It’s the end of the year. We’ve been talking about writing something for the last day of 2017, and we came in at seven hours ’til midnight. That’s called procrastination, and it’s going to stop next year. But enough about resolutions. Let’s reflect:
We started the year in America, announcing our pregnancy to family. This article is all about me becoming a dad. Read this one too. It’s along the same lines ;).
At four months pregnant, we said, “let’s go to Vegas!” Because, we thought, are we ever going to get another chance with a baby tagging along? “Blah, blah. Something, something. Shotgun wedding..very funny.”
And for people who didn’t know, we actually tried to live in Berlin. It was the first place we lived together properly after our honeymoon.
But turns out Berlin is freezing cold, and it was hard to stay put, so we just went to Brussels: the city of lov—I mean chocolate and waffles. Picture the classic scene: beautiful woman with average man sitting on benches eating a waffle and baguette breakfast. Wine on the grass? I think so.
After that, with only a couple sets of clothes for Belgium, I actually forgot to tell Deborah that we were going to Italy for two weeks..surprise! Apparently there’s this thing called a babymoon, and we’ve been doing a lot of babymoon’s. But this one was it—THE babymoon, because it hit us that it was the last time we’d be traveling as a duo. Our baby was kicking like crazy, especially when we were pulling corners around the mountainous roads of the Almafi Coast. So, I guess we were actually a trio then too?
We went back to Berlin to experience the last bit of freezing cold before making the move to London. We were really proud of ourselves for having our first experience in a place that’s a bit more obscure, but with a bit more vocab in German and a beer belly later, we realized it was better to be closer to family.
Deborah and I were exploring a business path, because we knew we needed to figure something out. As her pregnant belly grew, so did our ideas. We have something now that we’ll be revealing more of in early 2018. Believe it or not, there’s a lot happening behind closed curtains.
In the last few weeks before Melaya was born, we were just getting the last few things together for her existence, but what we really wanted from the beginning was to get the maternity shoot together, because memories are the most important. The biggest memory from that day was the struggle to find flowers that suited the shoot—and then when Deborah was finally able to craft something suitable, Kew gardens (our shoot site) wouldn’t even let us bring them into the park because they were “real flowers”.
The freezing cold of Berlin turned into blistering heat of London at the same time that some of my family arrived from America. Every single store was sold out of fans, and every single day could have been crunch time, because we had no idea when the baby was going to be born. Naturally, we took to swimming.
Melaya was born! And she was five days late. Always late, like a true Oregonian. Melaya is six months old now, and when you look back at how tiny she was on that special day of her birth, you realize how important and precious that time really was. If you want to know more about Melaya’s birth story, read this article.
Our first year wedding anniversary with a two-week-old Melaya gave us a different perspective on our own relationship. I would look at my wife and realize that she isn’t just my wife any more; she’s the mother of my child. We’ve come a long way in a short period of time. If you want to know where and how we first started, click here.
We started our book, completing the first five chapters this year. We’re on our way to completing our memoir. The process of writing the story has helped us reflect on our relationship and improve our marriage.
Melaya left the country for the first time—all the way to America! It took me almost 15 years just to make it right across the border, and 22 to leave the continent. Turns out traveling with a baby is easier than everyone tells you yet is. Or maybe, Melaya is just a great baby. Or maybe, they’re just preparing you for the worst. In that case, thanks everyone.
Moving into our first unfurnished home, it was a proud moment for us to bring out our own personalities and styles, and create a harmonious environment. Taking fun trips to Ikea and getting to have real discussions about what we like in our own home and what we don’t! We got our first Christmas tree together..if you can call it a tree. I just call it an art project.
We’ve laid the groundwork for a new business—one that solves a problem we’ve had consistently. We’re really excited about the prospects and almost ready to go full tilt with it. More on that to come in the New Year.
Most importantly, we’ve had the love and support of our family all year (and before, of course). This entire article would be moot without it, and we’re very grateful to have these people in our lives.
We started the year in America, announcing our pregnancy to family. This article is all about me becoming a dad. Read this one too. It’s along the same lines ;).
At four months pregnant, we said, “let’s go to Vegas!” Because, we thought, are we ever going to get another chance with a baby tagging along? “Blah, blah. Something, something. Shotgun wedding..very funny.”
And for people who didn’t know, we actually tried to live in Berlin. It was the first place we lived together properly after our honeymoon.
But turns out Berlin is freezing cold, and it was hard to stay put, so we just went to Brussels: the city of lov—I mean chocolate and waffles. Picture the classic scene: beautiful woman with average man sitting on benches eating a waffle and baguette breakfast. Wine on the grass? I think so.
After that, with only a couple sets of clothes for Belgium, I actually forgot to tell Deborah that we were going to Italy for two weeks..surprise! Apparently there’s this thing called a babymoon, and we’ve been doing a lot of babymoon’s. But this one was it—THE babymoon, because it hit us that it was the last time we’d be traveling as a duo. Our baby was kicking like crazy, especially when we were pulling corners around the mountainous roads of the Almafi Coast. So, I guess we were actually a trio then too?
We went back to Berlin to experience the last bit of freezing cold before making the move to London. We were really proud of ourselves for having our first experience in a place that’s a bit more obscure, but with a bit more vocab in German and a beer belly later, we realized it was better to be closer to family.
Deborah and I were exploring a business path, because we knew we needed to figure something out. As her pregnant belly grew, so did our ideas. We have something now that we’ll be revealing more of in early 2018. Believe it or not, there’s a lot happening behind closed curtains.
In the last few weeks before Melaya was born, we were just getting the last few things together for her existence, but what we really wanted from the beginning was to get the maternity shoot together, because memories are the most important. The biggest memory from that day was the struggle to find flowers that suited the shoot—and then when Deborah was finally able to craft something suitable, Kew gardens (our shoot site) wouldn’t even let us bring them into the park because they were “real flowers”.
The freezing cold of Berlin turned into blistering heat of London at the same time that some of my family arrived from America. Every single store was sold out of fans, and every single day could have been crunch time, because we had no idea when the baby was going to be born. Naturally, we took to swimming.
Melaya was born! And she was five days late. Always late, like a true Oregonian. Melaya is six months old now, and when you look back at how tiny she was on that special day of her birth, you realize how important and precious that time really was. If you want to know more about Melaya’s birth story, read this article.
Our first year wedding anniversary with a two-week-old Melaya gave us a different perspective on our own relationship. I would look at my wife and realize that she isn’t just my wife any more; she’s the mother of my child. We’ve come a long way in a short period of time. If you want to know where and how we first started, click here.
We started our book, completing the first five chapters this year. We’re on our way to completing our memoir. The process of writing the story has helped us reflect on our relationship and improve our marriage.
Melaya left the country for the first time—all the way to America! It took me almost 15 years just to make it right across the border, and 22 to leave the continent. Turns out traveling with a baby is easier than everyone tells you yet is. Or maybe, Melaya is just a great baby. Or maybe, they’re just preparing you for the worst. In that case, thanks everyone.
Moving into our first unfurnished home, it was a proud moment for us to bring out our own personalities and styles, and create a harmonious environment. Taking fun trips to Ikea and getting to have real discussions about what we like in our own home and what we don’t! We got our first Christmas tree together..if you can call it a tree. I just call it an art project.
We’ve laid the groundwork for a new business—one that solves a problem we’ve had consistently. We’re really excited about the prospects and almost ready to go full tilt with it. More on that to come in the New Year.
Most importantly, we’ve had the love and support of our family all year (and before, of course). This entire article would be moot without it, and we’re very grateful to have these people in our lives.
Life, business, and travel partners Deborah & Christian share a communal love story with the aim of spreading Love and encouraging people to be their true self in the journey of Love and Life. The journey starts with you!
