lelo unbound—

What seems to be a life time ago, a brilliant woman—a teacher and friend—saw two things in me: my love for travel and my even deeper love for children being educated in a way that honors their spirit.

For us, that place was MCS. Those classrooms were magic. Each of my twins is so different, yet at MCS their differences weren’t just accepted, they were celebrated. The teachers and staff saw them, nurtured them, and gave them exactly what they needed to grow. In so many ways, it was the ideal learning environment—and I will always hold deep gratitude for that season of our lives.

So when their final year wrapped up—third grade, the last grade offered—it hit me hard. It was bittersweet to say goodbye, but it also gave me space to pause and really consider our next steps. What did I want to protect for them? What were my non-negotiables? What kind of education would let them keep learning with their whole selves—mind, body, and spirit?

That reflection brought me here. I’m not reinventing the wheel; plenty of people have walked this path before. But at some point you stop just dreaming and you take the leap. That’s how Lelo was born. And fittingly, it was that same brilliant teacher-friend who pointed us toward Boundless Education, saying, “If anyone would love it, it’s your family.”

A year later, I’m sitting in the main square of Kotor, Montenegro. Harlen’s not feeling well, which is tough, but even in this moment I feel grateful—grateful for the roots we had at MCS, grateful for the courage to leap, and grateful for the chance to keep shaping this adventure of new places, new friendships, and new experiences.

The First Mile—

  • Kotor, Montenegro—Enter in Boundless Education

    We didn’t choose Montenegro because it’s the easiest place to get to. We chose it because it felt like the right first mile.Small enough to not overwhelm us, beautiful enough to feel like a dream, and foreign enough to stretch us in all the ways we wanted to be stretched.

    A four-week cohort with Boundless wasn’t about dipping our toes in—it was about testing whether this vision could hold. Could our kids learn in a new rhythm, in a new country, without the scaffolding of “school as we know it”? Could we, as parents, balance the weight of everyday life with the gift of global adventure?

    Starting small was intentional. Four weeks felt long enough to push us past the “vacation” mindset, but short enough to give us an exit if we needed to course-correct. It gave us a container to explore—without committing to an entire semester abroad right out of the gate.

    Boundless didn’t hand us a sales pitch. What they handed us was structure, community, and a gentle nudge that said: “You can do this. And you don’t have to do it alone.”

    So here we are, in Kotor. Our mornings look different. Our learning looks different. And even though Harlen’s currently curled up with a fever (because real life always comes along for the ride), I can already see the way this kind of education reshapes us—not just as learners, but as a family.

    This isn’t a review. This is us, walking into a new story, one mile at a time.

    Read On

  • Up Next—Croatia. Haha... I Can't Even.

    Our Croatian adventure begins soon. In the meantime, Kotor remains the heartbeat of this journey, where each new piece is being added and the story continues to take shape.

    Not Yet ;)