Fog & Fam

The week of January 29th was full of fog so thick I may have strained an eyeball trying to drive. When I went running I could see more clearly without my glasses! One morning while driving Jay to seminary, I could only see two dashed yellow lines at a time on the road. TWO. It was maybe 10 feet of visibility. The fog was like cotton candy, but gray and cold and sad instead of pink and sweet and happy. We soldiered on into February anyways.

A "less-foggy" view during one of my three back-and-forth runs on the paved pathway behind our old house. The fog was too thick for pedestrians on the street, so I resorted to mind-numbing back-and-forth running on the pathway.

Jeff's post-covid health issues ramped up again in January, but we were able to dream up another management technique to help him function and rest enough. In order to avoid many digestive repercussions, he started eating his biggest meal of the day at lunch and only drinking a protein shake for dinner. After a week of that new schedule, he started feeling a lot more like himself, and was able to finish out coaching the swim season with gusto. I felt so grateful and relieved, because fog + unhealthy exhausted husband = extra burdens and loneliness.

High school boys' swim season ended with the district meet on Saturday, February 3rd. Jay swam so well! He got a PR of 6:59 in the 500 yard freestyle, reaching his goal to break 7 minutes. He also swam in the 100 backstroke and in two relays. Jay worked so hard and made major improvements all season. I am so impressed that my kids are able to swim so long and fast, because I have never swam much for exercise so that seems extra hard to me! But Jay and Rose crank out those pool laps like it's no big deal. Jeff is a good coach. He re-started the high school boys swim team last year, and it has already more than doubled! Last year there were 7 boys on the team, and this year they had 24! 

I was not able to go watch the district swim meet because I was in Seattle visiting my newest niece, baby Dahlia. My sister Em and I converged on Mel and Braxton's house for the weekend and basically held the baby AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. It was the coziest sweetest weekend, snuggling with that sweet baby and seeing Mel and Braxton as parents. And I even survived a harrowing dark rainy nighttime drive through the Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascades to get home safely. While I was driving, I realized that this was my first time driving alone in the dark mountains since I hit that deer 18 months ago. No wonder I was feeling so anxious! But I survived and it was 100% worth the effort.

Back to Jay's swim season: we hosted the end of season awards potluck in our barn on Tuesday, February 6th. Close to 40 people came, including swimmers and their families. It warmed my heart right up to see the sweet fun brotherhood among the boys on the team as they joked and talked through the dinner. The swim team was made up of such eclectic goofy guys, and they just loved being part of the group. Everyone sat on the workout benches in the barn and ate a potluck of random foods. Then the team manager gave each boy a "light roast" award, to lots of good natured laughter. Jay's was "biggest splash off the blocks." After that, Jeff handed out the athletic department awards: varsity letters, academic certificates, and a few others. Jay lettered in swim! Go Jay! 

Once all of that ended, some kids went upstairs to play ping pong and basketball. As people were getting ready to leave, one parent came up to Jeff and thanked him for coaching her son, who was also on our cross country team. He didn't know how to swim when he joined the swim team, and he had a panic attack the first time he got in a pool deeper than 5 feet at the first meet. By the middle of the season, he was swimming great, no matter how deep the pool was! She said "We love your family and we love having you as a coach. Our kids are only in sports because of you." Sniff. It doesn't get much better than that. 

PICTURES:

One thing that we don't do regularly outside of Christmastime is play games together as a family. It is cozy family bonding, so after dinner on Sunday night (Jan 28th), we finally sat down and played a family game of Pick Two. Jeff won.

More fog.

No glasses, no problem. It was seriously SUCH an odd sensation to take off my glasses mid-run and actually see more clearly.

On Tuesday, January 30th, I started my third consecutive 8 week session of strength and conditioning workouts at the PT clinic. This time I convinced my friend Camille to join me, and we go at 6am twice a week. It is so much fun having a peer workout buddy to sweat with! This picture is me, Camille, and Daniel (PT) on Day One.

I did not take very many pictures of the cutest things in my life at the end of January, but I snagged this picture of Amber and I drawing together one night while Jeff, Jay, and Rose were away at a swim meet.

The boys' swim awards banquet in the barn!

Jay wore his long school-issued swim parka to receive his varsity letter and student athlete certificates.

Rose had fun learning how to use the floor scrubber after the banquet ended. I need to note that Rose attended 95% of the high school boys' swim practices, swimming hard pool workouts and pumping iron in the barn on dryland workout days. She did great, even though she never got to compete in any high school boys swim meets (since she's a middle school girl).

SISTER SEATTLE VISIT:

We went to Pike Place for lunch on Saturday. The samosas were my favorite!

Mel, Shaina, and Em. It's been FOREVER since the three of us just hung out together.

Don't forget Braxton, the baby-wearing man among us!

Seattle weather is deliciously moody. This mist rolled in and out so quickly!

In Le Panier, a French bakery.

Sunday afternoon walk. It was actually SUNNY in Seattle in February and after our week of fog, I felt that sunshine down to my bones and deep in my soul.

View from our walk.

Kinney Park view of Seattle.

Not pictured: Dahlia, who was asleep in the stroller.

Mt. Rainier is looming faintly on the horizon to the right of the cityscape.

NEWBORN BABY SNUGGLES ARE THE BEST!!

On Monday morning (Feb 5th) I went on an exploratory run around Mel and Braxton's Queen Anne neighborhood near downtown Seattle. It is a delightfully quirky place, with eclectic old houses interspersed with random tiny shops and restaurants.

And lots of stairs.

I had to pause at Kinney Park, even though it was cloudier than the day before.

Up, up, up the stairs.

I came out at Kinney Park a second time and took a touristy picture attempting to "hold" the space needle in the palm of my hand. I missed! Haha.

We ate Seattle's classic Dick's hamburgers for lunch before I drove home on Monday afternoon. 15 years in Washington State and this was my first time at Dick's burgers.

One more dose of Dahlia love before hitting the rainy road home.

Pancha had to have the last word.