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Great Guest House in Central Addis Location
After one false start at a bad location, we managed to find a great guest house in an amazing location in Addis: DS Guest House. Previously, we’ve stayed at the Weygoss Guest House for extended stays,...
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Dinner with a real African Princess
The exotic life I lead! In just a couple of weeks I will be back to the African continent again, except this time to the sun and spices of Morocco. I applied to speak up the World Environmental...
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NGO Visit: Hope for Children in Ethiopia
Last month in Ethiopia, Tawnya and I (Arnica) had the opportunity to visit several other NGOs (non-governmental organizations, non-profits.) We learned how they ran their programs, shared tips and...
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Dressing for a formal dinner in a Muslim country
A friend emailed me last night, and mentioned what I was going to wear to dinner with the Princess in Morocco. I actually have given this WAY too much thought! And this dress is the result. First off,...
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Hello from Marrakech
Warm greetings to all from Morocco! Warm is right… It’s roasting outside! But I’ve been running around town with cotton from head to toe. Today I was walking back from the congres past the mosque...
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Jason’s Marrakech walkabout / Moroccan Arts
From two days ago: Today I faced down my two presentations at the conference. Both of them went really well… Despite all the language challenges. Honestly, I know my stuff forward and backwards but to...
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Our Marrakech Neighbourhood: Mosquée and Maison Arabe
Our great riad, Dar Vedra, was about a fifteen minute walk from Place Jmaa El Fna, up the road near the Bab Doukala Mosque. It was actually nice staying a little ways away from the nightly craziness...
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Wine Wednesday: La Frenz Winery
The girls and I stopped for our annual visit to La Frenz Vineyards. La Frenz is my favorite winery on the Naramata bench. Every time that I visit, I find wines of quality and at least one that I...
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Hello from Harambee
We are halfway into our week long Harambee family camp in Naramata. The girls have been playing soccer, dousing their friends in water fights, getting their hair done, summing, competing in an amazing...
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Hello Again from Harambee
We are back at home after another jam packed, culture filled, full-of-friends week at Harambee Summer Festival in Naramata! Enjoy the pictures of our last few days… PS to Parents: I try not to put any...
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Culture Camp Parenting Challenges
Being away for a week with our children at culture camp is a real blessing for our family. Still, it is not with it out its challenges. It’s hard for the children to get enough rest, their behavior...
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Weekend at the Goldpanner: Camping in Cherryville
Last weekend we spent a leisurely two days camping at the Goldpanner with our friend J and C, and their daughters Tigger and Chuckles. The girls had a blast with full rein of the campground… They biked...
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Flashback: Dinner with the Princess of Morocco
It’s been a month since I had dinner with the Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco (and 250 other people,) but the details of the evening will forever be emblazoned in my mind. It was one of those...
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Face paints ‘n’ Cupcakes: Weekend with Uncle M and Ena
My sister is famous for at least two things: amazing face painting, and out-of-this-world cupcakes. For the first time in a long time, the girls and I had a chance to go visit Uncle M and Auntie Ena in...
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Flashback: Kitshy Bavarian Holiday in Leavenworth
This summer we took a few days off with our friends F and T and their 4 kidlets, and spent a weekend in Leavenworth: Bavarian kitsch capital of the USA. Now don’t get me wrong… I just love this place!...
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Oysters and Lace: my cousin’s fall wedding
Last weekend the girls and I drove to Calgary for my cousin’s wedding. We drove through the mountains, staying the night at Lake Louise and then in Invermere on the way back. (Jason, in the meanwhile,...
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Going to the mountains is going home
We were traipsing about in the woods of Kananaskis country earlier this week, and I was reminded of a quote from John Muir: “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to...
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Cozy Cabin: Temporary Homeschool
In a cabin, in the woods, little girls by the window stood. Saw Laughlin and Maggie racing by, barking at the ferry. “Help me! Help me! help me!” They said. “Before my Mommy makes me do more math.”...
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A little Ethiopian Trip under the Tree
For the past couple of years, our lives have been on hold… Waiting and waiting for our business to start and our adoption to pan out. It was almost five years ago that we brought the girls home from...
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Weekend in Seattle
This is the busiest time of the year for me, so when my mother-in-law offered to send us away for a few days as our Christmas present, we jumped a the chance. No iPads, no email. Just a couple of days...
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