International Family Reunion on the French Riviera
Family reunions across state lines may seem difficult, but imagine the complications trying to unite international ones like mine, living in 3 different countries. It is never easy for a French-Normand father and Norwegian-American mother sans home, in a mountain hut in Switzerland to meet up their Franco-American kids. Our daughter settled in the land […]
Happy Mother’s Day to my Pioneer Mom
As we say in French “merci mille fois” thank you a million times for being my mom! Greeting card companies remind us to mark this day, but I think of you every day. I have been so fortunate to have been born to you — a generous, kindhearted, intelligent Norwegian-American mom, who guided me […]
Sun Is Out, Cows Moved Up, Spring is Here
After a arduous, cold, grey winter spring finally arrived in the mountains, but it took its own sweet time getting here! During our favorite mountain hike, the local farmer passed us on the dirt lane; he stopped and opened the back gate of his livestock truck. Then we watched spellbound, as a herd of cows […]
Biarritz Coastal Resort Haven for Surfers
After living in Paris for years, I was well traveled to most parts of France, but I’d never set foot in her southwest, Biarritz topped my bucket list. Perched on the Atlantic cliff side near the Spanish border in the Basque Region, settlements around the city date back to prehistoric times. The Vikings invaded […]
I am X-Pat, a feisty globetrotter. Teacher, writer, coach, speaker, and trailblazer with the down-to-earth, open-armed persona of The Heartland and a European twist. I have lived in four different countries, speak three languages and raised two bi-cultural kids with one très bon Frenchman. My passion is inspiring courage, breaking barriers, and creating connections.
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If you deny a woman’s history, you erase her identity. I reveal the athlete’s untold story, from the passage of Title IX through forty years of social change. What makes it different from other sport biographies is the voice of a woman who walks the talk, who dribbled the ball and tells the story. Learn more by clicking here