let them fly

she held the memories close to her heart. memories are, after all, what keeps us moving. they keep us loving and learning and wanting more. what else do we have but memories? they are our stories. they weave us into who we are now and who we’ll become tomorrow. she knew change was imminent. it […]

NYC & Gettysburg

recess

Ni-Van children take a recess break during a hot November day in Mele Village, Vanuatu.

let’s summer

Luke and his LEGOS who says summer needs to be lazy? I say, let’s build things. let’s make stuff. let’s be adventurous and take chances. let’s invent something and watch it work. we can throw out the directions and use the extra LEGOS to create something nobody else has even thought of making. we’ll read […]

tail of the dog

as I sit here, my boys are socializing with their new (and first) dog. Cali’s a rescue, and being part Australian Cattle Dog and part Australian Shepherd means she’s a full-on Aussie. and they’re full-on hooked. she’s figuring them out as they throw sticks and bounce balls and talk in high voices to get her attention. she drops […]

experience life

the guys (minus biggest brother who was hiding from the sun) have a chat on Cocoa Beach, Florida. it’s been a while since I told the boys we need to spend our money on adventures and experiences instead of things. we did well with this, mostly. we went places. saw things. admired art and ran through […]

letting go

it’s finally getting warmer outside and we are all craving activity after a long few months of hibernation. it’s normal. you’re feeling it, too, I’m sure. with spring comes change, of course. leaves will soon appear. the grass will begin to grow again. everything will grow again. especially the kids. kids seem to grow more […]

freckles

it’s too cold to move. I long for the beach, to feel real sand between my toes. not playground sand, but white sand that feels like flour. I want the warm sun on my shoulders. last night, my youngest put lotion on my back, to help cure the dry skin that plagues me every winter. […]

uganda

we arrived in Kampala in July 2014 right around the time ebola was beginning to make headlines. it was on our minds, obviously, as the news carried nothing but images of bodies in bags in the streets. or worse, just piled near the side of the road. but it wasn’t the people in Uganda I was worried […]