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Evil Cats Destroy Lives In Europe

Author: Michelle

  • We Made It 1 Year

    We Made It 1 Year

    June 20th marked 1 full year in Portugal and the time blasted by like a bullet train. Maybe that means we have been having plenty of fun (“day drinking” European style is next level – even our background in emergency services did not prepare us for this), or perhaps we are just oldish now and…

  • New Year’s Contemplations

    New Year’s Contemplations

    Many people use the word resolutions to describe their aspirations at the beginning of a new year. This is a bit too rigid and doesn’t inspire motivation for me. I like to use contemplations instead, which conjures feelings of reflection, thoughtfulness, and a long term analysis of a particular situation. Here are some areas I…

  • We Skipped Ugly Christmas Sweaters This Year

    We Skipped Ugly Christmas Sweaters This Year

    Andrew: Brother Visit: Rob made his first trip to Olhão in early December. His arrival matched up almost perfectly with the beginning of the rainiest week of the year. The rain poured down and both Michelle and I got horrible head colds two days after he got into town but we still had plenty of…

  • Festas And Fun

    Festas And Fun

    The season of holiday parties was upon us and we said yes to almost any reason to celebrate the remaining weeks of 2022. Two parties in the countryside: One of our classmates lives in Moncarapacho which is about 7 kilometers from Olhão and we attended two social gatherings at her house. The first was a…

  • Giving Thanks Abroad

    Giving Thanks Abroad

    November sits right between two movie filled months, Michelle’s horror extravaganza in October and Andrew’s Christmas romantic comedies in December. It’s that time where many Americans make a full transition to having lives dictated by various holidays and parties for six weeks or so. Fittingly, it was a transitional month for our lives in Portugal…

  • Our Dance Card Is Filling Up

    Our Dance Card Is Filling Up

    In Medford we had a few “non-work” friends, but every year or so we’d talk about making a concerted effort to expand out to new social circles. We made amazing and hopefully lifelong friendships with coworker and work associates but those gatherings almost always circled back to endless conversations about our job. After almost 20…

  • To Lisbon And Back In 37 Hours

    To Lisbon And Back In 37 Hours

    Andrew had successfully navigated his residency appointment in October, and now it was my turn. We still haven’t found a house sitter in Portugal, so I traveled solo to Lisbon and back via train while Andrew stayed home with our furry kids. My primary goals were: pack light for easy travel, find something delicious to…

  • Fall Reading

    Fall Reading

    Andrew: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. A digital library loan. My Rating: ***** Even if, like me, you are kind of sick of stories about multiverses, don’t skip this amazing novel if you are a sci-fi fan. A scientist discovers a method to jump to other dimensions that are similar to our own BUT…

  • Pumpkin Spice And Halloween In Portugal

    Pumpkin Spice And Halloween In Portugal

    Andrew: We LOVE Halloween. It isn’t as celebrated here as it is in the United States but the stores still put out a few costumes and if you look hard enough you can buy a pumpkin. Although I considered digging out some costumes we held off this year. That doesn’t mean we didn’t celebrate at…

  • Immersion: More Like An Ocean Than A Pool

    Immersion: More Like An Ocean Than A Pool

    Michelle: Immersion?!? People use this word pretty frequently when the subject of our move to Portugal comes up. It is usually a short, topical conversation much like a fleeting news headline. What actually comes to mind when you use the word immersion? I consider one of my favorite kitchen gadgets an immersion blender which I…