Highlights & lowlights of 2014 – Year in review

As this year winds down, I stand in reflection, with much appreciation for yet another year of changes and milestones for both Miro and myself. Throughout this journey, I’ve learned so much, and honor the little things equal to the big things. But the greatest gratitude I feel is for each and every moment I get to spend with Miro, as I witness him growing up before my eyes.

And we are grateful that you are taking this journey with us and provide feedback, support and community. Miro and I both are wishing you a blessed year and a prosperous and healthy 2015!

We hope you enjoy our reflections from the passing year:

Lainie’s list of memories from 2014

Said “see ya” to fear. 

Early 2014, I made a commitment to myself to never let fear be a part of my life again. I investigated, explored and transcended fear in my life. I wrote about it here.

We visited the oldest archeological site in the Americas-  Caral

Miro & I met teen heart throb Andrew McCarthy randomly in Cusco.

Miro and I presented our project: Project World School at the Global Education Conference.

Wrote an introspective piece about travel called: The unbearable sadness of traveling. (That went viral)

Experienced my first orgy of joy, reminding me that happy people ALWAYS have contagious effects on others.

Hosted a traditional birthday party in our home in Cusco for  Miro’s 15th trip around the sun.

Hosted a traditional descpacho cermony for an inspired group of family travelers who were visiting Cusco.

We were robbed – during a home invasion while we slept. 

Declared a greater commitment to my inner life, addressed realignment, expectations, judgement, clarity and presence (and wrote about it here.)

Become intentionally homeless again after 2 years living in Cusco. We said goodbye to our beloved city, the ruins, the friends we had made, the hiking trails and our house. We experienced  (for the second time in our lives), selling or giving away the possessions we collected over the 2 years we were there, which had a cathartic effect on both of us.

Got to practice incredible patience first by waiting for my passport to arrive which ended up taking over three months due to multiple mistakes made by the US Embassy in Lima. Second,  Miro and I were  stranded in Ecuador without access to our money while waiting for UPS to deliver our bank card. (Luckily we had an angel sent us a little money to keep us from starving. We love you angel!!)  UPS reported they lost the card, then sub-contracted another company which could not find us because we were too remote, then they magically after over 2 weeks waiting, our new bank card arrived. Patience. Lesson learned, no need to repeat that one.

Miro and I both helped care for a dear friend’s elderly father recovering from a stroke for a few weeks.

Witnessed Miro growing taller than me in 2014.

Had the wonderful opportunity to be creative and paint several murals.

 

Spent a good portion of 2014 focusing on our pet project, Project World School:

Planned, produced and participated the most incredible month long teen retreat July – August 2014
The month of the retreat was action packed and incredibly full for all of us. Some of the activities we did included  everything from cooking  and sampling many indigenous dishes, making wonderful chocolate, exploring many of the ancient ruins with an alternative researcher, making a trek to the Amazon jungle, learning how to weave, make a flute and dance to the traditional folk music of Peru, explore the cloud forrest and learn about birds, spiders and orchids, participate on a sustainable farm in the Andes, learn how to make chicha (traditional corn beer), prepare, clean and cook a cuy (Guinea pig), trek to Machu Pichu to name only a few things.. (here’s a link to a photo album of the entire month.)

+ I Assembled the most incredible Board of Advisors for Project World School in 2014. (I really see great things happening for this project in 2015!)

Miro & I moved to Ecuador with the vision of producing the first teen retreat in this country. (See becoming intentionally homeless above. For info about our teen Ecuador retreat, you can visit this page.)

Miro’s list of memories from 2014

Enjoyed the beach of Ecuador. 

Embraced my inner Trekkie and became a TNGeek.

Painted a massive octopus.

Had My first kiss.

Experienced my first breakup.

Hosted a PWS retreat.

Made traditional corn beer (chicha).

Read a great handful of books, ranging from Charles Bukowski’s Women to Stephen King’s The Shining.

Attempted to learn guitar.

Was a member of the Cusco writing group and wrote many short stories.

Finally, bonded while dog-sitting a one eyed cyclops of a dog.

I did my second solo podcast interview. 

Finally, I was called “Vagabond Boy” in People Magazine in South Africa. Random, but that happened.