This month has been both long and fast—packed with stress, accomplishments, and lots of learning curves.
Creating Content
Greg and I sat down and mapped out our content schedule. Having a plan—blog posts, video ideas, filming days—has already lowered my stress. Just having a plan makes me feel less scattered. Knowing what’s coming means we can film ahead and leave enough time for editing.
Speaking of editing, I took the lead on our latest video about the Schengen Shuffle. It was harder—and easier—than I expected (with a lot of help from Greg). Going through our shots was fun, and I loved seeing the story take shape in the edit. The final version ended up very different from my first draft, but I like how it turned out. It feels more natural, more “us,” with some humor sprinkled in. I’m still working through the social anxiety of talking to a camera in public, but by the end of the filming day I felt better—nervous but proud that we did it.
And a big win: one of our earlier videos performed way better than we expected. For two introverts, seeing strangers on the internet connect with us is both surreal and encouraging. It makes this whole “content creation” idea feel a little less crazy.
Decluttering the House
At the same time, I’ve started tackling the long process of downsizing before our move. After nearly 10 years in this house, we’ve accumulated a lot. I’ve thrifted so many pieces that make this home feel like “us,” which makes it hard to let go.
I started small with my hanging clothes: one pile for donation, one for consignment, and one for mending. If I don’t fix them soon, they’ll move to the donation pile too. It’s just the beginning, but at least it’s a start.
Work Feels Different
Work has been hard lately. The support and opportunities I used to feel aren’t really there anymore, and it’s tough to stay motivated knowing I’ll be leaving in less than a year. Still, I want to set my coworkers up well before I go—it’s important to me to leave things in good shape.
Looking Ahead to Albania
We’re also getting close to our first trip to Albania, which feels both exciting and nerve-wracking. I’ve gone down too many search rabbit holes on Google, TikTok, and YouTube trying to get a sense of what life there might be like. The challenges, the daily rhythms, and of course, all the cafés that are calling my name.
This trip feels huge for us. If Albania feels right, it could be our future home. If it doesn’t, then… we’ll need to rethink everything. I’m trying to keep my expectations realistic, but I can’t help being hopeful.
Family Conversations
Another looming step is telling our families. We haven’t shared our plans yet, partly out of fear of how they’ll react. I’m definitely more nervous than Greg is. I expect questions, concerns, maybe even pushback. But once things feel more solid, I think those conversations will be easier to have.
Closing Thoughts
If you’re still here, thank you. Writing all this out helps me breathe a little easier. This season of life is exciting, scary, stressful, amazing, and freeing all at once. Having a place to spill my thoughts makes it all a little less heavy.
Read More
To learn more about why we are wanting to move read our previous post about why we chose Albania
