bimble and coddiwomple

Hi! We're the O'Learys, a husband and wife team adventuring together and growing in grace and courage

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Sunflowers have to be the happiest flowers 😊🌻🌻🌻#peoniesstillmyfavtho

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Oh hayyy there you pretty little thang...fancy meeting you here!!! And for only 6 million euro this could be your view from your own 100sqm flat!!! 😂😂😂😭😭😭

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Bonjour Paris, mon amie!!! I feel as though I have known you forever and I love you 😍🥐🥖🍷🇫🇷 #cityoflights

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Spent two sweltering glorious days in Bordeaux. We weren't originally planning on going through but decided last minute why not! After all it was named the top travel destination in Europe and I totally get why! #wellbeback #bordeaux #allthehipsters

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

I've tried to post a few more in the journal but our internet is too slow. Hopefully will get to posting soon! In the meantime I'll just be here looking at all the pretty buildings and dreaming of how I can make moving here happen asap 😩😍 (à Rognes, France)

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Tree lined roads all day every day 😍😍😍

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Dreaming is a funny thing. We work and we hope for them and yet when we accomplish them they feel elusive all over again! Thank goodness my hope isn't in my dreams but the dream maker who has so many bigger and better dreams awaiting us! Also what a privilege it is to get to be in awe of the result of dreams come to life! 🙏🏼🙌🏼😍

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Y'all this is literally the most beautiful place I've ever seen!!! Pics don't even come close to doing it justice 😍😍😍 (at Gordes Luberon Provence location)

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Croissants, farmer markets and antique shopping make for one incredible day. Oh France how do I love thee let me count the ways 😍😍 (at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue)

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

New York, New York

What can I say about NY that hasn’t already been said? The city that never sleeps, the big apple, New York is a breed entirely it’s own. You see it in countless movies and as the pinnacle of the “made it” status and yet as someone who had never been before it felt like a fantasy. Surely such an iconic city couldn’t be all that? But the second we walked off the train from the airport you could feel the electricity of its heartbeat and boy was it contagious.

Thankfully one of our friends happened to live in the Upper West Side and offered to let us stay with her. Having a local show us the ropes was an incredible blessing and the perfect way to spend 24 hours in sensory overload.

Our first afternoon we had some time to kill and what better way for natives from the PNW to spend some time in NY than to walk the entirety of Central Park. Central Park was probably one of my favorite things about the city. Seeing people going on a run, enjoying the sunshine with a picnic, hot dog stands, street performers, I loved people watching just as much as I enjoyed the beautiful landscape!

One thing that struck me during our walk was how many people were just sitting on benches. It didn’t matter that they weren’t on their phones or talking to someone, they were just sitting. And it wasn’t just in the park either, people were sitting on benches everywhere! I don’t know why it surprised me so much, perhaps because in Seattle despite there being so much natural beauty there is somehow this pressure to be constantly on the go; to have a reason or purpose behind whatever you are doing. Perhaps it’s just me who feels this way? Regardless, despite the hustle and bustle of the city itself I found that these random people just sitting were the highlight of my day.

That night we got the most incredible ramen I’ve ever had and then walked around Times Square. At first I was hesitant to go to Times Square because I thought that it was touristy and overrated but boy was I wrong. I mean yes it’s touristic but it is touristic for a reason. The sheer number of things happening simultaneously is hard to describe. Spending even a few minutes staring into the mass of buildings, people and lights is enough to make you feel lost at sea and awestruck all at the same time.

(ignore the bad pic, novice here ya’ll (: )

The next day our friend was so awesome she took the day off to show us the city. We took the subway (which was amazing) down to see the statue of liberty (from afar) and the world trade center memorial.

From there we took a short subway ride over to Soho. Now obviously we had only gotten a taste for NY but Soho is kinda my jam. Trendy restaurants, good shopping, beautiful architecture I probably could’ve spent a week just in this area. Alas our time in NY was coming to an end as we headed back home to pack up but don’t worry, we’ll for sure be back.

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

The things we will do to find shade 😂 #sohot #seattleites #notusedtothis (at Cannes, French Riviera, France)

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

If Savannah is the older calm sister, Charleston is definitely the younger spirited one! While both cities have their charm, Charleston has some additional spunk to it that made it unique. You have “south of broad” that contains all of the most beautiful southern mansions, the College of Charleston (need I say more), the influx of people moving there, and naturally the many tourists from all over. While Savannah definitely feels like a tourist destination, Charleston feels a little more lived in.

Because of the timing we ended up spending both Easter and my birthday in Charleston. As my birthday present, we stayed in the most beautiful new boutique hotel called 86 cannon. It is beautifully curated and operated by a husband and wife team that make it feel both intimate and luxurious all at once. It was definitely a once in a lifetime splurge. They had bikes for us to use on site and we spent our first day biking around Charleston for almost five hours, stopping for the occasional coffee of course. If you want southern charm with high end food, shopping and sights Charleston should definitely be on your list.

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

The phrase a picture is worth a thousand words keeps running through my mind tonight. While on the surface this picture represents a sublime moment, in reality we just got in a fight over something stupid, a ginormous rat ran right past us and naturally were being eaten alive by mosquitos. 😂 reality is most often comprised of the unspoken and unseen words and honestly it's those parts I want to be brave enough to share. So cheers to perfectly imperfect moments. (at Nice, France)

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Going east…coast

Naturally it was raining the day we left, the perfect Seattle sendoff. We left Seattle the morning of April 12th and before immersing ourselves in complete culture shock we decided to start our journey in Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC. I had always wanted to go for reasons I can’t remember and we figured why not ease ourselves in; after all they were pretty much, sorta kinda, along the way!

In general, I try to hold expectations as loosely as I can given the nature of plans working themselves out but both Savannah and Charleston surpassed any and every preconceived notions we had. Savannah in particular felt like a dreamland; sunlight filtering through tree lined sidewalks with Spanish moss swaying in the wind while people meander through historic squares. It felt like the perfect blend of the relaxed southern charm and old world beauty. I hope we find our way back some day.

One of our favorite things to do: get lost wandering through the neighborhoods. Old town Savannah did not disappoint. 

Forsyth Park 

  The Old Pink House serves traditional southern food. We were even brave enough to try fried chicken livers! 

The Grey is an old greyhound bus terminal that they restored to an Art Deco style restaurant, by far my favorite places we ate! 

[bimbleandcoddiwomple]

Beginnings

Why is it that the hardest part of any endeavor is simply to start? 

We’re nearing a month since we left Seattle and it’s only now that I start to write. Of course I could excuse it with the ever so common statement of a busy schedule but I find that procrastination, as it is with most things, has a much deeper root than simply not finding the time. As I reflect on the many reasons why, I know that in truth the single point of failure is fear. 

Fear is like the neighborhood stray cat. It’s always lurking around and the second you feed it it won’t leave. It’s easy to admit defeat and choose to keep it, but it was never meant to be tamed and begins to reek havoc on the other areas of your life. It won’t leave unless you exert your will and take action to remove it. 

It’s so easy to give into fear. Fear would tell you that it’s crazy to quit your job, to travel to Europe with no end date and no future plans in place like you thought, to start over on a completely different career path, to think about starting a family in a tumultuous time...and on and on.... but Jesus. 

Psalm 27 has long been a favorite of mine, and these past few weeks it’s what I keep coming back to, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?...I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:1,13-14 ESV)

I wanted to start this journal as a way to document our travels and to stay more connected to loved ones at home but more importantly as a way to actively face the fear in my own heart. So here goes. Hope you enjoy adventuring along with us and seeing a few of the deeper reflections here too!