About Moi

Originally from Chicago, my husband, son and I relocated to Clermont-Ferrand, France in November of 2010. This blog started as a record of our adventures to keep our family and friends up to date on our lives, as well as on the pending addition to our little family. Our expatriate assignment over, we returned to the US with a second son and wonderful memories of our time in France. This blog continues to serve as a journal of our travels and adventures, in addition to sharing the beauty of the area we now live in.

I grew up in Chicago reading books, playing basketball and going to Latvian school* on Saturdays. I eventually moved to Champaign-Urbana to study forestry at the University of Illinois, which led to my job with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Georgia as a wildland firefighter. After a short stint in Michigan, my husband and I moved to South Carolina, where I found a forestry position with the Forest Service. Not too long after, Lauris was born and we moved to Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the Auvergne region of France. Then Mikus came along and before we knew it, we were back in South Carolina.


While living in France I learned a little French, watched Lauris grow, discovered some of the secrets of French cooking, and utilized our time in the center of Europe to travel throughout France and the area. Now that we are back in the United States I wish for my boys to get to know their grandparents and family that were so far away while we lived in Europe. We will explore our region one piece at a time, hopefully instilling in our sons a love for the outdoors and a respect for the world we live in.

*My grandparents are originally from Latvia, in eastern Europe, and while I am second generation American born, I still consider myself American-Latvian. My first language was Latvian, and my husband and I speak to one another in the language of our grandparents. The Latvian folk dancing, choirs, girlscouts, trips to Latvia, schools and camps all have influenced me and my life, and I hope this comes across in my blog.