Minnesotans still proudly rock the ‘socks and sandals’ look (picture above of our friend Don sporting his combo at the cabin) Everyone has a fancy phone and no one knows how to use them There is a SERIOUS problem with obesity in the states Food experiences fail to live up to...
On Wednesday night Jenna and I went to our very first Twins Game in the new stadium. Â To be honest, I was pretty sick of hearing all the hype about this stadium and didn’t expect the experience to live up to the rave reviews I’d heard. Â Boy was I wrong. Â It was such a...
One of the things I feared most about heading home was realizing how much had changed in my absence. Â Happily, after spending 4 days at the cabin over Labor Day Weekend, I’m happy to report that the cabin is just as I remember it–full of laughter, relaxation (note the photo...
I’m proud to report that a mere 24 hours after arriving in Minnesota, I was happily strolling the grounds of the Great MN Get-Together, the Minnesota State Fair! Â Now mind you, I’m not an all-day fair-goer like some. Â I prefer about a 3-4 hour stint where I see my favorite...
I can’t believe I haven’t posted this one yet for Sam Tsui Thursday! Â This is one of my favorites… I know you’ll enjoy it as much as I do. Â I hope it puts a little bounce in your step today! Â :)
Hello blog readers- Sorry for the posting delay! Â I have a good excuse – I was busy getting myself to Minnesota! Â I’m getting settled in nicely now and enjoying spending time with my family before all the friend visits begin. Â Before I start blogging about all my Minnesota...
As I continue to grieve and make sense of the tragedy that has befallen my childhood friend’s family, I have found immense comfort in Natalie Grant’s song ‘Human.” Â The simple yet poignant lyrics remind me that at the end of the day “we are all human”...
It’s hard to believe, but the day has finally come when we’re holding our bid list in our hands. Â For those of you that are unfamiliar, it’s a listing of all the open posts around the world that are available for us to bid on this cycle. Â There are hundreds of posts on...
I’ve noticed that despite having seasons, my body still senses when changes are supposed to be happening (even when they’re not). Â Never is this more true than around the start of school. Â I think we’re all hard-wired to reset at this time of year…. and honestly...
This is mind-blowing! Â I’ve never seen anything like it! Â Give it 30 seconds, you’ll be hooked…
Friends in India, have you seen this done live?
After a year of watching construction, we were delighted to see our building’s amenities finally open a few weeks ago. Â As you might expect, there is a nice-sized pool and a gym. Â But there were also a few surprises too, like a gaming room and dance studio that we can rent out for...
Each year Beloit College publishes a list that “provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall”. Â I found it really fascinating to get a peak into what these students ( born in 1992) view as their ‘normal’...
Forgive me, I’m feel like a little cheesy High School Musical today…
It was an exciting day at Friendship Home. Â We did a fun science project exploring thermodynamics by making ice cream from scratch using only ice and zip lock bags. Â While the entire process was fun, the kids and adults alike definitely enjoyed the end product. Â Do try this at home...
Went to the bank this morning to get some cash and stumbled upon something I’ve never seen before — a dog in shoes! Â Now clothes I had seen, but these shoes were a first. Â Not what I was expecting to find at the bank today! Â Good thing I had my camera on me because this...
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Nick and I took a trip down to San Pablo this weekend, both for a little R&R and to capitalize on potter Ugu Bigyan’s Birthday Sale (see previous post for more details). Â Although many pieces were already snatched up, I did manage to...
When Friday evening rolled around this week, Nick and I looked at each other and agreed that we’d spent one too many weekend in Manila recently. Â We were already planning to make a drive down south on Saturday for a HUGE art sale, so we did some quick calling and found out that...
This morning I had the pleasure of joining my friend Barb (and 2 other lovely ladies) for a shopping adventure at Divisoria (which is like Greenhills, only more chaotic). Â Our mission: To spend $150 on toys for kids at an orphanage in Afghanistan (who have none). Â Thankfully, we can...
A little down-tempo number for this rainy Manila day.
It’s that time of year again folks. Â The big social event of the year is just around the corner – The Annual Marine Corps Ball! Â Last year, as you may remember, I was forced to choose between getting a new chaise and having a gown designed for the ball. Â Thankfully, there...
I’ve long been a fan of these flash mob scenes that started popping up on Youtube a year or so ago.  I think you’ll really enjoy this one in Grand Central Station when  200+ individuals froze at the exact same second and remained frozen in place for the next 5 minutes...
One of the fascinating things about living overseas is realizing the little things you’ve taken for granted for the majority of your life. Â Many of these realizations are fleeting and merely leave you with a deeper sense of gratitude. Â Others, like the one I experienced today...
As most of you know, I am less than 30 days away from my visit to Minne-SOH-ta. Â My energy has been ramping up for weeks and I’ve found myself talking non-stop about all the things I’m excited to do there. Â In an attempt to share my joy with my Manila friends (and stop their...
A dose of Sam per day keeps the doctor away! :)
I’m sorry to tell you this Nicholas, but I’ve fallen in love with someone else (I guess technically it’s a something). It wasn’t my fault, I tell you! She hypnotized me with her soft lines and understated elegance….. how could I resist beauty and...
With nearly 1,000,000 hits on Youtube, Maggie and Lucas Thompson’s video “Minnesota Gurls” is a bonafide viral success. Nothing makes me happier than to see the next generation of St. Ben’s and St. John’s students displaying their pride for our beloved...
If you’ll think back to mid-July we talked a bit about Getting Ready to Be Ready. Â The act of writing that post was very freeing in and of itself and I noticed an immediate shift in my resistance afterward. Â It seemed, in giving myself full permission to not be ready, that I...
WAHOO! Â I’m thrilled to announce the the INSANELY ADORABLE couple are finally making it official. Â Yup, that’s right. Â Emily Miller (#2 in the long line of Miller gals) will be tying the knot with Andrew Sullivan in summer of 2011! And where did they meet, you ask? Â Well...
Due to my unwavering love of Sam Tsui, I’ve decided to start featuring a different song each Thursday until I run out of selections or get sick of him. Did you take your ‘Sam Break’ yet today?
I have the most heart-warming story to share with you today! Â Back in April you’ll remember that Nick and I accompanied the Friendship Home kids to the Water Park (CLICK HERE to read that post). Â We had an AMAZING time and I posted all sorts of pictures of the kids screaming with...
I am less than 40 days away from returning to my mother-land. In preparation of my month-long trip, I have begun making a list of all my ‘must-do’s’ while I’m home. Those of you who are keen observers will notice that a.) Many are related to food and b.) this...
Once upon a time a girl named Sarah went out on a second date with a boy named Nicholas (a rare occurrence indeed). Â When the boy named Nicholas arrived at Sarah’s door, he delighted her by gifting her a book called Life of Pi. Â Sarah was tickled pink – surely this boy could...
Can’t think of a much better combo than this: Seize the Day from Newsies set to Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. It has a very old-school cool kind of feel to it… enjoy!
Our good friends Andrea and Brian gave me a very cool birthday gift this year – a $25 gift certificate for a loan to give out on Kiva.org, a micro-lending site. Â (Check out this post I wrote on it awhile back when I first found it.) Â For those not familiar, Kiva works with...
Greetings Blog Readers – I am THRILLED to unveil our new souped-up blog, NOVAKISTAN! Â I’ve been craving a fancy blog like this for quite some time and finally had the guts to go for it this weekend. Â After 20 hours of technical work and a major code recovery from technical...
The following is from DailyOm, a personal development site my friend Liz introduced me to that provides a daily dose of wisdom or inspiration. Â What amazes me is how succinctly the authors can write and how spot-on the message often is for what I’m going through. Â Here’s the...
I thought we needed a good laugh after the heaviness of the typhoon yesterday. Â Watch this – it will crack you up! Â People are so funny…
Typhoon season came in with a bang last night. Â The weather service had predicted the typhoon to hit north of Manila, so no one was really prepared here for anything more than a few heavy showers. Â While it was no Ondoy in terms of the scale and scope of the damage, poor Nick and I...
Like the picture above, I’m at a place with my coaching where certain elements are crystal clear and others are just beginning to come into focus. Â Ever since I found coaching 3 years ago, I knew that, without a doubt, I had found the vehicle to get my message out. Â The thing was...
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Can’t get enough of this new song by Sara Bareilles! Â It’s on continuous play in our house at the moment…. enjoy!
You are all well aware of the fact that I don’t really believe in doing anything small, especially when it comes to milestone birthdays. Â All it took was 5 months of hinting on my part before Nick caved and graciously agreed to host a 30th birthday bash for me (against his better...
Guess what arrived in the mail as my very first Birthday gift??? Â The biggest box of Retro ’80s candy I had ever seen!! Â Thanks to my oh-so-hip in-laws, I was the recipient of an assortment of popular candy from my childhood. Â I tell you, I was tickled pink by all the memories...
In celebration of being back in Manila, I thought we’d all enjoy a little Sam to start our day off right! Â It’s been at least two weeks since I shared something of his with you, so I figured it was about time….
Ahhhh, Day 2 in Shanghai. Â Despite the challenges of Day 1, Nick and I were determined to start this day with a positive attitude. Â To get things kicked off on the right foot, we decided to indulge in a delicious breakfast at the Sofitel. Â :) I particularly enjoyed the dessert buffet...
I desperately tried to like you Shanghai, I really did. Â I know it’s cool to like China right now, with you being a rising super power and all, but I just wasn’t into being a part of your 20 million person free-for-all. Â You see, as a mid-western girl I place high value on...
Note: The following post is a guest post from my visitor Karolanne. Â It details her experiences with the various treatments we tried. I should begin by telling you that I’ve only had a couple ‘real’ massages in the States. Â They were nice but nothing compared to the...
Since it’s become obvious that I can’t stop time and prevent the one year mark from happening, I’ve decided that for today’s 1 Year Commemorative Post we’ll take a more positive slant instead and celebrate all the milestones that have happened in the last...
As many of you know, my friend Karolanne is in town for 6 days, following her 2 week tour of China. Â Given the short duration of her stay, we’ve been cramming in the fun double-time. Â We’ve already checked off haircuts, the 1st massage, eyebrows, a historical tour, the Mall...
but we’ll always have this FAB Shakira video to cherish. Â I swear, the way that woman moves her hips is mesmerizing… it should be illegal! If you’re more into live performances than music videos, then this one’s for you (from the opening ceremonies): Warning:...
A week ago I couldn’t have even told you where Sri Lanka was (right of the Southeastern tip of India, by the way) but now I’m checking out flights there. Â Why, you ask? Â This beautiful picture! Â Doesn’t this look stunning?! Katie (of Rock Star in Dhaka) posted it on...