ISTE 2019

This is my sixth year in a row attending the biggest edtech conference in the states, and it was certainly my busiest! Philadelphia is a beautiful city, and I saw a little of it as I went in between events, dinners, receptions, meetings, and planning sessions with my team.

I presented six times, met with customers and clients, learned about some new tools on my to-do list, met lots of people from my professional network who I’ve never seen in person, hugged lots of people I’ve known for years and only see at these events, and high-fived my teammates from around the country. It was a whirlwind (and I brought home a cold), but a ton of fun and very beneficial for my work.

Father’s Day 2019

We have been getting out in the boat a little more lately, and Father’s Day weekend was no exception. On Saturday the kids came and we had a great time together, floating and skiing. I also let them take over my phone and take photos.

On Sunday, we hosted a lunch at our house for the dads in our lives, and then our niece Ali stayed with JT and Haley while Jim and I enjoyed several hours on the lake just the two of us.

Photos from Saturday ski session too…

Lake Wilderness Tri 2019

Jim and I got up realllly early and did the Lake Wilderness Tri on June 1, our first of the summer.

Jim finished 4th in his age group and 13th overall! I finished a little slower than last year, but still solidly in the middle of my age group, all women, and all participants. I need to bike faster… still working on that!

We celebrated by enjoying homemade yumminess at home for dinner, made by our children, later that day – and watching Ironman 2, which they hadn’t seen yet.

Jim Turns 40

We had a wonderful time celebrating Jim’s 40th birthday! First, we spent time in the boat – as usual. The weather was warm and we enjoyed lunch and skiing with the kids.

Then we held a family party on June 2. We were supposed to have dinner out after a basketball tournament, but plans changed after the tournament bracket was cancelled and we stayed home. 

On his actual birthday, Jim had to work… but I picked up donuts and coffee and surprised him (and his entire team) with a treat delivery!

The weekend after his birthday, we hosted a party with friends. It was so special to have people we haven’t seen in awhile, don’t see often, and see every day combined to celebrate him.

The cornhole tournament got pretty competitive…

We let the kids play outside and run around until 11 PM! Then we said goodbyes and headed straight to bed. We woke up in the morning to party aftermath – clothes, cups, empty water bottles, chairs, plates, and even a purse in the yard. Ha!

Fort Worden 2019

Our now-annual camping trip with a bunch of people we don’t really know and a few that we do was another success.

We arrived on Friday evening, set up, ate dinner, and snuggled in. The boys got very interested in whittling. 

Saturday we woke up to rain. And more rain. And lots of rain. We went to the Farmer’s Market anyway, ate lunch huddled under pop-up tents, and found shelter playing foos ball in the indoor community center before heading back to camp. 
Sunday morning, I went for a quick run along the beach. It was beautiful and felt great to get outside after all the cooped-up rain. 

Then we all hiked up the hill to see the WWII bunkers, and got some nice photos!

After lunch, we headed to the beach for a bit. It was cloudy but it was still pleasant. 

Dinner on Sunday was the themed potluck. The Keene family did not dress up. I am a grinch about these sorts of things. 
On Monday, we woke up to gorgeous sunshine and warm air! So, after packing up, we headed to the beach for the rest of the day with lunch in hand. 

We also remembered that we had ice cream sandwiches and mango fruit bars in the camper freezer… so we broke those out after lunch and had happy adults and children all around!

Minefaire Seattle

The kids had been waiting for weeks! Minefaire finally came to Seattle, and I got free tickets through my connections at work. We invited Jozie and Sawyer to join us for a day of fun!


We left home at 8 AM and headed west on the ferry. 

We were told to grab spots in line at VR right away, and I’m glad we did. We only waited about 30 minutes and the lines throughout the day get to 90 minutes long!

The kids then got to explore all the exhibits and play lots of different games.

They got to ask experts questions (who I know, through work!).

They got to build with Legos…

And do more VR without waiting in line at all, thanks to someone I know who let the kids into the booth without us waiting in line!

At my work’s booth, the kids drew pictures and learned how to build entities in Minecraft and even use a 3D printer.

At the end of the day, we did an escape room experience too and that was super fun!

We drove home about 5:30 hungry and tired from an amazing day! Good thing Jim was home to grill burgers and start the corn on the cob. 🙂

Grandma Christensen’s Memorial Service

On May 12, we headed east of the mountains to meet up with 50 of our family members to celebrate and honor my grandma’s 94 years on earth. It was a lovely service, a beautiful day, and a nice time to see family who aren’t around very often.

Since it was Mother’s Day, I got to pick out where we ate dinner on the way home. We stopped at The Red Pickle in Ellensburg, and I had the yummiest chicken buttermilk sandwich with pickled coleslaw and home cut fries!