Chris Arrives!

Since Em just got here, we have decided to stay in Europe for the holidays for this year. It gives us a chance to travel and see some folks. First up for Thanksgiving, we took advantage of the long weekend and visited our good friend Jason Johnson who is currently working and living in Lucerne (Luzurn) Switzerland. It felt like a storybook the moment we got off the train. Although a bit pricey, Switzerland won us over with its beauty at every turn and quaint town. We got a chance to have a Thanksgiving meal with 20 Americans (coworkers of Jason), see the town, have amazing food/drinks and do a lot of hiking. I walked 119,000 steps/53.4 miles in 4 days! We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back!

Dearest Ones - I know it has been awhile since we have updated, but so much been happening. My job (Em) received advice that if anyone found out I was working in Dublin, that they would be subject to major fines so were very clear that I was not to leave any trail that I was in Ireland. My job wrapped up last Friday and while it was tough to leave, I have to believe it was all part of the plan. I am taking a mini-break after a very rough year and will plan to start looking again after the New Year. In the mean time, Chris and I are finishing up settling here in Dublin and making sure all of our loose ends are tied up back in the States. Chris has been enjoying his job. He is getting great exposure to higher level decision making and is learning a lot.
Chris found an apartment for us despite the housing shortage, complete with fire place and a guest room. It is located in Rathgar, which is a Southern part of Dublin. While City Centre is about a 30-45 minute walk, the public transportation system is excellent and it is quite easy to get almost anywhere. (We are currently without a car.) Rathgar is a quintessential quaint Irish town with a butcher shops, bakeries, coffee shops and of course a few local bars.
We are enjoying learning a new way of life, while some things are frustrating (banking hours actually being 9-5, payment methods, lack of black beans) other things are fun to discover. There are quite a few stunningly beautiful parks near our house and the occasional castle!
We have been trying to make the most of our international time abroad, especially being outside before the colder weather comes. I will create separate blogs for our weekend trips and upload the photos around Dublin to this post. We are just trying to incentivize you to come and visit :-)
While we miss our friends and family, we have really been having a fantastic time. Can't wait for all the settling to be over and the new life to begin..
Also, we already have three scheduled visitors on the books so make sure you check with us on timing before you book your travels over!

Due to wrapping up some details with housing and work, Chris had to go to Ireland to start his new job without me. He has settled into a room in a very nice couples house while he looks for a permanent place for the two of us to live. Housing in Dublin is a hot market and we are having a bit of trouble finding a place to stay. After a lot of work and searching, we have narrowed down the area to Dublin 6, which is a great neighborhood not to far out from City Centre, but still close to Chris's work.

Chris's job has been a good start, they have had him travel to several of their other offices. He likes his manager and said his coworkers are very friendly, but not the happy hour type (which I didnt think existed in Dublin) He is also enjoying watching two Irish sports during their finals, Gaelic football and hurling.

We were able to get a renter and moved out of our house on August 15th so as I wait for work to wrap up some tax questions, I am staying with mom in Cleveland. Still waiting on the okay to book a ticket, so not sure of a date yet.