So this happened last Sunday! Every year the White House opens the South lawn to the public for a Spring or Fall Garden Tour. Having never been beyond the fence of the White House, I must say, it was ridiculously cool to be up so close. The timing was perfect too, as my parents, sister...
This morning I had the great honor of seeing Pope Francis after his address to Congress. This opportunity meant so much to me and I will always be grateful to MN Senator Amy Klobuchar for donating the tickets to my Alma Mater, St. Ben’s. How fortunate that I was able to get one of...
Hey folks – Long time, not talk, I know. I’m just not feeling it when it comes to blogging lately. Hopefully you’ve been getting along fine without my regular updates. :) So let’s get on to the updates, shall we??? First off, some good news – our family did...
As many of you know, Thursday was my birthday. The big 3-5. WHOA. To celebrate this momentous day, I crammed in a whole bunch of my favorite things – Caribou mocha-drinking, garage-saling, movie-watching – in addition to one new adventure, a trip to Fawn-Doe-Rosa Animal Park...
Being on the farm.
Getting to pick with your very own “Nia-sized” container.
Finding the “perfect” berry.
Strawberry juice running down your chin.
Eating a few strawberries right from the plant.
Being out in nature with people you love. xoxo
Ahoy mateys! We had the pleasure of venturing out on a pirate ship on the mighty seas (of the Potomac) this weekend. This kid-oriented 1-hour cruise was ridiculously fun, for adults and kids alike. Upon boarding, we worked on our pirate vocabulary, mastering words like scallywag, booty...
Last night we had the amazing good fortune of seeing MN-based singer/songwriter Peter Mayer perform in concert. My first introduction to Peter was back around 2000 when I saw him in a coffeehouse performance at St. Ben’s. I became an insta-fan and have been following his work ever...
DC got somewhere around 5 inches of snow last night and because it’s DC and they don’t deal with snow well, they closed the government and the schools for the day. We decided to take advantage of the fresh snowfall by heading out to play with our neighbors. It was an exciting...
Saturday was my long-awaited chaplaincy training at the hospital. It was an 8 hour affair and required some serious focus due to the massive amount of information that we received in that short time. There were 3 other volunteers being trained as well, all women in their late...
The excitement is building folks. I’m just 3 days away from my 8 hour Chaplain volunteer training at the hospital! Today I met up with a chaplain (paid, not volunteer) and CTI-trained Coach who works at Georgetown University Hospital (thanks for the hook-up Christine). He’s...
Warning: This post references poop. A lot. Skip it if you’re not into reading about that sort of thing… Potty-training hasn’t gone well for us. Our Peruvian Nanny started training Nia when she turned 2 (about the time of this picture) and had good success with getting...
We decided to stick around DC for Christmas this year, largely due to Nick’s lack of days off and the fact that we’ll be seeing our families in Feb & March. Â We’ve gotten used to quiet Christmases overseas, so this wasn’t all that different. Â Hopefully next...
I’m sure you thought I was going to post about Christmas and I will soon, I promise.  In the meantime, here’s a little look at Nia’s room make-over, which was 6 months in the making.  We’re really trying to limit how much stuff we buy (especially furniture) so...
Today I had an interview for a volunteer Chaplain position. I wasn’t really sure what I was signing up for, nor did I know if I was qualified, but my intuition told me that I needed to pursue it. I met with the Director of the program who was a retired nurse and Episcopalian...
As you’ve probably read here or on Facebook, it’s been me and the Nia-meister for the last 8 days while Nick was away in Russia and Ukraine. I was definitely nervous about how the week would go, so I deferred to my tried-and-true strategy, the book-every-minute-with-activities plan...
Hi everyone – If you’ve been following Facebook you know that I’ve been solo parenting for 8 days while Nick took a work trip to Russia and Ukraine. He did plenty of working, but in his spare moments he made it to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg (above) and Red Square in...
It was a lovely, quiet holiday weekend for the Novaks. Â Nick made us a Thanksgiving feast complete with homemade pumpkin pie, turkey, mashed taters and gravy. Â I was totally spoiled! Â It was our first ever turkey and a major upgrade from the Dominos Pizza we had last year! Other...
In this HILARIOUS video California Residents tried 5 Minnesota-y foods which included JELLO Salad, Lutefisk, Tator Tot Hotdish, the Juicy Lucy and a Nut Goodie.  I almost died laughing watching them eat the Lutefisk. :)  This is a must watch folks. PS – I am not surprised at all...
Hard to believe, but we are already halfway through our child-free getaway to the Mexican Riviera. Â We’re staying at a beach house in Akumal, which is located between Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Â I have to admit, we’ve been pretty lazy. Â There has been lots of napping...
I sit here in bed writing this, not quite sure what to do with myself after coming off a jam-packed weekend with my parents in town. Â The “not sure what to do with myself” part comes from the fact that our daughter left with my parents on the airplane and it’s eerily...
Last weekend we took a family road trip to Philly. Â This was a very kid-centric trip and we had 2 specific destinations on our agenda. Â The first was Sesame Street Place, a Sesame Street theme park with rides, shows, and character meet-and-greets. Â Think Disneyworld, but with Sesame...
Nia and I just got back from a 1 week trip to Minnesota to attend Beth & Jim’s wedding (the 3rd of the 4 Miller gals).  The festivities began on Friday night with the rehearsal and 50 person boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka for the Groom’s Dinner (Beth may have stolen that...
We decided to spice up Labor Day 2014 with a little trip to the countryside. We had intended for it to be a family trip, but Nick had to bow out at the last minute because the hot water heater was leaking. So it ended up just being Nia and I. After doing a bit of research we went with...
Once upon a time there was a coffee table (originally owned by a beautiful, blonde-haired lady).  In its day this table was the center of girl chats, group board games and many a memorable dinner party. Sadly, it got abandoned to a warehouse when the beautiful, blonde-haired...
It was about this time last month that I found myself in a bit of a conundrum.  We were in the process of setting our new apartment up and it was very obvious that there was no room for my beloved custom-designed chaise lounge from the Philippines.  I was heartbroken. I resigned myself...
An Overview of Foreign Service Institute Courses The Foreign Service Institute is a sprawling complex located in Arlington, VA where Diplomats go to school.  It is here that they may enroll in over 600 different Foreign Service Institute courses in leadership, job-specific training...
Okay, I have to share a delightful little thing I’ve stumbled upon. Â It’s called FreeCycle and it’s basically a place where you can give or get things for FREE. Â You simply go to the FreeCycle website to find a group near you (there are over 5,100 groups in the US, by...
Hey all – Perhaps you’ve noticed I haven’t been writing much. Well, it hasn’t been for lack of interest, it’s just that I prefer to jump into the deep end quickly when arriving in a new place, as I’ve found that it makes me feel more connected and settled. So, in no...
After a couple of frustrating weeks filled with ups and downs, I am pleased to report that we’re finally starting to gain some traction here in DC. Of particular note: We signed a lease in Crystal City (in Virginia) and move in during mid-to-late July. Grandma Janet is coming out...
If you’ve lived in DC in the summer, you know that it’s a muggy, sweaty mess. There are only two sure-fire options to beat the heat. 1.) Run from air-conditioned place to air-conditioned place or 2.) Get in (or on) the water. Given that we have a toddler that needs space to...
We’ve noticed over the last few months that Nia has a very unique style of play that’s different from most other two year olds. Her play centers around ordering her various collections (animals, polly pockets, videos, etc); lining them up over and over again each day for hours on...
We’re 12 days into our DC tour and slowly but surely finding our footing. We spent the bulk of the first week touring preschools and apartments (with mixed results, I might add). I am pleased though to report that last Saturday we signed a lease for a 2 BR condo in Crystal City! ...
Nick and I have been hanging kid-free in Portland since Tuesday. One of our favorite things we’ve done thus far was the Epicurean Excursion Walking Tour with Portland Walking Tours. In the course of 3 1/2 hours we covered a mile and a half and consumed 8 different types of Portland...
In honor of Mother’s Day I decided to stretch myself and try something new. Â That something was Kirtan, which is basically singing meditation done in Hindi or Sanskrit in a call and response format. I first heard of Kirtan from my friend Jennifer Alexander who leads Kirtan at...
Hard to believe, but our 2nd tour is already over. Â Good-bye Lima, we’ll miss you (especially your food and ocean view). Â Here’s the highlight reel from our 2nd year there. Just click the photo of the book to be taken to the actual photo book.
Great news!  I became an auntie over the weekend and Nia acquired her very first cousin (we’ve been practicing that word a lot). Armin Allan was born to Emily and Andrew on Saturday April 5th at 9:26 AM weighing 8 pounds 10 ounces and measuring 21 inches in length. I have nicknamed...
It’s hard to top the awesomeness of snow, but I think we may just have done it. Yes, today was Nia’s first day of preschool. As many of you know, my Mom started Lake Area Discovery Center, a PHENOMENAL early childcare center with 10 sites across the metro. Happily, my Mom was...
Oh Minnesota, how I missed thee. I did NOT, however, miss your below freezing temps! Either you’ve gotten worse or I’ve gotten wimpier. I do appreciate the snow though, purely for my daughter’s sake. It has given her hours of delight in the last 24 hours.  So thanks.  I’d...
Hard to believe, but it’s pack-out time again!  The Novaks welcomed a 7 person moving team yesterday for our 5th pack-out in 5 years. These guys must have eaten their Wheaties because DANG were they fast. They had our 4200 pounds of stuff boxed and sealed within 4 hours. ...
Click the image below to get a look at the Photo Book from our 1st year in Lima!
Remember this shot from May of 2012? Nia was only 7 months old and Nick and I were still pining for the Philippines. Fast forward 2 years later and we’re closing up our time here in Peru. WOW, right? Is it just me or did that go REALLY FAST? Curious about what’s next?  Of...
Ahhh, the memories. Â This beauty showed up in my Facebook feed last week thanks to that “Throwback Thursday” trend that’s been going around lately. Â In case you couldn’t find me, I’m on the far right in the second row. Â This photo dates back to June 1994...
One of the things I will miss most when I leave Peru is a group called Miramoms. This group grew organically from a desire to connect the Peruvian and Expat Moms of Miraflores. While originally an email list, it has now expanded to include a website, Mom outings, Holiday parties and...
Not to be confused with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, these Red Hot Chilli PIPERS are rockin it big time on the bagpipes to Avicii’s Wake Me Up. Â I mean really, is there any better sound than a bagpipe? Â I hope this wakes you up on this wonderful Friday morning!
We took advantage of the long weekend for Martin Luther King Day and scheduled our final trip here in Peru. We weren’t originally planning to do any more travel, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go to a beach resort with 4 other couples who each have 1-2 year olds. Paracas...
Nia has recently become obsessed with The Kitty Park (also known as Parque Kennedy). This beautiful urban park, for some bizarre reason, is home to a collection of wild, homeless cats. No lie, on any given day you will find no less than 20 cats lounging in the park. Here’s a small...
One of the things I remember most vividly from my childhood was all the amazing parties my parents threw. Dinner parties, theme parties, card club – you name it, they did it. My favorite party concept was something called a Progressive Dinner. What’s great about this concept is...
Can you believe it’s been 5 years already? Â I know, shut up, right?!? Â I feel like it was just yesterday that I was purchasing those piles and piles of ravioli and diet coke. Â In case you couldn’t tell by my blog posts, we’re pretty enamored with our lifestyle...
Hard to believe, but today marks the 5th anniversary of our civil wedding ceremony. I thought it’d be fun to look back at some of our early dating pictures to celebrate this milestone. March 2007 – Our first real date – a Michael Medved Oscars event for Nick’s work August...
Nick and I have been searching (unsuccessfully) for a joint hobby for the better part of seven years. Our differences definitely make us work well as a couple, but they make it very hard to find mutual interests. He wants nothing to do with my suggestions – yoga, pilates, pottery...