Happy Anniversary!

23 years ago today, Daniel and I got married in Germany in the company of our family and close friends! Many even came from the US to spend this special day with us.

As we came out of the little church in Angelmodde Dorf, the village kids had put up barriers and we had to buy our safe passage with candy and change. It was a total surprise for us!

I love this photo of Daniel and I with my grandma, who has since passed away.

Our wedding day was the hottest day since 1947 and if you look closely at the photo you can tell how very warm I was. We didn't let it dampen our sprits though in the least...

And here we are 23 years later. In some ways we have changed a good bit - our hair is more silver, we are both sporting a good number of laugh lines in our faces and I am not as super skinny as I was back then. 

But in all the essential ways we didn't only stay the same, but I'd say that we are aging quite well. And our love only grows with every year that passes! We are very lucky indeed!

Sending you much love and joy on this very special day!!

❧ Silke

Thank you!!

Thanks for all your wishes for us on our anniversary yesterday. You all are so sweet! We had a really fun day and I thought I'd share some of it with you.

We spent the morning at the beach and it was heavenly! Between our road trip, Daniel's knee surgery and the recent heat wave we had, we hadn't spent any time at the ocean. But yesterday morning, it was perfect!

Not many people

and the ocean was so calm!

Plus, the water temperatures great right now - still a little refreshing, but warm enough to stay in the water for hours if you want to.

And the air temperature under our umbrella was exactly right for reading and relaxing.

In the evening, we decided to go out for dinner, somewhere fun that had been recommended to us. The Schnitzel Shack! It was started last year by a couple where he is German and she is Thai and they offer both German and Thai food. Daniel was a little concerned (he knows I'm not a fan of the American version of German food), but I knew it would be great!

It may not sound like the most romantic way to spend our anniversary, but somehow it seemed appropriate for celebrating our marriage that spans two continents and two cultures. So, off we went!

And we were not disappointed. Phillip (you can see him behind me at the bar) greeted us. He is the owner's son and we all liked each other immediately and struck up a conversation in German. They moved to Rincon, GA from Darmstadt.

We quickly saw that this is a popular place for Americans and Germans alike! Did you see the big shelf in the first photo that is filled with beer steins? I hear that those belong to the regulars...

Speaking of beer, Phillip told us that their beer is the German Spaten draft beer, imported directly by plane from Munich. Even the equipment used to dispense the beer is imported from Germany and apparently dispenses the beer differently than US equipment does. All I can say is it tasted just like it does in Germany!

Now to the food. You can order German food or you can order Thai food OR you can do what I did and order one of their mixed dishes. Daniel went all German (and loved it!), but I ordered a Schnitzel with Thai Basil Sauce. It's good to mix things up, right?

 I could not imagine how that would taste, but it was DELICIOUS! I mean EXCELLENT!

Happy, happy!

P.S. It's hard to believe as it's been a while, but I'm actually working on some art and I'm hoping to have something to show you again soon...

Twenty Years Ago Today...

... Daniel and I said "I do" in a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony in sunny California. How young we were!

Definitely older now, but oh so happy together!

Because we also got married in Germany one month later, the only one present at our wedding in California from my family was my sweet sister, Caroline. And so, from my side of the family, she's the only one who really knows what this day was like for us!

She was even there for my bridal shower.

I think that shower was a first for both of us, Caro, wasn't it? Daniel's wonderful sisters planned it all! So much fun!

I will see you all again tomorrow! Today, I will be celebrating with my honey!

One Year!

Today is my one-year anniversary of blogging and painting!

The two go hand-in-hand for me and have changed my life in ways I find hard to put into words. My blogging started last year with this post and my first four encouraging comments that sent me on my way...

But there are not many people who know the story of how I suddenly started making art and today I want to share it with you all. I've been living with Daniel, a brilliant artist, for 25 years and while I sometimes wanted to be more creative, I never thought I wanted to paint.

In March of 2009, I was talking with an art professor at Daniel's school, who asked me if I was also an artist. I replied: "Oh, no, I'm not." The moment the words were out of my mouth, I knew they were not true for me anymore. It was that sudden and it totally surprised me. The very next day, I raided Daniel's art supply closet and started painting my blog banner, which was my very first painting.

At the same time this sudden urge to paint and create was born, I also KNEW that I had to write about it and to do so publicly. I wanted to start a blog to document my creative journey. I was as surprised by this as my friends and family must have been. In fact, I was sure some of them would think I'd lost my mind, which is why I didn't tell most of them about my blog until it was well under way and had a little bit of momentum.

I thought I'd blog to simply record my journey. Here is what I didn't expect:

❧ that my blog would become an integral part of my day

❧ that I'd forge deep and lasting friendships through my blog

❧ that I'd find such an incredible community of mutual support, love, and encouragement

❧ that I am able to write in a way that people like to read

❧ that my dad would become my No. 1 fan (aside from Daniel, of course)

❧ that some people dear to me hardly ever read my blog and others I never thought would be interested, check it every day

❧ that I'd start looking at everything differently, always wondering if it would make a good picture to share with you all or an interesting subject to post about

❧ that you are always on my mind, that I'd care so deeply about your lives, and that I'd happily share in your joys and keenly feel your pain

❧ that I'd be so affected by the death of one of our dear blogging friends

❧ that I'd learn so much and find so much inspiration from all my new friends around the world

❧ that our house would slowly start getting filled with not just our art, but also yours

❧ that I'd inspire others to start their creative journeys or to start blogging

❧ that I'd have so much fun both with my art and blogging and that the two will be forever inextricably linked

To say I am grateful to you would not fully describe how I feel about this year. I am humbled and deeply touched by your friendship, your love and the support you have given me in the over 5,000 comments you have left, the e-mails you have sent, the notes you have mailed and the gifts you have bestowed on me. I feel immense love for all of you!

Since my blogging and my art are so firmly connected, just a little bit about my art this last year. Since I started painting one year ago, I have created 83 pieces of art. Of those 83, all have of have been extremely fun to make, but the following seven paintings changed the way I view myself.

They seemed to paint themselves ...
and my soul in the process.

With each one of them -

I am showing them here from the most recent to the earliest -
I started considering the possibility that I might have a talent.

Now, when someone asks me what I do, I don't hesitate when I tell them that I am an artist.

Thank you for your constant encouragement, support and love. Thank you for accompanying me on my journey! And thank you for allowing me to accompany you on yours!

Love and Marriage

Daniel and I had two weddings 19 years ago, one month apart - in the US in July and then in Germany on August 4. In Germany we were married in a beautiful 800-year-old church and got to participate in all the local customs. When we exited the church, the local children had blocked our way with baskets on ropes, three in all, and in order to get through we had to pay - either coins or candy.
Friends had surprised us with a horse-drawn carriage and on the way to the reception, we had to stop once to dance in the street and then again to feed the horses for good luck and an abundant life.
One of the most special parts of our wedding in Germany was that my great-uncle, a priest, married us. He had already married my grandparents, my parents, and had baptized us children. Ours was the last wedding he performed before he passed away some years later. He was one of my favorite people.
And now, 19 years later, our life together is still filled with love and happiness. I am so grateful!!

Wishing you all much love and happiness in your lives!

P.S. We were married on the hottest day since 1942...or 1947 - I don't remember, but it was HOT and no air conditioning anywhere. The restaurant staff marveled at the fact that more water was consumed at our wedding than beer - unheard of! And still, people stayed, visited and danced until the wee hours of the morning...

Happy Anniversary!

I dedicate this post to my incredible, loving, inspiring, talented, very patient and handsome husband of 19 years today! He truly is my best friend. I was thinking of doing a long and deep post, but I don't feel deep today. I simply feel happy.
To celebrate the occasion, I did this painting, which was somewhat of an experiment. (I tried to take photos that showed the colors correctly, but it was hard). I played around with heavy gel medium for the waves and also the sky and houses. It gave it really great layers and texture (which again reminds me of our marriage).
I also discovered that when I use a thinner layer of gel medium, you can still see the background through it. You can see it in the sky - all the color is from the first paint layer, under the gel medium. I used a plastic knife to get the wave texture and really love how it looks.
And here a couple of pictures from our wedding in California. This was our first wedding - the second one was in Germany a month later. We got married outdoors followed by a potluck - it was a perfectly happy day filled with love, family and friends! We were so young... (and my hair was still so long and dark!)

Wishing all of you much happiness!!