We've made it a habit of settling in river valleys. It wasn't till I became an adult that I realized Kansas City nestled within the bluffs of the Missouri River. Not nearly as flat as you'd think, my childhood playgrounds were tree-filled and hilly, lush with...
Read moreA Dispatch from Cough City
My child is sick, his third absence from school in as many weeks. He coughs all night long, something stuck in his throat but no idea how to expel it. He's 8, but middle-of-the-night reason does not yet work, so we do the shuffle: water. sink. cough. spit. repeat.
Read moreThe Free Territory of Trieste
The month of August brought us to Italy for the very first time. Even though we first moved to Europe in 2008, our travel has been mostly restricted to Northern Ireland, Spain and Germany for work. Not that I'm complaining...
Read moreThe Smallest Bite of the Straightest Road
We ate pumpkin seeds in a Ford Taurus as it sped along I-80. Food in my dad’s nice car — leather seats and built in GPS before iPhones and GoogleMaps were zygotes in the mind of Steve Jobs — was a treat, even as a newly-minted adult.
Read moreOne Day at Powerscourt
Without a doubt, the highlight of the summer so far was a visit from one of my best, lifelong friends. Julia and her gorgeous little girl came to spend her 40th birthday in Ireland with us, which is basically like giving your best friend the...
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