PNW Summer

What a fabulous Pacific Northwest trip!  Time with Grandma Chisholm/Vickie, Amy, and Emily were the crown jewels that bookended our adventures.  We loved going to Peterson's Rock Garden in Redmond and Elk Lake (a family favorite) while in Central Oregon. Then we popped by Portland to see Tara's sweet family on the way up to the Olympic Peninsula, where we had days for sailing, whale watching, and even a trip to Victoria, British Columbia. Capping off the trip, we had a weekend in Seattle with Emily, hiking in Discovery Park, going on a doughnut crawl, visiting a cat cafe, and even attending a WNBA game. We even snuck in a few of my old Seattle haunts while in town: the watering fountain at the climbing gym where Josh and I met, my marina and nearby fish ladder, the Center for Wooden Boats where I used to teach on Lake Union, and my favorite Pho shop near the Refugee Office where I used to work.

What a joy to have time with some of the best people!

Proud Doesn’t Even Begin to Cover It

Twenty years ago, when I first met Josh, he told me he was preparing to go into law enforcement. I remember telling him that I thought it was an honorable career, but that I wouldn’t date a police officer. It wasn’t about him; it was about the risks, the lifestyle, the unknowns that came with the profession. At the time, life took us in a different direction. He transitioned from teacher to community organizer and then back to the classroom. We built a life, a family, and a solid partnership that has grown stronger over the past two decades. He is easily my best friend and favorite person.

A year ago, I found myself encouraging him to return to that very dream he had once set aside. Teaching had been fulfilling for a time, but like many things, it ran its course. As he looked for the next opportunity, I encouraged him to think about law enforcement again, as it was evident that it had never left his heart. So, after all this time, he took the leap.

Not only did he enter the police academy, but he thrived. Last night at the Police Academy graduation, we had the opportunity to celebrate his achievements as a class officer, earning top academic honors, and winning the Police Chief's Association award for demonstrating the best all-around academic, attitudinal, physical, and ethical performance as a cadet (the MVP, if you will). All this just proves what we’ve known all along -- his dedication, hard work, and kind heart are at the core of who he is. Watching him walk across that stage in his uniform with pride and purpose was the highlight of my year.

I won't lie, there’s a little twinge of guilt sometimes. I wonder if he missed out on something he loved for too long because of me. But then I remember: he chose us, and now, when the time was right, he had the chance to choose himself, his passion, his purpose.

We couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s going to make an incredible deputy not just because he’s smart and capable, but because he leads with heart and consistently lives with integrity. We are very blessed to get to stand beside him on this new journey.  

Cheers to old dreams and the strength it takes to pursue them. I cannot wait to see what is next for him in this career.  

Los Angeles School Trip

 I (Alma) had the fantastic chance to go to Los Angeles, California, with my school, for a Band, Orchestra, and Choir trip. I got to spend these five days hanging out with my friends and experiencing all that California has to offer. Here is the itinerary of all the things we got to do:

Thursday - We left from my school and arrived at the airport, where we got to watch all the airplanes arriving and departing. We took off on our flight and landed in Denver, Colorado, where we had a two-hour layover and lots of expensive airport food. On the next flight, we got to watch the sun set over the mountains, and when we finally landed, we went to Santa Monica for a jet-lagged dinner of salmon, burgers, and salads. 

Friday - We woke up bright and early and proceeded to attend a college clinic for band, orchestra, and choir practice. This was definitely the most boring part of the trip, because we had to do actual work. After the clinic, we got to go to the Grove, where our teachers left us to our own devices. I got an amazing crepe and drink. Afterwards, we got to go on a guided bus tour of Hollywood. This included seeing the tar pits, Capitol Records, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. When we arrived at the Walk of Fame, we were released from our buses and allowed to walk around. My friends and I got to find a bunch of famous stars, and we also got to see all the hand and foot prints in the concrete right off the Walk of Fame. Later in the night, we had a great dinner at The Hard Rock cafe, and afterwards we went back to our hotel for a very late night. 

Saturday- This day started with a guided tour of Warner Bros. Studio. We got to see a lot of famous movie sets, including the Friends fountain and couch. The best part of this tour was getting to see inside the different sets and learning about how they film at Warner Bros. Additionally, we learned a really cool lesson about sound in filming and how all our favorite movie soundtracks were created. I also got to hold a real Oscar! Afterwards, we went to Griffith Observatory for a short while. This area was truly spectacular, and my friends and I had a great time taking pictures in front of the Hollywood Sign. After Griffith, we went to have dinner, and then we got to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. This play was truly spectacular and mind-boggling. It was beautifully done, and I would gladly go see it again. 

Sunday- Disneyland Day! All day was spent at Disneyland riding rides and eating a lot of food. All my favorite rides were the Star Wars ones, and in the process of being so excited for them in the lines, my friends learned how much of a Star Wars fan I am. At one point, my group of friends broke up into smaller groups to go on different rides, but luckily, while waiting for a ride, a parade started out of the blue! It was really fun to watch all the characters pass by, and to be completely immersed in all things Disney. At the end of the day, we got to watch a fantastic fountain show, full of Disney magic. As we were leaving, we also got to see some fireworks off in the distance, while dancing to music coming up from speakers on the ground. 

Monday - We were all very upset, as today was our travel day back home. This was not made any easier by the fact that we had to wake up at 2am. The first plane flight was uneventful, and we landed in Chicago. In Chicago, we had a 5-hour layover, which drove all of us slightly crazy. After waiting, we got on our last flight and headed home, landing in Philly around 9pm. Then we were all picked up by our parents and went home for a deep sleep. 

Some pictures from this trip are included below, presented in chronological order. 

Spring Break in Richmond, Virgina

Alma, James, and I had a great time in and around Richmond, Virginia for Spring Break.  Lots of historic sites, hikes, and even an escape room on a rainy day.  

On the way down, we stopped by Monticello, which is such a lovely setting. In Richmond, we enjoyed the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (which tried to walk the line regarding the Civic War) and also the Science Museum of Virginia (with its neat planetarium), visited Maymont Park multiple times (including the lovely Japanese Garden and a wonderful magnolia tree that we lounged in for an afternoon), walked over the James River, popped over to Williamsburg for a quick visit (too touristy for us), and went on a great hike along the train tracks. In our regular fashion, tried to walk to most places from our AirBnB rental, which allows us to get to know the city and the local grocery stores. We also went go-karting, which was fun until I tried to cut James off in the straight-away and caused a slight collision; no one was injured, just slightly disappointed with the experience.

All-in-all another fantastic trip with my wonderful traveling buddies.