Year 1: Done

I remember every detail of the conversation Reggie and I had when he asked me to move abroad with him. I remember each thought that went through my head as he described over the phone the awesome opportunity he was considering. In our short five months together we had had a ball and both of us had expressed that we had high hopes for our relationship--the highest, Reggie would say. Then, on a phone conversation connecting us while we were on opposite sides of the country, chance abruptly changed things. I listened cautiously to Reggie as he slowly described the secondment opportunity that was standing in front of him. He's going to go and Ill miss him forever, was just one of the thoughts flying around my mind. I sat still, on my grandparents lawn, holding the phone to my ear but thinking too loudly to hear Reggie's words. Then I heard something I wasn't expecting. "...if you'll go with me." I must have been imagining that. "I'm sorry, what?" "What do you think about moving to Hamburg, Germany for two years? I'll apply if you'll go with me."

It felt light years between his words and mine. In real time I didn't wait even a millisecond to respond.

"I'd love to."

So then we waited. While we waited we eagerly worked to gain support from our friends and fam, which in turn gave us the opportunity to realize how fortunate we are to be a part of the circles we're a part of. Then, seven months after that extraordinary conversation on my grandparents lawn, we got the green light. We were in.

We had four months to arrange, plan, freak out, stay calm, and, of course, plan a going-away party. Soon after that we waved good bye and ten hours later we lived in Germany. That year was a fast one.

And so was this one.

In the early months after our arrival we were often asked how long we'd been living in Hamburg. "One week, one month, oh a few months now." Then life picked up. We found a circle, we began exploring the continent, and I stopped carrying my camera with me at all times. We weren't tourists anymore. This isn't to say that our wanderlust has diminished, but several months into the adventure Hamburg began to feel like a home.


At a recent American Women's Club event for new and potential members I was surprised to hear myself tell the group of eager women that I've lived here nearly one year. I remembered feeling new, naive, and relentlessly eager. It has been some time since I felt new so I had to slow myself down to recapture that feeling. Serenity is the feeling that is most present in my heart now. This inner calmness, like so many things, came with a hefty price tag which took me nearly a lifetime to pay off. But it was well worth the extra work.

My attempt to catalog the ardent journey that has brought me to this place of supreme satisfaction will undoubtedly fall short. Nevertheless, I will tell the story of our first year through my favorite photos.  



Moving to a foreign country where you know no one provides for a crash course in "getting to know your mate." Reggie and I have accepted the challenge and have had a ball seeing the world together. I am lucky to have such a great travel partner; he sees the world with an open mind and is always up for seeing something new. Plus, he can always figure out the metro systems before I can. 

La Catedral, Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca, Spain

Sure, meeting new people is easy. But turning those unfamiliar faces into friendships isn't always so easy. Luckily, I am surrounded by kind, warm, and open-minded people and we have a lot of fun together.

With Rachael and Grit at Seedlings

With Kate, Mary, and Abbey 

Reggie's co-workers: Claudia, Holger, Annika, and Carolin

Mark, Mary, Nic, and Kate in Lisbon, Portugal 

Clearly, I'm pretty ecstatic that we made the move over here. I can now say that I am equally ecstatic that I accepted a position at my beloved Seedlings. The fears I had that preschool wasn't exactly going to be the right fit for me disappeared as soon as I recognized how cute three-year olds are and I have never looked back. I recently signed on for my second year with our darling little center and I can't wait to get started. My work there, along with lots of great private teaching clients, has given me plenty of that one-to-one teaching time that is so fulfilling. It's also proven time and time again that kids are the same all over the world--a truth that is as refreshing as it is surprising. 

When Reggie initially mentioned Hamburg as our potential new home I tried to wrack my brain for anything I may have known about the city. When I couldn't come up with anything, I tried to remember ever hearing about the city. "Well, I THINK I've heard of it." 


I went to Hamburg expecting lederhosen, singing, and pretzels. Though I can find lederhosen at the local TK Maxx and pretzels are always available at the bakery, Hamburg's metropolitan glow is not at all what I had expected to find when I first decided to move to Germany. Though there are less than two million people here, Hamburg has oodles of fun things to do, see, and my favorite--to take pictures of.  

Hafen City, Hamburg

The Alster, Hamburg

The Binnen Alster, Old Town, Hamburg

Blankenese, Hamburg

While it's the daily theme of adventure that I appreciate most about our time abroad, the traveling is pretty great, too. We are incredibly fortunate to have visited the many great places we have and I am humbled each time I step off a plane in a new spot. 

Our first trip was a weekend trip to Berlin. This first trip stands out in my mind more than most because it was a great kick-off to our traveling adventure.

My solo trip to the sleepy Rhine Region of Germany was proof that I could manage a day out on my own--in German. From this experience I became confident in my travel skills and as a result my "to go" list grew like a weed.  

There are some amazingly gorgeous landmarks in Europe. We have been lucky to see a handful of them.

The Berlin Cathedral, Berlin, Germany

Astronomical Clock, Old Town, Prague 

The Acropolis, Athens, Greece

...and London as a whole. In July we will visit Paris with Reggie's family. Although I have an open mind, if I were a betting gal I would bet that London will still stand strong as my favorite city in the world even after touring the home of the Eiffel Tower. 

Early on in our travels we realized it was really hard to decided what souvenirs to bring home. Pictures are great, but it's really difficult to not buy ANYTHING. So, we chose three things to buy from each place: Reggie buys beverage glasses, I buy (handcrafted when possible) mugs, and together we choose a piece of art. So far, it's worked out well and we have a lot of fun shopping for our precious materialistic items. 

I found the Carpe Diem mug in a teensy shop in Lacock Village, England. It was handmade by the seller's sister just outside of the town. The mug on the right was handmade in Slovakia and sold in Prague.

Clearly, the kitschy Harrod's of London mug isn't handmade but it was so cute I didn't even care. The "kitten drinking milk" mug (yep, that's a cute little kitten hanging over the side) was made by a Hamburg artist. 

Left: made in Oxford, England and bought in Bath, this cute pattern was all over the place. Center: made in the Peloponnesian Peninsula and sold in Athens. Right: made and sold in Barcelona.

Last but absolutely not least because it's so darn perfect: this beauty was made just outside of Budapest and sold in a great art shop in the city. 

These babies are starting to fill up our book shelf and I let them. I'll gladly buy a second book shelf before I stop buying pretty mugs. 






And finally, I can't close a highlight-themed post without mentioning my blog. I never imagined keeping a blog would be such a cool and effective way to share our story and thanks to all of you it has been the perfect way to stay connected. Many thanks for keeping up with us and please know your support is deeply appreciated. You are always in our hearts. 


Now, bring on year 2.