Introduction to Our Trip to Nepal
Hi! Welcome to our blog! My friend Dawson and I (Adam) will be volunteering for five weeks in Nepal this summer. Our departure is fast approaching; we leave on June 26 and return August 3. Dawson and I share a passion for travel, adventure, and community service. With this trip, we are combining those interests. […]
Settling in on Lover’s Loop
After two years of sojourning, we are finally settling into a home. The first year of course, was physical travel in South America. 2013 was a mental shift, as we reentered American culture and our hometown of Asheville, NC. The year in an apartment sufficiently met our needs for shelter and security, but it never […]
heArtfully Searching
Sojourning at home is not quite the thrill as traveling the globe. It feels more like being lost in your own kitchen. 8 months into our re-entry and I’m still wandering, seeking meaningful work and my place within the Asheville community. I’ve had several people tell me that I’m fishing in a pond too small […]
The Extravagant
I was listening to an Adele song the other day when I found myself transported back to Ecuador. In Baños, we had a CD player with Adele’s 21. The song brought back vivid memories of cooking in the plain white kitchen, humming (and singing) with the music, and watching the active volcano blow off stormy […]
An End, A Beginning
Our sabbatical year is officially over. The fact that we are sad to close the circle is but a sign of the incredible year it has been. As we completed moving our household belongings out of storage, and into a new apartment, an odd but cleansing feeling washed over me. We are rested, we are […]
What’s the GIVE?
GoGiveLearn. Looking back through our blogposts, I realize that there is adequate (but not complete) representation of Go: where we went, what we saw, and how we experienced immersion into another culture. There are bits of Learn, but far more to come as we we apply new skills in our home, schools, and workplaces. (Stay tuned […]
My Bubble of Peace
Approaching a month since we left Ecuador, our re-entry to North Carolina has been smooth and easy in many ways, yet challenging in others. It’s hard to believe (as I look out at snow-dusted forest) that just weeks ago we were swimming in the Cuyabeno River in the Amazon. I have posted the photo album […]
ReEntry, ReNewal, ReFocus
Home, but not fully. Familiar, but strange. Comfortable, yet unable to relax. This is our first week back in the States after a 10-month sabbatical. Of course we are thrilled to see family and friends. We have been received with warmth, love and hospitality. Thank you! With gratitude for so many people in our lives, […]
Capturing Life, Preserving Memories
I awoke to soft pitter-patter on the rooftop, looked out my bedroom window, and saw the warm glow of a new day. There was no rain. When I looked out the kitchen door on the other side of our house, I was reminded of the big volcanic boom that had awoken me hours earlier. And […]
The Simple Things
The simple things matter most. All of us have experienced these surprising, unexpected actions that are memorable. I still remember one from fourth grade. When everyone else refused, a student allowed me to get in front of him in the lunch line. Sometimes spontaneous acts of kindness and other times, everyday gifts, are not things that […]
Into the Jungle
Tropical amazonian forest surrounds me. I walk silently through the fallen leaves, following our guide Luís. My foot cracks a dead branch and Luís looks back at me. “Shhh. The monkeys will run away.” I nod and hope it isn’t too late. Thick underbrush surrounds me and sweat beads on my forehead. Mosquitos flutter contentedly, […]
The Run
As I crossed the finish line, emotion welled up inside me. In fact, I cried. I don’t know why that happens to me after long races sometimes. It just does. I was completely spent. Nothing left in the tank. I also felt tremendous gratitude. Gratitude for being done. Gratitude for having spent a few hours […]
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