Productive, Despite All Odds

Apparently, I'm an annual blogger now. Life happens so fast, and with such force that the once-a-quarter blog posts of the past are no longer a possibility. I do love looking back though, on all that has happened in our lives over the course of 12 months, so I'll continue to do that... even if it takes sending out our Christmas cards to light the fire under me.

Here's our 2022 in monthly recap form:

January

With the beginning of each new year, we celebrate another trip around the sun for Paloma, who turned 11 this year. I finally got hit with Covid, but luckily tested negative just in time to spend a weekend with two of my best friends in Southern California. I was able to show my cousin Kerry a copy of her beautiful artwork in hardcover form, and we got excited knowing we were that much closer to the book project being done.

February

We had a fun visit from the Giovannetti family who came down from Seattle for a Blazers game. Paloma's basketball season started up again, this time with some familiar faces from her 3rd grade/pre-covid season. The girls had to play with masks on still, but at least they got to play!

March

Paloma participated in her elementary school's production of Hansel and Gretel. She played the Grandma, and was adorable in her costume (with matching mask). The day after this performance, the mask mandate was finally lifted in Multnomah County, and we were all very thankful. I participated in a team photoshoot with Bridal Bliss, which got me really excited for my 2nd season with the company. Solon and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary with an AMAZING Italian dinner from a restaurant in our 'hood, and we spent a few days of our kids' Spring Break back in Piedmont, visiting with some of our favorite people there. March was a very full and fun month.

April

Grandma Chacha came in town to celebrate her "Jubilee" birthday (75), right in time for everything to be in bloom in Portland. We had a wonderful few days together exploring nearby gardens and farms, and treated her to a fancy birthday dinner with views of the city. We love it when she comes to visit! After she left, I got word that the 300+ copies of my very first children's book were being printed, and on their way to me. I was so excited that I had come this far with the project.

May

The kids wrote me Mother's Day raps and I had some fun comparing old pictures of Solon and me to our kids' school pictures. People always say that Solon and Quincy are twins, and Paloma and I are twins, but I think Quincy looks more like me at this age, and Paloma looks more like Solon. See for yourself! By the end of May, copies of my book had landed in over 18 states across the USA, and the print-on-demand company that I used already had it listed on Amazon! The most amazing feeling was seeing my book in the hands of children in all the pictures that were sent to me by my friends and supporters.

June

Paloma performed in her school's talent show, and then was "promoted" to middle school the following week. Our days as elementary school parents officially ended. 😳 "Summer of Fun" had officially begun, and we were ready for a couple months full of adventure, starting off with two of Paloma's besties coming to visit.  We had a blast with Holly and Makena, eating our way through the PDX area and exploring Astoria, Oregon on our self guided Goonies Tour. By the end of June, I had already coordinated three weddings, and Violet from Piedmont flew on a plane by herself to come see us for a few days. 

July

Now it was Quincy's turn to have some quality friend time with his best buddy, Daniel, who lives in Colorado. Quincy took his first unaccompanied flight, and this was the longest he had ever been away from us. Five days later, we picked him up from the airport with a big smile on his face, and an experience that he will never forget. LilyKate (who's like a niece to me) came to the PNW for a swim meet one weekend, which gave us a whole day to show her around our area before she had to return to AZ. We hit up Multnomah Falls, the food carts, the Rose Garden, and went thrifting all in one afternoon! It was great to spend some time with her and learn about the awesome young human she has become. At the end of the month, I coordinated a gorgeous wedding on the hottest day of the summer (High of 103), and the next night, Paloma and I went to the Crystal Ballroom to hear Calum Scott perform live, and he was AMAZING.

August

We enjoyed a quick visit from Mimi and Grandpa Meredith, and I took them to view the beautiful gardens at Lewis and Clark College where I would be coordinating a wedding later in the month. Solon and I took the kids and Sunny for a day trip to the Washougal River, just NE of Portland across the Washington state border. It really is amazing how many beautiful areas there are within an hour's drive from our house. I spent the 7th anniversary of my dad's passing up in Olympia, WA with Charissa, taking time to get caught up on life and see something beautiful (which he would have liked). I coordinated two of the most beautiful weddings this month, and then the week of my birthday, the 4 of us (plus Sunny) headed to the Oregon coast for a few days of family time in Seaside. 

September

The kids started school, and then a couple days later we headed up to Issaquah to spend the Labor Day weekend and celebrate birthdays with Lisa, Tony, and Alynsia. I had another two weddings this month, one at the Portland Art Museum, and the other in Yamhill County/Wine Country. Paloma and I drove down to Eugene to see Hamilton performed LIVE, and I continue to be amazed by that show and the absolutely brilliantly talented performers it recruits for its various tours and performances.

October

This month featured a quick weekend in Las Vegas to spend some QT with Christina who I hadn't seen since Summer 2021. It was soul-filling and so much fun - it always is when we are together. Paloma went away with the 6th grade to "Outdoor School" (camp), a long-standing tradition in the Portland Public School District. She was away from us for five days, and the house was eerily quiet without her there. I took Quincy to the first concert of his choice - Alec Benjamin - who I really wasn't familiar with, but was thoroughly impressed with, by the end of the night.  Paloma returned from camp slightly more independent, and grateful for my cooking. Soon after, she had her first choir concert at school. We had some fun for Halloween - dressing up as various things; Quincy as the Punisher, Paloma as a Barbie, Solon as a rapper, and I went as Julia Child. Bon appetite!

November

Quincy and the members of the Symphonic Band at school had the honor of playing in the first Veteran's Day Parade in Portland in 3 years. They marched and played, over and over, for an hour. Paloma and I watched from the sidewalk and followed them the last 1/4 of the route until the end. It was honestly so impressive how professional they looked and sounded. They have an amazing band director, and Quincy seemed to be pretty pleased with the whole experience. Solon and I enjoyed a bit of the local college's football game, and Sunny got her haircut right before the temps dropped, so we got her a puffer vest (which we're not sure she loves).  It had been over a year since we'd been back to AZ for a visit, so we went back the week of Thanksgiving since our kids had the whole week off. It's always impossible to see everyone we'd like to see when we go back - having lived there 36 years of my life, and 15 years with Solon, we know a lot of people from different phases in our life that mean so much to us! But this visit was really important to connect with family, and so we did just that. 

December

And just like that, we have a 14-year-old. We spent the eve of Quincy's birthday looking through the digital hard drive, and showing the kids home videos taken the night before Quincy's arrival. The memories were so beautiful, and revisiting them is something we need to do more often. The kids really loved it, and I think they are now at an age where they can actually start to grasp all that parents do for their kids. We took the birthday boy and a handful of his buddies bowling, and he had a great time. Paloma's middle school basketball season got off to a great start with 3 wins in a row; we're looking forward to watching her play into the Spring. I closed out wedding season with my 13th (!) wedding of the year, and it was such a fun and beautiful night in Downtown Portland. Solon went all "Clark Griswold" on the outside of the house, and I went all "Buddy the Elf" on the inside of the house, preparing for our Christmas visitors (Lisa, Tony, Alynsia), who will be driving down from Seattle, and bringing Royce who is flying in from AZ for the holiday. 

These last few years have really thrown everyone curve ball after curve ball, and these last few weeks have really shown us how truly short life is, and how fast it all happens. We think its important to lead with love, check in on your friends and family, and be intentional with your time and your words. Let us all live our lives in a way that make our children and grandchildren proud, and as my mom says "leave the place better than you found it". Let's never waste an opportunity to tell people just how much they mean to us; you never know who needs to hear exactly that. 

If you're reading this, you have meant something special to us. Thank you for your love and for caring about our family. We wish you a beautiful holiday season, and hope the new year brings you good health and new adventures.