France / Travel

Champagne, France

Why Champagne? Well, why not? This was planned somewhat spontaneously. We’ve come to appreciate that several places in France are 4 or less hours away. Totally drive-able for quick trips. Josh and I both enjoy Champagne wines, and it has been a bucket list item for us to go, taste, and also cycle in the region. We checked all those boxes and I’m happy to say it lived up to the self-created hype in our minds. 

europe / Off The Beaten Path / Travel

Skog, Sweden

Melissa invited me to travel with her to a small village in southern Sweden to visit her grandparents. Who can say no to Sweden with your best friend? I felt so lucky to spend time with her and her incredible grandparents. I learned about FIKA, stugas, herring for breakfast, and heard all the stories of growing up in an immigrant family.

Expat Life / Family Life / Maastricht

The effort to integrate

We have just passed the two month mark here in Maastricht. What have we been up to? We’ve done a good bit of travel as well as a lot of hanging out together in our home here over the last two months. We’ve also started trying to integrate ourselves a bit better into the community. We want to know more people- families at the school as well as Dutch families who are living here. Here’s some of the things we’re doing to put ourselves out there. I should say, it isn’t always easy. It feels a bit vulnerable even. But, I feel like it will matter in the long run when we look back on this experience.

europe / Family Life / Greece / Travel / Travel with Kids

Greece Part 3 – Santorini 😎

Our final 3 nights were in luxurious Santorini. I felt like we went from the equivalent of Islamorada in the Florida keys to South Beach. From a laid back vibe to high end everything. I’ll admit, getting off the crowded ferry at the port, I questioned our selection of the island. There were so many people, buses, drivers, it was hard to even pick your name out from the sea of name plates being held up.