My Love Letter to Cartagena

This is my love letter to Cartagena.   This Caribbean town that was never on my radar until it was.  A place I never knew I wanted to visit, let alone live.    To Coffee and Coco Rice, and all the Arepa's in between.  To the many new friendships I have made, who will soon …

Transitioning, Again.

Part of the journey is the end.  Here we are again.... packing up our belongings and sorting through the many memories we have made here.  It's time for pack-out and we are preparing to live transitionally for the next few months.  While I am often overwhelmed by the amount of to-do's in this phase, my …

An Ode to the Tall House

I have always felt a special connection to my homes.  More than most maybe, but I feel the energy and love we have put into them and I can recall the ways the shadows danced on all my walls.  So it is no surprise that this house I don't own, in a country that is …

Book Review: Misunderstood

I am reading a new book, Misunderstood by Tanya Crossman, a more modern version of the classic Third Culture Kids.  I have bookmarked so many amazing and relevant subjects in this book.   It seems every other page, I am nodding away in agreement. Understanding the unique situation of transitioning in and out of an …

On Having Help

I have wanted and waited to write this post since we first got here 2 years ago.   I knew I needed more time to sort it all out and to experience the true impact in our household.  There is a lot of conversation and thought that goes into how I will write this post, …

The Story of Cartagena Door-Knockers

It doesn't take long to notice the many amazing doors in Cartagena's old city.  They are either brightly colored or pastel, weathered or new, but always grand in size and style.   They frame out the beautiful Spanish colonial architecture and tell a story of the social and professional history of the families that lived …

2 Years In…

This was by far the smoothest transition back into life in Cartagena that we have had yet.  I know it is different for everyone, but the longer we are here the easier it is to come back from a break. My kids started school in the most normal way possible and we jumped back into …

A Year and a Half In…

I felt like I should give a quick update about being a little over 1.5 years into this crazy journey.   What has changed?  What do I know now?  How have my expectations met my reality? We are comfortably into our daily life here, long enough to establish "favorites" but still fresh enough to see …

The Logos Hope in Port

It's no secret, I miss a good book-store.  Maybe it's the Portlander in me, but browsing all the latest books, sipping coffee and the quiet murmur of people is one of my top 5 favorite things.   Haven't been able to find that here in a real consistent way.  Especially books in English.   Until …

In the Spirit of Trying…

Good news.  We found a barn, with horses, and a riding school and I couldn't be happier.   As I sat on the outside of the arena, watching my kids take their first lesson, I thought about how many hours my own parents had logged watching me.   I don't know if my children will …