We finally have a light at the end of the tunnel. The world is starting to open back up, and whether it’s too early or late is another debate for another time. Instead of focusing on the negatives that have been stacking up the past six months, I wanted to talk about things I’m optimistic about. We need some sunshine in our lives during these dark times.
Moving to Amsterdam has been a dream come true. The Dutch people have been so welcoming and wonderful. I wouldn’t want to quarantine anywhere else int he world. Sure, my family is going through incredibly tough times. We may have some of our darkest days ahead. As far as mental health goes, I’m not sure we would have been able to handle the breakdown of society that America appears to be facing if we would have stayed home another year.
Summer in the City
The summertime in Amsterdam is something for the world to envy. People take small tables and chairs outside and line the streets as they pass the days by sipping wine and eating form cheeseboards. The Jordaan neighborhood features a healthy mixture of locals with deep roots and expats from all over the globe. We have a great group of neighbors that have been itching to gather and enjoy the sun together since the weather started to get nice again. The Spring has been wasted on the quarantine but we won’t let the summer suffer the same fate.
We were able to experience Summer in Amsterdam once before when we hosted our bachelor and bachelorette parties here in ’08. The vegetation stays green and the flowers bloom into the winter. The weather rarely ever gets too hot. You will likely have to deal with some pretty heavy rain but as residents of this beautiful city, we’re more than used to it. We embrace it.
Far from Home
As much as spending time in our new home sounds like fun, getting out of town and seeing new things sounds just as good. Traveling is our favorite thing to do (well.. second favorite *insert corny wink emoji.) We didn’t move to Europe just to stay home. We want to see and experience everything this historical land has to offer. Luckily, we were able to have the trip of a lifetime in London just before the virus hit. I don’t know where we will head next, but you can bet we are going to document everything and have some wild stories to tell you.
A trip to America is on the horizon as my mom is going though a serious health crisis. It’s much sooner than we expected but was always in the plan. It will be nice to get a huge hug from her and see the rest of the family. We had to make a lot of sacrifices to move so far away, but everyone knows this was for the best. We’ve already become healthier and happier and our marriage is just as strong as ever.
Back to Normal
Most importantly after all of this mess, I just look forward to things going back to normal. I don’t think the world realized how much being stuck at home in our own technology-packed safe spaces would bore the shit out of us. I miss board games with friends, going across town on the tram to see our friend DJ, restaurants, physical contact, clubs, bars, dancing, concerts, festivals, sports, conventions, traveling, swinging, random dates on Tinder, meeting new people, museums, movie theaters, and a ton of stuff I’m sure I missed. If we’ve met, I miss you too. Even if we haven’t, hopefully one day soon, the world goes back to normal and we can be friends.
I’ll leave this article saying this: We have no clue what going back to normal really means, but please be smart about it. Even if you don’t feel for the vulnerable community that has been hit the hardest by the virus, please be mindful that those people have friends and family that love them dearly. They don’t want to die alone in a hospital bed next to dozens of other strangers that are slowly dying as well. Let’s do what science has told us is necessary to curb this virus and kick its ass. We know what we need to do. We just need to make sure the mob mentality doesn’t dumb down the masses. Let’s all do our part and push the world forward in a positive direction!
P.S.- We have something huge to announce in the next couple of months that we aren’t allowed to discuss right now. Just know it involves LIGHTS, CAMERAS, and ACTION! We are so excited to share the news as soon as we can. So check in often to see what we are up to next!
