2018: that's a wrap

here we are, just days away from 2019. why is it that the older you get, the faster a year goes by? when i was a kid, i used to think it was so weird how adults would talk about things that happened 20 years earlier like it was 5 minutes ago, but now i totally get it! i have to say, 2018 was a good one: another year in seattle, our last year before we have two kids in elementary school. let's take a trip down memory lane, just like the last 8 years: 

2010  |  2011  |  2012  |  2013 |  2014 |  2015 |  2016 |  2017


january: 

we kicked off 2018 by flying kites at soundview field with the kids. ashford and i got to see our friends chrissy and eli (who moved from seattle to hamburg, germany in march 2016). our family went on a hike at snoqalmie falls to the bottom of the falls for the first time. we all went to ewan's 4th birthday party at the phinney ridge community center. we attended a game night potluck with families from ashford's preschool. the kids and thatcher went to see paddington 2 in the theater. azalea and i participated in the women's march downtown(pictured) with my friends erica and heather and their boys. the vikings made it to the final round of the playoffs, and we watched them (lose) at our minnesota friends mark, tina, and emily's house. i spent a weekend on vashon island with my mama friends - eating, drinking, hot tubing and relaxing. heaven! azalea attended her friend audrey's 7th birthday party at their house where she lost her front tooth! 

february:



the kids and i checked out a new play place in ballard called "heca play labs" and visited a preschool fair to support "the inc." we all attended azalea's school's "family dance" at the community center. we watched the superbowl, which was held in minneapolis. so fun even thought the vikings did not play! ashford had his 4 year old check ups - doctor and dental. we had our neighbor friends martine, josh, bruce, & beatrice over for the olympic opening ceremony. we took a day trip to deception pass on whidbey island. we bought a membership to the pacific science center and got our money's worth in the first month! the kids celebrated valentine's day by making valentines for their classmates and we celebrated as a family with chocolate cake/gifts. both kids were off school for a week for mid-winter break. we traveled to vancouver, bc for one night. it was chilly and there was snow on the ground, but it was as beautiful and fun as ever! we enjoyed the hotel pool, going out to eat, the maritime museum, and the vancouver lookout. we visited the new "salt and straw" ice cream shop that recently came to seattle. so delicious! it snowed a couple inches one saturday and was gone by the afternoon! the kids had a blast playing in it with the neighbors while it lasted.

march: 



march brought some super nice spring weather (70s!). we got re-acquainted with our favorite playgrounds and beaches. i went to my friend erica's house to watch her practice her "mom's demand action" (gun sense) presentation. thatcher and azalea attended thatcher's coworker's daughter kiarra's 7th birthday party at "the little gym". thatcher went on a day hike with friends. i chaperoned ashford's preschool field trip to the "thistle theater" in our neighborhood. azalea's class was there too! we all went to see the cherry blossoms at uw and out for lunch with thatcher's coworker chris, his wife misty, and their daughter, penny. azalea, vanessa, and i went to see "the oh hellos" play at the neptune theater - azalea's first concert! azalea turned 7! (pictured). she had a party with friends at playdate seattle (indoor play place). we also celebrated at home as a family, and in her 1st grade class with mini cupcakes. 

april: 



i celebrated my friend heather's birthday at "the backdoor at roxy's" in fremont. thatcher went to his first sounders (pro soccer) game with some coworkers. ashford came down with a bad case of hives the night before easter and went to the ER at 6am with thatcher :( azalea and i went to my friend heather's for an easter celebration with friends. azalea got sick the week after and missed a few days of school. azalea had her first grade musical "arf" and it was adorable! azalea joined a soccer team with a bunch of girls from her grade. the games were held outdoors and the first couple weeks were pretty wet and miserable. thatcher did the emerald city bike ride again - which was cold and wet as well! our friends ian, joanna, and kyla came into town and we ate our way through capitol hill, and hung out at seattle center. azalea and ashford had a week off for spring break. we did activities in and around seattle: maple leaf park, everett children's museum, mcdonalds playland, the zoo, and a ferry trip to bainbridge to visit friends. we had our first visit to a seattle micro-brewery with our friends casey & rob and their daughters and it was super kid-friendly! i had my turn being sick for a couple days. ashford and i took my cousin's kids' "flat stanley" to gasworks park. thatcher and i got to have a date night (pictured) thanks to vanessa and matt. we went to pestle rock thai and salt and straw for ice cream in ballard. we all did an "urban hike" at carkeek park. after a cold start to april, the weather got super nice again at the end of the month and we spent lots of time at golden gardens beach pretending it was summer. 

may: 



we had beautiful weather in may! my mom came into town for a week. we went out to eat a few times, visited the chihuly museum, golden gardens, the locks, and the ballard farmers market. thatcher and i got to have our first overnight sans kids (in 5 years!). we went to leavenworth, wa which is 2.5 hours away in the mountains. it's a very kitschy bavarian-themed town, but it had been on our list to visit. on our trip, we hiked icicle ridge. the scenery was beautiful but the hike kicked my butt ;) we went out for dinner, explored downtown leavenworth, and visited the museum in town. the kids were easy for grandma jan (thank god). my group of friends went to see our friend amy's art displayed at the belltown art walk and went to dinner at "orfeo". thatcher went on a day hike with friends. azalea went to her friend neko's 7th birthday party at the rock climbing gym in our neighborhood. on mother's day, thatcher made us all breakfast, we went to azalea's soccer game, had chipotle for lunch, and i got a little me time too. we went to the annual syttende mai (norweigan constitution day) parade in our neighborhood. i got to see my college roomie kaylee (and her husband preston) for the first time in 5 years during their layover in seattle. thatcher's sister cedar bought a last minute ticket to visit us over memorial weekend (her first time!). we had a great time showing her around ballard, fremont, downtown, the mountains, and bainbridge island (pictured). whew! my life long friend kelli was in town at the same time. i met up with her and her friends at the columbia winery in woodinville. it was so nice to catch up in person after 18 months. 

june: 



azalea's teacher was out for a family emergency the last 3 weeks of the school year, so she had a substitute. i had my annual "board retreat" day for the inc. coworking. azalea attended her friend henry's 7th birthday at "family fun center". june 5th marked 3 years in seattle for us (wow!). the first half of june was unseasonably cool. ashford attended his friend kai's 5th birthday party. june 9th marked 11 years of marriage for thatcher and me (whoa!). we celebrated with a family date to the pacific science center, watched the ballard criterium bike race, and had a family dinner at "uneeda burger" in fremont. azalea had her last soccer game of the season. our friends mark, tina, and emily came for dinner one night. thatcher turned 36 on the 12th! we had a low key celebration at home. my aunt and cousins from new jersey came for a 5 day stay, as did my brother. they stayed in an airbnb about a half mile from us. we had a great time showing them the city. we went to pike place market & pioneer square, and out for dinner to "rays" in ballard for my brother's birthday. they went to vancouver without us (too far for a day trip with the kids). we took them to gold creek pond (pictured). some of the group went to a mariners game. on father's day, lea, kelly, maria, and i went to chateau st. michelle winery. ha! the guys stayed with the kids and took them to the locks and out for lunch. we had a busy end of the school year. "graduation" for ashford (to the next year of preschool), a carnival, a picnic, an award ceremony (humanitarian award for azalea!), track and field afternoon. whew! we hit the road for portland the afternoon school got out. we stayed at thatcher's cousin jade's. she and her husband were traveling, but her mom and dad were in town from alaska dog-sitting. we went out to eat and to "draper girls farm" outside hood river with his aunt and uncle and other cousin's wife jammie. we also visited our friends ian, joanna, and kyla who had just moved to portland from minneapolis. we left for a 17 day trip to minneapolis on june 27th. 

july: 



the first half of july was spent in minnesota, which was so nice! thatcher was able to be there for such a long stretch because the last 4 days he was attending a conference planning meeting in st. paul. it was super hot and humid while we were there. highlights of our trip: going to my aunt and uncle's cabin for my (34th) birthday and the 4th of july (pictured), a visit to itasca state park. we saw lots of our family, friends, and former neighbors. when we returned, we went to viking days at the new nordic museum, my (now former) neighbor martine and i saw a prince cover band during seafood fest, azalea did "sparts" camp at her school, we had play dates and went out for ice cream. thatcher went on a day hike with some co-workers. we visited wading pools and splash pads. we discovered populuxe brewery, which is super kid friendly! our old neighbors adam & holly and their boys were in town from minneapolis and we spent a morning with them at the locks and the farmers market. july was hot! ashford attended preschool camp at loyal heights community center, azalea got an expander put in her mouth and we had to learn how to "turn" it with a tool each morning, we dog-sat out neighbor dog nacho for an afternoon. my friend teresa who moved to the phillipines with her family last summer was in town, so i got to have dinner with her and some girl friends at "stoneburner." azalea went to her friend brennan's 7th birthday party at seattle gymnastics academy.  

august: 



august 1st marked 3 year since my dad died. i miss him so much. :( ashford did another preschool camp at golden gardens beach. i took azalea on our yearly mother/daughter manicure date :) we went to the mohai museum for the first time. thatcher's friend nate came for a long weekend to go hiking. we also enjoyed showing him around seattle. i was supposed to have my one week of the summer where both kids were in camp - but sickness hit our house. i took azalea on our annual back to school shopping trip, the kids did a week of swimming lessons at blue ridge pool. the weather cooled way down and the air filled with smoke from the wildfires :( the kids traded germs back and forth and were sick for almost 2 weeks. azalea did karate camp at the community center and ashford did another week at golden gardens. we went to the community center's "tuesday night family night" that had a bouncy house. i saw "crazy rich asians" with my friend chrissy. after 10 years with our hyundai elantra, we replaced it with a 2018 subaru forester (pictured) and we love it so much! we met up with thatcher's old co-worker eric and his wife elise at pike place market when they were in town. we took a day trip to anacortes, wa in our new ride :) 

september: 



labor day weekend our friends ian, joanna, and kyla came up from portland. we all crammed into our tiny apartment and it was a blast. we took them to discovery park, gold creek pond in the mountains, populuxe brewing, and seward park. azalea learned how to ride a two wheel bike! we said goodbye to summer and school started up again. 2nd grade for azalea, last year of preschool for ashford. thatcher and azalea went to the coast for a daddy/daughter camping trip. azalea started swimming lessons again at the ballard pool. i went to a second grade mom happy hour at hotel albatross. thatcher went on a day hike with co-workers to the north cascades. both kids went to a birthday party at "pump it up" for our friends ella-kate and julie. my mom came into town for a week. she got to attend azalea's "back to school night". my mom and i got a lot of quality time together while the kids were in school. my favorite outing was going to chateau st. michelle winery with her :) thatcher and i went on another overnight trip, this time to port townsend, wa. we enjoyed exploring the downtown, hiking through fort worden, going to the farmers market, eating delicious food/coffee, and getting to have uninterrupted conversations. my least favorite part of september was having to say goodbye to our favorite neighbors martine, josh, bruce, and beatrice (pictured) as they moved to mexico city for at least 2 years. we really miss them! 

october: 



we had our yearly visit to "bailey farm" in snohomish to pick apples/pumpkins and play on the hay bales/barn swings. thatcher and the kids went to brickcon (lego convention) for the third year in a row. i had another weekend getaway with my group of friends. we stayed on whidbey island and just like past weekends, enjoyed the hot tub, fireplace, good food/wine, and conversation. thatcher traveled to pittsburgh for 5 days for a work conference. the kids and i went to swansons nursery and did some fall activities and we attended ashford's friend lochlann's 5th halloween/birthday party. thatcher's cousin sage was in town from san diego with his wife kristen and their daughter stella. we took them to the locks, and thatcher and the kids went to carkeek beach with them the next day. we carved our pumpkins (the kids were really into it this year). on halloween the kids dressed up as batgirl and batman, and i was super woman (pictured). ashford wore his costume to school and they painted pumpkins. we went trick or treating in downtown ballard with vanessa, matt, and ewan and had dinner at "the hi life". 

november: 



in november we explored camano island for the first time (while it down poured on us). i participated in #onedayhh for the 5th year in a row. azalea got braces (in addition to the expander). azalea and i went to her school's "fall harvest party." thatcher's old co-worker/friend jackie was in town, so we met up with her at zeitgeist coffee. we started reading harry potter to azalea. we went to "julefest" at the new nordic museum. we surprised the kids by having my brother visit the week of thanksgiving. they were so excited! the kids had the whole week off school: we went went to the coworking space, funtastic playtorium, had a conference with azalea's teacher, ate at the boar's nest (unkie's favorite!), mighty o's for donuts, went to the science center, celebrated thanksgiving with the macy's parade, a (rainy) walk to the locks (pictured) and a turkey dinner! we put up our tree and decorated for christmas. we introduced the kids to "home alone." we went to see "the grinch" in the theater with vanessa and ewan. azalea went to her friend maggie's 8th birthday party at chuck.e.cheese. 

december: 



thatcher's parents came into town for a week. it was the first time they have visited together. we had a fantastic time with them - enjoying all things christmas. we ate at mighty o's, mod pizza, and patxi's pizza. thatcher's cousin lloyd and his wife jammie came up from portland. we went to the santa lucia pageant at the nordic museum, cheryl and i did the theo chocolate tour in fremont. thatcher and i got a 12 hour "day date" during which we got some christmas shopping done, explored new neighborhoods, and went out for lunch and dinner. we did lots of baking for the holidays. azalea went to her friend ben's 8th birthday party at arena sports. we had some mild colds at our house, but nothing compared to flu-pocolypse last december. we stayed in seattle the week before christmas for the first time since we moved here. i attended a send-off happy hour for one of our executive directors at "the inc", we saw the christmas ships at the locks with vanessa, matt, and ewan. i celebrated my friend erica's birthday at re:public in south lake union. we did the "santa train" from north bend to snoqualmie with our friends casey, rob, ella-kate, and julie. we went to see santa at swanson's and took our annual picture with him. ashford turned 5! he celebrated with treats at school, and we had vanessa, matt, and ewan over for tacos and cake. we went ice skating with the kids for the second time ever at highland ice arena (pictured). the four of us celebrated christmas with a couple of cozy, low key days at home. we ate, we drank, we watched christmas movies, and listened to christmas music, we all bickered from too much togetherness and it was perfect :) this week went to the coworking space, the zoo, and visited thatcher at work. only thing left to do this year is celebrate new years eve. we don't have any plans, but i'm more than happy to curl up on the couch in my pajamas and go to bed by 10pm! 

2019...here we go!