It’s hard to believe that two years ago today, Mr. F and I were driving across the country from Chicago to Seattle. This time last year, 
my cousin Jessie was on rotation in Seattle!
We had Jessie and my sister, Janie over for New Year’s Eve! We were so good last year that we went to Yoga Nidra on New Year’s day. 
January was filled with nice walks around the neighborhood 
and Discovery Park. Our college buddy, Bryce Andrews wrote his first book, Badluck Way
so we went to one of his book signing stops in January! 
More of my awesome Wisconsin cousins came to visit when Jessie finished her rotation. My good friend and co-worker, Caroline
joined me in Fargo in January in Fargo, where it got to a low of -20F!!! We were worried our eyelashes would freeze! 
Meanwhile, Seattle was in the 40s in January and sunny. 
Andy Mac met me in the O’Hare Airport at the end of January as we were both flying around the country for work! February was a fun travel month with a trip to St. Louis where my wonderful mother-in-law made me a delicious birthday cake!
I also got to visit more great co-workers in Irvine, CA! 
Gracielli and Marie are some of my favorite people too. 
Mr. F made an amazing scallop dish in February. We also celebrated Andrea’s bridal shower, 
bachelorette party and wedding! 
Andrea and Mike got married February 21st. I also went to Boise for work and 
we celebrated 
Rusty’s and my mom’s birthdays in February too, before Mr. F and I went to Maui for our birthday trip.
Our favorite restaurant quicky became Star Noodle and we ate there 3 times in less than a week. 
This was one of my favorite dishes and there were so many to choose from! 
We had so much great food and loved snorkeling with the turtles around Black Rock too. 
Our favorite Seattle restaurant last year was Dot’s.
We went there a lot especially for brunch/lunch after yoga before it closed. 
Colleen, Mr. F’s cousin and basically sister, came to visit in March and we had lots of fun shopping and wandering around Fremont. 
We went to the Gramercy Cellars Spring Release in Sodo with Mohit in April. 
The last day of April was so warm that we went paddleboarding. It was an excellent start to a long and unusually sunny summer! 
In the spring, we continued going to yoga regularly, 
I also returned to Irvine to co-monitor with Gracielli, 
Mr. F started swimming regularly in Puget Sound, we also went to Walrus & Carpenter. 
For Memorial day weekend, my parents, sisters, their boyfriends, 
my aunt and uncle, Mr. F and I went to Kauai. 
We had amazing condos in a lush jungle on the beach. 
The snorkeling was better in Kauai than Maui,
perhaps because there were more remote spots and more turtles! 
In May, we met Mohit’s girlfriend who lived on a houseboat. She knows how to throw a great party but doesn’t want her picture taken!
In May, I returned again to Irvine for work and this time, Gracielli and I went to the Pelican Hill Golf Club for dinner. The view was stunning, 
especially at sunset!
We paddleboarded and swam more in May. In June, I won a Tern foldable bike and Ibex giveaway! 
We started biking more to the beach! 
In June, we went to the Doubleback Release party in Walla Walla with Mohit! It was held at the McQueen Vineyard overlooking Walla Walla. 
I also had a work excuse to visit Colleen in Colorado and see her new house. Shortly thereafter, I saw Beav in Boise at his parents’ new house overlooking Boise. 
He had just gotten out of rehab at the time. 
The beginning of July was rainy in Seattle, but I didn’t mind because I got to go to Oahu for work and Andy Mac went with me,
even though she was 8 months pregnant! We even had an awesome room that looked at Diamondhead! 
In August, Mr. F and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary 
and we went to Lummi Island
for the weekend. 
The water was a lot colder there!
One of my favorite dishes, Mr. F made this summer was a tahini chicken salad. 
I saw Beav in Boise again in August when I was there for work. 
Our garden
and neighborhood had tons of sunflowers blooming this summer. In September, I had a great work excuse to visit my cousins in Milwaukee, 
plus drive down to Chicago for Kiki’s bachelorette party! We had an epic time and we went to my favorite Chicago restaurant, 
Piccolo Sogno Due. As if September wasn’t awesome enough, I returned to Oahu for work with my co-worker, Norah
and we went to an amazing yoga class together too. 
I also went to Spokane with my co-worker, Gracielli for a problem site and we ran along the Spokane River together before work. 
Mr. F and I swam in the Sound every chance we got and in between my travels. In late September, I returned to Chicago for work and got to see my cousin, Katy and her adorable baby. We walked through the Lurie Gardens and it was perfect. 
In October, I flew back to Milwaukee for work and for my cousin, Kiki’s wedding. 
My cousins are soo awesome. 
By the end of October, I was getting slightly travel weary and started looking for new jobs, but Mr. F and I kept our spirts up by dressing as Lana and Archer for Halloween. Mohit and his girlfriend were amazing hosts for Halloween too! 
I interviewed for a new company and received an offer within 2 weeks. 
November 12th was the first day at my new company! It’s a top 3 Contract Research Organization plus I got a promotion and a raise!!! Thanksgiving was sad 
because Beav’s funeral was the weekend after but we’re trying to focus on the positive. We had friends over for New Year’s Eve 
and even though, I have a cold, we had a great time! 
Happy New Year! Here’s to great memories and friends!
