Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't

Some days, I feel like my job gives me the opportunity to do amazing things, use my God-given skills to their fullest potential, continuously learn and grow professionally and personally, and meet passionate, interesting people around the world.

Other days, I feel more like Dogbert.  

Bella Roma

A few weeks ago, B and I had the wonderful chance to travel to Rome together for a week. It was the first time the two of us had traveled together in quite awhile, and in many ways, it felt like a second honeymoon! B ran the Rome Marathon, I did the 4k fun run that same day, and the rest of the time was spent bouncing around between morning cappuccinos and pastries, 2,000-year-old ruins and Roman history, Italian cooking lessons with a chef named Fabio, and 3-hour-long dinners where we stuffed ourselves full of pasta and red wine. 


In many ways for me, it felt like a homecoming of sorts, a chance to understand more about my roots and where my family came from three generations ago.  Both of my great-grandparents emigrated to the United States from small towns in Sicily, the island off the southern tip of Italy.  I've always felt a closeness toward this part of my heritage and have dreamed about the day that I could finally make the journey to Italy to learn more about my family tree.  Every day, there were moments that reminded me of the Cusumano in me; I would see someone who looked like my grandpa, taste pasta sauce that reminded me of my grandma's recipe, or hear something that one of them used to say.  Que bella Italia!

Rome, Italy, March 2011, Brian and Laura Blank

Phew!

You know it's been a long week when, on a Friday night, your husband comes home from a 48-hour trip to a time zone two hours ahead of you, and, after a delicious dinner together, finds you nearly passed out on the bed, to which he says:


"L, you can't fall asleep yet, it's only 9:30 p.m."


To which I reply (in my head):


"Wow, I made it to 9:30 p.m.! I can definitely fall asleep now because that wouldn't be pathetic."


To which I quickly realize that it's not actually 9:30 p.m., it's only 7:30 p.m. because Dear Husband hasn't changed his watch back to our time zone yet. #ThankGoodnessItsFriday.

Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand, Laura Blank, 2011

Eat a good breakfast...then go out and save the world

Coming off the heels of a year full of work - and travel to - Haiti, then a disaster in Japan, and an earthquake in Myanmar, and several smaller-scale disasters in various countries around the world, I've started to feel a little...defeated? overwhelmed? Some days, I love what I do, and I love that I can have some kind of hand (albeit small) in engaging with the world on a global scale and maybe even helping some people who need a hand.


But ten years ago, my job would have been very different. Ten years ago, without Twitter, YouTube, Facebook (or MyFace as Jack Donaghy likes to call it), we wouldn't have been nearly connected with disasters in an in-your-face and up-to-the-minute kind of way.  Ten years ago, it was still heart-wrenching, but you didn't experience global humanity, and vulnerability, in the real, visceral way that I think we do today in our uber-connected world.


So, as I was thinking about my job...my calling...what the Lord wants from me in my life now or in the future...and what it means as Christians to "be joyful always" (1 Thessalonians 5:16), no matter if we're doing the laundry, caring for a sick child, struggling with circumstances in our life, or traveling around the world, I came across this blog post.


I don't think I could have written my life's philosophy (or at least PART of my "raison d'etre") any better than Ruth Reichl, former editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine, did recently on her blog:

There is no time, ever, in which a terrible disaster is not taking place somewhere on the planet.  And thanks to modern technology, we know all about it almost immediately. As I see it, we have a moral responsibility to respond to those disasters in the best ways that we can. Write letters, send money, do whatever possible to alleviate pain, end suffering and make the world a more just place. 

But in the face of ongoing disaster, it is also our moral responsibility to appreciate what we have.  That is why cooking good food for the people that I love is so important to me; in a world filled with no, it is a big yes. 

So eat a good breakfast. Be grateful for what you’ve got. Enjoy the sunshine while you've got it.  Then go out and save the world. 

New Mexico, 2009, Brian Blank

Happy belated birthday - to me!

I may be nearly three months behind on this post, but I have to send a big, fat, giggling birthday hug to my favorite godson and his brother for their wonderful birthday video! You may remember that I was in the middle of several (work-related) stresses in Haiti back in January and ended up celebrating my 30th birthday in Port-au-Prince with some friends from work.  It was certainly...memorable! 


On the actual day of my birth, I opened up my email to find the very best YouTube greeting from our friends and their sons.  Watch it until the end when O starts cracking up; what is it about little kids laughing? It's contagious, and it's one of my favorite sounds in the world (well, that and the sound of onions and garlic frying on the stove and the sound of the keys in the door when me or B or both of us come home from a trip!).


Here it is in all its glory (love you guys!!).  (Oh, and in case you missed the photo post earlier this week, 30th birthday photos are here).

Picture time, it's picture time!

I spent the better part of this weekend editing and arranging nearly 1,000 photos from as far back as December so I could show you a little bit more of our lives over the past few months.  (Photo geeks out there - can I get a what what for Lightroom? Man, I love that program).


Ok, without further ado, here are the collages (and links to the full albums) from our life over the past few months:

Rafting the Rio Pacuare, Costa Rica (March 2011)

Gamels and Mabreys Visit Costa Rica (March 2011)

Bangkok, Thailand (February 2011)

Traveling around Costa Rica with B, Mom and Dad (February 2011)

Festival en Zapote, Costa Rica (January 2011)

Laura's 30th Birthday, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (January 2011)

El Tope, San Jose, Costa Rica (December 2011)

Jaco, Costa Rica (December 2011)

Back from Bangkok

It's a funny feeling to leave Bangkok on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and arrive in Los Angeles on...Friday night at 6:30 p.m.  Time travel!  After a 15-hour flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles, a 15-hour layover in Los Angeles (great excuse to visit my sister and brother-in-law!), a 1-hour flight to Phoenix, a 1-hour layover, a 6-hour flight to San Jose, and a 30-minute taxi ride...I made it home! Phew. It's great to travel, and it's great to come home. I think I live my life either 1) wanting to travel or 2) wanting to come home. Funny how that works, isn't it?  


This week, our dear friends will be coming down for a visit to Costa Rica - bienvenidos B, B, E, and M!  In the meantime, I'll be editing the pictures from my Bangkok trip, but until then, here a just a few:

It's been nearly six months since my last haircut. So when I arrived in Bangkok after nearly 24 hours of travel and found out that my hotel room wasn't ready yet, it was a great excuse to get some pampering! Can you believe I got all of this attention for less than $20 USD?

The view from our longtail boat from Krabi, Thailand to Railay Beach, Thailand. A great weekend getaway with a new friend! Stunning.

Sunday mornings are great for catching up and catching your breath.  Today, I went for a walk with B to Bagelman's for my usual - a chai tea latte - and the woman, Flor, actually asked me where I'd been! She said she was thinking about me the other day and wondered why I hadn't been in for my chai tea lately. I think I may have made a new friend! It's good to be home.