• Rafting the Tieton

    We finally got back on track with a rafting trip this year. We kept it “local” by visiting the Tieton just outside of Yakima with Wet Planet. The trip almost didn’t happen due to wildfires, as we were wearing masks just to breathe in town, but the skies miraculously cleared upon reaching the canyon. The river is only run a few weeks a year…

    [Read More]

  • Vacation long ago on Orcas Island

    I’m on a posting roll here, I can’t post my end of year wrap-up with any outstanding posts to do, so let’s get this done! Orcas Island. In the San Juan Islands and accessible only by boat. We rented a house way up on a hill with Rebecca’s mother and step-father to get away from town and fireworks for the 4th of July. Lovely…

    [Read More]

  • Farewell, RAV4. Hello, Highlander!

    My mom’s trusty 2001 RAV4 blew its transmission this summer. I let it sit a few months attempting some easy fixes and figuring out what to do next before listing it as-is on Craigslist. After a month or two, it sold for far more than any 20 year old car with 160k miles and no transmission should, but given the market, it was a…

    [Read More]

  • Christmas in the Carolinas

    Our first travel in two years brought us to see my family in southern North Carolina. Weather was in the high 60s, Mia was in a great mood (minus the first three hours of our return flight), and there were cookies for days (as evidenced by my +5lbs). Boats, beaches, skateboards, cuddles, cards, Mancala, Jackbox, goats, alpacas, kayaks, the splits, and a first haircut.…

    [Read More]

  • Mia, 1.5 Years

    I kept milestone notes over these past three months and the ones early on are… just… so minute compared to where she is at the end of the period. At the beginning she was barely starting to say her name, which now she can combine with up to 3 other words including the possessive form. She was also barely getting out “Bye-bye,” whereas now…

    [Read More]

  • Mia, 1.25 Years

    And like that, we have a toddler. Over the past three months Mia has begun walking (happened just a week or two after one year) and talking up a storm. We have a regular little goofy person in our house now (in addition to the two big ones). She’s still loving daycare, splash parks, playgrounds, her cats, and has developed an affinity for a…

    [Read More]