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Last Christmas (2023), for the first time in my whole life, my mom left Arizona and spent the holiday with us up in the PNW. We had a wonderful couple of days in Issaquah, WA at Lisa and Tony's house. Solon's grandparents and sister were there as well, and it was wonderful to make some new memories in matching Christmas pajamas.
Here's a recap of our family's adventures over the last year:
JANUARY
Paloma's turned 13 this month, and her birthday plans were derailed by a winter ice storm that turned our street into an ice skating rink, and shut down the city for a few days. After several days we were a bit stir crazy and over it, because our street was way too slick to drive, and taking Sunny out to do her business required us to take micro steps so we didn't slip and fall. We were grateful that we never lost power at our house, unlike many of our friends. At the end of the month, I headed up to Seattle for a quick girl's weekend with Charissa to see Christina who was visiting from AZ for her daughter's competitive cheer competition. Witnessing that was a first for me, and it was exhilarating! Seeing Morgan getting tossed up like 30 feet in the air freaked me out a bit, so I can only imagine how Christina feels every time she see's her kid perform. I felt like I held my breath for the entire 90 second performance. It was a quick soul-filling visit, and I'm so glad I was able to have some quality time with my girls.
FEBRUARY
We started the month with a rescheduled trip to Hopscotch and Benihana for Paloma's 13th Birthday (due to last month's ice storm). Paloma played in her first travel volleyball tournament in Seattle this month, which coincided with Solon’s birthday weekend. While I chaperoned 12 thirteen-year-olds, Solon and Quincy celebrated with family and enjoyed a nice meal. During the tournament, Paloma learned valuable lessons about mental toughness and the importance of shaking off mistakes. Volleyball is fast-paced, and errors are inevitable, but if you don’t recover quickly and maintain a positive attitude, your whole performance can suffer. It was incredible to see her turn things around after the first round, finishing the weekend on a high note—especially after blocking a strong opponent!
MARCH
March was one of our busiest months of the year! Solon and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary, and the following weekend Paloma and I headed to Las Vegas for her second travel volleyball tournament. The Red Rock Rave at Mandalay Bay was overwhelming at first—140 courts with 4 teams each, hosting over 13,000 athletes and spectators each day. Exploring Vegas with teenagers was a new experience, and the girls had a blast shopping, doing an escape room, riding the New York New York roller coaster, and soaking in the city’s sights—all while making major strides in the tournament. They learned tough lessons about fairness and showed incredible resilience. After four intense days, Paloma and I flew to San Pedro, Belize, to join Solon, Quincy, and extended family for Alynsia's 40th birthday. The week was filled with adventure, relaxation, and family fun—some of us explored the 3,000-year-old Lamanai ruins, while others went to the zoo and cave-tubing. We feasted on Belizian stewed chicken and fried conch, and snorkeling/swimming with nurse sharks was a major highlight. It was an unforgettable week of new memories in a beautiful place.
APRIL
Both kids were able to travel to Anaheim for their music classes this month. For Quincy, the trip included a day at Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland and CA Adventure, a Disney Sound Sessions Workshop (where the student musicians were taught by Disney music professionals, learning a repertoire of Disney music and honing fundamental skills), a Warner Bros Studio tour, and a few hours at Venice Beach. He had a blast being away from us for 4 days, and sent us a few "proof of life" pics after each roller coaster he conquered throughout the weekend.
Two weeks later, Lisa and I helped chaperone Paloma's Ensemble Choir trip to Anaheim where they performed/competed at the World Strides Heritage Festival. The performance took place inside a church with amazing acoustics, and we are blown away at how beautiful they sounded in there. (Click the links to view the songs performed: LINK 1, LINK 2, LINK 3) After the performance, the singers were able to head to Disneyland to enjoy the parks for the second day, and the trip ended with an awards ceremony. Jackson Middle School received 1st place in their category, and they were one of the few middle schools represented among all the high school choirs.
The month ended with a visit from my mom to celebrate her birthday a couple weeks late, but this way she got to attend the regional tournament that ended Paloma's first club volleyball season.
MAY
This was a quiet month of normal localized activities like band and choir concerts, and me chairing the middle school dance, and we finally had some free weekends to sleep in! At the end of the month, Verlinda came to OR for a quick visit, and we were able to go strawberry picking and enjoy a girls' day!
JUNE
Paloma participated in her middle school talent show, singing "She Used To Be Mine" by Sara Bareilles from the musical "Waitress"(LINK TO VIDEO). I wasn't able to attend, but luckily had friends in the audience who were able to record her performance for me. She sang at all 3 assemblies, so basically in front of the entire school, and she rocked it! Both kids were so excited for school to break for the summer (Quincy especially), and I was ready for our summer to begin. For over a year, I had been planning a 7-day trip to Mexico city for the 4 of us, plus my brother's family, and our mom. With Kellan (our oldest nephew) heading into his senior year of high school, I knew it was really our last opportunity to make a trip like this happen. We had a very full and ambitious itinerary, but I knew we could handle it!
Days 1-3. We flew into PHX to pick up Mom and the Jacobs fam. Got drenched walking to dinner, only to discover there was a closer version of the same restaurant down the street from our AirBnB. Spent Sunday day exploring the Zocalo by day, and connecting with family at night. Monday, we drove to the floating gardens of Xochimilco, and then drove to San Angel to see the church where my parents got married 50 years ago. Tuesday, we drove our rental van to Puebla, got a taste of Mexico highway traffic. Grateful to the National Guard officer who helped us when we thought we had car trouble. Turns out our parking brake got stuck and was making a horrible smell. Visited the Basillica in San Pedro/Cholula, then got a parking ticket (where they took off our license plate), so headed straight to see family to figure it out. Had the most amazing meal of our trip, and drove back to the city, minus one license plate, and not having seen all that my mom’s birth town had to offer.
Days 4 & 5: We explored the Anthropology Museum in Chapultepec Park learning about Mexico’s early origins, and easily could have spent all day doing so - there was so much to see and learn about. After lunch, we walked through the park and up to Chapultepec Castle, where we saw amazing art, including a giant mural painted by our cousin Mauricio’s grandfather. From the top, it was very peaceful, a long distance from the hustle and bustle of the city. Since June 26th was Natan and Larel’s 20th wedding anniversary, we went to a nice dinner at an Argentinian steakhouse in the Polanco neighborhood. A wonderful night! Thursday started with a visit to our grandparents in the cemetery, as well as a visit to their old house. We went to see Diego Rivera’s personal collection of artifacts before spending the afternoon in Coyoacan. We visited Frida Kahlo’s house commonly known as Casa Azul. I’m so grateful I was able to get tickets for this a couple months in advance, as this experience is very popular and does sell out. The exhibit made me very emotional. Frida lived such a hard life, constantly in pain, but through that pain she created such beauty around her, through her art, her fashion and her home. Visiting her home was a highlight of the week for me, for sure. At night, a few of us explored the Roma Norte neighborhood, and ate the best Al Pastor tacos of the trip.
Day 6: We drove to the pyramids of Teotihuacán, where we met up with my cousin Wally and his friend Alejandro. We spent the morning exploring the different ruins, and finished with a delicious lunch in a cave at La Gruta. We finished our last day with a baseball game - Los Diablos Rojos de Mexico VS Los Leones de Yucatán. The energy in the stadium was electric, and the Diablos won 5-3. We were exhausted after a very full week, and ready to come back home. The trip to the airport was not without its own adventures, and I spent that next several weeks trying to get some resolution after an absolutely awful American Airlines customer service experience. As I look back on the week, and see all the things we did, my heart was full. It was not a relaxing vacation by any means, but it was an adventure and to see how happy my mom was to share her heritage with her kids and grandkids was worth every penny and every inconvenience. Viva Mexico!
JULY
July was filled with some co-ed softball games and a visit from Papa Allen and Danita to celebrate his 70th Birthday. We went to a Portland Pickles game which was a total blast! At the end of the month, Quincy went to CO for his annual visit with his best bud Daniel. They enjoyed the time together, and saw Deadpool and Wolverine on the big screen, which was a highlight for sure.
AUGUST
As summer started to wind down, Makena and Holly came for their annual visit before she started school. The lifelong friends were reunited, and we added a few more adventures to our checklist - tasting cheese from a local creamery, visiting a nearby vineyard with gorgeous views, and a trip to the Washougal River for swimming and rock jumping. Lisa and Alynsia came down from Seattle with Mimi and Papa for a weekend visit before they headed back to AZ. It's always nice to have visitors! We celebrated my 45th Birthday with the Prows family at a local pizza pub, and the new school year started the next day!
SEPTEMBER
School was in full swing, and while Paloma was occupied with lots of school volleyball, Quincy picked up a new skill. After learning how to cut his own hair over the summer, he was ready to start working on others. He convinced Solon and his buddy Johnathan to give him a shot, and I think he did a great job! In addition, Quincy decided to audition for the school musical, and out of 70 students who auditioned, he was one of 18 selected, and earned himself a spot in the Workers’ Chorus in the school’s production of Hadestown (Teen Edition). Rehearsals started right away and would occupy much of his free time over the next two months. With the end of wedding season approaching, I didn't not have breaking my foot on my bingo card, but unfortunately accidents happen. A cracked metatarsal earned me a stabilizing orthopedic boot, a few x-rays, and 6-8 weeks of "attempting" to stay off my feet.
OCTOBER
Quincy had Homecoming festivities at the high school (pep band at the football game, then the dance), and Paloma had her fall Choir concert where they announced that the JMS Ensemble Choir had been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in March 2025, as the featured choir during the World Strides National Youth Choir Festival. This invitation came as a result of the competition in Anaheim this past April, and is a HUGE honor! The singers have been fundraising like crazy, and I created a website where you can learn more about the choir and the upcoming trip (LINK). We had a rainy Halloween this year, with both kids dressing as "casual" Batman.
NOVEMBER
After a depressing start to the month... Solon and I picked up our new car - a plug-in hybrid Mazda CX-90, the night after the election. (We would have a new driver in the family soon, and it was time to add another vehicle to the "fleet", haha) I was in no mood to be social, and Solon was trying really hard to cheer me up, but I was heartbroken, and it was going to take a lot more than a fuel-efficient car in my favorite color to cheer me up. I appreciated the effort and am starting to really enjoy the features of the new ride. I headed to Arizona for a 48-hour trip to help Holly open her new storefront - Charcuterie Creative at The Frederick on 12th Street and Missouri in Phoenix. It was something she had been working so hard on while she was visiting us this summer, and it was amazing to see all her hard work pay off. It was fun to see the friends that came in to check out the space and say "Hi," but there's truly never enough time to see everyone that you'd like to. My 48 hours were up pretty quick, and I headed to the airport after sharing a meal with my brother's family and getting in one round of Scrabble with my godfather, brother, and nephew (the newest Scrabble player in the family!).
The next morning, Paloma had her Athena Club VB tryouts, and it was a very exciting day. She once again accomplished her goal, and this year earned a spot on a National team - 14 Black - with a few of her teammates from last season! She will get to travel to several different states in 2025, and it will be exciting to see her love of the game continue to grow.
Our month may have started on a disappointing note, but it certainly ended on a high one. Quincy and the cast of Hadestown were ready for an audience after a very intense 2-month rehearsal schedule. They had eight live performances in the Ida B. Wells Auditorium, and the entire show was performed in arena-style seating that the students and crew built ON THE STAGE! It was such a neat experience. Our neighbor was the lead female character, Quincy looked so handsome on that stage (the tallest worker in Hadestown!), and each time we saw it, we were simply blown away by how amazing and talented these students are. Quincy felt the love of family and friends at each performance; Lisa, Tony, and Alynsia came down from Seattle; Grandma Chacha flew in from Phoenix; our buddy Stacy and Paloma's bestie Paiten came to support, as well as Quincy's best buds and several teachers! My favorite performance was my 3rd time seeing it, but their 5th actual show. By this point in the run, the nerves seemed to be completely gone, and the cast was living and breathing this show. They were the characters. It was so much more that I could have ever expected from a high school performance, and I am so grateful that Quincy got to experience this. He told Solon that he finally found a place where he feels like he fully fits in, and that's all that we could have hoped for.
We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving with Alynsia and her new puppy, Perry, and went as a family to see Wicked at the movie theater, and I have been singing the songs from both musicals ever since. The Stromski family stopped by on their way back to home from Eugene, and we got to meet their new puppy, Maisy! So now Sunny has two new furry family members, and slept for about 3 days after everyone left.
DECEMBER
We're 2/3 of the way through December, and so far, we've attended both winter band and choir performances, Quincy turned 16 (!) and is getting ready to take his driving test at the end of the month, and we are gearing up for Christmas at our home this year.
As I look back on how VERY FULL this past year was, I am grateful for the life we have created, and how no matter what comes our way, or how crazy our schedule gets, we continue to FIND THE JOY in this life. I hope that you can, too. Life has it's challenges, and there are ups and downs with everything, but I believe that as long as I do one thing each day to leave the world around me a little better than I found it, well then I'm doing something, and that brings me joy, too. I hope this holiday season brings light and love into your heart and home, and we will continue to pray for peace and progress in this land where we live. To you, our family and friends, near and far, we are sending you our love and best wishes for a fantastic 2025!
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