2021 was filled with amazing milestones, sad and humbling losses, and ongoing determination and joy. And as we put 2021 to a close, it also allowed for time to reflect and pause on the things that truly matter. From family, companionship, health, laughing, and everything in between – cheers!

Turning 40
Bridget and I not only turned 40, but a lot of our close friends did as well. For Bridget, we celebrated in Incline Village with the family. Sledding, horse rides, and hikes – it was fun! Bridget put together a sentimental book from friends and family for me. In addition, we went camping, golfed, and celebrated for quite a few others – Shayna, Adrian, TJ, Erron, etc.
Pop and Grammy’s 50th
To be with someone for 50 years, no matter if they’re your husband, wife, friend, partner, sister, or brother. 50 years is half a century, and what a celebration! Grammy and Pop celebrated 50 years this year. That’s 50 years of milestones, memories, and experiences with one human being. What a journey. The entire family was there with a surprise showing from Aunt Barb. We celebrated at Jenni’s house who put together a great presentation of old photos. Everything was amazing!
1200 miles
I challenged myself this year to run 100 miles on average each month. It was hot; it was cold; it was hilly; it was long; it allowed me to breathe; it allowed me to think. And it was a great accomplishment to say that I clocked in that amount.
Kinda crazy to think over the past three years I would have easily crossed the United States. Maybe one day, but I’ll take this accomplishment.
Disneyland
Our first trip that we had to fly to since.. well… last time we went to Disneyland. It did not disappoint. I could do Disneyland every year. I have so much fun there. This year they got rid of fast pass, and the magic genie thing wasn’t ready. So, everyone was on a level playing field for the rides. And it was great. Each ride was about an hour, so not a huge deal. They also had the new Spiderman ride (in California Adventure) and Star Wars (in Disneyland). So cool! I was just amazed by the advanced technology Disney has. I can’t wait to go.. err.. next year?
Little League Baseball
It was good to get Nixon back in the “swing” (see what I did there) of things. He is such a social kid, and so he was eager to go from digital learning to seeing people again. Farm baseball in spring was his first, and it was a great season. Then Nixon went to the UNR camp over the summer. And then finally we ended with Fall ball baseball where I was head coach. We had a great group of kids and went undefeated. All the kids on the team were great. And they had so much fun!

Honorable mention: Opa retired! It was a big event, and the retirement party was the first social gathering with everyone in a long time. A great celebration to his career, and a great way to kickoff to returning to somewhat normalcy as people started to become vaccinated.

And the not so great:

  • Pandemic and Environment – It’s not looking good these days. We had Year 2 of COVID. This included a delta variant along with a delta plus variant. That caused a surge. And now we’re dealing with the omnicron variant. That’s a surge. And tomorrow, who knows?  The upsilon variant? Nixon and I ended up catching COVID right around Thanksgiving from a family event. Luckily neither one of us had major symptoms, and Bridget and Lyla were able to keep away at Bridget’s parents. The Andersons also got it, so we had Thanksgiving there, while Bridget had Thanksgiving at my parents. (Side note – we should have been in Puerto Rico, but we had to cancel our plans.) Half of my family has gotten COVID, and luckily we’ve all kept healthy. It’s now part of life – colds, flu, or COVID. Bleh.
    In addition, wildfires swept across northern California for many weeks. That gave us smokey weather from August through September where we couldn’t go outside. I couldn’t even run (err shouldn’t have run). With the continual dry, hot summers this may be the weather now for the summer.
  • Cariann – We lost a good one this year. Bridget’s cousin, Carriann, passed away suddenly in September. She was a creative, sweet human being who always had an even-keeled manner and a smile on her face. If you would have met her, you would have wanted to grab a drink, tell a story, and share a smile. She was that type of person who could connect with anyone. The entire Nesler family are really good people and are also a very strong group. This one was tough.