Orcas

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. We were having some computer problems with our home computer that houses all our photos. I tried a few different times to upload photos from the bridal shower we recently threw Amy in my back yard and failed each time. I can't wait to share them with you though because it was a really fun party.

 We are currently on Orcas. We arrived last Wednesday, the 8th. Edie's daycare closes for 2 weeks in August each year so that Jen can have a vacation with her family and since this is my slow time work-wise, we have spent a week during this break on Orcas for the last 2 years. Jeff is busier than usual right now with two time consuming projects for The Gates Foundation in addition to his regular load of clients, so at the last minute, it was decided that he had to join us at the cabin a little later in the week. Rather than delay our much anticipated (and planned for) departure, Edie and I decided to head up solo. On a whim, we invited my friend Heidi who is currently on break as a teacher and she joined us for the first night as we got settled in. The weather has been close to perfect the entire time, and in my 17 years of visiting the cabin this was my first time ever without Jeff here. Granted it was only 2 nights before Jeff joined us on Friday, but it was such a special time - I think I will always remember this golden age of almost-3 years old and what I kept calling our short "girls retreat". We ate cereal for dinner, had super awesome dance parties to music that Jeff would NEVER approve of, napped in the hammock with me as the big spoon and her as the little one, and slept in the same queen sized bed during the night.

Yesterday we had a long-awaited family photo-shoot with our favorite wedding photographers One Love Photo. I emailed them last winter to ask about doing some family portraits and after emailing back and forth, decided it would be fun to do the pictures on Orcas. They booked a wedding for the 11th on Orcas Island, so they would already be here this week, which worked our perfectly with our plans to be at the cabin all week. The husband and wife team stopped by last night and took pictures that I hope will be as close as I can get to freezing this moment in our lives.

Jeff is perhaps busier than ideal at the moment, but I'm confident that this is not really a legitimate complaint when one owns their own business.  He's growing his company and looking into hiring more freelance help and ever since I've known Jeff, this has been an unspoken dream of his - to run his own company.  Knock on wood - this appears to be something that is kind-of, sort-of happening for him right now.  At the same time, I'm on the verge of launching a new business venture with a partner that I've been working with for the last year (official announcement hopefully coming early September).  Work for me is more exciting and rewarding than it's ever been and I keep wondering why I spent so many years working for The Man and being too scardey cat to be self-employed. Edie is also super awesome right now. Full disclosure (because I pride myself on it) - she's obviously also super outspoken and totally almost killed me with fright the other day when I couldn't find her anywhere in the cabin or immediate surroundings for what felt like 500 minutes but was probably 3. Spoiler - I found her.  But despite the 2-year old outbursts that try my patience, Edie is the funniest and smartest and I seriously have to stop multiple times during the day and ask her for a hug so I can tell her how much I love her face.  And it almost makes me cry to type this because every single time I ask, she stops what she's doing and lunges into my arms for a hug and I just don't want to let this age go.

SO.  I asked someone to take pictures of us together as a family in an effort to bottle this feeling of fragile contentment.  We've never been professionally photographed - we didn't even have a professional wedding photographer at our wedding. Midway through the "shoot", it was decided that stopping at the cabin for a quick G&T was a good idea to loosen up. Yesterday was 80 degrees at the cabin - unheard of because of the sea air - so the weather could not have been more perfect.  I was glad to have thrown a pair of shorts for Edie to wear for pictures just in case her jeans were too hot (which at the time seemed highly unlikely).  We took them out in the 13ft boat and Edie showed off her many beach "collections", and I can't wait to see the photos. Unfortunately, that's just what we'll have to do.  At least 6 weeks, possibly longer.  Can't wait to share them here when they're ready!