Guest Post: Becki Planchard
Becki and Sean came to visit us for two weeks over Christmas. We had an incredible trip jam-packed with beach picnics, Boxing Day cricket, wine tasting, Australian cooking, road trips, penguins, and coastal views. Iâm endlessly grateful to have friends who will travel 10,000+ miles to spend time with us. Becki shared some thoughts from the trip, which are poignantly heartfelt and touching.Â
Our visit to Australia was amazing. I loved our koala trek, touring Yarra Valley wineries, spending 8.5 hours barely understanding cricket but enjoying the meat pies...I could go on about the activities we did.Â
But the part I loved the most was seeing my best friend and her husbandâs love for each other up close halfway across the world.Â
Brooke and I decided we probably hadnât spent this much non-stop time together since high school. In those days, over winter break Brooke would come live at the Feinglos household, or weâd drive the five hours down to her familyâs beach house in Hilton Head, South Carolina. It had been a long time since weâd been the inseparable B&B, and we hadnât done it with our husbands in tow. So, needless to say, we were both excited for Sean and my trip to Australia. Brooke sent us an Excel spreadsheet itinerary months (MONTHS) prior to our arrival date.
I spoke at Brooke and Brianâs wedding rehearsal dinner a few years ago about comfort. In my life, the friendships that stand out to me are the ones where we can sit in absolute silence and not have to try. Brooke is my best friend because she is ferociously smart, she makes funny jokes, she challenges me, and because I feel like nothing is ever forced. When we are together, Brooke and I know we can be ourselves, and we can relax- which is difficult for our Type A personalities (speaking of Excel spreadsheets). I noted that evening before their wedding that over the years since Brian had come into the picture, Brooke became even more comfortable in her own skin, more so than Iâd ever seen in our decade of friendship at the time.Â
Iâve seen in the past two weeks, however, that in the Moysâ love, itâs not only Brooke who gets to be comfortable: Brian is too.Â
Seeing Brian and Brooke together, just living their precious Melbourne life, was the greatest privilege of this entire tripâ and thatâs really saying something because I saw a real live PLATYPUS and a WILD ECHIDNA.
Their tag-team cooking and cleaning protocol for dinner parties could be its own Food Network special. When they show affection for each other, itâs in their own unique way: Brooke might stroke Brianâs back and give him a kiss on the cheek, and Brian might find Brookeâs sunglasses on a shelf and put them in the Hold Everything Bowl so he makes sure she has them when she needs them. He also established the principle and location of the Hold Everything Bowl for Brookeâs sake in the first place.Â
For Brooke and Brian, getting outside the US has allowed them to focus on each other in a way I donât think they could have done in their first years of marriage if they were in the comfort of a familiar place. Getting uncomfortable by moving to a new country and continent has pushed them to be even more comfortable with each other. With time zone complexities, it might be difficult to call a loved one for support in an emotionally stressful moment. Brooke and Brian are each otherâs front line for words of encouragement and care.Â
Marriage is love, but marriage is also a team effort. My husband and I were married a month before Brooke and Brian, and weâve spent our first years together in graduate school- weâve chosen a different way to work and build our own beautiful foundation. Living abroad might not be for us, and, if Iâm being honest, I was upset when Brooke chose to move so far away. But now that Iâve seen the life she and Brian have created together, the marriage theyâve cultivated, and a love unlike any I've ever seen, for the Moys, Australia was the right move.Â
Thank you, Brooke and Brian, for being incredible hosts, and for showing us a two week peek at the love you share.Â








