Raw Nature and Vibrant Culture Colombia always felt like an exotic place, anchored in raw wilderness and a tinge of danger. Popular culture and news in the United States have often focused on the drug trade and the guerilla groups of Colombia's past. Elements of those myths still exist, but our experience as ordinary tourists couldn’t have been further from those dangers. We felt safe at all times. The local people were friendly, and besides the occasional street performer

The days are coming very fast now, and we have a mix of pure excitement and stress as we are in hyper-prep mode. Several friends and strangers have asked how we have prepared, so we wanted to take a moment to share! House: We finalized moving out of our home, confirmed the closeout of all our residential bills, and ensured our household items are securely in long-term storage. Prior to moving, we spent the past six months systematically going through our home to downsize. W

For years, the fear of selling our house—and the lingering worry of whether we could make our money back—hung over my head. But as we placed our house on the market and we received positive feedback, that fear turned into a strange mix of excitement and a seeping feeling of sadness. Seeing potential buyers line up to view our home brought unexpected mixed emotions. The night we received two excellent offers; I sat with a bizarre clash of emotions. I was thrilled, yet deeply

The Eternal City Rome is a city I will forever want to return to. Since my first visit as a 20-year-old, it has never ceased to amaze me with its stunning architecture and layers of history tucked around every corner. I vividly remember that first trip, I had just completed a university course on Classical Western Art History, and I was awestruck to walk through the city and see the magnificent structures I had studied in textbooks only weeks prior. As an architect, there i

Finding Our Forever Italy As a family, we spent four amazing years living in Naples Italy. In our last full year there, we took every opportunity we could to focus on the experiences that we treasured most. We returned to several places that we love, including Rome, the Amalfi Coast, the Dolomites for winter skiing, and the spiritual center of Assisi. We are proud to say that we have visited all 20 regions of Italy, including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. We have driv

Life often comes full circle. Twenty-two years ago, Joel moved back from Japan and attended my college graduation. The very next day, we packed all my worldly possessions into a Penske truck and moved to San Diego together. I remember that time of life had so much excitement and optimism. Recently, we found ourselves packing up a Penske truck once again—this time driving to Oregon to put a significant portion of our belongings, primarily Joel’s tools and our car, into long-te

I woke up this morning with a wave of excitement, closely followed by a looming sense of fear. For the first time in my adult life, I am making a massive lifestyle change entirely by choice. As a military family, we are used to moving to different locations or starting the routine of a new job—but those moves always felt structured, institutional, and safe. Now, looking ahead at all this new freedom, a quiet question creeps in: Are we making a wise decision leaving the countr