I am an entire year behind on writing this recap, but I'm doing two years with one stone here in early 2024! It was fun to finally look back at 2022 - a year that will be significant for the rest of my life as the year I got married. Our wedding was everything we dreamed of. It definitely dominated the year, between months of planning beforehand, our relaxing honeymoon in Mexico, and settling back into normal life afterwards. I also changed jobs two weeks after our honeymoon, from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to Washington Recreation and Conservation Office.
In 2022, I:
- Visited Mexico, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, New York, and South Carolina
- Took 8 flights
- Ran/hiked about 134 miles (a record low, due to wedding craziness)
- Saw 14 plays/shows
- Read 25 books
JANUARY
The year started off in our lovely home in Beacon Hill, Seattle, which we had just bought from our former landlords at the end of 2021.
2022 marked the second year of having Ruthie. At the beginning of the year we were navigating some significant health and behavioral issues with her, which thankfully improved over the course of the year.
I had a belated birthday party for my 31st.
FEBRUARY
I checked off a career bucket list item - returning full circle to my grad school to sponsor a capstone project for current students! Through my job at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, and I sponsored 4 grad students to complete a research project on how WDFW should approach and increase carbon sequestration in its lands.
Ruthie was cute.
MARCH
My dad visited and we went to the Moisture Festival circus show.
We ate a seven course meal at Seattle's fanciest restaurant, courtesy of a generous gift card from our real estate agent.
I visited Dahlia in Philadelphia and got to meet her baby Sasha!
APRIL
Ben joined the annual Taylor family New York opera trip for the first time.
We also saw Hadestown and Hamilton (for the third time) on Broadway...
Walked the High Line...
And caught up with my college Law Societies and Justice friends.
Ruthie was cute.
MAY
As Ruthie's anxiety improved, we started being able to take her on walks again. We did many family walks in the arboretum during spring and summer while talking wedding planning.
We visited my mom on San Juan Island...
And went whale watching!
JUNE
I continued to enjoy excuses to bake, like this cake for my mom's birthday.
My mom retired! It was really special to attend her retirement party, hear all her employees tell stories about her leadership, and give a toast about what a personal and career role model she is for me.
We squeezed in one camping trip before wedding craziness on the Hood Canal.
Fetch was the highlight of Ruthie's year.
JULY
I celebrated my bachelorette party with 4 of 5 best friends.
Driving the boat was not so fun...
But being showered with love by these wonderful women was.
Ben and I spent a weekend at a cabin on Whidbey Island as a pre-wedding "retreat" to reflect on what getting married means and write our vows.
I went on a short work trip to Eastern Washington.
AUGUST
I coped with pre-wedding stress by going on a solo day trip to Mount Rainier.
The wedding weekend began at beautiful IslandWood environmental education center/summer camp on Bainbridge Island!
Friday night we welcomed everyone with a cocktail hour, Mexican/Asian fusion taco dinner, and a campfire celebration with toasts and a Hayley and Ben trivia game. The campfire trivia hosted by Ben's friend Robin was a major highlight of the weekend. One of our hopes for the weekend was that it would feel like a community and reflect who we are as a couple, and the campfire totally cultivated that.
The sun came out for our first look 🥹 The morning getting ready was absolutely nerve-jangling, and I was so happy to finally see Ben and experience the rest of the wedding whirlwind together.
We spent an hour or two being whisked around the beautiful campus on a golf cart taking stunning pictures.
Then we met up with all our goofy friends, and tried not to freak out while waiting for the ceremony.
A moment I've thought about since I was a little girl.
There aren't really words for the ceremony. It was magical, romantic, and perfect. Our friend Sterling was the thoughtful and grounding presence we knew he would be when we asked him to be our officiant just a few weeks after getting engaged. Ben's vows blew me away.
It doesn't get better than this!
Immediately after the ceremony we were whisked away to a private room to calm down and eat some snacks, then sign our marriage license. Then it was time for cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing!
We were pretty nervous for our first dance.
But we didn't mess up the choreography too badly...
And then it was time to party!
The dancing was another big highlight of the weekend. We knew having a live band was our most important splurge, and they totally delivered.
In the post-wedding fog of joy and exhaustion, Ben and I dragged ourselves to the airport and made it to Todos Santos. It was rough but then so worth it to continue existing in our bubble of wedding magic and luxuriate in doing absolutely nothing at a beautiful hotel. We didn't leave the hotel for 5 days.
After a long drive from the airport, we were welcomed to the stunning hotel campus with sunset and welcome margaritas.
We had this villa building all to ourselves. Perks of traveling during hurricane season... more on that later.
We ate delicious chilaquiles and fresh fruit juice on the patio every morning (and room service for basically every other meal).
Ben befriends all dogs in every country we visit.
View of the hotel campus from our villa's roof. The design couldn't have been more stunning, and it was on a deserted stretch of beach with no other buildings around.
That newlywed glow :)
SEPTEMBER
We transitioned on to another 5 days in Cabo San Lucas. We managed to motivate for a few activities, walking around downtown...
Doing a boat trip to the famous cape...
Braving the long dirt highway to the national park for excellent snorkeling...
And of course seeking out lots of tacos.
It wouldn't be a Hayley and Ben trip without a little too much adventure, so we spent the last few days of our honeymoon barricaded in the hotel as a hurricane passed through.
The spa and room service were still open, so no problem.
We kept the wedding magic going by immediately traveling on to Portland for Melissa and Steve's wedding!
So special to have back to back celebrations with these besties.
I survived giving a toast...
And we had lots of fun celebrating!
As if there wasn't enough going on, I started a new job two weeks after coming back to work. I had interviewed for the job the week before my wedding and got offered the job just before our rehearsal dinner! My new job is at the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office as an Outdoor Grants Manager.
When the mountain calls, you must go. Miriam and I had a lovely fall visit to Paradise.
OCTOBER
I had my annual family trip to Myrtle Beach. It was nice to have another little trip to look forward to to combat the post-wedding/honeymoon blues.
Ruthie was cute.
NOVEMBER
Ben and I went out to the Washington Coast for a rainy and relaxing weekend celebrating our 7-year dating anniversary.
We visited the famous Harry Potter-themed bar.
I participated in a clinical trial for a vaccine for schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection that is second only to malaria as a cause of death in the developing world. It was a really fascinating and surprisingly meaningful way to make some extra cash.
DECEMBER
I baked too many Christmas cookies.
Ruthie begrudgingly celebrated Hanukkah.
Miriam and her friend and I sought out the snow.
My mom and I were supposed to go to Maine for Christmas, but an absolutely crazy ice storm cancelled our flight. It was a bummer but we tried to make the most of Christmas in Seattle.
I had a nice 32nd birthday of breakfast by Ben, a bakery pit stop...
A leisurely family hike at Tiger Mountain, and fancy takeout and movies at home.
I got carried away and made cupcakes and tiramisu for my uncle's New Years Eve party.
Usually I have a note here with hopes for the year ahead, but I already know what 2023 held in store. So, next update soon!
