Excitement and (also) Apprehension
One of my kids' favorite childhood movies was Stuart Little. (If you haven't seen this gem, please stop what you're doing and watch it now - super cute!) The first line of the movie is "It's Today, It's Today", when George, the son of Fredrick & Eleanor comes bursting into their bedroom with unbridled excitement over the realization that today is the day they are picking up his newly adopted brother, Stuart. His energy is contagious. As a family, we wore out our VHS and DVD copies of the movie and snagged this tagline to use when anything exciting that we'd waited on was finally happening in our lives. So of course these were the first words out of my mouth at 3:30 am when my alarm went off on November 7, 2022. We had one-way tickets booked to Amsterdam. ONE WAY! Giddy excitement would be an understatement. We had worked our butts off to get to this point. The massive to-do list we started over 5 years ago was done. It all felt surreal.
Ironically, we also felt apprehensive and a tad sad. It's strange to hold such opposite emotions at the same moment. Some hard truths about traveling full-time mean missing milestone events and being away from family and friends. Up to this point, we had lived in North Dakota for the majority of our lives. I lost my dad the year I graduated from college and my mom when I was 32. Brad had lived his entire life in Fargo. Having a support network in close proximity had been an important component in our lives up to this point. I understand this isn't the case for everyone, as many people move away from their childhood homes and set up life in other areas of the world, however, this was new to us. How would we keep our most treasured relationships alive? How would we access that support network we had relied on for most of our lives when we needed it?
Reshaping our lives to a new normal has been an adjustment. When you're surrounded by friends and family you tend to take their presence in life for granted. We now have to make a conscious effort to connect, but I love the beauty in that.
Currently, we're also adjusting to living life 24/7 with each other. I mean, have you really experienced life unless you've heard your husband sluuuurp his coffee every single morning and your first thought is, I may want to put a pillow over your head while you sleep?! I'm kidding, of course (or am I?), but in all reality, things hit differently when you rarely get a break from one another. Gone are the "girls' nights out" where Brad stayed home, watched nerd videos, perfected his spreadsheets, and played Xbox. No more guys' weekend fishing trips where Jenn stayed home, drank wine, read, watched rom-coms, and did puzzles. We are both introverts at heart, so we crave alone time. Carving that out has been a challenge. It now looks like Jenn taking a solo day tour or Brad spending his morning at a local coffee shop alone.
On the flip side, our relationship has also blossomed and grown in ways we never imagined. I've gently teased him over the years about how geeky he is. I have now come to appreciate Brad's "techy" ways, especially when navigating SIM cards, internet access, and wifi in other countries. Those are not skills I possess! Relying on him to take care of this has been a relief. If it were left up to me, we'd likely own a new phone and data plan in every country.
Alternately, my talents are utilized in booking travel and making sure we get the best bang for our buck. Left up to Brad, we'd be staying in 5-star hotels and eating out every night, which would quickly deplete our financial resources. Playing to one another's strengths and weaknesses has helped us appreciate our individual talents and value the other's competencies and skills.
I don't tell you any of this to complain. After all, we made the decision to leave the US and jumped in with both feet. I simply want you to see the entire picture of living life nomadically. Contrary to what everyone we encounter seems to think, we are not on permanent vacation. Brad is still working a full-time job. In all honesty, I think he works more hours now than when we lived in the same time zone.
Not to mention, doing anything abroad seems to take at least twice as long. My normal one-hour leisurely Target run at home could take 2-3 hours and involve 3-4 different stores in another country just to get the basics. Additionally, planning and booking our travel is extremely time-consuming when you're trying to spend the least amount of money and get the best deal on your points and miles. Case in point, I have spent at least 55+ hours researching and exploring our options for Ireland in May/June and I haven't booked one thing yet.
Most days we look at these inconveniences as "it's today, it's today" moments instead of letting them defeat us. After all, even though we live our lives in basically the same fashion as we did in the US, we get the opportunity to spend our weekends and evenings exploring different areas of the world we're living. That's worth it to us!
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear" - Ram Dass
What's Next?
We moved to Paris over the weekend! This isn't our first time in France - we spent 10 days in Paris in 2017 - and to say we're excited to be back is an understatement. We loved Paris: the bread, the wine, the coffee, the monuments, the museums, the food, the people-watching, the walkability.....ahhhh..... Paris. Did I mention the bread & wine? HA!
Fun fact, we typically do not go back to places we've already been. I have my dear friend George to thank for this travel "rule". I visited him in NYC c. 1995-ish. He & his wife took me to this amazing Italian restaurant with a "secret" garden known only to locals. To this day it was the very best creamy penne alla vodka I'd ever had. So of course when I went back to visit them the next year, I asked to go back to the same restaurant. His response? Absolutely not. WHAT? I'd been dreaming about that pasta. My mouth was watering just thinking about it. My wise friend said this: "It will never be the same the second time. The memories you have of your experience will be tainted by how mediocre your second might be. Cherish your memories forever and move on. There are so many more restaurants to try."
"Never look back unless you're planning to go that way" - Henry David Thoreau
His advice stuck. Which is why we typically tend to shy away from going anywhere we've already traveled. I mean, there is a whole world out there, right? I have a feeling Paris is big enough to have an amazing second experience. Plus, it was my daughter's dream trip to visit Paris so how could I not make that happen?! (her own "It's Today, It's Today" moment/experience!) She and her boyfriend will be joining us for 10 days over spring break in addition to some dear friends also visiting. Living here will likely be an entirely different experience than visiting.
Our 4 months in England were wonderful. One of the last things I did in London was visit Westminster Abbey. The history of that building is astonishing and the gothic architecture is stunning. It is more than 1000 years old. Over 3500 souls are buried there, including 18 monarchs, as well as many other notable figures. More than 16 royal weddings have occurred at the Abbey including Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip and Prince William & Kate. Since 1066, it has been the site of 39 coronations and will host the coronation of King Charles in May 2023. I got a photo of the Coronation Chair, although since it was behind glass it was hard to reduce the glare. Below are a few photos from Westminster Abbey:
Lastly, I'm looking forward to writing more travel and destination content in the coming weeks. I hope to recap our four months in England and tell you about a few funny misadventures that occurred. If you have any questions about England, please let me know and I will try to answer them.
I wish you many more "It's Today, It's Today" moments in life. Find joy in everything you do.
Cheers, Peace, Love, and Kindness,
Jenn