Author Archives: Anastasia

by Don Shown As someone who can’t draw a straight line or a round circle I was always amazed at how well Barb could sketch just about anything in a dash. I suppose there’s a lot of people like that out in the world but I lived with this one for 44 years- although sheContinue reading “Painting of Lifetime”

I recently told a friend that to fully experience a country, you have to experience their healthcare system. We are six months into living in Costa Rica and have had some fresh encounters with the healthcare system here. After I broke my leg a couple weeks ago on a waterfall hike with my Dad andContinue reading “Health & Wellness in Costa Rica”

I planned to write on Saturday, the second anniversary of my mom’s death, but since that day is already hard and writing about her just makes me sob, I decided to stay busy. We did go out for tacos and I had a michelada (best drink ever, one of her faves) and we had aContinue reading “Happy Be Like Barb Day! “

“Blessed is the Costa Rican mother who knows that her son being born will never be a soldier” December 1st is Abolition of the Army Day in Costa Rica. The national holiday is being observed on a Monday this year so that Costa Ricans can enjoy a 3-day weekend and partake in local tourism. SinceContinue reading “A travel appreciation post…”

Since 1994 Costa Rica has commemorated Día de las Culturas (Cultures Day) on October 12th. Día de las Culturas is a celebration of cultural diversity throughout Costa Rica and the world. At my school we celebrate this day so our students can learn about diverse people, heritages and cultures. This is also a day forContinue reading “Dia de las Culturas”

We have been in Costa Rica for about 2 months now. In many ways it feels longer than that as we have settled in with work and school. Yet in other ways it still feels very fresh because we have so much to learn.  I have found that my grief was at bay for aContinue reading “Settling In…”

“My mother was my first country, the first place I ever lived.” ~ Nayyirah Waheed Today is Mother’s Day in Costa Rica! This means I get two Mother’s Days this year and I get to pause and give thanks for my own mama again. I love this quote because it challenges our understanding of home.Continue reading “¡Feliz día de las Madre!”

The Chalk Walk is an annual art exhibit on the pavement in front of the Fort Wayne Art Museum. My mom was a frequent contributor over the years and her chalk art was very loved by her family, friends, and any visitor to the Three Rivers Festival. People loved coming by to watch her progressContinue reading “People’s Choice Award – “In Memory of Barbara Ganey Shown” by Miranda Milligan”

When we got in the car today, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was playing on the radio. When I was in second grade she bought me the coolest 80s tape player there was and one single tape- Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual. I played that jam over and over. I don’t recall her ever tellingContinue reading “Happy 65th Birthday Barb!”