Candice & Todd's blog: The beginning of the year

Whew. It’s been another LONG stretch between posts. Oops!

It is just A LOT doing both jobs and the family stuff! I’ve also been required to run an after school club that is taking a ton of time as well.

In early January, we got the kids passports - as Mercer will be taking a big trip this summer. They were told no glasses... and not to smile. :/ ]

Mercer snapped a picture of this extra passport photo (the man said we could have the extras as a "souvenir" of this event - haha!) Through AI, he turned his sister's photo into a mugshot!

It was pretty convincing!) :/

Later that day, I drove up to the North GA mountains to go to the women’s retreat center again - this weekend was for adoptive moms. I stayed in a different room this trip - I have now been in all of the rooms upstairs at this point. I have been in both rooms in the small house. The only room that I haven't stayed in is downstairs - the only one on the 1st floor. Maybe next time.

One of the days while I was up there, I met my friend Cindy just across the border in South Carolina (we each drove about an hour to meet each other in a small town in between). No photos! :/

Then I went to one of my favorite places up in the north Georgia mountains: Mark of the Potter. This place is so serene... I mainly go for the water. I do love looking at the pottery too, of course, but the water. aaah.

One time I went to the retreat center ("A Mother's Rest)... I sat by the river and drew the Mark of the Potter building. I did not bring my drawing tools this trip - I brought sourdough so I could make it undisturbed... and it still "flopped" :/

But - I wanted to draw this little church across from the retreat center, so I snapped some photos. Hopefully I'll remember to re-visit this in my sketchbook one day!

Another day, I travelled to a neighboring town to see the monks who were walking across the country (from Texas) in the name of peace. I was following it from Alabama and all through Georgia.

I don’t know why I wanted to go see them. It was not a big deal / I didn’t feel any peace, per se.

I felt peaceful while waiting on them, as I found a quiet space to wait - across from a quiet pond - but as the monks got closer, it got really crowded, so it got less and less peaceful as they approached, sadly. I wanted to hear the cadence in their walk and their message of hope as they passed by. It did feel a bit commercialized with the crowds and crowds of people who arrived. Oh well.

I guess I’m glad I went. I would have always wondered what I would have missed if I didn’t go. (At this writing, their walk is over. They made it to Washington DC and went back to Texas)

Photo dump… there were so many good photos all over the internet.... including a following for Aloka the dog!

The dog had his own following!

One of the monks lost his leg as a car slid into another vehicle which then ran him over. Apparently this garnered national attention and that's when the crowds of people started growing. He was not upset - he says it brought attention to their peace walk.

I found names and information on some of them - included as available.

Introducing the Venerable Monk: Venerable Phiyathammoo

From: Wat Than Thong (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand) | Age: 40

Introducing the Venerable Monk: Sư Chánh Đạo

(Venerable Samma Maggo)

From: France

Age: 68

Unfortunately, the monks were met with some haters here in Georgia (possibly other states) claiming that the monks were trying to convert people to Buddhism… but overall, the majority of the accounts were positive.

The messaging they posted along the way was generally refreshing and insightful. I found an online account by a Christian pastor who wrote about how all religions could benefit from their message of peace and hope.

There was cool artwork that they posted that people made in their honor. (always in their signature saffron-colored robes!)

There was an out-pouring of appreciation for the monks too -- which hopefully outweighed the negativity.

I think most people were just glad to have some refreshing news for a change.

The walk went through South Carolina, then North Carolina along the street where mom lives (she could see them from her front door!!) continued into Virginia.

In the photo above, the dog is not there! He had to have surgery and read in the car behind for many days of the walk. (In fact, there were many monks who walked barefoot and they had to have medical attention on their feet too. They definitely endured a lot over their 2,300 mile walk over 100+ days!

Their final destination was Washington D.C. And they addressed a massive crowd before boarding a bus and riding back to Texas.

One of the messages from the end of February (along with this photo)

February 26: Good morning! As the sun rises to grace this new day, let us rise with it—renewed in spirit, anchored in hope, and ready to embrace peace in every heartbeat.

In the quiet of these early hours, we invite you to settle into the rhythm of your breath. May we be mindful of our thoughts, gentle with our words, and compassionate in our actions. Let us treat our own hearts with tender care, extending that same warmth to everyone we encounter today.

Remember, the peace we cultivate within ourselves is the greatest gift we can offer the world. It ripples outward, touching lives and healing hearts far beyond what we can see.

Today is going to be our peaceful day.

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace.

According to NPR, here are the outcomes of the Walk for Peace:

Key Outcomes of the 2026 Walk for Peace:

Successful Completion: Around two dozen monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth completed their 108-day journey, aiming to promote mindfulness, compassion, and inner peace.
High-Profile Recognition & Unity: The monks were greeted by thousands of supporters, lawmakers, and religious leaders, including an interfaith gathering at the Washington National Cathedral. They received an official proclamation from the District of Columbia.
Message of "Bridging the World": The walk, which began in October 2025, aimed to foster unity, with leaders emphasizing that the journey’s true goal was to encourage people to "stop before hurting" and choose kindness.
Overcoming Adversity: Despite a serious November 2025 traffic accident in Texas that resulted in one monk, Bhante Dam Phommasan, having his leg amputated, the group continued, with the injured monk rejoining them in January 2026.
Return Journey: After concluding in D.C. and making a stop in Annapolis, Maryland, the monks planned to return to Texas for a final homecoming walk to their temple.
"Walking" Continued: Organizers emphasized that the walk for peace is not over, but that the mission of spreading peace continues beyond the physical, 2,300-mile journey.

I am glad to have "followed" them along the way.

The beginning of the new year brings a new semester at KSU and starting back up (with my same classes) at MHS. There is always "hope" for a great new year...

At KSU, I am FINALLY in the architecture building! I get to look at projects every time I walk into my classroom!

I am teaching the same thing I taught last spring, so hopefully it will be much easier!

At our faculty meeting, one of the professors said this. (It is the only note that I took down the whole meeting.) I think I need to make this into a poster! ha.

Isabella and I did something different in early January before school got too crazy: we went to a classical production featuring two popular groups: Imagine Dragons vs Coldplay... on a school night! (The production is called “Candlelight Productions” and the show was at a beautiful venue/ event space in Downtown Atlanta) -

It was pretty powerful with the music and the illumination. (the LED candles had a flicking piece that was to emulate a flame and they are operated by remote control!) I got a set in the gift shop on the way out.

This was an “experience” Christmas gift that we got her. (The lighting was hard to get right depending on the focus. I would say it was warmer light than the colder light in the image above)

We said we would like to go to another one of their events sometime.

We served again at the MLK service that’s held in Marietta for the Cobb County NAACP.

Our pastor spoke too.

Mercer didn’t go this year because he had baseball tryouts on MLK holiday. He made the baseball team.... one final time. (photos were taken a week or so later - as his actual tryout was on MLK day)

Here are some of the photos that were shared with us.

The 5 guys in this photo are Seniors who played at MHS since 8th grade.

The 8 guys in this photo are the Seniors on the team. (The really tall guy has not played at MHS his time here (assuming he's been playing travel ball outside of school?) - but Mercer played on a basketball team with him maybe 8 - 10 years ago!?)

We're hoping that he has a better season this year -- stay tuned!

I had to ask about the knickers... it's just luck of the draw. There are other kids on the team with them too - just not in this senior line-up.

We had a snow day (but no snow), MLK day holiday, and then I had a conference in January. I did not have a “full” week of school that entire month! :) That was a nice way to ease back into the year!

(Those in North Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, etc - like my mom - THEY got snow and ice)

The conference I went to was in Columbus GA. We stayed downtown and holy-cow it was awesome!

The water tower is apparently a signature landmark.

Columbus sits on a river – across it is Alabama. There are rapids and apparently lots of kayaking when the weather is better. There are these power stations along the water. And giant industrial buildings… lots and lots of industrial buildings along the water. It reminded me a lot of Savannah - but different.