Summer was absolutely nuts, entirely too much, and unquestionably, a lot of fun.
A week in NYC with family and friends, celebrating 40th birthdays. A bachelor party in Nashville where we probably did more damage to our bodies in 48 hours than some do in 48 years. Not something to be particularly proud of, but if there’s ever a time for it, we found it. A wedding in Philadelphia where I danced to the point of being genuinely afraid to see what the photographer captured of it. Anticipating something that looks close to a full-body exorcism. Then there was a long weekend in Seattle of chasing kids and taking in views of the Puget Sound. There were dinners, concerts, sports, dog sits, baby showers. You name it. Then of course there’s that pesky career that I keep up with in between it all to maintain a living. Also not pictured here, was an entire week long Icelandic adventure.
By the end, it was all enough to have me wishing to never see anyone, or do anything, ever again. Yet simultaneously, thankful to not only be alive, but to be living.
Summer’s right around the corner, which means I’ve just barely got around to sorting through photos from winter. Once upon a time I couldn’t imagine neglecting this place as much as I have. Not sure how much that really says though. Lot that goes on that I couldn’t have imagined.
In any case, time brought some sights along with its endless march through winter. A Santa bar crawl. A very good boy who let us adopt him for a few weeks. Fireworks on The Queen Mary. Apocalyptic skylines from the wildfires. Snowball fights with the kiddos in Tahoe. Possibly setting a Guinness World Record for most rides ridden in a single day at Disney. This was Winter.
Knowitall by Phantom Planet
Pumkin cannons. Dace floor destruction with Maya and Arthur. Kiss at The Bowl. FaceTimes with the newest Smith. Izakayas with out of towners. Watching a dog we considered not giving back. Showing LA to New York. Disney days. Donuts with Della. Introductory handshakes with Emmett. Green beers in Long Beach. This was fall and winter, or at least the parts I remembered to take a picture of. Really need to get better at that.
Halah by Mazzy Star.
Our small but plentiful Thanksgiving with the friends we call family. We ate, drank, walked and laughed. Didn’t need much else. Mike volunteered to cook the turkey, even though he’s been pushing himself to pursue a vegan diet this entire year, which reminded me a bit of this scene.
Christina turns 30, and we add another member to the club.
Summer is days away so catching up on chronicling my winter feels about due.
We continued our tradition of imagining what it’d be like to have a dog while watching Bowie for a few days. The verdict is it’s the best when you’re on the couch, but the worst when you’re walking him at midnight because you don’t have a fenced in yard.
We watched our honorary niece Nikki perform at the Nutcracker Ballet. She was flawless, like always. We’ve seen her perform a few times now, and she’s always maintained she can immediately spot us in the crowd because of the light beaming off my bald head and smiling teeth. I could wear a hat, but no chance I’m not gonna smile.
We decorated Christmas cookies with the kids, and I ate the majority of their creations. Probably a metaphor about taxes somewhere in there. We all also conspired to tell those same kids that the New Year’s countdown happens at 8pm PST, and that it’s time for bed after that.
I ran my first 10K race. It was a lot of fun, but felt particularly inhumane to have that many hills on a single course.
We met baby Nelly. She’s very sweet and all, but she was born with more hair than I had at 30, so it’s hard not to be jealous.
Last but not least, I made a quick trip to Seattle to have too many drinks with the dudes and eat not enough donuts with the kids. All in all, It was a good winter. Not pictured are two nearly back to back bachelor parties, but more on those later.
Breakers Roar by Sturgill Simpson