Like it was for the rest of the world, 2020 was a crazy and memorable year for our family. After years of saying, "maybe someday," we decided to make a stressful and uncertain time even more so by moving to Austin, Texas. We sold our house in Chicago and found a short-term, furnished rental in Austin. The kids were already in virtual school and Jeritt had been working remotely since the beginning of the pandemic. In many ways, it was the perfect time to make a change. But change is never easy. Moving in the middle of a pandemic in an unprecedented real estate market made finding a home challenging. Like many, we spent our first Christmas without our extended family. The kids started in-person school for the first time in nearly a year as the "new kids." Then Texas was rocked by the massive winter storm in February that left many without power and water. We were very lucky and only lost water for five days. After that, we continued full speed ahead on renovating our new home - inside and out. Although we didn't realize it until after we moved in, our new neighborhood is full of families and kids - many that moved here from other parts of the country. We've never felt our Iowa roots more since leaving our home state than we do here in Austin. People are friendly and welcoming, we're surrounded by the beauty of nature (and a few snakes, tarantulas, and scorpions), and despite the crazy winter storm, the weather is amazing. For two kids that grew up in small-time Iowa and had never left the Midwest, Jeritt and I have had the hardest time adjusting. We desperately miss our Chicago friends and family, but Austin is finally starting to feel like home. As for the kids, they've never been happier. They have neighborhood friends, cousins close by, and plenty of space to play. They even ride the bus home from school - a dream of Ella's since she started kindergarten. It's been a wild ride, but we're truly feeling settled and loving our new life in Austin.
Our summer was filled with a lot of visitors, a trip to Iowa, and non-stop swimming. Here are just a few of the moments from the past year, in no particular order!
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| We hiked the Pennybacker Bridge during one of our first weekends in Austin. |
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| Jeni's has become a fan favorite. |
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| Maeve was left out of the virtual schooling, so she created her own. |
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| Maeve turned five! |
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| Happy Halloween! |
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| Ella took a virtual baking class. |
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| Don't mind the candle, he only turned 8! |
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| Jack doing virtual school. |
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| Starting reno on the new house - lots of wallpaper removal! |
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| Uncle Jeff, Finley, and Jace came to visit right before Christmas. |
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A picnic during the inspection of our new home.
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| Christmas 2020 - a little different, but still special. |
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| We joined the community golf club, and it's been great for our family! |
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| First day at the new school. |
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| Maeve was so excited to go back to school! |
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| Ella turned 10! |
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| The girls set up a hot chocolate stand and did pretty well! |
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| The winter storm in Texas was crazy. We lost water and had to use melted snow to flush our toilet. |
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| The first of our visitors, Grandpa Rich! |
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| We eat a lot of BBQ in Texas, good things the kids love brisket! |
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| A trip to Magnolia in Waco. |
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| The next set of visitors, the Valley family. |
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| Easter |
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| Ella perfected bagel making. |
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| Swimming is a huge part of life, whether it's in Lake Austin, Lake Travis, or Barton Springs. |
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| You have to own a truck when you live in Texas! |
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| Jill, Adam, Ava and Reid came to visit! |
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| Last day of school. |
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| Last day of preschool. |
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| Uncle Sam and Aunt Lindsay came to visit! |
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| Simon loved all of the extra snuggles with so many guests. |
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| Grandma and Papa came to visit! |
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| First date night in a very long time! |
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| Ella is growing up so fast! |
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| A lemonade stand with the neighbors. |
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| My best friend, Allison, and her family came to visit! |
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| Playing at the beach with the Pickens crew. |
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| Aunt Annette and Keeya came to visit! |
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| We've been fortunate to enjoy many boat rides. |
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| Swimming at the golf club. |
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| Reid and Ava came back again! |
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| Swimming at Barton Springs. |
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| Twinsies! |
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| Boat day on Lake Travis with cousins. |
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| First day of school! |
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| The kids love riding the bus home. |
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| Ella made us a beautiful cake for our 14th wedding anniversary. |
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| In late June, we made a road trip back to Iowa to see family. |
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| Papa read a lot of books during our visit! |
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| Making ice cream. |
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| Great Grandma Pruin taught Ella how to make kringla. |
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| Fishing at Paradise Pond. |
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| Aunt Erin showing Ella how to perfect pie crust. |
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| Jeritt's cousin and his family came to visit over the 4th of July! |
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| We made a trip to Port Aransas on the Gulf Coast. It rained most of the time, but we'll be back! |
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| These girls still enjoyed the beach, despite the rain! |
