2015
Settling into the home we'd built in Bali, between wide travels — Dubai, Spain, our first time in France, the Pacific Northwest, and San Miguel de Allende — plus a solo silent retreat and a first journey with ayahuasca.
Discovering Dubai
We were excited to go to Dubai when we booked our plane tickets, but then we became quite nervous after reading things like this online. Not your typical laid back, go with the flow, type of rules there. And, since we tend to feel a bit rebellious with things like that, we hoped we wouldn't be…
Savoring Singapore
After so much traveling before we came back to Bali this last time, we decided we wanted to keep our visa run as short, sweet, and simple as possible, while also acquiring a social visa for Bali. This way we are able to stay put for a while and also continue the finishing touches and organization…
Creating Home in Bali
We're enjoying Bali more now than ever. Last year, we were quite ready to leave when I wrote about what we love about Ubud and what we feel is lacking here. But lately, many of those lacks have been filled. From finishing a year-long remodel project, to finding several wonderful classes and friends…
My Solo Trip and Silent Retreat
I don't know about you, but there are a lot of thoughts swimming around in my head, and sometimes I get really tired of the inner noise. It's easy for me to get caught up in preparing for the future, reliving the past, or the constant chatter of labeling and critiquing everything in my present…
Menjangan Island, Bali
Just off the Northwest coast of Bali, Indonesia lies Menjangan island. Surrounded by clear water, colorful coral, and incredible numbers of fish, it's a spot we've been wanting to visit for some time. So we invited our friends, Brian and Scottie and their 5 year old son, and spent a few days there…
Adventures in Andalucía
We were so impressed by our visit to Barcelona last year, that within seven months we found ourselves back in Spain once again, this time beginning in the southern part. Brandon gave Emily some fun new trip planning and navigating responsibilities as well. Since we planned to stay a night in…
My Journey with Ayahuasca
Over my birthday this year, while the family was in Ronda, Spain, I took a train to Madrid for a 3-day retreat where an Amazonian plant mixture called ayahuasca was used to facilitate greater self-awareness. I first heard of ayahuasca in 2012, shortly after arriving in Bali for the first time, and…
Valencia to San Sebastian
Continuing our journey through Spain, we arrived in Valencia, where we were met with red wine, cured ham, and cheese, courtesy of Lorenzo, the owner of the apartment we were renting. Shortly after that, the girls from the Clark family showed up to share the apartment with us, and we all went out to…
First Timers in France, Part One
We’ve been looking forward to visiting France for quite a while, but we’ve also been a bit nervous, mostly because of our lack of knowledge with the language, and we also hoped the people would be friendly. As it turns out, we’ve never felt so welcomed in a new country before!
First Timers in France, Continued
After all the amazingness we experienced during the first part of our time in France, we were certainly looking forward to a bit of integration and downtime, and our next two destinations provided the perfect opportunities!
Fun with Music
We've really enjoyed having a couple months to settle here in Victoria, BC. One thing we've all appreciated having more time for is music. The day after we arrived, I rented a piano keyboard from a local music store, and finished putting out recordings of some new pieces I started writing back in…
Living Your Life Purpose
> "It’s messing people up, this social pressure to 'find your passion' and 'know what it is you want to do'. It’s perfectly fine to just live your moments fully, and marvel as many small and large passions, many small and large purposes enter and leave your life. For many people there is no…
To all the Mormons – I'm Sorry
It's hard to know what to say when starting an apology. But I'm feeling a kind of tugging sorrow in my heart for the pain I've caused my LDS family and friends, and likely many others I've never met. If you feel you've been affected negatively by something I've written, said, or done over the…
6 Tips for Taking Great Photos
In the past 5 years, I've traveled to over 30 countries, which has brought a constant opportunity to practice photography in unique settings. What started out as an attempt to document our journey as a family keepsake, has become an engaging and artful hobby that I love to indulge in. Having taken…
Northwestern Delights
As you may recall, when we left Paris in July, we were headed to Seattle for a much anticipated visit with our Grandma Alli. Along the way, we flew through the Calgary airport, where many of the senior citizen employees were dressed in cowboy attire and welcomed us with a lively musical…
Taste of San Miguel
One of our best-loved things about traveling to so many different places has been experiencing the culinary delights available in each one. We've been thoroughly enjoying Mexican cuisine ever since we first arrived in this festive country a couple of weeks ago, and it's certainly one of our…
Playing House in Victoria
Ah, Victoria. You're kind of our favorite. We spent July through September in this magical, perfect-sized, quaint, and oh-so-friendly place. It feels just like a warm hug with really delightful and cozy people. There’s seemingly always someone available to give you a smile, a helping hand, or a…
Staying Sane in the City: Family-Friendly Tips for NYC
If I had to describe Manhattan in one word, it would be "energetic". This intense place is buzzing with activity and excitement. Mammoth skyscrapers, throngs of diverse individuals, flashy advertisements, and the noise and smells of a big city. During our ten day trip there, we found ourselves…
Life Without Instructions Unschooling Conference
Even though we’ve been worldschooling/unschooling for many years, we’d never been to any kind of conference about it until recently; we just grew into this type of education gradually and naturally, because it was a good fit for our family and lifestyle. More importantly, traditional school or not,…