Seven Months, Already?
And first international daycare drop off
Photo by Jessica Seghatti (@jessicaseghatti)
It hit me. It’s been seven months since we packed up a few things, sold everything else, and drove off from our Seattle home. This week, it’s also been four months since we set foot in Europe (or since I’ve driven a car). They say time speeds up as you get older, but I’m convinced this year evaporated.
Looking back, I feel like exactly the same as the person who drove off from the life that I meticulously built in Seattle. Most days it feels like I’m in my own bubble, on an extended maternity leave, counting down the days to when my “real life” kicks back in and I have to reinstall my inbox and Slack. If I close my eyes, I’m living my same life just in a new apartment with a new view. I’ll just ignore the foreign language part. Other days, I don’t recognize that human. It’s difficult to quantify and articulate change in a person.
Slowly we are starting to settle into live here in Portugal, checking milestones off the list one after the other. The latest? Finding a school for my three-year-old. Thankfully, I no longer have to worry about my son’s demands to replace his parents with an upgraded set who will find him friends. Whew. I can’t wait for him to start schooling me in Portuguese.
As much as I am loving a quieter house with less sheer destruction and chaos, I’m not ready for this next transition. It feels like this latest change has burst the sabbatical bubble I’ve been blissfully living in. Daycare means more space for figuring out what’s next and prospecting for work. It also means more bills. At some point my bank account will yell “mercy!” and demand the unemployment life must end. I’m not ready.
Why does life always have to move forward? For someone who just upended their entire life, I really don’t like change. Oh the irony.
Anyway, I’m accepting applications for a life definer - you know, someone to come into my life and tell me what to do next. I was prepared for leaving the U.S., moving to Portugal, and setting up shop. There was a clear project plan with clear objectives. I can kick major ass in those situations. But after that? No freaking clue.
Blog Posts You Might Have Missed…
Light week over on the blog! If you need to mix up your beverage game, I’ve got you covered.
4 Simple Syrup Recipes (+ a fall twist): I shared some of my favorite simple syrup recipes along with cocktail, mocktail, or other beverage suggestions. You’ve got ginger (paired with a ginger French 75), rosemary (with a rosemary gin and tonic), lavender (for sparkling lavender lemonade), and my fav fall syrup that I stir into my morning coffee every day.
I’ll catch up with more on the blog this week after school routines settle in.
Things I’m Loving…
A collection of a few random things I’m loving this week.
Artist I’m loving: Tracy Chapman. A timeless throwback.
Quote I’m loving: an add on to last week’s newsletter You Deserve Rest. “Instead of asking, ‘Have I worked hard enough to deserve rest?, I’ve started asking ‘Have I rested enough to do my most loving and meaningful work?” - Nicola Jane Hobbs
Kitchen hack I’m loving: I finally got sick of my husband and I racking our brains to remember when we cooked something. Sniff tests can only tell you so much. My solution: masking tape, a marker, and a date. Every time I mark the containers I feel like I’m a sous chef completing my mise en place. Top Chef, call me.
Substack article I’m loving: Asking for help is my kryptonite, but I’m working on it… slowly. Nedra’s writing is always so spot on, but I particularly appreciated her latest article: Ask for Help
Autumn classic I’m loving: this next one will tell you exactly how white girl basic I am (do we even say that anymore?) - it’s Gilmore Girls. There’s something about the nostalgia of rewatching the series every fall that’s comforting.
I hope everyone is taking refuge from the heaviness of the world this week with a little light wherever you can find it.
With light and love,
Cheyanne
P.S. Team Logan all the way