I call myself the household glue because I am confident that if my husband was left here alone for too long the house would not burn down because he is responsible with fire, but it would be in a sad, sad state. Not because he doesn’t know how to take care of a house because my man is brilliant, he just has better things to do. I am a work from home mom so I also have better things to do, but the word that comes out of that description is “home” which means I keep it all together. Hence the glue.

Seriously though, my husband is awesome. But he gets his own page, and this is mine, so let me tell you a little about myself.

Not to brag on my family or anything, but they are A-MA-ZING.

My mom and dad met in China many, many years ago. Both were working as English teachers (I guess it’s in the blood!) after the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing and their friendship turned into a long distance romance and eventually five kids. For twelve years, they served the Lord at an international school in Malaysia and during that time they took us to England, Israel, China, Burma, and Thailand, just to name a few of the countries our family has visited. It has left us quite well traveled and as a result I can’t imagine staying in the same place for more than a few years. Considering the military lifestyle we now lead, that is a huge blessing.

I am the oldest of five kids, and life growing up was never quiet nor boring. Two years after me, my brother Evan was born, two years later came twins David and Jonathon, and to complete the family two years after them we adopted Sarah from China. My dad is half Chinese and I can’t count the number of times growing up that people commented to me that my full Chinese sister must have gotten my dad’s genes. Even though having a sister meant sharing a room for ten years, I am infinitely thankful for the comic relief (and obviously so much more) God has provided my family through her. She absolutely adores my kids and my husband, and she didn’t snore so she was winning as a roommate.

On a side note: Essential oils all but stopped my husband’s snoring–praise Jesus! Plus Hubby is my favorite roommate ever. Nobody get any wrong ideas here 😉

I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and then moved to Germantown, Maryland when I was six. Our family spent four years there and one day my parents called us all up to their bedroom, sat us on their bed, and told us we were going on an “adventure” to Malaysia.

I didn’t even know where Malaysia was.

Adventure was right. I spent seven years in Penang, Malaysia before moving to Kuala Lumpur when I was seventeen. There I worked as an English teacher and Muay Thai instructor while finishing my last semester of high school. That summer took me to Santa Barbara, California, then Hailsham in the UK, then Monterey, California, then I was homeless for four months while I traveled around visiting family, then to North Carolina, a different city in NC, Colorado Springs, Virginia…and there’s another move on the horizon.

The most important thing to know about me is that I love Jesus. Seriously, y’all, Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me. He’s filled me with so much joy and hope, and with the resources and time he’s blessed us with, life is a constant adventure. Jesus turned me from a closed-minded, naiive, dramatic high schooler into a woman mature enough to get married and have three kids by 23 years old without being insane and everything I have can only be attributed back to him. Without Jesus I would be nothing.

Then there’s coffee. Strangely enough, coffee is one of my passions in life but I would choose a cup of tea any day. There is a highly logical explanation though, and it is this: I learned to make coffee on a very expensive commercial espresso machine and I got really good at it. Now I have a drip coffee machine and a little, sad, single portafilter home espresso machine that doesn’t even come with a legitimate tamp just doesn’t cut it. I can’t do it. The result is that I hardly ever drink coffee anymore, but one day I am going to buy a commercial espresso machine and go back to drinking so much coffee every day my body becomes immune to caffeine.

Another passion of mine is living a healthy lifestyle. Health is not one single decision to try out a fad diet or go on a run, it really is a lifestyle, and living that lifestyle has changed my life. Since cutting out chemicals, synthetics, plastics, processed foods, all the “normal” things in life, I have more energy, I sleep more soundly, and I can see very evidently the negative affects that sugar has on my body (but I still adore it.) We cook with whole ingredients, and we cook from scratch–partly to avoid processed junk and partly because we live frugally. My husband calls me a hippie and I’ll own it. Our family is darn healthy.

Finally, I have a passion to bring change to others. God has given me a story and passions that can bless others, and that is what I intend to do with my life. I wish I could sit down over a shot of expertly pulled espresso with you and get to know as well. Maybe one day we’ll have the chance. Until then, enjoy the ramblings, the recipes, and stories, and the occasional insight.

It was nice to meet you, and good day to you.