This August marks our thirteen-year wedding anniversary. Since we’ve been married, we have lived in the Bay Area, Malawi, back to the Bay Area, Uruguay, Kansas, and now Fresno. The last few places we lived, we were only there for a short time before moving again. Suffice it to say...
It’s been two years since I wrote my first blog post for Estuaries, which reflected on challenges I had experienced nearly two years prior. Since then, quite a bit has happened in my life: I received my license as a clinical psychologist; I started my own business—twice; and...
I never really understood dog people. From “Dog is My Co-Pilot” bumper stickers to the saying often attributed to Mark Twain (“The more I know about people, the better I like my dog”), the difference between a Golden Retriever and a golden calf seemed to...
This story starts with my stalking another family. Last spring, our neighbors in the house to our left moved out without saying goodbye. It wasn't much of a surprise. We’ve lived in our home for over eight years. During most of that time, an elderly lady and her adult...
I don’t know about you, but my experiences with church community have been mixed. I didn’t grow up in the church, so my only real experience of it has been at The River. I’ve been part of the church for sixteen years, but I often feel like an outsider looking in...
Community is something that’s difficult to come by in Silicon Valley. My early years as a Christian, during which I spent a majority of my time on a tight college campus, were rooted in community. My closest friends were walking distance (or biking distance, in UC Davis...
The topic of community has been a big discussion at The River this fall, and it reminds me of another time in my life when I was seeking community and friendship, and not finding it. Or so I thought. I was a young news reporter and newlywed living in a small town. My husband and I...