A Year of Insights...

I'm sure I have some, but first, let me just say how shocked I am to see that my blog posts made the transition to "blogger" from "blogspot" even though I distinctly remember having put off any response to ensure they would survive the transition, must have been at least 2010. Life is full, despite over a year of pandemic era, stay at home orders issued by the WA state governor. Although I have a flexible work schedule, there was nothing quite like being sent home from work only to find out that not only would you be laid off from a job you enjoy, but then on top of it told to stay home with 3 children with very little support. I guess we survived! How else would I know that my future self could read this post? I'm sitting on the couch in Edmonds, WA reflecting on the year gone by, filing for unemployment, and willing my body to go back to sleep. While I can't claim profound insights at this time, here's a reminder that, "I'll be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"

Trip to CA

Summer would not have been complete without a visit to Southern California. After being pregnant for what felt like a year and then having a newborn this year, I hadn't had a chance to travel to see everyone since we moved back to the Northwest from California. It was a great chance to reconnect and spend time with family and friends.

Nolan the beach bum.

A visit and overnight stay with my friend Leslie.

I love this picture. I arrived in Malibu and had time to go find lunch before meeting up with some friends, so I headed to my favorite Seafood joint and watched the record high waves for the area.

A trip to Southern California also would not be complete without a trek to Disneyland!

Trip to NY

A personal goal of mine was to revisit New York before turning 30 (shh...). We decided to make this a reality as we planned a trip this summer to travel to NY, NJ and MA with Daniel's parents.

Grandpa showed us where he attended at Rutgers University.

We stayed in a condo which made it more relaxing with a little one. Not too many knicknacks for Nolan to get into as he was crawling and climbing EVERYWHERE. In fact, the week of his 10 month birthday which happened during this trip also coincided with his first steps!

Since most of our year is spent in the city, it was refreshing to be in a different setting and to introduce Nolan to the farm!

We went to a Yankee vs. Mariners game in the new Yankee Stadium...and the M's won! We tried not to cheer too loudly, but we were decked out in M's gear.

Quality time with the hubby. I always wanted to stroll in Central Park!

Summer in Seattle

Summer in Seattle...this is a reflection of the beginning of summer!

Papa teaching Nolan to grill!

Birthday part for Caleb. We miss you!

Time at the lake...fun to see the boys start to play together. Nolan loves watching and learning from bigger cousin Noah and being the example for younger cousin Graham...although he's already been surpassed in size! :)

Seriously cool.


Enjoying summer outdoors.

Grandma and Nolan at the Woodland Park Zoo.



Swinging at the park was Nolan's highlight of the summer!

One of the perks of being in Higher Ed is getting some time off in the summer. I LOVED my month off where I got to spend the days with Nolan and be part of the daily routine as well as getting to explore Seattle through a parents eyes.

Spring Quarter (March-June)

Please don't judge me. :) I'm still about 6 months behind with what is supposed to be an accurate portrayal of daily life for those of you dedicated bloggers. Better late than never. I had already uploaded all of my pictures for posts, so here's a quick review and some family pics for spring 09!

Visiting the family in Colorado for my cousin Aaron's graduation. This is my dear cousin Amy and Grandma Audrey. Nolan slept through half the ceremony and ran around with the other kids the other half!

Congrats Aaron!

This is a very sweet picture as since I've left, Aunt Velma has gone to be with the Lord. She delighted in meeting little Nolan and he was equally adoring of Velma!

Easter 2009 brought time with family, a foiled attempt to view the tulips as they were late blooming this year and a fun easter egg hunt at Sheridan Beach.

Life in the Common Family means baseball. Enough said.

Kristin took some great pics for us at Alki beach!

Portland trip

Since I work on the academic calendar, I also have the luxury of enjoying spring break! Daniel had to work, so Nolan and I took the train down to visit some friends and family.

Nolan meets my favorite dog, Gracie at Brent & Michelle's in Portland, OR. When they saw each other for the first time, they both stuck their tongues out and licked each other.

Daniel and I had recently taken Nolan to his 6 month visit and were ready to introduce foods. We started with rice cereal and then Nolan graduated on to sweet potatoes. Here are his first bites.

It was great to get some quality time with my friend, Michelle. We worked together at Lake Retreat. Michelle was a great host and I enjoyed visiting Multnomah falls for the first time, despite the rain!

I forgot my camera the day we visited the Portland zoo with my friend Jodi and her 3 kids, but we visited again with the little ones at Jodi's house. Mazie is a sweet little one!

We also went to visit Uncle Glenn, so he could meet Nolan.

Thanks Brent & Michelle for hosting us!

Close up of Nolan in his frog PJ's...and his bright blue eyes!

Winter Quarter (January- March)

Daniel and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary and enjoyed an evening away from the little one. We went to an incredible dinner and then revisited our favorite coffee shop, Vivace, where we had our first date.

Nolan is growing fast and has such a sweet personality. He enjoys naps with Papa!

Nolan continues to be quite adaptable and joined me on my work retreat to Whidbey Island to hang out with the PA staff.


I attempted to get back in shape and started feeling more normal again, even making it back to the climbing gym!

February brought the arrival of Graham Bergstrom, my new nephew. Graham quickly caught up with Nolan and has now surpassed him in weight although he's about 5 months younger!

Our nieces also enjoyed a visit to Seattle to hang out on a college campus and we went to Pike's Place all bundled up!



Nolan is a fun companion! Here is his first trip to the Zoo. He sat up in his stroller for the first time and enjoyed the sights, especially the colorful peacock.