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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWe spent a lot of March and April thinking about next steps. Should we move back home? Should I apply for for EU citizenship (I have a German citizenship, but because I just recently applied for my passport this process takes upwards of 18 months)? Should we just wait another 4 years and get Irish citizenship? We made a pros\/cons list and I weeped for hours when we realized our best option as a family was to move back home<\/strong>. In all honesty, we LOVE it in Ireland. We\u2019ve met great friends, our pup is living the life, I love my job 98% of the time (rare, I know!), and we live by a beach AND a castle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, everything happens for a reason and it was time for us to make a decision \u201cwhere\u201d we would be moving back to. The U.S. is huge and there are offices at my company in all of the major cities so we could kind of pick and choose where we wanted to go (as long as I could secure a job within my company there). Within about 10 minutes of discussing it we ruled out San Francisco and New York City and landed on either Austin (where we are both from) or Seattle.<\/strong> In all honesty, if there is one thing I learned living in Ireland I am EXTREMELY impacted by the weather. I never really loved Austin living there and I always linked it back to the weather and climate. Now that we\u2019ve lived somewhere cold and rainy for a year and a half I\u2019m 100% sure I can\u2019t live in the heat again. I mean if I can\u2019t even handle Italy in March, I sure as heck can\u2019t move back to Austin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Which\u2026 narrowed us down to Seattle! Fast forward 3ish months and lo and behold I\u2019ve landed a job in Seattle (still with my company), we\u2019ve booked movers to move our stuff, and bought flights for us and the pup to move to SEATTLE IN TWO WEEKS! AHHHH!!! While still pretty sad to be leaving Europe (who wouldn\u2019t be??), we are stoked to start a new chapter in this beautiful city. Seattle stole my heart when I was an itty bitty tween spending summers there with my dad (who was in the military). Then in 2010 I spent a summer in Washington for an internship and was quickly reminded why I loved this region of the world so much. In short, we are getting really excited and can\u2019t wait to show the beautiful PNW off on the blog to all of you! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we can\u2019t just leave Ireland without reminiscing on our time here we put together a list of our top 5 experiences living in Europe. Like I said earlier we loved our time here and despite the challenges that come with being an expat we would ABSOLUTELY do it all over again. So, without further ado \u2014 let\u2019s dive into our top 5 experiences! <\/p>\n\n\n\n This was a super tough list for us, but we finally (after a coveted rock-paper-scissors war) decided on what our top 5 European experiences were. Some experiences are more personal than others, but it showcases how special (and important!) travel and experiencing new things can be for a relationship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our 5th wedding anniversary was spent in Siena and this gorgeous little city absolutely stole our hearts. The walled-in city frozen in time was an experience like none other. We ate some of the best food we\u2019ve ever had, sipped on cocktails overlooking the Piazza, and went on an amazing walking tour.<\/a> We will definitely be back to this gorgeous part of the world at some point in our lives, that\u2019s for sure! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone that knows my hubby knows he is a hardcore foodie. In fact, he didn\u2019t want to go to Croatia with me a few weeks ago because he didn\u2019t think he would like the food (and he wouldn\u2019t have \u2014 seafood galore, which isn\u2019t his thing..). Me on the other hand? I like food (a LOT), but if a place doesn\u2019t have good food (like Germany in my opinion) but has awesome scenery, I still would want to go. However, I will have to admit that Budapest is the ultimate foodie destination. We ate like KINGS (and queens!) on our long weekend visit in January. Despite freezing our tails off, we had a truly wonderful time eating our way through Budapest.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n We really are the luckiest of them all. Not only did we meet amazing people while living here, we also had multiple visitors from home throughout our time here. I spent a weekend in London with my dad, a long weekend hopping through Christmas markets with one of my best friends, trotting through Scotland and Northern Ireland with my childhood (and adult) best friend (basically my sister from another mother), exploring Ireland with the hubby\u2019s parents, and various trips with new friends that we met here. Exploring the world with loved ones is so so special! <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rioja region in Spain took our breath away. We fell in love. The mountains, the food, the people, and the wine \u2014 oh my! No, but really \u2014 it\u2019s our favorite place in all of Europe. The Basque region and specifically the wine region really has it all. Even though we don\u2019t live close anymore, this will be a place we go back to for sure. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for my gushing post on this beautiful region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are a long-time reader you probably guessed Ireland would be #1. \ud83d\ude42 We love it here. The rugged landscape, the green rolling hills, the beer, the people\u2026 everything! Ireland will always hold a special place in our hearts and we couldn\u2019t be more thankful to have spent the last 1.5 years in this beautiful country. There\u2019s no place in the world like Ireland and I can guarantee you we\u2019ll be back to explore corners of this country we never got to see (looking at you Donegal). <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we close this exciting chapter of our lives we couldn\u2019t be more excited to embark on the next pages of our life story. Don\u2019t worry our Europe posts aren\u2019t over (I have SO much catching up to do after our crazy spring of travel). Looking forward though to share more hikes, glamping, and the best of the PNW with all of you. And if you\u2019re ever in the Seattle area let us know! Would love to meet some of you awesome readers! \ud83d\ude42 http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170830135903if_\/http:\/\/bootsnotroots.com\/web\/20170830135900\/https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BUXM-I6F7t5\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&v=7&wp=658#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A114338.79999999702%7D<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rise and shine _____________________________________ #AOV #igersmood #streetdreamsmag #exklusive_shot #vscogood #exploretocreate #mkexplore #livefolk #folkgood #global_shots #mobilemag #passionpassport #instagoodmyphoto #thecreatorclass #hbouthere #hypebeast #canon #shotaward #seattle #seattlepulse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A post shared by seattle (@bokeh.rang) on May 21, 2017 at 10:20am PDT<\/p>\n\n\n\n Happy Trekking!<\/p>\n\n\n\nTop 5 European Experiences<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
#5: Siena <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#4: Eating our way through Budapest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#3: Traveling the world with friends and family<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#2: Wine tasting in Spain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Drumroll please\u2026. <\/h1>\n\n\n\n
#1: Ireland! <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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