as the year is coming to an end...

this has been a year of change, big decisions and many adventures. i have taken many steps forwards, and some backwards, but those are necessary as well in order to learn more about the people around you and, most importantly, about yourself.

graduation, going on a road trip, and moving to Switzerland have all been some of the bigger events this year. oh and spending my first Christmas without my family.

graduation signified the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. many people would say it's the start of the 'real world', but the day after graduation i went on a three week road trip with Nina, which definitely didn't seem all that bad if that was what the real world was all about.

 Switzerland for summer vacation ... sounds good to most people, right? well, during the 5 weeks i spent in Switzerland, i came to realize that this vacation could become more permanent. i had finished college, didn't really want to work applebee's anymore, and was young enough to make big changes without having to think too much about the consequences. i learned pretty quickly once i told Chris i was staying, that i hadn't really thought everything through to the very last, very important, detail that was Chris. somehow i knew the second i decided to stay that he wasn't meant to be. most people wouldn't be able to let someone go just because they want to 'try' something new - like live in Switzerland. and since i came to my decision so easily, and still didn't waver when he came to visit, i knew it was the right thing to do.

after making the big decision, it was time to get my act together, find a job and figure out my living situation until i had some money in the bank in order to support myself. i was lucky to find a trial job fairly quickly, got to work there for 2 days in order to see if i fit in with the small team, and knew i was starting work in the beginning of October, which, at the time, left me with about a month of nothing to do. fortunately, there was an opportunity to help out on a class biking trip for a week and another chance to go to Spain for a week soon after that. when i got back from Spain, i had a week left to relax, then i would start work. small detail: when i  was trial working, a certain someone stuck out - a mild attraction at the time, which, since October, has turned into something so much more than a mild attraction. I'm even practically living with him. and, as mom agrees is a good thing, everyone else at work doesn't know about it. there's something about mixing business with pleasure that isn't too good of an idea - and that was Fabian's idea first, i just agreed.

since i started work in October, time has flown and suddenly there were Christmas decorations all over Bern, the Christmas market was in full swing, and on Saturday afternoons when i went to work at 3 PM, the restaurant was so full of holiday shoppers that i almost didn't make it into the place. it's good for business, but I'm also looking forward to it quieting down a bit so that i can get all my work done on time.

this Christmas, i spend the 24th in Lyss with everyone and on the 25th, i took the train to Brig, Fabian came to get me and we followed the winding road all the way to the back of the valley to Oberwald (in the wallis) where i met his mom, his step dad, and a very close family friend. on the 25th, we walked up the mountain in the freezing cold weather, had fondue and sledded back down when we were done. it was a wonderful evening. on the 26th we went to Leukerbad for a swim and on the 27th we headed back down to Bern. it was a wonderful weekend of relaxation and getting to know new people.

this week it's just work, work, work. i have off on the 31st at night, but I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing - Fabian has to work. I'll figure something out.

this year hasn't only brought change to me, but there have been so many births, marriages, fights, and break ups among so many people i am acquainted to and i wish everyone the very best for the new year!


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.


Carolineli.

november already??

i feel like time is just slipping through my fingers. everything is going by so fast.. 

it's already november and i've been in switzerland for 4 months now. i think this was a great decision for me. i feel right at home. work is going great, i'm getting more and more comfortable with my living situation and i got paid for the first time this weekend. that means i can stop paying the train to and from bern in small change and actually get a libero (106 ChF per month to ride as much train and tram as i want). a good investment, i think. 

i have now been at the Metzgerstübli for 3 weeks and have enjoyed all of it. it's so much more informative than applebee's ever was. i'm learning so much about wine and service, it's amazing. for the first three weeks of 'training', i didn't get any tips, but saturday night was my first night all by myself and i got tip. yay.! at our restaurant, we take the total tip that was made from when we open at 9am until close and divide it among everyone that was working that day. i feel like that's very fair. we all made 60 on saturday. which is pretty good if you can remember how people tip in switzerland. well, i've actually realized that evenings are a lot different than if people are  just coming for coffee or lunch. a co-worker got 30 in tip on saturday night - which is AMAZING here. heres a problem though: now that i know the menu and everything, they're making a new one. we get a new menu every two months so that we can cook seasonal foods, usually from the market in bern, for our guests. it's good, but now i get to start all over again with ingredients, how things are cooked and all the other tiny details. from november 14-15, our boss' are taking us on a wine seminar - i think to the 'süd tirol' - it's supposed to be a surprise, but people that know, talk. and gabrielle, my one boss, accidentally let something slip once during dinner. she didn't realize and would have kept going if andres didn't kick her under the table. it's going to be fun, not only getting to try all kinds of new wines, but also getting to know my co-workers a bit better. i think it's important, especially in such a small establishment with so few people working, that everyone gets along and everyone knows each other. 

that's all i've got for now. i've just been working a lot and enjoying the time i have off. starting next week i'll be on my usual schedule, which means i get sunday & monday (we're closed then) and thursday off (thursday because i'm working 80% not 100). now i'm going to go look for a laptop so that i don't always have to use theirs. :D

did i mention that we are making a thanksgiving dinner here in switzerland? it was Katrin's idea. she came to the Metzgi with vera and asked if that would be a good idea. so, on november 28th (it's the sunday after thanksgiving i believe) me, vera and marlen are going to be making a huge turkey for the entire family. with the stuffing, trimmings and the pies. it's going to be much fun, but that reminds me, this is switzerland and if grüsch wants pumpkin soup i have to reserve a pumpkin now because everything here is so seasonal that there won't be any come the end of november. it's going to be fun, sharing something that i'm used to with the rest of the family. 

hope you all had an awesome halloween, enjoy the november chilliness and thanksgiving festivities. 

i love you all to pieces.

xoxo

carolineli.

spain - the adventure.

so i just got back from spain, and what a beautiful country it is! i was in the northern part, not 20 kilometers from the french border. i went with Michi Ramseyer, his two friends Jan and Dani, their half-Russian-half-German speaking mother Venera (pronounced Vi-ni-era) and her cousin Lilly (who only came because Daniela couldn't come, which later bothered me immensely).

we took the bus from Kirchdorf, bei Münsigen, on Saturday night (september 25) and drove all through the night - which was eventful since there was a 2 year old on the bus who seemed to sense when everyone was half asleep and then started screaming. we arrived at the hotel marian on the Costa Brava in Roses at around 8 am and had some breakfast which consisted of bread, bread and bread with sugar on it. since check out time there is 11 am, the maids were still busy cleaning our rooms, so we couldn't really settle and put all our belongings into our designated rooms until around noon. the boys were excitedly playing on the beach while we women enjoyed the early morning sun and breeze - wait, no, not breeze, the wind that first morning was strong enough to blow me off my feet. my first thought was: 'i hope it won't be like this all the time!!!' eventually though, the wind stopped and we were able to put on our bathing suits (which, i must say, should have been a one piece or a tankini in Venera's case), and sun bathed.

on monday we were able to sign ourselves up for a trip with the bus - which we all attended because it was free (more on THAT later) - we went to a small town outside of Roses and walked around for a few hours. the one thing that bothered me more than anything was that the other two only wanted to go into those cheap looking stores. you know, the ones that have all those cheap, plastic toys and what not? yeah, those. it got kind of annoying after a while since i couldn't very well bring home plastic toys for people - oh well. i took the time later to go to real stores myself.

slowly, slowly the week passed and on thursday, Michi and i took a trip to Figueres. this is where the others didn't attend because getting to Figueres wasn't a 5 minute trip, so it cost a little to get there and miss 'money isn't a problem' (Venera) was totally, absolutely and completely against going because she didn't want to spend the money. this coming from the woman that's always saying 'money isn't a problem' and she didn't want to spend money on vacation - oh man, oh man! ANYWAYS! Michi had told me he was getting bored sitting on the beach all day with the other two boys tagging along everywhere we went, so he (and I) were glad for the tiny break we got from the others. even i was starting to get bored of the constant sun bathing (sorry Lin), but i mean, after a while i chewed over everything in my mind and i was starting to get carried away. so because there weren't many people headed to Figuered on thursday, we took a ratty orange, old VW bus into town. michi and i started at the market and then went back into the town centre and enjoyed the outside of the Salvador Dali museum that is featured in Figueres since Dali was from that area. michi was surprisingly interested in what Dali did and he thoroughly enjoyed looking at all his paintings, which, as you know, are sometimes hard to understand but he liked them! :D the building itself is adorned with eggs and all sorts of crazy statues, many of which were Dali's main focus in his paintings - those and that long legged elephant. (Photos below)

there is one VERY important thing that i have no yet mentioned and that is how i spent my days and nights around two Russians who, despite being able to speak german - no problem, insisted on speaking Russian to each other all the time - talk about feeling like a third wheel!! and that's not even all. the nights were relatively peaceful because the Russian words were put on hold until the next day.  then there was the problem of the early mornings...

you know when you are just waking up? it's summer and the chirping birds are slowly making their way into your conscious mind? well there was no such thing where i was at last week - you'd think i would have been enjoying the sound of the waves in the morning and the morning breeze coming in through the open window.... wrong! i once wanted to keep the door to our balcony open so we could get some fresh air throughout the night but that door was slid shut almost as soon as i opened it. and the whole thing about sounds slowly making their way into your conscious mind? yeah, no. instead, every morning, i was catapulted out of my half sleep by both of their earth crumbling, catastrophic snoring. and let me tell you, their snoring could probably wake the dead - i  swear the hotel shook at night. peaceful mornings, no? haha!

the last evening we went to bed around 11:30 pm (i fell asleep around 1:30 am due to their symphony of snores). the kiddies made some new friends, so they wanted to stay up a little later on their last night so they could fool around a bit etc etc. we got a wake up call at 5 am and, being swiss, we were all packed and ready to go right when we needed to - 5:45 am. and literally, the bus left the hotel at that exact time.

the ride home seemed to take forever because we weren't forever trying to get comfortable and go to sleep. being awake and having to wait for 12 hours until you could finally go home seemed unbearable. once we got to Geneve though, the trip went pretty fast. and so, at 4:30 pm we arrived at our final destination with that little 2 year old girl standing on the seat right behind me, all excited and yelling in my ear and shaking my seat. oh yes, what a trip it was! i think michi and i were both thinking the same thing throughout: 'man, i'm glad michi/caroline is here! i'd go crazy if he/she wasn't!!!'

and in other news - i got approved for an apartment in Rüfenacht, not far from Worb and the tram that takes me to the closest stop leaves from quite close to my restaurant, so it's perfect. you are all heartily invited to come sleep on my floor!

 crazy elephant

Dali museum - Figueres

that's that.

much love  and good night

♥ carolineli.

velotour - landschulwoche

oh man! i just got back from the landschulwoche. i went with the 9A class from Campus Muristalden in bern. the other teacher people were Matthias Blum and Mathias Kobel. both very nice men and easy to get along with. Blum is the class' class teacher and Kobel is their math teacher who volunteered (like me) to come along.

this was our route: bern to romanshorn (train) to friedrichshafen (boat) (DE) to überlingen (DE) to diessendorf to walshut (DE) to möhlin to liestal from there i took blum's car back to bern. (he had to get his car because he couldn't ride his bike anymore due to his knee - oh well.) that's 174 km!


Größere Kartenansicht


after the boat, all we did was bike - all day. some kids were fast and others barely rode at al because they just latched onto someone else and let the other person pull them. that got very annoying after a while.

all in all though, the week went by peacefully except for the students that didn't listen to rules concerning tents and not making them suddenly co-ed, and the rules on the streets where there were cars. there were moments when we were on a rather big street and the kids were biking three deep and we told them over and over again that they should bike one behind the other and they didn't listen. ❝was i like that too??❞

by this morning though, everyone was able to go up an incline whereas on Monday, most of the girls were pushing their bikes up the smallest hill. even i am now a proud hill-biker ☆

i DO however, have some amazing bruises on my lower right leg from my bike (which i borrowed from the Schmid - Jegenstorf - family. among other things). oh well - sh✻t happens. at least i feel like i accomplished something. :)

now i need to find a mattress and get some much deserved sleep. i love feeling absolutely tired.

much ♡
carolineli.

noch etwas..

Susanne asked me if i wanted to go bike riding with a class for a week - land schuhl woche - we're going from Schaffhausen all the way to Liestal, Basel, on a bike. who knows how that's going to work out. i haven't been on a bike in so long, but i'm looking forward to it because i haven't really been to that part of switzerland before and seeing it on a bike will be that much more fun because everything will go by slower ... much slower. :D

we have officially confirmed Spain. we are leaving Kirchdorf, BE, on September 25th at 20:45 and driving all night. it's a bistro bus, so if we can't sleep, we can go downstairs and eat something and chat etc. i'm excited.! i'm going to be back on October 2nd. we're headed to the Costa Brava - to Rosas - and staying in the Hotel Marian. i don't think it's a 5 * hotel, but to sleep in it'll be fine i'm sure. we're going to be at the beach and at the market most of the time, so who cares about the hotel? haha

i'm glad i've going something going on now for a while. i don't know what i would have done if i'd have had to sit around for the next 4 weeks since i start work on the 12 of october.

much love.
carolineli.

some new - some old

details about my trip so far...




july 22, 2010 - arrived in switzerland safely with nina waiting at the train station in bern for me. it's always so nice when someone is waiting for you at the end of that ramp. from  there we went to Lyss and Biel and grandma bought me some sneakers (she was in a giving mood - like always). 


i left for the farm the next day and spent 3 weeks there contemplating the pros and cons of staying in switzerland. daniela helped me figure out the pros and i knew what the cons were. first of all, there was family and friends. i know mom and dad come to switzerland more often then the rest of you, so i would see them, but i would miss you all terribly. i've never really been one to miss people, even family, so i'm sure that if you guys started trying to come visit more often, it would  help me immensely. :D there haven't been many changes there since i was there last, well i also wasn't around to pursuade Daniela to buy anything at ikea.. that all changed once we WENT to ikea. cows, cows, weird plants you have to rip out, cows, cows and more cows. thats almost what those 3 weeks consisted of and i loved every minute of it!


Chris came on august 22, and we spent a wonderful afternoon with grandpa and grandma in Lyss, drinking wine and beer and discussing about this and that. on sunday, we decided we would go to Grindelwald. originally we were going to go on monday, but the weather was SO beautiful and i wanted chris to be able to see all the Grindelwald has to offer without the clouds. we took the train all the way up to town, where we then met Nina & Davide and  his friends Daniele and Simona. Daniele cooked the first night and man that italian can cook! he and Simona brought us parmasan and a real, awesomely good, italian sausage from their town, Suzzara. the next night Nina and I made fondue, which the italians and Chris loved! we also happened to find a bottle of absinthe and a deck of cards... but thats another story completely. 


we went on the Öpfuchüechliwäg with them all and i think they all want to learn german and move to switzerland now. especially Davide and Chris. i think they were in awe of their surroundings (which is totally understandable! - i mean HELLO!!). 


we also went to the papiliorama (you know, the butterfly farm) with chris. it was so beautiful! all those colors all over the place and the butterflies just flying around and landing everywhere. i took some beautiful pictures and will share some at the end of this blog. considering i only have a lowly digital camera, some of the photos came out really well and i was mega surprised! ;)


i had started looking around for jobs the week before Chris came and was hoping to hear back from someone .. and SOON. i had left resumes at some restaurants, but a lot of people said that since it was the end of the summer season, all of their employment openings were already filled - bummer. i heard back from the Metzgerstübli a few days after i left the resume there via text when i was at Daniela's (i go there a lot now to help out in the barn - makes me feel like i'm doing something productive), i was so excited to hear back from them that i didn't really know what to do/write back. the boss man said he would call me the next day and we could get together sometime the week after for a bit of a chat. since chris and i were going to Grindelwald, i asked if thursday, august 26th, would be ok. he said sure - 10:30. so, as it would go, mom landed in Züri on thursday and needed help with her luggage due to her oozing poison ivy siutation, so chris and grandma helped her with her luggage while i went down to the Münster to have my little interview-type talk. it went really well and we agreed for me to have some trial days the next week - that would have been last wednesday and thursday the 1st & 2nd of september - and as it was, at the end of my trial evening the boss man and boss lady (Andres (res) and Gabriella) shook my hand and said: 'Welcome to the team.'!!!! WOOHOOOO!!! i had landed a job in a super nice place (mom can testify), and in a short amount of time. i signed everything yesterday and can't wait to start. Res needed someone for october because i am replacing Nicole who is going to China, so i am officially starting work on October 12, 2010, at the Metzgerstübli Restaurant, Münstergasse 60, 3011 Bern, CH! it had all worked out so well and i couldn't believe it! to top it all off, i called Daniela (she had been waiting for me to call her about the job etc etc) and she told me that during the kids' fall break she, the kids, and a friend of hers were going to Spain for a week if i would like to join them. can you imagine how excited i was about that too!! and then ... money! bummer - i haven't really been making much since i landed, and i told her as much. you know what she said? she said i could work it off - which is awesome because i have a month to work it off and i get to go to Spain - probably. 


right now, for me things couldn't be better. a lot of people are asking about my situation with Chris. we talked today and he told me he'd come after me no matter what. he wants to learn german (with mom of course since she offered, as a mini test maybe? to see how fast he can pick it up since she usually taught us when we were younger) and all is well, but time will tell. until he is ready to come here, so much can change, but i want to stay as positive as possible. we shall see what happens. 


paps : thank you so much for everything that you have done for me since i decided to stay. i know it's probably been a hassle for you (especially CVS), but i want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you did! i love you so much and appreciate everything! xo


mam : oh mom! i have no words, only that i will miss all your quirks, especially the one about the little 'schälli' everywhere! i know it isn't easy for any parent to see their child move 4'000 miles away and i want to thank you for not discouraging me tooooo much. there were some times though were i wasn't sure if you were saying things to try to help me or try to discourage me. all in all, i'm glad i'm doing it and hope that i can ALWAYS count on you and your 'schälli'! <3


michi : well i haven't talked to you much lately - at all really. but i know that you are so busy now mowing the lawn and not hearing your phone in your nice new house, that i think updates like these will be a bit easier for you. ;) definitely come visit me with Anna and Timmy one day - the visit would be even more fun with something in that pink room i heard about that's in your house. no worries - you've got a year until time runs out... :D i can't wait for your visit!!!!!!!!! <3 you more than words.


lin  : i wish i was there to celebrate your big 2-5 in style - next time hopefully. you've been amazing and i hope you come visit soon too. maybe without J? we might we able to do more.. just an idea. i love you so much and i'm sorry if you had to find some things out over FB before i could tell you personally. there has been so much going through my mind as of late that it's hard to keep track of who to call, txt, email etc etc.. you da best!


vänny : i already know what i'm getting you for your birthday... :) you'll love it. how i'm going to get it TO you might be a bit more of a puzzle. maybe for christmas .. if i can find it. vänny, vänny. you've come so far and have only just started. it's satisfying to know that you've passed the hardest part (surgeries and all) and can now look forward to an awesome last year in high school and then college. i wish i could be there for your rose ceremony in the beginning and the end of your school year - i mean... it's a ROSE CEREMONY! i never had one. :/ i'm more proud of you than words can say and i'll ALWAYS be there for you if you ever need anything..




that goes for all of you! i love you all so much and your support in this new venture of mine means the world to me. just remember that you've got a sister & child in switzerland that still wants to be in the loop - even if she is far away. <3 


much love
caroline.


now for the pictures...

brandegg & öpfuchüechli .. mmmmm!!!

on the way to brandegg...

papiliorama - by kerzers, BE

crazy awesome - papiliorama.

who knows what he turns into..

why hello there!

i love this one. even sent it to WWF.
 it looks awesome really big.

bärn - münschter

zytglogge - bärn 

p.s. : if you guys have any questions or anything - don't hesitate - mingshu64@gmail.com - i use this one most.

travels and contemplations.

it's been a while .. and a lot has happened since i last updated this blog. i've seen some and experienced even more.

i graduated (yay!), had a small graduation party which included my boyfriend, my sister and her boyfriend, mom, dad, vanessa, and nina. small and perfect. i don't need to have huge parties all the time - sometimes smaller is  better.

the day after graduation, nina and i got in the car at 7 am and started off towards Michigan. we hit traffic 10 minutes later in paterson. nj. great start - yes, i know. after the initial upset of having to sit in morning commuter traffic for half an hour, everything went smoothly until sometime in pennsylvania where we were hit with crazy fog for some odd reason because 20 minutes later the sun was shining and we were at the highest point in PA at something like 2,000 ft. pennsylvania ever so slowly finally turned into ohio where nothing truly interesting happened except that when i saw the exit for niles, oh, i thought of a friend of mine i haven't seen in years who was, at the time, in basic training - or something like that (he has since finished :D). after driving through ohio for who knows how long, Gertie (my GPS) get all excited and tells me to take the exit to Toledo/Detroit. (finally) but the journey's not over. my gas light is on, and as a jersey girl, i've never pumped my own gas (i am now an expert). so nina and i have to figure out how to do that, we survive and i drink a 5 hour energy because my eyes aren't really doing their job and staying open. after that nice long ride, we finally see detroit... and the commuter rush hour - GREAT! we're supposed to be 15 minutes from my brothers house in rochester hills, but it takes us another 45 minutes to actually get there thanks to crazy construction on rt 75 and rochester rd. well - 11 hours after we left my house, we finally make it to my brothers house, where we are expertly maneuvered into playing catch with Timmy and assaulted by Loki (their golden - pictured below - oh and the cat is juno .. or is it meow-meow now?).

my brother, mike, and his girlfriend, anna, proceed to prepare a wonderful bbq, which nina and i enjoyed immesely since our lunch consisted of a 5 hour energy, a farmer (swiss granola bar), and war heads - healthy right?

anyways, always grateful for a meal, a shower, and a bed, nina takes a shower and i proceed breaking it in the process.. i think? either way, i took another shower the next day in mike's shower because i couldn't wash my hair in Timmy's bathroom. after the shower dilema, we crash in bed and our trip has officially begun.

after that first day, we faced some crazy sand dunes at the Sleeping Bear Dunes, torrential downpours at Tims Ford State Park in Lynchburg, TN, and the longest, hottest walk i've ever made in cowboy boots in Memphis to the infamous Sun Studio where Elvis, Jerry Lee, Carl, and Johnny recorded some of their first hits in the 1950's - that studio was interesting, the walk was brutal. ever heard of Memphis heat? it's sweltering and makes you feel so disgustingly sweaty even a shower won't help. the one song that kept on blaring from my speakers from my iPod was Walking In Memphis by Marc Cohn - amazing song that actually makes most sense if you've been in Memphis and know about Beale St., Union Ave., and Graceland (by the way: Graceland tourism is a disgrace! it's terrible how people are profiting from Elvis' death. Rock in Peace (1935-1977)).

now, as for the BP issue and the world cup, which american's aren't understand how huge of a deal it is, there are only a few things i can say.

BP: i can't believe what's happening is actually happening. oh, and if sea turtles are going to be completely extinct as opposed to them being endangered, you're going to have some hard core environmentalist on your a*s about what happened. i'll be right there alongside them. here's a article from the chiago trib that explains some of it for those who aren't aware of the sea turtle issue.  

BP oil spill threatens sea turtles' ancient breeding ritual

2010 World Cup:  hell yes the swiss beat the spanish and then along came this stupid as* of a ref that was probably dropped on his head as a baby. terrible calls AND he red carded Valon Behrami - crazy man, that ref. either way, some guy in switzerland started a group called "Ich hasse Schiedsrichter Khalil Al Ghamdi (Schweiz vs. Chile)" which basically means I hate ref Khalil Al Ghamdi.after just a few hours, the group has over 47,000 fans. just goes to show.!

thats about it for now.

with love, from the graduated, caroline. xo

spring.

♥ much love

caroline

thought of all thoughts..

FINALLY beautiful weather is settling in and around NYC! it's about time. 70's & 80's. woohoo summer is finally here.

i've got some awesome things lined up for the next month or two -
my birthday on the 3rd of May
graduation on the 23rd of May (finally getting out of school after 16 years!!)
road trip with my cousin from Switzerland on 24th of May
Switzerland on the 21st of July until the end of August.

this all sounds like an awesome summer to me - work a little, have adventures and enjoy life!!

much love
caroline ♥

a tribute.

"Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you.
I loved you so -
'twas Heaven here with you."

- Ilsa Paschal Richardson

     Today, we laid to rest one of the most special young men I have had the opportunity to meet in my life. He was fun-loving, thoughtful, respectful and sweet, but most of all, the was the funnest person to be around, no matter what my mood was. No matter what, going to work, knowing he was going to be there, always lifted all our spirits.

     I have have been bestowed with many fun stories about his life before I knew him, and most of them made me laugh - that's what he did for so many people, everyone that was fortunate enough to know him. His smile was infectious, his laugh amazing, and his personality irreplaceable. There will never be another young man like him, and even if there is, I have known the first of his kind and he will live forever in my heart. I could tell stories that could make you laugh, but they wouldn't be the same because those same stories coming from him would have made you laugh to tears! He has  touched so many during his short stay in this world and many believe that we will see him again, smile with him again, and - most importantly - laugh with him again. 

     No matter whether you knew him for two months or 17 years, he had made an impression on everyone he ever met and made everyone want to be a better person. He was gracious with his love and laughter and I miss him already!

Christopher Michael Konkowski

You have touched us all and 

will live next to us in spirit forever.

October 15, 1992 - March 30, 2010

a little update..

so it's FINALLY getting a little warmer - a little more spring like. it's about time. i'm starting to get tired of the snow, slush, rain mix that we seem to be getting lately.

paris fashion week is underway - london was amazing. scantely, sequine clad models strut the runway at Balmain. (take a look at Elle's cover of it!) "Sequins, chains, leather pants, strong shoulders, military, and leopard.." (elle.com) man i wish i was there!!!!

 

 ahh yes, then there was me at the Adrienne Landau presentation during NYFW. not a very good shot, but you get the gist of what i got to do all afternoon - yes, i was VERY comfortable. 

“Mixing and layering textures, prints and colors are the way to go!” — Adrienne Landau

she definitely proved that with an amazing collection which mixed and match many different furs to create a plethora of warm, wearable furs into an amazing collection. 

"The designer proved there’s no limit to her furrier imagination, showing plenty of rabbit and mink coats while working edgier fare like a purple jaguar print into a fox chubby..." (WWD.com)

aaand i just found a pair of shoes i would just LOVE to try on!!! i think i could probably work these - no?

 

 

i definitely want to try them on ... just once... BURBERRY!

 

well that's that for now. i'm going to miss FW at bryant park in the fall -- LINCOLN CENTER HERE WE COME!!!! 

goodnight.
much love
caroline.

rip a mcQueen

"Lee Alexander McQueen (16 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was an English fashion designer known for his unconventional designs and shock tactics. McQueen worked as the head designer at Givenchy for five years before founding the Alexander McQueen and McQ labels. McQueen's dramatic designs, worn by celebrities including Rihanna and Lady Gaga, met with critical acclaim and earned him the British Fashion Designer of the Year award on four separate occasions. McQueen died at his home on 11 February 2010."

Isabella Blow - Alexander McQueen suicide connection article: McQ 

RIP Lee Alexander McQueen - you will be greatly missed! 

updates..

this is another one of those pictures from the test shoot.. i like it. this one was retouched - but not much changed. the original was colored..and the other one on the bottom is an unretouched one. i kind of like it a lot.

what else is new? well - i'm home today due to 'february fury' as the weather channel called it. about a foot and a half of new snow ... finally!!! even though i'm at the point of wanting summer again.. this whole cold, wintry wind is not for me - especially with my sisters birthday and fashion week coming up. less than 24 hours - the tents are buzzing and it's going to be AWESOME! i was just going over some things from FW SS10 and saw the FASHION'S NIGHT OUT - i didn't go last year but i am SO going to try to make it this year. woohoo!!!

so yeah, that's that.

valentine's day this weekend - he's got something planned in the city .. saturday and sunday .. it's going to be amazing. i can't wait - he mentioned the LION KING on broadway - i heard it was absolutely amazing. i'll let you know next week!!

much love.
caroline.

new pictures coming soon.

i had a test shoot for empire model management in nyc not too long ago - im picking up the pictures soon! can't wait to see them all. here is the one that was sent to me as a preview..



much love
caroline.