Time Flies When You’re Having Fun!
Seriously I cannot believe it’s October and we are talking 2022 soon! I haven’t written since the first quarter so I’m pretty behind, but here’s some updates from April-September. So many fun adventures, Hawaii trip and surviving the pandemic. And awaiting even more new and exciting things for the rest of 2021 and into 2022!
April: (New job, Adventures, Covid shots)
April began with a bang as I put my 2 weeks in with Intersection. It was a very hard decision to leave after being there for 4 years, but I needed to find my passion again and find something that made me curious and made me learn. So I decided to take a big leap of faith and jump into software sales with HawkRidge Systems — a reseller of 3D solutions where we help customers design, manage, simulate, and manufacture their products. it’s crazy to think most everything I see around me was likely made through SolidWorks or some kind of software I sell. Software sales is so much technical information, but I love the team selling and culture so far!
Kevin and I started rock collecting and polishing rocks from different trips/parks we’ve gone too — Jackson Hole trip, Seahurst Park, Golden Gardens, Fay Bainbridge Park, Camano Island, Port Townsend..etc. The rocks are so amazing once they’re polished and I’m figuring out how to display all of our cool rocks! We did a lot of spontaneous things this month from manila clam digging, cleaning moss off Kevin’s roof, going real fishing, boating in the inflatable boat, finished the bear painting, and camping! I actually caught my first fish this month!! We also got out of the house and to our 1st Mariners game together on opening weekend. It was so strange to see fans out and about in the park, but so great to be back.
We got our 2nd dose of the vaccination and both didn’t feel the best after it, but on the bright side we could now see people sort of. Since we still were quarantining from Wyoming we couldn’t get together with everyone for Easter so we had ourselves our own little Easter dinner and did so much house work! In my backyard we decided to remodel so we took out all the old dirt, old plants/roots out, and spread new bark to help the soil before we bought new plants. As I work from my upstairs desk I get hit with the morning sun so I bought blinds — my first big girl house upgrade to add to all the small upstairs windows and it helps control the sunlight coming in!
May: (Celebrations, Renovations)
My birthday month!! May was a super jam packed month and it all started with getting new shrubs in the back yard! Went plant searching with my parents and got so many (japanese maple, rhody, azaleas, palm tree, smoke tree and some other random plants). Got them all nicely planted and my dad even built me a cute little garden. Kev and I went to the tilth sale to get veggies for the garden and some for our mommas too for mothers day! We added tomatoes, peppers, beets, eggplant, snap peas, and beans! We’ll see how they turn out!
Mothers Day we had brunch at my sister’s new house and honestly it was nice to be with family again especially without masks. We had a delicious brunch and spent some time with Kevin’s mom and grandma too! This was the first time we had to split time between our families — good practice for the bigger holidays down the road. We got to babysit my parent’s dog Luna for 4 days right after Mother’s day weekend. She has never left my dad’s side so I know it was a little tough on him, but she did super well. We took her to the dog park and she was terrified by all the other dogs and just liked being by herself.
And finally May ended with my birthday celebration with a family dinner where I actually got to see my grandpa for the first time in like forever. Just to be able to hold his hand and hug he was the best present. Kev took me cider tasting out at Finn River and Port Townsend — his secret mission was to take me whale watching, but unfortunately no luck. I’ll see one one day in the Puget Sound. The ferries were crazy busy so we ended up driving like 250 miles in one day and ended by real birthday with some yummy sushi! The birthday celebration continued over Memorial Day weekend when we actually got together with friends whom we haven’t seen in like a year and it was so amazing to just catch up and all be together. And then May officially ended after our razor clam digging adventure in Moclips where we got some big razor clams!
June: (Dieting, Friends, Hikes)
June has been a whirlwind of a month. Work has been crazy busy and I’m starting to finally get into the groove of things. Kevin and I started a new diet before we head to Hawaii — basically not too many carbs and more meats and veggies…and the worst part no sweets or super bad desserts. It’s definitely been tough to follow, but I can feel my body getting more in shape from eating better and getting to the gym.
We transformed my spare bedroom into a guestroom so our friends Jill and Brad could come stay the weekend in Seattle with us. Jill I met through an internship program when we were 18…can you believe it’s been 10 years since knowing each other. We added a pain by number painting Kev and I painted, some nightstands, and plants to brighten the room up. And then we added a tv and mounted that to the wall — that room has also turned into my call center for work since we added a small desk as well! It was so fun to have Jill and brad in town — we got to do some fun things around the city with them: take in the Mariners game, go to the San Juan Seltzery, try some fun restaurants in SLU and the International District, and of course visit Greenlake and Gas Works! So fun visiting with them and cannot wait to head down to Phoenix to visit them.
We did manage to get one hike in — too much snow in many places so we found a place called Greider Lakes out past Sultan. I made the mistake of not knowing how far off Highway 2 this hike would be…it’s a good 27 miles out there on a dirt road, but you get to the trailhead. The trail itself had lots of little streams to cross and was very long. It ended up being a 10 mile grueling hike of 40 switchbacks, but we made it to the lakes and the views were beautiful. We got to the lake and I totally forgot our snacks…my bad.
July: (Foster dog, Long Beach, Hiking)
July started with extreme hot weather and us fostering a dog! This was my first foster dog while Kevin has fostered many dogs with Seattle Humane. We picked up Scruffy, who was found running the streets in Belltown a couple weeks prior. He was a little guy, super scruffy, hence his name, and a little scared. He warmed right up to me and became my shadow. He was a fun pup, but definitely needed some potty training, leash training, and needed some real food in his system. We fostered him for a couple weeks, before we got him adopted with a very loving family! Overall a great experience, one I learned so many lessons from and happy Scurffy aka Leonard has such a great home.
Went to visit Long Beach, WA with my parents, sister and brother in-law for a weekend. Super cute little beachside town to explore — tried out kite flying, horseback riding, ate too much ice cream, played board games that left us all laughing way too hard, and enjoyed bonding time with the family. Found our way to two lighthouses, pretty beaches, and found some pretty awesome clam chowder! Stayed at a cute Airbnb literally right on the beach — fun cooking dinner with the family, taking the dogs out running on the beach, and smelling the fresh ocean waters!
We ended July with a wedding, and a couple hikes that I’ve wanted to do forever. We did Fremont Lookout on Mt Rainier, which was beyond beautiful. The mountain just looks so different up close and we chose a beautiful sunny July day! We went up their with Kevin’s brother who was in town from NYC and his parents who are hiking pros…I was exhausted and happy I had hiking poles! The other hike we did was Mt Strom King in Port Angeles, which has been on my bucket list for like 10 years! Finally accomplished her and had a blast cascading up and down the mountain.
August: Big Island of Hawaii Adventures
Our trip to Hawaii was much needed and was so amazing! We spent 3 nice, long weeks on the Big Island where we got lots of relaxation, sunshine, Ted’s chocolate haupia pies, beach, and pool time.
The first week was spent doing everything possible — golf, beaches, volcano, Hilo, explore everywhere. We went golfing our very first day and it was the nicest course I had ever played. It was super windy, but I played the best round of golf of my entire life! We explored our favorite beaches — we both had been a time before so we knew we had to visit Mauna Kea Beach, Hapuna Beach, etc. And of course we had to find some hikes in the valleys, which were beyond gorgeous and just made you feel like you were on another planet. But the best part of being on vacation and being in Hawaii were the sunsets — each night we’d go out and watch the beautiful sunsets!
Week two in Hawaii was more relaxed. We had dinner reservations at a couple places; we made our Costco runs and finally had a routine in place…wake up at 5:30am, go the the gym at 6, eat breakfast, head to a new beach for prime tanning hours 9–12, go back and eat lunch, head to the pool for afternoon sun, shower, eat dinner/dessert, watch movies. It was a great routine! We adventured back to places we wanted to see in Waimea, Hilo, and Kona — visiting lava tubes/caves, visiting other resorts, beaches, the national volcano park, and eating lots along the way.
Week three was relaxed and playing tour guide for Kevin’s sister who joined us on the last 4 days of our trip. We took her to our favorite places and got to sort of relive our first week in Hawaii. It was nice to show her all the fun places to enjoy! Overall our trip was magical and we so want to go back again soon!
September: Football, House Projects, Luna
September came quick — not only did we just return from Hawaii, but it seemed as the month went by in a blur. Football was officially back so it was fun to take Kevin to Husky Stadium with my new season tickets — I upgraded my seats to the 25 yard line. It finally felt like the pandemic was leaving us and we finally felt a little normalcy. Not only was football back, but the Mariners were playing amazing and the Kraken’s new Northgate iceplex finally opened!
The month was also filled with some big house projects. We decided to epoxy the garage floor before putting all of our racks, bikes, and whatever else in it. The transformation is crazy and I’m so glad we did it — the floor looks amazing and feels amazing too. We also added slider drawers in the kitchen pantry and under the cabinets for pots and pans — this was a game changer and has made things so much better in the kitchen aesthetically and usefully!
My parents went to Hawaii too during September and because they watched our house we in turn watched theirs and of course Luna! Little girl was fun to have around for 10 days — she finally figured out how to snuggle up and loved hanging out with Kevin downstairs while working. She was a little pest in the kitchen always looking for crumbs, but she was overall a big sweet heart and we were sad when we had to give her back…maybe it’s just wanting a dog.
Like I said April through September went by in a blur, but that’s what happens when lots happening and you’re just living life. It’s been so many adventures — I know we are constantly up to something every weekend somehow, but we like keeping busy. The hustle and bustle doesn’t stop here — October, November, and December look super busy too with Kraken games, galas, events, holidays, and more! I’ll update my goals as the year ends and I’ll see what I should add for next year! More to come!
