• Contact
  • Family Letters
    • Summary and Campaigns
    • Feature Films
    • Short Films
    • Editorial
    • Podcasts
Menu

Paolo M. Mottola Jr.

  • Contact
  • Family Letters
  • Day Job
    • Summary and Campaigns
    • Feature Films
    • Short Films
    • Editorial
    • Podcasts

WORD IS BORN

I started this blog WAY back in 2007 as "Word Is Born." The spirit remains the same: my thoughts and photos, random as they are. Enjoy.


Latest Grams:

WE THREE ARE ITALIAN CITIZENS! 🇮🇹 🎉 (Note: Super weird to celebrate anything considering COVID-19 and Black injustice crises.) Twelve years ago -- way before I had kids, right before I met Amanda -- I started exploring dual citizenship. Perch&egra
WE THREE ARE ITALIAN CITIZENS! 🇮🇹 🎉 (Note: Super weird to celebrate anything considering COVID-19 and Black injustice crises.) Twelve years ago -- way before I had kids, right before I met Amanda -- I started exploring dual citizenship. Perchè no? I didn't know what the future would hold, but I knew opening more doors for education and work in my father's country and greater EU would be good for me and future generations. Oh, and the history, culture, landscapes, pride of lineage, etc. I wanted to power up from half Italian to full citizen. I set a first citizenship appointment in San Francisco in 2010, the same year Amanda and I married, but didn't get enough paperwork together time. I had some other stops and starts but thanks to some major legwork led by cousin @mikebaiocchi I finally set an appointment two years ago for a January 2020 appointment at the consulate in San Francisco. We made it a fun little family vacation. The appointment itself went well (after some fair shaming about my language progress). We came home and waited for confirmation but of course COVID-19 devastated Italy, and I didn't expect to hear anything soon. Well, the surprise came in the mail today 🙌🏻. Eliza and Matteo automatically gained citizenship. Amanda has a few more steps (notably a high level of language achievement) to gain citizenship through marriage, but I am super pumped to reach this longtime goal! Forza Italia! 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹
Took the family for a (peaceful protest) walk around the neighborhood. 👊🏻👊🏽👊🏿
Took the family for a (peaceful protest) walk around the neighborhood. 👊🏻👊🏽👊🏿
Last day in Kent HQ (but not my last at REI!). I've spent some of my best years here in the Kent valley.

I remember after leaving Eddie Bauer, my next stop had to be REI. They had a co-op model, big stores, real community events! I knocked on t
Last day in Kent HQ (but not my last at REI!). I've spent some of my best years here in the Kent valley. I remember after leaving Eddie Bauer, my next stop had to be REI. They had a co-op model, big stores, real community events! I knocked on these doors and many kind people responded. @nattyluna and @jordowilliams kindly met me for informational interviews. @lux2, after intense interrogation, finally conceded and offered me a job on the social media team to join @kelly_ann_walsh. Shout out to some of my other bosses over the years: @rowleycraig, @sarahjeanneisme @mrajet and @ph9er. Too many colleagues and teammates over the years to tag but so appreciative of the shared time. The work we did in this place will define my career and the brand for years to come. OptOutside, Force of Nature, etc. I’ve been able to pay it forward and meet people for informational interviews and hire some of them myself. I’ve met a lot of great people and forged a kit of friendship with people who were also willing to come to Kent. Because the location doesn’t matter so much as the mission. Shout out to those who literally drove with me and endured the I-5 commute that future generations won't comprehend: @jruckle @angelafgow @halleyrebecca @shelb_hall. Next stop, REI Tacoma (work at home) and a smattering of new Bellevue HQ. Onward.
I published monthly letters for these Puget Sound saltwater 🐟. Link in profile. #deareliza #dearmatteo
I published monthly letters for these Puget Sound saltwater 🐟. Link in profile. #deareliza #dearmatteo
20201024-IMG_8305.CR2.jpg

Dear Eliza, 61 Months Old

November 10, 2020

We’re back in quarantine. Don’t forget your toilet paper.

We made the last of our freedom and skipped off to the non-fiction, coastal Pleasantville that is Seabrook. We didn’t know at the time of booking it would be our last excursion before a new stay-at-home order, but I sure am glad we made the call to go. The weather wasn’t great, mostly rainy, and the sea was rough and unpredictable. That didn’t prevent my hardened Pacific Northwest children dressed like Alaskan fishermen from wanting to dig into the wet sand.

Getting to the sand was more the challenge. The carriage house we stayed in was a good half mile away from the beach. Oh did you whine about the walk both directions. Your Mom and I like to walk. We are a family that walks and takes the slower, tougher path sometimes.

You complained, “My legs are too tired to walk” and “Why do we have to walk so much?”

My same reply: “We are a family that walks.”

It’s all about getting some exercise and fresh air, even through a mask.

This stay-at-home order feels a little less shocking this time. The seal is broken. We sort of expected it with record-breaking COVID cases. For the first time, we know a lot more people who have contracted COVID. Knock on wood, we’re staying healthy.

A lot of schools are closed down and even our home school pod is slowing down. We’re likely to have a very small Thanksgiving and Christmas season ahead with little extended family interaction. I’m trying to figure out how we logistically make the most of the ski season ahead (the most wonderful time of the year) without the benefits of staying at friends’ cabins.

It’s all the same to you, and your resilient, creative personality reminds me of that. I just wish “the same” was a little easier, a little more social, a little more fun to navigate. Yet, we walk ahead.

Love, Dad

← Dear Matteo, 41 Months OldDear Matteo, 40 Months Old →
Back to Top

Copyright 2024.