April things

April was an unexpectedly busy month. January, February, and March felt very business as usual, but the moment the sun came out and False Spring arrived, things have been happening. 

Thing 1: The Car

Before Matt started drill school in February 2023, we were faced with the question of whether or not we should get him a new car. His Mini had over 100k miles on it and was a manual transmission, so I couldn't drive it. We needed the car to be reliable for drill school, but we wanted to wait to spend money on a new car until after Matt was sworn in. So, we replaced the clutch in his car and held onto it.

Matt began to research new car options over the summer and got serious about it in the new year. We knew we wanted an electric or hybrid and were pretty sure we wanted an SUV. Long story short, Matt found the exact car he wanted for a price we couldn't refuse. We test drove it, decided to pull the trigger, and 5 hours later, we said goodbye to the Mini Countryman and hello to our new 2024 hybrid CR-V.

(Obviously there was more drama than this, because car buying is truly the worst thing in the world. Worse than buying a house. Like, why?! But at the end of the day, we're very happy with our new addition, which I'm calling Lionel.)

Thing 2: Tulip Town

Photos do not do these fields justice!

Once we had the new car, we felt like we had to find a reason to drive it out of town. I did a quick perusal of Secret Seattle to look for things to do and we decided to check out the Skagit tulip festival. Specifically, Tulip Town.

Zoe seemed to really like the new big, quieter car much better than either of our Minis and did a wonderful job at the farm. Her behavior in public is still unpredictable, so we're always impressed and pleased when she is patient and calm on an outing. Our little girl is growing up.

Thing 3: Hiking

Tulip Town was a great reminder that we like to do things on weekends, especially when the sun is out. So the following weekend, we decided to get out for a hike. Because we're still training for the Vancouver Half and had a ten-mile run planned for Sunday, I told Matt we couldn't pick a strenuous hike. Plus, we had to prep for Passover after the hike, so it couldn't be too long or too far away. So, he found a few options and I chose the one that best checked the boxes.

We ended up at Robe Canyon Historic Trail, a fairly flat hike that follows old, overgrown railroad tracks. The actual trail is closed mile in, but we went beyond the "DANGER - DO NOT PASS" sign because we saw other people doing it and we're lemmings. 

Closed...unless you're us!

The trail runs alongside the Stillaguamish River, so you get gorgeous views the whole way. Because it's an old railroad, the trail is completely flat, so the difficulty was really more about scaling rocks and fallen trees than anything else. After the "end" of the trail, we climbed over some rockslides and went through two tunnels before we decided we'd had enough.

Zoe kept up so well and seemed to be having the time of her life. She's so confident on hikes and can manage most of the toughest parts by herself, but it's really cute to see her recognize an obstacle she can't get over. She'll turn to us expectantly and wait for us to pick her up. It's so cute.

Tuckered out.

Thing 4: Passover

After the hike, we got home and prepped the two Passover recipes that need to sit in the fridge overnight: Matt made the flourless chocolate cake all by himself and I made the charoset.

Matt did a superb job. This will be his responsibility every year from now on.

Although the first night was actually Monday, we held Seder on Sunday. Scott and Robby joined, as usual. I made my biggest brisket ever—it barely fit in the roasting pan and we had tons of leftovers!

I intend to write a separate post of all my Passover recipes because I always have to scour the blog looking for them and it's pretty inconvenient, especially as each year passes.

Thing 5: Friends?

Once again, I am attempting to put together a friend group that will actually survive adult schedules and responsibilities. I met someone at the Ballard farmers market Sunday and we got along really well. I've got a couple other first "dates" lined up for this week before Matt and I leave for the half (which is a May thing, not an April thing). Hopefully I click with a few people and can prioritize and maintain friendships so they stick!

This April was a good example of how doing a few things out of the house is the key to making life feel like something more than just an endless cycle of sleeping and working. This homebody certainly needed the reminder.

Ali