Category: Adventure
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Awakening East – a book review
I’ve just completed the most incredible book that’s left me yearning to pack up my family and move overseas… The premise is this: Along with her husband, the author adopts her children from China. Years later, they return as a family on a radical pilgrimage of sorts, with the aim of immersing the children in their birth…
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A Frequent Picnicker’s Guide to Jellystone
America’s first (and arguably most famous) national park is basically in my backyard: An hour drive, or twenty minutes as a crow flies. Each summer, visitors descend from every corner of the globe to behold it’s splendor. You don’t have to be a geology geek to appreciate it’s raw beauty. Since moving to Montana we’ve become frequent flyers… as locals,…
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California Dreamin’
Never thought I’d say this, but I want to move to California. Property taxes, real-estate premiums, traffic, crowds, and materialism aside… I’m smitten. And I miss it. We were hosted by remarkably hospitable friends who built their beautiful home on a lemon orchard. Squeee! Taking care to situate their house around the trees versus mow them down to build, most are now…
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LA Confidential
Continued from the post about our visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I’m sharing vacation pics from arguably the nerdiest Los Angeles trip in modern history: We patroned the original Renaissance Faire where our new friend braids hair for all the lovely maidens in attendance. Fun was had, colossal roasted turkey legs consumed, and Ye Olde English…
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Wizards for a Day
We’ve just returned home from a glorious week in sunny Los Angeles, our primary aim to visit the brand-new Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood. #nerdalert I’m the only one in the fam who’d previously been to Universal, but that was way back in ’91 when I was Firstborn’s age and Harry Potter was still…
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Save the Manatee Run
Firstborn triumphantly completed the Save the Manatee Virtual 5K in a passionate effort to raise awareness and funding for the gentle giants she adores. #proudmama As hinted at previously, she did more than just run: Her event included rollerblading, scootering, skate-boarding, biking, kayaking and running. Now she’s saying she wants to do an Ironman. Please enjoy her race video (36…
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Life & Death
I’ve just returned home from an impromptu Oregon road-trip, to attend the funeral of my late great-aunt whose children did a terrific job honoring her life. Direct flights a rarity, it takes about the same time to fly as it does to drive, so we saddled up the sexy minivan and the kids hitched a ride in order to yuck it up with their cousins.…
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For the Love of Manatees
As my Firstborn baby’s 11th birthday is this week, it seems only fitting that the content of this blog be devoted to her/her passions. In tribute, consider linking arms with her in her latest endeavor, thereby granting her birthday wish… Firstborn is a full-fledged, borderline obsessed manatee fanatic. She comes by it naturally. Manatees clearly her spirit animal, she aspires to work…
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Potterheaded Muggles
Thanks to a certain literary box-set gifted to the kidlets this past Christmas, discussions around our dinner table of late have been as follows: “Do you think I might receive a Hogwarts letter on my 11th birthday, this month?” “Which Hogwarts house would the sorting hat place me in?” (Husband & Little Man: Ravenclaw, Firstborn: Slytherin,…
