2016: The Recap

Guys. 2016 was a game changer. A total and utter game changer. 2015 was full of world travel, educational advancement and baby prep, but in 2016 it actually happened. We had a baby.

A cute baby.

A very cute baby.

And now our life revolves around her awesomeness.

The photos below were posted to Instagram in 2016. They are the most liked of all the images posted and in an effort to have some kind of family record (because 2011 through now is a tumbleweed blowing across your computer screen) let's recap the year:

1. After 42-hours of raw, medication free labor, our Remy girl came into the world. My birth story deserves its own post (fingers crossed I'll follow-through) but it was dramatic, traumatic, and Paul and I agreed we wouldn't talk about future kids or future labors for quite some time. The short story is my body didn't absorb the epidural narcotics, a piece of the cervix was blocking the birth canal so I was dilated to an 8 for 7+ hours (middle of the night), hyperventilated every contraction, pushed for 3 hours, had a baby who wasn't breathing and it was just real dramatic like. The photo above was several hours after birth when we were reunited. So much hair on that little head!
2. For Halloween I wanted to do a costume fairly low-key that had high impact but didn't require us to invest a fortune (because babies are fickle and only want to wear a costume for minutes at a time). Hot glue gun cotton balls to a beanie and add a dollar store pair of reading glasses (lenses removed) to a sweater, brooch, and dress combo and wah-la! We sure love our little old lady.
3. I decided it was cheaper (and more fun!) to fly Alaina out to shoot our family photos than to pay someone in town, so for two short days in November she came for a visit. We spent one afternoon taking family photos in front of the Portland skyline and at Cathedral Park by the St. John's bridge. I'll absolutely always treasure this photo of me and Remy -- it's about the only one where I have nice hair! 
4. This photo is the very first full-face photo of Remy we posted to social media. In it we also announced her full name, weight (8 lbs 8 ounces), height (20.75 in), and a good look at that very full, very dark head of hair. 
5. After visiting Santa at the mall (wherein we paid an obscene amount of money for a reservation so we didn't have to wait in line) I saw this festive setup in Pottery Barn. We quickly set Remy on the couch and snapped this gorgeous keeper of a photo. I'm still waiting for Pottery Barn to return my phone call about including this image in next year's catalog. 
6. This family-of-three shot is one of my ultimate favorites from Alaina's shoot--it made it onto the backside of our 2016 Christmas card as well. I posted it on a Friday wherein I got some really bad news at work that rocked me back a step (nothing super personal, account and client news) but I posted this photo with a caption of how excited I was to go home and spend time with these best friends of mine. Being a full-time working mom also deserves its own post I think. (Add it to the list.)
7. A baby in a pumpkin! I mean come. on. I fully anticipated Remy would cry when we put her into a cold, wet pumpkin wearing only a diaper. She didn't, because our baby is the most even-keeled happy baby there ever was. (Oh, we also put a dish towel in there.) We put a few decorations up on our porch once Sunday after church and snapped this picture. There are about a dozen in the set and they're all ridiculously cute. 
8. Remy loooooooooooooves the bath. Like holy smokes that girl would be happy to bathe every night. Somewhere mid-Fall we started putting her in the bathtub with one of us and she's never happier than when she's splashing in the tub. This photo was the second night she got to bathe in our main bathroom--the first night she learned that splashing has cause and effect.
9. Christmas Eve we took a redye flight to Bermuda. I wanted to vacation somewhere warm for the holiday but options were limited as true Caribbean/Mexican destinations were off-limits due to the Zika Virus (I'd like Remy to have a sibling with a normal-shaped head you see.). My parents joined us (they committed less than 90 minutes after asking!) and we had a ball hanging out at a posh resort, riding mopeds, and relaxing together. This photo is at the resort's private beach on the day after Christmas (late enough to have slept in after Remy couldn't figure out what time it was in her crib in the hotel room closet). 

2016 is a year many called a dumpster fire, rife with political and social drama. My year, however--our year, was fantastic. Adding Remy to our family has added depth and meaning to an otherwise full and satisfying life. Paul and I have, much to our surprise, naturally snapped into parenting this sweet girl entrusted to us. What a year.

2015: The Recap (as voted on by the public)

Life continues to move, the days feeling long but the weeks speeding by. 2015 was a roller coaster of a year for me and Paul; there were many days in the first part of the year that required a near-daily reminder that we could do hard things and tomorrow was a new day. The specifics of 2015 are included in the yearly write-up he and I put together (offline for all the good, juicy, private stuff) but the passing of the year bears some sort of acknowledgement and recap.

The picture below is a collage of my nine most 'liked' photos on Instagram. They share themes which doesn't explain the variety of excitement and turmoil achieved in 2015, but it's a start.

From top left to right, down a row, from left to right: rinse and repeat:

1. We're expecting a baby! A few fun facts: I really felt like I was pregnant and took a test one hour before leaving for Hood to Coast. Of course it came back positive and Paul and I had about 45 minutes to celebrate together before I was off for two days in a 200-mile nonstop running relay where I couldn't tell anyone; especially my two sisters who were in my van. Paul and I kept texting each other, marveling in excitement, and the thought of the upcoming baby gave my brain something to work through on my few runs. We waited until 16 weeks to tell the general public, and as I'm still hardly showing at six months it could have been kept even bigger of a secret! Also, probably TMI but no one reads blogs anymore, so here goes! Baby Judd was conceived on the first cycle of trying, in Switzerland of all places. (Not a bad start to life.)
2. Paul passed the Federal Patent Bar test. Ohhhhhhhhhhh was this a big one. He didn't pass on his first go-round, so the pressure was on, and with a 46% pass rate, the test is no walk in the park. In addition to studying for the test he was also finishing law school and being our home operations manager. We both cried when he passed; sadly, I was stuck at work (on a Friday night) until 8pm working on agency rebrand stuff (see difficult turmoil description above) but I can't describe the relief we both felt his passing. Nearly a year later his test score is still taped to the cabinet in our kitchen.
3. This photo of my four nephews was our public announcement that we're having a GIRL baby. After a four-boy streak in the Wms sisters (Alaina and Kendall's little guys) we're shocking the world by introducing a baby girl into it. Our ward (which we've grown exceptionally close to this year as well) hasn't had a girl in nearly 2+ years as well, so needless to say everyone is very excited. Also, I can't stop buying clothes.
4. Paul graduated from Law School! Both our sets of parents came into town on Memorial Day Weekend for the Saturday celebration. We hosted a BBQ at our home with friends and family and took visiting parental sets to hike Wachlela Falls. Neither of Paul's parents are college graduates and he's the first of his siblings to get a graduate degree, so basically he's an all-star. (And now all of the Wms daughters are married to men with graduate degrees. Crazy.)
5. WE WENT TO NEW YORK CITY AT CHRISTMASTIME, it was divine, and I was pregnant. I needed to travel to Boston for some emergency work meetings and it seemed like a good time to take Paul with me and for us to do a quick weekend in NYC (my favorite city on earth). While there we walked 15 and 9 miles each day and the maternity pants I was wearing were saggy enough that they required me to pull them up basically always. Frustrating, but everything else was DIVINE. One of my long-term bucket list items is to be in the City at Christmastime in love, and boy oh boy this trip satisfied that requirement. Maybe this trip will get a post of its own (unlikely but hope springs eternal!) but it was glorious and one of my favorite things Paul and I have done together.  (Also, Paul beat ridiculous odds to win lottery tickets to see Hamilton, one of the main reasons for the trip, and my every wish came true, we sat dead center front row, and I basically died.
6. Athens in front of the Parthenon, in 105+ degree heat. To celebrate our survival of the first half of the year (my work, the Patent Bar, Paul taking the Oregon State Bar), we went on a European Extravaganza Adventure. The first week was an Eastern Mediterranean cruise (Venice, Split and Dubrovnik Croatia, Athens, Ephesus Turkey) with my parents and the second week was Paul and I driving through Bavaria--Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland. The fact that more of our incredible trip isn't represented on this grid shows you the kind of BIG news we had this year, huh? 
7. In November we celebrated two years of marriage. I love this side by side photo of Paul and I. We were happy then, but we're even happier now! 2015 was also the year I finally got my wedding book printed, so that's clearly an accomplishment of its own.
8. I continue to decorate our house like a crazy person for Christmas. I love it so much and I'm grateful Paul will help me put it up AND take it down. This year some visiting children counted 18 baby Jesus(es?) so my nativity game continues to be strong. We bought new ones in Germany and Austria this year.
9. Venice! The first stop on our Euro Adventure (from where our cruise ship embarked) and we hadn't really told that many people we were traveling so I think it was a surprise to most. I've been to several Italian cities, but Venice has been my favorite. We rented an AirBnb apartment 100 feet off the Grand Canal and spoke Spanish with our Cuban renter (in Italy of all places). The world is a funny place.

So there you go! The high points of 2015! So much more bears documentation and we've made a concerted effort to write some of it down. In case you're interested in doing it yourself (which I strongly recommend!), here's the format we complete at the end of each year:

• 10 Highlights
• 5 Disappointments
• Game Changers
• Things You Focused On
• Places You Visited

As blogs are going the way of the wind, writing something down, even as simple as the above (which usually ends up being about two type-written pages) is helping us document our life together. It's not a shabby one!

Phew! Did you make it through our year? We did. (Just barely.)

kids! kids! everywhere kids!

In hindsight, I wonder how much of my Gram's passing was the subconscious catalyst to take the plunge and move back closer to home. Being out West to celebrate her life reminded me how much and why I love being with my family.

My sass-a-frass niece Adrie was born four months before I moved to Boston five years ago this month. Most of the weekends before I moved were spent with her and it's actually pretty hard to imagine I've lived East the vast majority of her life. Five years later our family has divided and conquered again and again and I've got these two sweet guys. How can I not want to be closer to these guys?

Henry Rex, Adrie, Elliot

True, they all live in Utah and I'll be in Portland, but one time zone is certainly closer than three. At least the last time I checked. Crazy to think how different they'll be even at Christmas. Hopefully one of them will be mobile enough by then to fetch me a Diet Coke.

Oh also! I haven't plugged my sister Alaina's photography in quite some time but holy freak is she good! If you're in the Utah area, give her a buzz and have her capture your family. She's brilliant and has a million satisfied clients.

A new quest

I'm on the hunt for this outfit now. I think I shall begin tonight.

Anyone want to join me?

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Image found here, a collection of incredibly gorgeous photography that has me inspired on all kinds of levels.

these are a few of my favorite things

So I took this photo when one of my girls wanted to know what I was wearing to the NBA Finals a few weeks ago. While posting a straight-up self-portrait that hasn't been seen since MySpace is definitely not one of my favorite things, I noticed something in looking at this photo. In a 500 by 500 pixel photo, I bet there are at least 50 of my favorite things to be seen.

So let's play a game. Sure, I could list all of them (and maybe have to start getting creative, but I really think there are 50 here), but I thought I'd crowd-source this post. You lurk on my life, so let's see what you really know about me.



I'll start. Feel free to continue in the comments section. (Bonus points to he or she who spots the most, ((quadruple points for any male who spots any)) or who gives the most creative response.)

1. See that necklace in the top right corner? My dad gave it to my mom in the 80's after they were married. I received it for Christmas two years ago. I looooooooove statement jewelery and old timey things.
2. That full length mirror is a skinny one. (Objects are actually larger than they appear.) Who doesn't love a skinny mirror?

Ready... set.... go....!

PS -- I'm working on some real content, I promise. Humor me (and yourselves) for the time being. Yes this feels self indulgent and I've considered (six times now) taking it down, but I'm the sheriff of these parts. And your readers have already picked this up so the train left the station.

If you are what you eat... I'm in trouble.

An excellent user submitted question! Did you know there are other questions over there I'm answering? (Surprise!) I'm a publishing conglomerate now. Pretty soon I'll be putting the little guys out of business and Congress will have to appoint a committee and hold special hearings to shut me down.

You find out you have 24 hrs to live. What foods do you pound before you go?

Before I run through the laundry list of items I bet each of you could recite in your sleep. An anecdotal connection. ("Getting to know NatA!", page 1, para 1*)

My fall back topic for discussion when it's quiet and I'm interested or prompted enough to engage is to ask the person I'm passing time with, "If you could eat anything in the entire world, what would it be?"

Scores of people could attest that I say the exact same thing 99 percent of the time. What is that delightful goodie? Believe it or not, an item never once mentioned on this blog. Answer equals a warm, homemade** cinnamon roll.

But seriously, just think how much better the world would be if everyone could have a warm, cream-cheese laden cinnamon roll whenever they wanted one? Who would ever get angry? Or sad? Who would want to suicide bomb anything? I'm convinced cinnamon rolls could bring down Al Qaeda. (Blackbriar!) Life would totally be worth living.

On slim occasion (say 1 percent of the time) I deviate from the c-roll, but I always feel like I'm only telling a partial truth.

So. Circling back to the original question at hand. With 24 hours left to live, cinnamon rolls definitely on the list. Add in cinnamon bears, cinnamon toast crunch, and hot tamales.

Rolls from the Texas Roadhouse, a coffee cake muffin from Dunkin Donuts, baked Lays + french onion dip, chocolate coconut cupcake, pineapple cheeseball.

Burger and fries from The Precinct (pub next to our house), that salad with strawberries in it, SHRIMP, street meat tacos from Mexico City, chicken TBM from Cosi, homemade chocolate chip cookies. Brownies made from a boxed mix (the best and only way to eat them. sorry you purists)

Skittles, Starburst, Good 'N Plenties. Red vines, Nibs, Swedish Fish.

You know, just a few bites here and there of really classy things. Because you can't take it with you!

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* When I was in school and needing to create bibliographies, the internet was so new that there was no standard way to report what was found online. Every other kind of reference guide was firmly styled, but when it came to the WWW, total free for all. Has that been changed? Do the youth of today even know what a bibliography is? Or do they just attach a copy of the article they found online with the pieces they "borrowed" highlighted?

** I have a really easy quick-rise recipe for cinnamon rolls should anyone actually be interested.

Day 17

An art piece

Day 07

And so we enter the photo portion of this challenge. Aren't we excited.

Choosing just one for today's assignment hurts my heart. But I'm showing tenacity in keeping things simple. So you know, endure to the end and footprints in the sand, etc.

A photo that makes you happy

My first Thanksgiving on the East Coast, how lucky I was to host my entire family for the big event? Us Wms girls being who we are, we decided to take some photos and without plotting a color palette ended up with a genius spread. Special thanks to sisterly telepathy when packing and for Mother Nature's gift of a 55-degree day in late November. (And probably to the Pilgrims.)

A very large print of this photo hangs on the wall in my bedroom.


Sorry you've already seen this photo a gazillion times, I just love it so much.

On a scale of one to duh times a thousand, what are the odds you would have bet that I'd post a picture of my sisters? TYPICAL.

Day 05

This is the last of the favorites, and boy howdy am I ready. I've forced myself into choosing just one of the day's category--not even mentioning others in an off-hand way. This has been deliberate and something you probably haven't even recognized my doing. Newsflash: In a (sometimes odd) attempt at self-mastery I do this--force myself to do something I don't want to (like the Half Marathon). Choosing favorites these last five days has felt like I've been painting myself into a corner: but I do it willingly, even if it clams me up inside. Masochist.

Your favorite quote

Without disclaim or apology, I present a quote that started a conversation so 19-year-old thought provoking that details of the initial conversation--and its subsequent reheashings in the last 8 years--are etched so firmly in my memory, and in my relationship with the other half of the conversation.

"Even though the moment passed you by, you still can't turn away." Goo Goo Dolls

If you only know a handful of things about me, you know that I'm a nostalgic person. I recall shared history often and am quick to shoot a two line "remember when?" email or text ot f-book wall post. My room is covered in photos of my favorite people and moments. I can get trapped into watching my screen saver, or reading old journals, or replaying moments in my head over and over again as I fall asleep. I love old timey things or traditional gifts given with purpose--a broach given to my mom as a bridesmaid gift by my aunt, the stained glass floor lamp from my parents that reminds me of home, the stacks and stacks of hand written cards rubber-banded together collected since the day I left home.

There's something so important about memories and the way we return to them. A smell, a phrase, a taste. The way a single photo can elevate every good, kind, and wonderful feeling you have about yourself or others. It's possible that looking back is easier than looking forward--because it's easier to forget the rougher edges in times gone by and concentrate on the good times.

This weekend, I marry off one of my very best friends. The bride is one of those kinds every one wants to be near; so friends from the last decade will gather together in celebration. So many people with a shared history will have plenty of shared memories to tell; I'm excited to get together and remember our shared joy and think back on when life seemed easier and less complicated.

Isn't that also the beauty of looking backward? Absence makes the hard grow easier. Yes, I made that up. But if you want it to be your Day 05 in the future, it's all up to you. Wiiiiiiiiink.

Also: this post will undoubtedly bring in the 100,000 page view. Are you she?

Day 04

I can promise right now, this book is going to get big. Bigger than it is already anyway. Especially on the heels of the young adult series hysteria--because those housemoms are going to need some other jailbait teenagers to lust after now that the Twi/HP actors are old enough to vote.

Your favorite book

I don’t know that I can technically call this my favorite book—because I’m not even done reading it. And actually, I’m not even reading it, I’m listening to it. But this is most definitely “my favorite book I’ve ever listened to while running on the treadmill for such long periods of time the machine shuts down and kicks you off and you have to start it up again.” But that title was too long to write on the 30-day blogging list I presume.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins is A BOOK YOU SHOULD FIND AND READ. I’m practicing intense self discipline in only letting myself listen to the book when I’m on the treadmill—and the motivation to stay on the treadmill to hear more story is incredible.

I didn’t know a thing about this book when I started listening to it, except that every person I’d heard who’d read it loved it. In some ways, it’s kind of fun not having any idea what you’re getting into. So? To carry on that fun tradition, I’m not going to tell you what the book is about. (A quick search of the Google will fill you in on the details if you're so interested.) But I’m hoping this far into our relationship you trust my judgment and will do all you can to borrow, buy, or steal this book.

Get in before the craze gets too huge—the movie is coming out late next year and think how cool it’ll be to act all pretentious and patronizing when you’re standing in line for the midnight showing telling everyone you “knew about the books before they sold out and got all huge.” YOU WILL LOOK SO COOL.

Day 03

Maybe committing to a large blogging project on the cusp of an out-of-town spurt wasn't the wisest of choices (greetings from Portland!), but luck-luck-lucky for me, I've written this post a handful of times already.

Your favorite television program

Friday Night Lights. I've been imploring you to watch the show since 2007. To be honest, I don't know that I can say much more that hasn't already been said. I know a show about football probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the show is about so much more than that. I watch this show for pretty much one thing alone, and that's the interplay between Coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami, and how they're raising their family. When the actors playing the Taylors (Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton whom I love) agreed to play the Taylors, they made the writers promise that an affair (or even possibility of one) would never be introduced to the show. There's something amazingly comforting in knowing the people you love will never be broken up for ratings.

I've made converts of quite a few of you and have enjoyed discussing it both on and offline. But here's what I tell any newbie getting ready to watch--you must commit to watching at least the first three episodes. The FNL pilot is like all other pilots--the characters overact to set their place in the show. Things get oh so good once you start to feel real attachment to the characters. And believe me, the attachment will come.

I've loved the show since the beginning, and if you'll remember, was selected to host a season 2 FNL gathering--and NBC sent me an overloaded box of goodies to compensate. Funny story about the night the goods game that's never been revealed. I was so, so excited about the box I just picked up from FedEx, that I was distracted while driving. I may have backed out of my parking space and into the building. Oh don't worry, only three people saw.

But CAN YOU BLAME ME? I am an FNL enthusiast and evangelist. Four seasons down, only one to go. Frowny emoticon.

I've got Season One discs. If you're interested, I'll put them in the mail.

Clear eyes, full hearts. Can't lose.

Day 02

I can't remember if I've said it before, but I'm not crazy about "favorites." Something about the word seems so final; and there's a favorite for every type of whatever x you're trying to describe. In short: I can't wait to get to Day 06.

Your favorite movie

Long before it was "The Land Before Time" sequel machine of the 00's, The Cutting Edge was a stand alone movie that I'm guessing 98% of readers have seen. I watched the trailer below (sorry again for the video!) and could hum right along to the soundtrack and was familiar with every scene, quote, and bad early-90's wardrobe choice. I haven't seen this movie in at least 10 years, but I'm surprised by how many quotes I use with some consistency--primarily "Don't quit your day job" and "Yes, Doug can read."

Two funny stories about this movie after the trailer:


1) This movie came out on VHS shortly before our family moved from Arizona to Dallas. The year was 1993 and Alaina and I were in advanced piano lessons--practicing an hour a day as a 5th grader. We'd rented the movie and were watching it on a school night while folding laundry. During a very, very crucial part in the movie (right at the dinner where homegirl tells Doug she can't skate with him in the Olympics[!!!]) Alaina and I somehow got ourselves into trouble. The movie was turned off, and I was sent to practice the piano. I cried the whole time BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE GOING TO GET BACK TOGETHER AND WIN THE GOLD MEDAL. I obviously wasn't old enough to understand those movies all end the same.

2) One of the continued back-and-forth snarkathons between our romantic leads has to do with the word "foreplay." I, being a fifth grader, did not know what this meant. Being the resourceful lass I was, tried to look it up in the dictionary but did not know how to spell it. Being the tenacious little lady that I was, I asked my Dad. Yes.

Does anyone else have any funny Cutting Edge stories to share? Has anyone seen the sequel? Or the III, the IV, the X? Does anyone dislike this movie?

Day 01

Today is the first installment of a 30-day venture I've self-titled "Get to Know Your Neighbor" month. Already I'm overthinking the list, but this is who I am!

Your favorite song

I'ma spare you all from a country song, don't fret. I tried so hard to find a way to link this song without the video because I rarely click on videos and I project my web behaviors on everyone else. (All together now: "This is who I am!")

So this song--and I'm abiding by the rules and only choosing one--is an enigma to me. It's my most played song on my home iTunes. The enigma part comes from the fact that I love it in all situations. Something about this song provokes emotion despite my mood of the moment.

This song just makes me feel; I don't even know how to explain it. Very rarely am I beyond words, but I'm beside myself in figuring out how to explain the power this song holds over me. Yes, it's a break-up song. But for some reason, I listen to it on repeat even when there's no romantic drama in my life. Sara's voice is hauntingly painful, but there's still strength within her. Perhaps that's the lesson to take away and why I love this songs in good times or bad.

But like I said, I don't have the words to explain this song.



Does this song seem familiar to you but you're not sure why? Hollywood has picked up on the fabulousness of this song too. Places you've heard/seen it: "Addiction" dance on SYTYCD choreographed by Mia, Elena and Stefen finally give in on "Vampire Diaries", oh yeah and that juggernaut known as American Idol audition week.

This is the part where I'm pretentious and tell you I loved this song long before it got "popular." Because everyone loves that person. But anyway, my favorite.