Have you ever taken a trip that left such an impression, you knew it would linger with you forever? I've had a handful of those experiences. The first was a mission trip I took with my mom and brother to Nairobi, Kenya when I was 16 years old. Seeing people who lived in poverty yet sang with enthusiastic joy to the Lord and offered hospitality with a generosity of spirit that still puts me to … [Read more...]
Lovely Budapest, Hungary & Vienna, Austria
Last week, my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Budapest and Vienna with 29 Belmont MBA students. It was a fun—and mostly enjoyable (more on that below)—week. Here are some glimpses... The first evening upon our arrival, we enjoyed a delicious dinner cruise on the Danube River. Isn't the Hungarian Parliament Building (circa 1904) stunning at night? The … [Read more...]
Great Expectations… Meeting Dickens
This weekend, a friend and I went to a one-man play starring Charles Dickens’s great-great grandson. Seeing him was the main draw, I admit. I went knowing little about the play itself, except that one of my writer friends (Michelle Griep) had loved it. Two other friends had also seen it, but warned me their husbands had nodded off during the show. So, I went with no “great expectations,” but … [Read more...]
Friends for the Journey
Last night I attended the monthly meeting of my local writers group (ACFW-Minnesota). Everyone shared what they were working on or celebrating, we discussed plotting, and then we hung out and talked for an hour after the official meeting ended. It’s so satisfying to spend time with people who “get” you! Then today, I stumbled across something I’d somehow missed before. I … [Read more...]
Discovering the Forgotten War
This year World War II is going to get a lot of attention. On May 8, 1945 it will be the 70th Anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. But thinking about World War II also makes remember the often forgotten war. The Spanish Civil War ... ever heard of it? Yeah, I hadn't really either. Beyond hearing about a For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, I didn't … [Read more...]