who i am

gratitude journal

nothing new under the sun

happy new decade to me
it seems appropriate to come back from a month-long hiatus from ~~okieOLIO~~ to wish myself a happy 30th birthday. don’t worry, i haven’t been absent in order to engage in some sort of personal turn-of-the-decade crisis. i’ve just been busy, busy with lots of good things are settling into place as my twenties float silently away:  a fantastic new “just a job” that i actually really enjoy and has given me the financial and scheduling freedom to pursue my language business (that i promise to give more details on soon.) a focus on a healthy, triumphant defeat (

how to make an apple pie…
…and travel the world. check out the children’s book by that title and other literary gems for young bibliophiles in today’s “what we’re reading wednesday” over at simple kids. my latest contribution to the weekly kid lit reviews is dedicated to free range kids everywhere.

sometimes you just gotta create your own parade
it’s baffling how a year passes so quickly. we work hard, play often, and dream about the future. we tackle life together, grow and learn, and keep our cord strong. we deserve an impromptu promenade around the block to declare in a gaudy display that we have reached the three-

cookie monster
i haven’t created a monster, i AM the monster. for the past 5 months i’ve been a cookie baking fool. i am a bake-ette on a mission: develop a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is irresistibly yummy, distinctly mine, and relatively healthy. i was inspired to embark on this quest by my brother in law, who always seems to have a fresh batch of homem