Author: christy

I guess I’ll throw a bunch of photos from the last year up here! Been a while, been a few places!

Alice enjoyed trip number four to the Czech Republic! We went at the end of February so we got to see some snow. This was definitely our most challenging trip so far, with a delayed flight, missed connection, canceled and rescheduled flight, a delayed bag with all of our stuff, a stolen bag with Martin’s green card, plans changed and Martin making three separate trips to the US embassy to get a temporary visa, and colds at the very end. But, we survived and still had fun.

Hope to see you in the summer CZ!

This year I was on the fence about going to Burning Man for obvious having-a-one-year-old reasons, but the stars aligned and I decided I would go! Alice stayed with my parents and Martin for 9 days while I was gone. She did really well but that is a crazy long time to be away from your baby and it was tough. I’m glad I was able to go but not sure I could do it again any time soon!
I flew in to Reno and met my brother Robby and our friend Bryan from Ireland. They had our Uhaul and we drove straight to Black Rock City a couple of hours after I landed. We were met with white out conditions and a closed gate. So, we got out and socialized, as one does on Gate Road.

We camped with ICU again this year, where I worked shifts at the Barmacy and we were lucky enough to witness a few “beerthings.”

So, if you haven’t been to Burning Man, you probably want to know what happens at Burning Man. At least, people always ask me that. It’s tough to answer, but I can safely say that you stay busy. Between essentials like surviving (making food, keeping hydrated/moisturized, resting in the shade), looking for a friend in another camp, attending bachelorette parties, chasing down your favorite art car, joining a Bulgarian caravan, dancing, painting with light at night, climbing questionable structures, hunting down midnight soup services, helping to build/tear down things, talking to strangers, attending workshops, riding around aimlessly, the list goes on…you can find almost anything you need in Black Rock City, and if it’s not there, you can provide it.

So, yeah. We got lucky and had “mild” weather this year, and after the first day it wasn’t too dusty. Sadly we had to leave before the temple burn so I could be sure to make my flight. I’m bummed we missed it. It was a good week though. I’m hoping I’ll get to go again next year but we will have to see how things shake out! Thanks to the amazing people that made it a great burn! <3

Somehow I feel that I am due for a blog post! Alice is over a year old now, we’ve purchased a house, we still travel some but it certainly looks different these days :) Alice has been to five US states and three new countries and braved nine days with dad and her grandparents while I went to Burning Man. She tolerates hiking, sleeping in strange places, riding in the back of dad’s bike, long flights, and meeting strangers. She loves dogs and ice cream. She entered a hotdog eating contest and got second place. She doesn’t trust beards or her car seat. She will steal your food.

Fall is on it’s way and it’s time for me to get busy working! Next post will be my Burning Man fun :)

So many new experiences in the last six months, where to even begin!
Somehow we lucked out and got one of the sweetest babies ever. I think I could say everything stereotypical about being a new mom…it’s hard but worth it, all I do is laundry, I need a shower, life is changed forever…all the stuff you’ve heard and know are pretty much true. I’ve been able to start working again and thankfully she lets me sleep more than I ever expected (she sleeps through the night!). It seems like every day is something new and her reactions to every day life never get old. We co-sleep (it’s amazing), she’s exploring solid foods, is obsessed with Vila Amalka, has the biggest smile I’ve seen, and could happily take five baths a day.
For the sake of not pretending everything is constantly perfect, she loves to pee on my sheets, she likes to rip out hair, she’s expensive, I am (almost) never alone, my body will never be the same, and she is currently kicking me while farting in her sleep (but that’s just funny).

In Pardubice

First snow!

Prague

Halloween!

First time camping

First of many trips to Cocoa Beach

Sleeping through her European vacation

Closing down the bar

 It was soo hard at first, I was shell-shocked, but now it’s just fun. An exhausting, coffee-fueled blur, but fun <3

Five weeks ago we had one of the best days ever, the day baby Alice arrived! She was born July 14th, 7lb 7oz, 19.5 inches at 8:51am. I went into the hospital on her due date with suspicions that my water was leaking, and it turned out I was right. Funnily enough, we had planned to take the hospital tour that night (just a tiny bit of procrastinating), but instead I was admitted and induced! Fortunately for me I was one of those jerks that had an amazing pregnancy and an amazing birth. I was able to experience both painful contractions and then a pain-free delivery thanks to the eipdural, and after less than twelve hours of labor and twenty minutes of pushing she came out (with a head full of hair)! It was quite an experience to watch family, friends, and a team of doctors around me as I pushed and they cheered me on.

The first week home was an absolute shock for me. She has been a perfect baby, she sleeps amazingly at night and during naps, breast-feeds well, is healthy, only cries when she’s hungry, but I did get hit with PPD thanks to all of the hormones that come along with post-partum life. I went on meds and was instantly straightened out, so thankful for that option! I enjoy her company so much and she sleeps spooning me every night. It’s a huge life change but I know she will fit in just perfectly with us. So far she has been to Chattanooga, lots of restaurants, dad’s work, grandma’s house, the lake, a block party, friend’s houses, shopping, and has had many visitors. Next week she takes her first flight to Florida, and in October we’ll visit Czech Republic for her to meet family there! I was hesitant to take her out so early but I wanted to get over my anxiety about driving with her.

She is such a great baby, we basically stare at her constantly and talk about how great she is :)

I was never really sold on having kids or not having kids, but this sweet baby has definitely grown on me.

<3

We spent two weeks on the Big Island this past Feb/March as our last big trip before I got too far along in this pregnancy! Lots of camping, hiking, and attempts at fishing while I still could. Baby Alice is due in July :)

Since our group trip to Nicaragua went so well we all decided to go to Europe right after Christmas! We roadtripped through Czech Republic, Germany, and Belgium over two weeks.

I went to Burning Man again this year, and this time I had my family and some friends in tow! We camped with some friends that I met the previous year and had an absolute blast.

Our group, including a couple we met in the parking lot of our hotel in Reno. We needed two extra seats and they needed some campmates, it worked out perfectly.

Gate road!

Me and my brothers <3

Robby had his bike taken one one of the first days, fortunately one was donated to him :)

The Man this year!

Only slightly dust-proof. 

Our friend Bryan from Ireland flew over to go with us!

In the back of one of our two Uhauls. I slept in a tent again this year.

We attended a wedding this year!

Waiting out the long exodus on top of the Uhaul.

Dust storm on the way..

Our camp!

Our group this year!

We just had so much fun. Such a magical place <3

Martin worked his seasonal job Blonduos, Iceland again this year, and thanks to low ticket prices I was able to visit twice this time. My niece Israel got to join me for one trip. We rented a car and I drove all around the island by myself for the first time this year. As always, it was stunning!