The Journey Begins

I overheard my daughter, Hadley, tell someone she was excited for our journey to Spain and felt a brief sigh of relief after wondering for months if my husband, George, and I made the right decision for our family to live abroad for the year.  We told the kids 8 months ago and now we are on day two of living in Almuñécar, Spain.

Our reasons for this decision are numerous including the current state of American politics, the monotonous routine that our lives were becoming and the fact that neither of our dads were able to benefit from their retirement dreams before facing terminal illnesses.  Our extended family members are currently in stable health, the timing works with our oldest son having one year left before high school and since we are both self-employed and the rental market in Seattle is currently lucrative, we felt able to pull it off financially.  But our most powerful reasons are to give our kids (ok, all of us) an opportunity to build our resilience in the world and to learn about, respect and appreciate the diversity of humankind and cultures that exists on our planet.

I hope to share with you, in this blog, some of our experiences of having chosen change in our lives and the joys and challenges that will come with it.  IMG_1648

“The world is a book, and those who don’t travel only read one page.”         ― Augustine of Hippo

 

12 thoughts on “The Journey Begins

  1. it look like you have already found your way to a gelato or ice cream location – ENJOY!
    I love you all and I miss you all – Melissa’s Brother is here and he is 11!

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  2. I’m so impressed you are already connecting us and it is only day two! Excited to follow all of you on your adventure. Loads of love from sunny and hot Fort Collins.

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  3. Very exciting for you and your family Melissa. I look forward to checking your blog from time to time to see your adventures. Prayers & Blessings💜

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    1. Hi Chris! Thanks for following. We have wanted to do some extended family travel for awhile and were inspired by another Seattle family who came to Spain for a year. Enjoying learning Spanish and exposing our kids to other ways of living. Hope you and your family are well! Send me some updates.

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  4. We miss you, Brewsters! It is so great to read your updates and see the beautiful photos of your experiences. I hope the kids assimilate into school life with optimism and ease. Hugs from the Gangnes clan. Love, Tyler

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