Month in Review: September 2022
September was a pretty big month around here! So big, in fact, that I fell behind on my weekly blogging. But I did want to get out my Month in Review to recap all the big highs and lows from a busy September. Seriously, how are we in October already?
Highlights
As I shared in August’s Month in Review, we had to leave our Yaletown apartment this September. But before we did, we hosted our moms for one last dinner on the patio. It was so nice to see them and make use of the beautiful space before we had to leave.
Of course, the big highlight of September was our trip back to Europe! We celebrated our first wedding anniversary with dinner in Paris, stayed at the coolest hotel in Amsterdam, caught up with friends we had made in Prague, cruised the canals in Amsterdam and Ghent, and indulged in all the Belgian chocolate!
I’m super excited to share more about our trip in upcoming blog posts. Watch this space!
Lowlights
But before we flew off to Europe, we had to move. While I’ve moved 30+ times in my life, this move felt particularly stressful. It was tough to find time to pack on top of trying to get all of my work done before our trip. Plus, we had to organize things into more categories than usual: toss, donate, store, take to our temporary housing, and take to Europe.
It was also one of the first times I’ve had to move not of my own choice, but because we had to go. Instead of being excited about the next place, I was sad about the place we were leaving and I’m still uncertain about where we’ll end up.
Our Europe trip was awesome but we did get soaked a few times in Brussels. It really rained hard on our last full day there and walking around when you’re soaked through isn’t fun.
Lastly, I had a bit of a sick day when we got back from our trip. I think it was just a combination of being overtired and dehydrated that led to me spending almost a full day dizzy on the couch!
Best watch
September saw us keeping up with The Amazing Race Australia, The Rings of Power and She-Hulk. I wish my taste in TV shows was better but it’s just not! Give me anything mainstream or a show that was popular in the early 2000s and I’m sold.
What’s cooking?
We had some incredible meals in September! We enjoyed rijstaffel (Indonesian rice table) in Amsterdam and in Ghent, great Belgian chocolates and beers, and some missed Asian food when we got back to Vancouver.
But my top three most memorable and satisfying meals were probably fresh croissants in Paris, this delicious poached egg and smoked salmon breakfast in Amsterdam, and a bao burger in Brussels with incredible yam fries!
Posts from this month
This month on Teaspoon of Adventure I published:
That’s it – just the one post! I usually publish one post per week but that cadence has really taken a nose dive in the past few months, especially in September. I’m actually considering switching to a 2-3/month regular schedule so I don’t feel pressure to put out posts I don’t enjoy writing or don’t feel proud of.
Plus, September was a busy month with our move and our trip. Something had to give, and unfortunately, it was blog posts. But now that we’re back and settling into our temporary digs, I’m really excited to start writing about our time in Europe!
For my throwback post of the month, I’m going back to Sep 2019: One Day in Amsterdam Itinerary. In honour of our visit to Amsterdam this month, I thought it only fitting to share my one day itinerary!
Reads
I actually didn’t finish reading a single book this month (gasp!). Remember when I used to read 4-10 books per month? I’ve totally fallen off reading. I’m trying not to feel guilty about it and just accept that my reading life will ebb and flow.
But I am starting to feel that desire to read again. Maybe as the weather cools, I’ll find myself cozied up on a chair with a warm beverage and good book more nights than not.
Travels
This September we travelled to:
- Paris, France
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Brussels, Belgium
- Ghent, Belgium
It is so nice to be travelling again! And it was especially awesome to return to Europe after having to leave Prague in March 2020, a few months earlier than planned. Being back in Europe just reminded me how much I love it over there. I can’t wait to visit again soon, hopefully on a more long term basis.
Where we have travelled in September:
- Sep 2019: In 2019, when Colin and I were living in Prague, our moms came out for a 3 week trip. We visited Southern Sweden and Denmark, hosted them in Prague, and then trained through Salzburg, Venice, Tuscany and Cinque Terre. It was an awesome trip and one of the highlights of our year abroad!
- Sep 2017: The first moms train trip we took was back in September 2017 when we took the train from Vancouver down through Portland, Eugene, San Francisco and Napa. It was so fun to see the coast and hang out with our moms.
Gratitude
I’m so grateful to both of our moms for helping us to move out of our apartment, take care of Ellie while we were away and get us set up in our temporary place for the next couple of months. We truly couldn’t have done it without them – thanks, moms!
Coming up next
October is going to be all about settling into our temporary pad, soaking up the rare summer weather we’re experiencing in Vancouver right now, and starting our apartment search for our new permanent place!
Sounds like you had a fantastic, if crazily busy month!! I hope you end up loving the place you move to! Will you be near us over in Mount Plesant!? (There is plenty of good food over this side of the city!!)
Thank you so much! I would love to move to Mount Pleasant. We’ll have to see where we can afford and still be within a short distance of the hospital where my husband works, as he’s often on call.