Reflecting on 2017

Wow. Where does one even begin?

January 3 saw us welcoming our first born into the world. And into chaos. We were nearly finished building our dream home, but were (of course) desperately behind on schedule and drastically over budget. We brought her home to our small downtown heritage home to learn a new life together. Which lasted 3 weeks. I had rented our home out for February 1st which meant we were in a state of temporary homelessness. Thankfully, we adore my parents and they are incredibly generous and offered to take us in for a few months. 

It was also at this time that the real estate market exploded. The week Louella was born Jakob took 6 listings and signed 3 purchase agreements. Unheard of at that time of year. It was simply a sign of times to come. It was a real surprise blessing to be living with my parents as I fumbled through 4+ night feedings every night. I think I only showered over those months because I had my parents and my 18 year old sister, still at home, to entertain her while I napped or looked after my hygiene. Jakob was working 10+ hours a day, every day, for months. 

Of course all during this time was the final push on self contracting our home. All the final details were coming together. In addition to building the home, we bought all new furniture (going from 1300sqft to 3500sqft leaves a bit of a gap in possessions, not to mention outfitting a nursery). 

Finally, May 1, we moved into our (mostly...) complete dream home. Business showed no sign of slowing down. We were fortunate to hire staff before my maternity began so Jakob had the extra help that he desperately needed. 

With the house completed.. naturally I needed to add something to the mix by June. Plus, Jakob needed a vacation more than I'd ever seen. He was completely zapped. Not to mention the fact he hadn't had enough time to bond with and enjoy Louella with his work schedule. I whisked him away to Tulum for 11 days. When we got home, he was rejuvenated and had reprioritized his schedule. In that short time he connected with Louella in a way that they hadn't enjoyed prior. He took time to reflect and realize... why work so hard for so long if you can't enjoy it? Smell the roses. Or in this case, the sea breeze off the Caribbean. 

The summer was jam packed with nesting in the new home, socializing and more work, work, work, work, work (Rihanna said it best). 

By the first week of September, we were boarding yet another place. This time a 10 hour flight to Frankfurt. The month was spent training, driving and flying through Europe on a road trip culminating in celebrating my best friend's wedding in Chianti. 

As if that wasn't all bat shit (for lack of a better word) enough, while we were in the north of France visit Mont St Michel I took a pregnancy test. Here we discovered I would not be drinking my way through the wine region of Tuscany after all. We were totally ecstatic. In keeping with the incredible pace of 2017, we were expanding our family by 1 more that upcoming May. The dream for our family was a handful of kids all very close in age. So, we were right on schedule. 

Arriving back in Canada in October, we took advantage of the slower season. Nested, focused on family time and watching Louella make leaps and bounds in development. Making it so much easier to imagine her as a big sister. Business showed absolutely no signs of slowing down.

December brought my 30th birthday. It clearly wouldn't be the ballgown and champagne induced swinging party I had always envisioned. I decided instead to take a last minute vacation to New York City mid month. Just a week before I left, Jakob had fractured a vertebrae in his back while snowboarding (he forgets he's pushing 40) and was in no condition to fly or walk around New York. Having been to the city enough times before, my only goal was to walk around and take in the holiday magic (I'm always happy to skip tourist traps anywhere I go). It wasn't the trip for him. I left him at home for 5 nights while I took one of the more difficult trips with Louella (it's so much harder at 1 year old versus 6mo or 9mo). 

By the time I arrived home, my birthday was here and Christmas was shortly behind. Those days were full of visits, socializing, late nights, skipped naps, baby's first introduction into sugar. The gap week between Christmas and New Years has been spent de-holidaying the house (we set up in mid November so I was ready to get my house back), seeing our closest friends and relaxing on the couch. Louella has gotten back into her routine with great ease (a credit to sleep training!!) and I've been relishing in the slower pace.

2018 Goal: Slow Down. Breathe. Show gratitude for the bounty that we created in 2017 and just enjoy the spoils of our hard work. Less flights, ferries and trains. More time outside working on our yard. Redirect focus from building new business and instead to nurture existing relationships.