happy holidays from the bodebroz gang
2020 has been a strange and challenging year. It's highlighted, for us, the many ways in which we are lucky. We hope that all of you have been weathering this "storm" as well as can be hoped for - and we look forward to seeing you all again in a post-pandemic world.
Mimi turned 1 in February, and her growth continued its explosive pace. While she started the year crawling, she finished it running! Go, Mimi!
Some of Mimi's highlights (we think):
"Hello!"
First amigurumi: a squid
I continued working as a Senior Data Scientist at Optoro, I'm now in my fourth year there and still really enjoying it. I was working from home quite a bit before the pandemic hit, so it was a relatively smooth transition to working from home full-time.
My highlights from this year:
I love being a papa and being with our "little stranger". It’s truly amazing watching her persist through frustration, master skills, scream in joy when her nanny arrives, and be comforted by Rascal – her (and formerly my) no. 1 stuffed animal.
In the spring, I joined the World Bank, leaving behind the non-profit consultancy I helped build. While it was hard to leave an organization I had poured myself into, I could not be happier with the decision. I still get to do all the technical design work I love so much, however, on a much larger scale. Most importantly, I now have much more time and energy to spend with my family.
To stretch our legs, we go for walks in the neighborhood and along our local creek. I also enjoyed playing badminton with Angela in our backyard and going on bike rides with Mimi – who sits in the back singing "Fahrrad fahr'n" (German for "biking"). We have also engaged in the pandemic’s most popular sport: watching TV. Often with Potato on our lap, we enjoyed shows such as Unorthodox, Dark, the Mandalorian, and His Dark Materials.
The hardest thing about the year has been not seeing our families and friends in Germany, Italy, and California. I have tried to compensate through many video calls and truly leaned into German Christmas celebrations, with Advent Sundays, calendars, and a copious amount of cakes and cookies. We cannot wait to hopefully seeing you all again in 2021!
Quarantine haircut
Potato!
Potato continues to be funemployed and held captive with stringent enforcement by Mimi, who screams "No! No! No!" and "Meows!" when she tries to escape.
Highlights for Potato (we think):