Back in November, Garrett and I took a short vacation to Aix-en-Provence. The city was exactly how we had left it, and it was so great to revisit all of our favorite spots. We kicked off the trip with a stroll around our school, and lunch in one of our favorite squares.

We were lucky to catch great weather, perfect for afternoon markets.

 

 

 

 

 

And we enjoyed a wonderful evening with Garrett’s host mom. It was so great to see her after all these years. She doesn’t speak much English, so Garrett and I really got to brush up on our French. He did most of the talking, but after a few glasses of wine, I found my words again.

 

 

 

 

 

We were thankful for the 30 minute walk back to the hotel. Camille served us a feast! The evening started with an aperitif, nuts and cheese to munch on. When we sat down at the table she served a platter of charcuterie and French bread. For the main course we had turkey cutlets swimming in a delicious mushroom cream sauce, and fried potatoes on the side. When I thought I could take no more, she brought out “the best cheese in the world” so I had to try it, followed by a triple chocolate torte. I’m not kidding. We were stuffed, but it was worth every bite.

The next day we punished ourselves with a beautiful hike. Years ago we hiked this mountain, Mont Sainte Victoire, and we got lost on the way down. This time we got lost on the way up and never quite made it to the peak. But at least we had seen it before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For our last evening out we went to one of our favorite pizza spots and enjoyed a drink on the Cour Mirabeau. It was a fantastic trip back in time and a real walk down nostalgia lane. I can’t wait to visit again! 

Hi Friends!

It’s been a great week over here in Antwerp because the sun has been shining brightly! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the typical Belgium forecast, it usually ranges from partly cloudy, to full on cloudy, to cloudy with a chance of showers. No joke. So the days we do see sun are quite amazing.

While most of the U.S. seems to be getting warmer temps lately, I’ve been waiting for that to happen here. It hasn’t been cold, but it sure would be nice if it hit the mid 70s soon. Yesterday I saw a high of 66 F! We’re on our way.

One of the great things about living in Antwerp is the atmosphere in the city around lunch time, when the temperatures have picked up a bit and the sun is out. I have never seen people celebrate good weather like the people here. By noon every cafe terrace is packed to the brim with locals. Parties of three or four cram together at an outdoor table to drink a glass of cava, enjoy a leisurely lunch, and have lively conversation with friends and co-workers.

Living in another country, you learn to be a close observer. One of the first things I thought when we moved here in September was, “Man, these people really love a nice day!” You hear the Belgians talk about the weather (when it’s good) constantly. The joy and care-free attitude on a sunny day in Antwerp is unmistakable. My Belgian friend said it best, “We never know when we’re going to see it next, so we have to enjoy it now.”

There is a big picture here. The Belgians seem to have a great balance between work and play, or work and family and personal time. When someone goes on “holiday” for two weeks, they are completely MIA from work. No one checks their email, calls into the office, or heaven forbid, comes back from holiday early. Personal time is valued and respected by others.

And why shouldn’t it be, right? Life is too short. So lesson #1 from living in Belgium: celebrate every day, enjoy your family and friends, and for God’s sake, take advantage of the sun while it lasts! …And with that, I’m off.

 

Read Part 1: Moving to Belgium: The beginning.

Of course, my Mom was thrilled with the idea. It’s funny because when Garrett and I first found out we were moving to Antwerp, most people asked us how our families had reacted to the news. Both families were completely supportive, and this surprised people. I’m sure, somewhere deep down, they thought about how far away we would be and how much they were going to miss us. But, in my mom’s case at least, it was another wonderful excuse to visit Europe!

After Garrett told me about the email, we came home that night, cracked a few beers, and opened up the conversation. Let me first say that no one was offering him a job, but we had to decide if this was something he wanted to go for. We weighed the pros and cons. The biggest con being that I would be leaving my career and possibly not finding another one in Belgium (although at that time, I didn’t even know the extent of that reality). All in all, we decided that if he didn’t go after it, we might always say, “what if we had gone to Belgium?” And apart from that, Garrett and I have always been adventurous and have said that if we could live and work abroad, we would.

I can’t even tell you how excited we were just talking about living in Belgium. I pictured us sitting outside of cafes, traveling around Europe, living in a beautiful apartment in this little, unknown city Antwerp. Garrett had contacted the right people and told them he was interested in the position. The interview process started and carried on for about two months. Not that he underwent a ton of interviews, there was just a lot of time in between. Meanwhile, we were wrapping up the last details of our wedding, which was right around the corner. All I could think about was the possibility that we were moving to Europe! It got to the point where we couldn’t even talk about it anymore. After pretty much picturing our life there, and totally romanticizing all of it, I had sufficiently gotten my hopes up without trying to. Garrett didn’t even have the job yet. I hadn’t told anyone at work about the opportunity. Things were most definitely still up in the air.

I remember I went to my parents’ home in Atlanta for my bridal shower in May. I told my girlfriends about the job position Garrett had been interviewing for. They were all thrilled for us, but I wanted to take back my words the minute I said them. I was so afraid that this wasn’t going to happen. After the first phone interview Garrett had, it took several weeks for anyone to get back to him. Then he was informed that there would be a second interview, a video conference with people in Antwerp. Technology really is remarkable these days. I found out about the second interview just as I was leaving Atlanta to come home to Philly. I don’t remember the exact time of events, but I do remember waiting a while after that interview too. Then one morning, when I knew that news should be coming soon, Garrett called me at work and told me something that would change my life.

And so you know how the rest goes. He got the job! We were getting married in a few months, and would be moving to Antwerp two months after our wedding. I had never been so excited in my life. I remember calling my parents, after weeks of them telling me not to get my hopes up or put any more pressure on Garrett, I got to tell them our news. They were so excited for us. We had the best time telling our family and friends, it was like getting engaged all over again. Our life was about to change forever. This was only the beginning. Oh, and we still had our wedding to look forward to!

Next up: Everything comes full circle. How I met my husband.

This crazy adventure began somewhere. My husband and I have been living in Antwerp now for about six months. A year ago, I never thought this would be my reality. In fact, a year ago I was anxiously awaiting my wedding day, working full-time in Philadelphia, praying for spring to finally show up, and pondering what our life would look like next year. Would I still be working the same job? Would we still be living in the same apartment? I had a feeling a change was on the horizon (apart from the fact that we were about to become husband and wife), but I had no idea how extreme it would actually be.

It started with a company email expressing a job opportunity. The company my husband works for in the States had acquired another company in Belgium.  After searching for a local Belgian to fill this particular position, and not having any luck, they were now extending the search to their offices in the States. I remember calling my husband (then fiancé) from work because I just found out some of my old college friends were moving to Philly. I can’t imagine what he was thinking as I called him bursting with excitement like this was HUGE news. He simply said, “I just found out something too.” Of course he made me wait in agony until later that day to tell me about the email.

On our next call later that afternoon, he told me there was a job opening within his company and it required a move. Having moved a few times in my life, I welcome that kind of adventure and look at it as a learning experience and a chance at a fresh start (little did I know how right I was!). I immediately started guessing all these states where I knew his company had offices, or just states that I thought it would be fun to move to. I could hear the excitement on the other end, and his amusement as I rattled off,

“Califonia? Arizona? Colorado? Florida??”

He laughed and said, “It’s actually not in this country.” I fell silent, and then I got REALLY excited, “Where is it!?”

Then, like he had been holding his breath, he let out,  ”Belgium!”

Almost immediately I had flash backs of our short trip to Brussels almost six years ago: Deep, rich beers. Little shops full of mounds of chocolates. Waffles bought from a vendor on the street, like New York City sells hot dogs. Beautiful architecture and art. Open squares filled with cafes. People overflowing out on the terraces with beers in hand and spirits high.

I had loved it.

At that moment, so many thoughts were running through my head. When we got off the phone, I did what I always do in moments of excitement or indecision, I called my mom.

To be continued…