(Above pictures: balancing stones along English Bay in Vancouver, Canada.  My son Ben practicing his Karate Kid pose along the shore of Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park)

My family has lived in McKinney, Texas (on the northern edge of the Dallas Metroplex) for 17 years.  The population was around 50,000 people when my husband and I  first arrived here without children.  The population has quickly increased to 150,000, and our family has grown to include a 17, 14, and 10 year old.  McKinney is just one of the cities around the metroplex that has experienced this kind of exponential growth.  Texas is known for its hot summers, but over the years the number of Orange Ozone Days and 100 degree and over days has become common place.

While we enjoy living in McKinney, my husband is from Colorado and I am from NW Arkansas where there were more natural areas protected and explored.  I have always been uncomfortable with the exponential growth around the metroplex, the large amounts of concrete being poured for construction projects, and the trees that are cut down to allow for more growth.

Several years ago I had a book editor who was helping me write an Environmental Stewardship study.  This book/study was mainly focused on women and Christian families.  But being consistently involved in my children’s public education and the McKinney community, I find the need to broaden my audience.  Traveling to many US destinations, Mexico, Canada, and Europe has tremendously broadened my horizons and shown me how much cities and countries can share and learn from each other in regards to protecting our planet for future generations.

This blog will be a conglomeration of my experiences of trying to seek balance for me and my family is this huge metropolitan area we live in.  It will be a blog about how other American cities effectively deal with their sustainability issues, trash, and recycling.  It will be a blog about how America can learn from other countries about respecting and protecting the natural resources we all share.  At times it will be a spiritual blog, using scripture to support the earth and people who are fighting to make this planet a better place for us all to live on.  Other times, this blog will have personal childhood stories and stories from people I have met along the way.  I will blog about businesses, products, people, and ideas that will help us find balance in our lives so that we may enjoy more time with our family, friends, and the place we call home.

I invite you to join me on this journey.  It is a new experience for me, and I hope you will forgive any technical mishaps along the way.  The blog and myself are a work in progress.  May you find some balance in your life today.                                                     Happy 100th Anniversary of our National Parks!

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