We had a perfectly reasonable plan for lunch. Then we encountered a woman selling rotisserie chickens on a street in Durrës, Albania. What happened next was not our finest moment.

Our journey from Spain to Albania was supposed to be a new adventure. And it was. Just not quite the one we expected. Between missing luggage, questionable first impressions, and a few unexpected moments of kindness, we quickly learned that life abroad isn't always as picturesque as the postcards suggest.

I don't know if I'm an expat or an immigrant — and that uncertainty says more about privilege than confusion. This post isn't about untangling the terminology, though. It's about what actually happened once the excitement wore off: the tasks that suddenly felt impossible, the loneliness of not understanding or being understood, and the night I told my husband something I didn't mean at all.

The drive out of Granada was terrifying, the descent into Calpe was breathtaking, and the first look at our new terrace undid me completely. Then the heat and humidity introduced themselves — and we've been learning ever since. Groceries, siesta, bikinis, a 332-meter rock we're supposed to climb, and a dog who somehow became a completely different animal. Welcome to Calpe.

20 things Spain does differently (some will surprise you)

Our first full day in Spain came with three thunderous booms and a floor that wouldn't hold still. Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, a very sick Devante was fighting a government website that refused to stay online — with Paco's flight just days away.

Every winter I ask myself the same question: "What am I doing here, where the air hurts my face?" This summer, we finally did something about it. Here's what it actually took to leave Minnesota for Spain — the visa that fell apart, the pet health certificate stuck in VEHCS purgatory, and the goodbye we said not knowing when we'd all be back together again.

Unworthiness has no place here.

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you... getting to like you, hoping you like me too!

It's Going to be a Happy New Year, Right?

A Story of Love for the Place I Will Always Call Home

The Illusion

Some Pain is Exquisite

RSVP, TY.

The universe may not always play fair, but at least it's got a hell of a sense of humor!

Broken heart, healing heart.

You're practically half naked!

Hello Friend. Goodbye, Friend.

The final blog in my Thrifting series!

A few days ago, I posted about my frustration regarding a hairy moment on the love-it-yet-hate-it Facebook. The reactions I received...