2013 recap

Happy New Year everyone!!!

What a fantastic year 2013 has been. Going through all the photos and events to ad to this recap has been fantastic. Great to realize how much I have actually done... time passes quickly but it is good to stop and focus on what I have done and not only on the things I have not been able to do or finish!

As you know I am a visual person and words are not my strong side... what better than summarize my year in photos rather than words:)

Peace within - my goal for 2013

My goal for the year was "Peace within". I wanted to find peace within myself independent of what situation I ended up in. I wanted to minimize irritation, anger and frustration and meet life content and with a peaceful mind. One of my big learnings from 2012 was to listen to my own intuition; to listen to it, to trust it and to act on what I heard... so I used that skill... and it works...  it took me down the right track :-)

I have been living in Aotearoa - New Zealand, the fantastic country of green rolling hills, fern trees and laid back people, who takes life not too serious...
...perfect place to search for my own peace!

We lived just by the Pacific Ocean in a beautiful and inspiring place called Mount Maunganui...

My life is all mostly about my family. My life partner since 15 years, Simon (the guy on the left!!), that I love deeply and my 3 wonderful children that inspires me and keeps me on my toes:-)

We lived in great place just across from the kids' school.
This is my kitchen table and the school across the road!

I had the first... but not last... girls weekend with my daughter Meya...

...we built a tree hut...

and we experienced a very strong earthquake. Magnitude 6.5!!! Scary!!!

I packed school lunches 200 times!!

I celebrated my birthdays in the bush...

...Max birthday on the beach...

...Meya's birthday in her favorite restaurant...

...Simon's birthday in our own heaven... our batch in Ohiwa...

...and Lucas birthday in bed:-)

I started to take "selfies"!

We visited an active volcano Island that had an outbreak not long after!!!...

...spent heaps of time with my youngest, Max, on the beach...

...practiced yoga, played beach volleyball and finished 2 tough mountain biking races.

I tried to keep my peculiar Swedish traditions alive...

...and I painted, painted and painted!

My first paintings 2013, Stillness and Listen, set the direction for the year. I wanted to find peace within (Stillness) and the way to find it was to listen to my inner voice!

I participated in 10 group exhibitions...

...had one solo exhibition - "Life is a Journey"...

...had my art projected on skyscrapers in New York...

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...and won the People's Choice Award with my painting "I Have a Dream" :-)

I painted my biggest painting so far... a 7x3 m (23x10 feet) mural backdrop for a primary school hall...

...I did 2 live painting performances...

...and got my art printed on different product such as bags, iPhone covers and throw pillows.

I exhibited all the kids art from my art classes in a local gallery together with
my good friend and artist Joyce van der Leley...

...and we captured all the art and great moments of the classes and exhibition

in a book for the kids... they were soooo proud:-)

I did a total makeover of my web and blog, www.flowbyjenny.com!

I started the planning and did some test filming of my painting process for an on-line class that I hopefully will have time to finish and launch during 2014! Keep updated by liking me on Facebook or sign up to my newsletter.

...and do you know what? In parallel with all this I found some peace within myself. I am less frustrated and I live much more in the moment than I have ever done before.

To live in peace with myself is a of course a continuing job... but I definitely got much more peaceful during 2013.  I have come a long way this year and the focus and determination will take me even further!!

Me and my family are going through huge changes at the moment, moving from New Zealand back to Sweden and my practice of staying peaceful and living in the moment is put to the test! So far so good...
...I will let you know how it is going:-)

Thank you for bearing with me and reading to the end:-)
Please leave a comment. They are very much appreciated.

Love to you all and happy 2014!!!