Life Wright Now | July 2023

July was a stay-in-Seattle-and-live-up-summer kind of month! We decided semi last minute to celebrate our anniversary with a "staycation getaway". Essentially what a West Seattle weekend might look like without children -- seeing Asteroid City at the Admiral Theater, going on a short-notice double date to Marination, going out to eat at Cactus and running into neighbors, grabbing an after dinner drink at The Beveridge Place, swimming at Colman Pool, and lounging at our out-of-town friend's home that overlooks the Puget Sound. A dreamy way to celebrate 11 years! We love our three-children life, but sometimes it's nice to just be the two of us for an uninterrupted stretch of time :) 

So Many Highlights:
- Cheering on the Fish Sticks baseball team on the 4th of July
- Getting the twins on balance bikes!

- Watching CCW master the scooter
- Evening concert at Hiawatha
- Exploring low tide at Carkeek Park
- Connecting with another twin mom who had "3 under 3"
- Reading so many graphic novels
- Getting a robot vacuum "little Sebo"
- Hosting AB and sharing the hidden gem of Lowman Beach with her
- Seeing M, J, and J back in Seattle
- Getting a babysitter last minute so we could join the Barbie craze!

- Booking flights to Austin to see the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8

        

        

This last picture captures so much about our children -- in the running for favorite photo of the year!

Watching | Pan Am
Pan Am has been a fun one-season-only show to watch. I've been taking my time through the series -- enjoying the acting of Christina Rucci and pre-Barbie Margot Robbie. Low commitment, high reward, especially if you like a period piece with retro fashion :) 

Eating | Popsicles 
Nothing fancy, but when I think about what we've been eating recently, popsicles make the top of the list. We only offer treats on weekends and special occasions, and these have become our go-to summer pick-me-up! 

Reading | Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
This is a book I'd seen for ages on our "Peak Picks" library shelves that I finally picked up as part of my graphic novel month. I went in blind and really liked it...eager to chat with anyone else that's read it too, as it's a unique story, made more unique by the illustrative format. Won't be for everyone, but the humanity, humor, and compelling storytelling/artwork won me over. 

Listening | Anna Karenina
One of my book clubs selected Tolstoy's Anna Karenina as our summer novel. We enjoyed the lengthy "Count of Monte Cristo" last year and decided to repeat the prompt. Unfortunately, this was a classic that dragged for me. While I enjoyed the themes, literary components, and specific scenes, as a whole this fell flat because the premise, the pacing, and stilted plot didn't work for me. I shifted to audio to help me move through the tome and it was in my earbuds for almost all of July. For a book that got mixed reviews from our group, our conversation was 10/10. It's a book ripe for discussion!

Cheers to good health and spontaneity, 

- SJW