Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays.  When we moved to France with two young kids, I was thrilled—and a little nervous—to host our very first Thanksgiving dinner  for our newfound French friends. What I didn’t realize at the time was just how unprepared I was for the task. Not only did I barely know how to cook, but I was also juggling a three-month-old baby and a two-year-old toddler—with no family nearby to lend a hand. Determined to make it special, I went on a mission...

Fall is here, and I’m trying to fit in every last mountain bike ride before the cold and snow shut down the trails. My friend and I headed out for a late afternoon ride, underestimating how long the route would take. Halfway through the long loop, we realized the sun was setting—and we didn’t have headlamps. There was no shortcut back to the trailhead, so we had to finish the loop in the dark. By the time we started descending the mountain, I could barely see the trail—just the faint outline...

After moving to France, we quickly encountered a problem with our Friday night ritual of ordering out for pizza—we couldn’t find a...