Ikea Overload

So I ended my last post by saying, "...there was work to be done in Brussels". By that I meant C had a lot of Ikea things to build while I tried to bake in our oven/microwave (more on that later). Since C came to Belgium two weeks ahead of me, he did the majority of the Ikea shopping & moving prior to my arrival; I thank God for that every time I see our pile of blue Ikea bags in the living room. Word on the street is they had to pull our couches and a few mattresses over the front railing of our apartment.....which is three stories up. C said he learned all of his French swear words in one afternoon. ANYWAY, even though C made a few solo trips to the blue & yellow cluster that is Ikea, we still made three trips together. I was really excited the first time we went; I could smell the horse meatballs cooking, kids were going nuts in the play area, the display areas were perfection. C was less than enthused. I didn't understand why-- hello, we get decorate!-- and we made it out relatively fast since that trip was more about "developing a vision" (HGTV is my life). Our next two trips weren't as easy. Second trip: I felt so defeated by the swarm of strollers and crying children that I literally pushed our cart into a corner and we laid down on it; third trip: I almost cried as I stepped up to the soft serve machine only to find out the person before me --literally right before me-- had enjoyed the final cone. And then there's the Dutch-only descriptions, lack of shopping carts, the aforementioned horse meatballs staring at me in the frozen section, and children on leashes. I've never seen C so stressed. You don't know someone until you've gone to Ikea with them. I seriously think we can forego premarital counseling.

Poor C building a dresser. He built two armoires, a day bed, a coffee table, and a kitchen buffet after this.

Cart 1 of 2 on our third and final trip. I cried at the soft serve machine moments later.

 

Guestroom teaser. C built all of this before I arrived. I love that guy!

So there you have it! While I paraded around taking pictures, C put his engineering degree to work (I did more than take pictures, but C really deserves the furniture credit). I'll shed more light on the vastness of our apartment, and everything we bought in order to fill it, on my upcoming apartment post! We're off to Copenhagen..

Ciao!

B + C



 

Cloudy with a chance of { Paris }...

Well, things were off to a quick start once I joined C on this adventure just three weeks ago. I barely had time to take a shower and catch up on sleep before throwing my luggage all over the floor and jetting off to Paris. C has a couple of sites in the City of Lights (see what I did there?); one just a block from the Arch de Triomphe, and another closer to the outer edge of the city. He worked while I played, which I'm coming to realize is not a bad gig. Even though I'm familiar with Paris, I spent the first day roaming around to the typical Parisian sights. I think I walked for five hours, but I needed the calorie burn after consuming my favorite croissant at La Duree and a famous falafel in Le Marais. Yes, I ate my way through a city....put your shocked face on. It was a lovely, albeit chilly and cloudy, day in one of my favorite places!

Arch de Triomphe

 

 Notre Dame

 

 The Louvre...sorry about my finger on the lens.

 

THE falafel. See that chili sauce in the squeeze bottle? Hells yeah.

 

After enjoying myself for several hours, I took a little train back to our B&B in Crecy la Chapelle. You can see the gorgeousness that is Le Moulin de Saint Martin here. Our hosts, Bernard and Agnes, have become like family to us; I've stayed with them before, as has C, and they truly treat us like we're their children (in the best kind of way). You haven't lived until you've had homemade escargot at their dining room table! It was nice to feel at home after leaving my real home just a few days prior. I was sad to leave them at the end of our stay, but there was work to be done in Brussels...

 

Bernard and Carol hanging out by the fire...

Bernard and Agnes greeted us with champagne and toasted to our new adventure!

 

Ciao!

B+C

 





Bonjour from Belgium!

The adventure has started: We live in Belgium, we're learning French (and Dutch, yikes), we're freezing, and we're trying to figure out exactly what this next year will look like. We understand more words than we can speak, which makes communication funny, and I don't trust people who put mayo on everything they consume; can you tell I feel a bit out of control here? I guess that's part of the adventure-- not knowing how tomorrow will look (But really, have you guys met my mom? I am at least half her, which means I plan EVERYTHING). While I struggle with the occasional surprise tram strike, or potential deportation, there is one thing I know for sure: We are blessed beyond measure to have this opportunity. I'm so excited to share this special time with all of you!

 

 

Things you should know before subscribing to my blog:

1. I'm a shitty photographer. #nofilter. But seriously, I don't use filters.
2. While I might make jokes about mayo eaters and weird foreign habits, I'm really grateful for this opportunity; don't get it twisted. 
3. I will share photos of our abode, but I will only provide you with my home address if you're willing to send me crunchy peanut butter and Mexican food on dry ice.

 

Stay tuned for updates on our visits to Paris, Amsterdam, and the biggest cluster ever Ikea.

 

B + C in Brussels' Grand Place at night...

 

 

Ciao!

B+C