My great-grandparents came from an ancient mountain village in Croatia called Mrkopalj. When the economy tanked, my husband and I decided to make a little lemonade: We liquidated our busy life, notified the children, and all four of us headed right back to where we started from. To Croatia, beginning in Mrkopalj.

Read the book in Spring 2011; follow our day-to-day adventures here. Meet Jim, the architect husband, food weirdo and homeschooler-for-a-year. Sam, seven-year-old Jedi understudy with a thing for Legos. Four-year-old Zadie, the only one undaunted by this trip. Then there’s me. Writer, wifey, mom—and hopeful that the land of our ancestors will help us rediscover the old family, and rejuvenate the current one.

If you have questions or ideas for us after tripping through the site, drop us a line on the email addresses of each of our pages. Or simply email me.