So a few weeks back my world got ROCKED when I stumbled upon a 4-part audio series by Edwene Gaines. She is the author of the book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, a guide on creating true abundance in your life. I’m going to be honest, this post feels a bit more intimate...
Those of you who have known me a long time know that Sarah & Singing just plain go together. I think the best way to explain it to you would be that I have my own “Pandora” station that plays in my head (we’ll call it WSLN for simplicity sake). At any given time on...
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of presenting my first Corporate workshop. It was a DREAM gig because I a.) got flown to a resort in Malaysia to present and b.) spent four hours identifying core values and writing life purpose statements with the 50 participants. Doesn’t get any...
Just got back last night from four peaceful days in Cebu, the second largest city in the Philippines. Now I should clarify, we weren’t actually in the city, we stayed on Mactan Island, which is connected to the city via a bridge. The trip got off to a bit of a rough start...
It’s been a fun-filled 48 hours for Jenna in Manila. We didn’t waste any time jumping in, going directly from the airport to the American Women’s Club monthly shopper’s bazaar! She was such a trooper after her 30 hour transit time and I just kept assuring her that...
OMG, I nearly peed my pants when I learned that my favorite up-and-comer of the moment Sam Tsui is auditioning for GLEE’s open casting calls (that happens to be my favorite SHOW of the moment)!!! Seriously, it’s too good to be true. He’s a shoo-in, I swear (did you...
Nick recently started physical therapy for an old/back neck injury he got 10 years ago, so part of our Saturday routine now includes him going to therapy for 2-3 hours (for the unbelievable cost of $15!) I felt left out though, so I’ve started going to get massages each week while...
May 8th, 2010 was a day of mixed emotions in the Miller household. It was on that day that Jenna Miller (#4 in the line of great Miller gals) graduated from the College of Saint Benedict (CSB). While we are immensely proud of her double major in Psychology and Spanish, she leaves a...
Seriously, you know how much I love finding up and coming musical talent. This video was spreading like viral wildfire yesterday and after watching it ohhh, maybe 10 times, I decided it was necessary for you to see it too. Do make sure and give it about 30 seconds until he starts the...
Hi Blog Readers, I experienced a great life lesson this week that showed me that friendships can come in all shapes and sizes. This video is a great reminder to look past the “outer package” the friend comes in and see if you’re alike at the core. Because that’s...
Lots more where those came from at SMUGMUG!
Wow, we’re just gearing up to head out from 4 days in Paradise. Everyone told me that it would be sensational, and oh were they right! It was the finest sand I have ever stepped on – think powder sugar sand – and no one even bothers to wear shoes because seaweed and...
Note: This guest post is by Sarah J, who is staying with us right now. This is her second contribution to the blog! Maybe we’ll even get one more! On the list of things to try in life, swimming with dolphins has to make my top ten. As it was a Sunday morning when we departed for...
Our last two days have been pretty bi-polar. Friday was devoted to our first (of two) day trips. We were off to see Hidden Valley Springs, a stunning rain forest paradise a few hours from Manila. Both of us were excited, as the website said it was only 1.5 hours away (and this was a first...
This is a big day! The first-ever Guest Blog post from my current visitor and dear friend, Sarah Lynn Gasparick. I hope you enjoy the varied perspective. Today I got to join in the adventures at Friendship Home. Smiling faces at the door, giddy with anticipation for the afternoon of fun...
Sarah Jansen arrived in town late last night for her two-week visit! Of course, the first two things on our docket were a great new haircut and a 90 minute massage. Both were raving hits!
On Saturday Nick and I had the pleasure of accompanying 25 kids from Friendship Home to a local water park (along with a few other adults thankfully!). As I’ve mentioned before, these kind of experiences are rare for them. I took a poll and most of the kids had only been swimming 2...
One of my blog readers named Jessica arrived at post this week. We’re hoping to meet up for the first time in person once she and her family get settled in. In the meantime, she posted a few of her initial reactions to Manila that I thought you’d enjoy. I had forgotten the...
Life doesn’t get much better than spending an afternoon in the country with my new-found Carewell friends. And although the gathering was set up “just because,” there ended up being much to celebrate that day, including a cancer-free scan that had come back for one...
OMG, this is a great way to start your Monday!  Check out this remarkable video shot from a streetcar traveling down Market Street in San Francisco in 1905.  This was just one year before the earthquake/fire of 1906 destroyed the area.  It is way fascinating to see what turn of the...
For the last few years I’ve been hearing about these things called “TED” talks popping up in conversations and occasionally being circulated via Facebook and other social networking mediums. I’d watched a few of the videos and knew they were high quality, but had...
I’ve come to a very important realization in the last few weeks. Cold temps I can do, but extreme heat is an entirely different story. And I’m not talking the 90’s here people. Those were the good old days. I’m talking 100+, high humidity, sweat-in-your-cleavage-in...
I know that I have a tendency to over-hype things, but I tell you, this one merits the hype. You see, in the last few weeks, Nick and I have become totally and completely addicted to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, a new U.S. show on ABC. What makes it so great is a combination of...
Zoom in on me, looking VERY CRABBY as I waited to board our boat to Sabtang Island. Here’s the back story…I woke up at 5:30 AM so that I could be ready to join the group at 6 AM to leave for our tour. We drive 30 minutes to the boat dock and proceed to sit there for another 45...
Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about our recent trip to Batanes. What a stunning, remote location! It was like something that time forgot, but in an oh-so-wonderful kind of way. It reminded me most of Hawaii and what I imagine it would have looked like before all the...
I have mentioned before that the Philippines has a largely Catholic population, with roughly 83% practicing. And these are not casual church-goers either, but devoted followers of Christ. While the majority of the time I am inspired by the spiritual practices of the Filipinos around me...
Happy Easter everyone! I’m in the final stages of photo editing after four sensational days in Batanes. I shot nearly 500 frames and narrowed it down to my best 250 for you to enjoy. I think you’re really going to like them! I should have something for you by tomorrow…...
Wow, it’s hard to believe, but I just crossed the 1 month mark at Carewell. In those four weeks I was able to hold seven different group coaching sessions not only for cancer patients, but for their spouses and children as well! It has been such a gift to spend time with them. I am...
I recently stumbled upon another EFM (translation: Foreign Service Spouse) Blogger named David that’s heading to Hermosillo, Mexico with his wife. I’ve really been enjoying his content, as it provides a unique perspective – that of a male accompanying spouse. He...
Well folks, I can now add another natural disaster to the list of things I’ve survived in my life, which currently includes: 1. Tornadoes 2. Blizzards 3. Golf-ball-sized hail storms (hurts the car every time) 4. Typhoons/Hurricanes 5. Near-volcanic eruptions 6. EARTHQUAKES Yes...
Have I mentioned how much I love you, my blog-reading public. Last week we reached a new high, with over 550 of you visiting in one day! Thank you for the L-O-V-E… I know you have many things you could be doing with your time and I appreciate it! Since I started blogging two years...
Here are a couple of great videos about Tondo that aired on TV in London last week. Lynie, who led our tour is featured. You’ll recognize many shots from my pictures. And I promise, no more posts on Tondo awhile…
I’m having a hard time letting go of this experience, feeling that my sharing is still incomplete. I’m hoping that in doing one last post, I’ll feel like I did Tondo the justice it deserves. Over the last 24 hours I’ve been noticing the impact that Tondo had on me...
Picture from Rage.com Instead of engaging in my typical St. Patrick’s Day activity of beer drinking and social events, I had the opportunity to do something vastly different this year. I was invited to go on a tour with the Philippines Christian Foundation (PCF), an organization...
Today I was privileged to get a tour of the garbage dump Tondo, home of 1.5 million of Manila’s residents. It was one of the most humbling and disturbing experiences I’ve ever had and I still haven’t processed my experience enough to blog about it yet. For now, the...
There are times when it’s easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security with this lifestyle, telling yourself that there’s no reason the bad guys would want to hurt little old you. Unfortunately, Saturday was a tragic reminder for Foreign Service Families around the...
You can’t help being inspired by this couple, who still know how to have fun with each other after 62 years of marriage. Add to that the fact that it happened at the Mayo clinic and it became a must-share in my book!
I really like the Chinese concept of “Year of the …”. I think that fits well into everyone’s lives and allows us to concentrate on key priorities for that year. For Nick & I, this is the Year of Travel and we’ve committed to getting a minimum of 10 trips...
After 8 months of painful waiting, I was finally able to have my first taste of Tater Tot Hotdish overseas. Despite the simple ingredients in the recipe, it was surprisingly hard to execute. I battled with it for months, trying to decide if I was willing to eat a sub-par version of it or...
Today was a big day. It was the start of my pro-bono coaching work at Carewell, a local Cancer Resource and Wellness Community. If you remember back, I found Carewell in the midst of a personal crisis. Or maybe I should be cliche and say that Carewell found me. Well, no matter who found...
On Monday we got back from what could surely be titled one of those “once in a lifetime” adventures. We had left early Saturday morning and flown to Legazpi, on the Southern part of Luzon, the island where Manila is located. When we disembarked the plane we were greeted with a...
Must give all the credit to my talented husband for this great video and the underwater shots. My coordination is definitely not at the level where I can keep up with a shark and shoot video of it at the same time… thank goodness for Nick! We hope this gives you a sense of what we...
I am not sure how I got talked into this, but over V-day weekend, instead of going to a romantic dinner, I will be jumping into the ocean to swim with whale sharks. Seriously, have I lost my mind?? We will be spending the entire weekend going out in little fishing boats chasing these...
Just wrapped up part two of our two week Valentine’s Day celebration at Friendship Home. My Mom and Dad helped me kick it off last week when they were in town. Last week’s party was 1/2 Bingo and 1/2 pouch making. Mom was instrumental in planning and preparing the activities...
Awww. What can I say? I’m a sucker for weddings. Especially for my own. As you know, my big day was a 20 year event in the making. I can remember back to 7th or 8th grade when I started going to the library each week to page through the bridal magazines. I always dreamed that one...
I am simply addicted to this song at the moment. Produced by the Philippines Department of Tourism, it features 21 top Filipino artists. It’s magical! Take 5 minutes and enjoy the pictures and stunning harmonies…
Delightful, delicious Bangkok. Like Manila in many ways, but about 20 years ahead from an infrastructure standpoint and with way better food (No offense to my Filipino friends, there’s just something unique about curry). We got a four-day taste of Bangkok while my parents were...
My parents, Janet and Steve, arrived in Manila late on the 28th. Instead of letting them rest and adjust to the time change, we jumped on another airplane and flew to Bangkok, where we’ll spend the next few days discovering the city together. I’m so excited to introduce them...