dear family and friends,

our second year of marriage is down, and a lifetime to go!

what a whirlwind 2024 has been! it’s felt like we blinked, and suddenly the year was over. from may to october, my calendar barely had a free weekend, with just three to spare. this was truly the year of bachelorette parties, weddings, and babies. to give you a preview: trenton kicked things off with seb’s bachelor party in new orleans in may, and two days after he returned, we were off to greece for our long-awaited honeymoon. less than 24 hours after landing back in seattle, i flew to nashville for seb’s fiancée, sheala’s, bachelorette party. it was a wild and wonderful stretch of weeks.

speaking of greece—we finally made it! our honeymoon became a reality. and PLOT TWIST: trenton was sick the entire trip and—because we’re great at sharing—got me sick too. we laugh about it now, but it was rough in the moment. despite that, greece was incredible. we visited my darling friend ioanna and her boyfriend piri in thessaloniki (what dolls they are), where we spent quality time, toured historic churches, and ate the best food. ioanna knows all the gems. athens wasn’t exactly a culinary highlight, but it was an adventure exploring the acropolis, the lyceum, and making time for a visit to the coptic church.

chania surprised us with the most delicious scallops (we ordered three plates in one sitting!) and beautiful roman port views. trenton braved cretan roads to get us to elafonissi beach to catch some sun rays and then to heraklion, where we ended the trip with a resort-style getaway. in heraklion, we visited st. titus’s cathedral. trenton had a deeply moving moment at st. titus cathedral, where he venerated his beloved saint’s relics. i’ll admit, i was a little jealous, as i’ve yet to experience the same with st. ilaria. we wrapped the trip with my birthday back in thessaloniki, celebrating with ioanna and piri. my heart felt so full; it made leaving very hard.

our journey didn’t end there. we squeezed in a quick 24-hour layover in istanbul, where we wandered to hagia sophia on our first evening (though the local food left much to be desired). the next morning, still tired but determined to make the most of our time, we hopped on a city bus tour—the perfect low-energy way to marvel at istanbul’s rich history before heading home.

this year started slow and steady, as we committed to more intentional time together. dad suggested monthly dates with him and mom, which deepened our bond and made us feel so lucky to have their presence in our lives. we also focused on showing up for our friends more actively, resulting in even more outings and cherished memories.

work kept us busy and fulfilled—trenton continued growing his seo and advertising agency, while i had the incredible privilege of producing duocon 2024 for duolingo, collaborating with the amazing jon batiste. it was deeply fulfilling. working alongside jon brought an extra layer of purpose and magic to the event, making it another unforgettable career highlight.

beyond work, my friend karen and i launched a cookbook party series in january, blending good food, creativity, and connection. it has been a joy to host and a great way to bring friends together over food and stories.

our birthdays brought unique vibes this year. we celebrated mine in heraklion, greece, while trenton spent his alone back home. it broke my heart to miss his day (i was in new york filming with jon batiste), but he seemed to have a lovely time surrounded by both our families.

we said goodbye to our sweet neighbor friends kai and payton as they moved away in april. their absence is still felt and honestly, we’re still not over it. they left behind a void (and a pie-shaped one at that). they really brought so much light into our lives during their time here. and we welcomed new neighbors, seth, tina, and sam, into our beloved condo community.

my friend jarle bernhoft graced the us with a tour, and we saw him perform in seattle. after the show, trenton encouraged me to catch him again in portland, and i’m so glad i did. it turned into a magical evening with my friend and colleague ryan, filled with jams and joy that still make me smile. it was worth every mile. my dearest friends, sadonia and emilio, insisted i stay the night instead of driving back to seattle (because, hello, we are no longer 21). after the epic show, i crept into their home to find that sadonia had left me water, toiletries, pajamas, and a little love note on the bed. i felt so cared for! the next morning, i woke up to a delicious sadonia breakfast and some quality girl time. those 24 hours will stay with me forever.

family milestones were everywhere. in june, we celebrated trenton’s cousin montana’s enchanting forest wedding in forks, wa. picture a forest, a light drizzle, and all the fairytale vibes. i attended trenton’s sister brittnee’s bachelorette party in roslyn, where i felt warmly embraced by her amazing friends. this year brought brittnee and me closer than ever. she’s the sister-in-law of dreams (and even though i already have two amazing sisters, i’m glad i’ve got another one!). celebrating her bachelorette in roslyn with her lovely friends was such a special moment. july marked mama’s big 6-0! we celebrated her incredible life and all the love and wisdom she shares with us daily. what an honor to toast to such a beautiful soul. camping at lake cushman with trenton’s family was another highlight—a weekend of laughter, games, no cell service, and a firm grip on trenton as he navigated the lake waters on a sea-doo.

our annual friend’s cabin trip took us to leavenworth, where the adventures were endless: banh mis with crocodile pâté (thank you, Alex!), lazy river floats, and roller coasters.

in july, we celebrated sheala and sebastian’s wedding before i dashed off the next morning for duocon filming in pittsburgh.your girl was tired, let me tell you, lol. filming this year was a whirlwind. we decided to film in front of a live audience (think jimmy kimmel), so we had to get our timing perfect! the energy was electric, and the event was a smashing success! matt absolutely killed it with his cues, hillary kept us on track, and ryan was stellar—so professional and quick with the best solutions. they’re the best video team on the planet, and i’m so lucky to know them.  also had the pleasure of meeting a new, wonderfully organized gemini friend, lindsay. we clicked immediately in person and made a valiant effort to keep it professional—though let’s be honest, it was hard not to have fun! everything was smooth sailing, and our eye communication was spot on. 😉 lindsay took me out on the town, and what an adventure it was! she showed me all the sights, including an old church with the oldest icons undergoing restoration (where she once sang opera—how cool is that?!) and a classic candy store that felt like a sweet trip down memory lane. it was the perfect mix of culture and nostalgia!

trenton officiated his sister’s wedding in august, and that was truly remarkable. i am so proud that he is my husband and definitely fell more in love with him watching him shine in that role. the wedding was beautiful, the food was great, and the company was even greater. it was so wonderful to celebrate their union.

we celebrated my sister’s birthday a little differently this year, enjoying a lauren daigle concert where we cried our eyes out and had the best time. we made new friends and even shared our temporary tattoos with them. it was pretty sweet and i truly love all the quality time we have just us three.

what can i say about filming with jon batiste other than he is SPECTACULAR?! in september, our crew had the pleasure of filming jon in brooklyn. i am still in awe of being in his presence and witnessing such a talented human share his gifts with us. it was an incredible time with my crew too, and i am forever grateful for that experience. the night before flying back to seattle, i stayed at the TWA hotel—living out all my marvelous mrs. maisel dreams, and i was in love! before my flight, i met the absolute sweetest humans at the hotel. we explored every corner together, had breakfast, and shared so many laughs. i left feeling even more elated than the night before.

september held one of the year’s sweetest surprises: flying to the bay area to surprise my dear friend emiliya on her birthday. her tears of joy were worth every second. i’m so thankful to my friend lea for encouraging me to fly down and surprise em—it was truly worth it, and i’d do it again in a heartbeat!

i had the honor and privilege of bringing the northwest tea festival to life again this year, and i’m looking forward to the many positive changes we’ll implement in the coming year!

in october, i had the pleasure of visiting new york and witnessing the brilliant robert downey jr. in his broadway debut, McNEAL. a huge thank-you to mena for making that happen. i was also there to attend the coptic chamber of commerce’s coptic con and came back fiery and inspired to push my tea company, tea&, forward. i’m very proud of all i’ve accomplished with it. among several incredible events with tea&, my favorite was longest night at ARTs at king street station in seattle. this year, i also added homemade baklava to the offerings, and it’s been a hit!

halloween leveled up for me this year, thanks to some special humans! vivian & jasmine hosted the most adorable halloween gathering where i discovered my hidden talent for pumpkin painting (who knew?). but it was anastasia’s absolute horror at my non-existent halloween movie knowledge that really changed the game. her face when i admitted i’d never seen the classics was priceless! she took it upon herself to educate me in all things spooky season, and honestly? i’m forever grateful for the crash course. i now have a little more pop culture lingo in my back pocket. these friends really made halloween special and i just love them heaps.

in november, we had a fabulous time meeting the smallwoods, relatives from trenton’s extended family, to celebrate maureen’s 90th birthday. she shared so many wonderful stories about trenton’s grandmother (they were besties and relatives—her niece-in-law) and tales about trenton’s uncles when they were younger.

this year, our friends blessed us with more babies, and we couldn’t be happier! lissande welcomed baby ancelle in january, gina and alex welcomed baby graciela in august, hallie and alex welcomed baby wesley in august, and emilio and sadonia welcomed baby elias in august. our cousins andrew and karina welcomed baby jolina in october, and finally, sarah and tomek’s baby anna arrived earth-side in december.

and of course, watching our niblings grow has been pure joy. cash turned 1 in april; anaphora turned 1 in october; galilee turned 2 in october (his golden birthday!); and we enjoyed it at great wolf lodge, which was epic for both the adults and kiddos. carson turned 3 in august, and axios turned 3 in december, getting his first haircut too—we were NOT ready. they are growing up too fast!!

we rounded the year with a sense of gratitude for all the love, growth, and adventure 2024 brought us.

as we reflect on this year, our hearts are full of gratitude for the memories made and the people who fill our lives with joy. thank you for being part of our journey—you mean the world to us.

here’s to another year of laughter, love, and making memories together!