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 …

More of Less: Minimalism Overseas

I recently watched the minimalist documentary on Netflix and it got me thinking about coming home.   We sold off and gave away many of our processions when we moved overseas knowing we would be living in a much smaller apartment.   After living out of 9 suitcases as a family of four for about …

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 …

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 …

Summer Recap: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

On our last leg of our summer, we did the most actual traveling... mini road trips, flights, taxi cabs, trains and more flights.  Our fist stop was Santa Cruz for a very special family wedding. The great thing about a cousin getting married is that it is the perfect excuse to see all of your …

Summer Recap: So Cal

We spent another good chunk of our time in Southern California.  Our other home.   We played on the beach, we ate In 'n Out, had homemade pizza parties, hit the park,  and made some really good summer memories with our family. Having older kids this time around, we are able to bring them both …

Summer Recap: Oregon

I have lots of blog posts floating around in my head.  I needed a break, I needed inspiration, I needed to think a little bit about what I wanted to say.  So I took a break from posting this summer, but it wasn't exactly quiet time. Here is what we were up to:  We had …

Winding Down…

I have been busy traveling back home, but I wrote this out before I left and never got around to publishing it.  I think it's still relevant to where we are. As another school year comes to a close, I get the chance to reflect on this year in comparison to others and how I …