Jonathan and I went up to Bellingham for a “Double Major” scholarship concert featuring local breakout bands Death Cab for Cutie & ODEZA. We’ve probably seen Death Cab at least half a dozen times, but this was our first to see ODEZA. The concert at Civic Field was incredible. While we were in Bellingham we also tried (as usual) to eat at as many of our favorite spots as possible.

At the end of June I turned 20+19 (in 2019!), which means I officially need to start planning my next birthday — you know, the “big one”. It’s a little weird because although my body does physically hurt frequently, I don’t feel that old. Actually, I feel pretty immature. Regardless, so far so good and I’m just trying to embrace what every season of my life has to offer and not take anything for granted.

I had a very average day (it was a weekday), followed by a lovely dinner with my family, and a delicious dessert prepared by them. Then I got out for a fun night with girlfriends. 40, I’m ready for you!

My friend, Emily, and I have talked about taking our sons on a double date for quite a while. We decided to take them to see Million Dollar Quartet at the Issaquah Village Theatre. It’s a musical about Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, & Carl Perkins. (We had no idea who Carl Perkins was, but we learned he was quite big back in his day, and it was he who wrote and originally performed Blue Suede Shoes – it is not Elvis’ song!) Anyway, we had great seats in the 4th row, right behind the piano on stage, so we had a great view of Jerry Lee Lewis’ insane piano playing! The guy playing him was seriously impressive!

The boys had a fun time. We parked a little ways away and got tea and ice cream cones before walking to the show. I’m sure Emily and I enjoyed it more than they did, but it was a memorable introduction to musicals for them!

I love lazy summer days that randomly turn fun in sweet, unplanned ways. The kids and I were just hanging around one morning with nothing going on. I decided we should go down to Old Snoqualmie and walk about and check things out. It’s an easy, flat place to go with all four kids, and I can let Layla walk without holding her hand and she is safe. We wandered around the old train museum and even found an area we’d never discovered before. The boys enjoyed reading about the local railroad history. We roamed in and out of shops and got ice cream cones. The kids were even feeling extra photogenic and wanted to pose for pics! Such a fun afternoon reminds me there is so much possibility in each and every day. I just need to bottle days like these!

For Father’s Day this year we went for a family hike up Little Si. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun, and Layla even did quite a bit of the hike herself!