Around the Corner & On My List | Summer 2025

NLW has just three days left of Kindergarten, and then we'll officially be shifting into summer. Similar to last year, we have some bigger trips, so I’m mentally organizing the season into three phases:

Phase I: Ten days in Missouri to visit my family and enjoy life on the farm
Phase II: Summer camps + nanny E. We'll have about 4 hours of care most weekdays which feels supportive and wonderful
Phase III: Ten days in Connecticut to visit family and enjoy life on the East coast

With Fourth of July fun, a weekend trip to Port Angeles, and friends and family visiting in between, it’s shaping up to be more structured than I initially expected—and, the structure is welcome.

Around the Corner
- Celebrating the first day of summer at Jack Block Park
- Staying with our friends K&C in St. Louis
- Visiting the Rabbit Hole in Kansas City 
- 4th of July bike parade

Essentials
Outside of blueberry picking, I don’t feel the need to schedule much more. I know we’ll naturally weave in these activities that make summer feel like summer for our family:

- Spray parks
- Wading pools
- Beach play
- Blackberry picking
- Blueberry picking
- Playdates and park meet-ups
- Ice cream, watermelon, cherries 
- Playing at Schmitz Preserve Park
- Lounging in our hammocks

Bucket List
I'd love to make it to the four major bodies of water in our area: Elliott Bay, Lake Washington, Lake Union, and Green Lake. We bought a paddle board for Mr. Fleece's birthday—maybe that’ll be the push we need to get out there more often. Some other water spots on my radar (no expectation to check all of these off!):

- Flowing Lake
- Chism Beach Park 
- Newcastle Beach Park
- Angle Lake Park
- Beaver Pond 

We’re skipping the big festivals, concerts, and outdoor movies this year. I’m more interested in exploring new places, spending time with friends, being in nature, and maintaining helpful family rhythms. The one true bucket list item? Biking with the kids along Myrtle Edwards.

Reading List
Currently reading (audio): The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
Currently reading (physical): Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Most excited to pack for vacation: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My Seattle Book Club's summer classic: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (need to decide if I'll commit to re-reading)
I'm hoping to dive into some historical fiction and pick up something by Ann Patchett or Kristin Hannah

Summer sun, something's begun

- SJW

Around the Corner & On My List | November 2024

This is the third year in a row I'm embracing a "no-plans November" where I intentionally try to keep our plans to a minimum. After a busy month of October, I love carving out several weeks to slow down and allow for spontaneity. We have very little on the calendar and it feels great :)

This approach is particularly helpful this year as I'm project managing a high profile event for work and anticipate a bigger workload for the next two weeks. I am, however, looking forward to taking ~6 weeks off between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I'm still figuring out what I want that stretch of time to look like, but ultimately hope it's personally restorative and domestically productive!

Around the Corner
- Election Day -- feeling apprehensive. I really hope Kamala Harris wins!
- Book Club discussions
- An overnight getaway for me and Mr. Fleece in Fremont!
- NLW student-led parent/teacher conference
- Misfit's Thanksgiving at the Cabin

Adventures Bucket List
- Discovery Park 
- Uwajimaya
- 12/14 Pathway of Lights

Non-fiction November -- Here's what I'm considering picking up:
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis byJ.D. Vance
The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control: A Path to Peace and Power by Katherine Morgan Schafler
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib 

Gray days ahead -- but doesn't mean they'll be gloomy!

- SJW

Seattle Love List | 12 Year Anniversary

This month we celebrated twelve years in Seattle and as I've been reflecting on all the things that keep us rooted here, I've boiled it down to three main things: nature, variety of things to do, and community. I first fell in love with city-life when I moved to Austin, and I've always said that Seattle felt like an upgrade because I got the farmer's market + live-music + fun restaurant vibes with the bonus of a cooler climate and an astounding natural backdrop.

While mountain and water vistas (plus proximity to a major airport and hospital) will never get old, it's really the sense of community that has kept us from leaving. We fell in love with Seattle in 2012 after moving here for Mr. Fleece's job, and twelve years later, he's working at the same company. We've seen friends move in and out of the city and had transitions of our own, but for reasons both big and small, we've always thought of Seattle as home. We're thankful to have so many long-standing friendships and to live in such a beautiful city!

Here's my version of a love letter to Seattle...a love list!

I. NATURE

Natural beauty and distinct seasons -- Having never been west of Colorado, I still remember being awed on my first drive along I-5. So few billboards, so many evergreens! What a change from Texas. I'm glad to have largely put the sweaty-backs-of-my-legs-with-humid-hair days behind me and absolutely love the beauty of the region: 

- Elliott Bay

- Lake Union

- Lake Washington 

- Puget Sound

- View of the Olympic Mountains

- View of the Cascade Mountains

- View of Mount Rainier 

- Amazing sunrises and sunsets

- Crisp fall days

- Long summer days
- Low fog and misty cloud coverage
- Spring blooms
- The ability to "drive to winter" to see the magic of snow

Outdoor adventures -- Growing up, my family wasn't particularly outdoorsy so I'm glad to have married an Eagle Scout and someone who, like me, feels guilty if we're stuck inside on a sunny day. I have fond memories of Mr. Fleece teaching me to ski at Snoqualmie and love the accessibility to the following: 
- arboretums, forests, gardens, and wetlands
- beaches galore -- sandy, rocky, and ones covered in driftwood
- camping
- coasts and tidal zones
- hiking

- skiing

- snowshoeing
- whale-watching

Road trip potential -- I'm thrilled that our kids will grow up in the Pacific Northwest! These under-5-hours-away destinations are all ones we've enjoyed and could repeat in the years to come.
- Bellingham
- Hood Canal
- Hood River

- Leavenworth 
- Mount Ranier National Park 
- North Cascades National Park 

- Olympic Peninsula 
- Oregon Coast
- Portland, OR
- San Juan Islands
- Vancouver, B.C. 
- Washington Coast

- Whidbey Island 

Seattle-wide Parks/Playgrounds -- Perhaps I'm even more thrilled that Seattle itself has so many fun places to walk, explore, and play. From the very beginning (i.e. our honeymoon), I was enamored with the city's many parks!

- Carkeek Park
- Discovery Park 
- Gas Works Park 

- Seward Park & Playground
- Union Bay Park

- Washington Arboretum 

II. VARIETY

Living in a big city provides ample destinations, outings, and entertainment opportunities. While I'm sure I could be charmed by small town life, I have my heart set on novelty. Seattle provides so much possibility!

Attractions -- I love living in a big city with lots to do :) 
- Chihuly Glass Museum 
- Colman Pool 
- Ferry Rides & West Seattle Water Taxi
- Museum of Pop Culture
- Pacific Northwest Ballet

- Pike Place Market
- Seattle Art Museum
- Seattle Aquarium

- Seattle Center
- Seattle Children's Museum
- Seattle Rep

- Woodland Park Zoo

Entertainment Venues -- I've bounced my way across the city and seeing this list makes me want to go to more shows and concerts. 
- Ann Patchett & Melinda Gates at McCaw Hall 
- Asteroid City at Admiral Theater 
- Eden Sher at The Crocodile
- In the Heights at Seattle Rep 

- John Mulaney at The Moore Theater
- Lily & Madeleine at The Triple Door 

- Nate Bargatze at The Paramount 
- Noah Reid at Columbia City Theater 
- The Head and the Heart at Bumbershoot
- The Secret Garden at The 5th Avenue Theater
- Tom Hanks at Benaroya Hall 
- Toy Story 4 at Cinerama
- Trevor Noah at Climate Pledge Arena

West Seattle Beaches/Parks -- We are forever grateful to have landed in West Seattle specifically and have recently been leaning into the fact that we're a mere 5 minute drive to the beach. Living near water was always important to Mr. Fleece and I totally get it now. The fact that we frequent this full list gives you a sense of how much our family depends on outdoor playtime :) 

- Alki Beach
- Camp Long

- Constellation Park 

- Fauntleroy Creek
- Jack Block Park

- Lowman Beach

- Lincoln Park 

- Schmitz Preserve & Creek

- Ercolini Playground

- Gatewood Elementary Playground
- Hiawatha Playground
- Holy Rosary Playground 
- Lafayette Elementary Playground 
- Walt Huntley Playground
- Whale Tail Playground

III. COMMUNITY

Seasonal Celebrations & Traditions -- although we definitely don't go to these every year, it's nice to have the option:

- Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (April) 
- West Seattle Garage Sale (May)

- Northwest Folklife Festival (May) 

- Bigelow Block Sale (June) 

- West Seattle 4th of July bike parade (July)

- Seafair & Blue Angels flyover (August) 
- Salmon Ladder at Ballard Locks (August/September)

- Pumpkin Patches (October)
- U-cut Christmas Trees (November) 

- Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition (December) 

Neighborhood Feel 

- I run into someone I recognize very often and know Safeway's Drive Up and Go clerks by name :)
- Library branches (4 in West Seattle!) 
- Our alley has periodic hangouts including a pre-Halloween party

- Our block has done a progressive dinner, an Easter Egg hunt in the front yards, a 4th of July Block Party, and a Neighbors Night Out Block Party

- Our close group of friends live in West Seattle 
- Our neighbor's communal trampoline
- Parades
- Wading pools
- Walkability to coffee shops, grocery stores, little libraries, and our public schools: elementary, middle, and high school 
- We adored NLW's Pre-K

- We have fantastic neighbors on our block, and they are some of our favorite people. Playdates, carpooling, dinners, cards, leftover desserts, babysitters. 

New Opportunities -- here are 10 random things I still have on my bucket list:

1. Burke Museum

2. Children's Musuems in Everett, Bellevue, and Olympia 

3. Clamming 

4. Hikes: Lake Diablo, Mailbox, Oyster Dome

5. Lake Chelan 

6. Nordic Museum 

7. Northwest African American Museum

8. Pathway of Lights at Green Lake 

9. Saltwater State Park 

10. Visit every Seattle Public Library branch (I've made it to 23/27) 

Cheers to the Emerald City,

- SJW

Around the Corner & On My List | Summer 2024

With two more flights, party invites, and another round of visitors, our summer calendar is packed! Rather than approach the season with bucket-list mania, I'm choosing to high-five my family, friends, and past-self for curating such a fun summer ahead. My main intention for the rest of the summer is to be present, enjoy the people I'm with, and eat lots of watermelon :) 

Around the Corner
- 4th of July bike parade
- BBQ with a side of Bouncy House
- Day trip to friend's cabin
- Colman Pool party 
- Berry Picking field trip
- Celebrate twelve years of marriage
- Hawaii Vacation with family -- I get to meet my niece!
- Visit from our friends J, M, J, & M
- Mirma and Poppa visit
- 14-person dinner at Aerlume (friend won this in an auction)
- East Coast Summer vacation and all the fun it entails!
- Labor Day Camping Trip (esp. since our June trip got rained out) 

SummerAdventures Bucket List -- keeping it simple with one item :) 
- Madison Park Beach on Lake Washington

July Theme: Mood Reading -- prioritizing these gushed-about books
They're Going to Love You by Meg Howrey
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
People we Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Juicy and refereshing,

- SJW

Around the Corner & On my List | Fall 2023

So many celebrations ahead! Things we're looking forward to, planning for, and would like to do. 

Around the Corner
- Four family birthdays
- SK's 40th Birthday 
- Visit from Mimi and Poppa
- Visit from our friend JH
- Celebrate five years of parenting!
- West Seattle Silent Book Clubs (11/2, 12/7)

Fall Bucket List
- Breaking out our Tuffos and splashing in puddles
- Looking for "Spooky Scaries" in our Neighborhood
- Trick-or-Treating
- Another year of "no-plans November" 
- Friendsgivings
- Christmas Tree farm 
- Luminaries at Greenlake (12/9)
- Wild Lanterns at the Zoo
- Hyak Sno-Park Sledding 
- Host a Winter Solstice Party 

Fall Adventures
- Kirkland playgrounds
- Saltwater State Park 
- Pumpkin Patch
- Kelsey Creek Farm 

Fall Reading List
I hope to finish ten more books before the end of the year! Here's what's on my list: 
Salem's Lot by Stephen King (Book Club, Audiobook)
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (Audiobook)
Room by Emma Donoghue
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann (Audiobook)
Untamed by Glennon Doyle (Audiobook)
Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson 
Emma by Jane Austen 
True Grit by Charles Portis (Audiobook)
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin 
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Leaves on the ground,

- SJW