2016 | a month-by-month recap

Oy was 2016 a tough year with some pretty significant challenges. There were great losses, uncomfortable growth, and I won't get started on the national political landscape...

2017 is already looking up with some amazing travel plans (hello London, Paris and New York to name a few) and opportunities for career advancement, and I look forward to seeing what other opportunities and adventures the coming months will bring.

Here's a look back on what 2016 had to share with me month-by-month.

JANUARY
I moved back to Idaho just in time for New Years and spent most of the first month with friends and family. I explored the surrounding areas with snowshoeing and winter hikes in the hopes of reconnecting with Idaho and enjoying being here again.

FEBRUARY

In February I visited Saleen for the last time. I had no idea when I was down there that it would be my last time seeing her and wish I would have cherished it more. I loved all the time I got to spend with her and I wish I would have had more opportunities to visit this past year. 

MARCH

The beginning of March was really tough for me. I had officially hit 4 months of unemployment and was starting to feel hopeless. I had interviewed for a marketing position with the local library district and each day that went by without an offer got that much more difficult. I made a decision to road trip west and visit family in the Tri Cities and push on to Portland. During my visit with family I received the offer I had been waiting for and the trip turned into one of celebration. Knowing I had a job to go back to brought so much joy and I enjoyed the trip so much more than I ever expected.

APRIL

In April we had a girls trip to Walla Walla for a long weekend and it was so great! We tasted many delicious wines, explored gorgeous vineyards and cellars and laughed a TON. Hopefully we can make this trip a yearly tradition because it was so good for my soul.

MAY

This was a low key month with the focus on family and work. I enjoyed a road trip with my niece to see my parents for the weekend and took advantage of one-on-one time with Joie to show her around some of the highlights of where her dad and I grew up. It was so fun to see her adventurous heart so excited to hike, discover waterfalls, and meet base jumpers parachuting into the canyon. She and I often talk travel and adventures and I love her excitement for it.

JUNE

June took me on a much needed trip back to Portland to see my tribe. Jenni and Brian were celebrating their 10 year wedding anniversary and we partied, caught up, and toasted to the happy couple. It was a wonderful trip full of friends.

JULY

July was a mixed bag. 

It started with an amazing long weekend in Seattle for the 4th of July holiday. The weather could not have been more perfect and I loved every minute of it.

I also took a WONDERFUL trip to northern Idaho with some of my favorite people and enjoyed a long weekend of cabin living on the lake. We played on the paddle boards and kayaks, ate great BBQ, and enjoyed long days of laughter and sunshine. My soul was completely recharged. On the last morning though I received news that Saleen had taken a turn for the worse and was told that I needed to fly down that day if I hoped to say goodbye. That was, by far, the worst text I have ever received.

I decided not to fly down based on wishes Saleen had expressed to me earlier and made arrangements for my mom to fly there. Just 2 days later I got the phone call that she was gone. The following weeks were the most difficult I've ever experienced. We'd known for months the inevitable, but I realized too late that nothing can prepare you for the absolute.

AUGUST

In August I got a wonderful visit from friends in Washington on their way to camp in Yellowstone. I hadn't seen them for about a year and it was so good to catch up, laugh, and talk travel adventures. I have come to absolutely adore those kids and their mom and hope we get to cross paths again soon.

SEPTEMBER

I think I say this every year, but September is my absolute favorite month. Sure it contains my birthday and that's awesome, but there's also something about the changing of seasons and crisp added to the air after a long summer that just feels magical. September 2016 was no different. 

The month included a trip with a good friend and her little to SoCal. We explored Venice Beach, Huntington Beach, Santa Monica, etc. introduced her little to In and Out, and spent a very full and fun day at Disneyland and California Adventure. It was a great trip and a little cathartic to stand in front of Saleen's favorite ride at Disneyland in her sweatshirt.

The month also included a road trip back to Portland for my birthday weekend. It was so great and filled with laughter with some of my favorite people. 

OCTOBER

I finally started to feel like I hit my groove in Idaho. I had many opportunities to spend time with Boise-based friends in October and it was good to realize I'd finally began building my tribe here. I don't feel pulled to return to Portland, but not having close friendships in Boise outside of my family was starting to take a toll on me emotionally. October felt like the beginning of the healing phase.

NOVEMBER

I'm not going to lie, I was dreading Thanksgiving this year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I look forward each year to spending it with my extended family. This year though my immediate family was heading to Hawaii to spend the holiday in the sunshine and spread Saleen's ashes. I know, I know, Hawaii - what a rough way to spend the holiday. But really, there are more than a few reasons I wasn't too keen on the idea. However, I sucked it up and stuck with the plan and do not regret it one bit. This trip was so much more cathartic than I ever could have imagined. 

Click here for the full recap on this trip.

DECEMBER

It's been many years since I've really been in the Christmas spirit. Between travel (not complaining) and living in Portland in various apartments (also not complaining) I haven't really felt "homey" around the holidays. This year was different though and I loved it! I actually bought a tree, decorated it, and really enjoyed all the holiday activities the surrounding areas had to offer. Having my niece excited about the magic of Christmas was really fun too. I haven't spent a Christmas morning with her since she was 3, so getting to wake up with her this year was the best Christmas present I could have asked for.

Officially Saying Goodbye in Hawaii

Over Thanksgiving week, the whole family traveled to the Big Island to spend the week in paradise, celebrate Saleen's life, and lay her to rest among the waves in her favorite bay.

I won't lie, I was not looking forward to this trip. Up until the day before I flew out I questioned not getting on that plane. Ultimately though, I couldn't do that to Saleen's memory. I owed it to her to be a part of her final goodbye.

So I went.
And I'm so glad I did!
I don't think I've had such a good time with my brothers since we kids, and, you guys, Hawaii is BEAUTIFUL!

My family all arrived a day or two ahead of me, so when I flew in Monday afternoon, most were already in vacation mode and ready to chill. I spent that first evening poolside with my mom and enjoyed this view:

Day 2

Danielle, Brandie, and I explored Waipio Valley and the black sand beach. We had so much fun off-roading in our rented Jeep and exploring the beach and waves. It's amazing how much warmer the water is in Hawaii compared to the Oregon Coast.

Day 3

We all headed out with the intention of exploring the Hilo side of the island, starting with Akaka Falls. After the falls though, the 2 cars split up and just Jed, Danielle, Joie and I continued on to Hilo for lunch and then Volcano National Park so Joie could see her volcano (which was at the top of her Hawaii list).

Day 4

The fourth day was Thanksgiving. The day started off with time on the beach to myself. I FaceTimed with the family I normally spend the holiday with who were back in Seattle. It was fun to "see" them and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving while sitting next to the ocean with my toes in the sand. Later that day Danielle's aunt, who lives on the island, took us to a local spot for snorkeling. It was so fun! After hours of playing in the ocean, we had our Thanksgiving dinner at Lava Lava Beach Club and it was soooo good! It was weird to eat Thanksgiving dinner out (and I had a hamburger, ha!) but it was nice and laid back too. We ate out on the beach and listened to live music along with the waves. It's not what I want to do every Thanksgiving, but it was definitely a great experience.

Day 5

We spent most of the day at Hapuna Beach, a state beach that is so unbelievably gorgeous. We snorkeled, swam, built sand castles, and just generally enjoyed a relaxing day in the sun and surf. 

Day 6

This was the day we said goodbye to Saleen. We started out early in the morning with a hike through lava that led us to the most gorgeous bay I've ever seen. Saleen had told me about this spot a few times and she described it really well, but nothing could have prepared me for how amazing it was. The sand was like silt and the surf was unbelievably warm. It was a sobering morning, but much more cathartic than I anticipated. There were tears, there were hugs, and there sweet memories shared and made. It was difficult to have everything feel so final, but at the same time, it's exactly what I needed to move on. All of us were saying we wished we had done it earlier in the week because it seemed to help find some closure.

That afternoon and evening was the most fun I'd had in a long time. We played in the pool, drank, toasted to Saleen in the sunset, and just in general had a good time celebrating life. 

Day 7

Our final day. We were flying out at midnight, so we had one last, full day in paradise and none of us were ready to leave. We spent the day with a mix of pool, picking up a few souvenirs, and cleaning the condo we'd rented. We also made sure to get in one last happy hour at Lava Lava. I understand why Saleen always sent me texts of her evenings there. That place is magical at sunset. 

Danielle and I did not want to leave, but Jed (the level headed one) drug us away to get ready to head to the airport. It was such a lovely evening enjoying the atmosphere and conversation with one another. I began my trip not wanting to go to Hawaii, and I ended it looking forward to visiting again.

2015 Month By Month

January

2015 began in New York City and kicked off a year of adventure, travel, and great discoveries about myself. I returned home to Portland and spent the month soul-searching about the year ahead - what I wanted to do, where I wanted to live, and my goals for health and finances. Little did I know that the year would reveal much more about me than I was prepared for.

February

My job with TNT kept me traveling back and forth between Portland and Boise. I was able to spend time with my family while keeping myself planted in Portland. It was the perfect blend of calling the PNW home while spending time with my family, and earning Alaska Airline miles.

March

Starting the end of December, I had been working on fitness and weight loss. I steadily lost weight and increased my time outdoors over the months. I had the opportunity to meet up with friends and family for hikes, and enjoyed many good conversations in the great outdoors.

April

April was full of travel - Boise, Cannon Beach, Palm Springs, Saddle Mountain, Opal Creek, and Seattle. April was possibly my favorite month of 2015.

May

May began my crazy travel for work season. I enjoyed a long weekend at Disneyland with a great group of heroes and cheered on the Boise team through the heart of the city. I also spent time in Long Beach with family, and, of course, visited Cannon Beach too.

June

A bittersweet month. I wrapped up my time at TNT with a trip to Lake Tahoe with my cycle family. I was sad to leave TNT, but excited to be starting my new job as the Marketing Manager at CCA. With true optimism, I thought the career change would bring the best opportunities and be the start of a new life in Portland. Little did I know it was the beginning of the end.

July

The height of summer - concerts, beach trips, hikes... the best things in life all enjoyed with good friends.

August

Started training for a half marathon, saw "Wicked," caught up with friends from Australia, photographed many families, found the best apartment in Portland, visited the coast... so many good things in August.

September

Generally speaking, September is my favorite month of the year. Fall arrives, my birthday is celebrated, and the leaves begin to change. This year September was tough for me. Things had been difficult at work for a few months, and it came to a head in September. I had the flu on my birthday, and plans fell through for any celebration. I had plans for the second New York trip of the year in Oct though, and in September I received my tickets to see Jimmy Fallon, and my nephew was born on the 25th... so it wasn't all bad.

October

There are few places I've loved more than NYC. 

Strike that. 

There's no place I've loved more than NYC.

The skyline, the culture, the chaos... I love it all and itch to go back. As often as possible.

I enjoyed 4 glorious days in New York in October, quit my (horrible) job, and ended the month with the hardest news I've received to date and headed to Palm Springs. October brought the highest highs and lowest lows of 2015.

November

My niece officially turned seven, and I officially feel old. I started and quit my job as a nanny, and decided my life was leading me to another big change. I didn't think I was ready to make this big decision yet, but I proved myself wrong and began the process of moving back to Idaho.

December

December was a month of saying goodbye to Portland and the many amazing friends I had made there. I fit in 3 more trips - San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Seattle - and spent a day at the coast, making memories. The month was emotional, and difficult, but overall I knew I had made the right decision in choosing to head back to Idaho. 

2015 was a year of change, growth, adventure, and self discovery. It was a year of top experiences and low emotions, and all have led to many great things. 

I look forward to discovering all 2016 has in store for me.

San Franciscan Adventures

Back in early December I had the opportunity to travel to, and explore, San Francisco with my friend Tam, and Airbnb's newest endeavor.

Airbnb is working on branching out from just offering housing in many beautiful locations, and is working through the logistics of offering thematic excursions in multiple cities. I was one of many lucky participants sent by the company to SFO for three nights with a pre-planned itinerary meant to introduce us to many hidden gems not commonly explored by tourists.

By choosing the "Urban Adventurer's" theme, I enjoyed: a hike through the heart of the city that included 4 of the tallest peaks that offered amazing views, a private dinner and desert that ended with a night tour of the city as we enjoyed our ice cream, a moderate hike through Muir Woods, privately catered four-course Argentinian dinner in the Chef's home, and one of the best brunches I've ever enjoyed with the new friends I'd made.

The experience was one I'll always remember, and I'm grateful for having had the opportunity to explore San Francisco in a whole new way.

Five Amazing Days in NYC

In October I spent five fun-filled days in my favorite city. The trip was originally planned around completing my 4th half marathon with Team in Training, but I was battling bronchitis and wasn't cleared by the doctor to complete the 13.1 miles; however, that didn't stop me from sightseeing and exploring!

Friday - Day 1

Friday started with Pearl (my travel buddy) and I grabbing coffee and a bagel and heading to Brooklyn Bridge Park where we could enjoy our breakfast with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline. Since we were staying in Brooklyn this time, we decided to dedicate our day to exploring this great borough. 

We walked the Brooklyn Bridge (my personal favorite), found delicious pizza for lunch, walked around Brooklyn Heights, and checked out some local street art. We also stopped by the Brooklyn Rock n' Roll marathon expo to get Pearl all checked in and ready for her event the next morning.

That evening we joined the rest of the team for the Inspiration Dinner and then headed back to Brooklyn to turn in early since we had to be up at 5 am the next day for the event. 

Saturday - Day 2

Saturday started off with an early morning at Prospect Park for the Brooklyn Rock n' Roll half marathon. As I stated earlier, I wasn't cleared by doctor for the run, so I spent my time cheering on the sidelines. This was Pearl's first endurance event and I was so proud to be cheering her on! She rocked it!

After the event Pearl was (understandably) tired and needed to recuperate a bit, so I headed out to explore a bit of Manhattan on my own.  I started in the South Street Seaport first, heading to TKTS to get tickets to a Broadway show for Sunday.

The view of One World Trade Center from the streets of the financial district never gets old. It's such a beautiful and prominent structure.

After securing tickets to Les Miz (hello bucketlist!) I spent a couple hours wandering the stacks of Strand Bookstore in Union Square. Whenever I travel my preferred souvenir is a book or two. It's a great way to spend money on something I would mostly likely spend it on anyway and it's fun to look at my bookcase and remember where I picked each title up.  

After choosing two titles, I wandered a few blocks south to visit the Flatiron Building. The sun was just starting to set and the lighting was gorgeous! Next to the building is one of my favorite parks, Madison Square Park, and I sat on a bench people watching for a bit while a jazz band played in the distance. It was movie-quality perfect!

After wandering a bit more, I met up with Pearl to see a movie. We were hoping to see "Steve Jobs" since it was released early in NYC, but all the showings were sold out, so we opted for "Pan" instead. We were pleasantly surprised! The movie was great, and I'll definitely be seeing it again!

Sunday - Day 3

Sunday began as all Sundays should begin... with a mimosa brunch. When Hannah and I traveled to NYC last December/January we stumbled into a great little restaurant called The Harold. When Pearl and I found ourselves wandering 34th street and hungry, I knew we needed to head straight for The Harold, and we were not disappointed.

After pleasantly filling our bellies, Pearl headed for a local pub to watch the Seahawks play (her version of the perfect afternoon) and I headed for the Imperial Theater to see Les Miserables (my version of the perfect afternoon)!

I happened to snag GREAT seats in the third row and cried through the entire production. It was beautiful beyond belief, and honestly words do not do it justice. It is a show that must be seen and demands to be experienced. 

After the show I called my best friend, Richard - the only person I know who would truly understand my reaction to Les Mis - and then wandered around Columbus Circle a bit. I was in a weird emotional state and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next when an idea popped into my head - why not see a second show?!

I learned about Something Rotten when it was still in pre-production and instantly fell in love with the premise. It's an original musical set in the Renaissance with a modern twist. It's tongue-and-cheek about Shakespeare and this 'new' notion in the theater world of a 'musical.' It's pretty popular, so the chances of me scoring cheap tickets weren't super high, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. 

So I headed to the theater, got in line, and scored tickets at 7:15 for the 7:30 showtime!  My seats weren't great (I sat in the balcony behind a group of students who wouldn't sit still and talked throughout the whole thing) but it was amazing regardless! I laughed so hard and LOVED it. I actually downloaded the music as soon as the show was over and have been listening to it on repeat ever since.

Pearl was a great friend and waited patiently outside the theater with me to get my Playbill signed. All the actors were so friendly and some even did silly little impromptu song and dances for us. When the actor who played Shakespeare came out I may, or may not, have giggled like a school girl. I asked him if we could take a picture and he said, "hell yeah, selfie it up girl!" *Swoon

Monday - Day 4

Day 4 - otherwise know as THE DAY I SAW JIMMY FALLON!!!

Let me start by saying, yes, he is just as nice and handsome in person as he appears to be on TV. In fact, if it's possible, he's even more handsome in person.

We started the day wandering around Bryant Park a bit enjoying the fall colors. Full discretion (and a bit of TMI): being sick and on meds the entire time we were there was causing my system to be out of whack a bit and I found myself getting motion sick quite easily. After riding the subway for about an hour in from Brooklyn, I needed to find a spot to sit and let my stomach settle. After about 20 minutes I noticed my right thigh was itching, and within another 5 minutes both my right and left legs were quite itchy. I sought out a bathroom in a nearby coffee shop to see what was up with my legs. I was wearing a dress with tights and as I pulled them down I noticed HUGE red welts spanning both legs. My fear was that a bug or spider had bit me, so I shook out my tights (nothing there that I could see), put them back on, ran out to find Pearl, and told her we needed to find a CVS asap.

Long story short, I think the culprit was hives (don't have a clue as to why I had them) and the walking around looking for a CVS seemed to be long enough to have them start to subside. Pearl was so gracious and asked if I was more comfortable heading back to Brooklyn and missing Fallon, but I quickly responded with, "hell no, I'll sit through Fallon with itchy legs, nothing's keeping me from seeing this taping!"

About 30 minutes later the hives seemed to have cleared and it was time to check in for the taping. I was so excited to start the process that my mind was completely off the itching, thank God!

Once you check in there is absolutely NO photography allowed. There are interns and NBC employees walking around and answering questions and often reminding you to not take out your phones. Security is a serious subject in the studio. They were so nice and fun to chat with though, and the whole process was quite fascinating to me. 

My favorite part of the whole experience was having the behind-the-scenes look at the taping of an episode. It's such a well-rehearsed, smooth process and watching the camera men, production crew, hair and makeup, etc. do their thing and rock it was so neat! I had a difficult time remembering to watch Jimmy and his guests because I was more interested in watching the production crew and camera men! 

After the show ends they escort groups of 15 at a time out of the studio, down the elevators and through a back door entrance of the Experience NBC Store. They definitely have that "enjoy the show? Great spend money" process down.

After we each spent a little lot of money in the store, Pearl and I wandered around Rockefeller Center a bit more. It's a beautiful building filled with all kinds of shops and studios.

After our exploring we grabbed an Uber and headed to our dinner reservations at The Writing Room.

My birthday was back in September, but between being ill, crazy busy at work, and making travel plans, I hadn't officially celebrated yet. Pearl and I decided to have my "birthday dinner" in NYC, and after much research I settled on The Writing Room in the Upper Eastside.

Oh man, this restaurant did not disappoint! If you ever find yourself in Manhattan and want a delicious meal with great ambiance and fun servers, check out The Writing Room!

Tuesday - Day 5

Our final day in NYC.

My friend Tam had joined us at our Airbnb the night before. It was fun to catch up with her and hear about her own adventures in the big city. When we woke in the morning the three of us headed to the cute little coffee shop around the corner and said our goodbyes to the city.

As we crossed over the street, I noticed a heart in the concrete that I hadn't seen before. I'm sure we walked passed it every day we were there, but noticing it on our last morning seemed like a sign to me. We took a picture of our feet with it, loaded up our luggage into the Uber car, and headed for JFK.

This second trip to NYC was a great one. It was a completely different experience from my first, and I can't wait to go back and have yet another new experience in what I've come to realize, is my favorite city in the world.