Everyone dreams of a romantic, fairytale adventure right after getting married, right?  Today we have a fabulous guest visiting us.  Lisa and Drew – two fabulous Americans moving to Germany as I write – thought their adventure into a new home and new world would be oh-so-dreamy.  But oh the irony of our dreams!  I think you’ll just absolutely love what Lisa has to say.  Take it away, Lisa…

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Two months after Drew and I got married we moved to Aix-en-Provence, France. We were there for a year- I was there to study and Drew had found a job teaching English in a local elementary school. As moving abroad has its challenges, it definitely wasn’t the yearlong “honeymoon fairytale” that we had dreamt it would be, but it was surely memorable!

One of the most memorable parts of our year in France was the little (about 400 sq ft) loft apartment that we called home. We found the apartment online before our arrival in France. After a brief email exchange with the landlord, who supplied us with photos of the place, we signed a one-year contract and crossed our fingers that everything would turn out OK.

As if that wasn’t pushing our boundaries enough, we took things a step further… In order to save ourselves a ton of foreign wire fees with our bank, and as we were able to negotiate a nice discount in the rent by doing so, we ended up paying for the entire year’s worth of rent up front. Sight unseen.

It was a huge leap of faith. (And, in hindsight, probably not the best decision- but we were young and on a tight budget and it seemed like a good idea at the time.)

For the most part, the apartment met and exceeded all of our expectations- it was in a great location, had huge shutters (that really worked!), and it was decorated in a very charming Provençal style. The perfect little home for a newlywed couple.

There was one thing, however, that turned out to be a huge, not-so-perfect, surprise for us… the height of the ceilings. My husband Drew is tall- 6’4” to be exact, and I’m not too short myself, measuring in at 5’9”. So when we walked into the apartment for the first time and realized that the ceilings in the majority the place (basically in every room but the living room) were shorter than either of us stood, we were presented with a unique challenge.

I won’t lie- it was frustrating at first- heads were bumped many times and tears were shed. But instead of pouting, sulking and letting it ruin our home, we learned to adapt and to laugh about it.

We bought a plastic stool for our bathroom so we could sit as we showered, made good use of a rolling chair to get around the office / bedroom loft area, and, we discovered a new way of cooking by sitting on a stool as we mixed, sautéed and grilled.

After a while we got so used to the various ceiling heights that we forgot about the fact that we were constantly ducking and swatting as we went from room to room. It almost became a little dance. Squat-Duck-Sit-Stand-Squat-Duck-Sit.

In the end it was a unique experience that we still look back at it with fond memories and a few giggles. We learned a lot from living there and grew a lot as people from the things we learned.

I’ll leave you by sharing a few of the life lessons our apartment in France taught us…

Takes Chances –You are stronger than you realize- don’t be afraid to push your own boundaries and expand your comfort zone.

Make Mistakes. Embrace new experiences and all the challenges that come with them. When things go wrong (remember our low ceilings?) take a moment to acknowledge it and be upset; then, find the laugher in the situation, pick yourself up, and move on.

Enjoy the Moment. Over analyzing the past, or worrying too much about the future can cause you to miss out on the present. Focus on taking things one step at a time.

Be Yourself. (This one’s a biggie!) Comparing yourself or your home to others is dangerous. Everyone’s journey is unique. Learn to love the life you live (and the home you live in).

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Isn’t that crazy?!  Do you think you could manage like Lisa and Drew did?  I think they picked up some amazing lessons, and I’m so thankful for Lisa, giving us peek into their old place.  You too?

Let’s just hope their ceilings are a bit more comfortable when they arrive in Germany.  As a tall couple ourselves, Martin and I have some great news for the adventurers : German beds are wonderfully longer than American beds.  No feet hanging off the end!