2011
Our youngest was born in Costa Rica, we moved from Grecia to Escazú, weathered a robbery, and at year's end left Costa Rica for a new base in Penang, Malaysia — by way of Hawaii.
77 Things I Did in 2010
2010 was really a landmark year for my family and me. It's hard to believe how much our lives have changed in these short 12 months, how much we have grown, and how much we have been able to do. After reading a great post by Dragos Roua about 77 things he did in 2010, I decided to follow suit and…
11 Thought-Provoking Books I Read in 2010
Last year, I wrote a post about 11 Influential Books I Read in 2009. I'd like to do the same for 2010, but this time, I'm sharing some of the most thought-provoking books I've read recently.
All Together Now
The past few weeks, we've been very busy looking for our next home, and I haven't had much time to write this blog post. I'll talk about the house hunting later, but for now, I'm going to reminisce about the fun times we had together with my mom and my sister's family when they were here for a…
Goodbye Grecia. Hello Escazú!
Well, this is it. We're leaving Grecia, which has been our home now for over a year. We've loved it here, and we'll miss the beautiful scenery, slower pace of life, super-friendly people, and our fantastic view of the central valley. However, we're only moving about an hour away, and since this is…
It's a Girl!
I held onto the hope of having a boy as long as I could, but the doctor said it's time to let it go - this one is definitely going to be a girl. So, in June, we'll be a family of five: four girls, and one boy (me).
Travels, Japan, and Book Progress
We spent the last week in Salt Lake City, visiting our family and friends who live there. It was great to see so many of our loved ones, and have a chance to talk with them in person. Thanks to everyone for your hospitality!
How I Spend My Time Now
::: note Update: In April, 2009, I wrote a post entitled How I Spend My Time, where I tracked what I was doing every minute of every day for one whole week, to help me visualize how much time I was spending on what really mattered to me. In March, 2011, I did it again and wrote this post below. In…
Puerto Viejo, Arenal, and Tamarindo
Last week we enjoyed a fun visit from my wife's parents who came down for nine days. This is the third time we've had family visit since we've lived in Costa Rica, and while we really like having visitors, we've gotten kind of tired of showing the same sites over and over again, especially when…
From On-line Business to... Farming?
Recently, I've been entertaining the idea of starting up a farm. For an entrepreneur with a successful on-line business, you might wonder why I'd want to consider tying myself down to a location-dependent business in an industry I know almost nothing about, especially when I said I plan to be…
The Art of Non-Conformity
I've put off reading Chris Guillebeau's book, The Art of Non-Conformity, for far too long. I won a copy of the book in a writing contest several months ago, and I figured now would be a good time to finish it, so I don't have to carry it around to our next location. Fortunately, this book was…
Don't Believe Everything You Think
I usually don't dedicate an entire blog post to a book review unless I am extremely impressed with the book. In the case of Thomas Kida's Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking, "impressed" is definitely a word I would use to describe it.
Welcome to Our World
Just a few weeks ago, my third daughter, Aysia Mae was born! She's a sweet addition to our family, and definitely a mama's girl. Sometimes she'll let me hold her without crying, but she doesn't like being away from her mom for long.
What I Learned from Being Robbed
We just got back from a short trip to Costa Rica's Caribbean side. I think it's one of the most beautiful parts of the country, and Puerto Viejo has some of the best food. While we were out enjoying this food one night, the vacation rental we were staying at got broken into.
How My Stolen Computer was Recovered
I'm pleased to announce that thanks to the free software at preyproject.com, and the efforts of the OIJ (Costa Rican FBI), the local police, and some good friends, I now have one of my Macbook Pros that was stolen a couple weeks ago! So, what happened? Here's the scoop.
5 Tips for Hiring a Programmer
I've answered many questions recently from entrepreneurs looking to start their own online business. Most of the people who've contacted me aren't programmers themselves, so a frequent question has been, "How do I find a good programmer to create my website or web application?". I wanted to give…
Malaysia, Our Next Home
It's official! We'll be leaving Costa Rica at the end of October, and heading half-way around the world to Malaysia, which will be our homebase for the next year or two. We still love Costa Rica, and will probably return here again, but we're excited to experience something new, and Asia has been…
How to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Food
One of the biggest struggles parents face is trying to get kids to eat healthy food. We experience this regularly in my family as we travel to different parts of the world. Granted, you can find restaurants anywhere that have kid-friendly food like chicken nuggets, little pizzas, macaroni and…
Why I Don't Want Health Insurance
We frequently hear the question, especially from those looking to move abroad, "What do you guys do about health insurance?" My answer: "We don't have any type of health insurance, and I think it's a waste of money."
Don't Use it? Don't Keep it!
About two years ago, we sold our house and got rid of most of our possessions. Doing so gave us a feeling of relief and lightness. Since then, we've been living out of what could fit in one carry-on suitcase, and one backpack each. I wondered if our kids would miss all the toys, or if we'd miss…
Local and Fun Activities
We've now been to most of the tourist hot spots in Costa Rica, including many that are less well known. But that hasn't stopped us from having fun and finding other enjoyable activities to do. During the past few weeks, we've had a great time doing more local activities and being with our friends.…
The Global American Dream
Recently, American Family Insurance conducted a survey to determine if the American Dream is still alive. They discovered that 90% of Americans still believe in the American Dream, but only 14% feel like they're living it. It's no surprise. The most common dreams chosen by respondents were having…
Without Internet in a Costa Rican Rainforest
Last week we went with some friends to the Osa Peninsula -- a very remote part of Costa Rica accessible only by boat where there is no Internet access, no cell phone service, and no electricity unless you have your own power source. And we had a fabulous time!
Free Online Homeschool Resources
We love homeschooling with our girls! We can see their excitement for learning and their regular progress up close every day. The schedule and curriculum are extremely flexible. And we can delve as deeply as we want into any topics we find interesting. But most surprisingly, our kids aren't the…
Traveling through Hawaii
It's been two weeks since we left Costa Rica for our new home in Malaysia, and even though we're not there yet (we'll be there in a few hours) we've been loving the journey. After leaving Costa Rica, we stopped to visit friends and family in Utah, Washington, and Hawaii. Here are some recent…
The Asian Experience
I love Asia! From the moment we stepped into the ticket area for China Airlines in the Honolulu airport, I felt like we were in another country. Surrounded by short people with black hair, treated with the most respectful politeness by the staff, being apologized to repeatedly for having to wait 90…
First Week in Penang, Malaysia
Well, we're here! We've been enjoying Penang, Malaysia for about a week now, and while we've mostly spent the time getting settled, cleaning and organizing the house, and trying some delicious food, it's been a great adventure and in this post I'll share my first impressions and some pictures.
A Different Kind of Christmas
Christmas has been very different for us since we moved abroad, in more ways than just being far from extended family. Even before we left, we became disenchanted with certain aspects of the holiday, particularly surrounding gift giving.
Adventure at the Fish Spa
We've been having so much fun in Penang! With so many new things to experience and enjoy, it's been difficult to write about them all.
Fun Activities Around Penang
Wow, we've been having so much fun in Penang! The island is full of entertaining and free activities right now, from jazz and orchid festivals to horse shows and dragon boat races. Most kids are out of school this month, which is why there's more going on than usual. But even without all the extra…
Overwhelmed By Travel
Have you ever gone on vacation, and after returning home felt like you needed even more time to recuperate from it? I have. This usually happens when you keep yourself busy seeing all the sites and doing all the fun activities you planned, while not leaving much down time for resting or thinking.…