But there is some small respite: I had my (for now) last exam this morning (got a B yeah!) hand in economics assignment on the 18th and then I can start my thesis. I might put the start off for a month so I have time to just catch my breath, gather my thoughts and some strength, spend quality time with my daughter and then go hell for leather on my thesis. German rules dictate I have 6 months to complete from the time I officially declare my thesis (by handing in the appropriate paper work). I am so desperately hoping that in there somewhere, there will be some time for me to do some creative writing, my head has been buzzing with ideas but i haven't even had time to jot those down. oh well.... |
| I have absolutely no time whatsoever to write in my blog this week. I am taking my oral SIM exam on Friday morning (two of my colleagues have been signed off sick and will have to re-do the case study and everything, poor them!). Even though I have been sick since Friday (I think it was the stress of the corrupted file just half an hour before submitting my SIM exam paper that sent me over the edge!) I am determined to sit through these exams rather than resits either in a couple of months or late summer. I want it all out of the way. As I am still recovering from this - my 3rd since November - flu, and as I have wasted a LOT of time with the Princess and I both being sick on and off since mid-November, I am under serious time pressure. So, I'm gonna disappear in a cloud of - not mystery but aggrevated despair!  Be good, guys, catch you soon! Smiles Anne |
| We had a very quiet but lovely new year; my parents and I finally taught Neil our infamous card game and I must say, for a novice he did pretty well. Our suprise was replaced with hysterics as Neil told us he used to play cards all the time when he was serving with the police force - aren't the coppers supposed to catch criminals??? I am working feverishly on my strategy paper which is due in 48 hours. I have completed the first section and am now reading up on the innovation system for healthcare products in Germany. My little princess comes home tomorrow morning after having spent a week in the UK with her dad. I am picking her up in Hamburg which means the travel PLUS the fact that I am doing my contracting work today, I actually only about 30 hours to complete my assignment. I am trying not to fret and get stressed about this prospect! I am very tempted to participate in the "Dear Me" contest - I know pretty much what I would write, it is merely a question of finding the time to do so, what with the exams looming in a week's time. |
| I am progressing but slowly, on my SIM assignment. It is a case study of 3M and its health care products / European markets etc. Very interesting but a tough nut to crack. LOTS of reading to do, so little time. It is due Jan 4th but I was hoping to finish it by New Year's Eve - that means knuckling down non-stop now. Nat is now in the UK with her Dad, spoke to her earlier and she is doing fab we will have our first ever webcam chat on Sunday (she normally chats with her dad on the webcam on Sunday afternoons) which will be fun! Looking forward to it! Anyway, need to crack on so make sure I crack this nut so that I don't crack up LOL Hugs! |
| It has been SUCH a long time since I last wrote an entry for my blog. I hope you guys have not been dropping by too often, in vain, hoping for another bout of mouth rot from this gibbering nervous wreck of a fool My master's course has been keeping me VERY busy and I am now officially on study leave. Here's the exam schedule:  4. Jan - hand in take-home exam in Strategic Innovation Management (SIM) 11. Jan - oral exam (SIM) 14. Jan - Supply Chain Management written exam (4 hours) 18. Jan - International negotiation written exam (4 hours) Early Feb - hand in Border Region Development assignment Mid-late Feb - oral exam B.R.D (no fixed date yet) Early Mar - hand in 30 page Economics assignment (I am writing on outsourcing) after which I will start my Masters Thesis. Other than that, things are pretty good. Nathalie is doing fabulous, she has been moved up 2 levels in swimming and is now in with the bigger kids (aged average 8 though there are some slightly younger ones there - it is really about skill, not age) which means they will be moving to the big pool after new year to learn proper swimming strokes. She is well excited, bless her. She has also started playing handball again and has had a couple of tournaments. The games are only 2 x 10 mins and it is such good fun to watch as most of the kids haven't fully grasped the rules yet  so cute!Also, she is now taking guitar lessons and is making good progress although she had to miss a few lessons - 4 in a row due to illness, handball tournament, birthday parties and consequently we moved the lesson from Sat morning to Monday afternoon. Nat is with us this Christmas which will be fab as it is also my little niece's first Christmas so they get to spend it together which is awesome. I am flying Nathalie to the UK on 27 Dec so she can spend a week with her Dad there for New Year. Oscar is still quite the rascal - still chews stuff though now completely house trained. He is extremely good natured, just quite boisterous and happy when he meets people which can be a bit overwhelming. I hope he calms down when he's out of his puppy stage (he is now 10 months old). As we will not be breeding, and to avoid him running off for a day every few months, I am thinking of having him neutered. It's a huge decision to make but the way I see it, there are already plenty of unwanted dogs and puppies in various animal shelters, there is no need to add to the misery. Neil is still in the UK, travelling home every weekend. There is no end in sight to this set up and to be honest, I am pretty used to it. During the week it would definitely be helpful to have him around to give me a hand with Nat and taking Oscar out etc. but other than that, I am just far too busy to be entertaining my hubby in the evenings. We are currently planning our Easter break and will probably end up visiting friends in Indianapolis for a few days followed by a week in Mexico. I need to recharge with plenty of sunshine!  This weekend gone, my sister and I went to London to do our Christmas shopping and it was fabulous. We did Oxford St and Regent St solidly for 3 days, only stopping to take in a West End show (We Will Rock You - fantastic!!!) and to eat and sleep .... I am now closer to being in a Christmas mood than I was before we went but still, I am way too busy to enjoy it fully. I am sure by the morning of the 24th (we celebrate on Christmas Eve here) I will be 110% into it as per usual. I am so excited to be spending it with the people I love, mostly of course to have Nat with us this year. Anyway I have got to dash, I need to tuck my lil' chick into bed and then continue revision - I am meeting with the SIM prof tomorrow re some questions that I have so I need to be well prepared. Have a fabulous week everyone, don't get too stressed out with all the tinsel and stuff hugs & smiles Anne xo |
| My mum told me today I always have too many balls on the go. I know what she means. And I can't bloody juggle! Nathalie was pretty poorly on Tuesday, stayed at home and then had a day's national holiday due to the anniversary of the German unification. I started feeling bad on Monday evening and got it worse than Nat, with fever, shakes & aches and it was not pleasant. Today I am loads better but running on almost flatline as I got only 45 mins sleep last night! Was awake til 4 a.m. then woke up 4:45 and couldn't go back to sleep. I managed to catch half an hour before I picked Nathalie up. Once Nat is asleep I will probably zonk out on the sofa! Hmm... what else, oh yes, the Danish prince Joachim has got engaged to his French girlfriend Marie Cavallier. They will marry next Spring some time. Looks-wise she is very similar to Crownprincess Mary of Denmark (a native Ozzy) but I am sure, completely different characters. Denmark spoke of nothing else all Wednesday, it's died down for a couple of days until the weekly glossy mags are back on the shelves with their EXTRA ENGAGEMENT SUPPLEMENTS .... all very nice!The family portraits are STUNNING, we are really pleased. Will try and get a proper print (ours have been printed onto canvass) and then I can scan & put it in my port somewhere when I get time. Nathalie has started guitar lessons, just 45 mins every Saturday lunchtime. She seems to be enjoying it, there are 2 other girls there too and they are very lovely. Anyway, I am gonna dash, go tuck Nathalie in and make myself comfy on the sofa for the night |
| Quick run-through of recent events: 1. handed in my philosophy assignment, now working on Law & Revolution - this is a real bummer!!! SOOOOO much reading to do, so many areas the Prof. wants me to cover. 2. into the thick of 3rd semester, am really enjoying my electives (Supply Chain Management and International Negotiations - both areas that I have worked in during the past 8-9 years so not that much NEW but great fun anyway, and getting to the theory behind it all!) 3. my chemo-buddy, Tatum, has graduated from the Chemo Program and has started school. She is slowly on the mend   - I have been assigned a new buddy to look after, a 5 yearold who has leukaemia. 4. Nathalie has been back at school for a month now and is doing great. She has started swimming lessons and guitar lessons. If I can get hold of the coach, she will also play handball again like last year but only if they allow her to play with the older kids. There is a team for kids born 1999-2000 but none this time around for those born after 2001 - I was told early this year they might not find a coach again for the little ones, so hopefully she will be allowed to start with the bigger kids. 5. We had family portraits done last Sat (Neil, Nathalie, Oscar and I) - we will pick them up this Saturday - I am really excited! 6. I quit my job  due to my schedule this semester I won't have time to work as well. My sister will take over my job - keep it in the family LOL 7. Just spent a fortune on books for this semester - feel dizzy. Am going to bed! |
| busy, busy, busy 1. got back from long weekend in Madrid with Nathalie (Thurs pm to Sun pm). Stayed with friends, great to catch up. Gloria Estefan concert Sat pm, FANTASTIC!!!! Nat and I met Gloria at a meet & greet afterwards, got autographs and pics Gloria told me to continue with the writing (she has seen some of my work and likes it, thinks I should persue it so I am going to look at my existing stuff, maybe self-publish first.... *ponders options*) - it was such a boost to my confidence, unfortunately I don't get much time to write new material! 2. looking after my niece (9 mths) for 2 days, my sis and bro-in-law are in Frankfurt for the car exhibition. They get back tonight. It's been fab!!! 3. handed in notice at work - 3rd semester schedule completely packed, no time to put in 15 hrs at work AND get time to study! 4. Neil coming over this weekend, not seen each other for 3 weeks so it'll be fab! Got appointment for family portraits at photographer's Sat a.m. (Neil, Nathalie, Oscar & I - and baby Sophie will join us to get some shots of the 2 little cousins )5. I'm sure there's loads more but gotta dash! |
| I am back at Uni this week, it's a bummer of a time table (Monday 8-16:00, Thurs 9-12:00 and Friday 8-17:00) so I am not going to be able to fit in my 12hrs at the office at well. Looks like I might share the hours with my sis who's job hunting at the mo, at least it's some money coming in. It's only til Feb but I can't really do without the money on the other hand I could do with some proper time for studying! This way, I am going to have to work on my 2 study days, leaving me only weekends and evenings which is not ideal time for me to study (I work best first thing in the morning). Anyway... Nat learnt to ride her bike at the weekend (did I write this already??) and she is very proud. She and I will go on a little bike ride together tomorrow, she is very excited! Gotta get back to the kitchen, lasagne in the oven! Smiles Anne |
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