apparently do not mix. I ventured into my first salon on Monday to get a much-needed trim. As I previously mentioned, I already stick out horribly amongst the dark-haired, dark-skinned Filipinos...
Best of Novakistan
This is a compilation of the posts I feel deserve the “Best of Novakistan” title. They cover the entire 15-year span that I’ve been writing.
I am proud to say that I successfully hired my first household helper. In the US we would commonly refer to this as a maid, but she’s going to do so much more than just clean that it...
Sadly, my 5 week photography class came to an end yesterday. Hard to believe that it’s over already! The good news is that we formed a Photography club and have our first meeting already set up...
As of Friday, we are officially 3500 pounds heavier. Round One of our “stuff” arrived on Friday. In case you hadn’t already guessed, this is a BIG DEAL. My chance to set up shop had...
Nick and I hosted what I would consider our first Manila dinner party. Well technically it was lunch but we served enough food for an army. An Army of 12, that is! We invited over our long-time...
Awesome news – Our car has finally cleared customs at the port and is available for us to pick up! After celebrating for a few moments it dawned on me that I had no idea how I was going to get...
When we were in training classes getting ready to head overseas, they presented a bell curve graph that showed the different phases of cultural acclimation. First was the honeymoon stage, in which...
Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness!! I FINALLY got the one thing that I’ve been pining my whole life for (besides a husband and a blow-out wedding). I wanted what every little girl...
Last night was a big one for the Novak family – our first ever Marine Ball! Just to give you a little history, the Marine Corps Ball is an annual event that is celebrated each year on the...
There once was a house that fell ill And racked up an emergency room bill. They hacked all day and night With no end in sight, Thank God the Neti Pot works better than a pill. WE LOVE YOU NETI...
As I lay in bed writing this post, I can honestly say that after five hours with 35 eleven and twelve-year-olds, Nick and I are officially exhausted. But it’s a good exhaustion, one of those...
I swear, we tried our best. There was a solid plan, we stuck to it steadfastly and yet…nothing quite turned out right. Guess we’ll just chalk it up to that old adage “The best-laid...
Just got back from 5 glorious days in Bohol, an island in the Southern Philippines. As you know, my friend Rachel is visiting and we wanted to take her somewhere that would give her a feel of the...
Greetings- It’s been a full couple of days and I’m horribly behind on my posting. Just got Rachel off on the airplane this morning, so now I have a moment to catch you up on the rest of...
I’m sure it won’t come as a shock when I say that I’ve been a bit down lately. The six month mark hit hard, compounded by the Christmas factor. Thank goodness for Rachel’s...
Delightful, delicious Bangkok. Like Manila in many ways, but about 20 years ahead from an infrastructure standpoint and with way better food (No offense to my Filipino friends, there’s just...
On Monday we got back from what could surely be titled one of those “once in a lifetime” adventures. We had left early Saturday morning and flown to Legazpi, on the Southern part of...
Today I was privileged to get a tour of the garbage dump Tondo, home of 1.5 million of Manila’s residents. It was one of the most humbling and disturbing experiences I’ve ever had and I...
Picture from Rage.com Instead of engaging in my typical St. Patrick’s Day activity of beer drinking and social events, I had the opportunity to do something vastly different this year. I was...
I’m having a hard time letting go of this experience, feeling that my sharing is still incomplete. I’m hoping that in doing one last post, I’ll feel like I did Tondo the justice it...
Wow, it’s hard to believe, but I just crossed the 1 month mark at Carewell. In those four weeks I was able to hold seven different group coaching sessions not only for cancer patients, but for...
Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about our recent trip to Batanes. What a stunning, remote location! It was like something that time forgot, but in an oh-so-wonderful kind of way. It...
Zoom in on me, looking VERY CRABBY as I waited to board our boat to Sabtang Island. Here’s the back story…I woke up at 5:30 AM so that I could be ready to join the group at 6 AM to leave...
On Saturday Nick and I had the pleasure of accompanying 25 kids from Friendship Home to a local water park (along with a few other adults thankfully!). As I’ve mentioned before, these kind of...
This is a big day! The first-ever Guest Blog post from my current visitor and dear friend, Sarah Lynn Gasparick. I hope you enjoy the varied perspective. Today I got to join in the adventures at...
May 8th, 2010 was a day of mixed emotions in the Miller household. It was on that day that Jenna Miller (#4 in the line of great Miller gals) graduated from the College of Saint Benedict (CSB). While...
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of presenting my first Corporate workshop. It was a DREAM gig because I a.) got flown to a resort in Malaysia to present and b.) spent four hours identifying core...
Those of you who have known me a long time know that Sarah & Singing just plain go together. I think the best way to explain it to you would be that I have my own “Pandora” station...
So a few weeks back my world got ROCKED when I stumbled upon a 4-part audio series by Edwene Gaines. She is the author of the book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, a guide on creating true...
In yesterday’s post I articulated my recent revelations about tithing and the HUGE 180 degree mental shift that happened for me when I embraced Edwene Gaines’ views on tithing. I felt it...
Hi Readers- I’m feeling very revealing this week, so here’s a big announcement that I’ve been hanging on to for awhile, waiting for the right moment to share it…. and...
So, you all know that I’m a big fan of my husband and the time we spend together. But once and a while it just so happens that I’m on my own for a few days when he’s on a work trip...
I. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. A. Veteran. Expat. Zoom in on me kicking and screaming as I’m metaphorically pulled to the one year mark. “Noooooooo, we just got here! Am I really saying good...
As many of you know, my friend Karolanne is in town for six days, following her two week tour of China. Given the short duration of her stay, we’ve been cramming in the fun double-time...
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 one Year Commemorative Post we’ll take a...
I desperately tried to like you Shanghai, I really did. 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...
Ahhhh, Day 2 in Shanghai. Despite the challenges of Day 1, Nick and I were determined to start this day with a positive attitude. To get things kicked off on the right foot, we decided to indulge in...
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. All it took was five months of hinting on my part before...
Once upon a time a girl named Sarah went out on a second date with a boy named Nicholas (a rare occurrence indeed). When the boy named Nicholas arrived at Sarah’s door, he delighted her by...
As most of you know, I am less than 30 days away from my visit to Minne-SOH-ta. My energy has been ramping up for weeks and I’ve found myself talking non-stop about all the things I’m...
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! Now mind you, I’m not an...
Ahhhh, home sweet Manila! Boy does it feel good to be back. Don’t get me wrong, I had a sensational trip, but there’s just something SOOOO sweet about arriving back home (especially...
Ok, let’s start with the facts. I adore Christmas. Not just any old Christmas, but the snow-covered, sweater-wearing, eggnog-drinking, fireplace-roasting type. Perhaps some would call that a...
So after three days in Hong Kong, Nick and I can say without hesitation that we prefer to live in big Asian cities rather than visit them. It’s not that they’re bad by any means...
This will be my third and final post about Hong Kong. Today’s post will actually focus on Macau, an island that is a one hour ferry ride from Hong Kong. Macau is best known as the Vegas of...
One of the many volunteer hats I wear is that of Worldwide Recruitment Specialist (my self-appointment title) for the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University (CSB/SJU) in Minnesota...
On Saturday Nick and I were graciously invited to join a group of Filipinos who were traveling two hours North to Pampanga to experience the food, churches and handicrafts of that region. It was one...
I know I said that sailing past the Sydney Opera House was as good as it gets, but I’m going to have to retract that because the last 24 hours topped it. This last day was out-of-this-universe...
After we got done with our helicopter ride, we continued driving south to Fox Glacier where we had booked lodging at a 700 acre working farm/bed and breakfast called Clearwater B&B. We had never...
Nick put together a five minute video of our helicopter ride over the Glaciers in New Zealand. It’ll give you a better idea of what this majestic experience was like. Enjoy!