It’s time for a little Ebenezer raisin’ here, folks. My soul’s been buckled down, in gear, doing its thing, focused on survival. But the other day I realized it’s been a while since we went dancing. And we have a lot of things to dance about. So pardon me as I recount, for my soul’s…
Continue ReadingAdventure is out there!
So, this happened this week….the sale went thorough on a darling little double wide we picked out this summer… In Alabama. That’s right, peoples. We’re heading south again and this time it’s gonna be a little more permanent. I say “a little more” because if you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you’ve…
Continue ReadingWe survived ski season!
I must shout it from the top of some place very high: “I survived ski season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I don’t usually blog about my husband’s absences till after he’s home (that’s wise, dontcha think?) but now that ski season is officially over for us, I can tell you what the last 8 weekends have been like for…
Continue ReadingAnother Allume Miracle {Or, Two Angles and a Special Book}
Meet my Allume Angel. Her name is Aurie, and two hours before this photo was taken, we were complete strangers. Now we are not. Here’s what happened…I was just sitting down to dinner Friday night when I got a phonecall from my husband. He told me that my package–THE package that presented 1 1/2 years…
Continue ReadingFriday at Allume {In Which God Breaks Me, Uses Me, and Gets ALL the Glory}
Today was the day. Today I had a chance to share my passion for people-centered blogging and my heart for serving over seeking fame with my blog. If I could just get the words to come out straight, I’d survive. Oh, plus there was that whole other issue I’d been dealing with all weekend. (If…
Continue ReadingBus Life in Alabama
Not only did I clean the bus, but I plucked my eyebrows, too. It was the perfect time to do a vlog… Bus life is life simplified. As you can see, there’s not much room for stuff in the bus. The menu is simplified by the limits of a small fridge and the burns-nearly-everything oven….
Continue ReadingEnter Wig, Stage Left {and discard that mask}
The first night at Allume, I roomed with my mentor and friend, September, and her fun and funky daughter, Sarah. (Have you noticed I have an appreciation for funkyness? It’s like the highest compliment I give people. “You’re funky. I like you!”) Sarah brought a friend, as well. Her 3 foot wide afro wig. I…
Continue ReadingIn Which I Crash a Newbie Party {and feel right at home}
The swag packing party continued but it was now nearing dinner time. It had been a long time since this crew had stopped at Taco Bell on the drive down… {September and her daughter Sarah, Diane and her daughter Milan–and me!} I had the feeling if I didn’t get something substantial to eat soon, my…
Continue ReadingOf Pitchers and Torches and Swag
At last. Packing was done. Friends had arrived, connections had been made, and a van of 5 woman were headed down the highway to the Allume conference. I was giddy. The hardest part was over. Well, the second hardest part. I still had my talk to give on Friday, but the packing and getting on…
Continue ReadingThis is NOT an Announcement {As much as it sounds like one}
I was stressed, people. My life is full of things that I love, that give me energy, that excite me. But sometimes they all converge to get me really stressed out. I love travel. I love our crazy, gypsy, life this year, splitting our time between our home in the Fingerlakes of Upstate NY and…
Continue ReadingThere and Back Again, and a Soul Update
We’re back in Alabama again, folks! My rockstar husband packed the kids and the suburban Sunday morning and was on the road by 5:30am EST, picked me up from Allume in Harrisburg, PA by 9:30, and we arrived at our second home, our beloved bus, in the trailer park in Alabama around 11:30 CST. I…
Continue ReadingRunning and Praying in Circles
Sunday night I was pretty much in panic mode. With 10 days until I head to PA for a blogging conference and from there straight to Alabama with my family for another month, I saw the next week as a blur of urgent to-do’s and me running around like a chicken with her head cut…
Continue Reading10 Things My Allume Roomies Should Know About Me
Two weeks from today I shall be up to *here* packing for my trip to Allume (formerly Relevant) — the blogging conference for christian women that’s way more than a blogging conference. God did so much in my life this year from seeds planted at last year’s conference. I’m so excited for this year! That…
Continue ReadingThe Nomads: Back from the South!
The air is fresh and cool, like lake water when you first dive in. We’re home. After 7 weeks in Alabama, we’re back in Upstate NY and it feels wonderful. To spread out–our house feels like a mansion compared to the bus! {No wonder I struggle to keep it all clean!} To cook in my…
Continue ReadingA Writer’s Paradise {Checking in from the Boonies}
Jacksonville Mobile Home Park is a writer’s paradise. It’s quiet with no attractions to distract. It’s much too hot to garden or do anything else outside, so once the dishes are done and the children are napping, an entire hour or two of air-conditioned quiet stretches in front of me. Because of limited internet access,…
Continue ReadingFor I’m goin’ to Alabama…
Written in little moments catching my breath between unpacking and packing again. Pictures from our family camping trip this past week… Today we pack the bus. It’s a different sort of packing than usual. Most times you carefully calculate what you will and will not need for a week’s stay away from home. 3-4 outfits,…
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