Now I think I understand why we had such a wonderful summer in 2024. It was so we could have so much fun, be present with each other, feel happy and carefree, and really soak up these special years with our boys.
Little did we know that a very challenging fall was on the horizon. Our summer and fall in 2024 couldn't have been more on opposite ends of the spectrum. Here were some of the most hard parts of fall 2024:
- Boeing had a machinists strike that lasted for several weeks--it put a ton of pressure on the company and lowered morale
- After the strike Boeing started multiple rounds of layoffs. Thankfully James didn't get laid off, but it was hard to watch co-workers get laid off and the layoff period lowered morale even more
- I learned in July that one of my team members wasn't coming back from maternity leave. We hired an awesome new team member who started in September, but she joined during a very busy time and we had to ramp her up fast
- Another of my co-workers left her role (my old role) in early October which is normally an extremely stressful time in the quarter. So basically for all of fall I was doing the major parts of my old role and still serving as Director as well. There were a lot of long days and late nights just to make sure every got done
- James' mom got major back surgery so she was in rest and recovery mode for many weeks. James' dad was still healing from his back surgery the previous year so it was a challenging time for them and we didn't get to see them as much as normal
- Fall also held a stressful Presidential election season that didn't go the way we hoped which felt devastating and scary
- Fall is always stressful and busy and with the above stressors depleting our energy and spirits, we didn't have much left in the tank to manage the normal fall busy-ness
Whew! It was rough. There were bright spots though--watching both boys play club soccer, enjoying the fall colors and weather, a fun Halloween--especially with Ollie getting in the costume action, watching football, spending time with family, etc. And there was one especially bright spot that I enjoy every year--the Annual Fall Drive.
I did a blog post about the Annual Fall Drive back in 2016 when we started up the tradition again because Cameron was finally old enough to be in the car for that long and we've been continuing the tradition as a family with the Warners ever since. It is such a lovely day--beautiful country/mountain drive, enjoying the fall colors, being in nature, enjoying Leavenworth, being present, getting away from the hustle bustle and spending quality time as a family with Nana & Pops. It's one of my favorite days every year and is such a breath of fresh air in the middle of the stressful fall. The past 2 years we've also started bringing Ollie which is such a treat. He does great in the car--mostly just naps. He likes to get out at the spot by the river to roam around and take photos with us. And he likes to explore the streets of Leavenworth as well.
This year's annual Fall Drive was as lovely as it normally is. Here are some photos from the day which ended up being gorgeous weather-wise:
So grateful for God's moments of grace and beauty during stressful times. Reminds us he's always with us.
Already looking forward to next year!
And here was another bright spot that I mentioned above...our little Halloween panda:
