I will admit, I had to look back through all my emails to find out our actual date of arrival in Amsterdam. So much has happened this year that I honestly could not remember for the life of me the actual date we got here. But, I found it and it was today, May 1-May Day. Gawd, we were exhausted! But, give me a minute to go down memory lane.
When 2014 started all I dreamed of was visiting somewhere I hadn't been before...Seattle (which was going in be in conjunction with my daugther's cheerleading competition.) I quite honestly had no bigger expectations for the year. However, since we are dream chasers, we had someone schedule an interview with my hubby in Cambridge, so I had my first trip overseas and the opportunity to visit London. Hubby then flew on to Amsterdam, which I sadly could not make. However, it is the destination we wound up choosing. Stay tuned because next week I will be telling you why we chose Amsterdam to be the city that hosted our expat adventure.
I'll admit, I was very worried that horse was gonna kick me! haha
Prior to making the decision to move, my best friend moved to Hawaii, within weeks of her moving, my husband surprised me by booking the kiddo and me tickets to visit her. A place I'd always desired to visit came true, Honolulu, Hawaii was on my list of places to check off my bucket list.
Once we made our decision to vacate North America, I wasn't sure what the future held. We took a major paycut, but knew if we were clever with our money the experience would be worth it. ..and it has been, let's take a visit to the cities we've been to:
- Brussels....this was our first European adventure as a couple. The kiddo was off in Germany, at a theme park much like Universal Studios, called Movie Park, where the European National Cheerleading Championships are held. It was a grand adventure I will never forget.
- Paris...this was our first European adventure as a family. It was to celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary. An adventure none of us will forget, I know the teenager knows why we went, but I wonder if today she'd remember it was our anniversary, she was totally in her element and really enjoyed the city.
- Rome...It was fun to tell our friends, while they were on their honeymoon, "sure, we will meet you in Rome for the weekend-no problem!" ...and then actually go and spend an entire weekend wandering through the streets of an Italian city we've always dreamed of wandering. No real plan and just enjoying the time exploring.
- Zandvoort aan Zee...this is an amazing place...totally catering to tourists though...which is probably why we love it haha for more see our Day at the Beach in Holland Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
- Otterlo, Holland...visited the Kroller-Muller museum. Such a unique and lovely place. I have a post coming soon...but there are several Vincent Van Gogh works that if you are a fan you should not miss.
- Muiden, Holland...this was one of the first day trips within Holland the kiddo and I took...we had a really great time and if you have any extended period of time in Amsterdam I really recommend you visit this place.
- Berlin...this one barely made it to the one year cut off haha But, the kiddo and I had a lovely time exploring the uniqueness that is Berlin. Check out Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 for a full recap...if you have an extended period of time in Europe and you area history buff...particularly if you can put up with the horrors of WWII, I definitely recommend you check this place out.
I feel as though our year has been very productive and I couldn't be more pleased.
So, happy Anniversary to us!! If you are considering a move, please overseas and have questions ease don't hesitate to contact me, I am happy to share our experience with anyone who may want more info. This was the best thing we ever did for our family and I would love to share it with you. ☺️
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