It's that time of the year again. Christmas is days away and 2013 is right around the corner, so we wanted to take a little time to look back on 2012. It was a fun, exciting year for the two of us and Jax. 2012 was packed with lots of fun adventures, and rather than ramble on and on, we've picked the top ten highlights of the year (presented in chronological order). So without further ado, our year:
Tyler has been a member of the Social Media Club of Kansas City for a while, and in the first few months of the year he ran for a position on the organization's Executive Board. After a campaigning period, he won the election and became the Technology Chair. Additionally, volunteering in SMCKC-related events kept Tyler busy this year: he blogged for the Kansas City Film Festival, he was a commentator for the KC Cache Dash, a geocaching event held by Garmin and Aristocrat Motors, and he helped represent Kansas City during the All-Star Game as a member of the Social Media Command Center.
In March, Tyler attended the South By Southwest Interactive conference for the first time. This five-day conference is packed full of talks from technology, marketing, and startup experts. It also provided a networking opportunity, and Tyler met many great people with similar interests and jobs. Lori came along for a few days and we both explored Austin for the first time. We both really enjoyed the fun city, and we cannot wait to go back!
After two years of late night study sessions, presentations, and paper writing, Lori graduated from KU Medical Center with her Masters of Science in dietetics and nutrition. Her non-thesis work was with survivors of breast cancer where she worked on a research project with an exercise physiologist and psychologist to deliver research-based health information targeted for this specific population.
After graduating, Lori transitioned to her new full-time, dream job at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City as a clinical dietitian. She currently covers two general inpatient pediatric services, inpatient pediatric rehab, and assists in a preventive cardiology clinic one day every other week.
After getting married and adding Jax to the family, we realized we were outgrowing our one-bedroom apartment in North Kansas City. So we began the process of house-hunting. After a few months we found a great house in the Waldo area of southern Kansas City and made an offer. We closed in June and made the move on July 1. Since then we've worked on filling out the house and making it our own!
For all of you who have had the privilege of meeting Jax, you know he has a lot of energy! In June, we entered him in the Dog-N-Jog on the Plaza, and this allowed Jax to show others just how energetic he is. As soon as the director of the race said "go!" Jax raced off the starting line and only looked back to make sure the other dogs were not passing him (and to tell us to run faster). All that energy paid off as Jax placed 3rd place, finishing his mile in 6 minutes flat!
This summer, we spent quite a few days at the ballpark, watching ten Royals games throughout the year. We saw a doubleheader and a rain delay (in the same day!). We saw Jake Odorizzi's first game and Miguel Cabrera's final game in a Triple Crown season. And we went to a game in every month of the season except August. Tyler even made it on the CrownVision screen, playing (and winning!) a Wheel of Fortune game.
Time flies fast when you're having fun! And on August 5 we celebrated one full year of marriage. To celebrate our first anniversary, we chose to spend our anniversary weekend in Springfield, Missouri, home to Missouri State University and the place we met! During the long weekend, we met friends downtown, explored campus (and the new rec center), went shopping in Branson, and relaxed at the Walnut Street Inn bed and breakfast. It was great to get away and see the places where we grew together.
Over the course of the year, we have had a lot of fun watching Jax grow: from a cute little puppy to a sweet lanky, hilarious dog. October 7 marked our little guy's first birthday! To celebrate, Jax had a birthday bash with four of his best friends in the backyard: Penny, Lacey, Sammy, and Baxter. Jax and his friends enjoyed running around and playing in the yard, and the humans enjoyed eating cookie cake!
After becoming addicted to Cake Boss and teaching ourselves a little about cake decorating, Tyler surprised Lori on her birthday by enrolling them in a cake decorating class. For four weeks in November, we learned the art of icing, torting, piping, making buttercream roses, and more! We hope our family and friends are ready to start eating lots of cake from us!
This fall, Tyler began developing iPhone apps using a language developed by Rarewire, a Kansas City startup. To celebrate the launch of their flagship product, the company held an app-building contest in November. Tyler entered and he won! Along with an authentic boxing championship belt, he earned a $7500 development contract and free apps for a year.
Well there you have it: the top ten highlights of our busy, fun, and exciting year. We are so glad we got to share it with some of you, and we cannot wait to see more of you in the coming year. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and an incredible 2013!
