Still enjoying life in Chicago with my wife Rebecca and our 3 kids: Teddy (6), Emmett (4), and Isabelle (2). We live in Lincoln Square, which is a charming neighborhood filled with parks and German vibes.

Becca and I both work full time, so parenting takes up most of our free time, but in between lego building, nerf battles, and dance parties we still try to get out and enjoy the many great restaurants that Chicago has to offer. If you're looking for recommendations, Rosemary still holds the crown as my favorite restaurant at the moment.

Outside of that, it's winter, which means lots of basketball, both playing and watching—Go Marquette!. My sister is getting married in March so we're excited to take our first family vacation in very long time! The holidays did a number on me this year, so I'm definitely ready to get back to a more predictable schedule that includes fewer distractions

The past couple of years have flown by in the best way possible for my wife, Sara, and me. As our daughter, Penelope, transitioned from toddlerhood into full-blown threenager mode, we welcomed our son, Beau, into the family. Life is busier—and more joyful—than ever. With so many blessings to be grateful for, none compare to the delight these two little people bring to our lives on a regular basis.

With the new year upon us, I'm looking forward to getting back into a consistent sleep and early morning rythm, turning in by 10pm, waking up at 5am, and spending a few minutes in scripture before checking my phone, Slack, or email. On top of that, I'd really like to get back into a regurlar, daily exercise routine, but that may be a bit too much to ask for at this moment. Even more ambitious would be to take up one of those hobbies, like golf or beer brewing, I set aside a few years ago as I lept headlong into fatherhood. Regardless, I'm sure 2025 will bring its fair share of new challenges, plenty of laughter to go along with it, and a handful of surprises to keep me on my toes.

My partner Carrie and I recently welcomed our first child, Eleanor, into our lives. Every week of our winter has started a little differently, and our attention mostly revolves around what she's doing with her small hands, and which noises she's making, and how cute it is when our finnish lapphund Tuuli licks her right in her tiny face. Other parents will know that I'm omitting plenty of talk about her ins and, especially, her outs.

We're consequently drinking a bit more coffee and recently bought an automatic coffee maker after years and years of manual pour-over. It's nice to delegate some processes to robots. Our kitchen is nearing the end of a renovation which will give us a little more counter space for our new assistant, a simple nook for breakfast, and which importantly switched our sliding glass door to the correct side.

I returned to work at the start of the season and we're slowly adjusting to the new rhythm. I restarted my meditation practice after a long hiatus. I'm thinking of trading in the apple keyboard I've been using for most of my career for a low-profile mechanical one. I'm looking forward to more snow.