Traveling

10:25 eastern standard time
I'm sitting in seat 23c on delta flight 902 somewhere over Central America wondering when, where, and how I'll take my next adventure. I'm not even home yet but I know I'll go everywhere else. I always do.

I'm sad leaving Costa Rica today. It was a fun and knowledge filled trip. I realized my Spanish is lousy at best. And even though mother nature can be harsh and turbulent she is also beautiful and calming.

The family next to me is flying to Disney world! They've never flown before, never visited the states, and never paid $7 for a tiny shot of whiskey on a plane. I'm so excited for them to experience a place I love.

I want my next trip to be international. I want to take the boys. I want them to experience the world. With that being said, I'd be happy to travel state side. Our country is beautiful and diverse. As far as out of the country, E would like to visit England or the Caribbean to snorkel. James-Thailand or Spain.  T- won't admit to wanting to go anywhere. Me-well everywhere. I mean I don't know. I'd love to visit Thailand, England, Spain, the Caribbean but I think I'd like to go to Sweden and Norway. Heck, I'd be happy to go back to Maine :) oh I do want to visit some Canadian national parks like Banff.

Life and travel involve planning. Guess I need a plan. And patience. Good thing I've been practicing/learning patience. Anyhow. That's another day. Today I relive trips through photos while flying home to the states.  And feed off the excitement of the family next to me as they look out the window in amazement. I'm always in awe looking down on the Earth. P.S. I'm over Belize, another place I'd like to visit!

Reality

I'm sitting in a bookstore, drinking espresso, starring out the window, contemplating my world. My world is so different now compared to 3 yrs ago. My boys are teens/preteens. I've got a full time job, career even. My husband is working jobs that don't require a tie. I have little free time, yet I still carve it out. My house is a wreck, like I said, I'm carving out free time. I'm back to running. I'm less afraid of the workout gym. Still have climbing gym apprehensions. Homeschooling is something I so value, but man, planning can be overwhelming. Good thing life is a giant lesson with a million unit studies to build off.  Fitting everything into 24 hrs is impossible. 1 day at a time. Forgive me if my kids don't know every math fact we've long forgotten. They are busy learning Japanese, computer coding, how to navigate this media filled technology based world, and of course geography. One must know about the land, people, cultures, and wonders of this world. I'm sure other parents feel the same about math as I do social studies. Maybe I should have been a social studies teacher. I want them to have knowledge but I want more than anything for them to know how to look up; appreciate the stars, the sky, the trees, the possibilities. I want them to be critical thinkers, self motivated, and intrinsically rewarded. Of course monetary compensation is how our world works, so they need to be able to translate their love and passion into a career. Which brings me back to the espresso, bookstore, and that overwhelming need to plan lessons.

Yes, we learn at home

Dropping off our notification letters today. This year is filled with possibilities. My focus will be on world geography and social studies. Ezra is focusing on coding and Terje on learning Japanese. The biggest challenge will be be managing the house, my job, and school. Good thing learning is always happening.

Kale!

Simply put, I love kale.  Easy to grow, easy to cook, easy to enjoy.

I could go on and on about the benefits of kale, but if you have half a healthy mind you already know kale is great for you.  So onto the recipes.

Of course, there are kale chips, sauteed kale with short grain brown rice, and adzuki beans, raw kale, and kale in soup.  But I want to share my favorite kale recipe.  It is simple, fast, and yummy!

Marinated Kale Salad
1 bunch Kale, washed, stems removed, sliced thin
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil
2 tbsp maple syrup (I love grade B)
1 small red onion, sliced thin
2 carrots, grated
1/4 c toasted walnuts, chopped
1 sweet apple, chopped

Whisk lemon juice, oil, salt, and syrup together.  Toss with everything else!
Enjoy!

Sometimes I substitute sunflower seeds and cranberries and if I'm livin' it up pecans and pears.

I'd love to hear your favorite kale recipes!

GO KALE!

The Box, revisited

Box Canyon, New Mexico

March 28,  2012

Another stop on our 2002 trip that had to be revisited was Box Canyon.  Box Canyon has good bouldering, fun cacti, and lots of rock formations to explore. Here is a token photo of me bouldering followed by a gorgeous lichen photo. 

I lichen you.  Ha! Want to remember the relationship between algae, fungus, and lichen? To bad here we go.  "Freddy Fungus took a lichen to Alice Algae and now their marriage is on the rocks.

James and E are contemplating the best route up a rock. I love this photo.  It shows how grown up E is, how he has the ability to problem solve, and how James and he share this passion for climbing.

The meeting of the minds worked.  James is at the top.

If you look closely in the photo above, you can see T's yellow shirt. The rock face is huge and beautiful.