About

I’m Tammy. I love reading, drinking coffee, and horseback-riding– just not at the same time.

An expat from the suburbs of Chicago, I’ve worked as a missionary in the tiny yet extremely significant country of Albania for 16+ years. I’ve been married to my “TCLH” a.k.a. “Tom Cruise Look-alike Hubby” for 5 years, after ‘being friends’, like, forever! His heart is golden, he knows how to make me laugh, and he is Albanian, so yes, ours is a cross-cultural marriage. Though we enjoy many things together like watching The Middle, playing Boggle in 2 languages, and traveling, we’re especially passionate about Jesus and seeing Albania transformed by the Gospel in every segment of society.

Currently I am serving as an HR Director for 105 Albanian staff and specialize in mentoring and staff development.

Why Juicy Pomegranate Bits?

I was introduced to this delicious fruit sometime during my many years in Albania and fell in love with it.

I believe that life is a gift to be savored and cherished– similar to a pomegranate– savoring one kernel at a time.

If you’ve ever eaten one, you know that pomegranates are often messy and complicated to handle– much like life itself– but if you persevere in unwrapping this exotic fruit bit by bit, the juicy kernels inside are oh-so-worth it!

This is a blog about savoring life in Albania- despite the messiness of living in a post-Communist country experiencing the growing pains of transition.
Here you’ll find bits to savor about culture, relationships, ministry, missions, leadership, mentoring, faith, cross-cultural living, language, marriage, travel, and of course, Albanian cooking!

I appreciate your comments, questions, and interest– my only request is that you post them in English!

Thanks for visiting.