Coming up!

Will be back shortly! 

Diary

Another dream has come true! I finally have my roof top terrace!! My Sweetie and I found the perfect place for us the other day. It has one more room than we've got now, which means that we can have a guest room. It has a bigger balcony than we have now and a more proper kitchen, with a utility room AND it's got an 80 m2 roof terrace! It is a little bit further from the sea, but we still have a sew view, and it is still only a 20-25 minute walk down to the beach. There is a comunal pool though, and I've got my roof.

Friends of ours live in the same complex, but in the buildning next to us, they too have a roof terrace. I can feel a lot of sun tanning and barbequeing ahead of me.

So now I am packing! And we are moving sometime during the easter weekend. In only a few days time. Woohoo!

I took a suitcase full of my clothes up there yesterday. Now, it's uphill most of the way and even the suitcase wasn't heavy heavy it was not to play with at the end. Finally there I got up to the hallway outside our flat and I couldn't get in. I tried every key fifty times at least, but none of them would even fit in the hole, so I texted Sweetie and asked him how many keys he had. Turns out he had 6 keys and I only had 5. Crap. I put the suitcase in the storage room and walked back home. After a couple of hours Sweetie came home and we compared keys, and the key that he had and I didn't was not a door key put a post box key. Hmmm... Turns out I'd been trying to get into the wrong flat........ LOL

Sweetie and I went up there with a few more things later last night and got in, strange what the right key can do when it's the right door..... :D

Enjoy your lives out there! I am enjoying mine!

Love
Carina

Diary - Birthdays

It is birthday week in our house this week. Past Sunday our little kitty had his very first birthday, today is my birthday, and on Friday our big kitty has his 4th birthday.

A lot of people don't like their birthdays, I guess because it reminds them they are getting older. I'm not like that though. I like my birthday, and I like my age. Every year is better than the year before in my world. Every year I have grown wiser and smarter, one way or another.

So far today I have stayed in bed, playing silly games on facebook, watching telly and answering congratulations from a lot of friends and  family. I love it when people congratulate me! And I am grateful for every single one of them.

Eventually I will get up of bed and do some exercise, probably the 20 minutes Zumba Express and an 8 minutes tae bo exercise. I have been doing them for the last couple of days, it doesn't take any time and I plan to keep doing them every weekday from now on. I need it and I like it.

Tonight we are going out for dinner at a very lovely restaurant in Fuengirola, called La Farola, with some friends. One of them has a birthday today too so it will be a joyful evening, as always when we meet.

My favourite ice hockey team, Brynäs, is playing a very important game tonight and as a present to me I am sure they will win. And I say thank you now, for the unexpected but great news I will be getting sometime during the day.

Have a great time out there. I am.

Love
Carina

Diary

I had a brilliant day yesterday! We went to some firiends house for a roof terrace BBQ in the afternoon sun. The men (?) played videogames down stairs while us girls stayed up on the terrace, chatting and drinking Tinto de Verano on loungers all afternoon, until the sun set and it got a bit cold. See, that is what I want! I roof terrace! It has been my dream since I first came to Spain and I will have one in the next place I live, or I will not move at all! Roof terraces are not only for the sunny days, they are also for the warm evenings and nights. Imagine to lay up there looking up on the black sky where the stars are shining.

I want to have BBQs with friends and take advantage and enjoy the weather where I live. I want to dance up there, in my bikini. So, yes, I will have a roof terrace. Soon!

Today will be another brilliant day, I've got some bread (very low carb of course) in the oven, some washing in the machine. I will do some Zumba and clean the house. After a nice shower I will take the train, where I will do some writing, to IKEA where I will walk around on my own and look at what furniture I want for when we find our roof terrace place, and I will do some writing. Hopefully my Sweetie will turn up with a friend and we will walk around some more and hopefulle get a book case, or a cupboard for our livingroom. And I will take the train back home, while the guys go by car, and do some more writing.

Yes, this will be another brilliant day indeed.

Oh, and hopefully I will get a call from an agent saying we got a viewing on our dream house this week! Dream house being a place with a roof terrace and plenty of indoor space. :D

I wish all of you out there a brilliant day as well! Be well, love yourself, have fun and enjoy your life to the fullest!

Love
Carina

Diary - A Word For My Friend

There is a strange feeling over my life today. I very dear friend of mine decided to end his life yesterday. He was the warmest, most loving and caring person, always spreading love and laughter around him. A whole little town, and more, is in chock and grief right now. I spent last night crying my eyes out, from love for my friends, love for my friends who found him and for the people who were closest to him. For the world's loss of a great man.

I look out the window and I see the bright sun shining warmly over the glittering Sea and I know that my friend is somewhere in the neighbourhood. Sitting on a balcony, drinking a beer, laughing about life.

I consider myself lucky having been his friend, having him as mine. I am grateful that I put a smile on his face and love in his heart the last time I saw him, in january. I am grateful I got to see him and spend some time with him. I am grateful for all the wonderful words he wrote to me after that day.

He told to me that I am missed and loved back home. I tell him now, that he is missed and loved back here.

I don't ask why, or how. The answers to those questions wouldn't make any difference now. The only thing that matters is that we should remember him for who is was, honour him by showing our love to our friends and family, enjoy our lifes as he couldn't but wanted to, and be as happy as we possibly can.

Take care of yourselves out there! Feel the love and spread it! Let it fly! Laugh! And make your dreams come true!

We miss you, Teddybear! <3

I love me just the way I am! “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” - African Proverb

I few days a week I like to sing a love song to myself. Yes, you got it! To myself! Why? Because I love music, and I love to sing and whenever I sing I feel good. So I stand in front of the mirror and I look myself in the eyes and I sing to myself. And it makes me feel great. Usually I sing the song of the day more than once because it might take a while to get in to the mood and to really feel the words I am singing.

 

So what good does this do? Well, it tells me that I love me in a happy way, it makes me respect myself because if I am worth loving than, hey, how good am I!?? It makes me take a good look at myself with different eyes, like it is somebody else looking, and it makes me realise that I am pretty damn nice to look at. Even without my clothes on! (Yes, sometimes I am naked when I do it) It also makes me laugh because towards the end of the fifth time it gets a bit worn out and I start to make funny faces. And who better to laugh at me than me!!

When I sing I try to start by looking myself in the eyes, and then I try to list the good things about me and be grateful for those things, and I am talking about the physical things more than anything else right now. We are usually our worst critic and often tend to tell ourselves all the stuff we are not really happy about with ourselves and our bodys. When I do this I try to set a trend in my mind to see and to remember all the good things about me instead, because I know there is plenty of them. I just need to accept that and to be thankful for everything.

My choice of song today was Billy Joel and "I love you just the way you are". Brilliant lyrics to sing to yourself, or somebody else if you want to.

What do you do to make yourself feel better about yourself? Do you have a routine that helps putting you in the right state of mind to tell yourself how good you are? Tell me, maybe I can learn something from you.

I wish you all a good night/evening/day wherever you are, and remember to tell yourself how great and fantastic you are!

Love

Carina

Diary

My day: I woke up, made myself some nice coffee with some cream in it (Sweetie didn't have time this morning, ususally he makes it for me), yummie, and I watch some Frasier and Undercover Boss on telly. I took the train into town and went for a coffee at the cafe where I work (spent some time writing while enjoying my lovely coffee (we've got the best coffee in town), and then to the bank where I had to stand in line for about 20-30 minutes (didn't check, don't care, was listening to music and playing games on my phone) and then I had a very nice walk home in the sun. I went grocery shopping and then home and got changed into my bikini and then I went down to the pool for some sun catching. I love lying on the lounger in the sun listening to music! I just only got back in and I think I might do some Zumba, or maybe make some lovely carb free (well almost) bread. I love that bread!

Anyway, my day has been great, because this is how I have chosen to live my life! Don't be jealous, get even!
I am sure my evening will be just as fantastic and I think tomorrow I will have another great day.

How was your day? Tell me!

Diary

Every day I try to remember to be grateful that I am alive and at good health and that my loved ones are the same. Days like today I realise even more how lucky I am for that. I have some good friends going through life changing events, one with some serious health issues and another two who's family member has gone missing.
Inside I am a disarray of emotions and thoughts, one second feeling extremely happy that it is not me, or my family, and the next second feeling a deep pain and helplessness for my friends.

I urge you all to remember how precious life is, and how fast things can change. Live your life with joy and take care of the people you love. Tell them how much you love them, make sure they know without a doubt.

I wish you all love and good health, be safe and have fun!

10 Reasons Why You Would Want To Be You. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” – Dr Seuss

Society, parents, schools, friends and sometimes even you yourself try to fit you into a mold, form or shape of their idea of what a good human being is. This will make most people confused and might be the biggest reason for people being unhappy today. There are, however, plenty of good reasons for you to find yourself and to stay yourself throghout the rest of your life.

 Dare You To Move - Switchfoot

Here are 10 reasons why you would want to be you:

1. If you are your true self, nobody will be able to think of you as, or call you, a fake and be right about it. There will always be someone out there that doesn't like you, that calls you names or tells untrue stories about you, but as long as you are yourself they will never be right. You will always be the winner in those situations.

2. It is so much easier to remember your opinions and standpoints in different situations if they are your own. Lying is not being honest and not being yourself. If you tell a lie you will to remember what you said. If you are you you are truthful and it doesn't matter if you remember it or not, because it was the truth and you know it.

3. You can never ever be someone else better than they are themselves anyway so why put your energy on it. Not being able to be the best of who you are is painful, and if you are somebody else you will never be the best. It will always be painful in the end. At least if you are yourself you have a chance of being the best of who you are.

4. Nobody else can be you better than you can, so why not be you. Just as you can never be somebody else better than they are themselves, someone else can never be you better than you are. This means that if you are somebody else, you as you are meant to be, will never be.

5. You can never live your dream life if you are not you. You have a dream life somewhere waiting for you, but you will never live it unless you start being you. No matter what your dream life is. If you are not you, you will not live your dream life. You might live someone else's, but your life will never be lived.

6. When you achieve something, reach a goal it is so much nicer to do it as yourself than as somebody else. If you achieve something when you are not you it is not you achieving it. When you reach a goal when you are not you it is not you reaching the goal. The reaching and achieving might be nice, but it will never as great as it is when you achieving something or reach your goals as yourself.

7. It is impossible to know what your dreams and goals are if you are not you. What are your dreams specifically? Are they truly your dreams and goals or are they a product of everybody, or at least somebody, else's dreams and goals? You will never know what your real dreams and goals are in life if you are not you living your life. Why would you want to achieve a goal that isn't yours?

8. Being somebody else in your body will eventually be a complete mismatch and your body will start to revolt. Your body is your temple. You can not change your body and your looks into someone else's, unless you have a lot of plastic surgery done, If you are someone else, your body will still be yours and some time down the road your body will start to disagree with the fact that you are not being you living your life fulfiling your dreams. How your body will show you that will differ from person to person, but if you listen to it it will tell you. You are not supposed to be in pain, if you are something is wrong with the inner being inside you.

9. You only have one life, that you know of, and why would you want to live that life as someone you are not. Even if you believe in reinkarnation it is highly unlikely that you will remember it from life to life. You need to do with this life the best that you can, and you need to do it as yourself. Why would you want to waste your one life on being something or someone your not, living up to other peoples expectations and fulfilling other people's dreams when you can live up to your own expectations and fulfill your own dreams.

10. You will never ever be truly and deeply happy as someone you are not. Everybody wants to be happy, it is the essence of life itself, but how can you ever be truly happy if you are not you? If you live your life listening to everybody but yourself you might end up having a somewhat good and comfortable life, but on the day you die what you will regret mostly will be all the times you didn't follow your own wishes, feelings and dreams. Follow your own heart is being yourself, Being yourself is being happy.

Do you agree with me? Or do you disagree? What are your thoughts and feelings about this subject? Are you being you, living your dream life, fulfilling your own dreams? Have you got any other reason that I didn't list here? Please, leave a comment and let me know what you think. 

To read more about Dr Seuss follow this and this. 
Lyrics to "Dare You To Move"- by Switchfoot

Love
Carina 

Diary

I love sundays here in Spain. Everything is closed, except for most restaurants, bars, and cafes. You are forced to do stuff you like to do such as stay in bed all day, sunbathe, chill on the sofa infront of the telly, read or write (well I choose to see it that way anyway but I know some people use sundays for cleaning and other very important must-do-today-or-i-will-die chores).

So far today I have made a base for the homemade (lchf) pizza we're having tonight and I've cooked some bacon and eggs for a late breakfast, and I have had coffee in bed while watching telly, and now I am doing this. Soon I will make some bread (lchf) for me so I can have a boiled egg and Kalles (swedish) kaviar sandwich for breakfast tomorrow. And I am going to prepare some toppings for our pizza, and after that I will.... well, I have no idea what I will feel like doing when it's time for "after that". Point is that I haven't done anything I HAD to do, all I've done so far is because I wanted to do it, and whatever I do later on will be because I want to do it.
(Btw I am never bored because whatever I do, I choose to do it)

I wish you all a very happy and relaxing Sunday! Spend time with your loved ones and enjoy the fruits of your life.

Diary

Yesterday was a good day, well all my days are good days but yesterday was different, because I had such an inspiration all day. I started out writing on my book in the morning, kept on writing while waiting for the train and on the train and the whole time working I was plotting in my head, idea after idea came to me moving my story forward. Our youngest cat helped moving it forward in the morning too by knocking over my coffee mug all over the bed. Well expect a knocked over coffee mug to appear in the book somewhere.

I'm dyeing my hair at since we are going out for dinner tonight with a friend who turned 30 recently, Japanese. I love japanese food, although it does not really agree with my normal diet. My diet is LCHF btw, Low Carb High Fat, and I don't eat that way to lose weight but because carbs are bad for you (at least for me) and fats are good (at least for me). How do I know? My body tells me so.

Anyway, got to go rinse my hair and get ready for the bank and work. Have to make sure I've got enough money for my mobile bill, I love my mobile and what I pay for so it's a good thing. I hope your day will be as fanastic as mine will be! Stay safe and stay happy!

Diary

I never did go out the other day, I ended up spending my day registering on a job site for freelanlancers. I am on a couple of those but what I like about this particular one is that they offer free skill tests, most other sites I've been on charge you for them, and you need them to be able to compete. I love tests!! Anyway, I tend not to do things the traditional way, I have never gotten a job by sending in a complete CV. I have applied for maybe 3 jobs that way, gotten as far as an interview to all of them but never gotten the job. Why? Because there is something about that whole process that I don't like and I think it shows. I've sent out informal letters, or emails, a few times and that has always landed me a job I have enjoyed. All the other jobs I've had, and I have had quite a few since I like trying new things out to see what I like the most, have fallen into my lap because I've wanted them. Like the café I work part time at now, I started to think that it would be nice to work there about six months before I was asked if I wanted to work there. I never did anything to approach them, I had never even spoken to them before I was asked to come down and see them. And that is how I will operate on this job site as well. I haven't, and won't, put my CV on there, but I will send out more or less informal proposals to jobs that feel right for me. If they are right I will get them.

Today I am not sure what I will end up doing, but I think I might go down to the beach with pen and paper, or take the train to some other part of the beach. Anyway, it seems to be a lot warmer today than it was on Monday so.. Have a good day ya'll!

Diary

I am writing! That is I am writing something that will end up being a book! I have no idea where the plot is going, I have got no story outlined, and no charachters made up in advance, and I don't use my laptop. I use pen and paper and write it as it comes to me. I don't stop to think about grammar or spelling, or what I'm writing, I just write, and I can feel that this is it. This will be my first book. And it feels so good to be here!

I have also realised, although I have really known fpr a while somewhere within me, that I seem to find inspiration waiting for or being on the train, and in bed. Not when I am sitting by the desk in front of my laptop, all ready to write. But I don't care where I am as long as I write and as long as I love it!!

I am wishing everybody a great day. I am going out for a train ride to some place I haven't been and I am bringing my pen and paper. The sun is shining and I am sure there is spring in the air. See ya!

10 Things You Should Do Every Day ("If you want to be happy, be." - Leo Tolstoy)

Most of us wake up in the morning, follow the same little routine without thinking about what we are doing, we go to work and then home, we cook because we have to, we eat because we need to and eventually we go to bed without having done, thought or felt anything special. The next day is the same, the next week is the same, the next month is the same, even the next year is the same. And so life goes on without leaving any marks on you, and you go on without leaving any marks on life.

If you want to be happy you have to think happy! Today!

Here is a list of 10 things you can, and should do every day to change your feelings about your life without changing your life (much):

Be happy and grateful for all the good things you've got in your life. We all have a lot of things to be happy and grateful for. That we are alive, that we have a bed to sleep in, our partner, kids, family, friends and pets, that we have food on our table every day, that we can read and hear, that we have a house to live in, that we have a table in our house, that we woke up in the morning, that we have a heart to love with.. Nothing is too big or too small to recognise and be grateful for. 

Plan your day, fill it with happy thoughts and happy feelings. When you go to sleep at night make sure you plan the next day, not so much in actions as in feelings. Tell yourself that tomorrow will be a good day no matter what comes your way. Nothing will disturb your peace of mind. You will smile and be grateful and happy for everything all day long. When you wake up in the morning remember those thoughts and the feeling you had when you thought them. 

Smile and laugh as much as you possibly can. Even if there is nothing obvious to smile or laugh about do it anyway. Sing a happy little song, take some silly dance steps, think of something funny, try to make up a joke to tell your friends at work. Think of all the things you are grateful and happy for. Remember the first love you felt for your partner, or child. Find something to think about that will make you smile everytime you think about it, or do something that will make you smile everytime you do it, if you find yourself being a bit down.

Tell someone you love them. When you tell someone you love them it will make you feel good. It's as simple as that.

Make someone feel good about themselves. Say something nice to someone who's not expecting it. Tell a stranger they look very nice, Smile at someone you meet on the street. Tell your boss you enjoy working with him or her. Tell a friend about a good quality you think they have. Tell your partner or your child that you are proud of them. It will make their day, lift them up and that will make your day and lift you up.

Enjoy everything you eat and drink. Food and beverages are so much more than just something we need. It is tasty, and nice, and it helps your body and you to feel good. Make sure to learn what foods and drinks you feel good eating and drinking. Everybody is different and feel good from eating and drinking different things. Avoid what makes you feel physically and mentally bad, stay with the good stuff. And enjoy!

Do something creative; write,draw, cook or move your furniture around. What makes you drift away for a while, what connects you to your inner self? Most people have some kind of a creative pet peeve within them. Whether it is writing, drawing, painting, jig saw puzzling, cooking, working out doesn't matter, just do it! Half an hour every day is enough to calm yourself down and get in touch with yourself.

Relax and enjoy it. This is very important! Most people do not realise how important relaxing is for you. When you relax you load your batteries, not only the bodily batteries but also your brain and emotions. Take your time to just sit there without doing anything whatsoever for at least 10 minutes a day, and learn how to enjoy it. Again, you can think of all the good things in your life, or the feeling of being completely relaxed.

Love yourself. The root to everything is to love yourself. Find the good things about you, do you like your eyes think of them. Do you like how you always try to improve as a human being, focus on that. Do you like your hair today, love it. Are you a caring person, embrace and notice that. Make a mental list of all the things you like about you, and remember to remember them every day.

Do at least one thing that will bring you closer to a dream. Every person alive has dreams, things they would love to do, have or be. Find out what your dreams are (and yes it is probably that thing you are telling yourself that it's not because you can't fulfill it anyway) and do at least one thing every day to bring you closer to that dream. Do you want to be fit, find out what foods are good for you and what kind of work out you enjoy and then eat that food (while enjoying it) and do that work out. Is your dream to travel, start making plans, saving money, looking at flights and hotells. Is it to write a book, start writing, anything. Whatever your dream is you can achieve it, but you have to take steps in that direction. It will not happen all on it's own. First thing is to allow yourself to recognise your dreams.

If you do these things every day I promise you it will make you feel better, you will start to enjoy your life more and your dreams will begin to come true! Enjoy and good luck!

Read about Leo Tolstoy! 

Love
Carina

Diary

I am back! In a new, better but still the same way. For those of you that don't know, I started to work for a new magazine, as a writer and proof reader, a few months ago and I loved the writing and the proof reading part of it. However, I found all the things around it very stressful and once the first issue was out, part from being extremely proud of myself (for being a published and paid writer) I had also lost all my will to write. So I didn't do any writing at all, until I made the decision to drop the magazine in an attempt to get the feeling for writing back. It has been a little bit of a struggle, but here I am. An experience richer, a lot wiser in knowing what I don't want to do, and happy to be back on track!

I hope you will all enjoy this upcoming blog post!

Love Carina

Diary

I am planning to do some changes on my blog. I am not going to remove anything or stop writing the type of blog posts I have written so far, but it is time to develope and evolve so I will be adding some pages. It might take a while to do so because I want things to be the way I want them to be. The way that feels right for me. One of the things I will be adding is this Diary. I am not sure I am doing it the right way though. Time will tell. I won't be writing in it everyday but when I feel like it. I will write whatever I feel like in a way I feel like writing it in.

Today is Valentine's Day! I've got no special plans for it, it is just another day for us. We show each other our love daily, we don't need a special day for that. I tell the people I love that I love them, when I feel like telling them which might not be every day, but often anyway. I did however send some hearts out on facebook, to some of people closest to my heart. You don't need a partner to enjoy this day, if you are singel I am sure have got a lot of friends and family to share your love with. One way or another.

I wish everybody a very Happy Valentine's Day! <3

Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All

This lyric says all you need to know about life! RIP Whitney Houston