2013
More of Asia — the Gili Islands, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Cambodia — and a first long taste of Europe in Italy, alongside a run of honest, inward writing on emotion, belief, and healing.
Silence
Silence is blissful, distressing, revealing, and difficult to maintain. You may have noticed I haven't written on this blog for over a month. I think that's the longest I've ever gone. I've also been posting less on Facebook and Twitter.
My Confessions and Emotions
As I mentioned in my last post, I've been quieter lately in the online world. The reason, I found, is that I was afraid to be genuine. I've been doing a lot of inner exploration lately, and am discovering things about myself that are painful to admit, even to myself. It's time to come clean, in the…
Do Emotions Affect the Body?
Doctors have been telling us for decades that stress causes disease. But despite my relatively stress-free life, for the past few years, I've suffered from irritable bowel syndrome.
The Power of Breath
One of the most powerful tools I've discovered for becoming more present and aware of my inner world is "breathing". Everyone breathes, but most people remain consistently unaware of their breath, and of the impact that conscious breathing can have upon emotions, health, and well-being.
How to Choose a Winning Business Idea
Recently, thanks to some articles I was highlighted in, I've been getting more consulting requests than usual. I've turned down many of these, partly because I only want to spend so much time on the phone and email each day, and also because the majority of the requests had the same difficult…
Gili Islands and Lombok
Living on a beautiful island like Bali doesn't mean that life is always a vacation. We get into routines, meet with friends, take classes, work, and study. I recently gave a piano concert at my house (so much fun!) and the kids are learning and creating much in homeschool. We enjoy our lives so…
Codependent in Hong Kong
It's been another intense month for me, digging through the recesses of my soul, questioning what I want in life and relationships, and breaking through more barriers that have been holding me back from being myself. I also took a solo business trip to Hong Kong for a few days, and have been…
12 Tips for Raising Young Children Abroad
Raising our young children abroad for the past three years has been more of a catalyst for learning than I ever would have imagined, and my expectations were already quite high to begin with. It's been all about learning together in new and unfamiliar territory, expanding comfort zones, and…
Breaking the Barriers of Belief
Last week, I had a few interactions that reminded me how much our attachment to our beliefs can keep us from truth, growth, and freedom. I was surprised at how often we choose comfort over truth, even when it means restriction and repression. And how terrifying it can be to seek truth at all costs.
Playing in the Philippines
For the past several years, I've employed people in the Philippines to help me run my business, including programmers, customer support staff, marketers, content writers, and virtual assistants. But I had never met any of them in person, or even spoken to them on the phone. All our correspondence…
Healing Sexual Shame
It's no secret that humans are sexual beings. Yet, many of us have been taught from a young age to suppress this part of our nature, to hide it, or to see it as wrong or evil. The negative effects of this conditioning can be far reaching, and can last a lifetime.
The Value of an Italian Moment
For the next 5 weeks, we will be traveling through Italy, from Rome, Naples, and Amalfi, to Tuscany, Como, and Venice. This is the first time any of us have been to Italy, and so far we're loving it!
Impressions of Italy
I've mostly lost interest in writing travelogue posts. There are probably thousands of other travel blogs out there with all the details about the best places to visit in Italy. One of the main reasons I started this blog was as an online journal to document our family's travels, what we've…
Florence, Italy
Alright, it's photo time. We're loving Italy, and I've taken too many pictures to share in one post. In order to get through these, I'm going to write less and show more. This post is dedicated to Florence, Italy, which is our favorite big-ish city in Italy so far.
Tuscan Countryside and Mountain Towns
Of all the places I was most excited to visit in Italy, the countryside in Tuscany was highest on my list. I imagined serene landscapes of rolling hills and vineyards, dotted by quaint little mountain towns. I'll just say I wasn't disappointed. Here are some of the scenes we came across.
Last Weeks in Italy
Alright, here's my last post about Italy, including our time in Lucca, Pisa, Milan, Bellagio / Como, and Venice. This will be more like a travelogue post, so brace yourself for short captions and lots of pictures.
Living Beyond Labels
Remember when you were a child, and life was full of wonder and excitement? When every experience was new and you were fully present in each moment, feeling more than thinking, and enjoying your connection to everything you interacted with? What if you could jump back into that state of aliveness…
Sal Tlay Ka Siti
While the memories are still relatively fresh, I wanted to write and organize the thoughts, pictures, and videos surrounding our recent trips to Salt Lake City, the Western Caribbean, and New Orleans. I'll write one post on each of these.
Cruisin' Caribbean
After our visit to Salt Lake, we took a cruise to Honduras, Belize, and Mexico. It was supposed to be a big family event with several extended family members, but for various reasons, each had to back out except for my sister's family and mine. So our two families continued enjoying time together.…
Jazzy New Orleans
New Orleans was a lot of fun! Jazz music on every corner -- and good jazz, too! Voodoo shops and cemeteries, greasy yet tasty food, quaint architecture, and a unique vibe. Definitely a place of culture and heritage. The first few days we were able to enjoy it with my sister's family before they…
Creative Projects and Productivity
When we came back to Bali a few weeks ago, we really hit the ground running. We've been very busy, but also creative and productive, and have been enjoying our time immensely. Within one week, we found a house we wanted to live in. It's a small 3-bedroom house near Ubud, but it's completely…
Beach Clubs, Projects, and Kids
Recently, thanks to some friends, we discovered the wonders of beach clubs. Typically, I'm not a big fan of beaches. I do love looking at them, feeling the sand under my feet, and playing in the water and waves can be fun, too. But I have trouble enjoying the aftermath of sandy clothes and a sticky…
Cambodian Sunrise
When we booked our tickets to Siem Reap, Cambodia, we had no idea that we'd end up arriving the day before some friends of ours would be leaving. We first met Denny & Rachelle in Costa Rica, we visited them again in the Philippines, and now by chance, through a post we almost missed on Facebook, we…