Happy 5th Anniversary Darling!

"Life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved." Victor Hugo

Dallas Recap

Abigail in her Easter clothes, everyone was having a melt-down before church but this one managed a great smile!

Monkey See Monkey Doo! The girls decided they were going to exercise! They did most of the video too!

Hannah showing off her dance moves!

Lovely Edna the baby whisperer!

Easter dancing! Why else would you wear a pretty dress and frilly sock if not to dance?
The girls want to get in on Eric & Banga's push up contest!

Yes it is Hannah!

Let The Little Children Come Unto Me. . .

Recently, I got grumpy with Sassy. Simply being kid she delights in EVERY little bit of life around her. Flowers, bugs, her toes, it doesn't really matter these days. She LOVES life and can't wait to inspect it thoroughly! I was running late as usual so my patience was wearing thin. Innocently, she started singing.

"And Jesus grew, in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52)

The little ditty stopped me in my tracks. Without saying anything, Sophia , and the Lord, (by way of this little scripture verse) reminded me she's barely four! She deserves my patience and grace. After all, even Jesus was a little kid once!

Auntie Minga, blessed us with these Bible verse cd's on our trip to Dallas and they've melted my heart almost everyday. Sophia LOVES music and quickly puts things to memory. But hearing her BELT Bible verses makes me smile and thank God almost every morning. I've even caught Nate and I singing them! Thanks Minga! We just had to share!

Back To the Drawing Board

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorn

To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music the words make. ~Truman Capote, McCall's, November 1967

A writer and nothing else: a man alone in a room with the English language, trying to get human feelings right. ~John K. Hutchens, New York Herald Tribune, 10 September 1961

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain

Writers are not just people who sit down and write. They hazard themselves. Every time you compose a book your composition of yourself is at stake. ~E.L. Doctorow

The maker of a sentence launches out into the infinite and builds a road into Chaos and old Night, and is followed by those who hear him with something of wild, creative delight. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's time for my bi-annual rant on writing!! When I ask why I'm so committed to calling myself a writer? I love the feeling of words flowing from my hands, whether it's the scratch of a pen on a lined journal page or the click clack of the keyboard. Something in my mind clears when I map out my thoughts on paper. So writing should be simple? Then why does it seem like a psycho wandering into socially acceptable madness? Down the rabbit hole into creativity, peeling back the layers of the soul. That's just for a first draft!

Traveling Times

Audio books will always be my first love. They instantly take me back to story time as a kid, or hearing my mother read The Chronicles of Narnia. A story is a magical experience especially with a human voice giving it life.

When Pieces of Glass came out in a Kindle edition I decided to educate myself on the trend. I'm especially pleased by the work of Worldreader who's experimenting with Kindle's in the developing world! Brilliant!

I'll always be an avid collector of paper copy, the touch, the feel. Surrounding yourself in a library is like sitting with old friends with new adventure a page turn away.

As a traveler though, e-readers solve the classic dilemma of how many books can I fit in one suitcase? I'm all for anything that gets more people reading more books and that makes me pro e-reader in whatever version you prefer. Don't take my word for it. Here's a few trends you might find interesting:

The E-book and the Future of Reading: Christian Science Monitor

Kindle Comes to a Classroom in Ghana:Wired Magazine

Kindle Books Outsell Real Books this Christmas

For the true tech family--check these out too!

Iphone apps to get kids reading!

Something Old. . Something New. . Something Borrowed

The Philanthropist This is a great show-- I wish I'd been able to support and lobby for! Plus note the beautiful bi-racial couple, they're smart and globally minded!

The Marriage Ref This is a current show to rally around, just like its tag line. "Keep fighting it's worth it!" I know their referring to marriage, but after the critics panned it--I'm fighting for it. After all if you can't laugh in you're marriage it's over.

Remington Steele I don't know why I watch TV anymore? With schedules and commercials? How inconvenient? Only because Big Bang Theory isn't on Hulu yet! Now that I can watch every old eighties show I don't think I'll ever watch it again! Plus that's classic fashion!

A Place of Our Own

Is is time to stop living like this?

I simply wish I had the answer to this question--

and so many others.

'When I go from here


let this be my parting word:


That what I have seen


is unsurpassable'

Rabindranath Tagore

Hope in the Eyes of Child

Tonight, Linda and I were praying with the girls (Sophia & her cousins.) Sophia asked if we could sing "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands?" Singing out the names of their Aunties, Uncles, Grandparents and Cousins spread across the nations with the pure belief that they were safely in His hands really got to me. Their child like faith in God's supremacy makes my doubt stick like a lump in my throat.

My first instinct is fear, the shear fragility of life. I HOPE he does, baby! My heart wanted to say. Yet, while they sang my own battered faith grew ever so slightly until the refrain came up through my heart and out of my mouth. Please join me in prayer that God's hand will be evident in Jos, Nigeria.

Headlines Hit Home

It's hard to imagine that we could be celebrating so much life only hours before death and hatred rumble into Jos, Nigeria and the surrounding areas. As news of the horrors being committed have started flowing over the airwaves, Linda (our host here in Dallas) and her siblings have been scrambling to get news of loved ones in their home town.

Nate & I have been grateful for the relationships we've been able to renew in the past year. We've been able to overcome distance and live alongside friends and family sharing stories, joy, humor and even heartache and burdens. Today in Texas though it's been a hard pill to swallow. Hard to be here and yet so powerless to help. Hard to be close and yet so far away. Thank you for your prayers for the Asake family and the people of Nigeria.

Princess Power!

Sophia's birthday breakfast a treat from Auntie Linda!

Princess Tianna dress straight from Nana!


These two sleepy heads sure look alike! And yes she slept with a hairbow in! When in Texas!

Birthday Surprise!

When Sassy first asked to have her ears pierced I smiled! Spending six weeks with our African cousins was rubbing off. Since it's very traditional for little African girls and Nate's sisters got their ears pierced in the first year of their lives, he was on board.

Personally, I'd begged to get mine when I was 12 living at Rift Valley Academy (a boarding school) in Kenya. My mother was positive my roommate would botch the job and conceded if I'd only let her take me to a professional. Point of fact--said roommate is now Harvard graduate and a doctor but who knew?!

Ultimately it was the fact that Sophia's present was the perfect gift for a junior traveler that cracked me up! Think about it--earrings take up no space, she won't loose 'em, and they don't require batteries. I guess our lifestyle is rubbing off in more ways than I could imagine!

Happy Birthday Dear Sophia!

Sophia turned 4 this Saturday and made her own birthday cupcakes to celebrate!

Sophia's cousin Hannah!

Let the Sugar Rush Begin!

Birthday girls! Sophia Ndjerareou & her cousin Simone Ashiya Asake born March 5, 2010

Pack Lightly, Carry a Big. . . Heart

A month on the road and I notice I'm sending my daughter to school in the same few outfits. Not a big problem, more like a personal hang-up. It really doesn't matter when you're on the road meeting new people constantly. But now we're in a new environment with limited closet space, sending Sophia to school every other day.

Realizing it truly doesn't matter has been the best part. Call it-minimalism, anti-consumerism, or simply life on the road. No one else seems to notice. Nate & Sophia love wearing their favorite clothes often. Personally, I have enough scarves (necessity of cold weather) jewelry (necessity of being a girl) and jackets to really make it an art project. Honestly, it's the way the rest of the world lives. Less stuff more personality.

Recent inspiration helps to develop this as an intention rather than a consequence.

Simplify Saturday

Uniform Project February Inspiration

Got any tips for me?

School Days

This morning Sophia went to her first day of pre-school. Even writing it makes her sound all grown-up. I'd be tempted to mourn her baby days if this opportunity hadn't been such a minor miracle. After all our family only arrived in Dallas a week ago. How did we stumble on a Christian pre-school that took her admission immediately, at a reasonable rate and even suggested we use their clinic as our primary doctor while were in town? It's a simple answer-- God.

If we hadn't been living like urban nomads for the last year the ease at which this all came about (during a record Texas snow fall I might add) might have gone over my head. I've tried to enroll Sophia in pre-school before and the waiting lists alone were daunting to me--even for a mom's day out program. I rarely know where our family is going to be month-to-month so sign-up sheets terrify me.

The result of our unknown expeditions has been a lot of mini homeschooling (she's only three) and sight seeing, using whatever museums were available locally. In fact, we're heading out tomorrow to get our third library card in three different states in one year. (Don't worry we don't abuse it--I'm a HUGE believer in the library system)

What surprised me about our recent endeavor was that no one batted an eye lash as I explained our unusual situation. "That's our ministry, we help you through transition." Remarked the lovely administrator of the Wycliffe Child Care Center at the International Linguistic Center ACROSS THE STREET from my mother-in-law's house. Of course it's no coincidence that we're here since God is in control of all things and Nate's mom works at the center. But leave it to missionaries to have perfected a transitional system! Even though we're raising a third generation, global nomad, it still knocked my socks off at how smooth it's been for us.

Picking Sophia up this afternoon I was smothered in hugs, painted pictures and cut outs. She proudly informed me, "I can come to this school EVERY day, Mommy!" I think we'll start with three days a week. I'm not sure mommy can handle being all by herself, but I'm so thankful Sassy has such a great place to grow!

Psalm of the Traveler

'No one's going to believe were in Texas!' Nate remarked as I scurried to catch a picture of a curious llama saying hello through the window (I'll save you from the picture of the backside of a llama.) That was yesterday, and now there's at least four inches of snow on the ground and it's still coming down!

You can imagine how grumpy I was waking up this morning to see that I haven't really escaped winter after all and this was the attitude that I took to my devotional.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—

where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore Psalm 121:1-8

The more I studied it the more I realized that it was the perfect Psalm for this unusual day. The Psalmist (a fellow traveler) and I are both at the mercy of the elements, far from home, in need of a reminder that God is in control. He is my Protector, the Creator of the sun, the moon and even the snow. He is watching over my life, my coming's and going's, even the slippery road's. This morning, I got on my knee's in attempt to shed my grumpy, ungrateful attitude and thank God for his protection and his creation but especially for loving me and watching over every step this wanderer takes, snow and all.

Southern Sojourn

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Hitting publish on my last blog I realized I'd encapsulated all the places we'd been but none of the magic that made it thrilling. Our latest trip has been an old school road trip with long stretches of road and time without excitement. It's been one of our crazier ventures simply b/c we only needed to fill the car and go. Even days before we left as I was procrastinating packing I wondered why we were leaving AGAIN? These thoughts get overwhelming when I'm trying to pack for a trip full of unknowns-when are we coming home--no idea. Where are we going--have only a slight idea. What will it be like--no clue? So why do we do it?

We love coming home to our mid-west enclave of cherished friends and family. But a brutal winter and family needs far away weren't the only thing that was drawing us back to the road. An inner restlessness, that old North wind that stirs up my imagination or the Holy Spirit calling us onto some type spiritual adventure, Nate and I both felt the need to move. The best way I can explain it is like physical problem solving, when my body is moving my spirit is processing.

Despite the unknowns and the misgivings, I've learned to trust Nate's leading especially when God's impressing the same peace into my heart. Leaving Iowa behind in the dead of night, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee began to roll past our window with the welcome warmth of day. Something else happened and continues to happen much to our amazement. Inspiration has trickled in through the long hours of talking and listening. We also listened to others journeys and found hope. Stone's into Schools by Greg Mortenson, sequel to Three Cups of Tea, bled personal experience with amazing development practices into our minds and souls still reeling from our intense journey through Africa.

The road is like a bridge between yesterday and tomorrow, the space between real life and our dreams. In a time of constant connectivity it's the silence, the mountain top experience where God can whisper. These past few days we've seen God smile on our sojourn, old friendships renewed, life celebrated, family cherished, heart ache spilled and softened. I even see hope in the flat tire that waited until we were safe in the arms of family here in Dallas.

The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” –Samuel Johnson

ROAD TRIP

This last week we did 24 hours worth of driving in 72 hours!

Early Wednesday morning Nate, Sophia & I headed to Chicago to pick up Auntie Minga! Great help on a road trip with a three year old! Sophia's such a trooper, I tried to put her to bed and then put her sleeping in the car but she was SO excited! She couldn't sleep until we got rolling (at midnight!) Complete with kids neck pillow, blanket and eye mask from our last international flight--the minute we got on the road she was out! What a pro!

Chicago to Atlanta late Wednesday. Thursday onto Fort Benning, Georgia to celebrate 'Unca Banga's' graduation from Officer Candidate School and his promotion to 2nd Lieutenant! What a privilege to express our support for our troops! Talk about motivating!

Thursday night we said goodbye and hit the road (sans Minga) heading toward Texas. Sophia knew her favorite cousin Hannah was at the end of the road nothing would get in her way.

It was a strange experience to road trip after so much flying! We still have the chops thanks to lotz of audio books (new recommendations coming soon!) our newest addition a portable DVD player loaded with Backyardigans. Admittedly, it hasn't been warm in Dallas since we landed Friday, but I'll take 43 and pray for an early spring. It's been a blast to hangout with cousins and celebrate with our hosts Linda & Eric Darjean, Eric hails from Louisiana. Go Saints!

A CHALLENGE FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS

WITH ALL MY HEART

This is the first thing commanded of me

To love You with all You've made me to be

Living a life pleasing to You

Be humble in all that I do

With all of my heart

With all of my soul

With all of my mind

I love you Lord

With every part of me

Lord I will worship Thee

All that I'll ever be I give to You

~Words & Music by Dave Fife

Living, we cover vast territories; 
imagine your life drawn on a map--  
a scribble on the town where you grew up,
  each bus trip traced between school and home,
 or a clean line across the sea to a place you flew once.
 Think of the time  and things we accumulate,
 all the while growing more conscious of losing and leaving.
 Aging,our bodies collect wrinkles and scars 
for each place the world would not give under our weight. 
Our thoughts get laced with strange aches, 
sweet as the final chord that hangs in a guitar's blond torso.
-First Gestures, Julie Kesdorf

The Cure for Winter Weather!

Unexpected Delight: Bourne Identity meets Murder She Wrote. That unlikely comparison was my first thought then I found out that Angela Landsberry actually did this book as a mini-series in the nineties! A witty, caring and wise widow volunteers for the CIA much to Langely's surprise. Her guile, tenacity, and insight surprise even her foes. Plus even my daughter likes these stories, they're family friendly (always a plus around my house!)We picked up this delightful audio book at our local library but I was so thrilled when I pushed play and recognized the much beloved voice of Barbara Rosenblat! This is a great cure for the winter blahs-but don't take my word for it! Mystery Writers of America recently awarded Mrs. Pollifax creator Dorthy Gilman the honor of Grand Master for her body of work. Scrumptious Surprise: Found this at a dollar store days before we went to Africa! So glad I did! Eloquent story telling and historical novel interwoven with complex themes in a surprisingly easy to read book. Written by a member of the Saudi royal family, it's a page turner. I can't wait to read some of her other work!

The Reason For God: Tim Keller Insightful, philosophical and yet very approachable. Another one I picked up from our local library. Tim Keller is widely liked at Imago Christi and I wanted to see what it was all about.

The Nautical Chart: Arturo Perez-Reverte A modern macho showdown off the coast of Spain. Searching for sunken treasure in troubled waters in the ocean and between the crew. This was an intriguing book that left me slightly unsatisfied. But I rarely finish books I don't like and I knew I HAD to finish this one. I'll let you decide.