April Updates
Hey, hi, hello! I’m writing to you from Wisconsin, where I’m staying for 10 days to visit family, and celebrate my nephew’s baptism and my other nephew’s birthday. Hard to believe that 3 years ago today we were in Ponte Vedra, FL, 2 years ago we were in Norwalk, CT, and one year ago we were in Bloomington, IN. Time flies. As of Sunday I’m now a godmother! 😮 Responsibility! Role modeling!
James and I will be in the Dairyland until May 5th, then we’ll sip a margarita at the airport and head back to Seattle. Until then, we’re eating our weight in ice cream/frozen custard and drinking New Glarus, MKE and Lakefront beers. As my friend Sydney said about Wisconsin frozen custard during her recent visit back to Milwaukee, “Seattle could never.” Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things to love about Seattle, but their ice cream pales in comparison to Wisconsin’s. I haven’t made my way to the staple Kopp’s yet, but don’t worry!! This is a must every time I come home. I just haven’t decided yet if I want Ultimate Cookie Dough on Friday or Reese’s Peanut Butter Kupps on Sunday (or both??).
This visit came at the perfect time—I was just starting to feel homesick in early April. It’s been fun catching up with folks and seeing all of the babies. Some of which would probably not be happy that I’m still calling them “babies.” It’s amazing how much can change in less than a year since I last saw them. We have 8 babies to visit this week between the ages of 3 months and almost four, and it’s giving me a boost of serotonin to see mini versions of my friends and family learn how to walk and talk. It’s both exciting and a bit sad to see all of the changes but not be there for them in real time. I don’t want to be the strange lady that they’re scared of who they only see once a year, so I do bribe them with toys and fruit snacks. They’re always a bit shy at first but warm up by the end of the visit. One of the sad realities of living far away, but something that I’m sure I’ll figure out as I go.
I’ve never been a big fan of spring. I always preferred the beautiful colors of autumn or the warmth of summer to the muddy brownness that is spring in the Midwest. But for some reason, April is always the month that feels like a new beginning for me. Maybe, despite my disdain for the season, spring just has a natural way of affecting you with its new cycle. Maybe it’s because Tax Day comes and I’m forced to spend hours looking back at the previous year, or maybe it’s just something in the air. But every April seems to bring big changes. This year is no different. Except that I realized I actually LOVE spring. Probably because spring in Seattle is absolutely stunning. It’s a mix of gloomy, rainy days and pure sunshine and blue skies. The mountains come out of hiding, the cherry blossoms bloom and the entire city is sprinkled with flowers. It’s so lush and green and beautiful! Perhaps I just needed to spend spring in a different place to really appreciate it for what it is.
April 2025 was a lovely month. I have so much to be grateful for. At the beginning of the month, James and I attended a 1-year birthday party for Anchor & Bloom, the café where my painting is hanging up on the wall! I’ve been spending a lot of time at The Vera Project working on screen printing projects. My collage work was published in a zine called Stanza: Lost & Found—the two pieces are below, titled Lactose Intolerance and Law of Universal Overwhelm. I had a tiny 3x3” painting up in the Common Area Maintanence gallery during Belltown Art Walk (my first time having work shown in Seattle!!) called Down Payment, based off my sticker design you can find here. I helped paint a mural with Art Club Community at Psychedelic Lens, which led to a partnership to host a workshop (more details to come!). I attended several coffee chats, coworking sessions, networking meetups, and walks in the park, and have been meticulously building my network in Seattle. I joined my neighborhood Chamber of Commerce and the committee that’s working to make Fremont a Designated Creative District. I’ve been working on a few client projects that I’ll share when I’m done. I finished up my career coaching with Laura Kiyoi Coaching and we had a final watercolor session in the Seattle sunshine. I’ve been enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms, magnolias and flowers, took the kayak out for the first paddle of the year, attended two protests, started walking dogs again to make a little extra cash, and started my Improv level 2 class. And I ended the month with a trip back home where I got to see my family and friends! I’ve got to be honest, I have no complaints.
Life always seems to ebb and flow. I’m trying my best to really cherish this time and root myself in gratitude. It really feels like everything is falling into place. I can say for once that I’m genuinely happy, and not just trying to convince myself that I should be happy because I’m so lucky to have the life that I do. It almost feels improper to feel this way with the current state of the world. Every day there’s a new thing to be upset about. I could go on and on about all the things that are pissing me off, but I feel like the internet has been such a negative space lately that I’m going to hold off on that for a while. On the plus side, when I’m taking care of myself and feeling good in my personal life, it gives me the energy to stay focused on justice without immediately burning out and feeling hopeless. Of course, there will be some good days and some bad days, but I’m feeling confident in the work I’m doing on myself and the community I’ve been building in Seattle.
This life update is not meant to gloat or to make it seem like my life is perfect. It’s not—the expenses continue to add up and my bank account continues to dwindle now that I don’t have that cushy paycheck from a retainer client every 2 weeks. I’ve been dealing with some expensive yet still unresolved medical issues. I’ve had to give up things that I love in order to save money. But I’m trying to focus on abundance instead of a scarcity mindset. I’m choosing to trust that what is meant for me will find me and the money will flow in due time. It’s scary!!! It feels like I’m at the start of my career all over again. But it’s worth it for this happiness. I’m finally out here doing what I want to do with my life, and not just a parallel path to what I actually want. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished when I have time to focus on what I love.
I’m familiar with what feels like the opposite of this thriving season—when it feels like everything is going wrong. When it rains, it pours. If that’s where you’re at right now, I hope that the cycle renews soon at the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. I hope this brings some positivity when times feel tough.
Peace, love, and extra cheese,
Maggie