I was the child who spent her summers writing stories about talking dinosaurs and lost baby birds instead of playing tee-ball or taking dance lessons. I was the student who took journal time seriously. I was the adventurer who tied a string around a book and the other end around my waist, climbed a tree, and sat in the branches reading until supper time.

In college, I thought I might major in journalism, but when I took my first literature class, I was hooked. The calling of an English major was in my heart, and I couldn’t imagine spending my study hours without Shakespeare, Chaucer, or Lewis by my side. At Asbury University (Asbury College when I attended), I learned the art of making connections between literature and life, and I cultivated a passion for writing. But what does an English major do after college? Why, teach, of course.

Teaching was not my first plan, but I believe it was God’s plan for me. Post-Asbury, I went on to teach high school English at two private Christian schools in the U.S. (one in New Jersey and one in Kentucky), and then God led me to Taiwan. In a way, He led me back home. My family had lived in Taiwan when I was a little girl, and in 2009, I returned to the land of my childhood.

I spent four years teaching at Morrison Academy in Kaohsiung (MAK), Taiwan. During that time, I taught ELL (English Language Learning) mainly, but I also taught some middle school English and Bible classes over the years as well. Surprisingly enough, both of my sisters lived in Kaohsiung too. One sister was the second grade teacher at MAK, and my other sister was the media specialist for a local orphanage called Taiwan Xi En (a ministry that is close to my heart). I’m blessed to have spent the four years with family in a foreign country.

In the summer of 2013, I married my best friend, Charles. When we became engaged, we planned for me to move to Charles’ home town of Beaufort, South Carolina at the end of the 2012-2013 school year. However, God wanted us to stay in Taiwan. So, after much prayer and discussion, Charles and I took jobs at a different Morrison campus in Taichung, Taiwan. Charles has been working as an IT guy for our campus, and I spent about a year and a half teaching high school English before deciding to go part-time and then moving to a tutoring-only position.

Now, my husband and I are in for big change as we embark on our journey back to America. We are moving back to be closer to family and to look for some personal healing during a season of rest. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know Christ holds our future.

Why I Write

I am thankful for the gift of words, for the life, connection, beauty, insight, and learning that come from language. This blog was birthed from an email newsletter that I began during my first year in Taiwan, but it has become more than just monthly updates to some friends. This blog is about things that matter and sometimes things that don’t. It’s about Taiwan and travel and teaching. It’s about lessons I’m learning, issues that concern me, and moments that make me smile. I write because I must, because words are a part of me. I hope you’ll enjoy what I have to say.