I don’t know how he does it. That’s basically what comes to mind when I think of Daniel. Between a full time job, school, raising four children, and serving at church, I’d think his brain cells would be about to explode. But he has put his inborn determination to good use, and is doing really cool things with his life as a result. He’s one of my favorite people to make music with, because with just a glance, we can…
Although it was hard to let Michael steal away the first of my sisters, I’m pretty glad he has done so now. His corny sense of humor works perfectly with Rhoda’s personality which is naturally a bit more serious, and he’s passed his humor on to his kids too. He is the best at dressing up, as is shown in the picture above, his meat smoking skills are fantastic, and his energy amazes me. He is not only funny, but…
Rhoda is one of those people with all kinds of hidden talents that she thinks she doesn’t have. She talks about not being crafty, and proceeds to out-Pinterest the best of us. She says cooking is not her favorite, but if you’re at her house, she’ll almost certainly offer you some delicious tidbit she has on hand. She is intentional about creating a solid childhood for her three kiddos, providing them with lots of books and chickens, and time to…
Mimi was brave to enter our big and loud family, coming from her own small family of a very different culture. She has put up with us and our quirks exceedingly well, so well that our family would now feel quite incomplete without her. We love how her kitchen skills have expanded our culinary tastes. Ten-year-old me never dreamed I’d have such a fondness for steamed greens and fried tofu someday. Dinner visits to her house are a treat, and…
I think it’s a common thing for little girls to adore their biggest brothers, but in my case, I had good reason to, and still do. Roman is one of the kindest people I know. He doesn’t speak ill of people, and will go out of his way to help someone that needs it. He’s hospitable, gentle, cultured, manages to carry a teenage schedule despite leaving the teenage years far behind, and have I mentioned he’s awfully smart?…
I loved hearing my Dad’s stories when I was little, because he could make an everyday matter into a thrilling adventure with his choice descriptions. And now, I love seeing my nieces and nephews listen with the same rapt attention as he regales them with tales of the escapees from the asylum they lived by, and how his finger was cut off, and Mickey and the rat. Instead of staying in our small Mennonite world, my Dad moved our family…
My mother is one of those rare creatures that has never cared to fit into the mold around her, and she’s impacted a lot of people because of it. There are many good things I could say about her, but one of the things I admire most is her love of learning. Coming from a decidedly unmusical culture, she taught herself to read music, and has passed on the love of music of to all her children. She loves books…
We moved to Erandique in 2005 knowing approximately one person in the whole town, and with just a little pile of belongings. With not much to do and no social life to speak of for the first while, it was inevitable that my family and I would quickly become either enemies, or inseparable. Fortunately, since my siblings are of the high-quality variety, it was the latter which happened. In Honduras, instead of Valentine’s Day, we have Dia de Amor y Amistad,…
Finally, the long-promised post about Erandique. Philip and I went back for a long weekend in November, as I obviously couldn’t miss seeing my Honduran hometown. Our time there was mostly spent in meandering about town, visiting old friends and old haunts and remembering the slow pace of life there- not much to write about, but full of good memories for me. I thought my fellow gringachos might like a few pictures to peruse. We went past the clinic on…
Weather. It’s the one thing in life that is inevitable, yes? Rain, Sunshine, Cold, Heat, Clouds, Wind…we know the cycle. It’s been the same our whole lives. And yet. Weather is the one single thing that people complain about, All. The. Time. As one friend commented recently, you’d think we would realize that every winter it is going to be cold, and every summer heat waves will come, and each and every day will either be sunny or cloudy. But…
With all the people complaining about what an awful year 2016 was, I thought it would be nice to give you a peek into the highlights of my year. Positivity for the win! : ) Books I already published my complete book list from 2016, but here are a few of my top favorites. Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss was far more hilarious than I thought a book about punctuation would be. Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist is a memoir/cookbook/can’t-put-it-down kind of…
My focus last year was less on reading and more on other new experiences. So I read thirty books instead of a more hefty amount. But here are the titles I did read, along with a blurb about each one. Some of them were lovely, and some of them I jumped in only to find I was in a pool I didn’t wish to swim in. Maybe my mini reviews will help you avoid those. And hopefully my glowing reports will…