A new (8 months that is) addition to the family

Since the last time I blogged, life with the Gerlach's has certainly changed.  We welcomed in a beautiful baby girl on May 2nd, 2017.  Her name is Claire Isabelle Gerlach.

Over these last 8 months she's been at the center of our hearts and lives.  Watching her progress as been a dream come true.  People always says those first few weeks are rough, but people also say you soon forget all about it.  I think that's already started to happen.  Nothing but joy and happiness these days.

As for progress, she's been doing great.  Crawling all over the place, and even getting adventurous with trying to stand on her own.  We're pretty sure she'll be walking here real soon.  Thus the next shock wave will be felt.

As for Isabelle and I, we've been keeping busy.  We both started climbing earlier in the fall, and we even got to go on a trip to the the mountains to visit with our friends Steve and Vicki.  We both have taken on new positions at work, and so far we're both really excited for the opportunities to come.  Happy New Year to you and yours.

The Gerlachs

Endings and Beginnings

Today marked then of a an era for me personally.  In 2008 I found myself at a turning point.  I started playing Ultimate around this time and meeting folks who saw the world a little bit differently.  Something for which I needed to do myself.  I played a lot of Ultimate during this time.  Even went so far as to challenge myself to make it on the local club team and made it all the way to Austin to play on the big stage.  It was a great experience, something I'll never forget.

I began climbing that year, and although that doesn't sound like something life changing, it was for me.  It complimented what I was doing in Ultimate by challenging myself mentally and physically.  I met people who wanted to do the same, which made me want to do it more.  This climbing culture change my approach to life: do the things you enjoy, share those things with loved ones and friends, and don't worry about the rest.  Climbing sort of lead me to Isabelle.  We ended up having one of our first dates at the local climbing gym.  I think that helped to solidify the bond between us.  Climbing will do that to ya!

I also started tutoring and mentoring during this time period.  I came across this opportunity just like everything else that's seemed to happen in my life: luck.  This too changed my life in a dramatic way.  I learned what it means to actually "do what you say."  Taking the time out of my Saturday morning to help those less fortunate has been one of the most rewards experiences I've ever had.  To know that I may have made the slighted impact on a young persons life, makes my soul feel so good.

As I hit the temporary pause button on those activities to bring a newborn into this world with Isabelle, I look back and wonder: what would I have been like had I decided not to do any of those activities.  Perhaps I wouldn't be happily married.  Perhaps a kid from Parramore wouldn't have made the right decision to study a little more and stay away from the wrong crowd.  Who knows.  What I do know, is that I'll continue my approach to life and share that with my wife and kid(s) for years to come.  It's a new era... and I'm ready to live it.

What's changed since marriage?

A question I often get now that I'm married is, "What's changed?" Honestly not much. Since Isabelle and I had already been living together for a couple of years, the transition to married life was pretty simple. We had to take care of few adult things of course: finances, insurance, name changing, etc. What?!! Yes it's official, Isabelle's a Gerlach. It's pretty cool to hear people say her new last name, and I think she's really embracing it. Since we've been married we've had a few events happen. First we went on our honeymoon to St. Martin. This was the most relaxing vacation either of us had ever been on. Prior to arriving our plan was to bounce around to different places on the island. Once we made it to the resort though, plans had changed. We were in full on LAZY mode. The resort was very nice, and we found the entire staff very accommodating and just down right friendly. So friendly we only left the resort one time while we were there. Our daily routine was hopping from the room to the pool, from the pool to the beach, and from the pool to dinner. BBC's (Bailey's, Banana, and Coconut juice) and mudslides were very plentiful by the pool, and we just couldn't abstain.

Next we went to Wyoming for our annual spring break ski trip with Steve and Vicki. As is the standard, we came, we saw, we kicked it's ass. Meaning we had an excellent time. Isabelle and I hit the slopes like we hadn't missed a beat. I think we ended up hitting every blue at resort and even ventured onto a black or two. The company was great, the skiing was great, and we ate like kings and queens while we were there. Can't wait for spring break 2017!

We also had a bit of scare since the last update. Isabelle's dad suffered a minor stroke on the 19th of March. Thankfully it was minor and it happened in the back of his brain, so no damage was done. However, the doctors ran a bunch of tests and found that he had some severely blocked arteries in his heart, and was going to need that corrected. He ended up having to have a quintuple bypass surgery on the 28th of March. The surgery was a success and he's on the road to recovery. He was discharged from the hospital yesterday. Now we're just anxious for him to have a speedy recovery so he can get back to his retirement.

Week 1 is in the books

Time sure flies by when you share your life with the one you love.  Week 1 is in the books, and the honeymoon effect shows no signs of lightening up.  We couldn't have been more happy with the way the wedding turned out. To have everyone that's helped shape our lives in one way or another under one roof was truly Awesome! Everyone advised us to really embrace the moment.  We sure feel like we did.

So you may be asking, what's the point of this blog.  Really it's just an opportunity for us to document some of the highlights we've had in our lives and to share them with the ones we love, which is you.  We hope you enjoy these little posts over the years and use this as a way to remain connected.

Next stop, St. Martin!!!!