Nearly 20 years ago, I mailed my first holiday card. A single, 23-year-old gal sending holiday cards was unusual at the time, but what can I say? I love cards! I still send a New Years card every year, but I always fall short when it comes to writing an accompanying letter (the last one was in 2013). So, for the tens of people who want to read this, here’s my 2025 Year in Review:
Birthday Bonanza
We kicked off 2025 with the boys’ birthdays. Lucca turned four, then Carlo turned two. We celebrated with a joint party with friends, balloons, art, and a bulldozer cake. Lucca got a ukulele for his birthday and began serenading us immediately.
Next, we jetted to Lake Havasu City to spend a few days with Nana Montana and Oppa (my mom and her husband). We saw the Hoover Dam, hiked a slot canyon, swam in the pool, ate at In-N-Out, had lots of grandparent snuggles, and crossed the London Bridge. That’s right. The actual London Bridge was wholly relocated to middle-of-nowhere Arizona for this planned resort city. England threw in an old red phone booth too.
In March, Jordan visited Lucca’s school in his full firefighter costume (officially called “Bunker Gear” or “Turn Outs”). Four classes of pre-k kids filled the room with questions. He talked about being a firefighter and showed off some fun gadgets. They wanted to know if he drove the truck and if they had a dog (he used to drive the truck, and no dalmatian, sadly). Pictures were taken and now Jordan might be the most famous parent in the PreK-8 school.
Crab & Wine (yes, please!)
In April, Funny Nana and Popi (Jordan’s parents) visited from New York. We headed to Astoria, Oregon, to enjoy the annual Crab & Wine Festival. We ate, drank, and watched elk and deer from our front porch. Our Airbnb was a former officer’s quarters in Fort Stevens, an old military base. It had lots of fun structures to play on, and the kids definitely didn’t try to kill themselves on their bikes going up and down the hills.
In May, I got my single ski day of the year at Crystal before they closed for the season. The skiing was wet and rocky and manky and so, so fun. I’m so lucky to have such a great crew of lady shredders who will celebrate my birthday/Mother’s Day on the slopes with me.
In June, I went to Denver to MC a SheJumps FUNdraiser. SheJumps is a nonprofit that gets women and girls into the outdoors, and if you know me at all, you know I’m a HUGE fan of their mission. I recently wrapped up 7 years on the board, and I’m so proud of the work this small but mighty team has accomplished. If you’re looking for a nonprofit to support in 2026, SheJumps is a darn good one.
Summer Break
To kick off the summer, Nana Montana visited to see Lucca graduate from his first year of Pre-K. We enjoyed two family camping trips. Jordan and Lucca also went on a big boys-only camping trip. I took advantage of their absence to repaint and upgrade the boys’ room. It looked great! Only a few days later, we discovered that sometimes low-VOC paint can develop bacteria. That’s right. I painted bacteria–which smells like gym socks–all over the walls. Four coats of paint later, including expensive, eye-burning primer, and the smell was covered. Talk about a time-consuming lesson learned.
Our summer also included more visits with family, lots of adventures with the boys, and more than one trip to the doctor for a case of croup. I capped the summer off with my first Husky Football game in a decade. No, I did not take my clarinet. The game started at 8pm so I’m not sure how it ended. By 11pm I could hardly keep my eyes open and bailed.
An Italian Sojourn
We kicked off the school year with another quick visit from Nana Montana & Oppa, sent Lucca to two weeks of school, then jetted off to Southern Italy to put our Duolingo Italian to good use (Jordan and I just hit a 350-day streak). We got to practice the dozen words we know while visiting Ischia, Bari, Lecce, and Naples, with quick stops in Alberobello, Ostuni, and Matera (related: tips to survive international travel with toddlers.
We were lucky to be joined by Funny Nana for part of the trip. We even got her to the beach! One afternoon, we dipped our toes in the Adriatic Sea, then drove 40 minutes to swim in the Mediterranean. Jordan and I biked through southern Italy on our honeymoon and it was fun to go back to some of these places to see how much we remembered (Matera is still magical) and how much we did not (Bari has changed so much).
And the food. Good lord. I had life-changing bucatini in Forio (on Ischia). The pizza was unreal, especially in Naples (its birthplace). The boys drank freshly squeezed lemon juice and loved it. Gelato of all flavors powered us every day. And, yes, of course we saw the ruins and the churches and did underground tours and swam in the ocean. But if I did nothing else but Eataly for the rest of my life, I’d be happy.
The Great Dark
The vacation hangover was hard to shake, as you might imagine. We landed back in Seattle mid-October and made the most of “the great dark”). The boys dressed up as Nemo and an octopus for Halloween. We walked a whole block before the atmospheric river shut us down. All of the M&Ms were ruined by rain. We’re still emotionally recovering.
Since Jordan had to work Christmas this year, we visited NY for an east coast Thanksgiving. The boys enjoyed time with their cousins and we all filled our bellies with the amazing cooking of Funny Nana (and Jordan!). The highlight for me was a trip into the city, where I was able to meet up with my oldest friend and Lime of Honor James, who just happened to be in NYC from Chicago for a day. Talk about kismet!
Our year ended, unfortunately, with a lot of sickness. Carlo got sick twice, and took me down with him both times. My sister Titi Michele threaded the needle and visited for the one week of wellness in December. The boys are obsessed with their Titi. Lucca cried for days after she went home. In classic Michele fashion, she left us better than she found us, giving the boys cute haircuts and fixing a traumatizingly bad haircut for me. Thanks Teets!
Raising Boys
While entirely exhausting, it’s been so fun to watch these little boys blossom into actual people this year. Carlo grew so much, from a newly potty-trained 2-year-old to a(n over-)confident, rambunctious three year old. He’s continuing his reign as our Tiny Dictator. (His first full sentence was, “I’m not gonna,” followed quickly by “I don’t want to.”) He started at a new school in July, and he absolutely loves it. He’s mastered the alphabet, counting, riding a pedal bike, and bossing his big brother around. He still has NOT mastered sleeping through the night (why?!?), and gets croup almost monthly, for some reason always on a holiday. We’re just hoping that in 2026 we will not spend July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas day in Urgent Care. Fingers crossed.
Lucca is now a big kid. He’s earnest. His teachers tell us he’s smart, focused, eager to learn, and emotionally intelligent (the most important one to me). At home, Lucca loves to do art, work on his various projects, and tell long stories using an excessive amount of hand gestures (a true Italian!). He loves to run around outside. Lucca’s current project is sawing our Christmas tree into pieces by himself, and he’s just so proud of his handiwork. A classic oldest kid, he is a great helper with Carlo and is obsessed with things being fair/unfair (he can blame me for that too). He’s excited to be five five in a week, and is looking forward to starting Kindergarten in the fall.
Outside of life as a firefighter, Jordan loves to take care of his many plants and get as much sunshine as possible (for him, and the plants). He’s also the house chef, always whipping something up, be it a new recipe or a beloved Italian favorite from his childhood. He and the boys go on a big adventure at least once a week for Daddy Camp. The apples of his eye, Jordan continues to nurture his fish in an indoor tank and outdoor pond.
All About Me
At last but not least, me! I launched a communications consultancy–Occasionally Epic Communications–in January, and to my delight, the first year was wildly successful. I’ve been doing a mix of fractional executive work and projects related to branding, strategic messaging, process design, and content development. If you’re interested, I’ve written about this work in my quarterly newsletter (subscribe). On the homefront, I’ve been enjoying reading books, doing puzzles, and keeping my color-coded spreadsheets updated (yes, really).
In the year ahead, we’re hoping to stay healthy and keep growing. Aside from a trip to Mexico with friends and pilgrimages to Montana and NY to visit family, we’ll be sticking close to home this year to focus on some home improvement projects. The one-bathroom situation is growing untenable. We’d love to have more space. I’m dreaming that maybe Carlo would sleep better in his own room. And Jordan would love to install another fish tank or four. When he does, you can find me in a ski cabin somewhere. Alone. Sleeping through the night.
Wishing you a restful, hopeful, nourishing 2026!
