You know you've had a taxing weekend when you unwind by watching a documentary on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was really going to launch my blog this weekend. But then the social obligations started piling up. The eight-hour prayer seminar at church. A friend inviting me to try out her new hot tub. Another friend inviting me to church, with a speaker who told a heartbreaking story of losing his entire family in a flash flood. This was followed by a Sunday lunch invite that took up … [Read more...] about Launching Penny Letters
Alaska Summer 2019
This post is mainly photos from a trip to Alaska I took earlier this summer. I helped at a mission base in Healy for two weeks, in the interior of Alaska. Apparently Alaska is large enough to have an "interior" like the continents of Africa and Australia. These photos were taken during our time off. (My job was primarily cooking, which looks the same in Alaska as it does in Pennsylvania. The most exotic thing we cooked was ground moose, which looks and tastes just like ground beef). What … [Read more...] about Alaska Summer 2019
Sock Monkey Business
I have a new respect for sock monkeys. I thought they were a cute but simple craft project— you cut a pair of socks into a few pieces, did some sewing, added stuffing and button eyes— ta-daa, you're done! A classical American toy now is ready to take it's place in your home, charming the hearts of children and adults alike. So when I first thought of sewing sock monkeys with my nieces (four girls between ages one and twelve) while they stayed with me for a day, the plan sounded easy. Mom … [Read more...] about Sock Monkey Business
Getting Ready for Alaska
Many years ago, I had a co-worker who was an Alaskan living in Pennsylvania, and she would tell me stories from Alaska— how her parents had driven to Alaska in a school bus and proceeded to raise their family of 18 children in the land of the long winters, permafrost, and grizzly bears. As fascinated as I was by tales of such an exotic frozen land, I didn't dream of actually visiting Alaska. I'm not particularly fond of winter, and visiting Alaska didn't seem likely. More than a dozen … [Read more...] about Getting Ready for Alaska
Bicycle Memories
Biking season is back for fair-weather cyclists in Lancaster County—and I just got a new bicycle last evening. This is the third time I've become the owner of a new bike. My first bikes were the hand-me-downs my brothers and sisters and I used making endless loops on the driveway, before we were allowed to venture to places like the library and Sharp Shopper. My favorite was the pink and white bike with the big banana seat. Someone, maybe me, had made the mistake of putting stickers on the … [Read more...] about Bicycle Memories