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Day Trip To Spain

One of our classmates/friends and her husband invited us along for a shopping trip and lunch in Spain. This sounds exotic from an American perspective but it’s quite commonplace here in Portugal. Spain is about a 45 minute drive from Olhão and public transportation options are also available. It is a popular destination because a…
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We Skipped Ugly Christmas Sweaters This Year

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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…
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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…
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2 Months In Portugal

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3 Weeks In Portugal

So much has happened since we arrived on June 20th in our new country. We wanted to give an overview of how things are going, what we have struggled with, and things we have learned along the way. Andrew and I are each going to weigh in with our personal perspectives thus far. Highlights (Michelle)…
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May Retirement Status

Retirement: I did it! It feels like it has been months since my last day as a 911 dispatcher (instead of just over three weeks). I’ve spent a large portion of that time doing first hand research into becoming an “international shipping and packing consultant”. Thanks to my great friends (and Michelle who stopped in)…
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Date Night(s): MÄS & NAMA + Avery

Last week we had two fabulous nights out at our favorite restaurant(s). When we talked about local places we wanted to enjoy as much as possible before moving to Portugal, MÄS and its sister restaurant NAMA overshadowed everything else. MÄS offers innovative food which Chef Josh Dorcak describes as Cascadian Cuisine and we describe as scrumptious…
