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Using Exercise to Maintain My Sanity

Moving is stressful. Saying goodbye to friends is tough. Transitioning from one job to another brings a lot of unknown and complexities. Based on these three facts, the next six weeks should be a joy.

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Luckily, these days, even thirty minutes of physical activity can help relieve stress. Gone are the days when I crave a pint of Ben & Jerry’s to eat away my stress induced anxiety after a long day.

These days, I’ve decided that my mantra for the next six weeks will be to lace up my sneakers and go.

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Today I spent 30 minutes outside letting my thoughts run wild while I ran through a local park, enjoyed the sight of the Spring flowers and completed a quick 30-minute run. I didn’t track my pace or distance.

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I stopped twice, once to complete my 5-minute strength circuit and again to say hello to a friend. This was far different from the training runs a few weeks ago. But, don’t get me wrong. It served a purpose that was equally if not more important. It helped me relieve the stress that comes along with moving two people on two very different dates, while managing a full-time job and trying to enjoy the last few weeks in Europe.

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If April training focused on the half marathon, then May and June’s training focus will be using exercise to maintain my sanity.

I’ll be living alone for June, which means I’ll have plenty of time for evening yoga classes and early morning workouts. I’ll try a few new Les Mills classes at our office gym before I say goodbye to that membership.

What are your suggestions for managing stress the next six weeks?

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Big News – Part 2

Just about a year ago, to the date, we shared the big news that we were packing our bags and moving across the pond to embark on a great adventure.

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In order to accommodate both of our careers, we ended up establishing homes in two cities – Geneva and London. Bo pursued his career in finance with his current company while I moved into my new global role with Procter & Gamble.

People often asked us which city felt more like home and we would always answer that we were doing our best to make each feel like home. Even though our London flat came furnished, we spent time stocking a proper kitchen and adding a few prints and pieces of furniture to make it feel more homey. We have made some wonderful friends in London thanks to blogging and have spent many a weekend enjoying long runs, workouts, double dates, and brunches with these friends.

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As much as we tried to make both cities work it was tough. We went to great strides to ensure we saw each other every weekend, taking more than 60 flights in the 9 month period and waking up at 4am on Mondays in order to get back to our respective cities in time. While our relationship was stronger than ever, neither of us were completely happy with the situation. We both missed having a friend and spouse to come home to in the evenings. This in addition to the fact that Bo found the environment at his company’s London office to be very different from New York which he loved.  So after many hours of discussions, talking with loved ones, evaluating options, and prayers we have officially taken a leap of faith together.

Bo has left his role in London and relocated to Geneva!

What does that mean for us? Well, it means that I have the joy of seeing him everyday which beginning yesterday was pretty amazing! For now he’s focusing on learning French, making some improvements to our flat, taking some time to evaluate his next move and considering options. Right now our plan is for him to start applying for financial positions in Geneva next month but we’ll see what happens. If something comes his way sooner, fabulous. We are being realistic about the situation and are thankful for the savings we’ve put aside for years which help make this move possible. This is the first time off he’s had since graduating from Georgia Tech in 2007 and we both believe it is the perfect time to consider career options.

While saying goodbye to London is difficult, we’re both thrilled with the fact that due to its proximity, we’ll be able to see our friends frequently either in London or during fun travel weekends throughout Europe.

Cheers to the unknown and establishing our life TOGETHER in Geneva!

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Run, Unpack, Eat & Repeat

This was one of those weekends which left me feeling like I need a vacation. Lucky for me vacation begins Friday at 6pm! Saturday through Tuesday we will be in Burgundy with our friend Ryan and Amy who are heading over to Europe for their annual anniversary trip!

Saturday the weekend began with a 16 mile long run through Geneva. Emily requested a new route as we’ve been running along the lake for the past month. Little did she know that I’d come up with a route that would take us from running up trails to crossing bridges and through small areas of Geneva she had not seen previously!

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Overall the run was a partial success. We ended up having to stop for traffic lights and to check the map a bit more than I would have liked but none of the stops were very long. In addition, the hills at the beginning and end really challenged our legs but we still finished strong. I didn’t wear my Garmin and instead we just ran for fun which was a nice way to breakup marathon training. While I drank plenty of water during the run I only consumed 40 calories which is definitely not enough for a long Emily has enjoyed running so much that she signed up for the Lausanne Marathon! As of now we are scheduled to be in London that weekend unfortunately but I’m excited to have a training partner for the next 3 long runs before she heads to the states for a quick trip.

As soon as I returned home Bo and I spent the next three hours unpacking boxes and working in the flat. While the movers did the majority of the unpacking on Friday, there was still plenty of work to be done including putting together some furniture, reorganizing, finding places for things, and hanging some pictures.

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By 1pm we found ourselves at the Geneva Airport picking up Bo’s sister, Meg, who was here for a quick visit before heading to London with Bo. Her arrive coincided perfectly with the beginning of our 30 day rental car which is part of the relocation package.

IMG_0979  While she rested Saturday afternoon we put the car to good use and made an Ikea trip where we were able to get in and out in 20 minutes! This record time was only possible due to the fact that Ikea closed 20 minutes after we arrived so we were forced to be efficient! The rest of the afternoon was spent doing heavier work like drilling and hanging mirrors as our friend PJ came over and lent us his tools for the weekend!

IMG_0982Luckily there was a great reward for all our hard work on Saturday – a night out with friends!  We went to dinner with Renaud, Sarah and Hugo at a beautiful Swiss restaurant on Lake Geneva, La Belotte. While the inclement weather didn’t allow us to sit out on the patio, but we barely noticed the storm passing outside as we were laughing too hard the entire time. The service was subpar but the food was delicious! Luckily Sarah and Renaud helped us make choices based on their previous experience and local specialties. The clear winners were the perch and the warm goat cheese salad!

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After dinner we sipped beers until 2am with new Geneva friends at Yvette de Marseille, a bar in Eaux Vive with indoor and outdoor space, perfect for a Summer evening. We discovered that they serve bottles of wine in bags instead of buckets and employ a guy to walk around saying “shhh” to louder groups versus a bouncer at the door. Oh Geneva, you’ll never cease to amaze me.

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Wine in a bag? Have you ever seen this before or am I just behind the times?

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