Across The Ocean

There are still so many ‘firsts’ to experience in our new home. Each season here I find myself challenged by the new things, but I’m also learning to delight in those new things too.

These guys (along with all their friends) have decided to take up residence near us. And I delight in that because delighting in the small things make the big things less scary.

Still is my word for the year. Still as in steady and still as persevere. Thankful for a Father who reminds me to do both.

BREATHTAKING winter sky this evening on the d**e. We couldn’t be in a more perfect spot to watch the sun set!

“We finally got some real snow! BEST. DAY. EVER.” - Willow and Nala ❄️🌨

The evenings here are beautiful too!
Klundert, Noord-Brabant | The Netherlands 🇳🇱

Sanne and I adventured to some forest trails in the Netherlands today. The first picture shows part of an old fort + a bridge that goes through the water. The third picture shows a tower (of some sort...very unique structure) that has a beautiful view when you climb it.

Beautiful winter morning here in the Netherlands. We were up in time to catch the sun rise + a few photos of the scenery around our home. Still no snow, but the frost here is heavy so I embrace it the same. ❄️

I separated + re-potted this beauty less than a week ago and it’s already grown six inches and another baby is sprouting. Sometimes separation + new soil is the best thing for your soul. 🪴

I tried another bagel recipe today because I’ve been craving them + we can’t buy them in the local stores here. I was privileged to grow up in America where there is almost a sickening amount of choices in the food aisles. And now I live in the Netherlands...in a place where stores are MUCH smaller and choices are limited.

I’m not complaining.
I love the small.
The quiet.
The time to truly appreciate life.

But in order to enjoy certain things I grew up with, I have to work harder to find them or make them.

Or let them go.

I can’t tell you how much this has made me realize how rich of a people we are. How incredibly blessed I am...that even if I can’t find my precious bagels, I still have access to the things I need in order to make and enjoy them.

In this season of my life, I’m appreciating both the simplicity and complexity of mixing things to create something new.

In many ways, this is what my husband and I do on a daily basis. Mixing our cultures to create something new. Taking ‘time outs’ to understand why certain traditions, meals or spiritual disciplines are important to the other. What a wild and wonderful life we get to live!

* see my story for the bagel recipe. They take time to make, but that’s part of the process. The resting + waiting is both needed and worth it.

I’m learning to love my new home and the hard things challenge me to trust the Lord deeper. So when those ‘aching’ days come, I lean on Him and He somehow pulls me close.

I think, for all of us, we’re in a season of aching. We long for normal, hunger for hugs and just want to be with our people...without the guilt of the gathering being wrong.

In this advent season (and in this pandemic season) I’ve really come to catch a glimpse of what “Immanuel, God with us.” really means.

It’s an aching. Longing. Hunger for relationship. A desire for what was broken to be made whole.

Who are we...we with all our messes, mistakes and muddy days...who are we that the Lord would ache for us? That He would long to pull us in and bring us home?

No hiding.
No separation.
Just being.

What hope it is to know that He is WITH us.

Today I’m praying for those of you who are in those aching places. Together, we need to be reminded that we’re not alone and these days won’t last.

What is something you are learning in this season?

Tonight, children in the Netherlands anticipate a visit from Sinterklaas...hoping for a bag of gifts and maybe another goody in their shoes. 🎅 It’s still so strange to me how time and celebrations can be so different all over the world. Here’s to making new traditions!🌲

This month has been difficult. It’s easy to see pictures of this beautiful country and see our life as romantic or dreamy. Now don’t get me wrong, this country IS beautiful. But it takes lot of work to live here and we don’t always get it right.

As we enter into the holiday seasons my heart anticipates new traditions but also mourns the old ones. Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in the Netherlands...but we will celebrate it. The arrival of Sinterklaas (kind of like Santa Clause) is on December 5th here...but we will combine our Christmas traditions to make ‘dunglish’ ones. Some weeks are harder than others in finding the right American/Dutch balance, but we continue to have the difficult conversations in order to make it work. The things we do for love! 🙈

Continue to pray for us. They say the first year of marriage takes some getting used to and the first year of moving to a different country is the hardest. We did both in a year and that for sure hasn’t been easy. I’m not proud of it, but there was one week I cried every day because I was like, “I’m not strong enough or smart enough for this.” But God’s faithfulness has been so real and so we continue to depend on Him.

For me, I am constantly learning which has made some things easier. But oh how I miss the simplicity of understanding a conversation and being able to read a box or item description without the need for a translator. So I begin my mornings with Jesus and then dutch lessons. It’s slow progress, but progress and I’m proud of that.

There are things I find frustrating because they take more time than I would like...but perhaps that is why rest and slowing down is important. So I’m taking things day by day and learning to celebrate the little victories.

There’s a trail here where you casually come across cows grazing. No fences. No signs. Just cows enjoying a meal while you enjoy an autumn walk. 🍂

The leaves have turned and winter is coming. I’m asked now if the weather here is like it is back home and the answer is yes and no. The leaves change later here, but the air is still crisp and smells of Autumn. 🍂 I’m curious for the winter months as they are not as cold and snow is rare in the Netherlands. Having grown up in Maine, this will be culture shock for me. Thankfully, though, we can travel to places like Germany or Austria when I ‘need’ my snow fix. ❄️

☕️ Coffee on the other hand, is good no matter the country or the weather.

Each rainy day (like today) reveals a new leak in this old house. Those spots are not my favorite little things to find but it makes me that much more thankful for a roof above my head. And the kitchen no longer leaks so we are able to enjoy cookies on this dreary European evening.

Each time I face a new thing here or find myself missing the familiarity of home, the Lord is teaching me to pause and recognize the gifts around me. So today I am thankful for warm sweaters, a job that reminds me He is faithful and a husband who is fixing the leak in our old but quaint home.

The evening views from our yard just keep getting better. 🍂

I feel I’m finally starting to get into a groove here...all the new has left me feeling like a fish out of water these last few months. But today I’m celebrating the little things like a good cup of coffee, finding pumpkins at a local shop, making new friends and knowing which buttons to push on the washing machine (it’s written in German 🙈). And I’m celebrating the big things like a new job which allows be to use my writing for the Lord and re-launching Den Hollander Living which has been a source of unexpected light in my life. 🍁As we enter into a season of Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for?

I don’t think I’ll ever get over the historical beauty here. 🇳🇱

Incredibly thankful for technology that allows us to have coffee dates with the people we love no matter how wide the ocean is between us.

Experienced the for the first time and it is that, an experience. If you ever get to chance to visit the Netherlands, make sure this is on your list!

We took an evening stroll with our favorite goldens. The pups did great walking the dutch roads for the first time.

🍂 There are many things here that are very different...roads, houses, stores, food, even the wind...but perhaps the most noticeable, the language.

☕️ We visited Starbucks today to see it how it compared to the USA and it didn’t disappoint. The flavor was the same AND everything was in english. It’s weird how something like language makes you feel comfortable. It is such a relational part of our lives that connects us to each other.

Took this beauty out for another spin tonight. Biking here is a norm. Kids bike to school and to their friends houses and to their Opa and Oma’s. Grown ups bike to work and church and sometimes to get groceries. It’ part of what makes this place so charming.

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While we were watching a sermon earlier this morning I was thinking back to the Spanish Flu and how it took nearly two years for there to be any sign of relief. Can you imagine what two years of quarantine did to the souls of those people? How scared and alone they must have been without the technologies of today to keep them connected and sane? What a gift it is to be able to stay safe in the comfort of our homes...sipping coffee and staying connected with the people we love no matter how big the ocean is between us.

The realities of the current pandemic are not ideal and certainly not our favorite, but Jesus is still present and His Spirit is near. Even when our movement is limited, God’s is not.

“Don't worry about whether or not you can hold on to Jesus...the miracle is that Jesus is holding on to you. Believe it. Rest in it. Breathe it in. Walk it out.” Pastor Louie Giglio

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Despite the many flight changes, our sweet brown eyed girls made the journey safely across the ocean. It took them a few weeks for them to settle in, but they have made a full recovery and are back to being their silly and sassy selves.

• Looking to fly your pups or know of someone who is? Pets In Transit was worth every penny. Ted is your guy!

Hi, friends! Welcome to Across the Ocean, a space of picture and story. Feel free to grab a cup of coffee and join me in this new adventure.

| Patricia