-2020-
A new decade for new adventures, challenges, more growing, change, and just to enjoy life. It is crazy to me that it is 2020. It makes me feel old and it is crazy how time flies. I decided to do a little highlight of each year from the last decade. It was an amazing 10 years and I loved looking back at all the incredible things we did, the hard times we overcame, and the joy we experienced. This past decade I went from a young newlywed to now raising two cute girls that have made me into the person I am today.
-2010-
Young newlyweds; Went through a year of college at BYU-Idaho- Nate did ultimate frisbee and I did cross country; Spent time in Firth with family and I took Nate to the Potato Museum in Blackfoot for the first time; During the 7 week break we went to Washington and the big highlight of the year was the Big Smith Reunion in California- met a lot of the extended Smith family for the first time, spent a lot of time playing in the ocean, I boogie boarded for the first time, and I got to experience picking avocados. It was an amazing trip!; We also went to Washington for Christmas and spent the holidays with the Smith family.
A new decade for new adventures, challenges, more growing, change, and just to enjoy life. It is crazy to me that it is 2020. It makes me feel old and it is crazy how time flies. I decided to do a little highlight of each year from the last decade. It was an amazing 10 years and I loved looking back at all the incredible things we did, the hard times we overcame, and the joy we experienced. This past decade I went from a young newlywed to now raising two cute girls that have made me into the person I am today.
-2010-
Young newlyweds; Went through a year of college at BYU-Idaho- Nate did ultimate frisbee and I did cross country; Spent time in Firth with family and I took Nate to the Potato Museum in Blackfoot for the first time; During the 7 week break we went to Washington and the big highlight of the year was the Big Smith Reunion in California- met a lot of the extended Smith family for the first time, spent a lot of time playing in the ocean, I boogie boarded for the first time, and I got to experience picking avocados. It was an amazing trip!; We also went to Washington for Christmas and spent the holidays with the Smith family.
-2011-
Another year at BYU-Idaho and Nate continued to do ultimate frisbee; We were in Washington during our off track in the winter and then there again during the 7 week break; We went to one of the Seahawks pregames and that was so cool to experience; We went to Yellowstone several times during the year and even had our Peterson family reunion there; I found out that I was pregnant and that we were going to have a little girl!; We got our first car together as a married couple- Carl; We went to Hood Canal for the Smith family reunion- we all stayed in this cute house right on the water- thousands and thousands of sand dollars, I got to hold a starfish for the first time, saw lots of shooting stars, and lots of playing on the beach and in the water.
Another year at BYU-Idaho and Nate continued to do ultimate frisbee; We were in Washington during our off track in the winter and then there again during the 7 week break; We went to one of the Seahawks pregames and that was so cool to experience; We went to Yellowstone several times during the year and even had our Peterson family reunion there; I found out that I was pregnant and that we were going to have a little girl!; We got our first car together as a married couple- Carl; We went to Hood Canal for the Smith family reunion- we all stayed in this cute house right on the water- thousands and thousands of sand dollars, I got to hold a starfish for the first time, saw lots of shooting stars, and lots of playing on the beach and in the water.
-2012-
Started the year off in Washington during the winter semester and we had Paige on March 22nd. She came 11 days late but she was sure worth the wait. We loved being parents and watching her grow; I was in the hospital for about a week with colonitis; I deferred the spring semester and stayed home taking care of Paige and slowly recovering from my C-section which I ended up with a pocket of fluid right under my scar which I thought was normal until I finally went to the doctor and got it taken care of; We both went to school during the fall semester and made our schedules work so that Paige only had to be watched by someone twice during the week for about 2 hours; Some memorable trips throughout the year were going to Craters of the Moon, Mount Rainier for the first time for me, City of Rock for the Peterson family reunion, Wallowa Lake in Oregon for the Big Smith reunion, and Moclips with Dale and Margaret and Aaron and Rachel and their family.
Started the year off in Washington during the winter semester and we had Paige on March 22nd. She came 11 days late but she was sure worth the wait. We loved being parents and watching her grow; I was in the hospital for about a week with colonitis; I deferred the spring semester and stayed home taking care of Paige and slowly recovering from my C-section which I ended up with a pocket of fluid right under my scar which I thought was normal until I finally went to the doctor and got it taken care of; We both went to school during the fall semester and made our schedules work so that Paige only had to be watched by someone twice during the week for about 2 hours; Some memorable trips throughout the year were going to Craters of the Moon, Mount Rainier for the first time for me, City of Rock for the Peterson family reunion, Wallowa Lake in Oregon for the Big Smith reunion, and Moclips with Dale and Margaret and Aaron and Rachel and their family.
-2013-
We spent the winter semester living with my parents and both of us took online classes- I just needed one or two more classes to graduate since I ended up not student teaching because of circumstances and I knew that it wasn't the right time for me to do it; Nate and I helped my parents do projects at their house to keep us busy and one big thing was that I decided to paint the barn; I graduated with honors in April from BYU-Idaho with a degree in General Studies with an Emphasis in Family and Consumer Sciences; We moved to Washington for the spring semester while Nate did his internship at the Weatherly Inn and then he graduated with a degree in Health Science and we did our own graduation in Dale and Margaret's backyard and it was so much fun and was perfect for Nate; I got a pilonidal cyst removed from my tailbone and took a long time to recover; Some other fun highlights from the year is that we went up the Space Needle, we both ran in the Meridian Mini Marathon, went to Oregon twice (one for IPD and the other for a baptism where we also went to Fort Vancouver which is pretty cool), we also went up to Bellingham for the day and saw Nate's aunt and uncle, went to Whidbey Island and Fort Casey, and rode on a ferry, and last in the fall we went to Thommasson Family Farm which was the start to our now yearly tradition; We went to the Smith reunion at Lake Quinalt and went to a couple of beaches that were incredible; my sister and brother got married in September- two weddings in two days!!!; About a week after the weddings my Grandma Peterson passed away and we were there for her funeral. What a busy year with more fun moments and memories in between!
We spent the winter semester living with my parents and both of us took online classes- I just needed one or two more classes to graduate since I ended up not student teaching because of circumstances and I knew that it wasn't the right time for me to do it; Nate and I helped my parents do projects at their house to keep us busy and one big thing was that I decided to paint the barn; I graduated with honors in April from BYU-Idaho with a degree in General Studies with an Emphasis in Family and Consumer Sciences; We moved to Washington for the spring semester while Nate did his internship at the Weatherly Inn and then he graduated with a degree in Health Science and we did our own graduation in Dale and Margaret's backyard and it was so much fun and was perfect for Nate; I got a pilonidal cyst removed from my tailbone and took a long time to recover; Some other fun highlights from the year is that we went up the Space Needle, we both ran in the Meridian Mini Marathon, went to Oregon twice (one for IPD and the other for a baptism where we also went to Fort Vancouver which is pretty cool), we also went up to Bellingham for the day and saw Nate's aunt and uncle, went to Whidbey Island and Fort Casey, and rode on a ferry, and last in the fall we went to Thommasson Family Farm which was the start to our now yearly tradition; We went to the Smith reunion at Lake Quinalt and went to a couple of beaches that were incredible; my sister and brother got married in September- two weddings in two days!!!; About a week after the weddings my Grandma Peterson passed away and we were there for her funeral. What a busy year with more fun moments and memories in between!
-2014-
We were in Idaho at the beginning of the year for the holidays and stayed there to be at my Grandma Walker's 80th birthday celebration; We made sure that we got back to Washington to be a part of all the amazing Seahawks games and fanfare at the end of the season and got to go to the Superbowl Parade- SO many people but such a cool thing to experience; Then we were back in Idaho in February for my Grandpa Peterson's funeral and enjoyed time with family and made a stop in Burley, Idaho and also saw Balanced Rock; In the summer we enjoyed a Mariners game, going to the zoo and Fox Hollow Farms, we loved being outside and going on day adventures; In June we first stopped in Idaho and spent some time with my family before going to Saint George, UT for the Big Smith Reunion- it was such a fun trip, lots of cousin and family time, got to go red rocking hiking, see the Saint George Tabernacle, Temple, and Children's Museum, and on our way home we stopped in Salt Lake and walked around Temple Square; In the fall we went to Idaho for Sharolyn and Tyler's wedding; Then the end of November we were back in Idaho for my Grandpa Walker's funeral and Thanksgiving; we were in Washington for Christmas and Nate and I were put in charge of our ward's Christmas party and did a Polar Express themed party and it turned out amazing.
We were in Idaho at the beginning of the year for the holidays and stayed there to be at my Grandma Walker's 80th birthday celebration; We made sure that we got back to Washington to be a part of all the amazing Seahawks games and fanfare at the end of the season and got to go to the Superbowl Parade- SO many people but such a cool thing to experience; Then we were back in Idaho in February for my Grandpa Peterson's funeral and enjoyed time with family and made a stop in Burley, Idaho and also saw Balanced Rock; In the summer we enjoyed a Mariners game, going to the zoo and Fox Hollow Farms, we loved being outside and going on day adventures; In June we first stopped in Idaho and spent some time with my family before going to Saint George, UT for the Big Smith Reunion- it was such a fun trip, lots of cousin and family time, got to go red rocking hiking, see the Saint George Tabernacle, Temple, and Children's Museum, and on our way home we stopped in Salt Lake and walked around Temple Square; In the fall we went to Idaho for Sharolyn and Tyler's wedding; Then the end of November we were back in Idaho for my Grandpa Walker's funeral and Thanksgiving; we were in Washington for Christmas and Nate and I were put in charge of our ward's Christmas party and did a Polar Express themed party and it turned out amazing.
-2015-
My parents and my Grandma Walker came to visit us in the spring and we went to Westport to see the ocean and Washington's tallest lighthouse; Derek and Amy and their family came to visit us the end of May and we went to look at all the flags by all the gravestones at Tahoma National Cemetery (which by the way is one of my favorite things to go see every Memorial Day), we also went to Flaming Geyser and Saltwater State Parks, then we had a day spent in Seattle and saw all the normal tourist sights, took a ferry ride, went to the Seattle Aquarium and went on the Ferris wheel; We spent three weeks house sitting for a family in our ward that has a house on Lake Meridian and loved every minute of it and my mom even came to stay with us there for about a week; We had the Smith reunion in Twisp, Washington and loved the incredible house we stayed in, floating down the river, and just lots of family time; I had surgery in August to see why I was unable to get pregnant after years of trying and found out that the colonitis that I had after I had Paige caused both of my tubes to be closed and my doctor was able to open one of them; one month later I had an ectopic pregnancy which was one of the hardest things I have ever gone through emotionally; In September we went to Coos Bay, Oregon with both of our parents and some of us ran in the Prefontaine race, I went crabbing for the first time and loved it, we also drove up the coast and saw so many gorgeous sights and beaches and saw lots of lighthouses for my mom; We ended the year being on the ward Christmas party committee again but this year we did the decorations and it was a Charlie Brown Christmas and I love how amazing it all turned out.
My parents and my Grandma Walker came to visit us in the spring and we went to Westport to see the ocean and Washington's tallest lighthouse; Derek and Amy and their family came to visit us the end of May and we went to look at all the flags by all the gravestones at Tahoma National Cemetery (which by the way is one of my favorite things to go see every Memorial Day), we also went to Flaming Geyser and Saltwater State Parks, then we had a day spent in Seattle and saw all the normal tourist sights, took a ferry ride, went to the Seattle Aquarium and went on the Ferris wheel; We spent three weeks house sitting for a family in our ward that has a house on Lake Meridian and loved every minute of it and my mom even came to stay with us there for about a week; We had the Smith reunion in Twisp, Washington and loved the incredible house we stayed in, floating down the river, and just lots of family time; I had surgery in August to see why I was unable to get pregnant after years of trying and found out that the colonitis that I had after I had Paige caused both of my tubes to be closed and my doctor was able to open one of them; one month later I had an ectopic pregnancy which was one of the hardest things I have ever gone through emotionally; In September we went to Coos Bay, Oregon with both of our parents and some of us ran in the Prefontaine race, I went crabbing for the first time and loved it, we also drove up the coast and saw so many gorgeous sights and beaches and saw lots of lighthouses for my mom; We ended the year being on the ward Christmas party committee again but this year we did the decorations and it was a Charlie Brown Christmas and I love how amazing it all turned out.
-2016-
The first of the year we made a surprise trip to Idaho to be a part of Charlotte's baptism; I did my own little pre-preschool at home with Paige where we did fun activities and crafts for each letter per week which was really fun; In the Spring my parents came to visit for Paige's birthday; We did our own mini vacation to see the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley for my first time and also went to Whidbey Island and Fort Casey; Also in the Spring we moved into some brand new apartments in Covington; In the summer we had the Big Smith reunion in Coos Bay, Oregon and also Paige and I went to Idaho to see family and we went to Bear World and on our way home our flight got cancelled so we got a free night of staying in a hotel which was pretty stressful at first but turned out really fun; Paige started preschool in the fall at Covington Elementary as a peer model which was so good for her; In the fall we started the process of doing IVF and on Halloween I had a surgery to remove some polyps before going forward with the IVF process; Around Thanksgiving we did our first round of IVF and found out the first part of December that it didn't work- it was really emotional and hard but I was grateful for the frozen embryos that we got from the process; We ended the year by being in Idaho for Christmas.
-2017-
In February we did our second round of IVF with our frozen embryos- we put two in and one worked out and we couldn't be more happy and grateful for modern technology; In the spring my parents came for Paige's birthday and Paige graduated from preschool in June; In the summer Paige and I went to the Street of Dream in Oregon; Derek and Amy did a quick visit with us and we went to Mount Rainier; Our little family took a trip up to Bellingham and went to Whatcom Falls, Larrabee State Park, and Mukilteo State Park; We also went to a Storm basketball game and a Mariners game and and we all got to witness a solar eclipse; Paige started Kindergarten and met her best friend Addison; Baylor was born November 1st and Paige became the best big sister ever; Erika and Amy came to surprise us at Thanksgiving to meet Baylor and spend some time with us; We ended the year on a quiet note soaking up all the newborn cuddles.
-2018-
We started the year off with a quick visit from my parents for Baylor's baby blessing; In February Nate got a full time job as a maintenance worker for the parks department for the City of Covington (he had been a seasonal for 4 years and his patience paid off); We got a second car so that Nate would have a car for work and I would have one to take Paige to school; Dale and Margaret left on their mission to the Omaha Nebraska Mission and we lived in their house while they were gone; Paige did T-ball in the spring and loved it and improved so much throughout the season; Tyler and Sharolyn and their family came to visit us at the end of May; Then my parents and Amy and her girls came to visit us in August; Some fun summer things we did were finding a new favorite place to go in Tacoma at Titlow Park, Paige got tickets to Wild Waves through the summer reading program at the library, and we spent many days at the lake for lunch, playing on the playground, or playing in the lake; Paige got to go to a new school for 1st grade- it was a hard transition but she learned to love it and really liked her teacher; We flew out to be with my entire family for Thanksgiving- the first time we had all been together since Baylor was born.
-2019-
In February we had some snow days that led to lots of no school days but long days for Nate plowing the roads; My parents came in the spring and in the summer for visits- in the spring we went up to see the Tulip Festival, Whatcom Falls, and Fort Casey and in the summer we did fun things each day like hike to Franklin Falls, go to Dash Point State Park, hike the gnome hike, and go to Point Defiance Zoo; Dale and Margaret came home from their mission in March and we moved into another house for a couple in our ward that went on a mission; I finally got to witness in person the Mariners winning a game; We went to McCall, Idaho for the Peterson Family reunion and loved every minute of it in our amazing house that had a slide in it; In September we celebrated our 10 year anniversary and went overnight to Long Beach; We also went to Anderson Island and loved every minute of that trip with Dale and Margaret; Paige started 2nd grade and continues to love school; Baylor turned 2 and is the busiest little girl; We stayed in Washington for the holidays and enjoyed all the time we could with family.
What an incredible decade of life!
