Fond Farewell 2009 and Happy 2010!

After moving to SF in late summer 2008, we continued settling in here. The startup that I had been part of right after moving here didn't survive the financial crisis of fall 2008, so by the 2008 holiday season I found myself looking for a new job. It took a few months to convince them they needed me, but in March 2009 I started my dream job doing sustainability strategy consulting with Blu Skye. I am loving being part of the team there and feel so lucky to be doing exactly the work that I want to be doing.

At the end of May, I fulfilled a longtime dream: Eric and I climbed Mt Shasta, a 14,123 ft peak in northern California. It is not a technical climb but it does require crampons and an ice axe, so you can look and feel like a badass without actually having to be one. We had a great time climbing, camping "overnight" (8pm-1am) and summitting around 7am, with the sunrise. It was simply amazing and very satisfying to finally do it.

In August, Eric asked me to be his wife and I thought that sounded like a lot of fun, so we got engaged and planned a small, private wedding ceremony for late October.

On October 25, 2009 we were married in a hot air balloon over Sonoma county. The captain of the balloon performed the ceremony, with punctuating bursts from the propane jet to keep us aloft and on course. With us in the balloon were our parents and my brother. We learned later that everyone had been terrified of the balloon ride but us, but they all rose to the occasion and hopefully even enjoyed themselves. It was an extraordinary day and a totally perfect wedding.

Shortly thereafter, everyone who had suspected that maybe this was a shotgun wedding was proven right when we announced that we are expecting our first child - a son - at the end of March.* We have been calling him Belvedere just as a fun interim nickname, and I think there is a significant danger that it is going to stick. We will see.

In November we moved to a larger apartment in a more neighborhoody part of San Francisco - Potrero Hill - and we're getting settled in there, ready to add one more to our family in a few months.

So here we find ourselves: happy, pregnant, grateful and embracing whatever expected and unexpected adventures 2010 brings us.

With much love,
Ellie, Eric & Belvedere



*I think it is worth saying that while Belvedere may have impacted the timing of our nuptials, he was not the impetus for them. And the wedding itself was in no way diminished - it really was our dream wedding (though I am looking forward to finally drinking a very large glass of celebratory champagne when I am able to do so responsibly at some point in 2010)