2022 In Review
2022 In Review
Seasons Greetings! Welcome to the first edition of the Chaffee Chronicle, an annual update on the lives of Evan Chaffee & Danielle Dunn Chaffee.
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good wedding to start. Do you remember, the 25th of September (2021)? We vowed, we danced, we celebrated; it was a wonderful wedding with our closest friends and family both in person and virtually. We continued the celebration in Hawaii where we zip-lined through Maui, hiked an active volcano, honored another union in Kona, traversed the terranes of Kualoa Ranch, and enjoyed dipping our own bourbon bottle at Ko’oloa Distillery. The year culminated peacefully as we observed a safe Christmas and New Years at home with the pups.
We sledded into 2022 on the bunny slopes with a weekend stay at the wondrous Wonderland Lodge in Big Bear. In February we skied St. Moritz (checking off a Paul Dunn bucket list item) and roved the streets of Zurich, a first time main-land-Europe visit for Evan. In March we toasted Danielle’s 10+2 years with Disney and kicked off another season with the monstrous Moneyball (Disney finance department) softball team. April was a whirlwind forward on our career paths as Evan accepted a new position as a Sr. Consultant with Deloitte and Danielle was promoted to Sr. Manager, Revenue Management & Financial Planning.
To celebrate, we planned an impromptu trip to France! We visited with friends in Paris and Saint Malo, toured the Normandy Beaches and Mont Saint Michael, were mesmerized by 30 years of Disneyland Paris, and lived like locals in Paris. While it was a quick and spontaneous trip, it was the trip of a lifetime. In June we splashed into Danielle’s 34th birthday with a slip n slide and retraced the steps of our first date with dinner at the Yard House and a show at the Irvine Improv. On July 31st, a rare Saturday with no plans, off the cuff Evan suggested we take a look at a house in Costa Mesa. Less than one week later, we were in escrow on our first home! We received the keys on September 2nd and have been hard at work home owners ever since.
In between contractor meetings and designing our dream kitchen, we have managed to have some fun. This year we saw two legends perform: John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl and Elton John at Dodger Stadium (his final US show! Now streaming on Disney+). Evan enriched his mind at Deloitte University and Danielle enjoyed real fall weather in Kentucky. We kicked off the holiday season with Candlelight at Disneyland and of course continued the Dunn / Chaffee / Dodds family tradition of going to Disneyland for Christmas Eve (Eve, Eve). We are rounding out the year, celebrating Evan’s 35th birthday, and ringing in the new year in one of our favorite cities, Vancouver. Cheers to 2023, eh! We’re all aboot new adventures and opportunities to create memories with each of you!
Switzerland
Switzerland: It took 26 hours of traveling until we arrived at the breath-taking Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski in St. Moritz. Of course, skiing in Europe has always been on the Paul Dunn bucket list but the real purpose for this trip was for Paul to share where he and Sandy formed lasting memories in the summer of 2016 on their last trip to Europe. We had 5 treacherous days of non-stop skiing, but we survived and thrived with the help of Swiss beers and funicular rides. Evenings were spent roaming the streets enjoying beautiful sunsets and feasting on glorious Italian food. We spent the last two nights in Zurich exploring the Lindenhof, Swiss National Museum, Grossmunster, and Fraumunsterkirche until we came home with bellies full of fondu.
France
France: You know those days where everything falls into place perfectly? This trip was perfect day after perfect day. On our first night we visited with friends and learned the routes of the Paris metro. We spent 3 days driving through the seaside towns of Brittany, honoring the history of the Normandy Beaches, and climbing the stunning Mont Saint Michael. At Disneyland Paris we went back in time to the 90’s and marveled at the 30 year anniversary drone and firework show. In Paris we scaled Torre de Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, and Sacre Coeur, sauntered through Chateau Versailles, Musee d'Orsay, Musee de l’orangerie, and Musee du Louvre, and gorged on mouthwatering food at Le Grand Colbert (living out Danielle’s film dreams from Something’s Gotta Give). We learned to live like Parisians and have been studying French on Duolingo, in hopes for the opportunity to live there someday! New series, Chaffee’s in Paris?
New Home Owners
New Home Owners: Take a look at our first home! While we weren’t looking long, we knew we wanted a home in Eastside Costa Mesa that we could renovate and most importantly, we wanted a big backyard where someday our children can run around and have pool parties. We look forward to 2023 when we can officially move in.
House Demo
Teddi & Kubi
Teddi & Kubi: The pups had a great year as well. While we enjoyed our Hawaiian escapades, they were at boarding school learning Sit Means Sits. The two are thick as thieves unless there is a ball in sight. Teddi has becomes obsessed with balls and isn’t afraid to leave Kubi in the dust, literally on the beach shore. Kubi continues to appreciate aromatic walks on the beach with plenty of scents to tickle his senses.
Events Throughout the Year
Events Throughout the Year:
Evan’s Valentine’s Day present to Danielle was a Lego puzzle of them! It’s now framed and ready to be placed in their new home
The wondrous Wonderland Lodge in Big Bear
Celebrations & brunches with the girls
Sports and boating for the boys
Meeting Mark Normand at the Irvine Improv
90 Years of John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl
Elton John’s last US show at Dodger Stadium
Christmas time and the Deloitte Holiday Party at the Balboa Bay Club and Disneyland