Ending 2015 the same way it started – with friends and the absolute best cast there is!
“Who’s to say
What’s impossible
Well they forgot
This world keeps spinning
And with each new day
I can feel a change in everything
And as the surface breaks reflections fade
But in some ways they remain the same
And as my mind begins to spread its wings
There’s no stopping curiosity.”
I ended 2014 with a big dream coming true – meeting the Teen Wolf Cast in Dusseldorf, Germany for the very first time. And I ended 2015 exact the same way. Not all the guests from 2014 have been present, but the both most important indeed were. Tyler Hoechlin and Ian Bohen.
Two men who made my year 2015 absolutely unforgettable and a dream come true. I know I keep saying this but… every time I meet them at a convention they manage to top the experience from the last time. Don’t ask me how they do it LOL
Teen Wolf has been an incredible huge part of my year 2015, for several different reasons. Not only because I got to meet the Cast of this wonderful show, no, it also brought new people into my life that I wouldn’t want to miss anymore.
Of course I also lost a few people during this year, but that’s how life goes. People come and go, and some of them stay a little longer, other don’t. And those who don’t do it for several different reasons. I lost friends in 2015 but also gained new ones. And some even became more than just friends… they became family. For that I’m eternally grateful.
Brussels with Cess, Angel, Lena, Simone, Anke and Matthias
So many people have made 2015 an absolute success. Work has been going rough but I still love to do it. I love my colleagues. I love my work. I got to travel around Europe a bit. I got to see part of Birmingham, got to see a little bit of Amsterdam and Brussels. Got to see a bit more of Dusseldorf as well. And most of all… I got to see Airports LOL So many Airports. But it’s been exciting and thrilling. I don’t wanna miss one minute of it.
I had the pleasure to attend five Teen Wolf Conventions in the past 12 months. I got to meet almost the whole cast, some of them for several times. And I swear to god I saw Ian Bohen more than my own mother in those 12 months haha
Hugging Ian Bohen.
I can’t thank my friends enough for being a part of this incredible adventure. Of putting up with me fretting about a certain someone all the time. Can’t thank them enough for sharing my passion and love for this show. But also for a lot of other things as we moved further together as a group of people.
2015 has been a year with a lot of ups and downs. Few of my friends had rough patches and hard times which we pulled trough together. I had rough times and phases as well in which they held my hand and guided me trough the storm. All in all I can say 2015 has been a year of friendship – old and new.
Meeting new people is always exciting and thrilling, but most of the time it’s the “old ones” that make the difference in a storm. I’m thankful for all my friends and mutuals – not matter how long we know each other already. And I hope each and every one of you know how thankful I am for you. I’ve said it a few times already, but I can’t really say it enough – THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!
With Jennifer, Lena and Steffi ❤ Lena and I right before meeting Tyler Hoechlin O_O
Also a huge THANK YOU to the whole Teen Wolf cast who has made the year absolutely unforgettable.
A Tyler Posey for being the adorable puppy he is, so crazy and inspiring, so fresh and unique.
A Colton Haynes for always making me smile and gasp in amazement whenever he laughs about himself. We all shouldn’t take ourselves so serious from time to time. Colton has become such a source of inspiration.
Eaddy Mays for being so absolutely lovely and stunning, so honest and strong.
JR Bournefor being the absolute sweetest and hilarious person I’ve ever met. Unbelievable.
Ian Bohen for being a constant source of inspiration, honesty, truth and laughs. So passionate, so talented and gifted. A unique character I absolutely love to meet.
Ryan Kelley and Tyler Hoechlin @ HowlerCon 2015
Ryan Kelley, the best hugger of all. I never met anyone who loves to hug as much as Ryan. Be my spirit animal, Ryan. XD
Holland Roden, so sweet and so flawless. So funny and adorable and stunningly beautiful.
Daniel Sharman, so silly, so raw and so passionate. Absolute pleasure and dream come true.
Orny Adams– so much laughs, oh so many laughs.
Max Carver, I am so, so thankful for this guy for several different reasons. So down to earth, lovely, kind and sweet. A wonderful addition to every event, just as Charlie Carver. Best twins ever.
Keahu Kahuanui – so sweet, so kind, so full in inspiration and dreams.
Gage Golightly – so wonderfully kind and pretty.
And last but most definitely not least…. Tyler Hoechlin. Absolute sweetness, kind, loving, attentive and always so supportive. Words can not express what he has done for me in the past years, 2015 especially. Forever grateful.
Can’t wait for 2016 and I’m hoping to see my friends again. And if I’m lucky to meet this cast as well ❤
This is the second edition of, well not really a series, but something I need to get off my chest. Not many people actually read this blog so it’s most of the time only for myself. A while back I wrote a post about another person who inspires me deeply, Ian Bohen. (Read it here.) Funny enough Ian Bohen is actually a very good friend of the person I wanna talk about today.
I think most of you know him from his role as Derek Hale from MTV’s Teen Wolf. I know Tyler from a show called 7th Heaven. When I was a teenager the show was really popular in Germany and Tyler’s character Martin Brewer quickly became one of my favorites. That was about ten years ago.
Today Tyler has been in a few movies and other TV Show’s. His last big project has been his role as Derek Hale on MTV’s Teen Wolf.
But I don’t wanna talk about Tyler’s movies here, I wanna talk about why he’s an incredible inspiration for me.
Getting to know more of Tyler has shown me that he is not just a pretty face, a sexy body and a good actor. No… he is a lot more.
Before I met Tyler for the first time last december I had heard a lot things about him. Things like
“He’s so sweet.” “He’s an actual beam of sunshine.” “He’s the sweetest person ever.” “He’s never rude.” “Tyler never says something bad about anyone” (actually something one of his cast-mates said about him.)
And I thought, well, okay. But you know, sometimes the things you hear about a person are not exactly true. And I was a little scared that my little picture I had of him would be destroyed after meeting him. But that wasn’t the case, because… all the things I heard about Tyler are true. He is sweet, nice, friendly and very thoughtful. He is an actual beam of sunshine.
I was very nervous meeting him for the first time and he just smiled and said, “No reason to be nervous.” Meeting him again a few weeks ago… has been an absolute blessing.
Tyler makes me wanna change things. He inspires me to be a better person. He inspires me to keep holding on when I feel like letting go. He inspires me to change little things in my life, to look at things from a different perspective. He inspired me to not judge quickly. He inspired me to love more. He thrives me to always be better, to never stop, to always try to… climb another step higher. He makes me smile. He makes me laugh. He moves me to tears. He taught me life-lessons through his roles, his characters. His gratitude, love and passion inspire me. His kindness.
He gives me hope and courage. He inspires me to believe in myself, to trust myself. To love myself. He keeps me thriving.
“Never be afraid to fail. Persistence. Keep working and always get better at what you are doing.”
“Be who you are, don’t pretend. Be the best of who you are!”
“Everyone has embarrassment to go trough. It’s always for a reason.”
“A smile is the best gift from a fan.”
“I was raised religious. I was raised Christian. And there is a lot of edgy topics and things that go on with religion, but to me the most important thing is that the first thing is that you’re supposed to love everyone the same and not judge anyone.
Technically, we’re all the same. And everybody makes mistakes. So no one s better than another person.”
“Judge none and love all!”
Those are a few of my favorite quotes by Tyler to draw you a little picture of why he is such an inspiration to me. And all I can say is… if you get the chance to meet him, take it. Even if you’re not a fan of his shows/roles… just do it. He’s such a wonderful and nice person. A lot people could learn a few things from him.
I think this little video a few fans made for him for his birthday (last year) says it very clearly though. Take a few minutes and take a look 😉 Thank you, Tyler!
Last month I had the chance to meet Tyler once again and decided to submit something to his fanbook. And my message was really simple and yet, told everything I had, everything I wanna tell him (but can’t because I’d start crying like a baby >.<)
Thank you for being an inspiring person. Thank you for giving me the thrive to always be better, for keeping me going. Thank you for all the smiles and the laughs. Thank you for all the tears. Thank you for all the life lessons I learned trough your roles – like, to never touch a dead Grizzly Cub 😉 Sorry! XD Thank you for all the love and the passion. Thank you for Derek Hale. Thank you for all the upcoming movies and projects you’ll tackle. Thank you for giving us hope and courage. Thank you for… being you!
My last Blog Post has been quiet some time ago, and I’ve been planning to do this post since weeks. But I finally sat down and I’m ready to share my experiences at WolfCon earlier this month.
(Picture is not mine.)
To say that I was excited for WolfCon would be a lie. After meeting most of the Teen Wolf Cast back in December at Lunar Eclipse, I was absolutely stoked to meet some of them again in Amsterdam. But another reason for my excitement was the way the whole Team of the convention handled the procedures before the actual event.
Where other conventions simply announce one guest after the other, WolfCon chose to make the whole thing a little more exciting. So we had to solve quizzes, puzzles even could go on a scavenger hunt (if you lived in the Netherlands :p). It was really exciting and I soon found myself drawn into it. Every solution would lead to another and in the end reveal the last and final guest. It’s been very exciting and never have I seen another Convention do anything like that. It’s been really fun.
Now that all guests were revealed, Ian Bohen, Holland Roden, Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Kelley, Max Carver, Charlie Carver, Dylan Sprayberry and JR Bourne. I dream line-up for me, personally. Sadly, and things like that do happen all the time, two of these actors had to cancel very shortly before the convention. One of them being JR Bourne. I was devastated, to say the least. JR was one the cast members I haven’t met before and I’ve been so excited to finally meet him, especially together with Tyler and Ian. And most of all… I already had bought a lot of Op’s with him. But that’s how life goes and sometimes not all dreams come true right away. After JR, sadly also Dylan had to cancel. Which left us with Ian Bohen, Holland Roden, Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Kelley, Max and Charlie Carver! Still an amazing line-up.
Going to Amsterdam by plane left me a little nervous. I haven’t been flying in years, so even the barely one hour trip was a little too much for me. But luckily everything went well and we landed sound and safe in Amsterdam. I’ve been excited to go there because I had heard many positive things not only about the people, but also the city itself.
Just like in Dusseldorf we arrived a day before the registration day which left us some time to do some sight-seeing. Well… we tried. Little did we know that the places we wanted to go to (Van Gough Museum and Anne Frank House) were literally tourist magnets. The waiting lines were way too long for us to be willing to get in line and wait for hours until it might be our turn. So we left again, but did enjoy the nice weather and the things we’ve seen from the city anyway.
Friday. Registration day. After being back from sight-seeing we settled down into the lobby, patiently waiting until registration would take place. Quickly did we spot a few familiar faces and soon hugs and laughs were exchanged, just as plans to meet up again later that evening. Registration itself went pretty smooth even though I had to exchange all my vouchers I got for my OP’s with JR and Dylan.
After we had figured that out we waited for our friends from Germany to arrive. Janni and Lena we met on Twitter. Janni is one of the first Ian Bohen fans I had met – ever, and also co-owner of HaleYeaIanBohen. Lena I got to known as a very sweet and super talented painter, now a very dear friend. Following registration we had a quiet sweet group together and we decided to go out for a drink together, have some fun, laugh and catch up.
Saturday. Saturday morning we finally got our schedule for the Convention and I would be lying if I said that our group of friends wasn’t a little disappointed. Only seven panels for the whole weekend and a lot of time in between that has not been filled. But I decided to let things come and see how they would turn out.
After the opening ceremony all the guests were introduced to the stage and the whole room went insane. Everyone was excited and ready to have some fun, including the guests. Following the opening ceremony was the first round of autographs, which we decided to sit out because we actually wanted some of our photo’s with the guests signed, also the pictures proved by the Con (which you could buy to get them signed) were running short. So the first thing: pictures with Ian and Tyler. I instantly felt thrown back into the situation back in december where those two had been my first pictures are well. I took Ian first, which went pretty smooth. And Tyler second. My planned hug with Ian didn’t turn out how I wanted it – because I didn’t ask LOL But hugging Tyler had been great.
Following the photos, or rather at the same time, was the Panel with Max and Charlie Carver. The twins were the biggest surprise for me. I loved seeing them on stage. Their panel was filled with so much fun and silliness, absolutely great. After that I had quiet a bit time because I had decided to take my Double Photos on Sunday as well, because Ryan sadly only managed to be there one day – Sunday.
Mid-afternoon we finally got one of my favorite Panels. Ian and Tyler. Those two together are always a pleasure and they’re so much fun. I even managed to get all my courage together and ask them a question. Nothing too special, but still.
All in all was Saturday a rather slow and quiet day. My highlight was most definitely the M&G with, first, Tyler and then Ian. Even though the M&G with Tyler basically was me trying not to break out in tears for like thirty minutes straight. While he kept talking about Teen Wolf and his plans now that he, basically, exited the show, as well as him prep-talking us to never give up on dreams and hopes, as well as people telling him how his role as Derek, and TW in general had helped them made me so emotional that I teared up for quiet a few times. When his PA then asked me if I got a question, because I’ve been quiet the whole time, I just said, “NOO!” and when she asked if I was sure, I just nodded several times, “Yes. Sure.” So, that’s how you embarrass yourself in front of your idol. 101 by me. I surely would’ve come up with a question but then I would’ve teared up again and start crying in front of like 20 other people, not to speak of Tyler. At the end of the M&G I just thought, “Thank god. You didn’t cry. That’s good.” until Tyler announced, “Hugs!” and my face just fell and my heart toppled over. I sat first in the circle so I was the one he hugged first and there the tears showed up again. But I made it safely out of the room. No tears for Tyler… yet.
After the M&G for Tyler I went back down into the main hall where I found my friend Janni. Knowing that she had a M&G with Ian as well I asked her if she wanted to go with me today. I knew I had another M&G with Tyler the next day and most definitely couldn’t handle them both together the following day. Janni agreed and few minutes later we were meeting Mr. Bohen.
Both of us were very excited to meet and talk to him and as usual Ian was being his amazing and wonderful self. Very nice and kind, very eager to share new things about his upcoming short film “The Tow” and happily gushing about his friend, JR Bourne. Something that made me giggle the whole time. My emotions were a bit more calm with Ian, even though I also teared up during something he said, sadly I can’t remember anymore what exactly it was. Seeing him during this half an hour made me very nervous and yet excited for the next day when we were supposed to hand him our fan-project.
After the M&G’s the first day was almost over and soon we found ourselves back in our room to get ready and meet up with our friends again. This time we decided to stay in the hotel and simply to go the bar. A whole evening with lots of laughter, jokes and fun began. It’s been absolutely amazing to meet people I haven’t met in person before and to bond and tighten friendships. An absolute silly and yet sweet video for the missing JR Bourne was born as well, as well as my blue shins after. But it’s been amazing and such a pleasure. The most fun I had in quiet a while. And I’m thankful for every second. Also we got to see all the guests again for a moment as they excited the evening activity later that afternoon.
Sunday. Sunday promised to be a very busy day from the very beginning. I had to squeeze in all my pictures I still had to make, just as two more M&G’s.
But the first thing was handing in our fan-project to Ian Bohen. For that we were allowed to get into the Autograph signing a little earlier than the others (together with the VIP Pass holders.) We had finished up our fan-calendar the night before and I was actually very nervous to hand it to him. All of a sudden everything was really rushed and there we stood in front of him. All three of us, nervous and I (for my part) kind of confused. We explained to him what we did and he actually scrolled a little bit trough it, reading the “BohenPups” title, which made me snicker a little. We watched him look trough it for a moment and he told us that he really loved it and couldn’t wait to look trough it later on. Then he got up and hugged us all pretty tight. Later someone else (who had been seeing us handing him his gift) said that he looked really moved and sincerely happy. It’s been our first fan project and I surely lost a few years of age during the process, but finally we made it and I can only hope Ian enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed making it.
After handing Ian his gift we got in line for all our autographs. This would be my first real interaction with the Carver twins. My friends kept telling me how amazing they were and I can also second that. Very sweet and very nice, both of them. Charlie wanted to write something in german on my Autograph so I had to pronounce “Kuesse” to him, “Kisses” in english. That’s been fun. As for Max. He wrote a sweet message in dutch, and an english translation underneath it, which I did not see at first. So I asked him how am I supposed to know what he wrote there and he just stared at me, so I said that I’m not dutch. He gasped and said, “You are not dutch? Where are you from?” I him that I’m from Germany and then I saw the english translation so I told him it’s gonna be alright, but he just playfully groaned and took my picture back. “You’re just saying that…” he said with a smirk and tried to come up with something in german he could write underneath. I was beet-red by then LOL I didn’t want to bring him in such a situation. I kept telling him that it’s okay, but he didn’t wanna hear it. In the end I got a “Ich liebe dich” (I love you!) and he looked up to me, waiting for approval so I said, ” Yes. Perfect” and he added a “Yay!” underneath. XD So… that’s how I met Max Carver for the first time LOL
Next was Holland and Ryan. Latter super tired from having arrived only the day before. But it’s always a pleasure to meet him. We high-fived on both being tired. He was in a good mood, which I liked to see because I would see him a few more times that day. And of course Ian was still up as well. He was very nice, just like he always is. I asked him if he could hand JR the birthday present I made with a few more people and he promised me he would make sure JR would get it. I hope it reached its destination XD
Last one for the autographs was Tyler Hoechlin. Tyler, the person I couldn’t talk to at all at the Lunar Eclipse Convention. But I had set myself the goal to talk to him this time, and I had to because I got him a little present.
A few weeks earlier my friend Amy and I came up with the idea of giving him a cute little stuffed shark seeing that Tyler is actually afraid of sharks. So I bought this guy for him and a bag of candy he loves. I walked up to his table and he smiled at me before he read my name. He actually said something about but I don’t remember, I only know that I said that it’s easy to remember. After he signed my picture with him from the day before I told him that I heard that he’s afraid of sharks and that I decided to give him a cute one so he wouldn’t have to be scared anymore. He took the little guy and said, “If they all looked like this I would search them.” He really liked him apparently. He was all smiling and happy and looking at the shark and back to me. Then I gave him the candy and my letter when his PA took the shark and held it close, cuddling it and asked if she could keep him so I just said, “Noo.” and shook my head. XD Tyler seemed to sincerely happy about the toy and the candy (seeing that he had to tease Ian with it right away.) I thanked him and for that my autograph session with Tyler was done.
Later my friend Amy (who was up with the autographs after me) saw that our shark was still sitting on Tyler’s table so she told him that it’s been her idea as well. Tyler had smiled and said the he loved it and that he would take him to the beach. That made me really, really happy.
After the autographs, I had another photo with Tyler (who actually remembered my name lol). And two more with Ian, one of which with my dear friend Angel. One of my favorite pictures ever.
We once again got a panel with Max and Charlie and somehow this time the Panel got out of control pretty quickly. I walked up to the Mic to ask them something and my friend Lena was in line with me. Meanwhile someone asked Charlie if he could dance (I’m not sure anymore what the exact question was) and it took only a few seconds until “Uptown Funk” was playing trough the room (from my friends phone) and Charlie had to dance…well it was more a striptease dance. Max, being himself sat in his chair afterwards, all proud and happy that he somewhat had embarrassed his brother and I couldn’t help myself. I was up with a question next and before I knew what was happening I asked him if he could dance too. The whole room was screaming. Max….not so much. LOL But he did it. A hilarious, funny and overall amazing dance. I had so, so much fun during this panel. Our other friend got to rap the Alphabet Aerobics right into Max’ microphone. Another highlight.
After that Panel I had my double photo’s with Tyler/Ian and Tyler/Ian. Which turned out great and Tyler once again proved what a sweetheart he is. Following the pictures came the M&G with Ryan. At first we thought we’re only two people but soon the room filled and we were around seven in the end. A really nice and small group of people. Ryan was very excited and kept teasing us about the future of his character, Parrish. Said that the upcoming season would be really good for Parrish and that we finally would find out what kind of supernatural creature he is. But no probing and tricks got him to slip and give us a clue as on what Parrish is. I loved meeting Ryan again. He was my highlight back in Dusseldorf and he is just such a sweet and kind guy.
Next up on my list were my photo’s with Charlie Carver, of whom I had two but no idea what to do. He suggested we do one first (hug) and then figure out the next. But all his suggestions I didn’t like. So we talked back and forth for a while until we settled on another hug (but different pose) haha I’m so sorry, Charlie. I really am. XD Following Charlie were my pictures with Ryan. Two again. My first choice with Ryan was a hug, because a) he gives amazing hugs and b) he loves hugs. I told him I want a hug and he responded “I love hugs.” so I just said, “I know you do.” and hugged him.
From my pictures I had to hurry back down for the Tyler M&G, scared that they might already had called it and I might have missed it. But I was in luck. This time it was a rather small M&G. Just as with Ryan we were only a few people, around ten maybe. M&G’s with Tyler are always a very special thing, especially for me. And that day I didn’t even tear up (okay, once) but I actually could take part in the conversation. Tyler asked us all in the beginning from which country we’re from (he did that the day before as well) and when he stopped with me he was like, “I know… Germ…. Austria.” and I just shook my head and he kept thinking, until his PA said, “Trust your instinct” and then he immediately said, “Germany!” Which is correct. He’s too cute. I really enjoyed this M&G because it was a little more intimate and more face-to-face. He shared more about his future plans, auditions, what kind of roles he is looking for right now and so on. It’s been really interesting and I loved listening to him. His PA (again, but this time quietly) asked me if I got a question, but this time I was really fine. No question. Nothing. Everything was perfect. When the M&G ended one of the girls asked for a hug and he was like, “Sure. I would’ve done so anyways.” and he hugged everyone. I was pretty much the last I think and he walked up to me, smiling and said, “Hey Trixi. It’s been so nice to meet you.” (or something along these lines, I don’t remember his exact wording) and hugged me. Me -> Trying hard not to break out crying. He did so many small things throughout this sunday. He made my convention absolutely perfect. A dream come true.
After the M&G the closing ceremony took place and everyone had to say goodbye. This is always the hardest part for me. Not only do you have to say goodbye to the guest, but most of the time also to your friends. Luckily I had the chance to hang out a little longer with a few of them, but to my Amy and Angel I had to say goodbye right away. Which made me cry. Tears that had been coming such a long time. But it’s been a mixture of happy and sad tears.
All in all it’s been an absolutely fantastic convention. And I’m so so happy we decided to go. It’s been a blast. I had so much fun, full-filled dreams and got to do it with my friends by my side. Can’t get any better than this.
After the Con officially ended we actually sat in the hotel restaurant and shared some memories, looked at pictures and just enjoyed our time together before everyone would have to leave and part their ways. It’s been an amazing adventure and I can’t wait for the next convention to come.
It’s been a month exactly since I posted about Orca’s and how I came to love this absolutely magnificent animal. This post led me to another wonderful thing. Adopting an Orca.
Coming across the internet page of the Whale Museum in Washington (State) was pure coincidence. And never had I heard about the opportunity of adopting an Orca before, because… well, obviously they are wild animals and how are you supposed to adopt? Well, via the Whale Museum you can.
I was totally excited about this and wanted to start right away. So I sat down and linked by friend Becky to the page (where all the animals where listed, each pod you could choose from). It has been written by the site owners that it would be great to adopt an individual that’s similar to yourself, for example in age.
A few days prior Becky and I had been watching a movie called “The Whale” which documented the life of the Orca Luna, who lost his family in a cove near Puget Sound, Washington State. Luna never found his family again so he started to make friends with the people living in and around this cove. An absolutely incredible movie, providing pictures we’ve never seen before but also showing how humans inferred and how business makes things even more difficult.
Anyways. Luna belonged to the Southern Resident Orcas, a very special kind of killerwhales. The L-Pod to be exact. The L-Pod was also up for adoption when Becky and I looked over the site from the Whale Museum, trying to find the right whale to adopt for me. But neither of the L-Pod seemed to fit, so I turned to the J-Pod. J-Pod is a pod of 27 Orcas (currently with TWO new calves. One born in late December, 2014 – J-50 and the other earlier this month, J-51). The southern Residents are fish-eating group of Orcas, divided in three pods. L, J and K-Pod.
Naturally Mike, J-26, caught my eye at first, followed by Blackberry, J-27. Both adult Killer Whale Bulls and absolutely beautiful. Both of them 24 years old, close to my own. Remember the advice of choosing an animal in your own age range. Well, I’ve always been a rebel. Looking further I settled on Echo, J-42, and Star, J-49. I wrote Becky and said, if, I wanted to adopt one of those.
Before I could even decided and settle on a whale Becky wrote me that she was going to adopt Notch, J-47, a 5-year-old male orca. A little boy. I was actually pretty surprised to hear that she wanted to participate. Of course she had been all in with me, watching Orca documentaries with me (“Blackfish”) among them, but still Orcas have always been my passion. Hearing that she would adopt Notch made me unbelievably happy. I was ecstatic.
While Becky had chosen Notch (read her Blog Post about adopting him here.) I was still torn between Echo and Star. In the end I chose Echo, a 8-year-old female. Echo is said to be very playful, silly and active. That seemed like a good fit for me. Later we even found out that Notch and Echo often play together – another good fit for Becky and I.
The Southern Resident Orca’s a endangered species because their main food source, the Chinook salmon is heavily overfished.
The smallest and most well known group is the Southern Resident clan (J, K and L pods) whose population is currently in decline. The Southern Residents frequent the inland waters of Washington State and southern British Columbia. Their diet consists mostly of salmon with an obvious preference for Chinook (King/Spring). The Southern Residents are commonly seen from June-September. J pod is often observed in the region’s waters year-round. During the winter, members of K and L pods have been seen well off the west coast of Vancouver Island and as far south as Monterey, California. The Southern Residents are the main focus of the Orca Survey project.
The Orca Adoption Program supports the ongoing research, education and outreach on behalf of the Southern Residents. More information.
Ever since we adopted out whales it has been an absolute pleasure to hear new news about J-Pod and their families. The arrival of the two new calves J-50 (a female) and J-51 (gender is not known yet.) has been absolutely amazing. I hope they’ll stay safe and become strong young whales. Especially J-50 is close to my heart, because she is Echo’s half sister.
If you love Orcas and wanna support them…adopt an Orca 😉
Everything started with this guy. This is Keiko. A orcinus orca, better known as a Orca, or Killer Whale. Keiko became famous trough a movie called “Free Willy” I’m very sure we all have seen this movie back when we were kids. I did. And with that movie a huge love started…
My love for Orcas. Ever since that movie I was interested in these animals. As a kid of course you don’t entirely understand the whole concept of Orca’s being held captive and what it even means for them. But I loved Keiko and I followed his story. I even wrote a paper about him for my biology class once. Back then Keiko had just passed away after spending several years in the wild (more or less). Keiko has been a very unique whale who made a absolutely incredible journey after staring in “Free Willy”. You can watch a documentary about his journey here “Keiko’s Journey Home”
Besides that Keiko has passed away, he has spent a few years back into the open water, the waters he has been born in. He might have never been able to be away from humans too long (simply because he was used being close to them all his life) – but I’m sure he did enjoy swimming in the cold water again. Keiko has been home.
But let me tell you something about Orcas. They live in very tight-knit families. A female always leads such families, called pods. Orca families stay together ALL their life. Only adult males sometimes leave those pods. Every part of the family helps raising the calves. Brothers. Sisters. Grandma’s. Every Orca family has their own series of clicks, sounds and cries which they use to communicate with each other. They each have their very own “dialect” so to speak, which only happens to be “spoken” in their pod. They can communicate with each other over miles. No dialect will appear twice, maybe similar, but never the same.
Each family of Orca’s also has their very own hunting techniques. Depending on where they live they feed on either fish or maybe other mammals, like seals or even penguins. Orca’s pass their hunting techniques on to their calves. Confronted with a new situation (for example a seal on an ice floe they quickly develop a new hunting technique. Orcas a very intelligent and smart hunters. It’s absolutely amazing to see different pods hunt in different kind of ways.
In the wild female Orcas can live up to 80-90 years. Males around 29, up to 50-60. Female Orcas mature with an age of 15, males as well, but usually don’t re-produce until they’re 21. That’s how it looks like in the wild… captivity though – not at all.
Orca’s a highly social and they have a very strong sense of family. To be parted from their pods is traumatic for them. Sadly… some Orcas have to suffer exactly this fate.
Some of you might have heard about “Blackfish” – a movie that premiered in 2013. “Blackfish” tells the story of a Orca Whale named Tilikum, who got “popular” as he killed his trainer back in 2010. But Blackfish doesn’t only tell Tilikums story and how everything led up to this incident – no. It also gives an insight on how captivity changes an Orca. How they suffer from being parted from their families, their home waters and how pairing them up with “strange” Orca’s isn’t the same as family.
Holding an Orca captive is the worst thing you could do and the more I read, hear and watch about how they get treated there, the more I wanna scream and shout. Nothing about this is natural and good. Almost everything goes against their natural behavior. And it makes me sad to realize that the business even keeps “incidence” (like the death of another trainer) hidden a secret, just because it might damage their ticket sells. Money is worth more than a life, no matter if human or orca. It’s tragic and absolutely terrifying.
Please, take a moment and watch this movie. But don’t stop there. If you’re just as a shocked and mad about it as I was, as I still am, go sit down and start reading. Tilikum isn’t the only one. Tilikum won’t be the last one and neither will Keto (who killed the trainer at Loro Parque.). Captivity has to end. Orcas do not belong into concrete tanks. They belong into the wild, with their mothers and sisters and aunts and brothers – their families. They belong into the ocean. They don’t deserve to be used for “breeding purposes” only to give their “owners” even more money. Stop all this. Empty the tanks!
2015 is already five days old and I finally found a few spare minutes, or rather the inspiration to write this little piece. Reading my post from last year, about 2013 – I can only say that 2014 had been absolutely breath-taking.
The past year has literally being the year of dreams coming true. I achieved my goal and passed all my exams, ended my apprentice ship. The hard work of three years coming to an end and I am now finally able to practice my dream job. Also being able to stay at my old workplace, just shifting positions has been absolutely amazing. I couldn’t be more grateful for having a job and co-workers I really like and care about. Of course it’s not always perfect and all sunshine, but the little things do count for me. And I rather work for a few euros less, than with idiotic co-workers that I don’t like. This place has been very special to me and it probably always will be. Coming here and working there has changed my life and turned it into a new direction. Something I’m very grateful for.
2014 has also been the year of meeting new people, finding new friends but also keeping old ones. And just as in my post from last year I wanna thank Becky for being my friend. I wouldn’t know what to do without you. Having you as my friend has changed so many things in my life and I couldn’t be more grateful to be able to talk to you every day. Thank you for everything. Thank you so much!
I also wanna thank my new friend Sheri for being… well, you know it. I’m very happy and glad we met and I’m thankful for what we’ve been trough together in 2014. Without you I probably wouldn’t have pulled trough a lot of things. Thanks for being the Ian Bohen to my JR Bourne 😉
Another big part in my life in the past year has been HaleYeaIanBohen, a fan-site I founded in February 2014 for the one and only Ian Bohen. Running this site (together with my co-owners) has been nothing but exciting, nerve-wrecking, fun and absolutely amazing. I am thankful for every follower we have gained. For every one who tweets us, who RT’s and supports Ian trough this. Thank you so much. Thank you so so much!
All these months of hard work on the site were (surprisingly) crowned with success in December last year when I had been blessed to meet Ian Bohen in Dusseldorf, Germany. Another dream coming true. Teen Wolf has been a big part in my life for the past year and to be able to meet the cast (not only Ian) has been incredible and I’m so, so thankful for that. Also… meeting Tyler Hoechlin has been so surreal. And I can’t put into words how thankful I am. Can’t wait to meet them again in 2015.
2014 has been the year of dreams becoming reality. It has been a fabulous year. Mostly very positive (of course there were down sides too, but that’s how it’s supposed to be.) I’m glad and excited to see what 2015 has in store. I can’t wait 😀
It’s been quiet some time since I blogged about anything on here. I think my last post was some time in August and about Ian Bohen. Well, what a coincidence because he’s part and reason for this blog post as well.
Last weekend I’ve been at my very first Convention. I have heard, seen and read a lot about those events before. And I remember how I used to say (a few years ago) that I’d never go to such an event because it’s so expensive. Well, here I am. To say that I was nervous I a complete understatement. We arrived in Dusseldorf last Thursday. Using the chance we wanted to explore the city a bit before the Convention would start on Saturday. Visite the christmas market was on top of our list. So we did and it’s been nice to see, but also a little annoying because there were just so many people. Going back on Friday morning was by far a better thing to do. More chance to look around, buy something here and these or just enjoy the christmas-y feeling.
Registration for the main-event and reason for our visit in Dusseldorf started on Friday evening. Thankfully we were trough with that pretty fast and went for a drink after. The nervousness started to grow with each passing minute. Especially because some of the awaited guests were already in Dusseldorf for a few days, exploring and looking trough the city just like us. Sadly we did not see anyone though.
The night from Friday to Saturday was… hell. I slept for like two hours before I was wide awake and ready to start the day. Sadly that’s been 1.30am so there was absolutely no way this was possible. Apparently I wasn’t the only one because one Ian Bohen (announced to be one of the guests for the following day) seemed to be just as sleepless. When I finally managed to fall back asleep it’s been only one hour later when our alarm went off. You can imagine how I felt that morning. Luckily everything was soon overshadowed with excitement and nervousness because the Con would start only a few hours from then.
I was a little surprised to see so many people as soon as we went downstairs, and yet had to remind myself that almost 300 people by far isn’t much for such an event. But for me it seemed a lot still. So the Con was officially kicked off by Orny Adams, who was our master of ceremony. I always found him hilarious as his role on Teen Wolf, but dear lord, he’s even funnier in person. This guy basically screamed at us all weekend and every single person loved it. He’s absolutely hilarious and you just… have to like him. After the little opening ceremony with all the guests the Photo-Ops were up next. And our nervousness started to climb higher and higher. My first photo I took with the super sweet Holland Roden, she was so nice and it helped me to calm down a little bit. Next one was Ian, followed by Tyler Hoechlin. It’s safe to say that I can’t smile properly when I’m nervous like I was back there. Thankfully both, Ian and Tyler, are such super sweet guys. The other three photo’s were a lot easier to shoot, because the “OMG my favorite Teen Wolf stars” factor was a bit gone here. But neither Keahu, nor Ryan or Orny were any less nice and sweet. Everyone was sweet and super kind.
Followed by the Photo-Ops and a lunch break were the panels. Sadly I couldn’t participate on all of them because of my M&G with Tyler and later Ian. First one was…. It was nice even though I was a little disappointed. Which wasn’t Tyler’s fault at all. But because of a few fellow fans who just kept asking question after question, not even giving anyone else the chance or room to ask anything themselves. That was a little downer but otherwise… it’s been absolutely great. Tyler is such a gem. I always heard only positive things about him and how he acts around his fans and I’m very happy to say that it’s all true. He’s sweet and kind and all smile-y. A true sunshine indeed.
The other M&G with Ian was a lot better. I was (if only a tad) less nervous than with Tyler so maybe that made it a little easier too. As you might know (if you’ve read my last Blog Post about Ian) he’s someone who inspires me a lot. And to meet him and talk to him, even if only for 30 minutes, was just a fantastic moment. He is also very sweet, super nice and kind. He smiled a lot, answered our questions and talked to us just as easy. I love to listen to Ian talk. The way he chooses his words, how he phrases sentences… his voice. I just… like to listen to him. He is really an amazing person and I’m very glad I got to meet him. And dear lord… are those eyes blue. Very blue. Oh so blue. 😛 And he’s a great hugger as well.
After our M&G’s we were back to the panels which I always find a highlight of those events. Giving fans the chance to ask whatever they want and get answers. To ask what they always wanted to ask, and not only concerning the show but also other things. I mean who knew that Ryan is Mini-Captain-America 😉 The things you find out at such conventions.
Day two, Sunday, started pretty similar. At first we did our two remaining Photo-Ops. Ian & Tyler. Tyler & Holland. Before the panels were picked up again. Thankfully this time we didn’t need to leave so we could participate on them all. Did I mention that Keahu is probably the most adorable person ever? I did not know until this weekend that he lived in Germany, Hamburg to be exact, for a students exchange. But that explains his very good ability in speaking german. It’s been absolutely endearing. The panels were, as always, a lot of fun but sadly over way too soon. Everything was over way too soon.
We ended the day with our autograph session. Thankfully our ticket entailed an autograph from each guest. I had a special idea/plan for my autograph with Ian, so he was the last one on my list. Everyone was sitting on their own little table, all lined up while people came in and waited for their turn. Seeing that we could choose on our own where to go, or in which order I could easily put Ian at the end of my list. The autograph session was another possibility to talk to every guest pretty quick, because of course you don’t have too much time, but at least one or two minutes. Well, if you are not me you could use this chance. I wanted to talk to Tyler, but yeah…. failed epically because damn…. next time. Next time. After I fought my way trough all of them, avoided to start crying because everything suddenly became so real and realisation hit after I’ve been at Tyler’s table, I made it to Ian. Safe and sound and not crying. Surprisingly it was pretty easy to kneel down onto eye-level with him and tell him what I had in mind for my autograph. This idea also entailed to tell him about the Fan-Account I am running for him on Twitter (@HaleYeaIanBohen) which he knew and also said so. That made me very happen, even though I knew that he knows the account. But I did not expect him to know it by name, tbh. So that’s been a nice surprise. Ian is a person you can easily talk to. At least I felt like it was very easy. He looked at me and listened to me and I felt like he was really only listening to me for this short moment of time, which made it much easier for me to tell him what I wanted. Ian, the gem he is, did agree to write a short message to all the followers (who couldn’t participate at the Con) of my account a little note. I just felt like I needed to give something back to these people who kept supporting the account and Ian. And this was the best way to do it. I’m very happy and glad Ian agreed to do it. At the end I still had the courage to ask him for a hug, which he gladly gave. Another sign of how sympathetic and laid back he is. I can’t understand how people can NOT like him – at all. I never could before, but now that I actually met him, I can’t even less. Ian Bohen is awesome. And my respect and admiration for him grew even more now.
The Convention ended how it started – with a short group Panel with all the guests. Another thirty minutes filled with laughs, smiles and many great memories.
The whole weekend was a huge success and I’m very glad I had chosen this small event to be my very first convention – ever. It’s been familiar, not too packed and everyone has been really nice. The organization was super well done as well. I can’t complain about anything really. Sure there were a few little hiccups but that’s pretty normal I guess. Everything else was absolutely incredible. I can’t wait for the next convention next year. Amsterdam, we’re coming. Can’t wait to meet Ian again, maybe I’ll manage to talk to Tyler then… and let’s not forget the absolutely incredible JR Bourne. Can’t freaking wait! 😀
About a year ago I started to collect to lyrics or quotes that mean something to me. It’s been a trip back home to my parents when I got this note-book on one of the train-stations I passed, not really knowing what to do with it. It took me quiet some time until I decided to write down things that pass me by in my every day life and that inspire me. Things I’d like to read again when I feel down or when I’m in doubt about myself or my life.
I always had problems with diary’s or whatever because I’d start them, but never continue and then forget about them entirely. But this time I wanted to make things different. I remember how I treated the book very carefully, super anxious about what to write on the first page. But after I started with some lyrics from my favorite songs, things started to fill the pages almost by themselves.
There are lyrics. Quotes. Quotes from books, or whole passages even. There are words. A drawing here and there. But every word in this book means something to me and reminds me of a certain time in my life. And when I got trough the pages today I feel even more positive and inspired. I feel like these words have helped me to alter my view on life and become even more positive about everything. It’s a great feeling.
Anyways, by now this book is complete and I started my second one already. Still the same thing’s go in there and I love to add, scribble and draw.
Recently a name has made onto my pages very often. Maybe a few weeks back I wrote it down for the very first time and only today I dedicated a whole page to him. Ian Bohen.
I’m not sure if any of my readers know who he is, but he’s an actor – right now you can see him as Peter Hale in MTV’s Teen Wolf. Anyways, I started to pay a little more attention to Ian’s tweets and before I knew what happened I found myself being constantly amazed by him. Either his tweets make me burst out laughing or they inspire me, make me want to add his words to my little collection of “advices”.
Writing this, I can find myself stunned as I realize that it’s been quiet a while since I enjoyed someone’s tweets like I do Ian’s.
Being in a fandom like the one of “Teen Wolf” it’s actually hard for me to get around because I am older than most of the fans and I have a different view on life and people and the actors (most of the time). I started watching the show because of Tyler Hoechlin (because I am following his career for over ten years now) and I didn’t knew any of the other cast members. And while I find a whole fandom screeching and crying about how cute Tyler Posey looks, and how funny Dylan O’Brien is, or how beautiful Crystal Reed looks – I’m sitting here, being amazed about how inspiring Ian is. I like his choice of words, the mixture between honesty and humor.
I really enjoy following him, hear or watch interviews with him. He brightens my daily life and he gives out life lessons for me, even though he surely doesn’t know, but it doesn’t matter. He inspires me and I like that I can’t wait what else he’ll have in store for us.
Below I’ll post a few of my favorite quotes by Ian, more you can see HERE!
In the past year two friendships of mine have struggled a lot, been trough a lot good and bat – well, let’s be honest it was more bad than good. And at several points I really thought those friendships have ended, or I found myself thinking that this is it and that there’s nothing to save anymore.
Both these people mean the world to me. One is a very close friend, someone I shared a lot of good times, laughs and giggles with. The other one is a past lover. I won’t talk about the things that happened and went wrong, it doesn’t matter and isn’t the topic of this blog post.
One or two weeks ago I was on my way home from work and while being on the bus, a sudden realization hit me. I realized that I was willing (very willing) to fight for one of those two people, and I was very optimistic when it comes to the future for our friendship. As for the other one…the sky wasn’t looking so bright. But that isn’t the topic here either.
Last week I came across a quote, which actually inspired me to write this here.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s everything. Forgivness.”
Usually I would describe myself as a very forgiving person, which I am, but in those both cases (or rather one of them) I can’t find myself as forgiving as I know myself. Normally I’d say I forgive someone and walk past whatever happened, but apparently it’s a lot more difficult with people you thought you’d never lose. I find myself brooding over what happened, saying that it’s all right and that I’d move on but honestly, I am not moving on. And the simple reason is…I can’t forgive that person. I can’t forgive her how she treated me in the past year, I can’t forgive her how she acted, how she acts now and most of all I can’t forgive her all those empty apologies and words and promises. I just…can’t. Maybe I am too hurt still, too disapointed and too angry, I don’t know.
I want to walk past this, to leave it behind now and I will. I am done with this, I am done fighting and explaining and I am done trying to make things good again, while she keeps doing all the stuff over and over again. You know the saying, “Do it once it’s a mistake, do it again and again…it’s a choice.” or something like that XD But you get my point.
I’m done fighting for this friendship, for this connection because I feel like I am the only one trying to make things work and trying to make things better. That’s not how friendships work and how they get patched up again. But even though I am taking this step (and god know it’s not easy for me), I can’t forgive her. I am still so mad and so angry. And it makes me lash out on her (verbally) and I feel sorry for it afterwards (kind of). And sometimes I feel like I am looking at myself from the outside, shaking my head and asking myself what am I even doing? That’s not who I am. That’s a person I gave up to be years ago. That’s an old me and it’s coming back trough and it scares me. It scares me how deeply she touched me and how hurt I am still.
I feel cold on the inside, it’s dark and I’m shivering. And I feel like I’m being pulled into something I fought my way out of years ago. But I am still on safe ground, on the outskirts… but it scares me how easily I can be thrown back. But whenever this feeling comes… I know what to do. I’m turning to my friends, because they hold me up, they anchor me. They’re everything.
“Oh, I’m going to let the future in, the future in, take it on; make it on my own.”
So I might not be ready to forgive her yet, but one day I will be. And until then I am going my path and she is going her own and maybe… maybe one day she’ll come back and we’ll get another chance. But until then I hope she’ll be okay! And I wish her all the best and she’ll always have a part in my heart. Forever!
I want to focus on the good things in my life, on the possibilities and challenges that lay ahead of me. I wanna focus on what makes me happy, what makes me smile and not the sad things.
And as for the other person, that’s gonna be all right. I might need some extra work and we’re not there yet…but it’s gonna be all right. I am sure of that!
Forgiveness is something big and valuable and sometimes it’s easier to achieve as other. Sometimes its like taking a breath, and sometimes it’s a step we just can’t take yet and it needs time. But I think the important part is…to forgive. No matter when or how, it’s important that in the end we do forgive. Forgiveness is everything!
Today’s the first day of a brand new year – 2014. I can’t believe 2013 is over already, it feel like the past 365 days were running by so fast that I couldn’t keep track.
2014 is gonna be a very important year for me. This summer I’ll hopefully finish my apprenticeship and reach my biggest goal from the past three years: finally being able to do my dream job. I know most of you might not understand why I call this my dream job – but being a elderly nurse, that’s my dream, that’s what I want to do. And with a little luck, I’m gonna pass all my exams in the next nine months and hopefully reach this goal. I am nervous and excited at the same time for 2014 to finally be here.
But 2013 hasn’t been bad to me. The past year has been filled with many funny, happy and joyful moments and memories, but also sad ones. That’s how life goes and how thing’s should be – balanced between good and bad.
For me, personally, the past year has been another journey into a whole new life style. In the past three years my whole view on life, on living has changed. I became way more grateful for little things and I also became way more optimistic and actually allowed myself to have dreams, to allow myself to dive into these dreams and start to let them become my new reality. And I must say I feel very comfortable in this whole new role, this whole new way to look at things and happenings.
To get here, I had to walk a rocky road and god knows I tripped several times. But I got up again and kept walking, no matter what happened.
I wouldn’t be able to achieve all this without a few people though. In the past year I met and got to know a lot new people. I met a bunch of awesome girls from my “Cocky Boys” camp and I’m very happy and thankful for that. I know I am not online much and I miss a lot of things, but I still appreciate everyone one of you, guys. Especially Kirsty, who has done so much for me and is always there if I need an open ear to whine or groan about something. THANK YOU, Kirsty. Thank you so much. Also a huge “Thanks” to Kim, Mina, Lisa and all the others. You know who you are. Thank you for being my friends and your awesomeness and all your support and passion for the Cocky Boys. You rock 😀
Another big THANK YOU goes to the man himself, Mr. Jake Jaxson. You’ve always been nothing but kind to me and I appreciate that more than you could every imagine. You, as well as RJ and Benny, have been a constant inspiration in the past two years and no words in the world could every express how thankful I am for that. I can’t wait to see what 2014 will bring. Thank you!
Someone else who made 2013 a little brighter, a little more funny, a little more weird (but in the most awesome way) is my dear friend Becky. I never would’ve thought our friendship would evolve and become what it is today, but now I am more than grateful and happy to have you in my life. A day not talking to you is an empty and boring day. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me in the past year, all the laughs, talks, movie dates and conversation, but also all the support and faith in my writing. THANK YOU! I would’ve be where I am today without you!
But 2013 hasn’t been just awesome and great, there have been sad times as well. Friendships were broken off or they lost their strength and intensity. Fights came up and trust was lost. But I am not sad about these things, I’ll take all this as lesson and try to make 2014 better, act different and learn from the mistakes I’ve made.
2014 – I am ready and I am excited for all the things you have in store for me ❤
Don't follow your dreams....chase them! 