Going-Away BBQ

Our wonderful friends Justin and Leigh Ann were kind enough to plan a great going-away BBQ for us. A good time was had by all. I am posting pictures for now with a thought-provoking editorial to come from Jessica soon.

Waiting...Waiting...Waiting...

Finally, people show up. Justin is of course posing nicely for the camera.

Mmmmmm! Goooooooood!

Even kids were welcome.


Mr. Bendall explaining the finer points of something.

Justin is still posing.

Huxley was the center of attention.

Huxley shows us how to take an ice bath.

Lasts...

After what has seemed like a very long spring, our departure is fast approaching. For a long time, the fact that we were leaving didn't seem "real." Things are now becoming very real as we realize that we are doing many things for the last time. Our last trip to Merck Forest, our last trip to Equinox Pond, our last meal at Christo's, last time to see so and so...

For those of you that know me well, you know that I love to ride and race my bike. So, this last weekend I completed my last bike race in the area. It just so happened to be the race that I completed as my first bike race in 2005. I guess it is a fitting end to my racing career. It was a tough course. It consisted of a 21 mile circuit with about 1650 feet of climbing per lap for a grand total of nearly 5000 feet of climbing. It was even harder because most of the climbs were shorter and the little Cat 3 climbers just flew up them. Oh yeah, it just so happened to be in the mid 90's with really high humidity. It was not a pleasant experience. In an act of self-preservation I sat up after chasing the field for a while and just strolled around the last circuit. I should have probably just quit but couldn't, seeing as how it was my last race and all. I felt good that I had finished but destroyed myself in the process. Now, two days later I feel like I am still recovering.

I plan to ride my bike a lot this summer but may have completed my last road race for a while.

Let the Adventure Begin

As you may already know, we accepted positions at Almaty International School in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Jessica will be teaching high school literature and writing and Dan will be teaching junior high cultural studies and language arts.

We are currently wrapping up our lives at Bromley Brook School and in Manchester Center. We have enjoyed our time here and are growing a bit nostalgic over our lives here but are eager for another adventure. We have about 3 more weeks in Vermont before we head to Idaho for the summer months. Needless to say, we are very excited about having our first summer off in a while (note: we have been teaching at a year-round school for 3 years).

We plan to use this blog to document our lives abroad for our family, friends and current and future students. We will try to include relevant and irrelevant photos and commentary as we see fit.

Our blog is named after a quote by Mark Twain which reads:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.