I’m glad I didn’t tell Daddy that there are earthquakes here.
There are no snow days in Manizales.  But there are landslide days.
There’s a volcano, too, but I think we’re safe.
Then, there’s the rain.
And the rain.
Rain causes the landslides.
I thought I was going to spend my last living moment with a taxi driver that called me, [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]

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I stand out on a typical day in Manizales.
My hair is blonde and my eyes are blue although to some it would seem that I’m green with wings.  At least that’s how they stare.
Add rain to that and I’m a one woman freak show.
Because I carry a polka dot umbrella.
At least I did.  Until someone [...]

Popularity: 9% [?]

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This post ripped me apart today.  In the best way ever.

Multimedia Collage by Gillian Ross

Popularity: 29% [?]

Popularity: 29% [?]

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I was twenty years old the first time I ran away. I ran from all the things I knew and my friends and a life that was beating me up in all sorts of ways. I ran long and far and ended up in The Royal National Park right outside of Sydney, Australia.
That [...]

Popularity: 46% [?]

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I love far off places and far-fetched dreams.  I love people and purpose, protecting the broken and pretending that fairies might really exist.  I travel frequently and lightly.
I like being barefoot and wet-headed.  I love lasting friendships and conversations with strangers.  I adore books and music and the idea of living in a little cabin [...]

Popularity: 55% [?]

Posted in Uncategorized, rambling 5 Comments »

Walking through my parents’ yard sometimes feels like a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  There are flowers of every kind that grow in their soil.  Blossoms that are rich in color and invite you to walk among them. 
There are purple cone flowers and daisies and black-eyed susans and lilies of every hue.  Blooms that stretch a bit [...]

Popularity: 63% [?]

Posted in Uncategorized, home, rambling 2 Comments »

Sometimes I feel like a ten year old girl trapped in a grown up body. 
I still dream like a child and every so often I cry like a child.  The thought of Christmas mornings still thrills me and I still want to grab a Mason Jar when I see fireflies.  I want my Momma to [...]

Popularity: 33% [?]

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Disclaimer: I’m a good teacher. I hug my kids. I love my kids. I’m a good teacher. I really, really am.
The scene.
Two hundred Colombian kids in one small cafeteria. Eight teachers on duty plus all of the lunch ladies that I love. There are lentils for lunch. [...]

Popularity: 41% [?]

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I spent four of the five Thursday nights that I was home at The Sizzler. I ate until I thought I could hold no more and I laughed and visited with the regular crowd. And each of those Thursdays I’d make my way toward the register to pay my ticket only to [...]

Popularity: 39% [?]

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It always happens. Summer flies by. Lazy days end. Bedtimes come earlier. Soap replaces chlorine. Stores stock more pencils, paper, and crayons. And another school year starts.
There’s an unspoken nervousness that parents, teachers and children share. Parents watching their babies grow a year older. Children wondering if [...]

Popularity: 37% [?]

Posted in Uncategorized 2 Comments »