2017 was an experience for sure. Some of the highest highs and lowest lows. Things that shook my life to the very core. I am changed forever because of things that happened last year. But it needs to be written. I like that I can get a review of my year and it's been good to be able to go back and read what I was up to in 2017. Here's what happened in 2017,(apologies for how long some sections are because I did a terrible job of blogging and journaling last year so this is kind of it): *pictures to come*
Movies/Shows:
La La Land-This came out in January and my friend Mallorie and I went to see it twice in the theaters. Just a lovely movie. I enjoyed the *magic* of Hollywood it tried to portray but it was also a very sweet and real love story. I always love singing and dancing and Mandy Moore from SYTYCD choreographed it. The score was delightful. And who doesn't love Ryan Gosling?!?! It may be a little twisted but I also enjoy that the love interests don't end up together. Some of my family members refuse to watch it because of that, but I think that is more like real life. My favorite numbers were "A Lovely Night" and the planetarium sequence where they dance in the stars (que romantico). Also when Ryan Gosling yells at Emma Stone "What!" when she doesn't want to keep being an actress is so funny. The montage of their life that could have been was heartbreaking and a little hard to watch and also confused me the first time because I wasn't sure what was real. But it was so good. Jimmy Fallon did a parody for the
Golden Globes intro and it is so funny, especially when he and Justin Timberlake dance in the stars.
Beauty and the Beast-Live Action-It was everything my 4 year old self wanted it to be. Enough like the old version to be the same but enough different to be its own movie. I loved all the actors and actresses they chose for each role. Emma did fabulously. Dan Stevens was great. Emma Thompson kills it in everything she does. Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad as Lefou were a great tag team. I actually kind of 'liked' Gaston, is that bad? The animation was so beautiful especially the part where they make Bell's yellow gown. I did enjoy the back story of her father and mother, so sad though. The new songs were really good too. The Celine Dion song, "How Does a Moment Last Forever" is beautiful and heartbreaking. And can I get an AMEN for the Josh Groban version of "Evermore"! He is amazing on that song and I made everyone that came to the movie with me stay to the very end to hear it. Very joshy, but also a really great song. I am glad that my mom got to see it twice. She loved it. I do have a beef with the re-do of "Tale as Old as Time" because they had Ariana Grande sing Celine's part. She does not enunciate at all and it was very whiny to me. I did not like it. Also, James Corden crosswalk musical.
Coco-a beautiful movie. Watch it, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and everything in between. Pixar always does a great job. The animation was beautiful. I thought they did a great job capturing the culture and look of Mexico/Dia de los Muertos. The kid who voiced Miguel did a superb job. I also liked that they used the expression "Hijole" in the movie.
Mama Coco is the cutest
Harry Potter 1-7.2-not new movies but it deserves a mention as I and my friends spent a significant amount of time watching all 8 HP movies. It started as a way to celebrate HP's birthday in July and we just kept going. We watched most of them at my friend John's house and he has surround sound and a projector so it was fun to see them so big, close and loud. We also had fun making commentary as we watched and quoting lines and discussing theories. Also, I have to bring up the GIGANTIC PLOT HOLE that I don't know how JK Rowling overlooked it. Ok, so in HP 1 they get their Hogwarts letter and it tells them the animals they can bring: an owl, or a cat, or a toad. Nowhere does it say they can bring a
rat. Therefore Scabbers the rat should not have been allowed at Hogwarts. If he is not at Hogwarts he can't do a lot of things that..I don't know..Bring back the Dark Lord!!! Seriously, this changes things if Ron can't bring his rat to school.
Stranger Things-I jumped on the bandwagon to this show. Season 2 came out this year so I was able to see both seasons back to back. I loved everything about this show. The characters, the music, the costumes, the storyline, everything was so so good and pretty original. Even the
music to the opening credits is perfect and epic. Season 1 wasn't too scary, I screamed one time. Season 2 was super scary at some episodes. I screamed several times in one episode and generally had to hold a pillow for most of it and have someone sitting next to me. Again, we watched this at John's house and I think the big screen, surround sound, up close and personal, made it that much better. Watching it on my laptop would not have been the same. Also it was super fun watching it with friends. The side commentary was hilarious as was the hypotheses and the yelling at the characters when they were being stupid. Tonya would literally stand up at times she was super nervous. Our general consensus was that Dustin became our favorite,
he has the best lines and he is the cutest and sweetest and he swears and the no teeth and all the food and the smarts and we just love him. Hopper is our second favorite and I've decided that I would just like to be carried like a baby by him for a few minutes. It seems like it would feel very safe and secure. With the show being on Netflix we could blow through several episodes at a time. John, Tonya, and I watched 5 episodes accidentally one night because we thought there were only 4 more and how could we not finish it?! We now send Stranger Things memes to each other. I also appreciate being up to date on something popular.
Steve wielding his baseball bat with nails-the best babysitter!
when Hopper dances for Eleven it is the cutest thing ever
Dustin's no front teeth smile is so endearing
I think we did get more Sherlock, Poldark, Call the Midwife, Endeavour, and Grantchester last year too. Thank goodness for PBS.
Books:
I was blessed by the reading gods this year to find some really great pieces of literature. There were two authors I was especially impressed by and will now read anything they write.
Fredrik Backman:
My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She's Sorry-an imaginative girl looses her best friend grandmother but learns she was already given the tools she needs to be successful in life. Her grandmother sends her on a journey and she ends up uniting neighbors. The main character reminds me of Flavia from the Flavia De Luce books. I also like how her necessary accessory is her scarlet and gold Gryffindor scarf. I love this author's style of writing and how connected he is to life and the feelings we have and experience. He writes so well, his stories are heartbreaking and funny at the same time. You root for the characters to succeed because you get so attached to them.
Britt-Marie Was Here-this was kind of a spin off from the above book, he takes one of the characters and gives her a story. This middle aged woman leaves her unhappy, unfulfilling marriage and starts a new life in a new town. She becomes a soccer coach to a group of rag tag kids, they change her and she helps change the town. Again, just really good writing and you get so attached to the characters. I can't recommend this author enough. I read three books by him last year and one before that. I am excited for his new one coming out in 2018.
Marilynne Robinson:
Gilead-I randomly picked this one up in Barnes & Noble, it was a "staff recommendation" pick. I also had a friend on goodreads who recommended it. It won a Pulitzer Prize. But other than that I really didn't know what I was trying to read. I am so glad I did though because it has become one of my favorite books of all time and I have even recommended it to two other people to read. The story is about a man who is a preacher in Iowa. His father and grandfather were preachers before him. He is facing the end of his life but is also leaving behind a wife and young son due to he got married later in life. So the book is his words to leave behind to his son, explaining his heritage, why certain things happened, what is important to him, and his hopes and dreams for his son. It is so heartfelt and honest from a man who has tried to lead a good life and help those around him but who may also be regretting certain things. The writing is so so good. The author has these literary gems sprinkled throughout. The words she chooses to put together have so much weight to them but she is not too verbose. Like Fredrik Backman, Marilynne Robinson is very good at relating human nature and when you read the book you can identify with these emotions and circumstances the characters are feeling. Because the main character is a preacher the author also uses some powerful religious metaphors that are very effective. Also, I think because the main character and narrator is a preacher he is very in touch with his feelings and spirituality, which I think because he is coming to the end of his life his words become even more real and honest. How do you become this good of a writer? I'm glad I bought my copy because I started underlining my favorite parts, it's fun to flip through and find them. Such a great find this year.
Home-this book is Gilead #2, based on a few background characters from the first one. A daughter comes home to take care of her ailing father and her prodigal brother also returns for the first time in 20 years. Glory is the name of the sister and she has had a lot of disappointments in life. There is a ton of family history that weighs on the two siblings who are caught between wanting redemption and retribution for things that happened to them and also forgiving their dying father who has little time and inclination to change his ways. Again the author was very good at relating the human nature and also family dynamics and relationships.
Lila-Gilead #3, takes the wife of the preacher from the first book and tells her story. She grew up wild with no real mother, no education and no religion, somehow takes a chance on this preacher and learns to accept her past but also be willing to shape a new future for herself. Probably my least favorite of the three but still really good.
Apollo 8-This is the story of the first astronauts to orbit the moon in preparation for a future moon landing. It may not sound like a big deal now but they were the first to see the back side of the moon which was totally foreign to mankind. I think the author did a great job writing about the importance of the space race and made this mission come off as nerve-wracking, exciting, pioneering, and barrier-breaking. I enjoy reading about space so it was exciting to me. I also read the Apollo 13 book which was not as exciting because I knew everything that would happen because of the movie. It was still good though.
The Reason I Jump-This is a book written by a then fifteen year old Japanese boy who has severe autism. He communicates through a message board spelling out words. It's basically his answers to questions that are posed to him and he gives very insightful answers. Questions like, why do you flap your arms, why can't you look people in the eye, and more. It was so fascinating to get this closer insight to what someone with autism thinks and feels.
To the Lighthouse-I had a friend recommend this book to me. It was my first Virginia Woolf. It took me a little while to get into and the writing was so all over the place, switching the POV even mid paragraph. It took a little effort to get used to. And the story is really about nothing. It's two days in the life of a family told about 10-15 years apart with the events of WWI in between. But, after I got used to the interesting format I was able to really appreciate what the author was trying to do. There were moments of literary gems that were so good, the way she described their emotions was so descriptive. It's probably not a book for everyone but I learned to enjoy it.
A Brief History of Time-Stephen Hawking is a genius and he is hilarious. I understood like 70% of this book but managed to get through it. So fascinating and enlightening. I also appreciated this book when I toured LIGO in September so I could get what they were talking about in the lecture. Physics! It hurts the brain a bit.
Ashes-the 3rd and final installment of the Seeds of America series. I don't remember much abut it now, but I do remember that it was very good.
Like always, I read a lot more than this, but this was the best of the crop.
Concerts/Plays:
An American in Paris-I got to see this show for a second time when it finally came to Seattle. It was still lovely and magical and the principals were very good.
John Mayer-He came to the Gorge Amphitheater near George, Washington. I had seen Jason Mraz there several years ago but it was smokey from fires then so I didn't get the full effect of the gorge. It was hard to pass it up as it's only about 90 minutes away so why not? I went with Tonya, John and John's nephew Jordan. Getting in to the theater from the highway took forever and there was this annoying car in front of us where the people kept switching seats so they could vape in the backseat. Because why would you want to remember anything about your night? It was kind of funny to watch them but mostly annoying. We kept yelling at them from our car. The venue was pretty cool as you get a huge sweeping view of part of the gorge of the Columbia River. The opening act was actually really good, called, The Night Game, they had an 80's/Chicago vibe and we really got into them. John Mayer invited them to open for him because he heard one of their songs on YouTube and liked it. How cool! The concert was really great. Aside from some marijuana being consumed. John Mayer is such a talented musician and seeing him live was such a treat. A lot of his music you hear on the radio is good but when you hear the same song live and he goes on a groove and riffs on his guitars it is really something else. I thought he did a great job playing songs from his entire catalog and he stated he really appreciated that we let him play things differently and change it up. He sang "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" acoustically and it was delightful. I enjoyed when he got his two peeps that he made a trio with and they played some good ones, like "Bold as Love" which is a killer song; just really showed off their talents. Like most people, Gravity, was probably my favorite. Hearing it live was amazing and he just really finds some nice grooves. I wanted him to play "Vultures" but he didn't. His album Continuum is probably one of the best of the entire decade of 2000s. I haven't kept up with all his music but I think his newest album is pretty good and closer to what I like about his music. It is so fun to go to concerts with Tonya too because she gets in a zone and sings along to every single song, and writes them down so she can have a playlist later. It's amazing to witness. I think we all had a fun time and it was somewhat magical to watch as the sun set and the stars came out.
Neil Diamond-Neil came to Portland on his 50th anniversary tour. I took a long time to decide if I wanted to go but I eventually decided that I should because Neil is not getting any younger. Michelle said she would go with me and I took her up on it. We drove down to Portland after work on Friday and got their in time for the concert. The drive to Portland was lovely, as it usually is in the gorge in the summertime, and this was before all the fires. I was also really excited to get a new Neil Diamond T-shirt. I now own three. Michelle was just curious to see what kind of a crowd Neil Diamond would draw. I told her it would be mostly older and middle age but there would younger people there. I also told her that Neil does a great show and can still pack an arena. She recognized some of his songs, was a good sport and generally amused the whole evening. Neil did a great job, sang most of the songs I wanted him to, sang some weird song with a montage of a seagull flying (super weird), and all the big hits as well. It was to celebrate his 50th year in the music business so they had this movie before the concert started with photos of baby and young Neil and then the concert itself sort of followed the release of his music chronologically. At one portion he played his guitar for a few songs like, Cherry Cherry, and Cracklin' Rosie. It was so fun to enjoy his music with a couple thousand others who really like Neil too. Also, I'm so glad I chose to go because he has announced recently that he has Parkinson's disease and is retiring from touring. How sad! Of course he ended with America and Sweet Caroline. He did not sing Sooliamon this time which made me a bit sad but he did sing it at the first concert of his I went to. Yeah, pretty much all night I was like, Ooo, I love this one, to every song. I don't know why I love Neil so much, but I do. The funniest thing to me is that this is an interest that developed since college. It's not like I grew up listening to him or my mom liked him or anything. Anyway, Michelle and I stayed the night in Portland (I'm too old to drive home the same night) and then we did a lovely hike on the Washington side of the gorge the next day. I got to drive over The Bridge of the Gods and what a view! We did Falls Creek Falls and it was a great length and difficulty for me. And so great to enjoy the beauty of Washington. It was a quick but fun and eventful trip and Michelle and I always have good chats.
Coldplay-I saw them at Century Link Field in Seattle. I mostly went because I got Michelle, Tonya and Shayla to come with me for a double feature in Seattle. I wanted to see the PNB production of Jewels and it was the same weekend as Coldplay so I told Tonya I'd go with her if she wanted to come to my thing and then it became a group trip. Coldplay is not my most favorite ever but I was totally ok with paying for the cheapest seats. They know how to put on a show though. So much pyrotechnics, lasers, confetti, balloons, beach balls, flames, etc. They gave out these wristbands that had LED lights in them that were synced to the songs to light up at certain times with certain colors to match the rhythm or mood of the song. It was a pretty great effect with the whole stadium being lit up. I was pleasantly surprised that I recognized about 80% of the songs. I think they were very heavy handed in playing their "hits" but it worked ok for me because that is what I knew. And I was impressed they were able to fill the stadium. Chris Martin has so much energy! He was always running around and up and down his little catwalk thingy. You can tell he really gives it all to his show. My favorite song of theirs right now is "Adventure of a Lifetime." Probably the "biggest" concert I've ever been to.
Jewels-PNB
I picked this as my PNB show that I wanted to see this year. As I have studied ballet and history of ballet I have learned about Jewels and always thought it would be a good one to see. This year was the 50th anniversary of it's creation so PNB was doing the entire show, Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. Sometimes it gets split up. Also it is by George Balanchine so it's bound to be amazing. Balanchine came up with the idea after a visit to Van Cleef jewelers in NYC. I tried to educate my friends a bit on what they would be seeing so I told them what I knew. Emeralds is choreographed after the French style of ballet. It is very romantic and beautiful. They wear long green tutus with lots of sparkly green stones. It was funny at the show because every time the curtain went up there would be a gasp or exclamation from the audience because each movement was just so breathtaking from the beginning pose. For Emeralds they had a dark backdrop with little lights so it just looked like a starry night. It was very delicate, smooth, romantic and lovely. I think I cried at one point because it was all so beautiful. Rubies was styled in the American style. Very sassy, jazzy, and more abstract in it's movements. Jutting hips, arms in angled and abstract lines, jerky kicks, it all went well with the Stravinsky music that had lots of dissonance and was pretty abstract itself. The costumes were a striking ruby color and the soloists had fringe on their skirts. I don't remember the backdrop but I do remember the curtain came up and all the women were en pointe with all their arms in the air and the men were holding their hands while just standing so it was every other man/woman and their arms making Vs. Ok, I hope that makes sense. The overall effect was very striking and powerful and such a contrast to the previous ballet, Emeralds. The female soloists were very very good and I enjoyed that it was more abstract and less formal/classical ballet. I think this ballet was my favorite of the three. Diamonds was the last ballet and it was after the Russian tradition. They wore white costumes and the women had the traditional shorter tutus bedazzled with lots of sparkles. The set was this grey large frame, it was ok. The dancing was the typical formal and classic Russian style, but very powerful and regal in a sense. Again there was gasping when the curtain went up. My friends liked this one the best, I think because it was the closest to the traditional ballet they would be familiar with. I was so glad I chose to go to this one. It was fabulous. I did get a little sad when I thought about how much my mom would have loved this one, because she totally would have gone with me and we would have had a fantastic time like we always do. Also, I feel a little snobbish in that I attend "the ballet" about once a year, but seriously, it could be worse. I can't wait to see what they have lined up for next season. I feel like I'm slowly catching the important ones.
Music:
Allen Stone cover of Gotye's "Somebody that I used to know"-somehow I came across this on the youtubes and I was overcome with it. So much wailing on the guitar and funk and blues and it's just amazing. Dare I say I enjoy it it more than the original? It is so fun to blast and Allen does a really good job on the vocals as well. Oh, and also I found a cover he did of
"Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver and he does a really good job on it.
Allen Stone-new album-Radius-came across this new album after finding the song above. I listened to several tracks on YouTube before I bought it, but I'm really glad I did. It was the old Allen Stone I love but more produced and fuller. Still bluesy, funky, r&b, white-boy soul. Several of the bonus tracks on the deluxe version have become of my favorites. He sings about similar things as his first album but I am just amazed at how many styles he incorporates into his music. I also enjoy supporting him because he is from the PNW.
More Hamilton-I actually got really into it this time. I started listening to "Wait for It" and then grew to really enjoy the whole thing. It is so interesting to listen to because of things like the rapping and the beat battles, the different styles of music in the songs and some of them just really get you pumped up. It is a bit of work of a genius, the metering in the songs and the poetry. I guess I like to listen to it because I like to look at it in a technical way as well. I get to see the real deal in AZ this February! So excited!
Sorry Not Sorry-Demi Lovato, ok of all the former disney stars turned pop singers I think Demi has the best voice of them all. This song is so catchy and has a girl power vibe to it that is just needed some days.
Also added things like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Mackelmore to my dance party playlist.
Temples:
Laie, HI-got to attend when I was in HI for my 30th. I didn't realize how old it was but it reminded me a lot of the Mesa, AZ temple. I loved the Polynesian inspired artwork. Also I have never moved rooms so much during a session before. That was kind of fun. The grounds are beautiful and it was really cool to visit.
Gilbert, AZ-I went through this temple for the open house but I wanted to make it official and do a session. I got to go when I was in AZ for Thanksgiving. This temple is huge! The Celestial room is probably one of the most beautiful ever. Just so pretty and peaceful. The chandelier is so sparkly. My friend Kameron told me that the LDS church paid to have the electrical wires around the block of the temple sent underground so there are no tacky wires obstructing the view. How cool.
Trips:
Hawaii for 30
I should probably do a longer post for this one. Briefly, I went to Hawaii for my 30th birthday with Stacy and Michelle. We had a blast and did a lot of fun things, ate good food, escaped harsh winters and sat on a lot of beaches. It was my big trip for the year and I am so grateful for how it turned out because it was fantastic.
UT for Kams wedding-quick trip but much needed; such a blessing to be there and see Kams and Stephanie get sealed. So much love in the room.
AZ for Thanksgiving-Every day I spent at least an hour outside in the sun and wore shorts and sandals. I flew in on Thanksgiving morning and had to get up super early so I was tired by the time we ate but we had a fantastic meal. Michael brined his first turkey, it turned out really well! Caleb had his first solids and attacked eating real food like a champ. We enjoyed being together and partying at Momma and Poppa Theurer's house while they are serving a mission in Africa (gracias!). Also we saw the Christmas lights at the Mesa temple and went to Organ Stop Pizza where a guy plays this huge old organ for entertainment. I got to play with babies a ton and there was so much food and sunshine and warmth. I am a fan of Thanksgiving in AZ.
Random happenings:
Locked keys out of car-used AAA thanks to Shayla-we had been taking a walk at the river and I thought I was smart and got my keys out before I locked my purse in my trunk. Shayla had put her keys in my trunk to boot, so she was essentially locked out of her car. We called A-Ray (aka Ray Johson, aka Poppa Johnson) and he did the typical dad scolding that I would have expected from my dad. Thankfully Poppa Johnson had gotten all the Johnson kids AAA for Christmas. So we called and they sent a locksmith who had us into the car in about 8 minutes. He said he had 65 calls that day! I was grateful for friends with AAA. It was also (knock on wood) the first time I'd ever locked myself out of my car.
Took up tennis-I was looking for an activity to do and stay busy. I found that the city of Richland did beginning tennis classes and you could sign up with a group. I invited my friends and several would join me for each week. It was pretty fun. The class ended up being mostly drills and not teaching technique, but we did get in the habit of playing and sometimes would meet on our own at Howard Amon to play. I am pretty bad. It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination which is not my strong suit. I try hard though and still have fun. Mostly we play doubles and try to just get better at volleying back and forth. Some of my friends are actually good though so sometimes they peel off and have a real game. We had this kid, Will, as our teacher most of the time. He was super chill and nice and we enjoyed him. This summer was poopy in that there were so many fires. So for several weeks it was just so smokey outside and it was tough to play. Then in October a few of us signed up for a tennis class at the Racquet club. It was only four classes but it was helpful in that we actually learned swings and grips and stuff like that. I would take it again but it is expensive. A few weeks we had Luke as our teacher and he was nice and chill and reminded us a lot of Will. So one week I asked him if he knew a Will that played tennis and it turned out to be his younger brother! Haha! We wanted to adopt them and have them teach us to play tennis. They are supposedly really good at tennis and have been playing since they were like 3 years old. We are still trying to figure out how to be friends with them.
Snorkeling-I tried this with Stacey in Hanauma Bay in HI. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would and did not get scared of the fish. It helped that the fish were so colorful and pretty to look at. I was also surprised at how long I could go underwater with the snorkel. I did not use fins but I am a pretty good swimmer so that was not a problem. It was a little hard to keep from touching the coral but we were able to explore quite a bit.
Lots of hikes including Dog Mountain-Because January through March were so horrible and the snow didn't leave us alone I had a huge itch to get outside as much as possible when the weather finally warmed up. I hiked Badger Mountain several times and there were so many wildflowers! I had never seen so many. I also went on a hike with Sammi, Mallorie and Michelle out in Benton City (Rattlesnake Wildlife slope wilderness area or something like it), it was a little jaunt in a small canyon. I had not shut my trunk of the car after the hike well enough so I think it was open when we went to a mexican restaurant in BC after the hike. After dinner I went to the car to find the trunk open and a camping chair stolen! WTF BC?! It was really funny but also not. I still owe my dad a camping chair back. I also hiked around the petrified wood forest by Vantage, WA (not that impressive), Falls Creek Falls with Michelle, Merritt Lake near Leavenworth with Michelle for our fall colors hike (where it started snowing when we got to the lake!), and I did Dog Mountain all by my onesie.
Merritt Lake
Dog Mountain is on the Washington side of the gorge a little ways past Hood River, OR. It is 3.5 miles and 2,800 ft elevation gain. Michelle has done it and I had seen a ton of pictures on instagram. During wildflower season the mountain is just carpeted in yellow balsamroot and other wildflowers. Also you get incredible views of the gorge. I really really wanted to do it. So I went myself because I am slow and didn't want anyone waiting for me. I figured that during Memorial Day weekend it would be pretty busy so I'd be safeish. I woke up early and drove to Stevenson, WA where I caught a bus to get shuttled to the hike. It added about an hour to my whole trip but was worth it because I didn't have to walk a mile to my car after the hike. People were parked off the side of the road for so long! I didn't really realize how hard this hike would be. It is a lot of elevation gain in a relatively short length. The whole time the path was upward, no flat spots at all. I went pretty slowly and had to stop quite a bit. There were times I had to play mental games with myself to encourage myself to keep going. Towards then end I had to keep pushing because I knew I would probably never be doing this hike again! Looking back I sometimes can't believe I did it. It was seriously one of the hardest things I've ever done. But I did it! The wildflowers were gorgeous and the views were so pretty. I get why people hike in that area so much. The elevation is killer though, I can't stress enough how hard of a hike this was. Also, I get nervous when I see the Asians hiking in their full preppy clothes with pants, jackets, and inappropriate tennis shoes. Why do they think that is appropriate hiking attire?! Oh, also I did the Skyline trail off of Paradise at Mount Rainier with Kade and Tonya. It was poopy because of all the fires there was so much smoke there. But you could see Mount Rainier and most of the snow was gone. It was pretty fun with the company and a good length and elevation for me. Also, we stopped at Miner's in Yakima on the way home so we were happy.
do you see how steep this is?!?!
Solar eclipse-the solar eclipse happened on August 21, 2017. Lots of people were going all out and traveling and spending all kinds of money to be in the path of totality. I didn't have that kind of money nor time but I got to go outside while at work to see it for a second. Here in Richland we got a good amount of totality, like 90% or something. The best spots were in Idaho and Oregon so I thought it was pretty convenient that we got so much. I thought witnessing the eclipse was pretty cool. It got darker outside like during a storm, but it was actually dark (because even during a storm the sun is still shining above). I don't think the temperature changed much here but in the path of totality it supposedly got a lot cooler. Dad got me eclipse glasses from someone at work. It was hard to remember not to look at it too long otherwise it would burn your corneas. Some people complained like, "that's it?" and I was like, do you understand what just happened here?! This is amazing people! I went out 2-3 times at different points during the eclipse. It was pretty fun.
Tried sushi and elk for the first time-went to sushi at a place where you pick it off a conveyor belt and had a friend make sure that I knew what I was getting. I tried a California roll which is pretty tame but a big deal to me since I don't really eat fish or sushi. John made us elk for dinner one time and I did pretty good with it. I am not ready to eat this stuff all the time, but I am glad I handled it ok.
Made a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake-I needed something to do over Labor Day weekend so I somehow (for some reason) came up with idea of making a cheesecake. I found a recipe online and just went for it. I had trouble with melting the white chocolate and ended up using seedless raspberry jam for the raspberry stuff (worked well actually and I didn't have to strain any seeds out). I even used a spring form pan and a water bath as I cooked my cheesecake. I was Martha Stewart. I think it turned out pretty well and I was proud of myself considering I had never made a cheesecake before. I took it to Italian Food night when Tonya made us delicious Italian food.
Now the owner of chacos-embracing my inner PNW/granola/hippie I bought a pair of chacos. I did a lot of research and asked several people what they liked about their style. I went to REI to figure out what size I'd be (they don't do half sizes) and then I actually bought a used pair online. And they have been great. I originally bought them for Hawaii and they did really well on the beaches. I was surprised. Then I learned I could ride my bike in them and that has been really great too. I didn't have to wear my tennis shoes and socks anymore. I hiked in them twice. One time was good and one time I kept getting lots of rocks in my shoes. So I'm not sure how much I like hiking in them. But they are comfy and useful. I still don't get how to tighten them so I have the directions saved as a favorite on my phone.
Tried Stand up Paddle boarding-Michelle and I did our annual river excursion and decided to try stand up paddle boarding. It was fun to try but not really a means of transportation. I did better at it than I expected mostly because I have really good balance. I think on the whole I like kayaking better.
The weather of 2017-starting in January we got pounded by the weather. It was day after day of snow and sometimes freezing rain. The school districts around here had 9 days of cancelled school. It sucked so much. We aren't prepared to deal with that much snow here in the TC and people don't know how to drive on it. It was too dangerous to drive anywhere or do anything so I had to stay inside at home all the time. I think they cancelled church once or twice. I had to take to wearing my snow boots to work and then changing shoes there. I did this for two reasons, one was that I didn't want to fall walking to and from my car, the other was in case I went off the road and had to dig myself out I would have better shoes. It was so stressful to try to get to work. They cancelled Hanford and PNNL workers quite a bit but I was still expected to try to get to work. No way they would close our office. Stephen and Meagan spun on the highway one time when they were trying to drive down from Spokane to visit us. Both my mom and dad biffed it big time trying to get down the deck stairs. Major bruises and my mom probably sprained her ankle. My biggest incident was getting stuck on a snow berm trying to get to work one morning. I should have dug a path so Atticus could get out into the street but I thought I could gun it and get over the berm. Nope, I got stuck with the undercarriage on the berm. I had to dig myself out then and thankfully a neighbor gal saw me and came out to help dig me out and then helped push my car. They said we hadn't had a winter like that in the TC since like 1978. Spring came really late, the trees didn't start blossoming until April I think. So I was determined to get out a lot more this year. I decided I had PTSD from the weather and was really not wanting to do winter again this year. Last fall, Mallorie and I made a "Winter is Coming" list of things we could keep ourselves entertained with. I cried the first time it snowed just a little bit. Thankfully it has been a much milder winter. It snowed around Christmas and the Theurers were excited to see snow. I wanted nothing to do with it. We had a really bad morning of freezing rain. But other than that it's actually been pretty warm. I am trying to figure out how to become a snow bird at the age of 30. The other weather event was all the smoke we had this summer. There were so many fires going and we just got so much smoke. I remember we played beach volleyball at Leslie Groves in August and there was so much smoke it was kind of like fog creeping in from the river. It was smokey for tennis quite a bit and we curbed our swimming. Made hiking impossible which stunk because it was the time of year when the snow was actually melted. I kind of feel gypped by the weather of 2017. It cut our summer short for sure. I hope the 2018 fire season is not as bad and that I can enjoy my summer, I have too many plans.
Became and auntie again-Caleb Heder Theurer born 5-31-17. He is so cute and such a chill guy. We think he looks like my brother but he does have more Theurer in him as he gets older. A great addition to our family.
Moved out of my parents' house and the YSA branch-I had the opportunity to move in with Mallorie and Sammi in September of 2017. We are renting part of a house in south Richland near Badger Mountain Elementary School. It's a weird set up in that we have the top floor of a house and there are neighbors in the basement and above the garage. We do have a shared space in the basement with a entertainment room with a projector and screen. We hosted a ginormous housewarming party where we basically invited everyone we know. It was a success but a ton of people! We counted probably at least 65 people; our institute teacher, Brother Black and his family even came. We also hosted a very successful and smaller classy Christmas party. It has been really great to live with these girls and things are going really well. I'm glad I sound like a real adult and don't have to say I live in my parents' house. Although that was a really sweet set up and now I have to budget better and can't just buy airplane tickets whenever I want to. I also made the transition from the YSA branch to a family ward. I go to the Hillview ward in the Richland Stake now. We meet in the Gage building next to the temple. I'm also glad I didn't have to go to Sunset ward for a few reasons. It has been ok to go to Hillview, it's a huge ward. The people watching is not as interesting for sure. I feel like I am doing ok being a part of the ward but they put me in Primary so I won't really get to know people now. Oh well. I am trying to be a successful 30 year old.
Dream Team-this is what we call our group of friends/is the name of our group text. The people and opportunities have been such a blessing to my life last year. It kind of started as a weekly dinner group which lasted for a few months but has since kind of stopped. But it got us going and we would text each other about game nights, Crank it Slow, movies, bowlng, tennis, swimming, etc. We even had Kade teach us how to paint with watercolors one night. It has been so good to have a larger friend group again and nice to be able to have people to do things with. These people were so good to have when my parents were in Seattle so I wasn't lonely. And then they were even more helpful when I was dealing with my mom passing away, most of them even came to her funeral. I know that I needed each and every one of them in my life last year. Some have already moved away or moved on, so the group doesn't always look the same. But I am ever so grateful for these friends who I know were put in my life for a reason. The Dream Team has consisted of all these people at one point or another: Mallorie Guerra, Sammi Naef, Shayla Johnson, Tonya Kerr, Landon Merrill, John Walser, Kade Christensen, and Kevin Hodgson.
Best internet offering-Melissa McCarthy as press secretary
Sean Spicer in SNL skits. She was brilliant and it was some of the best satire. Each skit
upped the ante with how
ridiculous it was. I loved the
dolls explaining concepts, the gum chewing, the huge piece of gum in the second one, the leaf blower and how they motorized the podium to run people over and, in the last skit, go out in to the streets of New York City. I thought she should be nominated for an Emmy award for her work. I was literally crying sometimes watching these skits and it helped me process the first few months of the crazy Trump administration.
Year of 30: I turned 30 in 2017 so I wanted to try to do a few things I'd never done before and make things more interesting and exciting. I had several ideas but a lot of them didn't pan out. I am grateful that I did a ton this year but as far as my list of new things to do I think the only thing I got done was having my hair dyed. I had Rebekah Fernandez do it and she is amazing. She did light brown baylage highlights and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Rebekah does such a good job. She redid it twice last year. I want to do it again but we'll see if I have the budget for it. I also wanted to go skydiving but that didn't pan out. But skydiving is on the life goals list too.
Big changes: 2017 was a year of big changes both expected and unexpected. I have tried to handle them as best I can. I am proud to be 30 and trying to fill my life and have meaningful experiences. Having my mom pass away was a huge experience and change in my life. I deal with it every day and am trying so hard to learn from things that happened and let it change me for the better. I am still trying to figure out how to shape my life into something that I would like it to be but I think I am learning more each day. Being a 30 year old single woman of the LDS church has its challenges. But life goes on and I hope to at least take advantage of the blessings of my circumstances.
I know this post is super late in commemorating 2017 but it was good to write and I always like to have these posts to remember what I did during the year. I hope 2018 is a year of positive growth and that I can make even bigger strides in life. I have a new nephew coming soon, it's an Olympic year, and fingers crossed, some international travel. Good luck to you in 2018!
Honorable mentions: Lots of cranking it slow, went to Palouse Falls, Carousel of Dreams, toured LIGO, Lakehouse weekend with the Millers and Welsches
LIGO with Pop
Palouse Falls
Badger Mountain had a lot of flowers this year
