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...
Peru
This is a collection of posts from our tour in Lima, Peru from May 2012 to April 2014.
We’ve been out enjoying the final days of summer while we’ve still got sun. Â For those who don’t know, Lima loses it’s sunshine for roughly 7 months a year thanks to the...
Last week I had the good fortune of visiting the non-profit CIMA with the Canadian International Society, an expat group here that has supported this organization since it’s inception 25 years...
We had two great food-based experiences this weekend and they couldn’t have been more polar opposites. Â The first was on our Friday night date. Â We visited a new restaurant in town called...
Well, we made it nearly 19 months before having to trim those beautiful blonde locks…. I delayed as long as I could, but her bangs were starting to cover her eyes and the stubborn kiddo refuses...
Nick decided to take up the guitar while we were gone for 5 weeks in Minnesota. Â Since arriving home, Nia’s been positively fascinated with it, constantly wanting to go in our room to touch it...
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...
Patience has never been my strong suit. Â I love information and I’d prefer to have it NOW. Â It’s almost laughable that I ended up in a lifestyle that is basically one perpetual waiting...
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...
So, as I mentioned in my last post, I was a bit rattled after my sketchy cab incident and decided to *FINALLY* pick up this book, The Gift of Fear, after 5 years of it sitting on my shelf...
 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...
It’s that fabulous time in our tour when the USG ‘requires’ that we leave our 3rd world home and spend time in a 1st world nation. Â The official name is R&R (Rest and...
The update is that there is NO UPDATE. Â I’m freakin’ going insane here people. Â Everyday I get up expecting that we’ll start seeing changes to the list and every day it’s...
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...
The end is in sight folks. Post assignments officially start going out on November 4th and we’re expecting to hear something between the 4th and the 12th. It’s been a surprisingly stressful...
Each year, the best designers in Peru pool their talent to restore a historic mansion in Lima with the help of CasaCor, an organization that rehabilitates neglected historic spaces. This year’s...
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’...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
Click the image below to get a look at the Photo Book from our 1st year in Lima!
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...
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...