The sun was shinning brightly through our creme sheer curtains, pleading with me to join it. I had a to-do list a mile long, a large box to pack, and prepare our last piece of furniture before someone came to purchase it. I didn’t have time to enjoy the sun. But I knew for my sanity, it was probably going to be the best thing for me. I grabbed my purse, slid into my brown flip flops, and slipped on my sunglasses and prepared myself to greet the sun. It felt glorious on my skin.

I had no destination in mind, I just enjoyed strolling through the now familiar cobblestone streets trying to put them all to memory before I left, not knowing when I’d return. My thoughts wandered from admiring the Dutch architecture to finding myself in a tangle of frustrated emotions about how come we had to leave something that we totally loved?! In the middle of me chastising myself over the fact that I closed my business in Holland I found myself in front of one of the first cafes I visited when we arrived. With a smile across my face, knowing that somehow my subconscious knew I needed to come full circle, I entered the cafe to order my regular latte and muffin.

With my foaming latte in my take-away cup the smile couldn’t be whipped off my face and my frustrated thoughts were now gone. I forced myself to look forward to the changes ahead and prepare myself for what life will be in Vancouver and that included a cardboard take-away cup filled with the best latte the city has to offer and enjoying the sun on my face.

I curled myself under my blankets, one leg tucked under the other so that I could prop up my notebook to write my dreams down. In three short words I wrote “Move to Europe”. I was 16. And I smiled at the words before me and knew that one day, they’d come true.

Almost 12 years later, they did. I moved to Europe, The Netherlands, with every intention of staying as long as possible. I dreamed of building a business, of traveling all over Europe on weekends, of creating a home for my husband and I that was filled with items that we loved.  I dreamed of late nights over glasses of wine, and mornings over fresh lattes. In my heart I never thought we’d leave, I knew the moment that my feet ever touched the soil in Europe that this is where I felt most at peace, and had every intention of staying.

Fast forward 18 months and we accomplished all of the dreams I had set out! We still thought we’d be staying in Europe forever, even though we were restless in our current city and he at his job. But we thought we could move anywhere, and do anything! We talked of moving to London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and of course Paris. We desired a bigger city and had our eyes set on bigger opportunities.

And then, it all changed. 19 months later, we were packing our home into 2 large boxes to move halfway across the world.

It’s hard to give up on a dream that you’re living out beautifully and happily even though life is telling you that you’re supposed to walk down a different path now. When we searched for opportunities in London, Amsterdam, and Paris every door felt like it was being shut on us. The jobs weren’t right, the housing not quite what we were looking for, friends not close enough. Time and time again we were faced with roadblocks we didn’t expect. Until a door opened so easily that we couldn’t say no.

In a matter of a few short days, we had signed a contract and started making plans for our upcoming move. Our destination was unexpected. The emotions were a rollercoaster of highs and lows. One day I’d be excited about enjoying good coffee at a local cafe and working away, and then the next I’d find myself wrapped in a blanket tears streaming down my face feeling like we had failed. It was difficult to process and even more difficult for Mister to handle, as he never knew what type of shape I’d be in when he returned home.

I set out to accomplish a lot while we were living in Europe and ended up doing even more than what I had dreamed of. So for now, we say “See you soon, Europe” and “Hello, Vancouver”.