Thirteen Photos from Twenty-Thirteen

(1) going back to work, but cherishing Fridays at home, (2) a special buddy who shares a birth month, (3) milestones for Miles: eating solid food, (4) a vacation in Hawaii, (5) Father's Day and Miles's dedication, (6) time with Nana, (7) a Trudelle wedding, (8) sunny summer, (9) Miles turns 1, (10) small group camping trip, (11) a visit from good friends, (12) old man Miles, (13) joy at Christmas time

This year has flown by, and if I could summarize it with one word, it would be "grateful."  These photos from 2013 are reminders that this year has been full.  It hasn't been the easiest, but God always fills in the cracks with love and joy.

photos from 2012 // photos from 2011

30 and a Retreat

I really don't want to forget these days.  I have a very bad long-term memory, and I know that if I don't write things down, post my photos, recall the highlights, then my future self is doomed to forget my 30 year old life.  That would be a shame, because, since turning 30, there have already been some really great times.

My birthday weekend included all of my favorite things: family, messages from friends, good food, some relaxing, and an outing with a few girlfriends.  We took a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (I had never been) with the goals of eating a good brunch and chasing some good photo opps (instead of our little ones).

The weather was both sunny and rainy, but when it started to get wet, we sat inside the boat and ate Mighty O donuts (brought by Paige--she knows me too well).

Once on the island, we walked to Cafe Nola.  We sat in the back, in a sun-drenched room, sipped coffee and mimosas, and ate breakfast--my absolute favorite meal.

On Saturdays, Bainbridge has a farmer's market, so we walked there next.  Then we perused a few shops and headed back toward the ferry.

It was beautiful.  Mckenzie captured the day behind her lens so well too.

Isn't Ginger lovely?  It was pretty windy on that ferry.

This group shot doesn't really capture just how windy it was on that deck while the ferry was moving.  But once we slowed down and headed into the city, blue skies and a gorgeous skyline awaited us.  There's nothing better than a clear day in Seattle.  It was just a few hours, but that little getaway was a perfect birthday adventure.

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Then, just a few weeks ago, I joined most of our women's small group up in Anacortes for our self-proclaimed Ladies Retreat.  Paige's parents were incredibly gracious, and let us stay in their home for the weekend.  We split up the meals (Paige's pumpkin bread is pictured below), listened to music, prayed, and shared stories and inspirational thoughts.  

The house had the most beautiful view of the water and islands.  Again, we had some rain and wind, but it was cozy and quiet and calm.

We decided to do something crazy: go out to a nice dinner, order drinks, take a ridiculous amount of time reading through the menu, and order more desserts than we could ever possibly finish.  It was amazing!

On our last morning, we slept in (it was daylight savings!) and enjoyed another breakfast (Susan's biscuits are pictured below).  Then, we headed to the beach.  Right on cue, the sun came out to join us.

Paige and Tina were pretty happy to be at the beach. Although we could have all stayed there forever, I think we also missed our husbands and kids.

I had such a great time with these women, but more than that, I felt listened to and loved. In the middle of our busy lives, I'm thankful that we took some time away.  And I'm even more thankful for these friendships.

A Camping Adventure

Before leaving to go camping with our small group last Labor Day weekend, our friend Steve sent us all an article titled, "With Little Kids, You Take Trips, not Vacations."  I have to admit, as we packed our car with food, gear, and plenty of diapers, I was thinking, "Is it really worth it?"  For weeks, all of the parents had been nervously laughing about how we would get .75 hours of sleep each night (we planned to camp two), and how we'd just have to let the babies get filthy as they crawled on the dirt floor. 

And, of course, there would be the Labor Day weekend traffic. We took different approaches to this obstacle, and Steve and I chose to take a ferry from West Seattle to Southworth, on the Kitsap Peninsula.  It definitely wasn't the quickest route, but it was a beautiful night and Miles seemed to enjoy his first ferry ride.

When we arrived at the campsite at Penrose Point State Park, it was already getting dark, but our friends gathered around and chipped in to pitch our tent, hold Miles, and help us unpack.  I could see right away that even if the weekend turned out exhausting, we were all in it together.

The first night was a bit rocky at times, but I think my stress about what could happen (a domino effect of babies crying) kept me on edge, and I slept very lightly all night.  All in all, it really wasn't bad.

The next morning included a delicious camp breakfast and filtered sunshine through the forest.  The majority of the group took a walk down to the beach while Tina and I stayed behind while the babies napped.

Later that afternoon, we dressed the kids in matching "Happy Camper" shirts that I had brought.  We attempted to take a group photo, but with babies, it's never easy to get a perfect shot.

We were getting closer...

Sure, that will work.

15 month old Anna was the funniest and kept walking toward the camera with the most serious expression.

We took another group trip down to the beach in the afternoon.  Out of the forest, the temperature was much warmer, so some of the little ones took a dip.

It was really very warm in the sun, but perfect for reading and laying in the grass.

Poor Miles wore a bonnet because we forgot his hat back at camp.

Dinner that night included chili dogs, vegetable grill packs and salad.  We put the kids to bed and sat around the campfire, eating s'mores.  I had been looking forward to this the whole weekend (the "adult time" just as much as the chocolate and marshmallows).  It was great, but it wasn't long before the adults headed to bed too.

In the morning we shared one more meal before packing up and leaving camp.  

The nights were long, and the kids did get filthy, but we did it, and I will dare to say I'd like to do it again sometime.

Really, the weekend went pretty smoothly, and I'm sure that future trips with kids will make me look back on it and even think it was easy.  After leaving I felt similar to the author of the "Trips not Vacations" article who concluded by saying, "Suddenly the whole week felt hilarious, and we remembered that we loved each other and we loved our kids and we loved our life."