For my birthday my parents took me on a magical trip to Charleston! We drove to Sullivan’s Island on Tuesday morning to spend the day at the beach. I hadn’t been to the beach since last summer, so it was so fun to go this week!   We stayed at the beach for two and a half hours before it began to rain. It was still enough time to go on a walk on the beach, swim, eat a picnic lunch, and lay out in the sun. It is such a nice and quiet beach. I asked Mom to take a picture of these gorgeous flowers for me to paint.…

Last week we spent 5 lovely days in the Smoky Mountains with the Gentinos — minus the Vargases, who we missed! This was our family’s first trip to Gatlinburg, and we had mixed feelings about the town itself, which was packed with people and a plethora of touristy shops that boggled the mind (it’s not called The Myrtle Beach of the Mountains for nothing). But the mountains were magical. We loved staying in cabins right outside the entrance to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and drove into the park every day. There was a great mix of shorter trails, lookouts,  and drives and then some bigger hikes. We hiked or…

During the last few years, David and I have tried to take an overnight trip between Christmas and New Year’s. This year, we were invited to the Campus Outreach New Year’s Conference in Atlanta, so we decided to combine that with our getaway. We wouldn’t have ever chosen Atlanta on our own, but I’m thankful that the conference motivated us to try something different. I haven’t visited the city since before the kids were born, and had an impression of it as crowded and touristy and full of traffic. It may be those things, but is also a beautiful city with lots with charming spots and amazing food. We were…

Okay, testing, testing. This is my first blog, so if it isn’t as smooth as those written by my adept mother, please be patient. Last month, I got the privilege to go to the Middle East with Dad. It was my first overseas trip since India, a decade ago. I soon found the familiarity in the plane flights and foreign food, though at age fourteen, I have a little more maturity and wisdom then in my more “innocent years”.     Our first flight was from SC to DC. It was only a couple hours, and a good appetizer to the next two flights. I brought my NEO2 word processor…

David’s three-month sabbatical is winding to a close, and a friend treated us to a last sabbatical gift: a week at her condo on Pawleys Island. David, Gabe, and Noah drove up last Monday afternoon, and the big kids and I followed on Wednesday after homeschool co-op was finished. It was our first week of classes (my first week teaching three English classes two mornings in a row), and our brains were a little fried from prep and homework and getting back into school mode. But once we hit the road, it felt good to disconnect one more time. We listened to The Count of Monte Cristo on audiobook, and…

We packed up our Wyoming apartment Thursday morning and hit the road — with, of course, a stop at Persephone Bakery for an iced coffee. When planning the trip, we decided to break up the return drive with a day in Boulder, Colorado. It was about 9 hours from Jackson Hole, so we drove all day Thursday, with a stop at a pretty roadside picnic area for lunch.     David had booked us a suite for two nights in Boulder. We’d spend Friday exploring the town, then set out first thing Saturday for the 24-hour drive home. Our Boulder hotel was the nicest place of the trip – a…

We did it, friends! We are home, safe and sound, as of noon today, Sunday. We were so eager to be back that we pushed through and did it a day early. It’s more wonderful to be back in our beautiful, clean, spacious house than words can express. Those last three days were not for the faint of heart. But I’m getting ahead of myself . . . On our last day at the Tetons I have to confess that the kids and I wanted nothing more than to relax. We encouraged David to take a giant hike by himself, knowing the challenge and fresh air and mountainous beauty is…

On Day 14 we had an ambitious hike mapped out, said to be one of the best in the park.  So I bribed Judah and Amie with snacks, ice cream, no-more-hiking-this-roadtrip-I-swear, and my undying admiration if they would join me.  They agreed!  Reluctantly!  And so off we set on the Jenny Lake to Cascade Canyon Trail, 10 miles from parking lot to the top of the canyon and back. The key to hiking in the Tetons in July is to start early.  It can be a blissful 50’s at the start and a sweltering 80’s at the end.  After almost two weeks of daily hiking/walking 6+ mile days, we’ve found…