It’s been more than five months since we landed back home in the U.S. after six months on the other side of the world, and I have to say that the transition hasn’t been exactly what I expected. No judgment in that (that’s one thing I practiced on sabbatical-not judging, just being), but sometimes I … More Life After Sabbatical: Pop Tarts, Unemployment, and Mom
Sabbatical has given us the time and space to grow, learn, and be reminded of what matters. Special thanks to my husband, Trent, for his thoughtful reflections below on his own unique sabbatical experience. I am grateful every day that he is my life partner and that we are on this adventure together. I hope … More Sabbatical Lessons: a guest blog by my husband, Trent
Before arriving in Singapore, the sum total of my knowledge of the city was based solely on 1) spare snippets shared by my husband from his time working on assignment there ~13 years ago, 2) the recent commentary by a young Singaporean couple with whom we dined during a cruise through Vietnam’s Halong Bay a … More Singapore, you captured my imagination. And my wallet.
It’s raining here in the Mekong Delta, and we are stuck inside for a while. So what’s a person to do but post favorite pictures from 8 months of camping, traveling and just generally meandering about. Enjoy! Boyd Lake State Park, Colorado with Mom, May 2017 Colorado National Monument, May 2017 Zion National Park, Utah, … More From North America to Southeast Asia: 242 days of sabbatical in pictures
It’s been raining forever. I’ve been sick for a month. I miss my puppy snuggles nearly every second. Tomorrow is Christmas, which means today is Christmas Eve. My father died on Christmas Eve 25 years ago, so maybe this melancholy shouldn’t be a surprise, but man I sure do wish I was having unadulterated fun … More Homesick + Sick + Rain + Christmas = Sabbatical Blues
I was just hanging out on the couch one Sunday morning, watching TV and thinking about all the things we needed to do to prepare for our six months in Thailand when I got a text from my good friend who has the cool Hollywood job (we will call her Kiwi). The text simply read: … More Sabbatical Days 159-161: Just Say Yes to NYC
Sabbatical priorities: us, mind, body. I was spending lots of energy on us (camping, driving, talking) and on body (hiking, walking, camping). But I knew that for my own mental wellness, I needed some girl time. So I hopped a plane to LA for a visit with one of my closest girlfriends of more than … More Sabbatical days 124-132: Hangin’ in Hollywood
We left for Yellowstone just before midnight on the 70th day of sabbatical, driving by the light of a full moon. All of our other weekend and week-long camping trips have been leading up to this one. We will be camping nomads for four weeks before we return home exactly 1/4 of the way through … More Sabbatical Days 70-73: Midnight drive to Yellowstone
About a week ago we flew down to Texas to visit family and attend my nephew’s high school graduation (side note: so proud of that young man! Graduated with honors and college bound for University of North Texas! Go Mean Green!) Brandon’s graduation has me thinking a lot about those in between times in … More Sabbatical Days 40 and 41: Going at the Pace of the Earth
May 14: Zion National Park, Hurricane, Utah We arrived at Zion National Park early yesterday morning, a little later than planned because we overslept at the RV park where we had gotten the last spot the night before. BUT the camping gods were with us, and after waiting in a long line of cars, we … More Sabbatical Days 16 & 17: All the Way to the Top at Zion National Park
The Found Year 