Ann Elizabeth Grace, Author

I can hardly believe that our time in Vienna is already coming to a close. Dan and I         were happy to find out that the annual Sommernachtskonzert (Summer Night Concert) was going to take place during our last week in town. This is a free outdoor concert featuring the world-renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Plus, it’s set on the spectacular grounds of Schönbrunn Palace. This year’s concert was also going to include music from Star Wars.

On Tuesday evening we arrived at the palace more than two hours early, knowing the event would attract a crowd of many thousands. The weather was wonderful, and the people-watching was even better. We strolled past a few people sporting Star Wars costumes; others were decked out in their Sunday best; and many, like us, wore casual summer clothes. Settling on a blanket, we waited for the sun to drop and the concert to begin. Read more…

This past decade has transformed me from the inside out. As my twenty-ninth birthday approaches, I feel grateful that some of the big questions surrounding identity, career, and partnership have begun to come into focus. With each surge of growth, life keeps getting better.

Through it all, though, one question has remained unclear: whether or not to have,         or adopt, children. Usually when people ask if I plan to have kids, I respond with an ambivalent “Jury’s out…” to which they reply, “You have time.” Dan and I opened the discussion of having kids some time ago, and we accept that this is a gray area for us both. But recently I realized that I had not really been engaging the idea. The thought         of such a huge change overwhelmed my circuits. On some level, I had just shut         down. Read more…