Welcome

My name is Ali. I’m a wife and mother of four currently living in The Netherlands. I have been a teacher most of my adult life, and since I’ve had the great opportunity to travel and live in various parts of the world, there have always been new and exciting things for me to learn and discover as well. I look forward to sharing my unique life experiences with you as you visit With Ali. 

Another stop along the way…

Here I am…25+ years into a marriage that has taken me from the armpit of the U.S. to the land of tulips and windmills…with plenty of stops in between.  These stops have helped shaped me into the person I am today, and I hope that by sharing my experiences, you may be encouraged or even just entertained in some way. So, here’s the short version of our journey so far!

“…we did the unthinkable…and ripped our children away to explore the world…”

Our adventures started in Yuma, Arizona where the land is scorched and uninviting but the people are loving and kind.  We then made our way back “home” to Denver, Colorado where we had two of our four children, and close access to family.  After five years in Colorado, we did the unthinkable, making Grandma’s worst nightmares come true, and ripped our children away to explore the world. 

Our first stop after leaving the Rocky Mountains was the home of onion domed cathedrals and Red Square. It was a time of navigating “perihods” and blini toppings, but our time there was brief before making our way back to the western slope of Colorado, where I made Grandma happy once again and popped out two more cuties.  It was here, near the Colorado National Monument, that I also began my journey as a home school mom, which would define me for years to come. 

It wasn’t long before we left our views of the beautiful Bookcliffs and drove where we lived near our nation’s capital…far away from wide open spaces, and closer to a great multitude of transient government employees and lyme-infested ticks. Aside from the crowds, ticks, and astronomically high housing prices, we enjoyed living in Virginia among the tall trees and fireflies.

“I was not prepared to experience such a strong connection to the people and the culture.”

From there we crossed the pond yet again – this time settling in Deutschland, where I was not prepared to experience such a strong connection to the people and the culture. But, that helps to explain why moving back to the U.S. was so challenging. 

We landed in Flagstaff, Arizona, a beautiful area that exceeded the mile high city in more than just elevation. We quickly became lovers of hiking Fat Man’s Loop and the Grand Canyon. It was here that my life changed drastically as my home-schooling days were coming to an end and my teaching experiences would soon expand beyond the dining room table once more.  

It wasn’t long after lockdowns and boosters became second nature that we headed back out, across the ocean once more. And that’s how we made it here, to the land of tulips and windmills. By the time we leave Holland, we will have lived here longer than most places. 

“I am motivated by all there is to see and learn.”

It’s strange to think that my youngest has spent over half his life “living abroad”, and it is my hope that he will be able to spend even more years abroad.  As I sit here writing on the Election Eve of 2024, I know that while I love my country, there are still many places that I would love to go experience.  I am motivated by all there is to see and learn.  Thankfully my youngest is inquisitive too, and traveling the world is his dream as well.  I just hope he’s willing to let me tag along with him in years to come!  

So, yes, we’ve moved a lot, and, no, we’re not military, but we have enjoyed the comforts of our country’s aids and perks while being overseas, and home schooling for much of the time has allowed my children to grow up with some continuity as we moved from place to place, yet teaching outside of the home today has allowed me to continue doing what I love while meeting others I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s really the best of both worlds. I don’t know what the future holds, where we’ll be next or for how long, but I do know that I love this lifestyle and I look forward to writing about the next stop along the way.

Why I write…

I write to process the events in my life…as cheap yet grueling therapy.  I have often processed difficult times in my life by writing poetry either trying to relate or simply make sense of challenging seasons. 

I write to share my experiences with others. As Great-grandma McGrew used to say, “If they can’t listen, they’ll feel”.  So, if you’re willing to listen, come, read what I’ve written.  Maybe you can learn from my experiences and avoid some unnecessary qualms or give a nod of acknowledgement, and, with any luck, you may even be entertained along the way. 

I write to remember. I don’t want to forget about all the beauty that I’ve seen and experienced.  I don’t want to be a bottom dweller.  I want the good memories to surface first, so I write in order to remember all the ways in which God has blessed me. By remembering the good, my focus is realigned and I can walk each day with more peace and joy. 

So, is this just another writer’s blog?  I sure hope not!  I hope that my life experiences and why they’re written will differentiate me from other writers and that you’ll be drawn to read more as you see yourself in my stories, relating to shared thoughts and feelings or perhaps living vicariously through them.  So, grab a cuddly blanket and pop a squat.  It’s time for a story.