The Outside & In

Now that I gave you the rundown of our Washington itinerary, it’s time to hit the highlights from each portion of the trip. Since our first three nights were in Seattle, that’s where we’ll start.

Seattle gave us a reallllllly good first impression. Three nights gave us just an introductory feel, but left us wanting to explore so much more. Most of our exploring was in the center of the city and we just ran out of time to go out to the perimeter neighborhoods.

If you have plans to visit Seattle anytime soon, hopefully this will give you an idea of what we were able to cover. Our boys are 9 and 10 years old, so we chose to prioritize activities that would keep us seeing the city in an active and fun way. Here we go!

Queen Anne neighborhood

As I mentioned it in my previous post, we stayed in an Airbnb in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. Queen Anne is set on a hill overlooking downtown Seattle, so wherever we were in the city, we could look for the hill and spot our home base. I loved the location and the very residential feel of Queen Anne.

One of the best views of the city could be viewed from Kerry Park, a few blocks from where we stayed. Apparently it is a hot spot for engagement proposals because of the view. To get to Seattle Center, we were only about a 10 minute Uber ride away.

Seattle Family Trip Highlights - The Outside and In

Walking from breakfast in Queen Anne

Kerry Park

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundatation Discovery Center

Our first sightseeing stop in Seattle was the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center. This hands-on, interactive and FREE center is one of the ways the Gates Foundation seeks to inspire action towards their mission. And what is that mission? Uh, only to eradicate infectious disease in our world, ensure more children survive and thrive, and empower the poorest around the globe. Pretty lofty, I would say.

Although these seem like impossible goals, the foundation is actually making significant progress and using this center to share how. Even better, encouraging us to help them. The Discovery Center is right across the street from the MoPop and takes about an hour to walk through. I would definitely recommend visiting while you are in the Seattle Center. The boys really enjoyed all of the hands-on exhibits.

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop)

Priority number one for us when it came to museums in Seattle was the Museum of Pop Culture. If we weren’t traveling with kids, I probably would have swapped the art museum for this one, but, it’s important to cater to our audience. We just knew this would be right up their alley.

MoPop, as it is commonly referred to, currently has a mega Marvel exhibit that we knew the boys would love. They are obsessed with the Marvel movies, so seeing many of the actual movie costumes on display was a real kick for them.

In addition to the Marvel exhibit, the museum has permanent exhibits that celebrate many other kinds of popular culture, such as movies, music, video games and more. We walked through the fantasy exhibit, which featured items from movies like “Wizard of Oz”, “Harry Potter” and “The Hobbit”. Ben wanted to walk through the horror exhibit, but I basically closed my eyes for that because…scary!

The museum was very well done and designed. We stayed for about 2 hours.

Artists at Play playground behind MoPop

A real happy surprise after we walked out of the MoPop was the amazing Artists at Play playground right outside. If you are traveling to Seattle with kids, you definitely do not want to miss this awesome play area. It had that really springy flooring that is perfect for play. Oh, and a stellar view of the Space Needle.

Pike Place Market

If there is one place guaranteed to be found on every single Seattle guide, it is Pike Place Market. This permanent structure is a gigantic farmer’s market that is famous for the throwing fish guys.

Despite being a major tourist attraction, Seattlites actually come here too. I was leery about the crowds, so we went early one morning as the vendors were setting up. It was a good time to go. Very few crowds. My favorite was seeing all of the flower arrangements. We went to to the famous fish place and tasted samples of their different varieties of salmon. The boys enjoyed some freshly made doughnuts, and we went on our way.

The next time we came by, it was in the late afternoon and it was way too crowded for our taste. So if you want to check out the market and avoid the crowds, 8am seems like a good choice.

By the way…the first Starbucks location is right across the street from the market. We saw it from the outside, but didn’t go inside because apparently it is like any other Starbucks. Just older. On the other hand, later you will see we went to Starbucks Reserve which was really unique.

Water Taxi to Alki Beach & Lunch at Marination Ma Kai

If I had to narrow down one my favorite Seattle experiences, it would have to be taking the water taxi to Alki Beach for lunch. Reading up before we went, the mention in THIS article caught my eye. Taking the water taxi was fun in itself and was like a little mini-cruise. It dropped you off on the dock at Alki beach, where Marination Ma Kai awaited you with umbrellas and a gorgeous view of the water and skyline.

The menu at Marination Ma Kai was super eclectic, Hawaiian-Korean fusion. We ended up ordering one of almost everything! I would definitely recommend this as a fun 2-3 hour activity on a beautiful summer day in Seattle.

Starbucks Reserve

While we skipped visiting the “original” Starbucks, we did make a visit to the Starbucks Reserve. There was very little to recognize from your local Starbucks here. This “next-level” experience is definitely worth it for the coffee lovers out there.

In addition to a huge coffee bar as you walked in, there was also a separate area with menu-service where you could order different “flights” of coffee varieties. The center of the store had an open view of the coffee bean roasting process. On the other side of the building is a massive retail space with every coffee-related gadget you can imagine. Plus, there is also a wine bar and pizza oven restaurant in there too.

Chihuly Garden and Glass

While the MoPop was my top priority for the boys in Seattle, Chihuly Garden and Glass was my personal top museum choice. Washington native Dale Chihuly is a master at creating these colorful and hand-blown gigantic glass installations. If you have ever been to the Bellagio in Las Vegas, then you have seen his glass flowers on the lobby ceiling.

Chihuly Garden and Glass is located in Seattle Center, right along with MoPop, the Space Needle and the Pacific Science Center. I really liked that it was a “walk through” experience, through the building and into the garden. I would say we were here for about an hour, so it is an easy visit to include with another Seattle Center site. For us, we combined it with the Pacific Science Center.

Pacific Science Center

Speaking of the Pacific Science Center, we headed right there after Chihuly Garden and Glass. Any opportunity we get to go to a great hands-on science museum, we are there. As an extra bonus, we actually got to get in for free because of our membership to the Cade Museum here in Gainesville. Such a nice perk!

We have an approach to visiting museums in a new city that helps us get a taste without feeling the overwhelming need to see and to all of it. What we will typically do is divide up…one parent with one child. And then we let them lead the way with what they are most interested in doing/seeing for about about two hours. We’ve noticed that we all get much more out of an experience when we go deep instead of trying to cover every last thing.

So that is what we did at the Pacific Science Center. Besides the virtual reality underwater experience with dolphins, I spent most of the time with Max in the Tinker Tank. This was a large space dedicated to makers, which he got totally immersed in. We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. Although I noticed when we were leaving (around 11:30am), the museum had gotten a lot more crowded. Just in time for us to leave 🙂

Seattle Bike Tour

We have a tradition of taking bike tours as often as possible in the cities we visit. Bike tours are great because they give you a nice overview of the city, and you always get tidbits about the history or current culture that you would have never learned without the tour. I think it is a great activity with tweens and teens.

In Seattle, we signed up for the basic city tour with Seattle Cycling Tours. Our tour guide was super nice and the tour itself was good. We especially liked visiting the hub of Amazon.com and learning all about how they are basically taking over ~~the world~~ Seattle.

In retrospect, I wish I would have signed us up for the Ballard and Fremeont tour instead of the basic city tour. Here’s why: we did this tour on the afternoon of our 2nd day in Seattle. I thought we would be too tired on the first day.

By this point though, we had already visited 3/4 of the stops on the tour. I had no idea we would do that, so it’s more a hindsight being 20/20 thing. We covered a lot of repeat ground. On the other hand, we never even made it to Ballard or Fremont during our visit, so bike touring those neighborhoods would have been more interesting.

My recommendation to you if you do this tour is to either do it on your first day OR take one of the other tours. The Bainbridge Island bike tour looks REALLY cool as well. I would love to do that one next time.

REI Flagship Store

If you are into the outdoors, a fun place to visit in Seattle is the REI flagship store. This place is ah-mazing. Even just walking into it felt like an outdoor experience. There were trails, bridges, waterfalls. As you walk in, you hear a choir of camping angels sing. Just kidding. Although I think Brian might have heard that in his mind as he opened the doors!

The store is huge, with more than any human could ever imagine needing for their next adventure. Brian wanted to stock up on a few things before we headed out in the camper van the following day.

Besides the plethora of gear, the star of the show was their 85-foot rock wall. I don’t know if we just got lucky, but the employee that ran the rock wall was so good with the boys, and they really enjoyed the experience.

If you enjoy the regular REI experience, you will love it here!

So those were the highlights from our time in Seattle with kids. If we had another full day, I really would have loved to visit Gas Works Park and Discovery Park. Maybe rented kayaks to enjoy one of the beautiful lakes or even the bay. Next time, I guess!

How about you? Have you been to Seattle? What were your highlights?

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Posted by Ale & filed under Travel. This post has no comments yet.

Our family just got back from a 10-night trip to Washington state. The visit was our first time anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, and I can definitely say we were impressed. Wow. What a BEAUTIFUL place! We had such a great time, but there is a part of me that is a little sad that we couldn’t see even more of this gorgeous part of the country.

Although 10 nights seemed like it would be enough to see everything we wanted to, it wasn’t. There is so much natural beauty in Washington! So we had to narrow down what we could see and do. We chose to divide our time between Seattle and two national parks – North Cascades and Olympic. Unfortunately, Mount Ranier (which we hear is amazing too) will have to wait for next time.

Today I am going to do a quick recap and overview of our Washington adventure for anyone planning a visit to the Evergreen State, or one of the national parks. After this post, I will do a quick highlights post on each section of the trip with more detailed information and photos on what we enjoyed about each stop.

Planning this trip

Over the years of traveling together, I think we have settled into an approach that works for our family’s tastes and temperament.

The other day I had this Venn diagram popped into my head. Do you remember those? Imagine one circle that encompasses “incredible sites and experiences”. Then imagine another circle right next to it that encompasses “no crowds or lines”. The intersection created by those circles seems to be our sweet spot.

For a trip like this, where there is so much to see and ground to cover, we have to do a lot of sifting and editing. That means saying “no” to a lot of good things so we can say “yes” to the best things for us. I broke down the specifics of how we do this on THIS post a couple years back if you are interested. Not much has changed since then.

We also really love the anticipation of a trip almost as much as the trip itself. Brian and I enjoy reading, scouring and asking questions for months leading up to the day we leave so that we can make wiser decisions about what we want to make time for and what we can let go. That takes a lot of pressure off and helps us really embrace the present while we travel.

Itinerary

For the itinerary, we ended up using a very similar template to our California trip. The two trips were very much alike in the fact that we mixed in city time with camping time, and the same amount of nights.

Nights 1,2,3 – Seattle

As much as we love the impeccable beauty of the national parks, we also love experiencing city life. Since we live in a small(ish) town, visiting larger cities gives us the opportunity to enjoy new museums, public parks, art, food and so many other things that are not part of our lives at home. Seattle was SO awesome. Oh my gosh, what an amazing first impression. There is no doubt in my mind that we need to go back! Stay tuned for a highlights post coming very soon!

Nights 4,5 – North Cascades National Park

This is when the camping portion of our trip began. We left Seattle in a camper van and used it as our home base to explore the parks. Our initial plan did not include going to North Cascades National Park. Just Olympic. Geographically, it was not that convenient. North Cascades is East of Seattle, and Olympic is to the West of Seattle. So there would be some backtracking. However, so many people raved about the beauty of it, that we knew we had to go. I’m so glad we did because the mountains and glaciers and lakes were exquisite. It was also much less crowded than Olympic. A lot of Seattle people head this way to enjoy nature.

Night 6 – Port Townsend/Sequim

We chose Port Townsend as the place to break up the two national parks. Port Townsend is such a cute coastal town on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We took a whale watching tour from there which was a big hit with all of us.

Choosing Port Townsend as our midway point was kind of a last minute decision a few weeks before we left, so our lodging options were limited. As cute as the town was, there were a lot of local Victorian Inns that I wasn’t so sure about. I know, you are probably wondering how I can sleep in a van with no bathroom, but I am picky about the wallpaper in an inn. Weird, I know.

So we ended up driving to the nearby town of Sequim that evening to stay in a generic (but very clean) Holiday Inn Express. Showers and comfy beds for the win!

Nights 7,8,9 – Olympic National Park

After leaving Sequim, we headed to Olympic National Park for phase II of the camping adventure. We camped at Deer Park Campground on the first night (which was on top of a remote mountain) and at Kalaloch Beach Campground the next two nights. Olympic is famous for its diversity of climates and the fact that in one day you could be in a rainforest, a mountaintop and the beach. Such a special place! Cannot wait to share more photos from Olympic with you.

Night 10 – Seattle

Our last night in Washington was back in Seattle. It gave us the opportunity to get a little more of they city in before heading out on our flight early the last day. We only really had an afternoon by the time we arrived and dropped off the camper van back to its home so we stayed close by our hotel.

Seattle lodging

For the first three nights in Seattle, we stayed in THIS cozy Airbnb apartment. I pretty much followed my Airbnb process outlined in THIS post to find it. Hotel prices in Seattle in the month of July were insane. Staying in a comfortable basement apartment in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood was definitely the right call for us.

We tend to choose hotels over Airbnb when it is 2 nights or less. So for our final night, we had reserved one night at Kimpton’s Palladian Hotel in Seattle. The property featured a really fun tongue in cheek decor featuring portraits of famous Seattleites.

Kimpton properties have been our top choice the last few years. The design is always chic and whimsical, plus the customer service has been outstanding thus far. Despite the already high regard for Kimpton hotels, the Palladian exceeded it.

When I called from the road to see if they would allow us to get our room earlier than the 3pm check-in (showers were a necessity), not only did they go out of their way to make it happen, they also upgraded us to a King suite 🙂 Then, as if the customer service didn’t do enough already, the front desk duo were so sweet to the boys and brought them a basket of goodies. And wine for us too.

Camper van life

As I mentioned before, we rented a camper van for the national parks portion of our travels. The camper van was from a small outfitter called Black Forest Westfalias, based out of Seattle. I cannot say enough good things about this company and the van experience. The afternoon before we left, one of the co-owners brought it to our Airbnb and gave us the full rundown of how everything worked and where things were stored. The van had everything you could possibly want or need for camping. Dishes, silverware, blankets, a table, even a few games.

Our Westfalia, “Dutch”, was restored and updated really well. It was comfortable for all of us. The back seat collapsed down (like a futon) into a bed for two. Then the top popped up with a cushioned platform that slept two more.

This being our fourth time going out west to camp in the national parks, we have tried a several different camping methods. I think this has been our favorite so far.

Below is the interior on the day they brought it to us. You can see there is a long bench seat on one side and another single behind the driver’s seat. That little rectangle on the back wall was a table top that pops up. The cooler behind the passenger seat was where we kept our perishables. When the rooftop tent was popped up, we would get up there by stepping up onto the cooler. The floor was a wood laminate, which worked nicely for cleanup of crumbs and sand.

The photo below gives you a better view of the pop up tent. Whenever we arrived at a campsite, Brian would pop it up because it was a nice little spot you could get away to read and relax. I loved the screens on three sides too. The view from the night we stayed on Blue Mountain was really special. I could see the moon from my bed, and in the morning, the sunrise.

One thing we would do differently

Although this was probably one of my favorite trips of all time, there’s always something we learn with hindsight. Brian and I are such geeks about improving our processes for the future that we actually talk about things like this. Might as well share with you 🙂

We will have reservations for all campsites before going. You might find it a little crazy, but we only had campsite reservations for two of the five nights we camped. Most of the campsites in both parks were “first come, first serve”. And the ones that actually had reservations were all booked months in advance. Our friends that had been a few weeks before said there was lots of availability, but by the time we got there, there really wasn’t. We had a few close calls and some time wasted looking for spots at different campgrounds. Going forward, we will just need to make reservations way in advance and not leave things to chance.

Coming back, for sure

One of the toughest parts of planning this trip was not being able to see all of the stunning places in Washington we wanted to see. Next time we go, we would love to go to Mount Ranier National Park, the San Juan Islands, Vashon Island, and so many more places. SNot to mention the fact that there were whole areas of Seattle we didn’t get to — Ballard, Fremont, Capitol Hill.

I suppose instead of being sad about not getting to it all, I will focus on how awesome everything we did get to see and do was. And then start brainstorming when we can get back to this stunning state.

Of all the family adventures we have gone on, I think this one takes the cake as my favorite. I feel like we grew closer together with the shared experiences and even the challenges. We are still laughing about about some of the ridiculousness that ensued as we traveled around Washington together.

Let’s face it…if you can survive 10 nights of constant “together” time and come out the other side, you have no choice but to come out closer.

Looking forward to sharing some more details and highlights from each segment of our time in Washington over the next few days!

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Posted by Ale & filed under Family Time, Travel. This post has 11 comments.

As you may or may not know, I have been freelancing doing interiors photography work the past two years. Many of those shoots are for real estate agents wanting to show their listings in the best possible light.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of shooting a beautiful home that was going on the market. I absolutely loved the flow and well-thought out design of the house. Not to mention the decor and styling.

Cass, the homeowner, is a talented designer, contemporary artist and business owner here in Central Florida. She’s actually been credited and mentioned in several of the homes featured on this blog. Like THIS one and THIS one.

Cass and her family are getting ready to move to New York (more on that in her interview below), and selling their house is part of that process.

She was such a great sport about allowing me to share some of the photos I took of her home with you. If you happen to be in the market for a beyond “move-in ready” home, then you have to see it in person.

Pretty and Peaceful Family Home Tour

Who lives in this home and how did you come to live here? How did you know it was the right choice for your family?

There are four of us – Peter, my husband of 21 years, Olivia who is 18 and Riggs who is 11. I can’t forget our Goldendoodle Sadie Bo Peep and Kitty our Maine Coon cat.

We built this house after moving back to Florida due to hurricane Katrina. My parents lived next door in the house my grandparents gave them. That house was built in the 1960’s, and they had also purchased an additional lot next door to someday build on. When we moved back, my mother suggested build on the empty lot.

Tell us about the process of building your home. Did you work with an architect?

After living in New Orleans for almost 20 years, I absorbed a lot of interesting styles and architecture. I drew the plan for this house and hired a draftsman. It is modeled after a simple Creole center hall cottage found all over Louisiana, but probably made most famous by architects like A. Hays Town.

Now you are selling this gorgeous house. Tell us where you are headed next!

Olivia has an amazing opportunity in New York. She has a nearly full ride at The New School in Manhattan. My husband is from New York and his sister and family are there too. For years we have talked about taking a chance and making a life change. Well, this is it. We are moving to Manhattan. We are eyeballing Brooklyn too. So either would be amazing!

What are some the most important aspects of creating a home to you?

I love things to be stylish and elegant, but it also has to be comfortable and functional. Meshing those qualities is always important.

How would you describe your aesthetic/style?

I think I am an eclectic blend of contemporary pieces with a love for French and Swedish antiques. I also love pottery and original art. Those layers really complete an interior. I’m excited about moving because I will be selling a lot and starting over, so I am interested to see which direction I will move towards.

What are some of your favorite places to find inspiration?

Anywhere one travels you see new things. Definitely Europe, but I think New Orleans is always a great inspiration as well. It is a very art driven city, with galleries everywhere. I am fruit for original art. I could spend all my money buying sculpture and paintings and having no free wall space whatsoever!

Pretty and Peaceful Family Home Tour

Which room in your home do you enjoy the most?

My bedroom for solace. The big open concept family room for family time. I love this whole house though, it has such a great vibe. It will be hard to leave it, much less find a space that compares. It’s a very quiet, peaceful home. We have enjoyed our time here.

How do you approach client design work differently than your own home?

It’s much easier to select for a client, theres nothing vested, it’s much more difficult to pick for myself. There’s so much to choose from so I overwhelm myself. I also tend to want to change things a lot because I am constantly exposed to what’s new and fabulous!

What is your philosophy on mixing styles?

Mixing styles keeps things fresh, however things still need to flow. You don’t want to confuse, you still have ensure looks work together.

How do you feel about trends in interior design?

Trends are great, just make sure you don’t spend tons on something you may tire of in a coupe of years when it’s out of style.

Pretty and Peaceful Family Home Tour

What is one thing most people could do that would make the most positive impact in their space?

Paint always makes a huge impact and isn’t expensive and can be accomplished DIY. I always paint ceilings the same colors as my walls. It brings the eye up. People think they have to pant ceilings white, not at all. I love to see the inside of a front door painted a fun funky color, like our pink door. Olivia chose that color; I love it! One of my favorite touches.

I am a sucker for window treatments too. I think they give a space the final touch, whether it’s a drapery panel or a simple Roman shade.

An easy and inexpensive touch is always fresh flowers and plants. I always have an orchid and other flowers in the house, it just makes me happy.

What are your “musts” around a family-friendly space?

Washable slipcovers!

How do you want your kids to remember about their time in this home?

That it was cozy and comfortable. And that they have fond memories of living next door to their grandparents.

Pretty and Peaceful Family Home Tour

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She was not kidding when she said this house has a great vibe. I totally felt it when photographing it. So peaceful and inviting.

I am so inspired by Cass and her family’s willingness to go for this exciting new chapter in their lives. Despite the fear of the unknown, they are being driven by change and growth. I just love that for them and know they will look back on on this decision as a pivotal one. No matter where they land, we can be certain their home will be uniquely theirs.

Interested in seeing more home tours? Check them all out HERE.

Photography: Ale Cretul

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Posted by Ale & filed under Home Decor, Home Tours. This post has 4 comments.

Over the past year, I have been working on several home styling and home decor projects. This, in addition to lots of interiors photography work has been keeping me busy but also lighter on the blogging side of things as you might have noticed. The good news is that a lot of the projects are getting to the point where I can share them. Today I am excited to share the results of furnishing a new home my friend and neighbor, Pam.

Pam’s family bought and renovated this home in town last spring. When I came to see it, I fell in love with the gorgeous floors and the amazing natural light. Besides that, she had pretty much a blank slate ready for furnishings and styling.

Although we are almost done with a few other spaces in the house, today I want to share the progress in her main family living space.

Pam’s style is farmhouse-inspired, but personalized with a healthy infusion of modern and natural elements. She is very much drawn to neutrals and bringing the outside in. When I saw the beautiful wall of windows on the back wall, I was inspired to bring a conservatory feel into this space.

Before

Here are a few photos of what the main living space looked liked when I first saw it. As you can see even from my badly lit iPhone photos, it really was a great space ready to come to life! All we needed to do was bring it together with furnishings and a purpose.

After

Now for the fun part…what it’s looking like now! This main living space is super long and has two big rooms parallel and open to each other. That setup made the furniture plan a little tricky at first, but I think we came up with a functional arrangement that really works for Pam’s family.

Furnishing a New Home for an Active Family

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Kitchen breakfast and bar area

How cozy is this little coffee station and bar area?

The kitchen has this amazing skylight that just pours onto the white marble countertop. Pam always has a fun new cookbook she is trying out. I love cookbooks too, except mainly just for the photos. She actually cooks from them 🙂

Kitchen

I am a huge fan of this type of furniture set up if you have an extra spot in your house. I think it is a cozy and inviting way to encourage people to stay a while.

Lounge area and dining room

So what do you think? I love all the little moments and details that are part of this family home now. This is a great example of how furnishing a new home takes time but makes all the difference.

Looking forward to showing you more progress on this and other projects very soon!

Interested in more home tours? You can find them all HERE.

Photography: Ale Cretul

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Posted by Ale & filed under Home Decor, Home Tours. This post has 8 comments.

How do you decide what you want to read next? Is it spontaneous? Or do you keep a running list?

I think I am a blend of the two. I keep a list of books I am excited to read, but I also like to pick up whatever I am in the mood for. The list serves as a place to go back to for ideas and when I am in a brain fog with ideas.

The past few years, I have posted my list of “want to reads” on the blog. Although we are already 4 months into the year, today I thought would share my 2018 reading list with you.

Which books make the list?

Choosing the books I add to my reading lists is more of an art than a science. Sure, recommendations play a part. Most often, I mentally note books I hear mentioned more than once in podcast interviews. The next element I consider is subject. Like most people, I have a unique blend of interests. In my case it’s creativity, entrepreneurship, business strategy, self-development, education, compelling life stories and new concepts I’m curious about. Combine any of these topics with a well-designed cover and I’m intrigued.

The selections for my 2018 reading list are eclectic. Some I have been wanting to read forever, like “E-Myth Revisited”, “War of Art” and “The Power of Now.” A few just came out and piqued my interest right away, like “Educated” and “How to Break Up with Your Phone”. You might also notice that two of the books, “Open” and “Shoe Dog” were on my 2017 reading list. I just never got to them because I went down that revolutionary history rabbit hole last year, remember?

Since we are four months into the year, I can happily report that I have already read 7 of these. I feel accomplished already 🙂 Similar concept to writing your to do list after you’ve done the tasks for the satisfaction of checking them off.

2018 Reading List

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber – “E-Myth Revisited” has been mentioned and recommended on countless podcast interviews I’ve listened to. For several years now, I have made a mental note to pick it up, but I never did. I think something about the title and the cover turned me off from it. What the heck is an E-Myth? Basically it has to do with the struggle that many small businesses face transitioning from a small one person business as they grow to meet demand. The author addresses common pitfalls and changes that need to be made to scale a business while keeping its core essence in tact. This subject may not appeal to all, but if you are running a small business or interested in business, I think it is essential reading.
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover – When I start seeing a book pop up everywhere I turn, I know it might be worth looking into. This is the case with “Educated”, which I knew to be a memoir about a young woman who broke out of a survivalist Mormon family in the mountains of Idaho. I was intrigued when I read the description read it via Audible in 3 days. I just finished it and the best way to describe this book is RIVETING. The fact that the author came out this extremely isolated upbringing with her PhD and able to tell the tale on the other side is nothing short of amazing.
How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price – This cover and title grabbed me right away. As a person who is highly annoyed that I check my phone way more than necessary, I want to get more ideas on how to set boundaries around my phone. I see so much value in our phones as a tool, but at the same time, it is also a crutch. Hopefully I will come away with more autonomy from this little device after reading this book. Will keep you posted.
Make Your Bed by William McRaven – This is my wild card pick. From what I understand, “Make Your Bed” is a kick in your pants inspirational read. Something to motivate you into understanding that the little things in life add up to the big things. Details and discipline matter. Along with millions of other people, I saw and loved THIS YouTube video featuring Admiral McRaven so decided I will give his book a try in 2018.
Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss – This is the first book I read this year. “Tribe of Mentors” is a perfect read at night book. Don’t let the size of this book scare you away. It is big, but each section is only 3-5 pages. In this book, Ferris asks the same 10-11 questions to dozens of gifted people in all realms of life -business, technology, entertainment, sports, you name it. One of my favorite questions he asks is, “How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?” Seeing the answers from so many different people to this and the other questions he asks is fascinating.
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer – “Untethered Soul” was recommended to me by a friend at the gym. He listened to it on Audible, and I decided to do the same. Not going to lie, this one is deep. Not difficult to understand, just a paradigm shift for the way most of live. Singer does a very good job of explaining how our thoughts run our lives. They tell us stories about our experiences and then we react emotionally based on these narratives. Such good stuff in this book. I would love to read it again as a book club to really dive in and discuss these concepts.
Open by Andre Agassi – This is one that was on my 2017 list, which got a bit derailed when I got bitten by the American History bug. I “read” this one via Audible also. Despite not knowing a thing about tennis, I loved this book. I could not stop listening to the story of Andre Agassi told by Andre himself. His story captivated me from the very beginning. It got to the point where I would run out of things to do while listening, and I would just lay down on my bed and listen.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle – I have never read any of Eckhard Tolle’s work, so I think this will be the year I change that. Can’t think of a better place to start than “The Power of Now”. What I hope to gain is an understanding about the pointlessness of regretting past decisions or worrying about future events.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson – I’ve had really good luck reading 3 back-to-back phenomenal memoirs recently (“Shoe Dog”, “Open” and “Educated”). I am throwing one biography into the mix in 2018 – Steve Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson. Like the rest of the world, Jobs has always intrigued me. I know very little about him though, and I would like to change that. Who is this guy and what made him tick? Walter Isaacson is a renowned biographer, so I figured his account of Jobs’ life would be a good one to read.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield – I have heard about this book for so long, I feel like I know the content already 🙂 So many creatives and entrepreneurs I admire mention the lessons that they have learned from this book. Things like the struggle to overcome self-doubt, procrastination and overthinking. It has been a long time coming, but I need this book as part of my library.
The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron – Road Back to you is my first foray into learning about the Enneagram. I became intrigued after one of my favorite podcasts did a “deep dive” into the Enneagram on THIS episode. I am a big believer that the way you respond to the world has to do with the lens you see the world through. The Enneagram is a phenomenal way to understand your lens better. This book is a great primer for learning about all of the Enneagram types. Now I need to take a better test, because I can’t figure out if I am a Type 1 or Type 5!
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight – Similar to the Agassi memoir, I had heard enough buzz about this Phil Knight memoir that I knew I needed to read it. You probably don’t spend too much time thinking about how a huge company like Nike comes to be. I certainly didn’t. It feels like companies like these have always been around. Listening to Phil Knight tell the story of how he created Nike from nothing was fascinating. I would highly recommend this to anyone who owns their own business or to anyone considering starting their own business one day.

Have you read any of the books on my 2018 reading list? How do pick what to read next?

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Seattle Family Trip Highlights

Queen Anne neighborhood

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundatation Discovery Center

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop)

Artists at Play playground behind MoPop

Pike Place Market

Water Taxi to Alki Beach & Lunch at Marination Ma Kai

Starbucks Reserve

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Pacific Science Center

Seattle Bike Tour

REI Flagship Store

Washington State Trip Itinerary & Overview

Planning this trip

Itinerary

Seattle lodging

Camper van life

One thing we would do differently

Coming back, for sure

Pretty and Peaceful Family Home Tour

Pretty and Peaceful Family Home Tour

Furnishing a New Home for an Active Family

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My 2018 Reading List

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2018 Reading List

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