Life Lately: May 2024

May is one of my favorite months of the year! Not only is it my birthday month, it’s also full on Spring! It’s a month full of gardening and celebrating with family and friends! Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t that great but I won’t let those cloudy days rain on my parade! Here is what we got up to in May!

My Birthday

I turned 37 on May 5th. It was a wonderful birthday that I got to spend with various friends and family over the course of a few days! Jake and I went to lunch and for a margarita flight at the Elk’s Lodge McMenamins in Tacoma with our friends Vicki and Calvin. We walked around looking at all the antique stores that were nearby afterwards. It was a lovely afternoon.

I also went out to lunch with my mom and my brother the day after my birthday. It was nice spending time with them and catching up. Then we ended the week by going out to dinner with my friend Nicole and her husband at Duke’s on the Tacoma waterfront. Nicole and I have been friends since sophomore year of high school and it’s always so much fun catching up with her!

All in all, a great birthday and I am looking forward to the year ahead!

Kayaking on Lake Washington

There were a few beautiful days this month and Jake and I made the most of them! We dusted off our kayaks and took them out on Lake Washington. The first night we paddled around the Seward Park peninsula. Later in the week we met a friend and paddled from Seward Park down to the Boeing Plant in Renton and back. It was a killer arm workout but a great way to spend a sunny afternoon!

Dinner at Pizzeria Pulcinella

After our paddle across the lake with our friend, the three of us went to dinner at one of our favorite pizzeria spots called Pizzaria Pulcinella. It is on Rainier Ave on our way home from Seward Park. They make the BEST wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. The other items on their menu are delicious too. The ingredients are simple and fresh. Great service, great atmosphere, and an overall great experience every time! Can’t wait for our next visit!

Mother’s Day

I spent Mother’s Day with my mom and brother. We took her out for breakfast at Denny’s and then hit up the Carpinito Brothers Farm Stand to get some flowers to fill up her flower pots for Summer! We then spent the afternoon, helping mom mow her lawn and plant all the flowers. It’s become kind of a tradition to garden together on Mother’s Day for us and I love it every year! We got so lucky with the weather too!

Jake’s friend visiting

In mid-May, we had Jake’s friend Randy here to stay for the weekend. He lives up in Anchorage so it was nice to have him down here for a visit!

Birthday BBQ for my brother

That same weekend we had a birthday BBQ for my brother who is also born in May! We had brats and chicken on the grill and I made 3 different salads for the occasion! We had my mom and dad and some of his friends over and played card games and hung out!

On Memorial Day weekend, we had my brother (his birthday is the 26th) and his friend over again along with my friend and played video games and had tacos!

In the Garden…

May is the month when I plant out all of my Summer veg! I spent one weekend planting out all my tomatoes and peppers and then another weekend planting out all my squash, pumpkins, and beans! I also got a ton of weeding done which feels great.

I tried starting flower seeds earlier in the year but it was much too early. Unfortunately, those little seedlings got way too leggy so I had to dispose of them. So last weekend, in hopes of getting any annuals to grow in the garden, I broadcast various seeds around the flower bed that is right off the patio. We’ll see what I can get to grow!

I’ve been harvesting lots of lettuce and swiss chard this month. The first radishes came out of the garden as well. Due to some warmer weather, a lot of them have bolted so I will be pulling them out and possibly planting some more lettuce since that area is shaded. The chive blossoms have opened and we are about to get our first pea harvest any day now! I am so excited for the weather to warm up and the growing season ahead!