A note to myself 10 years from now.

I've always loved writing letters. I think that it helps me process emotions, I suppose sort of like blogging over here does as well. So I wanted to write myself a letter, for future me to look back on.

Choose joy. Choose hope. Choose faith.

In these times of uncertainty it can be easy to get pulled into fear, anxiety or panic. But weirdly - I feel nothing but peace, confidence, gratitude and joy. I am viewing all of this as an opportunity to get back to the basics, to the core of why I do what I do and to shift my focus and attention back to the things that really matter.

Can I speak some truth to you for a moment?

I see your fear. I see your struggle. I see your turmoil and anguish. And I raise you a point that may not be easy to hear, but one that changed my life forever.

Support Small Businesses: Papershop Helsinki

In the midst of these slightly uncertain times, I wanted to start highlighting a few small businesses that I am incredibly proud to support and that I think you should consider supporting as well.

The first on this list is Papershop Helsinki. If you're anything like me and you love stationary, this shop is literally the stuff of dreams. This is a place that I frequently refer to as my "happy place" and I think that fits it so well. Not only is the staff wonderful, but their products are also high quality, full of colour, variety and basically just wonderful all around.

Hobbies as an adult: Rock-climbing

Seriously, finding hobbies as an adult sucks balls. When did it get so difficult to figure out interests and find time to try new things?

I've found that the busier life gets, the more things I pack into my calendar, the easier it is to forget to take time for things that recharge my batteries. On the flip side, the more I notice how desperate I am for that same time to do things that energise me and make me feel alive.

So after working for two weeks straight for 16 hour days, I decided to take two days off.

The Depression Edition: THE STORY

THE DEPRESSION EDITION:

To kick this off, I'm diving deep. I don't do surface relationships, I don't do small talk and I take pride in being open and honest in all things, always. So here's the introduction to todays topic: depression.

I started struggling with depression and anxiety at age thirteen. I hated myself and my reflection. I would look at myself in the mirror and cry because I didn't want to be reminded of my existence. I heard so many voices in my head, convincing me of what a shitty person I was, that I was convinced I was going insane. That meant I pushed everyone close to me away, to "protect" them.

This all sounds ridiculous writing this now, but that was my reality.

Multiple times I even contemplated jumping off of the roof at my workplace, but every time I got close to making that decision, someone showed up. I now know that this was immense grace and protection over my life, but at the time - it felt like my pain was being prolonged.

Meet Our Famalam.

So who are The Moody Otters?

As of right now, we are a famlam of four (two crazy kids in love and our two cat babies).

Viivi (me) is a Finnish weirdo who loves life. I'm a wedding and couples photographer and I love documenting love stories. I travel around the world telling these stories and capturing memories that will last a lifetime.

Kieran works in construction, plays WOW in his spare time and is just a wonderful human bean. We met while I was living in the UK and after a year of dating, we decided to set off on an epic adventure and move to Finland together.

Echo (the big brother) lived with us in the UK and moved with us when we came over (which was an adventure of its own), and Hugo joined our little family unit in the Summer of 2019. Echo is a very relaxed and calming presence in our home, whereas Hugo is an absolute basket-case. He runs around our home whenever he has a chance to chase a hairband, and provides hours of entertainment.

We live in a little neighbourhood called Kauklahti in Espoo, Finland and we VLOG our day to day life, which you can see by following this link.

So why blogging?

We've decided to start up this blog along with our VLOGs, mainly just to have a place to spout random thoughts and ideas, to share products we love, and to have a place to gather memories for the next few years. Let's see where this adventure takes us! x

What would you be interested in seeing from us?