When New Year's Eve rolled around I was pretty fed up with 2013 and excited it was finally ending. It had been a tough year for me personally, and also for many people around me who were dealing with a lot of very sad events. But now that I am happily settling into this new year, I can look back and see a lot of great moments of the past year. I can also see that while my mind says it was a 'bad' year (it was 20
13 after all), it really was just a journey for me that taught me a lot and has brought me to a much happier and relaxed state. Thank goodness! And even though the journey will continue for a long time, I know that I am blessed to be here at all. So here are my top 10 favorite memories of 2013 that will bring me joy for many many years to come, long after I forget why last year was so hard.
 |
| My happy place - my dad's boat (before Morgan got queasy) |
1.
Barra de Navidad: Last January, we spent a week in
Mexico in this cute little town (with a nice resort) and had one of my favorite family vacations ever. Old town Mexico, a beautiful hotel, time with my parents on their boat, adventures with the girls, sun and margaritas, and even meeting new Irish friends, it was a fantastic trip! Sadly, I never got around to posting memories of the trip last year, but maybe I will one of these days.... And we also hope to go back next year, if it all works out!
 |
| Street side kiddie rides |
 |
| Daddy's happy place - the swim up bar |
 |
| Sunset, sand and cerveza! |
 |
| My Dad's happy place - boating in Mexico |
 |
| Morgan's first horse ride |
2.
Time with Aunt Kay and Uncle Hans: Last March, we spent a long weekend in Sisters at my aunt and uncle's house. We always love going over there to play with the donkeys, horses, and dogs in beautiful Central Oregon. Plus it is is always fun spending time with Kay and Hans, who are so supportive, positive, and amazing hosts. I realize I didn't post about our time there last spring, so it means even more to me now because in mid-December, my aunt had a stroke. While she is back home recovering, after three weeks in the hospital, she is still going through therapy and they are adjusting to a new kind of life. She (and all of us) are extremely lucky that she can still speak and can walk with help. She can't use her left arm, though, (fortunately, she's right-handed) and the stroke has affected her memory and personality in different ways. So while we are so very thankful that she is still with us and recovering well, it makes our
past visits with her even more special.
 |
| Hans and Kay get Morgan situated on Chief |
 |
| Sasha plays with Jazzy and Luna |
 |
| Sasha laughs at the horses whinny |
 |
| At home with Aunt Kay and Uncle Hans |
3.
Time with my BFF: Every year that goes by, I seem to miss Naomi more and more. So the times that we do get to spend together, are even more special. I was lucky to see her three times in 2013! I was blown away when she appeared on my doorstep for
my birthday in April. The girls and I had a fantastic time visiting her in
Texas in May. And her visit to Portland in July was the most important, though the hardest of all, as she said good-bye to her dad, after a very long illness. She still continues to amaze me, and we keep on growing up together as life throws all sorts of things our way. I can't put into words how thankful I am for her friendship. (And we have a fun adventure planned in 2014 - more on that later!)
4.
My First Half Marathon: You can read more about that
here, but looking back, this accomplishment was so important to me in 2013 in so many ways. I didn't realize when I signed up for it (or perhaps I did) what a transformative process it would be for me. That smile in this photo says a lot!
5.
Seeing my girls blossom: I'm still as lucky as ever to get to witness and guide Morgan and Sasha along on the journey of life. And I appreciate my role as a mom more every day, knowing that no one will ever have the connection that I have with them. I am so proud to watch them grow and change (although it can be very bittersweet at times!) both as individuals and as sisters. With both of them beginning new schools as well as strengthening their sister bond, it was another very humbling year. They are blossoming in so many ways - Morgan with soccer, gymnastics, kindergarten and a growing circle of friends, and Sasha coming into her own as a playmate and a strong member of our family with opinions and a unique point of view. They continue to teach me so many lessons, most importantly to get out of bed every day (early!) and keep on living and learning and growing. Life is too short and moves too quickly to feel sorry for yourself.
 |
| Dressing like their American Girl dolls. |
 |
| Beach house sillies |
 |
| Mother's Day dress up with Avery |
 |
| Playmates |
 |
| Soccer stud |
 |
| Tiny Gymnast |
 |
| In my grandparent's beach house, that was sold this year. |
 |
| Off to school! |
 |
| Sweet Sisters - Fall Portraits |
6.
Getting Strong, Inside and Out: In August, I signed up for a morning boot camp class in Laurelhurst Park. I had never done boot camp and was kind of scared. But it was an awesome group of women in an awesome location on awesome summer mornings, and turned out to be an awesome decision. I learned what 'burpees' are and how to sprint with 100% of my effort. I learned that I could hold a 2 minute plank if I put my mind to it. I learned that after having babies and struggling with regular back pain, strengthening my core muscles made a huge difference. I learned that there was joy in being up and out the door before the sun (or my kids) were even up. I learned that working out and laughing with other women is almost as good as a night out with girl friends. And I learned that inside of me there is a strength, both physical and mental, that I never knew was there. I have continued to go to boot camp, usually once a week, through the winter at an indoors location, with the same teacher and same moms. And I'm still getting stronger every time.
 |
| The Three Arch Rocks from Cape Meares |
7.
Beach Therapy: I have written about Oceanside sooooo many times here, so I don't need to go into detail about that. But visiting the beach every time fills me with peace, relaxation, and comfort no matter what I am going through. And spending it with my family make it even better.
 |
| Chalk art on the the patio.... |
 |
| ...and cigars on the deck. |
 |
| Morgan and Gramma Gail at Cape Meares Lighthouse |
 |
| A gorgeous day at the beach! |
 |
| Ain't that the truth! |
 |
| Hiking, chatting and laughing. |
8.
Girls Weekend in Tucson: Sometime last year, a good college friend of mine suggested a girls weekend for a group of 6 of us in honor of it being 20 years (!) since we started college together at Willamette University. It ended up with 4 of us, staying in Tucson, Arizona in November at one of the girls' homes. Tucson was sunny and warm, and in addition to just being lazy and relaxing, we also saw some pretty cool things. We visited the Saguaro National Park and hiked around all kinds of cacti. We toured the San Xavier del Bac Catholic mission that was built in the late 1700s. We ate some amazing Mexican food (though I regretted that Sonoran hot dog at 11pm). We went to a movie and got pedicures on the
same day, and participated in Tucson's All Souls Procession that honors the dead. It was so nice to get away and just have time to be girlfriends again. Three out of four of us are married with kids, and getting the chance to catch up on life, chat, laugh about old times, and just hang out together was so wonderful. There is something special about being just with other women, just like we were back in our sorority in college, that left me feeling refreshed and with a new perspective on life. I came across the quote after that trip: "Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them but you know they are always there." So true.
 |
| Happy Hour with Kristi, Katie, Amy and I |
 |
| San Xavier del Bac Mission outside of Tucson |
 |
| Saguaros everywhere! |
 |
| The desert is so amazing |
 |
| All Souls Procession 2013 |
 |
| We joined in with our own All Souls face painting |
9.
Disneyland: I already posted about all this
magic, and it definitely was the highlight of 2013!
 |
| Away we go! |
10.
San Francisco with Sam: Technically, this was in 2014, but Sam and I got to get away to San Francisco for a long weekend in early January. We were lucky enough to have a posse of sisters, aunts, and neighbors to look after the girls while we were gone (thank you all!), so that we could have a bit of time away just the two of us. Sam was in SF for work, so we spent part of the weekend with his colleagues and a few former MBA students. They are all wonderful people who think the world of Sam, so it was fun for me to see what an impact he makes at the University. We had fun visiting Sam's cousin, Alison, and her husband Dan (and their friends too) at their beautiful home in the Mission. They were awesome hosts and it was fun spending an evening with them. After the most challenging year of our marriage so far, we really appreciated time just together, just for us - at our own pace, not the pace of parenting and school and kids. One sunny day, we spontaneously took a ferry to Sausalito, a charming town across the bay. It was a rare moment of being impulsive (complete with Bloody Marys), and it was definitely the highlight of the trip. That day, and the trip, really gave us a chance to catch our breath in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And it was a wonderful way to begin a fresh, new year! 2014 is going to be great!
 |
| The Golden Gate Bridge |
 |
| Sunshine and the Bay Bridge - from the Embarcadero |
 |
| Ferry ride + Bloody Marys! |
 |
| Afternoon sun and the Transamerica Building |
 |
| Chinatown |
 |
| A happy day to remember... |
**Note: In honor of a new year, I have changed the format of the blog. It was in need of a freshening up. There are some aspects of this layout I really like and others not so much. What do you think?
