I know I have a lot of catching up to do on here but first things first, we have been here for 6 months! I look back and can’t believe how much I have accomplished. I will do some upcoming entries on the holidays, visitors and our first vacation out of Greece but first I want to reflect a bit. This whole crazy plan started after several things made us feel the need for a shakeup. Jeff and I met when I was 30, life was easy- playing soccer on a coed team, buying property in downtown Tampa for $150,000, a good job, great friends and family. We had several good years, nephews and nieces were born, we got married, we bought a house in a great neighborhood- Seminole Heights, and renovated it to make it our dream house, adopted dogs and travelled. It was a good life. We didn’t move to Crete to escape our lives; we loved our lives.

After Covid and Trump we felt some unease in the US- we started questioning Floridians outside our friends and family bubble. It felt like people were angrier, less happy and all around not what we wanted to be surrounded by. Life felt less safe and more expensive even though we had money and a daily life we loved. Jeff and I had always bonded over our love of travel. He had lived all over the world growing up and I liked the European attitude of work to live, not work to make more and more money. My dad had always told me: money is freedom.

Around 2020 Jeff’s Dystonia had gotten worse and daily life was painful and difficult for him. We decided it was time to take a leap and talk to a doctor about DBS- Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery. The doctor we met with was confident that Jeff was a successful candidate for the surgery. So on Feb 22, 2023, Jeff went in for the first of 2 surgeries. March 3 was his 2nd surgery and on March 23 they turn on his device. To say this surgery was successful would be an understatement. Jeff no longer had neck pain, and he could get a bit of his life back, I always say I got my husband back with this surgery. However, dystonia is not fixed with DBS; the surgery blocks the brain from tremoring and muscles pulling so there is no guarantee it will last forever.

So, with this new outlook on life we decided it was time for some changes. Jeff had gotten his citizenship during covid, not with the intention of moving soon but we wanted the option for our future. Little did we know we would be looking into moving so quickly after getting his citizenship. We started talking endlessly about whether we could consider a move. Would we work? Where would we work? Would we sell the house? How do we get the dogs to Europe? After months of making decisions and driving our friends and family crazy with all the talking about Greece, we bought the plane tickets and rented an apartment. Currently, Jeff is working part time for his company back home and I think I might find something in the tourism industry during the summer. I thought I would go back to corporate life after some time off but honestly, I dread the idea of going back to a 9-5 in an office, for now.

So, 6 months after boarding flights and spending 10 days travelling to get the dogs here, our lives look very different than they did 1 year ago. We live in an apartment near the city center, we walk everywhere, we have made friends, spend time with Jeff’s family, and have days we are bored but happy. I feel safe, I make mistakes, I still have anxiety but I’m trying to learn how to calm down after a blunder. Heraklion isn’t perfect but the more time we spend here and the more “wins” we have I can see us staying for a long time. Our next move will hopefully be to a more modern apartment with parking and an updated kitchen and bathroom. Our current place is a great location with nice neighbors, and we have gotten a nice daily routine. Greek class is twice a week, Pilates is 1-2 times a week, I have taken the bus, driven plenty and even had a scary village and mountain drive, I might have cried a bit after. The holidays were great, we had visitors from Tampa, and we got to join in some Greek traditions. I will recap some of our fun in my next entry. Overall, I am happy with our decision to move to Crete. We couldn’t have done it without Jeff’s family, they feed us, entertain us, remind us to pay our taxes on the car, tell us about the best places for eating and shopping and have probably saved us from a few bad decisions. The Greeks are warm, caring people, they are proud of their country, but they don’t seem to understand why 2 people would leave the US for Crete. To feel safe in your home and walking around your city is priceless, I might not always find things easy here- shopping for something specific can be challenging, but we are getting to know the ways of the Crete life and let me tell you- it is not a bad life, if you can do it.

Coming soon….. updates on the holidays and recent fun we had!