My Grammy
Thank you, Allison, for doing a beautiful shoot with Grammy last summer! Grammy would have been 90 this week. We were going to celebrate her birthday today. Instead, we are here remembering her life, which she finished on Tuesday. There is much to remember and…
Merry Christmas 2025
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born. While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night, behold thru-out the heavens there shone a holy light. The shepherds feared and…
Merry Christmas 2024
Merry Christmas from the Phaladis! Hey Friends, Merry Christmas! I hope this message finds you well and enjoying a wonderful holiday season. Each year, I love preparing your card and seeing your name. It’s such a joy to have friends from so many different chapters of…
Transmogrified
Intercultural life is hard. It’s also very interesting and full of stories. They are hilarious (like when you use the wrong word for something), heartbreaking (like when you come face to face with the realities of inequality), heartwarming (like when a family…
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. -Proverbs 16:9
Thank you We just want to start by saying thank you to our friends and family in the US, Botswana, the UK and elsewhere for your support in various ways as we transitioned from Botswana to the US. We miss our amazing friends and family in Botswana and remain excited…
Preparing for Reentry
Family photo, May 2019 It has been so long since I have blogged. Since I last wrote, I have lived in Botswana for five more years (almost 6 total), had three little girls, and experienced a life very different from the one I had before. I have learned what it is like…
Too Fat
Ah culture differences. Gotta love them:-)! I wrote most of this post the week we arrived in Botswana but never finished it. I finally decided to finish and post it now. Note: this was before I was showing my pregnancy at all. It was great to arrive in Botswana on…
Growing Pains
As I think about the time I will spend at immigration tomorrow, checking to see if my residency permit has gone through, I am reminded of the frustrating aspects of living in Botswana. I have spent six days at immigration so far — arriving before 6am to make…
Life in Botswana
My Grammy requested that I blog about life in Botswana. That question is a difficult one to answer by itself so it was helpful that more questions followed. I figured it was a good opportunity to answer her questions and see if anyone has more questions. So, post in…
Settling in Botswana
There are many stories to tell from our first month and a half in Botswana. An overall brief update follows: After a summer in England waiting on the government of Botswana to let us know if it was OK to stay in the UK they let us know that they were not going to…