January
- The year started with uncertainty due to Dec. 2018 layoffs at HaloSource. But things quickly improved when Strix swooped in and bought up assets. Christopher was soon back to work in the same location as before - just with 100% more British accents during meetings. I was able to join my parents, brother, and Mallory for three nights in Winthrop for cross-country skiing. The cabin where we stayed had a private hot tub on the deck - ahhhh. Brother and I got in a couple lengthy skis, including one very frosty early morning adventure.
February
- In the chill of early February, my Dad and I headed out on our bikes to be some of the first to experience the new tunnel through downtown Seattle and some of the last to be on the Alaskan Way viaduct. It turns out that the chill was related to the impending February snowpocalypse which forced me to work from home for several days but was a fun time otherwise.
- Our first official date was February 15 and even through we have a different anniversary now, we still enjoy a low-key celebration for our original anniversary - ideally at Hitchcock, where we dined on that official first date. This time, we got a room at the Eagle Harbor Inn on Bainbridge for the night. Then we spent the next day exploring the island which mostly meant eating breakfast at the Streamliner Diner, drinking amaro and gin at Highside Distilling, and enjoying wine with chocolate at Eagle Harbor Wine Company. Oh, and our Valentine's Day celebration included a Cherie Valentino tiki bowl and pizza, of course.
March
- Early in the month, Christopher officially became a Strix employee after the initial contract work and we heaved sighs of relief. We mostly stayed close to home, but did get up to Whidbey Island at the end of the month for an early spring picnic at Deception Pass.
April
- Work travel descended on both of us, though Christopher's took him much farther from home - this time to Guangzhou in southern China. For me, it was only to Cleveland (Ohio was my 27th state!) for a library conference - I must say I do not dispute its "Mistake by the Lake" tagline :-/ Found a decent tiki bar, though!
May
- Early in the month I caught a flight to New Mexico (my 28th state!) to visit my parents on their extended vacation in Santa Fe. Enjoyed the warmth, chiles, and visiting Meow Wolf. On the last day of the month, we headed south to Portland (or slogged through traffic to Portland) for some food and drink in the City of Roses...
June
- ...before driving east along the Columbia and up toward the Gorge to see Neko Case and Brandi Carlile. We stopped at a winery along the way, and then endured more traffic simply to enter the Gorge. Pro tip for next time: arrive early! The concert went late and we couldn't stay for the whole thing but what we heard was enjoyable. Brandi's performance of "Hold Out Your Hand" to start the show was especially memorable. Drove to Wenatchee to spend the night in a strange and overly warm AirBnb.
- Back in May, I had received a notice for JURY DUTY! At last! I was due to show up on June 4 at the King County Courthouse and never imagined I'd actually make it onto a jury. Bananas. I had no idea what the usual length of a trial was; this one was off an on for three weeks which is apparently on the lengthy side of things (trials never run on Friday; who knew?). The trial content was unsavory but the process was fascinating; I think all citizens should have to participate. I loved the short commute to the courthouse downtown and my morning walks through the city. Long lunches were nice, too.
July (,July!)
- The month started with a celebration for my Dad's birthday down on the deck in Tacoma. Somehow we didn't have salmon this year, but of course the blotkake made an appearance. The 4th of July came and went mostly uneventfully; we went to Sam and Seija's for a barbecue and of course I brought Fish House Punch. I don't know if it's the state of America or fireworks laws, but things just seemed dull around the city. Watching the big show from our deck is always fun, though. A couple days later, we headed to Orcas to join my parents at the house they've rented for the past couple of years. We were there in August 2018 during the smokestorm; this trip brought some sun but also some rain - which we hiked in to the top of Turtleback Mountain. That evening we were lucky enough to return to Red Rabbit Farm for the fifth(?) time (second with my parents) for a smoke-free and delicious-as-usual islands-grown dinner. Finished the evening by standing outside of the Oddfellow's Hall in Eastsound, listening to Bruce Pavitt DJ a decade by decade dance party benefit event that gave me new appreciation for "Hey Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms. We did eventually go inside and dance our way into the 21st century.
- For our second wedding anniversary, we headed east to Walla Walla for three nights at the Johnson Ridge Inn, formerly Walla Faces. We made a stop in Prescott on the way to visit Izzy - and came bearing carrots and an apple. I always love visiting with my camel friend. The weather wasn't as scorching as in past years but we still got in some pool time along with tastings at our favorite wineries (including a visit with Abby at Balboa). Dinner at Passatempo Taverna and Brasserie Four were other delicious highlights.
August
- Come the third week of the month, we jetted south to San Luis Obispo, CA for the start of #californiaadventure2019 and my birthday week! This year, we knew to schedule two nights at the Kon Tiki and we got in plenty of beach and pool time. We even saw an otter friend swimming off the pier! The trip continued with a drive up Big Sur/Highway 1 to Monterrey. What a delight it was until we got hungry and were presented with limited food options along the way. We were saved by Nepenthe and avoided the line by eating at the bar facing away from the view. In Monterrey, we wandered Cannery Row but didn't find much besides tourist shops and signage about its history. For dinner, we drove over to Carmel-by-the-Sea where we ate Mexican food and drank at an odd bar.
- San Francisco gets its own bullet point. Well, on the way we stopped in San Mateo to eat lunch at Wursthall, a holy grail for Christopher. It delivered - and I delighted in the fake meat sub sandwich! Once in the city, we consumed cocktails at Bar Agricole, had some pasta at a bustling neighborhood Italian restaurant, and downed some gin at White Chapel. My actual birthday took us to our usual haunts in the Mission (Dynamo Donuts, Mexican grocery breakfast burrito, Philz for moijito coffee *heart eyes emoji*) and then over to sun ourselves in the park area of the Presidio. The evening started with Chinese mai tais at the LiPo lounge, dinner at Le Coloniale, and drinks at Zombie Village. Someone get ZV an A/C machine! Lovely drinks, though.
- The last night of the trip took us up north to Sonoma County and an Air BnB in an old but well-kept house up on a hill. They had a pool and a donkey that hung out on the otherside of the fence. Second donkey I pet in 2019 (first was in New Mexico)! Back home, I had four days of stay-cation which were lovely thanks to sleeping in and time spent with family and friends. Visiting the wave pool in Tacoma with my mom is always a fun adventure despite the hordes of children. For dinner, we and my Dad had pizza on the deck at Katie Downs.
September
- Back at work, I geared up for another travel adventure. Somehow, I was able to convince the faculty member who takes a group of UW Bothell students to Washington, DC as part of the Human Rights Seminar that it would be helpful for me to come along. What an amazing (and hot and exhausting) experience it was. The week was jam packed with meetings; non-profits, legislators (mostly their aides), and other human rights organizations. We walked so far but I learned so much.
October
- October brought the thick of fall quarter on campus. I was working with so many classes that it all felt like a blur. We celebrated Christopher's 42nd birthday a day early (delicious dinner at Goldfinch Tavern) due to a work conference at Pack Forest. Work, work, more work. A Jack-o-Pine on Halloween. The end.
November
- The beginning of the month brought last push of fall quarter teaching and other work related obligations, but the end was near. On the 9th, we jetted off to Puerto Rico for the second time. Our Caribbean cruise in 2017 was supposed to have a port of call in San Juan, PR but due to Hurricane Maria we didn't stop there. So this was a chance to return after our trip there in 2015 and see how the island was doing. We arrived to our AirBnB to find that there was no running water in almost all of San Juan due to their aging infrastructure. It finally came on 36 hours after we arrived. The rest of the week was filled with sun (sometimes too much), rum, beaches, a trip on a snorkel cruise, and meeting Foxy!!! Back in Seattle, we hosted Thanksgiving (with a semi-belated celebration for my Mom's 70th birthday) for the first time together and enjoyed the long weekend.
December
- The last month of the decade was also a bit of a blur due in part to late Thanksgiving. Christopher traveled to the Isle of Man for work and a Christmas party while I stayed home to tend to Miss Bun and make lefse in Tacoma. Now after a short break from work over Christmas, I am finishing this at almost the 11th hour while having spent the day home sick with a cold. There will be no (last in our apartment?) New Years Eve party for us this year. C'est la vie.
Over the course of 2019, I swam the equivalent of 90 miles after joining the Orca Swim Team last January. Swimming with a team again has been so fun and rewarding; I can't imagine going back to swimming alone regularly. I've set a goal of swimming 100 miles, or 177,000 yards in 2020. Seems do-able.
My other big breakthrough in 2019 was discovering Dance Church! Getting exercise aside from swimming has always been a challenge for me but Dance Church has filled that gap. I wish I could walk up to Velocity Dance Center every Saturday morning to sweat what feels like buckets but I will continue to attend when I'm not working or otherwise occupied. Having the space to dance without constraints but also be guided in exercise is such a delight that I don't know how I lived without it this long.
A year is just an arbitrary collection of 365 days (366 in 2020) but this is the 365 that we tend to acknowledge. 2020 will bring:
- Even more swimming - maybe even attending or swimming in a meet?
- Dance Church as often as possible
- My second round of "documentation" - this time for reappointment - at work
- Buying a house or condo - we hope!
- Visiting the Bourbon trail for Christopher's birthday
