We still don't know anything. And we won't until Friday, which is a long time (long enough for me to get some answers from my job about some logistics) -- but good things are happening.
We got to tell people, which is like someone released a pressure valve on my insides. Every time I have to fudge the truth or act excited about things I know I'm not going to experience, the vice grips tighter and tighter. The reactions are relatively positive, but not without some sadness and confusion. Every time we tell someone, I go through all my own emotions about it too. But, it is good to know that most people are happy for our new adventure.
Some people are so excited they've already booked plane tickets! Which is hilarious because we haven't even booked plane tickets. Knowing that there are going to be house guests and fun adventures waiting for us to plan makes me feel like even if we come back (when we come back?) it will have been worth it to give people the opportunity to try a new fun place.
We're learning the language. D is learning with this and I am learning with this. That should tell you almost everything you need to know about us.
We are looking at apartments. And I'm hunting for jobs. I started following gorgeous Amsterdam instagram (Amstagram?) accounts.
Trying to outweigh the anxiety of not knowing with the excitement of all the things to come.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Gratitude for curve balls.
Here's what we know about moving to Amsterdam:
Nothing.
We thought we knew what day and we don't even know that anymore. We will have more answers next week, but right now it is all just guessing. For two very organized people, this is bordering on insufferable.
Today during my yoga class (and yes, I know how tedious it us for people to tie real life to yoga maximums, but there we are) the intention was gratitude. Gratitude for the curve balls.
This felt pretty on.the.nose for how I have been feeling. This life change isn't really a curve ball, we have been planning it for a few months, but now that it is really real, now that we have brought contracts and signatures into the deal, it feels very much like someone punched us in the gut and then shrugged their shoulders and said "but you asked me to..."
So, I'm trying to feel gratitude. This is a capital A - Adventure. It is going to force us to work as a team. We're going to have to try new things. Like really, really new things (like a new language, for one).
I'm grateful that we're going to live in Europe, which means every passing fancy we've ever had about going to Greece or Spain or Denmark is going to be completely accessible to us. We're going to get to dive head first into brand new things, and we can do it over a weekend.
I'm grateful to be living in a place with comprehensive healthcare, maternity leave, and work-life balance. Americans get along okay without these things (or with limited access to them), but what a treat to have them provided because all humans deserve them.
I'm grateful to get to shed some of our extra weight. We own so many things. I am itching to start getting rid of them. Old clothes, old linens, old books -- they deserve a new home that will love them and I am thrilled to have a real reason to be forced to hand them off to new owners.
Feeling grateful helps with the gut wrenching terror of not knowing. It helps for the curve balls that we asked to thrown at our face, and the ones that we know are coming.
Nothing.
We thought we knew what day and we don't even know that anymore. We will have more answers next week, but right now it is all just guessing. For two very organized people, this is bordering on insufferable.
Today during my yoga class (and yes, I know how tedious it us for people to tie real life to yoga maximums, but there we are) the intention was gratitude. Gratitude for the curve balls.
This felt pretty on.the.nose for how I have been feeling. This life change isn't really a curve ball, we have been planning it for a few months, but now that it is really real, now that we have brought contracts and signatures into the deal, it feels very much like someone punched us in the gut and then shrugged their shoulders and said "but you asked me to..."
So, I'm trying to feel gratitude. This is a capital A - Adventure. It is going to force us to work as a team. We're going to have to try new things. Like really, really new things (like a new language, for one).
I'm grateful that we're going to live in Europe, which means every passing fancy we've ever had about going to Greece or Spain or Denmark is going to be completely accessible to us. We're going to get to dive head first into brand new things, and we can do it over a weekend.
I'm grateful to be living in a place with comprehensive healthcare, maternity leave, and work-life balance. Americans get along okay without these things (or with limited access to them), but what a treat to have them provided because all humans deserve them.
I'm grateful to get to shed some of our extra weight. We own so many things. I am itching to start getting rid of them. Old clothes, old linens, old books -- they deserve a new home that will love them and I am thrilled to have a real reason to be forced to hand them off to new owners.
Feeling grateful helps with the gut wrenching terror of not knowing. It helps for the curve balls that we asked to thrown at our face, and the ones that we know are coming.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
99 Days until liftoff
In 99 days, we will board an airplane with all our earthly possessions and two cats with one way tickets to Amsterdam.
(note: most of our earthly possessions will be in a 20 ft shipping container. Sadly they won't let the cats travel in the shipping container).
On Monday night, D accepted a job with an awesome company and so now, we're just going to go. Just pick up and (in 99 days) GO.
Naturally, this is terrifying. and exciting. and sad. and exhilarating. Between the two of us, we have felt every single emotion listed in the emotions book.
But here's the thing, we can't really tell everyone yet. Because we're keeping our jobs for the next three-whole-months. So right now we're in the quiet phase of the campaign. We're letting the key stakeholders know. Like our parents, and our siblings, and my friend who really likes excuses to visit Amsterdam, and my friend who travels to Amsterdam for work.
Right now we're making lists of all the things we have to do in the next 99 days. We keep checking in with each other to see if it is really real. We occasionally look at photos of Amsterdam during a rough patch in the work day to remember what our future holds. We try really hard, during those rough patches, not to shout in the middle of meetings, "I'm leaving!" We're googling how to move a cat, and will my kitchen-aid mixer work, and yoga studios in Amsterdam.
And we're starting a blog, because everyone keeps telling me I have to start a blog. So I used an old gmail address and fired up a brand new blogspot (D said if I write enough maybe he'll give me a custom URL for Christmas. Won't be the first time...).
Here we go.
(note: most of our earthly possessions will be in a 20 ft shipping container. Sadly they won't let the cats travel in the shipping container).
On Monday night, D accepted a job with an awesome company and so now, we're just going to go. Just pick up and (in 99 days) GO.
Naturally, this is terrifying. and exciting. and sad. and exhilarating. Between the two of us, we have felt every single emotion listed in the emotions book.
But here's the thing, we can't really tell everyone yet. Because we're keeping our jobs for the next three-whole-months. So right now we're in the quiet phase of the campaign. We're letting the key stakeholders know. Like our parents, and our siblings, and my friend who really likes excuses to visit Amsterdam, and my friend who travels to Amsterdam for work.
Right now we're making lists of all the things we have to do in the next 99 days. We keep checking in with each other to see if it is really real. We occasionally look at photos of Amsterdam during a rough patch in the work day to remember what our future holds. We try really hard, during those rough patches, not to shout in the middle of meetings, "I'm leaving!" We're googling how to move a cat, and will my kitchen-aid mixer work, and yoga studios in Amsterdam.
And we're starting a blog, because everyone keeps telling me I have to start a blog. So I used an old gmail address and fired up a brand new blogspot (D said if I write enough maybe he'll give me a custom URL for Christmas. Won't be the first time...).
Here we go.
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