I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Hello friends, Since my last pipeline, I have been to Guatemala, had my mama (plus a few other Arkansans!) come to visit and watched the glorious arrival of spring in Germany! It’s been a wonderful month of connecting face to face with people. Lots of eye contact and soul-nourishing talks across tables. April will …
Happy Ten Year Blog Anniversary to Me! Ten years ago I started writing on the internet, and to celebrate that little milestone, I am releasing a little 60-page book of letters I wrote right here: It’s called Letters from Alison. I hope you enjoy it! Blogging has been the most wonderful gift to me as …
A Letter to My Ten Year Old Son Upon The Election of Donald Trump To The Office of President I wrote this letter back in November and held onto it because I felt like it sounded a bit alarmist. I opened it again just a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised to discover …
February 28, 2017 Dear White People (including myself), As Black History Month wraps up, I want to make a plea that we all choose not be done with Black History for the year. Current events are daily revealing how necessary it is that all Americans learn Black History all year long. For how long? For …
Hello! We’ve had a full month friends. I finished up my German class, went to Strasbourg, did lots of ghost blog/website writing AND my friend Sandra came back to visit! We went on long walks in and around Tübingen and stayed up into the wee hours talking about everything under the sun. It was just delightful. …
Winter Germany Walking Winter is finally letting up here in Germany, but we’ve had lots of snow and icy days since December. There have been lots of frosty walks, and attempts to get our faces in the sun. Although there were many days in January when there was no sun to be found. Still, the …
One of the advantages of where we live in Germany is that we are just a few hours from several other European countries. So earlier this winter we headed to the closest French town west of us: Strasbourg. I’m surprised it took us this long to get to Strasbourg because we have a dear friend who …
Walking and Eating in Venice with Walks of Italy I think that you plan a trip to Venice because you’ve seen how gorgeous it is in pictures and in films. And when you go, the canals, bridges and alleys of Venice will totally fulfill your expectations by being as enchanting as you always imagined. But another reason …
Me to Taido in October: Oh my goodness. Direct flights to Venice from Stuttgart are less than $20 right now! What do you think? Christmas in Italy. We could surprise the kids! Taido: Let’s do it. (My husband is a man of few words.) It’s funny how many of our trips have begun with an exchange like …
Two Saturdays ago, I was sitting in my kitchen listening to the Hamilton Mixed Tape and keeping an eye on a cake baking in the oven. I had volunteered to bring dessert to church lunch the next day, borrowing two sheet pans from the church kitchen in order to bake my Grandmother’s chocolate cake for …
Christmas Markets in Southern Germany I have to say that being in Germany for the Christmas season has been a delight to the senses. We did not travel far and wide to get to Christmas markets this year, but we thoroughly enjoyed the ones in Tübingen and the surrounding area. What I loved about attending …
A Letter to My 15 Year Old Son Who Traveled With Me To Lake Constance Dear Ben, I am sorry that I give you such a hard time for cracking eggs all over the counter in the kitchen. And for throwing your clothes on the floor. And your backpack. And your shoes. I am sorry …
November 15, 2016 Dear Grace, Emily, Wilson, Campbell and Phineas, Now that it’s been a few months since we all went camping together in Colorado, I have almost forgotten about the rain and the mosquitos. I almost don’t remember the days of washing and drying a gajillion wet tents and sleeping bags that had mildewed …
This month has been a doozy y’all. If you’re like me, maybe you just want to throw up your hands or crawl under the covers because everything is so overwhelming. I have to keep alternating between getting outside and getting on my knees. And I have to remember that these words from Ann Voskamp are as true …
A Letter to My Friend Sarabeth about Advent Traditions and Celebrating Christmas in 2016 November 23, 2016 Dear Sarabeth, When you texted me yesterday to ask me for ideas about Advent, I was in the middle of crying through the end of Ta-Nehisi Coate’s book Between the World and Me. I was sitting and wishing …
A Letter to My Son After He Left Home at 18 March 2016 Oh Cole, It’s been exactly a month since you got on a plane and flew back to America, with all my worries and fears as well as my hopes and dreams. Today I got to talk to you for the first time. …
Dear Anna, Well, I had all these letters ready to go on my website last week and then the election happened. And then I tried to write a post about the election and it was a train wreck. It’s just been one of those weeks where instead of putting things on the internet and adding …
In this day and age of email and texting, it is a rare but delightful occurrence to open your mailbox and find a handwritten letter waiting for you. In this last year especially, I have rediscovered the joy of writing letters. I’ve been sending lots more letters. I mentioned briefly last week that I am …
Happy Fall Y’all. The leaves are seriously gorgeous right now. I can’t get anywhere for how much I stop to look at them. All the colors. I started attending yoga this week, a practice I have severely let go lately (apart from 10-15 minutes of child’s pose on my mat at home), and I’m so …
Lichtenstein Castle (German: Schloss Lichtenstein), also known as the “Fairy tale castle of Württemberg,” is an 1840s Biedermeier style Gothic Revival castle built on a large rock near Honau, Reutlingen, in the Swabian Jura situated in the Tüblingen region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. -wikipedia We set out from our flat in Tübingen on a recent Saturday to hike to Lichtenstein Castle. After taking a bus and a train to the nearby town …