Today’s stories of goodness is one of my very favorites, from my dear friend Jessica. I’m completely blown away by the kindness of strangers. “Feeling summer slipping through my fingers, I packed up my three little kids and drove two … Read More
Of all the places we’ve visited, Petra has to rank near the very top. This ancient city has it all – history, beauty, hiking, majestic views. It was awesome in the true sense of the word. We stayed at the … Read More
Have you heard of the Hippie Tree? It’s a big eucalyptus tree up on a hill with a great swing hanging from it. It’s tucked into a little neighborhood in Tiburon, across the Bay from San Francisco. We were headed … Read More
This week’s story takes us back to South America with Our Family Passport, an amazing extended family that shares their adventures and tips. I just love the kindness and respect they exude, and love following their adventures. “When we were … Read More
As I started typing, I realized we rolled into San Francisco exactly two years ago after our 4,500 mile cross-country road trip. I can hardly believe it! In some ways, I still feel like a Virginian; in other ways, I’ve definitely … Read More
DAY 8 After getting into Albuquerque late, we slept in, had another leisurely Marriott-sponsored breakfast, and then drove 3 hours to Petrified Forest National Park. There, we met up with cousins again at the visitors’ center. It was so cute … Read More
DAY 5 After packing up the next morning in Flagstaff, we hit the road to head toward Sedona. We cruised through, admiring the gorgeous red rock along the way. We headed straight for Phoenix, where we stopped in for lunch … Read More
I’m excited to share this story from a wonderful old friend. I especially love it because I feel like the French – especially Parisians – tend to get a bad rap for being rude and unaccommodating. But having studied abroad … Read More
DAY 3 Started in Flagstaff Spent the entire day in Grand Canyon National Park Ended in Flagstaff We left Grandma’s early on a Monday morning and drove the 3.5 hours to Wupatki National Monument. If I’m being perfectly honest, … Read More
The Southwest United States just feels like a different world to me. So many crazy geological formations, weather patterns, flora & fauna. I grew up mostly in Alabama, spent two years in Utah during high school, then moved to Philadelphia … Read More
I’ve mentioned a couple of times on my Instagram what our plans are for the summer, but I thought it would be fun to write it all out in one place. While we haven’t completely nailed down all the details … Read More
“A couple weekends ago, I was traveling alone and landed at the bus station in Boulder at 4am. I met a sweet homeless man who asked if there was any way he could “earn” some food from me. I was … Read More
“Feeling summer slipping through my fingers, I packed up my three little kids and drove two hours away to a remote beach I’d always wanted to visit. Upping the ante, I’d packed a fancy picnic lunch with expensive sausage and good cheese. We arrived to find the beach fogged in and freezing cold (you win again, microclimates!). We spread out our blanket anyway and played in the sand. On my second cut into the fancy sausage, the knife sliced right through my finger and I immediately knew it was bad when I saw the knife stop in the middle of my fingernail. I grabbed a baby onesie to wrap around my finger, but blood was already gushing down my hand and I knew I’d need stitches for this one.
There was hardly anyone on the beach that day, but I ran over to someone who looked like she could be a mom and asked her to help me get all my gear up the hill to the parking lot so I could drive to a hospital. She told me the nearest hospital was an hour further north away from home, then noticed the blood dripping down my arm now and said she’d get help. A group of people began to wander over since I was getting a little frantic and my kids began to cry. A family with young adult children walked over and said, “Honey, you can’t drive. What if you pass out?” The logistics of calling an ambulance and leaving my car and getting all my kids to a hospital sounded so unappealing when the man offered, “You know, we are supposed to head to the airport in a few hours, but what if we go now and drive you back to a hospital near your home?”
This profoundly kind family packed up my frazzled children, all our beach gear, and split up between my car and theirs to drive us TWO HOURS back to our home. They entertained my kids in the car and calmed my nerves, dropping us off right at the door to the emergency room. Five stitches later, we were all just fine but I vowed to return that kindness to someone else someday.”
