2021: a.k.a. covid year 2

i think we all went into 2021 with pretty high hopes for a better year. at first is seemed like covid was never going to get better, then slowly it did - thanks to the vaccine...but then came the variants. in many ways 2021 was way better than 2020. the kids actually had in-person school, our family managed to stay healthy, we got to see more friends and family, there were vaccines for adults and kids (thank you science!). we live in a part of the country that is extremely covid-concious, so the way i talk about the pandemic may seem extreme to you depending on where you live, but it's been very normal for us to go out of our way to keep ourselves and others safe for the past 21 months by wearing our masks, getting vaccinated, and keeping things outdoors when possible. washington has had one of the lowest death rates per capita in the country, so it has been well worth it. but omicron is just getting started, so the pandemic continues...

i've done a yearly recap for the past eleven years now! 

 january

we kicked off the year with finishing our trip to the oregon coast. before heading back to seattle, we stopped to see our old minneapolis neighbors pat and brenda at their vacation home in pacific city, and our friends ian, joanna, and kyla in portland. the kids went back to school (remotely) after two weeks off for the holidays. the pandemic was in full force with over 200,000 cases and 3,000 deaths per day in the u.s. vaccines started being rolled out to elderly folks and people in communal living. the kids had lots of outdoor, masked play dates. it rained and rained, but it was a pretty warm january overall. we all attended ewan's 7th birthday party (outdoors in shifts). we hiked the "garfield ledges" trail in north bend. president joe biden and vice president kamala harris were sworn into office. oh happy day! we did a family bike ride to golden gardens.

 

 february 

the rain continued into february, but we enjoyed some sunny days too. as covid vaccines continued to slowly rollout across the country, the number of cases started to trend downward. most kids around the country started going back to school, but our school district stayed remote. we watched the super bowl. the kids kicked off their midwinter break from school with an epic snowstorm - close to a foot over the course of 2 days. we had a blast sledding, making snowmen, and enjoying the beauty. we celebrated valentine's day with heart pancakes, a chocolate souffle, and some gifts. the rest of break, we went mini golfing, had outdoor play dates, and i met friends for dinner at a restaurant (outdoors) one night. the grandparents got their first dose of the covid vaccine. we did a 24 hour family trip to bellingham where we ate lots of good food and hung out by the water. the weather was beautiful and it was nice to have a change of scenery.

march

school and work continued remotely in march. the cherry blossoms started blooming, which is always a welcomed sight. march 11th marked one year since school closed and the pandemic began. wow! as more people continued to get vaccinated, cases in the u.s. began to plateau at about 55,000 a day and 1,000 deaths per day. biden announced every adult would be eligible for the vaccine in april  and governor inslee announced a plan to get all kids back in school at least part time. a huge morale boost! we enjoyed some lovely 60 degree days. ashford started playing on a baseball team with kids from school. he and i attended his friend callum's birthday party in their backyard. azalea turned 10! she celebrated with friends and family, both on zoom and in person. she also requested to get her ears pierced after years of declaring she never would. :)

april 

the kids had 3 days with no live school instruction while the teachers prepped for their return to the building. covid cases started slowly creeping up again around the country, though deaths continued to drop. ashford and i went to an outdoor birthday party for his friend fritz. we celebrated easter with baskets from the bunny, homemade brunch, and a homemade bbq feast for dinner. april 5th was the first day of in-person school since march 2020. woo hoo! 2.75 hours a day, 4 days a week. thatcher and i both got our first covid vaccines. azalea started spring soccer. over spring break we traveled to ashford, wa for 3 nights. we stayed in an airbnb cabin, did a hike to mashel falls, and enjoyed being away and relaxing. we had a pizza picnic at sunset hill park one night, we enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather and sunshine. we checked out gene coulon memorial beach park in renton for the first time. ashford had his first baseball game. i got my second covid vaccine. such a good feeling!

 

 may 

covid cases finally started to go down again as more people across the united states became fully vaccinated. it was so encouraging! the cdc even loosened mask requirements for those who are fully vaccinated, though washington only allowed it for a short while. the kids had more baseball and soccer games and continued with their hybrid school schedule. thatcher got his second dose of the vaccine. my mom and brother visited for a week. we played lots of games, went out to eat on patios, took them to the beach park in renton, and relaxed on our sunny deck. they had some of the nicest weather of the month. thatcher and i got to have a rare date night at casco antiguo in south lake union and elliot bay park. the weather cooled down and got more rainy. we had a picnic dinner at a state park on camano island one night. the kids and i went to golden gardens for azalea's friend simone's birthday party. for memorial day we spent the night at a hotel on the olympic peninsula (port angeles and a hike at lake crescent).

june

june was b-u-s-y. covid cases and deaths in the US plummeted to their lowest level since the pandemic began. the end of the school year snuck up on us. june was filled with end of the year celebrations for both baseball and school. it also marked 6 years of living in seattle, thatcher's 39th birthday, our 14th wedding anniversary, and father's day. we took the kids to a mariners game, our library finally re-opened, and i had a fully vaxxed celebratory sleepover with some mom friends. our family went to orcas island for the first time and camped for 2 nights at moran state park. thatcher also did a 1 night backpacking trip with friends in the cascades. june had some chilly and rainy days, but by the end of the month there was a record breaking heat wave: 101, 104, and 108 degrees for 3 days in a row. we tried to stay cool by going to golden gardens, secret beach, and the mounger pool. we also spent a glorious night at a hotel just for the AC (most homes in seattle don't have it). the kids did their first summer day camp in two years at boys and girls club. they loved it!

 

july

thankfully the weather returned to "normal" seattle summer when july arrived. covid cases on the other hand, started ticking up because of the highly contagious delta variant and people refusing to get vaccinated. 99% of deaths and hospitalizations by this point were people who were unvaccinated. i turned 37 on july 3rd. i celebrated with an outdoor lunch with friends at stoneburner, thai takeout for dinner, homemade funfetti cake, and a 'father of the bride' movie night with thatcher and the kids. we spent the 4th at a bbq at vanessa's with some friends. the kids did a week of swimming lessons at blue ridge pool, we spent many afternoons soaking up the sun at mounger pool, and hung out at secret beach. we went mini golfing with friends in interbay. we spent two nights at a cabin at cama beach on camano island. we went to our first movie in a theater in 18 months. the kids did another week at boys and girls club and theater/lego camp at the community center. we went to portland for a night to see our minnesotan friends and celebrate their daughter's 10th birthday. 

august

we spent most of the month of august in minnesota visiting friends and family. the only downside was that (delta variant) covid cases started skyrocketing around the u.s. mostly in the unvaccinated, but also in some vaccinated people. so so frustrating after 2 months of near-normalcy. but life went on, with caution. i had an overnight stay in rochester with my college roommates, the kids went mini golfing twice, to wading pools and a splash park, we ate ice cream every day, my mom and i went to the irish fair on harriet island, my mom, brother, and i spent a long weekend in new jersey visiting family, we hung out with anders and nith who were also in town, went to como zoo, and soaked up every moment of getting to be together. i love that my remote job setup gives me the flexibility to take long trips back to minnesota. it's hard living across the country from our family, but these extended trips sure help.

 

september

school started on september 1st this year. 5th grade for azalea (her last year of elementary) and 2nd grade for ashford. their first time being back in-person full time since march 2020. unbelievable! we met kelli, jake, and addison for a weekend camping trip outside portland. we had fun catching up, going to multnomah falls, and hood river. azalea started fall soccer again. it was back to pta and grade rep meetings for me. the rainy season began, which always makes me wanna slow down, read a book, and cook & bake. i had a night out for my friend louise's birthday where we had a group curling lesson, which was a fun first! covid continued to rage on around the country, but thankfully the kids' school stayed covid-free for the most part. masks work, i'll tell you that!

october

spooky month! we decorated the house for halloween. ashford went to 'fox hollow farm' with his friend arlo's family. thatcher attended the opening of three new light rail stations in seattle. thatcher's parents visited us for a week. they saw the new light rail stations, played with the kids, and watched one of azalea's soccer games. thatcher and i got to go to bellingham/mount baker for a kid-free overnight. the kids and i went to bailey farm to pick apples and pumpkins. my step grandpa bob z passed away at age 96. we all got our flu shots. we helped plan/attended an outdoor fall festival at the kids' school. my friend kay had a halloween party in her yard for the kids. we spent 2 nights at the cama beach cabins on camano island again. it was chilly, but fun! we trick or treated with neighborhood friends on halloween and had a blast. 

november 

we voted in the local election. azalea had her last soccer games of the season. she also went to a skating birthday party for her friend gillian at the new kraken practice facility. the kids (and thatcher) had the day off for veterans day and also a surprise day off school the next day when too many teachers took the day off. (yikes). we had multiple farewell gatherings for our aussie friends who we were lucky enough to get to know for the past 3 years. we will miss them. the kids were finally able to get their first dose of the covid vaccine. such a great day! our nephew telemachus was born on 11/17 to cedar and erich (and big brother jack) in beijing. the kids had a week off school for conferences and thanksgiving. i had a friendsgiving sleepover with mama friends in madrona. my brother visited for 4 nights and we enjoyed hanging out with him, play dates with friends, lots of cooking & baking, and movie nights. we decorated the house for christmas. my favorite thing ever!

december

the most cozy and festive month! we had another new nephew born on 12/1 (baby moss - born to anders and nith in washington dc). we are overjoyed to have new little ones in our family, even though they live far away. azalea's soccer team played in a post-season city tournament. we did lots of baking, watched a bunch of christmas movies, and mailed our holiday cards. the kids got their second covid shots and thatcher and i got our boosters. we saw azalea's teacher's photography at the sunset hill holiday craft fair, we took the light rail downtown and went to pike place market and to see the holiday lights at westlake park. azalea and i went skating at the kraken rink with her friend simone and her mom. the kids went on winter break from school. i took them bowling. ashford turned 8 and celebrated with a few friends at our house, mini golf with more friends at flatstick pub, and cake, presents, and a family zoom. the omicron variant started spreading like crazy. we went to olympic manor to see the lights, we celebrated christmas with just the 4 of us: made cookies for santa, cooked a bunch of food, watched movies, and relaxed. the day after christmas we got 6 inches of snow and the temperature dropped into the teens (the lowest we've ever experienced in seattle). azalea's friend simone slept over at our house for the first time. we spent the last 4 days of 2021 cozied up at a snowy cabin on the hood canal enjoying the hot tub, fireplace, and scenery. 

we are welcoming 2022 with open arms and hoping for a healthier year for all, more travel, and time spent with family and friends. happy new year!