2025: one chapter ends and another begins

we're at the end of another year. one that included a whole lot of change for our family once again. it was almost exactly a year ago when thatcher and i started quietly discussing trying to make a move back to minnesota happen in 2025. there were many months where we were waiting on job clarity and i started to lose hope, but everything came together perfectly in the end. i am so happy to be where we are, but i find myself missing seattle (both the place and the people) often. sometimes i wonder what our life would be like if we had never moved there. but as a friend once told me "you can't compare different universes", you just have to go with the one you choose because only one is reality. here's how our year went: 

january

we eased back into the school routine after the two-week break. january is always dark and wet in seattle and seems to drag on. azalea had her first paid babysitting gig and she and i saw 'wicked' in the theater. ashford joined a basketball team for the first time that was made up of all of his friends and two of their dads who coached. i did my usual beginning-of-the-year purge of stuff from our house. ashford continued with piano lessons and went to ewan's 11th birthday party at an escape room. ashford also started some pre-season indoor baseball clinics. i went out to 'rays' for my friend kay's birthday. azalea went to see her friend sisi's 'school of rock' performance. trump was sworn in as president again and it felt depressing and surreal. we had a belated 11th birthday party for ashford at 'skyzone' trampoline park with all his buddies. thatcher and i started to throw around the idea of moving back to minneapolis, but we kept it between the two of us. 

   february 

my college roommate kaylee and her son beau came into town for a long weekend. we had fun catching up and showing them all the seattle sights. thatcher went to atlanta for three nights for work. the kids had two 'remote learning' days (aka modern-day snow days) after we got a dusting of snow. ashford had more basketball practices + games, as well as indoor baseball clinics. we watched the super bowl. i went to brunch to celebrate my friend beth's birthday. we went to the ballard high school info night. the kids celebrated valentine's day at school, and we celebrated at home with a chocolate souffle and a couple small gifts. the kids and i went to florida for a week for the their mid-winter break and spent time with my mom & brother, and also a day with our family friends kathy and garry. the weather was mixed, but we got lots of pool/beach time, meals out, and relaxing. unbeknownst to everyone but us, thatcher started interviewing with a consulting firm in minneapolis. 

march

ashford got his baseball team assignment and started outdoor practices. he continued with piano lessons and the final month of basketball. azalea had a belated end of soccer season party. ashford went to islandwood camp for 3 nights with all of the 5th graders. he had a great time, and we were so proud of how independent he was. azalea went to (2 days) of 'comic con' for the first time and loved it! march 11, 2025 marked 5 years since covid shut everything down. wow. i went to see one of my favorite musicians eric hutchinson at the tractor tavern. thatcher started spring planting at our property. ashford had his last basketball game and first baseball game(s) of the season. azalea turned 14 and we celebrated as a family with italian takeout, red velvet cake, presents, and a zoom call with family. she celebrated with her friends at 'flying squirrel' trampoline park and out for dinner at 'crackle mi.' ashford and i went to see his friend sebastian's play, 'frozen' with a group of friends.

april

the cherry blossoms put on a show, one of my favorite parts of spring. ashford had lots of baseball practices and games. he also continued with piano lessons. i took azalea and sisi to see the musical 'hadestown' at ballard high school. azalea got her hair professionally dyed a very vibrant pink :) she also started spring soccer. thatcher took some trips up to the property. ashford went to a mariner's game and had a sleepover for his friend starryn's birthday. we all went to portland for a night and caught up with friends and family. we also went to the rhododendron garden and some new food spots. we spent the rest of spring break at home: seeing friends, enjoying the sunshine, celebrating easter with just the four of us. thatcher went back to portland for a conference planning meeting. we all suffered through spring allergies, but especially azalea. we had hoped to know if we were going to move or not by mid-april, but it was still up in the air at this point. and we still hadn't told people.

may

ashford had lots more baseball practices/games and wrapped up the regular season. i had a lot of pta duties including teacher appreciation week and graduation planning. our minnesota friends karen and will visited one afternoon on a layover from singapore, azalea had a couple spring soccer games. i had a hotel overnight in kirkland with friends on mother's day weekend and also celebrated with thatcher and the kids when i returned. i went to ashford's last moveathon at school. we went to the syttende mai parade in our neighborhood and it was a very rainy. thatcher did a 20-mile walk across seattle from north to south with a group. azalea went to simone's 14th birthday party. grandma cheryl and grandpa durant visited for a week. we took them to some new (and old!) spots, ashford had a baseball game, and thatcher and i got to have an overnight in redmond over memorial day weekend. ashford's team entered the playoffs and lost their first two games, which ended their season. he was sick for the second game, so he had to miss it. azalea and i went to puppy yoga! still no decision on moving, but we were getting closer...

june 

ashford was officially diagnosed with the flu :( (who gets the flu in june?!) the rest of us managed to stay healthy and azalea went to 3-night camp on orcas island with 8th grade. we attended ashford's team's end of season party. we went to see ashford's friend sebastian in '13: the musical.' june 5th marked 10 years in seattle for us and june 9th marked 18 years of marriage for thatcher and me. just before school ended, we officially decided to make the move to minneapolis in august. it was really hard telling the kids, but they went from devastated to accepting amazingly fast. and not surprisingly, our friends and family in minnesota were over the moon and our friends in seattle were sad, but supportive. i helped with the 5th grade yearbook-signing picnic at ashford's school. thatcher turned 43 on june 12th. my mom came into town for a week of graduation celebrations. but first was father's day. we went to richmond beach and thatcher opened some gifts. azalea had her 8th grade graduation and two days later ashford had his 5th grade graduation. i was on the planning committee for it and it was soooo much work but turned out great. we were sad to leave the elementary school we've loved for 9 years. we kicked off summer with azalea being a counselor-in-training for boys and girls club, mini golf, and a going away party for one of my best friends vanessa who was moving back to canada after 10 years in seattle (just like us). i took azalea and two of her friends to the pride parade downtown. 

july

ashford went to a mariners game (with amazing seats!) for his friend elijah's birthday. i turned 41 and celebrated by having lunch out with friends, dinner out with the family, and ignoring all chores and responsibilities for the day. :) thatcher was officially offered a job in minneapolis, which was a huge relief and made things feel more real. we worked on purging and slowly packing up all of our belongings in anticipation of the move. on the 4th thatcher went for a hike with friends and the kids and i went to a pool party at some other friends' from school. ashford did a week of spart camp at his former elementary school. azalea did one more week of CIT at boys and girls club. we sold our 2.5 acre land in sumas to the neighbors. azalea went to her friend clementine's 14th birthday sleepover, the kids and i went to seafood fest in our neighborhood with friends. we traveled to minneapolis for 10 days where we got to see thatcher's siblings and their families in town from lusaka and manila, bought a house (!), and met my cousin austin's daughter gracie for the first time. it was a whirlwind trip. we came back to seattle for our final 3 weeks, which included one more weekend in portland to see family and friends. thatcher had his going away party for work, which i also attended. 

august 

august was a life-changing month! 8/1 marked 10 years since my dad died. it's hard to wrap my head around that one and i continue to miss him every day. thatcher had his last day of work at sound transit. purging and packing kicked into high gear. azalea and i went to an art fair at the p-patch community garden. ashford did a week-long basketball camp with two of his buddies. we had lots of going away gatherings with friends. ashford had his last in-person piano lesson. azalea went to her friend penny's 14th birthday party. our pod arrived and we hired local movers to help us fill it. we had too much stuff and had to purge even more than we expected at the last minute. my brother came in town for our last few nights. he and ashford went to a mariners game. thatcher and i did an argosy cruise around the harbor and through the locks. azalea went to the 'ren faire' with two friends. we did endless cleaning at our townhouse. my brother and the kids flew back to minneapolis together. the next day thatcher and i hit the road for our drive to minnesota. we enjoyed 3.5 days on the road, taking in the beautiful scenery, listening to lots of music, and visting the best coffee shops in each city. the kids stayed at thatcher's parents' for four days. we arrived in minneapolis and settled in at my mom's. we closed on our new house and did some projects before moving in almost two weeks later. we explored our new neighborhood in between cleaning and unpacking boxes from the pod. we got together with lots of friends and family who welcomed us back with open arms. we are so lucky. my brother and i saw 'james austin johnson' stand up show. thatcher, the kids, my brother, and i went to the minnesota state fair for the first time in 11 years and indulged in allll the food.

september

we got settled in our new home and the kids started middle and high school. they did great with the transition, though i know it wasn't easy for them. thatcher and i did lots of furniture shopping and he painted the dining room. we re-connected with more friends. ashford continued piano lessons with his seattle teacher on zoom and started playing saxophone for the school band. we went to the 'greek festival' and an art fair at centennial lakes. i went to see the the belfast cowboys play with my mom and a couple of her friends. azalea joined the theater stage crew at school. thatcher went to DC for 2 nights for a speaking engagement and also saw cedar and family. ashford missed a couple days of school due to sickness. we had curriculum nights at both kids' schools. azalea had some babysitting gigs. thatcher started his new job after 7 weeks off. i had a work happy hour at utepils. we had some waterproofing work done in the basement. it was a hot month with most days in the 80s. we went to the homecoming football game at azalea's high school. thatcher went to a gopher football game with a friend. the kids and i went to the linden hills fall festival. i went to a 'wicked' themed drag brunch with friends. we all attended my cousin austin and his wife abby's daughter gracie's first birthday party. 

october

we were very excited to have a new house (and yard!) to decorate for spooky season. we did some fall baking (lots of pumpkin treats). the weather finally started to cool down. there were multiple friend potlucks and parties this month. we watched the mariners in the playoffs and were bummed when they lost. azalea did more babysitting and also some yardwork for the neighbors. i went to the city of lakes art festival with my aunt cindy, we moved into my mom's house for six days while our floors got re-finished. it was the week of MEA break from school. thatcher and i attended school conferences. i took azalea and her friend to the 'madilyn mei' concert. we did some yardwork and enjoyed the fall foliage. it was finally cold enough to start using our gas fireplaces, which i love. azalea started a weekly thursday afternoon babysitting gig. azalea and i volunteered at the annual community ed family halloween party. we hadn't been to it since she was three. thatcher went to the pnw for four nights for a work conference. the kids and i were supposed to go to a pumpkin patch with friends but it got rained out. we carved pumpkins and celebrated halloween. we missed our friends in seattle who we spent so many halloweens with, but we still had fun in our new neighborhood. 

november

we voted in-person for election day for the first time in 10 years. the kids finished their first quarter of middle and high school and earned good grades. we celebrated grandma cheryl's birthday. thatcher and i saw 'of monsters and men' in concert. we all went to see the production at the high school that azalea worked stage crew on called 'out of the frying pan.' we had the coldest temps we've seen since living here and some flurries too. we brought home an 8-week-old mini goldendoodle who we named winnie and instantly fell in love with her. she took up most of our time the rest of the month as we got her used to living with us and tried to help her sleep at night. azalea had a cast party for her theater production. i joined a new book club and went to the first meet up. i went out for lunch for my friend kirstyn's birthday. azalea and i saw 'wicked for good' in the theater. the kids had a 5-day weekend for thanksgiving. we had our first snowfall of the season (7 inches over a couple of days) and went sledding. we celebrated thanksgiving with the macy's parade and an extended family dinner at my mom's. on black friday we went to a tree farm to cut down a tree and decorated the house for christmas. 

december

a lot of hours were dedicated to taking care of winnie including going to puppy classes. thatcher went to texas for 2 nights for work. we had our first below zero temps and lots of snow dumped on us throughout the month. ashford was supposed to have his first band concert but missed it due to sickness. my aunt lea and cousin jaclyn came from new jersey for a long weekend. we celebrated jaclyn's 40th birthday (a week early) and packed in as many festive outings as we could. i had a holiday dinner for my book club and we had friends over for dinner a couple times. ashford turned 12. our nephew jack came into town; we went snow tubing and we celebrated ashford with the rest of the family at our house. we had some sick germs passed around our family. we spent more time with jack over the break. we celebrated christmas eve at thatcher's parents and christmas day at my aunt cindy and uncle corey's with lots of extended family. the last week of the year was filled with lots of rest in front of the fireplace, watching snow fall, and reading/screen time. new years eve on the couch - here i come. 

now we have a fresh new year ahead with lots of memories to make in minnesota.