Hey there. I’m Val.

You probably already know me, because let’s be real – my family and friends are likely the only ones who will be reading this!

But on the rare chance that you stumbled across this blog, let me tell you a little about myself:

• I’m a mother. I have teenage twin boys named Logan and Brady, who I’ve raised with a “submarine parent” philosophy. They’re about to start junior year in Germany and luckily, they’re excited about it. It might help that they’ve spent the last year doing school on their iPads because of the pandemic, but generally speaking, these kids are a fantastic combination of shy and adventurous, especially when it comes to food. And, they can cook – everything from curries to fried rice to pasta!
• I’m a wife. Yep, I’m over a decade into my second marriage with a silver fox named Ralph. We’re kind of like Lucy and Desi – I’ve got red hair, he’s got a quick temper, and somehow it just works.
• I’m a millennial. Or xennial. Or as Iliza Schlesinger would say, an “elder millennial.“ Whatever you want to call it, I was born in the 80s, graduated in the class of 2000, and remember what life was like before the internet.
• I’m an eternal optimist. And that’s why I sometimes do “crazy” things, like building a house when I’ll only be in one spot for 3 years, or leaving the stability of an Air Force career for a chance to get my MBA at Stanford. It drives Ralph nuts, but I tend to believe that we can make our own destiny and the universe will conspire to help us. 😉

I grew up in Pittsburgh but over the past 20 years, I’ve lived in a bunch of interesting places including Monterey, Honolulu, Baltimore, San Francisco, and Omaha. Now, we’re off to our next location – Stuttgart, Germany! This is our first time as a family living overseas, and with the boys out the door in two short years, I wanted to find a way to capture the ups and downs (mostly ups?) of this big life transition.

Along the way, you can expect some laughter, some frustration, and even a bit of hard-earned wisdom. Some posts will be deep and some will be shallow. Some will be short and others will be long. One thing is for sure – I’ll be spotting those moments of joy in our journey. Travel, food and drink, home and garden? It’s all fair game!

So welcome…I’m glad you’re here for the ride. 😉

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