Our last full day in Costa Rica began with a stop at a coffee farm en route to the Poas Volcano. I remembered seeing photos of this beautiful spot from the trip taken two years ago, and it did not disappoint. Before we arrived, Sr. Huggins read Psalm 104 to... Continue reading

On our fourth full day in Costa Rica, we spent several hours helping out at a day care run by the church pictured below, Ciudad de Fe (City of Faith). The church is located close to a poverty-stricken area, and most of the 148 children that are registered at this... Continue reading

Our clothes may be dirty and our bodies weary, but our hearts are full after returning from our third day of work in San Jose. It is not that often that the opportunity comes along to participate in a project with such a satisfying sense of completion in such a... Continue reading

Today began much like yesterday, with breakfast in the open air restaurant in our hotel before piling on the bus to head back to the build site. During our sharing time last night we agreed that it had been wonderful to see a community of people come together to put... Continue reading

I'm hopping back into this space after nearly two years away to share photos from a trip I am currently taking with 12 students and two teachers to Costa Rica. Today was our first full day, and although I was initially dubious at what our team would be able to... Continue reading

I returned Monday from my seventh trip to Melbourne, a visit that reaffirmed for me that it is a city that will always remain close to my heart. I will share several photos in this post, but many of the best parts of the trip were not captured with a... Continue reading

I have started writing a post that describes my recent trip to Melbourne. I will probably finish it, but right now the words seem a bit ho-hum. That's likely due to the fact that the post is more or less a blow-by-blow description of where I went and what I... Continue reading

It's the middle of May, and that means many things for American moms of school-age kids. The first word that comes to mind is hectic. That might be why I am taking a minute or two today to stop, take a deep breath and gird my loins for what is... Continue reading

We buried my grandma today. The crowd of friends and relatives that gathered both last night and today is testament to the many people that loved her. In this post I will share a few pictures, plus the text of the talk that I gave at her funeral. My grandma... Continue reading

The fervent hopes of our youngest child were granted this week with a day off from school due to winter weather. The brutal combination of rain, freezing rain, and snow arrived with impeccable timing at the tail end of what was already a three day weekend. After a relaxing Monday... Continue reading

In honor of Australia Day, here's a post I wrote nearly two years ago: Dear Australia, You and I had a rough beginning. I had never thought about you much until R came home one day and rocked my world by telling me there was a great job opportunity for... Continue reading

Our last full day with our Australian friends before they headed back to Melbourne dawned gray and bleak. I am pretty sure the weather managed to achieve the maximum level of bleakness possible for a sun-less day in January in Pittsburgh. Around about 3pm we congregated around the dining room... Continue reading

When we lived in Melbourne, we spent so much of our time sightseeing around Australia that locals joked with us that we knew their country better than they did. There may have been some truth to those claims. We were certainly motivated to see as much as possible, and it... Continue reading

Five years ago, the word Australia was the elephant in the room. I had forbidden my husband to mention it ever again, particularly in front of my family. The word itself signified for me not so much the stereotypical images of kangaroos hopping in the Outback or surfers on Bondi... Continue reading

I am checking in between loads of laundry to say hello and post a few pictures from the past two months. At the end of my last post I hinted at reunions to come, and even as I type our Australian friends wait in the Denver airport to board their... Continue reading

Blogging works best when it's done frequently. I find that the longer I wait between posts, the harder it is to write one. But today seems like a good day to try. For starters, it's a gorgeous autumn day, one of my all-time favorite kind of weather days. The air... Continue reading

It's that time of year again. For most North American parents the end of August means an end of one season and the beginning of another. Lazy mornings, mid-morning smoothies, afternoon trips to the pool, and late evening strolls are over. Instead we will be making lunches, overseeing homework and... Continue reading

Love them or hate them, smartphones contain amazing cameras. Here are a few moments that have ended up on my phone this summer--most of them taken by me, but others texted to me by family and friends. His dad said "Yes" to Fairy Floss--He knew which parent to ask. They... Continue reading

This summer for me has been a summer of books. I had the goal of writing up book reviews for all of the books on my current reading list, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. Instead, here is a list of the books I have read lately,... Continue reading

Loons calling, petals waving, fish nibbling, children casting, lake water lapping, branches sighing, grandparents smiling, wisteria climbing, berries ripening, cousins squealing, wood stacking, oars dipping, bald eagle swooping, marshmallows roasting, sun sinking, twilight lingering, flowers glowing, rocks gleaming, flies biting, stars blinking. Continue reading