Edmund (aka Joey, Andre, Dad)...
Edmund's job at a major oil company is the reason we relocated to Melbourne, Australia in 2006 and Lagos, Nigeria in 2012. When we returned to Houston in 2015, his role required a fair amount of travel but not as much as our early years. In 2020 (mid-pandemic!), E made the leap to a major mining company and is managing his remote work life at home like a star. E has an MBA and a Masters in International Law & Diplomacy and his love for travel and learning about new cultures has never changed!
Countries hit so far (50!): Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, Canada, Bermuda, Aruba, Curacao, Barbados, Bahamas, Greece, Ireland, UK, Netherlands, Scotland, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Japan, S. Korea, Macau, Phillipines, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, Namibia, Dubai, Morocco, Costa Rica, Cuba
Interests: Blues music, cycling, train travel, the Pittsburgh Steelers!
Bucket List: E recently knocked two huge items off his bucket list - Cuba and, wait for it...Easter Island! Yes, the most remote land mass on the planet. He spent several weeks biking through Cuba, came home to secure and store some Very Nice cigars and was in Chile for another few weeks after that exploring Easter Island. Next Up (we hope!): Galapagos Islands.
Carolyn (aka Bunny, CK, Mom)...
Living in Nigeria was my second international assignment as an expat, or rather, as my least favorite term - the "trailing spouse". I absolutely loved the years we spent in Melbourne and Lagos and try to feed my travel bug any way I can. Lately our new puppy, the kids and our house on Cape Cod have been getting all my attention - there are worse things!
Countries hit (39...gotta catch up!): Egypt, Kenya, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary, UK, Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Bahamas, Aruba, Curacao, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Denmark, Norway, South Africa (5 times!), Zambia, Namibia, Turkey, Holland, United Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Morocco, Costa Rica
Interests: Live music, volunteering at the kids' school and for local charities, running, adding at least 10 countries to my list above!
Bucket List: Galapagos Islands, Peru (Machu Picchu), Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, India
Kerrigan (aka Kerri Mae, Kare Bear, Kare Kare)...
March 2012 (7 yrs)
Post Lagos, January 2015 (10 yrs)
Houston, February 2016 (12 yrs)
Houston, June 2018 (13 yrs)
Kerrigan is the only member of our family to be born in Houston, TX. At age 2, we moved her to Melbourne, Australia and dropped baby Clayton in her lap. At age 6, we moved her to Lagos, Nigeria where we traveled extensively but also experienced the impact of the Ebola crisis and homeschooling. Back in Houston at almost 16, she is navigating her second year of high school at a uniquely designed performing and visual arts program amidst a global pandemic. Faced with everything from braces to friendships, gender pronouns and a very accelerated academic schedule, she channels her passions through her love of art and creative outlets. Some of her school work can be found here . Her instagram page reflects creations done in her free time or just for fun.
K's country list (14): Australia and New Zealand, Nigeria, Denmark, UK, Norway, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Ireland, Turkey, Morocco, Costa Rica, Mexico
Current Interests 2020: Sketching, painting, and all things artsy and creative; playing Minecraft and Overwatch; thrifting; Cosplay conventions. Her favorite bands are My Chemical Romance who we plan to see in September 2020 and Twenty-One Pilots; she loves Black Mirror and 70s slasher films.
Clayton (aka Clay Clay, Sir Topham Hat, the Little Man, Sneetch)
Pre-Lagos Profile Pic - Summer 2012 (5 yrs)
Clayton was born in Fitzroy, Australia. I'm convinced his Aussie birth is responsible for his zen, surfer-like demeanor and his need to be shirtless as often as possible. He is laid back and always happy. C and Kerrigan are just two years apart but seem to prefer being together than not, even in their teenage years. Thankfully he has inherited my East Coast love of sarcasm and has a hilarious sense of humor! Our goal of returning to Australia to re-visit his birthplace has been temporarily thwarted due to Covid. We're hopeful we can still make it in 2020!
C's country list (13): Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, UK, Denmark, Norway, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Ireland, Turkey, Morocco, Costa Rica
Current Interests 2020: All things Xbox, Call of Duty, GTA, MineCraft/RoBlox, Historical documentaries on WW2 and Hitler conspiracies, Track and Field
Just before Hurricane Harvey decimated our city in September of 2017, Kerrigan had seen this sweet cat around the neighborhood. She names all the cats she sees (whether we know them or not) so she named this one "Cloudy". Just after Christmas, Cloudy appeared on our porch - looking thin and distressed. I'm convinced her family either lost their house in the flood or left temporarily while they rebuilt. Once we fed her, she returned day after day (she's no fool!) for food and eventually slept on our porch. Despite not really being a cat person, I have to admit she is ridiculousy pretty and very sweet. I'm still not letting her in the house although I did allow her to have her own instagram page. Enjoy.
"Quincy", October 2020
As much as I like to tell others Quincy is a "pandemic puppy", the truth is we have been thinking about a dog for a long time. I put the kids off for years using all our past moves and even hypothetical future moves as an excuse. But the truth is that I wasn't ready to take on the responsibility myself. Because we all know Mom is the one that has to take care of the dog! Finally, after caring for our friend's dog over the summer and facing the realization that we were going to be home for much longer than planned, we caved. Quincy is bred to love (as all Cavapoos are) and bringing us lots of joy in an often joy-less environment. You can see more of him here because he also has an Insta page!