...2010 Christmas Letter...

Merry Christmas!

2010 has been a year for the record books. The new year brought with it the anticipation of our baby girl which also meant that whatever we had to do, better get done before her birth. For Annie, this meant wrapping up her thesis for her PhD at OHSU and for me it meant getting our house ready for sale. I kid you not, but Annie turned her thesis in the day before she gave birth. January was a busy month, but on February 8th when Evelyn Anne decided to join us, we couldn't think of anything except how beautiful and perfect she was and how insignificant everything else is. The month to follow brought the blessed assistance of Annie's mom and many visits and meals from friends and family. This was much appreciated as we searched for all the ways under the cloudy sky to quiet the cries of Ev. As you can guess, we didn't get much sleep the first few months but we made it through. Ev was healthy and proved to have healthy lungs. A bit of a crier, she did her best to keep us up and we did our best to put her to sleep. Between the cries though, she brought us smiles and glimmers of peace to come.

In January, Annie was a beautiful full-term pregnant mother to be and in February was a beautiful and beaming new mother. In March and April she was dedicating her all to taking care of Ev. In April, Annie defended her thesis and in June received her PhD from OHSU thus wrapping up 6 years of exhausting and hard work. She was chosen to speak at the commencement ceremonies and we had the honor of our parents in attendance. Annie definitely earned her doctorate degree and was highly commended by the mentors and other faculty we spoke with during the events surrounding the graduation. It is this same hard work that also availed the opportunity to work for a laboratory at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. This opportunity set up the scenario that had us moving to Nashville in June.

For me, the winter was spent preparing our bungalow for sale, wrapping up my woodworking business and learning how to be a father of a newborn. It wasn't the best time in history to sell a home, so we were sure to dot our ‘i's’ to ensure a profitable sale. An economy that isn't good for selling homes is good for shutting down a business however, so I had the perfect amount of work to keep me busy till June and I didn't have to say "no" too many times. It has been a natural shift to go from being business owner to father, both are full-time and require overtime and the benefits are good feelings rather than good bank statements.

In June, we loaded everything we had into a large moving truck. For the most part it fit but it's hard to find a spot for your sense of home, that doesn't just get loaded up. There wasn't any room for family and friends in the truck so they stayed back as well... I was blessed to have my brothers make the drive with me and Khaya. Brian, Patrick and Brent committed to the drive and we were on our way. It was a great way to drive across the country! Annie and Ev would be following in the air and we were set to meet them here in Nashville. The airways were not kind and Annie alone endured over 30 hours between Portland and Nashville with a 4 month old. To use a car metaphor, she made it in on fumes.

Once in Nashville, we settled in pretty quick and had nearly all our boxes unpacked by the end of summer. We rent a home a few miles from Vanderbilt and lucked out to be in a nice, quiet neighborhood. The summer was the hottest in 53 years but we didn't let it keep us from seeing the area, finding places to go and running in Percy Warner Park on the weekends. Soon after moving to Nashville, we were also blessed to have our daughter decide that sleeping all the way through the night would be a good thing. Ever since, she sleeps all night and we count every evening as a blessing.

Not being satisfied only going part way across the country, we drove to Durham, N.C. in July to see some great friends from Portland. We spent a long weekend catching up, eating bbq and seeing a new part of the country. In August we took a trip to Montana. I rode my motorcycle across the state via the continental divide trail with my friends Josh and Chris while Annie, Ev and Khaya hung out with her family in Glacier National Park. After our family joined back up, we spent more time in the park and then some time with Annie's family at Flathead lake. It was a great trip! In September, we flew to Baltimore, MD to meet up with friends and for Annie to run a 1/2 marathon. It was great to see Baltimore and Washington D.C. It was nice to be a tourist and Ev was a good prop to put in front of the many Washington sites. We were tourists for a few days and then Annie and our friend Victoria ran the Woodrow Wilson 1/2 marathon. It was a great day and the ladies enjoyed their run. In October we flew to Portland for a few days so Annie could surprise a friend who was running her 1st marathon. The surprise lasted and Annie was able to run the last 8 miles with her. It was a quick trip but we got to see friends and family for a few days and catch of bit of our old life. Right after the Portland trip, Annie headed to Bar Harbor, ME for a 2 week course and conference. Not being able to turn down a trip to Maine, Ev and Khaya jumped in the car with me and we drove from Nashville up to Bar Harbor. We took a few days and stayed with friends in Durham and Philadelphia. It was a long drive but worth the end result. The leaves were in full fall color and our rental cottage was moments away from Acadia National Park. We had a full week in Maine and were able to have many memories made. Annie joined us for the trip back and we worked it out to spend a night with our friends in Baltimore and then in Durham.

Once we got home from that trip, we were done for awhile and we haven't been more than 2 hours from home since. In early November, our friends from Durham came to visit and spent a long weekend. It was great to have time with them and use them as an excuse to see more of the Nashville area. We spent time downtown, ate at new restaurants and visited the Jack Daniels distillery. This is when we also realized that although the summers are miserable, the fall is stellar. It was November and we were hanging outside in 70+ degree weather. Our friends visit was also an excuse to trial run our Thanksgiving dinner. We've hosted a few over the years, but felt we needed practice cooking some of the classic dishes. Faux Thanksgiving was a hit and we were ready for the real deal.

It was our fortune to have Annie's dad and step-mother drove down from their home in Minnesota for the Thanksgiving weekend. The weather attempted to keep them home, but they saw the storm coming and got out in front of it. It is a solid 2 day drive, and they were glad to be out of the car upon arrival, as was their new dog Bruiser. Ev was glad for the extra attention that only grandparents can give and Khaya was glad for another dog to run around with. The Thanksgiving dinner turned out amazing and left us completely satisfied. Annie coordinated and cooked an amazing meal! Time never slows down for R&R though, and before we wanted it, the weekend was over.

While we were enjoying the impeccable fall weather, we transitioned into December which has thus far been the coldest start to a December since 1942. Recap, it was the hottest summer in 53 years and the coldest December in 68 years....boy are we lucky! Well, we found out our furnace is as good as our AC so no worse for the wear, we are now taking out all the coats that we couldn't have imagined ever using when we move here in June. We've even had some snow! Similar to Portland but even more so, the Nashvillians don't know what to do when the white stuff falls and the news treats it like armageddon. One great thing so far is the lack of rain. More than not, the days are dry and sunny so even though it is cold, we get to enjoy the sunshine and the ability to be out in it.

Christmas this year will be spent here in Nashville as our little family. It is our first spent without extended family and obviously our first with Evelyn. It will be hard to not be with family but we are looking forward to the opportunity to start our own traditions. Even though we are miles from everyone, the tree is sitting atop a mound of presents and Ev can't keep her hands off of them. It will be a joy to watch her work her way through the gifts!

Evelyn in crawling, standing up to things, vocalizing and making sense of this world more and more everyday. We are amazed how transparent and quick her growth is. Every day brings new actions and reactions and everyday heightens our awareness of how blessed we are to have a healthy and happy little girl. If ever there is a need to smile, we just think of the look she gives us in the morning or the sounds she makes brushing her fingers by her sounding mouth.

Our year is wrapping up and we can't believe how much has taken place this year. It seems impossible to have so much happen but it does and I guess this will be commonplace as the years tick by. We would like to thank all of you for your support and interest in our lives and hope you will follow us as we move about. We would also like to hear from you as you continue on your path. With moving as far as we have, we greatly appreciate the value of our friends and family and we greatly miss you all. Have a merry Christmas, a happy new year!

All our love,

Brendon, Annie, Evelyn and Khaya