At every post with a hardship designation, there is inevitably something that the Security Team  scares the bejeezus out of us about (with the intent of keeping us safer, of course).  They go over...
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.
Hi All – Miss me? Â We just got back from a SENSATIONAL 4 day trip to the Peruvian Andes. Â We went to Hauraz, location of the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra Mountain ranges. Â I...
I meant to do a real write-up of our trip to Huaraz but this last week got away from me. Â Sorry for the delay! Â Here goes… We left Lima on Wednesday night at 11 PM on an overnight bus (Movil...
I woke up on my birthday in a foul mood.  I had decided in advance that it was going to be a crap b-day because: a.)  My bday fell on a Monday this year b.)  I have no friends here yet (please...
Seriously, who flies 6 hours to see big stone heads?! We do, as well as the other 50,000 people per year that get to Easter Island, the world’s most remote inhabited island in the world. I can...
Saturday was our last full day on the Island and Paul of Tekarera Tours had a real treat in store for us. He took us to Rano Raraku, which is the name of the volcanic mountain that the rock was...
It’s hard to believe, but our little girl just crossed the one year mark. I’m not going to lie and say that the entire year flew by because there were days in those first 3 months that felt...
Here are the best of Nia’s 1 Year Photo Shoot! We had them done by Vanessa of Luz + Letra here in Lima. It was a fantastic experience that yielded over 100 beautiful shots of Nia! If you’re...
At last, our long-awaited trip to Galapagos is here. The expectations were sky-high and damn if they didn’t blow us away on the very first trip to shore. No honestly, if they sent me home after...
One of the best surprises on this trip has been how many babies we’ve seen (and up really close too)! The Mom and baby above are Blue-footed Boobies. This baby is estimated to be 1 week old...
Today we eagerly jumped off the boat, excited by the possibility of seeing land tortoises (different than the sea turtles we saw in the water). As usual, we saw an abundance of them. We have a...
What would Jenna’s visit to Peru be without a road trip? Especially a trip with a shrieking 1-year-old! Yes, that’s right. Bet you didn’t know Nia’s lungs have the capacity to sustain...
There’s never a dull day on the Malecon (our ocean-side park near our house) and since we go out there several times each day, we inevitably run into lots of fun adventures. Like yesterday, for...
One of the activities Jenna was most excited to try during her stay in Lima was a Chocolate-making Workshop at the Choco Museum in Lima. This was my first time going as well, so we made for quite...
January has been plum full of visitors! My sister Jenna was here from January 2nd to the 12th and then my dear college friend Rachel arrived on the 12th and stayed until the 21st. Talk about non-stop...
Just got back from a 4 day trip with Rachel to the Sacred Valley of Peru, home of the infamous Machu Picchu. Can I just start by saying that it’s a b*tch to get there! Yup, we’re talking plane...
I get a lot of comments about how much Nia looks like me because of the blue eyes/blond hair thing. Â What you can’t tell however, is how much Nia looks like Nick when he was a child. Â Check...
 On President’s Day Weekend we ventured 3 hours south on the Pan-America Highway to Lunahuana, a country-esque area know for its adventure sports.  It’s located in the middle of a...
Nia and I decided to take advantage of our relatively-close South American location and join the family for the annual trip to Puerto Vallarta. My parents have owned a time share there for 3...
As I’ve mentioned before, Embassy Lima does a great job of putting on festive holiday celebrations. Â Holidays tend to bring up additional feelings of homesickness and events like this really...
We’ve had helper drama lately. Â I haven’t written about it because I wasn’t sure how it was going to be resolved, but I’m ready to give you the full lowdown now. In early...
Today we took a family field trip into downtown Lima to see Parque de Las Reserva (or the “Fountain Park†as it’s called when you can’t remember the Spanish name). We’ve been meaning to...
Good news! We learned this weekend that all it takes to keep our toddler still for 2 hours is a Parade! Now if only we could have a parade every day then we’d be in great shape… Ok, kidding...
Image Attribution: Conscious Design on Unsplash I discovered Yoga during my pregnancy with Nia (fyi, it was a Godsend for dealing with back and hip pain). I maintained the practice after her birth...
It was a normal weekday in Lima and I was standing in front of a high-end hotel waiting to hail a cab. Â A guy calls out to me asking if I need a ride. Â I decline and walk away. Totally innocuous...
 Friends, can I tell you how fortunate I feel that my advanced little girl has decided that being 2 is not a prerequisite to displaying Terrible Twos behavior!?  Every day I am blessed to practice...
If you’ve spent any time with Nia, you know that there are 3 people/things she talks about incessantly. The first is Elle, her BFF who is only 1 month older than Nia. These two run the Malecon...
It’s hard to believe, but we’ll have a 2 year old in our family as of the 22nd. In order to celebrate this momentous occasion, we decided to throw the most Elmolicious Party we could dream...
When winter starts to get long and we haven’t seen the sun in months, we hop in the car and drive to Cieneguilla. This city, while only one hour from our house, is technically considered the...
One of the things my parents insisted on during their visit to Peru was a visit to the Sacred Valley and most importantly, Machu Picchu (MP). Having visited MP back in January with Rachel, I whole...
Wanna know something? I’ve never been too fond of Halloween. Sure, I enjoyed it as a kid, but by the time I got to my early teens I was pretty over it. It all seemed kinda silly. But then I...
All I have to say is that mid-level bidding SUCKS. Â We’ve been on pins and needles all week hoping and praying that we’d get an email telling us that we had received an assignment. On...
Photo by Mike Mozart on Creative Commons The good ole US of A! Â That’s right, we’ll be setting up our home in Washington, DC for a 2 year assignment. Nick will be working as a Press...
Hey folks, long time no talk. Â Sorry bout that. Â I wasn’t feeling it. Â But I’m back now, so that’s the good news. So when we last talked we had just received our long-awaited...
“Mom, we’ve talked about this before. I’m too busy to have my picture taken. Please leave me alone.†“No, I’m really serious this time. Go away. This is your final warning. I...
Don’t get me wrong, Christmas to me will forever be synonymous with snow, fires, hot chocolate, sweaters and the like. There is, however, something delightful about ‘testing out’...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Once upon a time there was a coffee table (originally owned by a beautiful, blonde-haired lady). Â In its day this table was the center of girl chats, group board games and many a memorable dinner...
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...
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...
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...
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...
It has been a week of non-stop birthday festivities in celebration of Nia’s 4th Birthday! I didn’t want to leave you out on the fun, so here’s a recap of all the action! Nana and...
It seemed fitting that our adventure-filled birthday extravaganza week should wrap up with a bang. And what better way than a tour of the White House, right? So that’s exactly what we did...