A mother’s promise: our first time in New York City

There are very special experiences in life; the type of moments, events and adventures that – if captured on camera – deserve to be kept forever in a way that lets people retell them and relive their joy. For Jana, this special experience was a trip to New York City that she took with her daughter Lilli for her 18th birthday.

That's why she put together a CEWE PHOTOBOOK for her daughter as soon as they returned. Arranged chronologically by the landmarks they visited, it’s full of wonderful mother-daughter photographs taken and stunning photos of the Big Apple, and captures the experiences they had together in a gorgeous format to be enjoyed forever.

As for what made this specific trip so important – actually, it all started with a pair of bright yellow M&M earrings. “A friend of mine from school brought them back from a New York City holiday with her parents,” Lilli recalls. "I thought they were so beautiful that all I really wanted was to go there myself and buy the same earrings." Lilli was eight years old at the time.

Jana thought her daughter was far too young for such a long trip at the time, but she promised Lilli that she would get her chance to visit this newly-discovered metropolis on the Hudson River for her 18th birthday. "To be honest,” Jana laughs, “I was kind of expecting that she'd forget about that promise eventually." But when a person really wants something, it stays in their head, and such was the case with Lilli.

“Also, I couldn’t possibly forget about New York City”, suggests Lilli. “It appeared again and again in films and television series throughout my life, and so my wish grew even bigger as the years went by.”

The Big Apple dream comes true

The closer that Lilli got to her birthday, the more regularly the 17-year-old reminded her mother of the promise. Finally, during the Easter holidays – just two months before Lilli would turn 18 – both mother and daughter finally stood together in Times Square, and found themselves overwhelmed by its many wonderful impressions. "It was the first time for both of us in New York," enthuses Lilli, and Jana adds, "That's why we tried to visit as many important places as possible."

Looking towards the future, Lilli suggests that there are slightly conflicting emotions at play, saying, "Although I'm happy to finally be 18, I'm very happy that my mom is here with me. Her support is so important to me.” Both women are excited for this new chapter in their respective lives, but like her daughter, Jana also has mixed feelings. She explains, "On the one hand, I'm incredibly proud of Lilli and the opportunities she has created for herself. But on the other hand, I already miss her.”

Nevertheless, the two will soon have to separate. After she graduates from high school, Lilli will likely move to another city to study there, making the New York trip something of a small farewell to their shared past as mother and daughter. Jana feels at ease though, "With the CEWE PHOTOBOOK, Lilli can take the memories with her, regardless of whether she lives 100 kilometres or 400 kilometres away from me."

However they are both quite certain about one thing: Whenever Lilli will come home to visit, the teacups will be swiftly unpacked for the occasion. That’s because whenever they get together, it is inevitably over a cup of tea, a piece of cake and lots to talk about.

There will be new adventures to discuss as the years go by, but for now Jana and Lilli love sitting in the kitchen, chatting for hours and looking at the CEWE PHOTOBOOK of their trip.

At first Jana was worried that Lilli might not like the selection of pictures she had made for the CEWE PHOTOBOOK. But this proved to be an unnecessary concern; Lilli was truly overwhelmed by the additional gift, saying, "The best thing about it is actually that you can see how much fun we had in every picture." Jana comments, "Every time we leaf through, we remember new details, like the little squirrel in Central Park."

Incidentally, the two of them looked for the yellow earrings, but with no success. However, they suggest that in light of the numerous souvenirs they now have in photo form, that's not such a bad trade.