Kasai, Democratic Republic of Congo

La Maternité

I knew I had found the best job in the whole world when my country director, Larry, walked into my office and told me he wanted me to go on a trip with him and three DFID folks to check out some of the work ASSP had been doing around the country. They had chartered …

Crystal Stafford, New Orleans

Pop Yeah

Oh man. This was one of my favorite days EVER. We were visiting our beloved friends, the Colton’s, in New Orleans and they had the great idea that we hop on the trolley and let it take us where it may. They have a son just a few months older than ours so they had …

Crystal Stafford, Dasan, Nosara

This Beautiful Boy

Feeling so blessed to witness these moments of exploration, seeing through eyes where everything is brand new and magical, those rocks, that sand, this beautiful boy and his beach. Magic 341/365, This Beautiful Boy and His Beach, Playa Guiones

Crystal Stafford, Dasan, Rio

Sunshine and the Light

We loved our days soaking in the rays with our little ray of sunshine on Ipanema Beach in Rio. Magic 338/365, Sunshine and the Light, Ipanema Beach, November 29, 2018

Crystal Stafford, Arpoador Rock, Ipanema, Rio

Sunset at Arpoador Rock

One of the first things I do when visiting a big city is google the best sunset spots. The Arpoador Rock came up in pretty much every list and when I finally went there I saw why. It’s a magical spot, creating the border between Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. He found our way after spending the …

Crystal Stafford, Santa Teresa, Rio

Family Thanksgiving in Rio

This best friend of mine, more of a soul brother than bestie, he and I have been everywhere together. We became soul friends for life in Russia when we were just 17. And then right after HE graduated from college (a good year before me because he was a much better student than I back then) he came and lived with me in Hawaii. And THEN when I moved to Congo, guess who came and lived there for a few months? Michael Boyd Stout. He is my ride or die in the truest sense of the phrase. And now, a few weeks ago when we got the wild idea to spend our “gap month” in Rio, I thought to myself, “I bet Michael would come.” And here is. He flew in on the red eye this morning and is ready to throw down for our 2nd thanksgiving abroad, the first was in Russia 23 years ago.

Magic 326/365, Thanksgiving Breakfast, Santa Teresa, Brazil, November 22, 2018

Crystal Stafford, Rio de Janeiro

My New Perch

The cool thing about being homeless is that you have the freedom to make your nest anywhere in the world that you want to go. That’s what we did. A couple of weeks ago we were looking for a new place to live in Nosara because the owners of our casa were returning from their rainy …

Crystal Stafford, Spiritualized Life, Jacksonville, Florida

Spiritualized Life No. 1

This is the first photo that I ever took of Spiritualized Life. I took it with this super shitty tiny digital camera but have loved this photo for decades ever since. It has been the wallpaper for multiple generations of laptops, including the one I currently have. It has become a piece of me, of …