Anastyn's First Camping Trip!

As if trips to Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and LA all in one month weren't enough for our four-month-old travel editor-to-be =), we spent Labor Day weekend with Nana and Papa in the Sierras! Anastyn seemed right at home in a tent trailer surrounded by evergreen forests, 9,000-ft. mountains, clear, brisk air, and a crew of die-hard card players! I'll let the photos speak for themselves....

(Isn't she gorgeous?!)

Perspectives

Recently (in between family visits) Jodel and I went to a large formal wedding of an old Harvard friend in Southern California. It turned out I didn’t know many people there, and because Jodel and I hadn’t thoroughly reviewed the invitation and discussed our attire before packing, we ended up arriving in something between “California casual” and “business casual” among a sea of 400 suits and summer dresses. Add to that that I always feel a tad insecure in large gatherings of Harvardites because I’ve been in construction management for three years and left the academic fast-track, and you get a feel for my frame of mind walking in the door.

There was something tender and wondrous, though, about carrying our new life – Anastyn – into that setting. She didn’t know she was in a room full of PhD’s, MD’s, Hollywood moguls and world-class endodontists; she didn’t understand that Mommy and Daddy were woefully underdressed. All she knew was Mommy’s gaze, Daddy’s tender smile, loving arms holding her tight, and the kind attention of a few smiling strangers at our table.

As vulnerable as I felt socially and professionally, it was profoundly freeing to see our world through her eyes, where only what is truly important was important. Humble pride welled up as I realized that most of my peers in their residencies hadn’t been married for two and a half years, weren’t sporting a gorgeous, happy bundle of love and feistiness, didn’t know what it felt like to look your newborn that you made in the eyes and have her melt your heart with a satisfied smile. What a refreshing perspective!

I left with a renewed appreciation for the blessing my wife and daughter are to me. Thank you, God.

Generations

August was a month of new faces for Anastyn. At the beginning of the month Grandma, Great-Grandma (84 years young!), and their friend Roseanne flew out from Pennsylvania to meet the babies. It's such a special thing for generations to meet and pass the torch. 1923...1951...1979...2007. (Hey, that's the first time I've noticed we all had our babies at age 28!)



















Then at the end of the month, my cousin Julia Rose visited from DC, and my cousin Kristin visited from England. It was the first time the four Wolfe cousins had been in the same place since our grandfather passed eight years ago. Since, of the Wolfe grandkids, Benjamin and I are the first to kick off the next generation, this was the dawn of a new era of Wolfe get-togethers with kids. "Aunt Julia" (as we dubbed her) stayed in Nor-Cal for a few days and her west coast clan took turns showing her around. On our turn, we took her to San Francisco's Pier 39 and to Santa Cruz.

Highlights for Anastyn:

• watching the sea lions at Pier 39
• exploring under the table at Bubba Gump Shrimp
• seeing the pretty lights on the Fireball ride on the Santa Cruz boardwalk

Julia.... the sea lions.... peekaboo under the table at Bubba Gump Shrimp... the Fireball!

Highlights for Andrew:

• watching the sea lions at Pier 39
• enjoying a beautiful panoramic bay view from Bubba Gump Shrimp
• getting so sick on the Fireball ride that he vowed never to do something so stupid ever again