Search Results for: expat

Living In Munich: Travel Tips From An Inside Look At Our First Week Adventures
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Living In Munich: Travel Tips From An Inside Look At Our First Week Adventures

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Have you ever made a big move? Maybe across a state, across the country or even across the world? I can honestly say that for Charlie and I, we are about a week into the biggest move of our lives up until this point. Having never permanently moved outside the borders of South Carolina within our working memory, we have had a fun, hilarious and adventurous experience this past week as we have begun adjusting to living in Munich. From transportation runarounds to furniture shopping to our new favorite travel items, we have learned so much in the past week. While living in Munich is quite different from visiting for vacation or traveling as a tourist, I believe many of these lessons can cross over to be extremely helpful when adventuring around Munich, Germany and Europe as a whole. With that, I hope that if you are planning on moving abroad, or even if you see yourself visiting for only a week….

So Tell Me... Flower & Macaroon Heart
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So Tell Me …

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When I first began Porch & Peony a little over a year ago, I wanted it to become a place to share inspiration, creative endeavors and life giving experiences. But even beyond sharing Charlie’s and my pursuit of “the joy of purposeful living”, I wanted it to become a place for YOU to experience, search out and create joyful purposeful living within your own hearts, homes and places of influence. So in light of Valentine’s Day this upcoming week, I would love to get to you know you all better! What do you love? What makes your heart sing when you experience it or bless others through it? What do you struggle with or want to learn? While I love my blog, I did not create it just for me! I want it to become a place that knows you, serves you and looks to empower you in whatever creative, crazy, fun, grand or quietly mundane adventures you embark upon in experiencing the joy of purposeful living. Through this post (and in each of them!) I hope to get to know you more and serve you in a better way. If you are brand new, I am thrilled you are here, please jump right in and tell me all about yourself! And if you have been here from the beginning, thank you for joining this crazy ride! I am so grateful for you and am blessed to have you here. So tell me …

5 Things I Loved About Munich During Our Look And See Trip
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5 Things I Loved About Munich During Our Look And See Trip

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Stories. Stories are the backbone of nighttime rhythms as voices pass the time shooting the breeze. Growing up, and even still, my family loves to tell stories. Stories of funny memories, sweet blessings and car ride adventures. Stories of grandparents meeting, fond idyllic childhood remembrances and the ways God showed up in each of them. We tell them again and again and somehow, like a well worn shoe, they never grow old. It was through stories that I came to know and admire Germany. As Germany is the place where my grandparents met and my mom’s earliest memories were formed during my grandfather’s military station there, I grew up on stories of quaint German streets smelling of wurst, wooden sleighs in the snow and God’s protection through treacherous Alpine mountain driving. Now years later, those stories came to life as Charlie and I take on new German adventures. The countdown is on until we fully settle into this area to craft new stories, but this past week we were given a glimpse of what those might be. Sent on a “look and see” trip by Charlie’s company, we spent a week in Munich setting up bank accounts, house hunting and exploring our soon to be stomping grounds. While I could tell you of all the logistics and back end work to make these things come about (and I am happy too for sure – check out THIS recent post, drop a comment below or DM me on Instagram!), I want to share the first 5 things that I have loved about Munich, Germany during our look and see trip. 

These next five things to love are not in any particular order, but are things that immediately stood out to me while experiencing this amazing culture for the first time. While you might not be thinking of moving abroad (or maybe you are!), these things are pieces you can…

Highs And Lows of 2022: Year End Review
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Highs And Lows of 2022: Year End Review

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2022…what a memorable year of highs and lows and many firsts. It was my first year owning my own business; first time getting to travel out of the country; first time cooking through an entire cookbook; first (and praying only!!) time finding out Charlie’s cancer had returned and then walking through months of chemotherapy together; first time becoming an aunt; first time finding out after two years of back and forth that we finally have approvals to move abroad as expats to Germany…what a memorable year 2022 has been. 

But mostly in all the highs and lows, this has been a year of God’s faithfulness. While it was not the first time He has been faithful (as He always is!), it was the first time that I had been pushed to total surrender of hopes, dreams, potential realities… And the beauty of it is: He is…

Home

Home

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home, hospitality & travels Embracing the everyday to Celebrate the joy of purposeful living Making a house into a home · welcoming a stranger as a friend · Turning a trip into an adventure · it is this pursuit of creating beauty, having intention & holding dear those around us that is the joy of…

ABOUT

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Hey, welcome in! I’m Chloe. I’m a wife, interior designer, recent expat in Germany and blogger who loves nothing more than a crisp fall afternoon full of all things Jesus, flowers, and hot tea. As a young girl, I discovered my passion to create. I was forever rustling up some DIY project for a family…