2017 was a weird year. It was really amazing in a lot of ways, but it was also really… stressful? Anxiety-inducing? Depressing? I’m not sure what the right word is.
From our family-bubble perspective, 2017 was one of the best years yet; but from a global perspective, it was definitely one of the worst. But rather than ring in 2018 with negativity, I thought I would try to focus on what was positive in the last year; so here are some of the high points from 2017:
Attending the Women’s March at 36 weeks pregnant in Amsterdam
While the march was a bit smaller than the ones back in the US, it was still an amazing thing to be a part of here in the Netherlands, and I love that I will always have the memory of both my girls being with me at this historical event. (And I want my girls to know that even if you’re half a world away from the problem, you can still stand up and fight for what’s right.)
We had one big snow storm the weekend before Lark was born, and while I was stuck inside enjoying some lovely pre-labor contractions, looking outside at the snowy wonderland was a great way to spend our last weekend as a family of three.
What a way to ring in 2017. While my pregnancy with Lark started off pretty rough, the end of it was easy and her birth was about as close to ideal as it gets. Lark has brought so much life and joy into this family, and she is hands-down the highest high point of the past year.
Traveling
We really went for it this past year while living abroad. After taking the first part of the year off due to Lark’s birth, I traveled to the US in May with Lark, then we all took trips to Barcelona, Madrid, Budapest, Berlin, Zagreb, and while KC was busy working in Dublin, the girls and I jetted off to Copenhagen too. For our final trip of the year (and likely the last one before Lark’s first birthday), we’re off to Rome tomorrow to ring in the New Year Italian-style.
We have really embraced our expat life over here in Amsterdam in the past year and have been soaking up everything this amazing city has to offer. We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to live here and are doing our best to enjoy every minute.
Christmas in the Netherlands
My family traveled to Amsterdam for the holidays this year, which means we have been biking around the city together and enjoying the European holiday cheer for the past week or so. It has been so nice to share our home with my parents and siblings, and Prim and Lark have been in heaven playing with their cousins. This is a once-in-a-lifetime sort of holiday and we are really enjoying all the amazing memories we’re making.
We have a lot in store for 2018 already, including a big move back to the states. I know that repatriating will be quite an adjustment for all of us, but I’m looking forward to being close to our families again and am trying to focus on all the positives of moving back. And of course, we are going to make the most of every last second while we’re still over here in Europe — we’ll be traveling to Sweden, France, Greece and more in the new year!
Hope your 2017 was good, but here’s hoping that 2018 is even better. Happy New Year!