Birthdays and Baby Steps

From Mike: Has it really been over a year since I contributed to this blog? Man, I obviously suck at pulling my weight around here. Anyway, here’s what 2012 has brought to the Nishi household so far… We returned to Winter Park in January for our annual ski trip. We were fortunate to stay in the same house that we rented two years ago, which to our surprise and delight was newly equipped with ping-pong and air hockey tables! We enjoyed a fun and relaxing weekend of laughing, lounging, and sledding with friends, and got to soak up the beauty of God’s wintery creation, which we all so often take for granted. As most of you know, with the pending arrival of Baby Nishi #2, Kelly and I decided to put our townhouse on the market last August. Well, after our first two offers fell through, we were beginning to believe that God didn’t want us to move after all. However, after 6 months of praying and waiting on God to deliver, we finally got a third (cash) offer, which we eagerly accepted. Although the whole experience was an emotional roller coaster of real estate woes, and a true test of our faith and patience, in the end God was faithful. He also gave us the new house we had been eyeing, a quick and painless loan approval, and the best mortgage rate our lender had seen in over two decades! What do you know? Jesus wasn’t kidding when He said that if we believe, we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer! We closed on both properties on February 10th and began moving into our new digs that same day. After a myriad of address changes, utility transfers, furniture-arranging, picture-hanging, wall-painting, and weed-pulling, we’re finally starting to settle down, and are enjoying the process of transforming the house into our home. March was a month of celebrations that began with our 4-year anniversary! Fortunately, our anniversary always falls during Denver Restaurant Week, so we get an opportunity to eat at a restaurant that’s typically out of our price range. This year, it was the Vesta Dipping Grill in downtown Denver. The March celebrations also included two other anniversaries and five birthdays, including mine. Since I was turning 30 this year, Kelly figured that I should experience as many adventures as possible beforehand; lest I have any regrets as I ring in a new decade, and mourn the loss of my youth. As a result, she planned five surprise “adventures” for me to enjoy each weekend until I officially turned “old.” (Apparently, partaking in most of these activities when you’re six months pregnant is frowned upon, so poor Kelly was forced to sit out) The first weekend, Beth and I went indoor skydiving! After a short tutorial on proper skydiving position, we suited up, and stepped into the wind tunnel and were blasted upwards by winds up to 200 mph! It was quite an experience floating around the clear glass tube, and trying not to do a face-plant into the mesh of wire that made up the floor. Overall, it was a great time, and I can’t wait to go back! The next adventure was a trip to an indoor bouldering gym called The Spot. Daniel and I went to the gym in North Boulder and pretended to know what we were doing as we climbed around on the rocks and tried not to make fools of ourselves. After a taxing few hours of straining muscles we haven’t used in years, we admitted defeat, and headed home exhausted and sore, but motivated to return. The third adventure took us down to Morrison to a go-kart track; only these weren’t ordinary go-karts. These particular karts can go up to 55 mph! Joined by Matt, Carter, and Beth, I geared up, (with jumpsuit, full helmet, gloves, and even an anti-whiplash neck brace) and were escorted to our karts. Racing around the track in those karts made 10 laps fly by, but it was insanely exciting, and the experience is one I hope to repeat soon. Adventure #4 was a day of snowboarding at Winter Park. Jacob and I headed up early one Friday morning, ready for a full day of gnar-shredding. Unfortunately, we were greeted by a mountain covered with sub-par snowfall, consisting of mostly icy packed-powder. As the sunny day went on, the ice turned into slush, and made for even less desirable conditions. After lunch, we decided to call it a day and head home. Despite the uncooperative terrain, it was great to get outside, get some exercise, and enjoy the scenery. The fifth and final adventure, and my personal favorite, was a round of golf at Arrowhead Golf Club in south Littleton. I met up with Alex, and thoroughly enjoyed the amazing scenery, the amenities offered by the all-inclusive course, and actually managed to play a decent game. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present! I was also fortunate to spend the day with Alex because later that day Kelly and I attended his going away party. Earlier in the month, Alex was offered a job as the site pastor for a church in Asheville, North Carolina. The bittersweet news brought mixed emotions of happiness and excitement for Alex’s opportunity to further pursue his calling, but also deep sadness because it meant the inevitable dissolution of our tight-knit church here in Denver. While we will sorely miss Alex, Katey and Josiah, and cherish the times we got to spend together, we are now plagued by the arduous task of finding a new church. We rounded out our March by attending Amy and Zack’s wedding in Estes Park, which also gave us an opportunity to spend a night at the historic Stanley Hotel! In other news, Olivia turned 1 on April 4th! It’s hard to believe a year has passed since that unforgettable day in the hospital. Kelly and I fall in love with our sweet little girl more and more everyday as she continues to grow, learn, babble, and develop a personality of her own. It’s amazing how becoming a parent changes you. I think Kelly and I are better people for it, now that there’s a little person in the world that we are solely responsible for. Neither of us are the center of attention any longer, and perhaps that’s a good thing! Around that same 1-year milestone, Olivia took her first steps! It’s amazing, and also pretty funny, to watch her waddle around trying to keep her balance. It’s a good thing she’s got that puffy diaper to break her fall! Now if only she’d grow some teeth! Kelly is now officially in her third trimester of pregnancy with baby Nishi #2. (Just to clarify, that’s #2 in chronological order, not preferential order…) Despite the unrelenting discomfort, Kelly has managed to maintain a positive attitude, and is looking great! The baby is measuring normal, has a strong heartbeat, and according to Kelly, is constantly moving. We can’t wait to meet her in June! Well, that’s a wrap. Until next time!