Year in Review – 2018’s Been Real… Something…

What can be said about 2018? It was an unforgettable year.

I’m incredibly grateful for my friends and family who care about me, but I also had to do some letting go of people who weren’t the friends I thought they were.

I also had the amazing opportunity to go on a monumental several-month road trip of the United States. Despite never having traveled alone for more than a week, I packed up my car and set out entirely alone. I stayed with some friends and family along the way, but the majority of my nights were camping by myself. Not only did I get to see some of the amazing scenery and history this country has to offer, but I also got to prove to myself that I can travel solo and have a great time in my own company.

And last, but certainly not least, I got over 15,000 annual views on this blog. My current figure is 15,098, which is more than 1,000 more views than I received last year. I must be doing something interesting! Thank you to all of you who read.

Without further ado, here’s the recap:

Paula and I went on a girls’ weekend at Mount Rainier on President’s Day weekend. We went out on snowshoes, drank wine, did puzzles and had a fabulous weekend of girl bonding. It was so much fun!
I was so excited I could do a high ponytail!
My 31 year old horse Biz has been good. My vet decided to go a conservative route last winter and not pull one of his damaged canine teeth, but instead another one broke; it has since healed. He is doing well with his remaining three incisor teeth and a daily painkiller.
In March, I did my first 15k Hot Chocolate Run in Seattle with Katy and Katie. The weather was cold, but the company was good!
At the Expo
At the end of March, I had the opportunity to join my friend Lelani, her daughter Laura and Laura’s friend Brenna, on a 6 day road trip down to San Francisco and back. We camped, saw the San Francisco sights, and did some wine tasting in Santa Rosa.
Me with the Golden Gate Bridge
Paula, Brandon, and Joel and I spent Memorial Day weekend in Walla Walla wine country again. We did some shopping, soaked up the sun at the pool, and relaxed for a few days.
In June, Oliver went to be with the angels. His cancer had progressed, and it just wasn’t fair for him anymore. I still miss him terribly.
Oliver and I on our last day
Taryn, Brandon, Brent and I took a two week trip to London in late June and early July. It was my first overseas trip since 2006, and we did and saw so much!
Taryn and Me with the bow of the Cutty Sark
I left my job in July to fulfill a dream of mine. I converted my car with a bed and storage, and traveled the United States for four months seeing the sights. Since I was on the road so long, this trip probably deserves slots 8-30 in this review. I learned that I could do it, and had an amazing experience, and hope to be able to do it again at some point. That is such an incredible understatement too.
I spent a week in September visiting family and going to my cousin’s wedding. It was great to see everybody and catch up on life with my aunts, uncles and cousins.
My former boss, mentor and friend, Larry, died in mid-December. He played an important role in my life and my career since I met him in 2001, and I will miss him terribly.

I am hopeful that 2019 will reveal itself to be a good year, with new beginnings and continued love from my friends and family. May all your lives be blessed as well.

President’s Day Weekend 2018: One More Snowshoe

Aug21

Our last day at Mount Rainier, Paula and I had another great breakfast at the National Park Inn, and then we got our bags packed up and put in the car. We had time for one more snowshoe before we had to head home…

We decided to do the trail that heads up toward Cougar Campground. This hike is more of a hill and after hiking up part of the Rampart Ridge Trail the day before, Paula felt she was ready for snowshoeing uphill. The road to Paradise had reopened, so we could see the cars driving by on the road. The hike winds along between the road and the river; at times you can see the river.

It is such a pretty hike in the snow! We even saw a Woodpecker! We went a few miles up, and then had to turn around to come back to the Inn and our car.

It was a fantastic weekend – Paula and I both had so much fun! I always love a good combination of hiking and relaxing, and this was a perfect girl’s getaway! We want to do it again next year!

President’s Day Weekend 2018: Snowshoe Day!

Aug19

The second day of our trip, we had an amazing breakfast, which was included in our room price. Then we headed out to for our first weekend snowshoe. I showed Paula how to put her snowshoes on – it took a little doing, but soon we were on our way.

Paula and me snowshoeing

We hiked the Trail of the Shadows for our first hike, which is a fairly short, level loop hike directly across from the National Park Inn. I have always liked this hike, because it takes you past the cabin of Elcaine Longmire, the son of James Longmire, who first established Mount Rainier as a tourist destination by touting the hot springs in the area as medicinal (they weren’t). There are also some ruins of the structures built around the springs for use by the tourists.

Cute ladies!

Me snowshoeing on the Trail of the Shadows

The Trail of the Shadows also has some amazing old growth forest, with giant Western Red Cedars and other trees that have lived in this forest for hundreds of years.

Towards the end of the loop, we decided to hike up the hill for a bit on the Rampart Ridge Trail. We knew we weren’t going to do the whole trail, but we hiked up the hill for a while and rested when needed. Paula had a great time, and I was so happy to have a new snowshoeing friend!

We went back to the lodge and had a lunch from the cooler we had brought with meats and cheeses. While we were eating, the power went out, and then came back on. We learned later that they had switched us over to a generator after the power went out, because a tree had come down over the road leading into the park. No one was getting in or out for several hours, which meant we had a really quiet afternoon!

My car – day 2

After lunch, we hiked over the bridge near the Inn to go check out the river and a few historic structures on the other side. The Longmire Wooden Truss Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge that was built in 1924. You can drive across it too, but it doesn’t lead anywhere for cars on the other side of the bridge. The snow was coming down, and it was so beautiful! There is really nothing like the peace of a lightly falling snow – the sounds are muffled, and it just makes me happy to see the landscape covered in white.

The Longmire Suspension Bridge

Me on the Longmire Suspension Bridge

The Nisqually River in snow

We came back to the Inn and got hot chocolate (we may have added a little homemade liqueur) and sat on the porch for a bit, enjoying the afternoon. We had a late lunch in the restaurant (lunch there is cheaper than dinner), and were able to skip dinner because lunch was so filling! I had a burger and fries.

National Park Inn in snow

Our evening was spent drinking wine, playing games and socializing in the game room. It is nice that not having cell service, phone or TV encourages people to come together and actually talk! There were several nice people at the Inn that weekend, and we had a chance to hear their stories. We even talked about all coming back the same weekend next year! It was a great end to another really good day.

We had some good wine!

The fireplace in the game room

Mi Vida Loca Photo Series, 8

Jul2

Life has a way of catching up with you sometimes, and getting crazy busy and a bit overwhelming. So while I devote some attention to it over the next few weeks, I am going to share a few photos of the adventures over the last several months that I haven’t had a chance to post about.

Rainier-River