Trash or Treasure: 2013

Taking a moment to reflect back on the waves and patterns of 2013, it seems like the year was full of Harvest Power, gardening, Gene, running, family, and friends. Here's a recap of highlights:

January - Connected with Wellesley friends in Boston. Mike made amazing croissants. Also did Tellyfest at Hoodoo Mountain with Sally and Chris Bell! So much fun. Also, Gene and I became graduates of the Landmark Forum (if you feel a block in life, need to blow up your current paradigm of life, or want to get touched, moved and inspired, do Landmark).

Petra, Erin, April, Theresa, Ashley, Meredith

Mike's homemade croissants. Oh my.

Hoodoo Telly Fest with Chris, Sally, Gene, and Meredith

February - On Amy Yates' bridal shower weekend getaway at the coast -- where Patty introduced us to the awesome game of lawn bowling -- I decided to commit to training for the Pac Crest Half Ironman which shaped the next few months. Also marveled at our solar panels' production -- if you are in Oregon check out RS Energy.

Amy Yates. Read her socks if you can.

Aw yeah!

This is the highest I've ever seen our 3.2kw array hit.

March - An 11-mile ski into Flagpoint Lookout with Becky Brun! So nice to get offline for a bit, though it was hard-pack coming back down the hill. Ouch. Tahoe the Dawg often spends the day in my office reviewing important documents and giving very good advice.

BB at Flagpoint

Mt. Hood

Tahoe picks out some summer reading.

April - Harvest Power won the Bloomberg New Energy Pioneers Award. I was particularly proud because I filled out the burly application. Also, did a video shoot for some of Harvest Power's soil products. Gene started finishing houses at the Waverly Commons project and I dabbled with soil blocks.

Video Shoot with Harvest's Superpowered product line.

The first house Gene finished at Waverly Commons.

Soil blocks

May - Training peak with lots of swimming, biking, and running. I kept a sticker chart to stay true to my workouts (and also make sure I did good things for my body like yoga, massage, and chiropractic adjustments). Gene was a champion supporter calling out in the early morning as I crawled out of bed, "Go Meredith. You can do it." Katie P and I ran almost every Tuesday, Thursday and weekend either up Mt. Tabor or around the neighborhood.

My sticker chart to track training.

Katie P!

June - This month was jam packed with good things. Backyard fun with friends from near and far (Reb, Huck and tractor, plus good time with Jess and Mark's Baxter and Sunny). Catching up with colleagues on the east coast (see mulch). My cousin Alica Peake Henning married Mark Bublitz over an amazing wedding weekend in New Jersey (oh my, they are adorable -- see tennis court photo). Gene and I went on top of a neighbor's roof to stretch our calves. And bros-in-law Chip and Zac kept it real (why do I take more photos of my brothers-in-laws than I do my sisters?). After the wedding we got some more family time in timeless Point O' Woods, Fire Island (my parents jumped for the ferry as we left; it's a tradition but still, sheesh, that's love). The month got even better when my CEO Paul Sellew presented a TEDx talk in Boston; I went with my colleague Arjun. Then, as a cherry on top of the June cake I got 3rd in my division in the Pacific Crest half ironman (1.1 mile swim, 58 mile bike, 13.1 mile run).

Huck loves playing with the tractor Gene had when he was a boy.

Reb, Huck, Baxter, Jess, Sunny and Mia

Baxter and Gene

King & Leigh's home -- new shingles where they got flooded in Hurricane Sandy.

My mom had one of her busiest years for her business.

King, Leigh, Meredith

Mmm…..mulch

Mark and Alicia, so cute.

Gene and Meredith and the Shrewsbury River / Atlantic Ocean

Chip and Zac. (I need more photos of my sisters!!)

Lovely.

Ellis and Arden

Sandy and Gene

Arden and Eliza

PO'W Jump Part 1: The Wave

PO'W Jump Part 2: The Splash

PO'W Jump Part 3: The Wave from the Water

Paul Sellew of Harvest Power presents!

Meredith and Arjun in the TEDx crowd. So cool to be a part of it!

Gene and Mer: Pre-race.

Meredith, post 70.2 miles. Sore legs, happy heart.

July - Watershed Relay with Sally Bell. The climb up was stunning: basically a steady quick pace up from the parking lot to lunch counter to meet up with Becky, Jonathan, and others just as the sun was setting. The summit was a blast with costumes and high energy. The descent turned into a long day when Joc broke her tib/fib but everyone made it out okay.

Meredith and Sally

At the summit with Johnny and Becky

August - Summer adventures with Katie (note matching shirt with wall). Becky's bachelorette weekend with covered the spectrum of trails (the McKenzie River trail with a crew of awesome ladies) and sparkles (oh my). Launching the Harvest Power Store complete with CLASSIC Food Waste Flip Flops. Taking care of Ellis and Sevie, who came down to Portland OR for 4 days while Jenny and Chip went hiking. A circum-nav run of Three-Fingered Jack with the Portland Extreme Picnickers crew -- so pretty.

A mid-ride breakfast stop.

McKenzie River Trail

Jess and Meredith: We clean up real nice.

A highlight, 3 wordplays in 7 words: "Step Up to the Plate: Recycle Organics!"

Our garden burst with a zillion sunflowers this summer.

Ellis, a voracious reader

Ellis and Sevie Doo

Sevie and Gene grab dinner from the volunteer squash plant.

The Trappist Abbey

3-Fingered Jack! Patty, Anna, Amy, Meredith, Jason

September - Becky and Jonathan's wedding!! SO amazing. Becky was beautiful and poised as ever. Jonathan was funny and present and loving. All of us gathered together in a small circle in a clearing in the woods and while I almost bubbled over with tears at the beginning of the ceremony I held it together and officiated their union. It was so powerful. Crazily, I have about zero photos of this event. We danced under the stars late into the night. Later that month was Brooke and Darcy's wedding in North Carolina where a highlight for me was the rope swing (I think that's a photo of me). Clearly I did not document September very well.

The rope swing at Brooke & Darcy's wedding

October - Ran the length of the Wildwood. Saw Dar Williams in the Gorge! Farm to Table auction at Zenger Farm's fundraiser with Bob's Red Mill. At BioCycle in Columbus OH, I got to circulate the 3 videos we produced over the summer to promote compost and mulch. Check 'em out -- Hilarious.

November - Friend time in Portland. Birthday run with Katie (and the perfectly-toasted bagel at Albina Press). Then family time in Oakland (the kids got crafty with leaves and a glue gun), a train ride up the hills, and then Thanksgiving in Truckee, CA with the Andersons and Sorenwalds. Paddle boarding on Lake Tahoe was dreamy.