Sleeping on the ship was great. There’s a constant vibration and gentle rocking. Awoke around 4 am and the ship was really rocking and rolling! I loved it. Apparently B was not impressed and thought our doom was imminent. At one point when it was really rough, I opened my eyes and got super dizzy … More Eurail Trip 2023 Day 6 – Ferry – Civitavecchia, Italy – Rome, Italy
Got up and started repacking – my bag was too heavy, so I redistributed some stuff to everyone else’s bags. We definitely packed lighter than we have in the past, but I still feel like I overpacked. Turns out Jude brought a physical book plus his physical Bible. He also didn’t bring the shoes that … More Eurail Trip 2023 Day 5 Barcelona and the Ferry
Had another lovely breakfast, so nice to have that to look forward to each day. Good coffee, good food, fantastic company, and so much laughter. About 25 years ago, when Colin and I were living in London, we got free tickets to fly to Barcelona. We didn’t have a particularly strong desire to visit, but, … More Eurail Trip 2023 Day 4 Barcelona
Met up with G&B for hotel breakfast at 10 am. Great coffee, super yummy breakfast with pastries, meat, cheese, breads. So much good conversation, laughter, not feeling rushed. Made a plan for the day. Headed off to the funicular and cable car up to Montjuïc. Wandered around the park and Montjuic Castle. The boys had … More Eurail Trip Day 3 Barcelona
We had an evening flight out of Portland into Barcelona via London, Heathrow. We’re so thankful to have Steph, Philip and Jesse in Portland as a waypoint on journeys. They are so hospitable and we know we will be able to rest before or after a trip. There was a delay leaving Portland which meant … More Eurail Trip 2023 Days 1 & 2
― C.S. Lewis A little background, Zane and Amara met each other halfway through 2nd grade when they were 7 years old. Something between them just clicked and they’ve been best friends ever since. They are now 12. Amara’s Mom and I marvel at their friendship – they have a similar outlook on life, an innocence, … More “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
2021 feels like a bit of a blur, it went fast! While the continued pandemic is frustrating and difficult, we are so thankful for many things. Time with family, time with friends, technology that connects us socially, spiritually, educationally, and professionally. We are very settled into our weekly routines in a good way. Weekly Games … More Blackett 2021 Year in Review
Today is my 50th birthday. As the day approached, I was feeling some dread, it seemed so old, but the fact is, it’s just a date. Older than some, younger than some, I don’t feel old (except when I’m tired or my back aches :)). I’ve been dealing with some depression lately & I really … More Half a Century
Time, experience, tragedy, pain, anxiety, fear, disappointment…These things can strip away our defenses, they can crack our masks, they can age us, they can expose parts of us that we might want to hide. We fear that scratching our carefully curated surfaces will reveal ugliness, shame, and darkness. Often we are shocked to discover that … More There’s a Crack in Everything – Recent Sculpture
I know everyone is saying it, but What a Year, eh?! There were triumphs and tragedies, peace and panic, rest and rage. Like everyone, so many plans were canceled or changed. We “pivoted”, we figured things out, we worked on finding joy and staying thankful. Global, National, and Local issues were heavy on our mind … More Blackett 2020 Year in Review
Lamppostings 