Our House Hunter's International Episode (Serbia -> Belgium)

Hello blog readers (and family and friends)!

Chris and I hope that you are doing well and thoroughly enjoying 2014! We have been quiet (on our little blog/journal) for a while because life has gotten quite busy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about that at all! In fact, I find that I feel incredible when I am really busy (I'm not speaking for Chris here - just for myself). Maybe I like being busy because I feel ultra productive? Maybe I get more done when I have a strict schedule to follow? Or maybe I am just wired to thrive under a little bit of pressure. In any case, a lot of people have asked if we would ever post our House Hunters International episode online, and after much ado, we finally got around to posting it! 

For those of you who are new here, Chris and I were filmed in April and May of 2013 for House Hunters International. HGTV wanted to document our move from Subotica, Serbia to Belgium, and even though we had already been living in Belgium for a good seven months before filming even started, they wanted to 're-create' our house hunting experience. We agreed to be filmed, and they asked if we could add a _touch_ of drama to our episode. In reality, our house hunting experience was not complicated at all, but for TV, we gave them some of the drama and conflict that they wanted. While Chris and I really loved filming part of our story abroad, this experience made us realize that most things on TV are slightly slanted and embellished. 

So if you are interested, here's our HHI episode! It is fun to have a 20-minute video of a piece of our journey together. One day we can show our children this episode when they want to see where we used to live around the world! 

Feel free to post your thoughts after you watch this, but be nice please! This is a positive space, and I won't post rude or degrading comments. (Why do people even post mean things about people they have never met? Unfortunately it happens a lot)

We are on House Hunter's International Tonight!

Loving the beauty of Bruges, Belgium

Checking out some scenery in Roeselare, Belgium with the HHI film crew

We made them do our signature pose

Tonight is the night!

Chris and I had such a great time (such fun) filming a House Hunter's International episode detailing our move from Serbia to Belgium and our apartment hunting experience. We filmed for four full days in between Serbia and Belgium, and we were able to involve so many of the amazing friends that we have made along the way. We can't wait to see our friend's faces on TV! This episode was filmed quite a while ago, so it will be interesting to see the finished product. 

Anyway, on the west coast, HGTV will show our episode at 7:30pm and 10:30pm tonight. In Kentucky, our mugs will be on TV at 10:30pm and again at 1:30am. Get all of the exact information here. Feel free to tune in!! You may be seeing the episode before we do since we have to record it and watch it on Thursday morning. 

The Statesman Journal in my hometown of Salem, Oregon also wrote a piece on us. Read that article here if ya want. 

Thanks for reading (and watching). 

Lana and Chris McCoy

Want to see the episode? I posted it here. 

The Moments We Don't Want to Forget

{ Where has this summer gone?! }

It seems that just yesterday I was unpacking our summer clothes and wondering if our sweaters and rain boots should still be easily accessible. Suddenly, the glorious sunshine seems to disappear just a little bit earlier each evening, our mini fan isn't getting quite as much use, dinner on the terrace requires a light jacket, and I'm beginning to wonder where I packed those sweaters and rain boots. I'm so not ready to say goodbye to summer. 

For all of the rain and freezing weather that Belgium experiences, when summer eventually rolls around, it's easy to forget the miserable winter that was. Like proper Belgian's (are we there yet?), we packed as much as possible into our first full summer in Roeselare. Chris and I were so busy simply enjoying the season with friends and family, that this little blog was harshly neglected. I just realized that there are several months that haven't been documented at all, and I must get back to blogging because I too quickly forget the details as life rolls on. 

{ Here's a mini recap of our Belgian summer }

{Park Guell - Barcelona, Spain}

After a hectic month full of House Hunter's International filming and ridiculously cold Belgian spring weather, Chris and I decided to book a quick weekend getaway to sunny Barcelona, Spain. At least we were crossing our fingers and praying for a tad bit of sun! I think we would have been happy with anything other than the average spring temperatures of 6 Celsius/43 Farenheit! (Of course, the year we move, Belgium has the coldest spring in 44 years! Thanks Belgium!) Well thankfully, Barcelona did not disappoint! We basked in the warmth of the sun every afternoon we were in town.

We met up with our great friend, Reece, and the three of us booked an apartment at Bed and Beach Barcelona Guesthouse. The Guesthouse is about 15-minutes (by public transport) from the center of Barcelona; but as the name suggests, it's right on the beach. The owners were incredibly helpful, the apartment was clean and remodeled, and the price was super reasonable. It's a place we will absolutely book again!

Since we were literally staying right on the beach, the boys were hesitant to leave their sandy retreats for city sightseeing. I decided to leave them one afternoon and take a bus up to Park Guell. I am so happy that I made the trek! In my opinion, Park Guell is a must see when visiting Barcelona. The boys would disagree with me since they were content playing frisbee and sunbathing on the beach, but I spent a good three hours at the park and I could go back and do it all over again. 

House Hunter's International - Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, Chris and I finally made our way back to Serbia! After a year abroad, Subotica, Serbia had become our first European "home," and the sleepy city had found a way into the repertoire of our story. Our time in Serbia changed us so much that it is hard to put the lessons into meaningful words and sentences. I know that we will always remember our time in Serbia with fondness and deep gratitude. Over one too many cups of coffee, our group of friends said goodbye to us by focusing on the memories we had created in Subotica. The year had been full of picnics on Lake Palic, themed dinner parties, football and Frisbee games, sunny bike rides, family Slavas, and cultural home-cooked dinners. When Chris and I moved to Belgium in September of 2012, we promised our Serbian family that we would come back to visit as often as work and money allowed.

The truth is, the first six months in Belgium passed quickly. Transitioning into life in Belgium took longer than I had initially expected, and Chris' job proved very busy. I still feel like I am in a state of transition here, but I'm slowly finding my place and purpose in this new world. Getting back to Serbia was like a breath of fresh air - it felt like I was going home and waiting anxiously at familiar coffee shops for friendly arms to wrap me in a warm embrace. I remembered first stepping foot on the Korzo (main walking street) in Subotica, every face was the face of a stranger and every coffee shop was unfamiliar and new. What a difference one year in a new world can make, and how easily we can adapt if we allow ourselves to live openly and transparently.