We had just wrapped up our stay at the B&B/Farm when Nick threw another surprise my way – he told me we’d be spending two nights in a private apartment on a vineyard in the Otago...
Best of Novakistan
This is a compilation of the posts I feel deserve the “Best of Novakistan” title. They cover the entire 15-year span that I’ve been writing.
I take risks in many ways in my life but the physical realm is not one of those areas. So you might imagine how out of place I felt in the Adventure Capital of New Zealand, beautiful Queenstown...
After all sorts of moving around, Nick and I decided to base ourselves in Auckland for our final week. It’s been a nice change of pace, even though the lack of moving has made me a bit antsy...
Today was our annual Holiday party with the kids from Friendship Home. Each year we take them out to do something ‘special’ during the holidays. In December of ’09, if you remember...
The night I had been waiting for months to arrive was finally upon us! After all the fundraising, all the wrapping and all the transporting, it was finally time to give out the gifts… and what...
On Monday we had the pleasure of taking Nick’s parents to Ocean Adventure in Subic Bay for an up-close-and-personal encounter with the dolphins. Nick and I did this back in May of 2010 and...
I know we’re new to this Foreign Service thing, but I have a hard time imagining that we’re going to find household staff in other countries that love and care for us as warmly as Norma...
In accepting this cancer work, I knew that facing loss was part of the deal . . . although part of me was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with it so soon. Sadly, I lost my first cancer client...
I think one of the coolest ‘take aways’ from our time in Manila is an honest-to-goodness appreciation of the concept LESS IS MORE. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve known that...
No, this post is not about the weather! :) What this post IS about is this strange pattern I see show up year after year in January! Here’s what it looks like. January (and the lead up to it...
Two weeks ago my dear client (and friend) Magne died of cancer. She was only in her early 50’s, so her death left many young children and grand-children behind. I knew it was important for me...
If you’ve been following me on the blog or Facebook lately, you’ll know that I’ve been very vocal about my top goal for 2011 which is (Drumroll, please….) TO HAVE A BABY...
Last Saturday I had the privilege of having an impromptu photo shoot with these lovely little girls who were playing in Fort Santiago. The photos were simply stunning and as I was uploading them to...
There’s nothing like a little end-of-the-week baby scare to get a soon-to-be-parent’s heart beating faster… Earlier in the week on Tuesday morning I had a bit of dark spotting (for...
I feel misled. I was told that pregnancy was magical. And I believed it – hook, line and sinker. I was ready to GLOW from within and feel an INSTANT BOND with my unborn fetus. Instead, I am...
So here’s how we’re divvying up the overwhelming amount of baby-related information to learn in Novak land. It’s really quite simple, I take care of anything that has to do with my...
So last week I had the chance to go on my first-ever Medevac for the Foreign Service. The term sounds a little scary and that’s because usually it is just that – A Medical Evacuation...
On Tuesday at 12 noon Nick and I watched as a massive black cloud began to rise from an area called Guadalupe, which is part of Makati City (where we live) and blocks from where many of our Rockwell...
Baby Novak’s Brain! (a top view) As you all know, I’m quite impatient in general, so this whole baby gender thing has been on my mind since we found out we were pregnant 11 weeks ago...
I used to think of moving as a simple (but annoying) process where you threw everything you had into boxes, stuffed them into a Uhaul, drove across town and then unloaded those same boxes into your...
24 years my senior, I never expected for Marisa and I to become so close. I originally met Marisa during my volunteer work at Carewell. She was a frequent attendee and ended up participating in...
Over the weekend I had the privilege of touring a Garment Factory that one of my expat friends owns. It’s a large-scale production, producing roughly 25,000 pieces per day and employing over...
Last week was stressful. So stressful, in fact, that I couldn’t even write about it until today when all the residual stress had been massaged out of me. And what, you might ask, had me in such...
Miller Sisters at the Groom’s Dinner. L to R: Beth (3rd), Emily (2nd), Jenna (4th), Sarah (1st) It was a big weekend in the Miller Household. Emily Miller (second oldest) married her superstar...
Owning a cabin is pretty dang amazing. I mean, there was nothing like the ‘cabin lifestyle’ in Manila. Hence, I am appreciating all my glorious time here. As you might imagine, the three...
One of the best pregnancy benefits I’ve experienced thus far has been an increased awareness of my body. I think this occurs naturally for most pregnant women, but to varying degrees depending...
As I wrote yesterday, I’ve had a fascinating time tuning into my body over the course of this pregnancy. I’ve realized that my physical body is just another way that I receive messages...
Hi Blog Readers – I just got my first US ultrasound done last Thursday. Boy was the tech surprised when she casually asked if this was my first ultrasound and I replied that it was actually my...
On Sunday afternoon my Mom and Sisters threw a Baby Shower so our friends and relatives could celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Nia. Given that my Mom was in charge, guests knew that they could...
Have I mentioned that my husband amuses the heck out of me? Get this. He’s been begging me for months to find him a baby that he can practice diapering and swaddling on. He initially wanted a...
Nick and I spent the last week hanging with my family at our cabin in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. While our ultimate goal was just to relax and enjoy each others’ company, Nick managed to try out a...
It’s been a heck of a week folks. Â Last Friday we pulled out of MN at 6 AM, headed for our nation’s capital. Â Given that I feel like humpty dumpty now at 34 weeks pregnant, I convinced...
A Brief History of My Relationship with My Body I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about when I say “my relationship with my body’. Surprisingly, we all...
In case it isn’t obvious, I’ve got some MAJOR control issues surfacing around this whole birth thing. This is frustrating for a variety of reasons, but most notably because I’ve...
I had an experience on Wednesday that gave new meaning to the phrase “Rolling Out the Red Carpet.” It was, hands down, one of the most exceptional service experiences I have ever had. I...
It’s hard to believe, but Nia turns one week old today! As most parents would attest to, it’s been a complete and total blur. Nothing could have prepared me for the delusional state that...
So, I’m afraid I’ve hit my max. With a diagnosis of Shingles yesterday, a dead car battery today and Nick going back to work on Monday it’s just not looking so optimistic for Mama...
Oh friends, it’s starting to become laughable how many things have not gone according to plan. Of course, I’m still shedding a few tears over each miss but I expect that I’ll...
So last night I decided to make my first solo trip out to Target to get some miscellaneous baby items I needed in Minnesota. My Mom was happy to watch Nia for a bit and I was excited to get out after...
Well, we finally got Nia’s Photo Shoot proofs back. Actually, they were better than I expected given how uncooperative she was. You can see all 16 final shots HERE. Would love to hear which are...
“Hey, where are we? Who are all these other babies? I’m going to be extra cute to make sure I get noticed!” “This yoga stuff is a piece of cake. All I have to do is lay here...
Yowzers, what a week! I just got back from a mind-blowing 6 day Leadership Retreat in beautiful (and rainy!) Sonoma, California. The course was an advanced Leadership Program put on by my Coaching...
It was a wild weekend here on the home front. We are a mere one week from our international move now and for some reason (back in January) we thought it’d be a grand idea to schedule...
Hola from Peru! It’s been a chaotic 48 hours of transit and orientation to our new home. I had forgotten how humbling it is to struggle with communication and completing basic tasks. That being...
As I’ve mentioned before, Nia is VERY popular here. Almost too popular, if I’m being honest (although who am I to shy away from attention). This outpouring of love for her shows up in a...
Today I’d like to tell you a little story. Once upon a time there was a girl named Sarita. Sarita began taking Spanish as a freshman in High School. She initially loved the subject, dreaming...
I am trying so, so hard NOT to compare everything here to the Philippines. And the harder I try not to, the more I miss the Phils. The funny thing is, I really like Lima. It’s just not Manila...
At every post with a hardship designation, there is inevitably something that the Security Team scares the bejeezus out of us about (with the intent of keeping us safer, of course). They go over-the...
Hi All – Miss me? We just got back from a SENSATIONAL four-day trip to the Peruvian Andes. We went to Hauraz, location of the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra Mountain ranges. I...
I meant to do a real write-up of our trip to Huaraz but this last week got away from me. Sorry for the delay! Here goes… We left Lima on Wednesday night at 11 PM on an overnight bus (Movil...