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And here we are—I’m sitting surrounded by the scent of freshly baked cookies, laptop on my lap, all the cleaning and gift wrapping done. I’m watching the new warm-glow string lights on our Christmas tree (the ones I always hesitated to replace the old set with, but always wished for), and I can’t help but melt into the feeling of being fully present in this moment. So much has happened this year, and I’ve had to stand strong in so many places. Now, for a few days, those noisy demands quiet down, and only my family and all these delicious sweets remain. I already love this whole feeling in advance!…

– Vienna – The end of the year at work was filled with exceptional challenges (perhaps I’ll share more about that in a separate post), so every peaceful moment spent with family feels like a true luxury to me. This Advent season coincided with refurbishing Ru’s room (but no worries, we bought the missing Allen keys, replaced the missing furniture parts, and dealt with all the usual little life hiccups). After work, as a tired mom, I was either assembling furniture at home or cleaning windows one by one every day, making sure nothing got left out from the routine of cleaning, shopping, and everyday dinner cooking. I’m sure many…

Although there was a reason for our long August weekend in Vienna, beyond the necessary agenda we tried to make the most of spending time in a wonderfully livable and especially welcoming city. Without aiming for completeness (such as Dino’s cocktail bar or the Prater), I did capture a few spots. When the cold and rainy days come, I will love flipping through these pictures… Dated: Sept 15, 2024

This Greek journey didn’t start today when we arrived, but already on Thursday when we packed everything, and even on Wednesday when I went shopping with my kid for the missing travel essentials. This is a major milestone for me, because if you take a water-loving girl (whose superpower is being able to happily raise a child alone, move, change jobs, and educate herself if needed) and consider the past few years—either burdened by a global pandemic or moving from point A to B, changing schools, and all the surrounding chaos—it’s no surprise that the only salty water I saw was for cooking. Being here now, in a sleepy corner…

Moments that will always stay with me, moments I cannot let go of. Moments that do not fade but deepen as time carves them further. Moments when I was whole and weightless in my completeness. Moments where one can truly arrive, believing with absolute certainty that everything is exactly as it should be. And when torn away, they leave a pulsating, almost living void. Dated: May 26, 2024

– Gerbeaud – Dated: May 26, 2024

I’ve always loved the idea that one day I’d have my own little garden, where tender seedlings smile at me from neat beds beside a well-kept lawn, bursting with produce that proudly bears the mark of my own hands. Well, I’m determinedly working toward that goal, and I’m not discouraged by the fact that mowing the lawn takes at least two hours and requires full concentration because of the hidden treasures planted by my predecessor—sometimes it’s hard to tell whether they’re actually weeds or not. When, after work, I set out determinedly and then fell during the mowing session (including edging and some half-hearted weeding), night had already fallen—even though…

Igen, igen igen!!!! A szombat reggel, amire szilveszter óta vártam: amikor nyüzsög a reggeli piac és nehéz a dunapárás levegő a virágillattól! Amikor egy kicsit korábban kelhetek fel, hogy válogathassak a nyáriasítandó erkélyem (ez a bevésődött rutinom tavasszal) és a gondoskodásra vágyó kert (ez pedig az ÚJ rutinommá avanzsált tennivaló az édes új otthonunkban ♥) leendő virágtövei meg palántái közt a helyi termelők és kertészetek gyönyörűbbnél gyönyörűbb hajtásainak soraiban. Imádtam ismeretségeket kötni az idős nénikkel és a fűszernövények történetét elmesélő fiatal lánnyal a standokon, tapasztalatokat és jótanácsokat bezsebelni az évtizedek óta kertet művelőktől, és térdig koptatni a lábam amíg mindent a megfelelő minőségben és a legjobb tudásom szerint beszereztem a madárcsicsergő…

Photos from a birthday where I tied a bouquet from flowers in my own garden, a beautiful moment in Vác with petals falling and the first warm afternoon, a girls’ night out with my mom featuring Thai dinner and a visit to the Vigadó, a Women’s Day earring gift from a teenage boy, and finally: technical training sessions now that I have someone to train with! Theater with burgundy lipstick, artisan burgers, mind-blowing desserts, a borrowed red hat, the shoes I always dreamed of, and my very first snowdrops! Dated: April 14., 2024

In this breathtaking place, one hardly knows what to admire first, moving from one wonder to another in awe. You can almost see the carriages, the stockings, the pomade—and just as the luxury nearly blinds you, a thought nestles in: What if these statues have witnessed more tears than laughter? What if the books are true, and beneath the profusion of beauty, happiness faded away under the brocade? If a woman’s loneliness could be sparked by a harsh word, an ill-fitting dress (does that sound trivial? It’s not), or a fleeting human mood—so easily crushed, right? No wonder they sometimes didn’t feel their own worth. And with every step I…