TRAVEL STORIES / EXPERIENCES
Some trips are vacations. Some are work. Some become part of your life story.
Iowa Roads, Community, and Black Hawk Lake
Some of the most meaningful “travel” isn’t far away, it’s the places you return to and the communities you build with. In Iowa, life revolved around family, work, and local connections. Our move to a home across from Blackhawk Lake in Lake View, Iowa became one of those turning points that stays with you.
Arizona Chapters
Later in life, Arizona became an important part of our story, new relationships, a different pace, and deeper involvement with church life and community projects. Some of the most memorable moments happened there in simple conversations, meaningful friendships, and experiences that still stay with me.
Service and Showing Up for People
When a large tornado struck Joplin, Missouri in 2011, our church community organized help, collecting and sending items where they were needed. Experiences like that remind you how much good can happen when people decide to show up for others.
People You Meet Along the Way
In 2017, we met a Cambodian couple, Kia and Meng Thikim, who became friends. They shared how they escaped their country with their baby and a single suitcase, arrived in the United States as refugees, learned English, earned degrees, and later moved to Arizona where we met them at a church function. Their story is a reminder of gratitude, resilience, and the quiet strength people carry.
More stories are shared in the memoir and in the blog.