If we would have sent out an update with our Christmas cards as some are in the habit of doing, this might be what you would have read! This year went by so incredibly fast and yet so many days seemed to crawl by ever so slowly (hopefully this post doesn't!).
This was the year of establishing a routine. I started working from home 30 hours a week in January. Somehow I managed. Looking back, I can't quite figure out how, but I did. When William napped I worked. When he was awake I tried to work in spurts, but once he started moving I had to put a stop to that! In August I cut my hours down to 24 a week so I could keep my benefits but also not have to work much in the evenings.
At the end of last year, Chris was looking for a career change and working toward becoming a computer programmer. But just when he was feeling confident to step out and apply and interview, a full-time editor job opened up with a visual effects studio he had done some freelance work for. So, after giving me a few weeks to get into my grove of being a working mother, he started a new job.
It was going well and the work they were doing was really cutting-edge and pretty cool. You can see his
last project here. As is fairly typical for the film industry, production was going a bit slower and the deadline came all too fast. He found himself working two all nighters and a total of 160 hours in the last two weeks of the project. He didn't get to see much of William (or me) during that time; and I got a glimpse of what solo-parenting is like
(awful! Just awful!).
Thankfully, his schedule is not like that very often and now he even gets to do some computer programming during the slower periods. This ended up being a really great opportunity for him! We are so thankful for our jobs and the stability we've had this year!
I also started focusing more on my photography. In total there were only five sessions, but honestly, that was all I could really handle. I did get my
website up this year which has been a goal of mine for at least 16 months. I'm hoping I can do more in 2015! (Call me!)
In May, our church went through a split of sorts as our Pastor was asked to resign and many of our friends and a lot of the young families left our congregation. Many tears have been shed for the things that happened and the relationships that ended. This has been our church for five years and one of the only constant things in our roller-coaster California adventure. It's hard to face the hurt sometimes. I still haven't quite recovered and hurt all over again when I think of what was lost.
We had a few visitors this year! Chris's parents came to California a couple of times and in the middle of December his mom and grandmother were there visiting relatives and we were able to see them one afternoon. My cousin, Danny stayed with us for a few days while visiting the city and my best friend, Katie made a
pit stop on her way home from Australia.
Our little family of three took a vacation to
Coronado, CA this summer! It was really fun to get away. It was very different having a baby along, but it was still relaxing and very enjoyable. We also made it to Texas in June and December. In May we drove to
Las Vegas one last time before my sister's family moved back to Minnesota. I also traveled to
Minnesota with William for my cousin's wedding in August. Seeing family has always been important for me as we live so far away. We don't get to see everyone as much as we'd like but it makes the time we do have extra special.
As I reflect over the last year, I feel like much of my energy was focused on getting William to eat or sleep. Neither one was easy for him. He did start sleeping through the night in September and since then, life has seemed to be much more balanced. Chris and I both still struggle with sleep, I don't think either one of us has had a full nights rest since William was born (even on my
birthday getaway, I couldn't sleep!).
On the weekends, we try to fit in our hobbies while William naps. Chris is still working on his book (second draft now), and I sew, cook, blog or work on any number of projects I can't seem to finish. It is much harder to keep up with our interests than we realized!
It has been really fun to watch William grow and learn; to see his personality begin to take shape. He loves to read and play in the park. He loves doing what the bigger kids do. He hasn't stopped walking since he started in October.
2014 was like no other year. It may have been about establishing routine, but it hardly seemed boring! It was all new and sometimes hard, but there were many special things about it that made it wonderful.
I hope as you had a terrific year and pray for an even better 2015!
Any goal setters out there? I'd love to hear about them!
If we would have sent out an update with our Christmas cards as some are in the habit of doing, this might be what you would have read! This year went by so incredibly fast and yet so many days seemed to crawl by ever so slowly (hopefully this post doesn't!).
This was the year of establishing a routine. I started working from home 30 hours a week in January. Somehow I managed. Looking back, I can't quite figure out how, but I did. When William napped I worked. When he was awake I tried to work in spurts, but once he started moving I had to put a stop to that! In August I cut my hours down to 24 a week so I could keep my benefits but also not have to work much in the evenings.
At the end of last year, Chris was looking for a career change and working toward becoming a computer programmer. But just when he was feeling confident to step out and apply and interview, a full-time editor job opened up with a visual effects studio he had done some freelance work for. So, after giving me a few weeks to get into my grove of being a working mother, he started a new job.
It was going well and the work they were doing was really cutting-edge and pretty cool. You can see his
last project here. As is fairly typical for the film industry, production was going a bit slower and the deadline came all too fast. He found himself working two all nighters and a total of 160 hours in the last two weeks of the project. He didn't get to see much of William (or me) during that time; and I got a glimpse of what solo-parenting is like
(awful! Just awful!).
Thankfully, his schedule is not like that very often and now he even gets to do some computer programming during the slower periods. This ended up being a really great opportunity for him! We are so thankful for our jobs and the stability we've had this year!
I also started focusing more on my photography. In total there were only five sessions, but honestly, that was all I could really handle. I did get my
website up this year which has been a goal of mine for at least 16 months. I'm hoping I can do more in 2015! (Call me!)
In May, our church went through a split of sorts as our Pastor was asked to resign and many of our friends and a lot of the young families left our congregation. Many tears have been shed for the things that happened and the relationships that ended. This has been our church for five years and one of the only constant things in our roller-coaster California adventure. It's hard to face the hurt sometimes. I still haven't quite recovered and hurt all over again when I think of what was lost.
We had a few visitors this year! Chris's parents came to California a couple of times and in the middle of December his mom and grandmother were there visiting relatives and we were able to see them one afternoon. My cousin, Danny stayed with us for a few days while visiting the city and my best friend, Katie made a
pit stop on her way home from Australia.
Our little family of three took a vacation to
Coronado, CA this summer! It was really fun to get away. It was very different having a baby along, but it was still relaxing and very enjoyable. We also made it to Texas in June and December. In May we drove to
Las Vegas one last time before my sister's family moved back to Minnesota. I also traveled to
Minnesota with William for my cousin's wedding in August. Seeing family has always been important for me as we live so far away. We don't get to see everyone as much as we'd like but it makes the time we do have extra special.
As I reflect over the last year, I feel like much of my energy was focused on getting William to eat or sleep. Neither one was easy for him. He did start sleeping through the night in September and since then, life has seemed to be much more balanced. Chris and I both still struggle with sleep, I don't think either one of us has had a full nights rest since William was born (even on my
birthday getaway, I couldn't sleep!).
On the weekends, we try to fit in our hobbies while William naps. Chris is still working on his book (second draft now), and I sew, cook, blog or work on any number of projects I can't seem to finish. It is much harder to keep up with our interests than we realized!
It has been really fun to watch William grow and learn; to see his personality begin to take shape. He loves to read and play in the park. He loves doing what the bigger kids do. He hasn't stopped walking since he started in October.
2014 was like no other year. It may have been about establishing routine, but it hardly seemed boring! It was all new and sometimes hard, but there were many special things about it that made it wonderful.
I hope as you had a terrific year and pray for an even better 2015!
Any goal setters out there? I'd love to hear about them!
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