As of lately.

I didn't think I was going to be in the US for my friend McKenzie's wedding, but last minute changes to my flight schedule allowed me to surprise her!

The new Mr. and Mrs. James Skidmore.

It was so good to reconnect with my close friends. I love my little Shae Shae!

Wynne and Stephen came to Austin for a long awaited Matt's El Rancho reunion! 

Then this happened. Full story to follow...

Bre had another birthday! These girls are my family. Africa has a special way of bringing people together who would not have met otherwise. Kathleen is my special friend from Belgium (and Ivy's favorite auntie)!

The sun set on Uganda.

And rose on South Sudan. Crazy, huh? More stories to follow on this one too. I like telling people in Austin that last week I was in South Sudan. 

I wrote this in my elephant journal on May 16.


Exactly five months and nine days ago, I was sitting on this exact bench in London Heathrow airport. I had a big hiking backpack, four days worth of clothes, and a heart and stomach full of fear and thrill. Mostly thrill, but I was so afraid of being alone. How was I going to travel from the South to Gulu? What will I eat? What if I get lost? This just goes to show that 90% of our worries are not worth our time. And here I am now, with one change of clothes, peace of mind, and the Acholi people etched into my heart and mind. But in all of this, there is a new fear, will I remember?


My very identity was transformed and changed. Things I used to enjoy I don't care for anymore, because it dawned on my that many of my everyday decisions were made out of a need to be approved of, a need to blend in, or a need to prove to myself that I really am a hipster, I really do like being around people all the time, that I must have answers.


Now I am not afraid to admit that I actually really hate black coffee.
I want it with hazelnut Coffee Mate, sugar, and cinnamon.
I like being alone.
I love tattoos and people who drink whiskey.
I want to speak Swahili really well.
I like to kiss people when I greet them.
I wink a lot.
It's ok to laugh.
Sharing stories can, in fact, be a job.
Money is never the driving force behind anything good.
I don't have to finish a journal if I don't want to. 
I am free to love.
I am always free.


Thank you Lord Jesus for life, for being our peace, our home, our joy, our sole provider of good things.

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. 

Ecclesiastes 1:18

Isn't this the truth? The more I learn, the harder it is to carry on. Because like I said the first time I met Africa, I can no longer claim ignorance. But unlike last year, it doesn't haunt me anymore, because now I know exactly what I have to do, and I intend on doing it.


Chloe