Blogs from Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States, North America

I'll admit that I'm not a hiker by nature. I prefer to stroll down flat country roads with my babies in the stroller. I don't love the idea of breaking a sweat and climbing a hill. Yet, I cherish any time I get to spend with my siblings, so when my younger brother suggested that the three of us (him, my sister, and I) all pile into my old Volkswagen Vanagon with our respective significant others and head out for a hike, I told him I was in. Since having my two children, I haven't been very physically active outside of the home. While I do bend, pick up, and dance with them on a daily basis, my endurance isn't where it needs to be. I had a week's notice before our hike and I knew ... read more

The drive from Asheville NC to the Oak Hollow Family Campground in High Point NC, a suburb southeast of Winston-Salem, was just over 160 miles and slightly less than three hours. The weather was great. Just before reaching metro Winston-Salem, the driver spotted a billboard touting Granny's Country Kitchen in Icard NC and pulled off the freeway for some people-fuel. Proverbially looking for something new and unusual, whether as a tourist attraction or as a menu item, I spotted a livermush breakfast combo and blurted, “What, for Pete’s sake, is livermush?” After a brief explanation (actually a total waste of words because my decision already had been made), I ordered, “Livermush with eggs over medium, home fries and a biscuit will work just fine!” The livermush came as a deep-fried, rectangular patty and tastes like it ... read more

Hello and welcome to my travel blog! I am now a week away from leaving on what will be the biggest adventure of my life so far. I will be teaching English in China for five months at Changzhou International School in Changzhou City, which is about an hour away from Shanghai on the rail route between Shanghai and Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. I have posted a map image for those of you who are unfamiliar with Chinese geography. Suffice it to say that I will be in a very alien environment, living in a city of 3 million people whose language I can barely speak, and everything will be written in Chinese characters that I cannot read. I will also be teaching for the first time in my life and living abroad for the first ... read more

Well, it's been 14 months since I closed on my house and 13 since I moved in. It's been a busy year but figured it was time to send some pictures of the most recent changes (and also what it started out looking like) for those of you who haven't been here to see it. There are still lots of things on my mental list to work on, but for the most part, the first level is done. Upstairs needs more furniture and some finishing touches--and I'm already planning to repaint my room. I continue to work at the same school as a District Itinerant Speech Language Pathologist but I have put my name in the pot to be considered for the full-time position so keep your fingers crossed for me! This year for Christmas, my ... read more

Thought you'd like to see a few pics of my birthday party which my fabulous friends Lauren and Allyn threw for me. We had an absolute blast! Then, the party continued on Saturday when I celebrated with Ellie with a cookout and more yummy cake. Hope April brought you wonderful May flowers at which to look! M ... read more