2025 brought its share of highs. Looking back it was a great year! But, we definitely had some lows that humbled us. So, let’s start with that and end on the positives. Cheers to our 2025 highlights:

Mom down!
What started off as a normal Thursday with a slight stomach ache ended up in an ER visit and surgery. Poor Bridget had a portion of her colon twisted which then had to be surgically removed. She was as tough as anyone I could know and probably would’ve done the surgery herself, but she needed the few weeks to get back to normal.
Running on a dream
My eighth marathon (CIM, Bizz Johnson (x2), Santa Rosa, San fran 50k, Big Sur, Jennis) brought me to the Avenue of the Giants. It was a beautiful run! And I’m so glad I was able to see the park. That marathon prepped me for my 13th RTO, which was an ultra. It was so much FUN! I enjoyed the run with Jill, Brandon, Ryan, Rob, and Matt. I never felt so much part of the race and team seeing every leg despite the severe lack of sleep. And afterwards, it was just keeping in shape and adding miles, all 1300 of them. My last run even was a special 14 miler that felt great.
Take me out to the ball game
What a great year for baseball:

  • S.Korea Baseball – We watched an exhibition game for free since “they’re just practicing.”
  • Japan Baseball – We were able to get opening day tickets with the Orix Buffaloes. It was an incredible experience where baseball and college football merge together.
  • A’s Baseball – Sacramento baseball was amazing! Decent ticket pricing, great parking, and major league baseball teams taking on the minor leagues.
  • Aces Baseball – As always, we went to variety of games at the Aces: the box, behind the plate (Thanks B), and on the grass. Always fun. We even got to see Blake Snell pitch against us.
  • The Red Sox also made it to the playoffs. That was fun to listen to as well.
  • Nixon also got invited to be on the Hooligans, which they took second place in the region.
From national parks to family history
F0r fall break, we headed down highway 50 and went to Great Basin to check out the bristlecone pine grove. Then we headed to Bryce Canyon (amazing zoohoos), Canyon Reef (felt like a reef), Arches (I mean the variety and iconic arches was stunning), and then Canyonland (a beautiful, colorful version of the Grand Canyon). We then headed over to SLC, which had a lot of great museums including a FamilySearch library. That was a lot of fun, which then sucked me into researching my own lineage. Either way, it was a great way to spend fall break.
Arigato, Mr. Roboto
We decided to rebook our Covid trip and visit South Korea and Japan. I was amazed by the culture, the people, and the respectful way of living. South Korea brought us to KPop, Gagnam Style, exhibition baseball, and a lot of fun in Seoul. Then we went to Japan and traveled all throughout Tokyo, visited Disneyland, went to Mount Fuji, had a tea ceremony, visited the traditional villages of Kyoto, and watched some baseball in Osaka. All the places were just amazing, and the traveling was super easy with their railway system. I’ve never felt so safe in a country. It was a great place to experience.

Honorable mention:

  • Nixon and Lyla kicked off a printing business, 9 to 5, that sales 3d prints at our local Ace Hardware.
  • We had to complete remodel our Ellendale property, which has been ongoing throughout this past year.
  • Nixon joined NNA swim team which challenged him in all the right ways.
  • Lyla played all the sports: soccer, basketball, and Girls on the Run.
  • Nixon finished up Little League and made Hooligans. We then started on the big fields in fall (and almost won a game.)
  • At the Discovery, we had to hire a new President & CEO this year. It was an incredibly interesting process.
  • The board at the Discovery Museum continues to be fun and challenging.
  • Lyla started again on getting piano lessons. She’s already had two recitals. In the meantime, Nixon has been improving on the saxophone.
  • We camped out in Shingletown again with the Dykins, Paschals, and Nevins.
  • We went to the AJR concert which was one of the best concerts I’ve been to.
  • We camped with Viviana’s family, which was a blast.