With no announcements on deck - please pardon me while I get a little sentimental this month. (Don’t worry, we’ll make up for the lack of announcements this month with a double dose of news next month…)
We just got back from an amazing family trip: my parents, my brothers, and our kids all got together in Manzanita, Oregon, for a weekend together. It was an incredible adventure - visiting the beach, barbecuing on the back porch, and reconnecting.
I grew up fishing with my dad, and I got to relive the experience through the eyes of a new generation. We had an unbelievable trip, with each of the kids finding success on the water. The kids were screaming so loud that the captain said he was afraid another boat was going to come over to see what the problem was.
But there was no problem. No problem at all.
The Shapiros returned to port with dinner for everyone. The kitchen was a whirlwind of activity preparing rockfish ceviche and grilled lingcod.
The kids were involved every step of the way. They wanted to learn to clean fish - the AirBnB driveway looked like a crime scene. Ari lead Team Ceviche, I oversaw the cleaning and grilling, and Joseph worked on the salad. My parents put together vegetarian kebabs, side dishes, and dessert.
It was an amazing meal with the people who mattered most to us. Seeing everyone come together to create something magical really reminded me how lucky I am to be where I am, especially in that moment, with all of my family gathered around.
When I got back home, I happened to see this amazing Glowforge print on Instagram. A hand-painted family tree, with everyone’s name in heart-shaped leaves clustered together among the branches, it was given as a 95th-birthday present.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5MIxiMEba/
It brought me right back to Manzanita.
The power of a family tree like this is in how it shows all the connections, all the leaves and branches that tie us together. We’re at our best when we’re together, and especially when we’re creating together.
And, you know, I’m so grateful to be creating with all of you. I can’t wait to see what we do next.