• Notes From: Brazil

    Notes From: Brazil

    Another week, another ocean, another continent. We flew across the Atlantic and landed in Brazil. Welcome back to the Americas!


  • Notes From: Zambia

    Notes From: Zambia

    The waterfall views from Zambia. This time with some gumption…


  • Notes From: Zimbabwe

    Notes From: Zimbabwe

    Our next adventure took us North to Zimbabwe. Candace’s love language is waterfalls so naturally we had to visit one of the Seven Natural wonders of the world: Victoria Falls.


  • Don C Tingey: A Grandpa and a Hero

    Don C Tingey: A Grandpa and a Hero

    It’s impossible to sum up all that he was to me, and so many others, but I need to record and share some thoughts anyway. He was not perfect (none of us are), but he was so many things that I want to be. Life is definitely darker without any living grandparents.


  • Notes From: South Africa

    Notes From: South Africa

    In our family, the year that a child turns twelve they can choose anywhere in the world for a trip with just me and them. Cole chose Bolivia. Will chose Japan. Samm chose South Africa. Well, here we are.


  • Notes From: Singapore

    Notes From: Singapore

    Singapore was our final destination on the Asian continent. I’m still still wrapping my brain around this interesting city-state. It’s different but familiar. In many ways, it feels like “The Las Vegas of Southeast Asia.”


  • Notes From: Malaysia

    Notes From: Malaysia

    It’s not that I had never heard of Malaysia but I didn’t know much about it. That seems to be the situation for most people I know. When they heard Kuala Lumpur was on the list they always asked, “Where is that?”


  • Notes From: Thailand

    Notes From: Thailand

    Thailand is known as the land of smiles. It could also be known as the land of malls, traffic, food, and energy. I was happy to be back in this country and show the family around.


  • Notes From: Vietnam

    Notes From: Vietnam

    Our next destination was the largest city in Central Vietnam: Da Nang. Most people will visit the much larger cities in the North and South but we wanted something a little less touristy. We got it.


  • Notes From: Hong Kong

    Notes From: Hong Kong

    For the next leg in the trip around the world, we took a five hour flight over the East China Sea and landed in Hong Kong aka The City of Skyskrapers. For this flight we took the airline HK Express because it had direct access at the right time. (In all of our flights, we don’t…


  • Notes From: Japan

    Notes From: Japan

    This is my fourth time in the Land of the Rising Sun. It remains exciting and new. If you like to explore, there is something to discover around every corner.


  • Notes From: Australia

    Notes From: Australia

    We enjoyed this week in The Emerald City. For a third stop, it was just enough foreign while also staying familiar. I’m glad to have finally seen the Australian continent of this beautiful world.


  • The Legacy of Samuel Stucki

    The Legacy of Samuel Stucki

    Of all the men I’ve never met, perhaps none have influenced my life more directly than Samuel Stucki. He was born 200 years ago today in Switzerland. It was January 18, 1824.


  • Notes From: New Zealand

    Notes From: New Zealand

    When people ask about our family adventure, it’s never easy to list through all the destinations. It doesn’t really matter though because most people stop us after the first country. 


  • Never Forget You

    Never Forget You

    It was twenty years ago today that my nephew Evan passed away from SMA. With the approval of my sister (Evan’s mom), I share with you a blog post from the week of his death. I hope that you’ll remember him with me and listen to his song.


  • A Favorite Family Phrase: Take Time

    A Favorite Family Phrase: Take Time

    As we continue to make our way through the book on modern manners for kids, there is another phrase that has been born in our house. It is used often: take time. Candace and I feel mostly capable as parents. We’ve always tried to be there for our kids and I’m confident they know that.…


  • A Good Book for Family Conversations

    A Good Book for Family Conversations

    At the beginning of the year, Candace bought a book called “52 Modern Manners For Today’s Teens.” It’s a spiral bound book that sits up well on a table or sideboard. This book is really well done. Each week over Sunday dinner, we’ll grab the book and read about a new tip. We’ll hold a…


  • Add an AirTag to a Harmony Remote

    Add an AirTag to a Harmony Remote

    In our house, the remote in the main room is always misplaced. Somehow it is in cushions, below couches, and in the wrong room constantly. We get tired of looking for it. Today we purchased an AirTag and just used gorilla tape to attach it to the top of the Harmony Remote. That was easy.…


  • On Screen Time in iOS 15

    On Screen Time in iOS 15

    Today is the release date for iOS 15, the latest operating system for your iPhone. You can see all the new features here or read an in-depth review here. Overall, it’s a nice upgrade. I just want to make thre quick observations on Apple’s Screen Time. It is a tool to limit and monitor the…


  • Helping kids organize their money through teaching and technology

    Helping kids organize their money through teaching and technology

    Our kids are good savers. They stash most of their money away to plan for big purchases.  The most difficult part of this habit was trying to keep track of it all. There were random bills and coins placed here and there. We’d take trips to the store and they didn’t recall how much they…