Update from the Quad Cities: Rock Island Days
We’ve moved to Rock Island. Here’s what we’ve been up to for the last couple of months as we’ve explored our new surroundings on the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities.
Chasing Daylight in August: A “Perfect” Day Out
Chasing Daylight in August: Cruden Bay in the Rain Friday night, 11 pm The chance for rain had gone up to 90%. Taido had been checking the weather hourly all evening, watching the increase from a 10% chance to “almost certainly it’s going to rain.” Now he was feeling uncertain about our plans for a …
Chasing Daylight in July: Part 2 (The West Coast)
Our second week of walking new trails in Scotland was on the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland. My sister and her husband, Robert, and their three kiddos were in town in July for two weeks. The first week we spent in and around Aberdeen, and then we rented a second car and headed west. We stayed …
Chasing Daylight in July: Part 1 (The Lakes)
Chasing Daylight in July has been all about being outside with friends and family. Some of the those days have been drop dead gorgeous. But most of them have seen at least a few hours of rain. However, the weather has not stopped us from making the most of our kids’ short summer holidays. As …
The Beginning of Leaving
It’s Thursday night and I’m waiting to hear that Cole’s plane made it to Chicago. I’m wanting to know if he’ll make his connection to Little Rock. I’m praying he will clear customs in time. I’m hoping he will find his way through a large airport. I’m waiting to hear. But really, I’m waiting for …
Snapshots of Scotland: March Walks
Walking in Scotland throughout the Month of March We spent the first weekend of March in London, but since then, we have gotten out for forest walks every Saturday in March. Additionally one Wednesday, I went with a couple of friends to do a local coastal walk. I think getting outside has gotten me through …
Mary Polly’s Walk to School (46/48)
The path between our house and school is the one we have probably frequented the most since moving to Scotland. I’m super excited because my daughter, Mary Polly has agreed to tell you about her long walk to and from school. Enjoy! Walking to School by Mary Polly Chino Two years ago if you told …
A Walk from Furenalp {Switzerland} (27/48)
While we were traveling this summer, almost every time I posted a picture of Switzerland, someone would tell us that we HAD to ride a certain cable car or take a certain train. All the guidebooks and blog posts say the same thing. But here’s the thing. They are really expensive. A lot of them …
Reflections on Moving Abroad: The Hard Stuff
Summer 2013 Summer 2014 When we told people that we were moving to Scotland, for the most part the responses fell into two general categories. 1. That sounds crazy! 2. That sounds dreamy! And you know what, both of these descriptions are spot on. Moving abroad is crazy AND it’s a dream come true. At …
A Story about Making New Friends
A Story about Making New Friends “Hi, I’m Flea.” she said as she sat down next to me in the airport. “Hi! I’ve been so excited to meet you! I’m Alison.” “And this is Simon.” “Simon, can you say hello?” “Hi.” (small quiet voice) I’ve mentioned before that Simon and I are introverts. In fact …
A Story about a 1D Concert
A Story about a 1D Concert Some things in this world just have to be experienced rather than enjoyed. Even though I love being outdoors, I can also admit that a long day of climbing can be rough. Especially if it is raining. But rough days both build and reveal our character. And often …
A Story about Simon
A Story about Simon Simon is growing up so fast that sometimes I forget how much he still has to learn. Being the youngest means he is constantly trying to keep up with the older three. In fact, even though he is almost eight, he has just discovered all the Disney movies. He fell in …
A Story about Mary Polly
A Story about Mary Polly The summer that my only daughter turned nine we had been on the road in a camper for almost three months. Mary Polly has never been one for a big party, and we often celebrate her birthday with just one or two friends. This girl loves her down time, and …
Roseberry Topping Walk (13/48)
Climbing Roseberry Topping in North Yorkshire, England for #13 of #48walks I noticed a subtle difference between walking in North Yorkshire and walking in Aberdeenshire. The air was just a few degrees warmer and the fields a slightly brighter shade of green. The kids and I found this walk that was just a few miles …
A Story about Cole
A Story about Cole Hello, Mom? I’m in trouble and I need you to come pick me up. As a mom, you know you might get this phone call one day, but it still surprises you that first time it happens. Cole is my first child. I have strong memories of his nights as a …
Walking Tyrebagger Forest 4/48
It is amazing how wonderful it is to see the sunshine after it has been clouded over for days and days! [pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0RtJ20FPC94/UvZwsaRnEWI/AAAAAAAAHyo/HFImFxcf-b0/s144-c-o/DSCF0594.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/100212479652479288017/20140208TyrebaggerWalk?authkey=Gv1sRgCPnn9rfKvu6BWw#5978089463650652514″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”DSCF0594.JPG” ] We drug the boys out on Saturday morning because the rain came back later in the day. It was cold and muddy but it was so wonderful …
Hiking In Scotland: Bennachie
We’ve made a couple of trips now to hike in an area called Bennachie that is only about a 30 minute drive from Aberdeen. The countryside around our city is referred to as Aberdeenshire, so we are quite fond of saying, Let’s head out to the shire today! or Come on y’all, we’re going to …
Snapshots of a Rainy Day In St. Louis
Recently, I mentioned that we spent One Rainy Day in St. Louis. We have wanted to go to the St. Louis Zoo for a while now, but we planned our activities in the car while we drove, knowing it was probably going to rain all day. So we had to skip the zoo, but we …
Snapshots of Spring Camping in Missouri
A few weeks ago, we took advantage of a school break to go Spring Camping in Missouri. It rained for a lot of the time we were gone, but I still loved getting away. The spring rain has made the flowers and trees sparkle with color this year, and it always makes my heart …
A Chino House Video: Family Cycling
Today I am super excited, because we are introducing our first Chino House Family Video: Family Cycling The Story Behind Our Video Simon and I frequently watch a sweet series of videos that Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom introduced of her family called Olive Us. (If you’ve never seen one, watch How To Visit A …