2014, our third year in California, started out with some trips to Tahoe where a dearth of snow in the Sierras made for one of the worst ski seasons in recent history. We braved dirt patches, rocks, and even rain to make the most of our weekends in the mountains. Meanwhile, Gordon continued to travel for work and found himself enduring frigid Des Moines, Iowa, for the winter months.
February also saw us travel to Austin, Texas, to celebrate the wedding of Maria and Ed. Nola’s friends from UT were all in attendance and we had a great time in scenic Texas hill country. We once again marveled at Austin’s explosive growth as Mindy and Matt showed us around the newest hotspots. Congratulations to Maria and Ed!
March brought Gordon back to Austin before returning home to host friends from afar. Upon returning home Nola had a surprise; she was pregnant! We were ecstatic and spent the rest of the month aglow, making plans and reveling in the news. Her due date was set for December 4.
Work took Gordon to Denver for most of April, however we still managed to find time for a long weekend in LA where we visited friends and basked in the warm SoCal spring. In true Hollywood fashion we did the Star Walk, cruised Beverly Hills, visited a McLaren dealership, and even played the ponies at Santa Anita Park. April also was our first chance to see our embryonic daughter thanks to an early ultrasound. It was love at first sight :)
May saw us celebrate Nola’s birthday with our Bay Area friends at a new venue (no more Café Macaroni). Just like last year, we took ten days off in May to vacation with friends and this time our destination was the Big Island of Hawaii. Returning to the resort where we honeymooned, we struck out to explore all that we missed on our first visit. Our days were packed as we explored beach and reefs, went night snorkeling with giant manta rays, summited Mauna Kea, and even took a helicopter tour.
Summer was chockfull as we tried to wring the most out of every week before Nola’s pregnancy kept us from traveling. In June Nola found herself in Las Vegas for Lightfair while Gordon wrapped up his project in Denver. We spent a long weekend in Colorado and explored the Rockies, agreeing that we have to come back during ski season. Of course, we saw plenty of snow crossing Loveland Pass and A-Basin was still skiable. Incredible!
We celebrated July 4th with the San Francisco Orchestra and fireworks which, while wonderful, didn’t top Boston. We also travelled back to LA where Gordon was working at Universal Studios and more Hollywood shenanigans ensued, complete with a trip to the Smokehouse. Back in NH we celebrated the wedding of Mallory and Jonathan on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee and enjoyed a few days with Gordon’s family. Congratulations to Mallory and Jonathan!
August brought us back to Portland for a heart-warming reunion with all of our friends and family in the Rose City. Nola’s family visited us for a long weekend and Gordon wrapped up his final project with EMC and started a new job with VCE (now an EMC company). We’re happy to report that this means no more weekly travel :)
Labor Day weekend saw us take to the open road in a red Ford Mustang convertible! We drove south from San Francisco on the spectacular Pacific Coast Highway – Route 1 – leisurely making our way to Santa Monica over the course of three days. We celebrated our third anniversary in Santa Barbara and we’re already looking forward to our next trip back. Capping off the road trip we swung though Burbank to meet Dave and Lori’s two week old daughter, Zoe. Holding her in our arms was a preview of things to come. Congratulations Dave and Lori!
Autumn saw Gordon getting into his new job and we celebrated his birthday here with friends from near and far. We moved into full baby prep mode soon thereafter attending a number of childcare classes, preparing the nursery, and building furniture. Check out our blog for a photo of the awesome mural Nola painted! We had a lovely baby shower in mid-October and Mindy surprised Nola by flying in for the occasion. It turns out we had the shower just in time…
Wednesday, October 29, started out like most days with us getting ready for work. However, Nola felt something wasn’t right and a call to the doctor confirmed that we should go to the hospital right away. Half way there Nola’s water broke and we knew that today was the day. Ten hours later (the fastest ten hours of our life) Nola delivered Charlotte Yong-Xuan Barr measuring 18.5 inches and weighing 5.75 pounds.
Nola recovered quickly and was back on her feet the next day. Due to her premature arrival Charlotte spent the next nine days in the NICU and we soon found ourselves spending every day, and some nights, with her. We all went home together just in time for a visit from Gordon’s parents, Rachel, and Leif. What a joy to share her with family so soon after her birth!
As any new parent will attest, the first few weeks were incredibly challenging. We’ve been fortunate to have lots of help from Nola’s parents who love spending time with their first grandchild. Nola loves that we have a real tree in the condo and Charlotte spends hours staring at the colorful lights. The tree is filled with your holiday cards that we so enjoy receiving.
Before closing we’d like to take a moment to remember Nola’s paternal grandmother who passed away earlier this year. She is missed dearly by the Li family.
It’s amazing how much can change in only a year. One thing that never changes is how blessed we are to have such wonderful family and friends. Thank you all for your love and support in 2014. We look forward to seeing many of you in the coming year and hope that you’ll let us know when your travels bring you to San Francisco.
With Love
Gordon, Nola, and Charlotte
