A Colorful Year in Review
If you find yourself celebrating in Oaxaca, Italy or Seattle, find your favorite lists for must see spots & eats
I sit here today writing this letter on the cusp of turning 29, looking back at the last 365 colorful days which began their cycle in the beautiful city of Oaxaca. In reflective celebration, I’m sharing with you my favorite places to support in this lovely corner of Mexico.
I hope this list inspires you to visit the land, taste the food, explore the culture & meet new humans. Be sure to hit the add+ button, so these places live on your google map forever.
My life journey has taught me through travel that when I follow my heart into the small places off the beaten trail I become connected to diverse people who share with me their communities which help feel the deepest connection to place that I can find. Small businesses are an integral part of any community and play a vital role in the local economy. Supporting small businesses helps to keep money within the community, as they are more likely to use local resources and hire local employees. Additionally, small businesses often offer unique products and services that cannot be found at larger chain stores. By supporting small businesses, we help to create a diverse and vibrant economy, which can lead to more job opportunities and economic growth in the community. Furthermore, small businesses are often owned and operated by people who are deeply invested in the community, so supporting them is a way to give back and show appreciation for their contributions. Overall, supporting small businesses is important for the health and vitality of any community.
While traveling, especially after the pandemic, I’ve noticed that local businesses I seek to find when exploring in a new place are struggling. From the thrift store with boards in front of it in Seattle to the abandoned shops of Italy there has been a shift in our communities which we as consumers can change by choosing to spend money with local businesses which may be harder to find using conventional search methods.
When we refer others to support local establishments its a vote for them to thrive in the future. As I turn my attention to 2023 I am eager to bridge relationships with people who are seeking to deepen their connection to a community through home ownership. Referrals are vital to the health of my business. I am your Real Estate Consultant - I am here to educate - I am here to help you strategize. In the new year I am taking bold steps through story telling to build awareness in my clients of the history into which home buyers are entering Seattle neighborhoods. I am researching new concepts of regenerative real estate which hold promise to positively change the housing and climate crisis at the same time. Please support by sharing my work with loved ones & recommending my services when real estate decisions are being made. When we uplift & support our community members, we vote for a creative & diverse ecosystem.
I’m grateful for you. To another year.
Here is 28 (2022 in review):
I started 2022 at Fresh Start, an outdoor music festival in San Fransisco. If you crave spontaneous plans, check the lineup, buy the ticket & dance your way into 2023. As Brene Brown says in The Gifts of Imperfection “But for many of us, there is no form of self-expression that makes us feel more vulnerable than dancing. It is full body vulnerability”.” Even if you don’t find a dance floor this New Year, I hope you blast music & dance while cleaning.
On 2/7/22, I officially passed the WA Real Estate exam. However, it took until the end of March to get my license number because in January the Department of Licensing for Washington was hacked. March 31st 2022 was a significant day not only because it was the day I received my license number but it is also the day I moved into 730, a triplex in Seattle’s Central District. My journey as a landlord began here. Two of the three units are available to rent through Airbnb & Furnished Finder. My partner and I had all three units fully furnished by April 3rd, filled with mostly free furniture from Buy Nothing Groups & Offer Up. We had renters move in on April 23rd and were making enough money in rental income to pay the mortgage payment & then some. In reflection I am so grateful for the hot Seattle rental market in Spring & Summer 2022.
In the middle of April I flew to New York City to spend three weeks networking & exploring. During this trip I attended my first real estate conference INMAN Connect. It felt special to honor this new adventure surrounded by humans excelling in their real estate careers & building relationships. Real estate is fundamentally a relationship business built on a deep and wide referral network. I’m now connected to realtors all over the United States & as your Real Estate Consultant, part of my services include connecting you to an agent in any market that you plan to buy or sell in.
I visited Washington DC for my first time to celebrate my partner’s golden birthday. I loved visiting the National Mall because it is surrounded by 17 world-renowned museums which all have free entry! The National Museum of the American Indian had the most incredible carved glass exhibit telling the Northwest Tribe’s creation myth which is about mischievous Raven who opened a box and gave us stars, moon, sun. Experiencing this museum on the same day my first transaction closed in real estate brought clarity on the ways I plan to give back to those that came before with reciprocal gestures acknowledging people and land. As a realtor whose primary job facilitating exchanges of land through contracts I feel an intuitive responsibility to hold the experiences of the past & duty to do better for the generations to come.
I got word that my first real estate transaction closed on April 29th while laying on the grass in the National Mall. I represented an unmarried woman buying her first condo beating 7 other offers paying $450,000 for a condo in Seattle’s Judkins Park neighborhood. I’m grateful for this transaction because I learned so much about myself & the experience of women buying real estate. This transaction challenged me to look at the stories I hold about owning real estate. From struggling to make it in the wellness world I held my own stories about never being able to afford real estate, especially in a desirable market like Seattle. As I look back at the female figures in my life I see my mother bought her first house when she turned 51 & my Grandmother never had the opportunity to buy real estate on her own. Women deserve to own real estate without a man involved in their life. We can change the world through female empowerment and owning real estate is one of the most proven paths to not only building generational wealth but also economic freedom from the rental market for a first time buyer. As I work through my own stories around owning real estate, just as this article says I’m starting to see owning real estate as a form of self care. I hope my experience can help you move towards your own investment dreams, I’m here to help. We need more women owning real estate in our communities.
Later in the spring I was lucky to have another trip to the sun in Santa Barbara for a birthday celebration followed immediately by Vegas to watch my dad play in a pool tournament. It was joyful to spend time watching him play and experience with him a wonder of the natural world: the Grand Canyon! After a week with my dad my partner flew in for three days of dancing at EDC, the largest music festival in North America. Talk about sensory overload: 410,000 people, millions of dollars of fireworks, rides & music till 7 AM. I’ll never forget my first experience under the electric sky.
From Vegas I flew to Wisconsin to celebrate my brother, dad & grandfathers birthday; grandpa turned 90 this year! It tickles my cosmic senses to think that all three generations were born in the same week. During this time in Wisconsin I was able to virtually get my second single woman buyer’s first bid on a condo in Pioneer Square accepted. This was an important affirmation to me that I can make a change in the world through considerate empowering real estate transactions.
Back in Seattle I spent the summer teaching workshops & classes for various corporate offices. I teach a variety of content: from meditation classes to salsa making workshops. It’s a joy to share my creative side with the corporate world. If you have interest in hiring me to teach a class or workshop for your team I’d love to talk in more detail about this side of my work, link below to my intake for this request. It’s really important that we take time to pause especially in our work environments to build culture & empathy between employees. I am happy to travel or do these events virtually if your team needs that accommodation.
As the end of summer neared I set off for my first trip to Europe: an exploration of Northern Italy. From our first night there sleeping in a castle in the quaint town of Sorano to the elegant wedding we attended on the coast of Portifino it was a celebration of the abundance I am creating to be able to enjoy a new place. If you plan on spending time in Italy in the future save my favorites travel list on Google Maps, click the add+ button to save them to your map for future visits.
With lot’s of reflection & a bit of worry I decided it was time to get my own dog: a black pug. Every other week in late summer I drove to Tacoma to play & snuggle him. To watch him & his siblings grow was a reminder of how precious life is. I named him Boba Oolong Tea in remembrance of my solo travel in Taiwan & the countless tea ceremonies I’ve sat with myself over the past few years. On September 29th Boba came home to meet Bernie. A few family members were visiting from Wisconsin & it was a joy to welcome Boba home with them in the house. Training a new puppy came with my own learning about a level of awareness & patience I had not experienced since babysitting. I love digging into the psychology around how my human mind adapts to training a dog’s. I couldn’t have survived Boba’s puppyhood without The Puppy Training Podcast by Baxter & Bella Online School.
In the fall I continued to work diligently growing my real estate business & raising my new puppy. Through the work of hosting open houses, building systems, refining my business plan, & lots of “good boys” I naturally found ways to bridge my mindfulness brain & my real estate brain. It was a chance to slow down, enjoy 730 & Seattle. Click below to add+ my favorite places to support in Seattle.
I’m ending the year in celebration mode. Celebrating another year of life on this big blue beautiful planet; turning 29 with grace. Challenging myself in a new way to show up in the Real Estate market with a mindful twist holding all the work I’ve done teaching mindful movement. Finding balance along the way: I began learning Randonee Skiing (where you hike up the mountain in skis & ski down) with a first adventure on the slopes of Tahoma. There were tears but also fulfillment for pushing myself to try something new. This last year has been a gift & I’m eager to see what 2023 brings.
Thank you for reading. Understanding how each month was different & what transpired because of it. These reflective moments help us show up for ourselves with respect for the past & optimism for the future. I encourage you to create your own view of your moments in the last year, page through the photos that you took or read your journal. What themes stand out to you? What memories do you plan to hold on to? How will next year be different? Share in the comments below, did you experience similar themes to mine?
The New Year’s celebration have always been my favorite. The steady drum of everyone opening their hearts to set new intentions & goals feels palpable. It really feels like anything is possible. As much as I love setting goals at the New Year I think it’s more realistic to be setting goals on a monthly cycle. It’s easier to check-in & stay focused when you have a 30 day check-in compared with a 365 day. Would love to hear in the comments below… what are you calling in for 2023? Do you feel the energy to shift & change around this time of year?
Love this. Congratulations on all your successes and your life journey!
Such great questions to reflect on and what a cool fucking year! ❤️❤️