2023 Year in Review!
Life is weird. At any given time, we can focus on the past, the present, or the future. I think each of these 3 focuses has a time and a place. Let's start with the future. Every December, I spend time planning out the following year - Goals that I want to hit, trips that I want to take, challenges I want to conquer, etc. I tend to be very future-oriented. I love planning and I have big plans for 2024.
Another thing I do every December is sit down and reflect on the last 12 months. I go through my entire camera role (which includes 3,877 photos/videos from this year) and I reminisce on the last 365 days of life. This is my 5th Year in a row writing my "year in review". (Here are my previous years if it suits your fancy: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019). Below are some highlights and photos from 2023 - the year that I spent the winter living in LA; the year when I completed my first half Ironman; the year that I moved to Renton; the year with a million other beautiful moments. I have so much gratitude for the last 12 months and the people I got to spend it with.
So I've got the past covered and I've got the future covered. That just leaves the present. This is the one I struggle with, but also probably the most important of the 3. I recently had the realization that the moments when I'm happiest in life are the moments when I'm fully present. It really doesn't even matter what I'm doing; just that I am completely present where I'm planted; free from distractions or thinking about what's next on my calendar. If I've learned anything from looking back at the last 5 years of my life, it's that time FLIES. My goal for 2024 (and beyond) is to get better at being present & to enjoy this crazy journey called life.
Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk. Let my 2023 Year in Review commence!
January
This last winter, I had the chance to do something I've always wanted to do: live outside of Washington. I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest my whole life. Aside from 2 study abroad programs in college and other travels, I’ve spent the entirety of my 29 years living between Tacoma and Seattle. That is until we decided to fly south for the winter and "snow bird" in LA. We found a little bungalow near Hollywood, made the long drive down I-5, and spent about 2 months living the LA life. This was absolutely one of my top highlights of 2023. We tried a ton of new restaurants, took Stevie to the Runyon Canyon Hike almost every day, and truly enjoyed living somewhere new.
Outside of "moving" to LA, another January highlight included the Grand Opening of Cityscape Games, Theory's Escape Room in Tacoma! My challenge for the month of January was no food delivery (which I definitely just replaced with going to restaurants in person 😅)
February
Halfway through my time in LA, I came home for a few days to attend an event, a wedding, and a bunch of meetings. It was a whirlwind few days before heading back to LA. We spent the last few weeks in California soaking up the sun, exploring tons of neighborhoods, and going to Disneyland with family.
On one of my last days in LA, I decided to attempt something crazy: Hitting 100,000 Steps in a day. I've been hitting 10k steps every day for almost 2 years straight, and I've always had my sights set on 100k. I set out at 4 AM, walked over 43 miles around the city, and finished my 100,000th step late in the evening. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life - second only to climbing Mount Rainier. I documented the whole journey HERE!
March
It didn't take long to get back into the swing of things upon returning to Seattle. I got back into my routines, had our quarterly all-team meeting, bounced on trampoline with my nephew Easton, went to Mariners opening day, and ran a half marathon on the first day of Spring!
April
April was a very fun month that included Easter on Anderson Island, a trip to Boston to watch my friend Brandon run the Boston Marathon, and eating a dessert every day for a month (by far my favorite challenge to date). April was also the month that I officially signed up for my half Ironman. Let the training begin!
May
The highlight of May was most definitely spending a week in Hawaii. There's something magical about the palm trees and the perpetual sun. We spent most of the week lounging by the pool & beach, but also had our fair share of good food and spent a day exploring Waikiki.
Other highlights of May were our Theory Spring Retreat on Anderson Island (check out the video recap HERE), purchasing my road bike for Ironman training, and burning 1,000+ calories per day working out (my May challenge). I also hit a big personal milestone of 2 years straight practicing Spanish on DuoLingo every day (as I'm writing this, I have an almost 1,000 day streak!)
June
June was the month that I stepped my Ironman training up a notch, as I was less than 100 days out from race-day. I started following a pretty strict 12-week training program that had me swimming, biking, or running 6 days/week. It was hard work, but I started to find my flow state and actually enjoyed the training process (most days).
It was also the start of summer in the PNW, which is by far my favorite time of the year - when the days are long and you can wear shorts every day. My challenge for the month of June was to take Athletic Greens every morning, which I gave my honest review for HERE.
July
July was a BIG month. Here are some of the highlights!
-Celebrating the 4th of July with my family (one of my favorite days of the year)
-Closing on a new fixer-upper house in Renton! Check out the before video HERE
-Doing the Seafair Triathlon and crushing my time from last year
-Completing a half Ironman over the course of a weekend (video HERE)
-Stargazing at Artist Point (video HERE)
-Trying a new wine every day for a month
August
August festivities included the 6th Annual Island Palooza, starting a podcast with my friend Jamie, making progress on the house remodel, going on my longest bike ride yet around Vashon Island, spending a weekend in Portland for the annual Street of Dreams, and taking a cold shower every day for a month!
September
September was by far the biggest month of the year for me with a LOT of anticipation leading up to it. I cut out alcohol for the month to keep my body feeling good. Every weekend had something big going on: I officially moved to Renton (house reveal HERE), completed my half Ironman, set a new half marathon PR in Leavenworth, and did a Tough Mudder 10k with the Theory Team. The incredible feeling of relief after this month was over was long-awaited. I also found out that our escape room won the Seattle Times' best escape room in the Northwest!
October
October was all about R&R after a crazy September. I went to Mexico with my family, explored beautiful Isla Holbox, had a fun Halloween with friends, and cut back on screen time.
November
Let the holidays begin! November included a lot of quality family time, including a trip to Whistler complete with a scavenger hunt around the village and bowling in the parking garage on Thanksgiving morning (an annual tradition).
I also had the opportunity to attend 2 events at my Alma Mater - an alumni event with the UW American Marketing Association and the Apple Cup. Go Dawgs! My November Challenge was to complete No Shave November for the first time.
December
There are still a few days left in December, but it has truly been an incredible month so far. A time of reflection, generosity, and gratitude. Some highlights from this month included turning Edison Square into the North Pole, Theory's Roaring 20's Christmas Party, having the chance to speak at a Pierce County Council Meeting, and an awesome Staff Retreat in Downtown Tacoma. Merry Christmas to all!
