ALASTAIR + LALEINIA

When we set our list of goals for the year, we didn't think that we would be living anywhere but Utah. This reflected on those goals, and the most difficult for us to accomplish was hiking up to delicate arch in Moab. Well, since we were spending a few days in Utah for Emre's blessing and Connor's farewell, we took our chance and headed down to Moab the same day that we were flying back to Michigan.  In order not to miss our flight, we had to be up and out of the hotel by 3:30am. As usual, we were a little late, but by 4am we were on the road, Grandma at the wheel! I (Alastair) chatted to my mum all the way down, which was nice. It always is. By 9am (after some delays) we were at the trail that leads to Delicate Arch. Grandma, Alastair, Laleinia, Emre, Hollie, Connor, and Sarah. The hike isn't the easiest, especially when you consider that we aren't in the best shape. Alastair had to carry Emre, a backpack, and an umbrella to shield him from the...

We had a lovely weekend visiting with family in Utah. Grandad and Grandma just moved out to Utah, and this was the first time that everyone from both sides of the family were together at the same time. We got close before but missed Doug who was on a mission when we got married, and we missed some McKees last summer.  Anyway, on Saturday morning we dropped Emre off with his Lola and Grandpa and went to the Mount Timpanogos temple with the McKee side. It was such a special experience, the first time that the whole family were in the temple together. Laleinia and I both left determined to do all we can to one day have the same experience with our own children. We spent the afternoon at a park in Provo canyon, having a BBQ and playing some games with family. It was a lot of fun, really nice to be together with both sides of the family. Towards the end, I went off to hike with Kip. We went up big baldy, and in an attempt to avoid the steep downhill and save ...

While Laleinia and Emre visited with Lola and Grandpa, I spent the week working from Google's headquarters in Mountain View. Just like during orientation, I was blown away with everything out there. I got to explore a little more than before, seeing other parts of the campus and making use of new perks. Being out in silicon valley once again reminded me of how lucky/blessed I am, and how appreciative I am to be working for Google. It is great to be part of a company that is changing the world and how people interact with it. I've loved every minute so far! It has also been kind of nice to be away from Laleinia and Emre, but only because it makes me miss them so much. I think being apart every so often helps you to re-evaluate how blessed you are, and makes you appreciate being back together. Having said that, they did come and visit me for lunch yesterday, along with Lain's mother, Gigi, and Lain's Aunt Cindy. It was really nice to see them all, show them aro...

As we gear up for Emre's blessing in Utah, we are out visiting Laleinia's parents in California for a week. After taking a long flight from Detroit, by way of Las Vegas, we stopped the night at Emre's great-grandma's house and spent the day in San Francisco with Lola (Laleinia's mom) before heading out to Modesto. We did the usual, clam chowder and Pier 39, but we also did a few firsts together too. Alastair had never been on a trolley car, and so we waited in line for 45 minutes and got on the side of one! Emre enjoyed it so much that he ended up snoozing in mommies arms! It was a fun trip, up and down the steep, steep hills of San Francisco! The bonus was that we ended up riding for free, saving $7 a person! We tried to pay when we got off, but the driver said it was on the house since they didn't collect our money earlier. Nice. After getting off, we walked/hiked up a really steep hill and then made our way down to Chinatown. We had never ...

One of the biggest lessons learned from this trip was to make sure that we get sunscreen on early! We suffered for the last part of the trip, but it did mean that the water felt even better since it cooled down our shoulders. We spent a lot of time in the water on the last day or two, watched the USA women win the Women's World Cup, and ate a lot of really good food! On the way home, we swung by the North Face Outlet just outside of Cincinnati and made the most of an awesome summer sale! We got there right before it closed and so we were frantically grabbing what we could, so fun! We had an awesome trip! It was so fun to be away with Emre, especially because he loved to be in the water. It is always fun to watch him experience something for the first time, and getting into the water was really different for him. We are glad that the water was warm!

Today was the 4th of July: Independence Day! This was Alastair and Emre's first as U.S. Citizens, and what a way to celebrate it! We thought of the most American thing that we could do, and so we ended up renting a jeep, taking the windows and roof off, and exploring the island! Alastair had read about a place called Owl's Hole, a small, secluded pool found in a 30ft drop in the middle of nowhere. Because we had the jeep (and believe me, we'd have had no chance if we had rented a normal car) we were able to scramble over the rocks on the overgrown trail, and find Owl's Hole. That was an adventure in and of itself, since all we went off was a satellite image saved on a phone, but before too long we had found the Hole.   After climbing down the long ladder to make sure the water was deep enough (never trust a review enough that you jump without checking), Alastair threw himself off the edge of the cave a couple of times while Laleinia took pictures. It wa...

Lots of sun, sand, waves, pools, and food for day 2 of the Bahamas! I (Alastair) plan on taking a sailboat out and about, and so after breakfast I went for my sailing lesson: 10 minutes full of new sailing term after new sailing term. I like to think I'm pretty smart: top 10% on the GMAT, accepted into one of the world's best MBA programs, working for Google, ..., but that 10 minute sailing lesson was way over my head. I felt pretty dumb! Luckily, the sailboat was in use when I came back to give it a go, and so I thought I'd take it easy on an SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard). I had a great time, but struggled more than I thought I would! The good news was that falling off a Paddleboard was almost as fun as standing on one, so either way it was a great time! But thinking back to my failed surfing attempt in Cape Town and then this, I'm more of a mountain man than a beach boy. I'm going to make sure Lain gives Paddleboarding a go tomorrow! We splas...

We have heard many a horror story about flying with a baby. In fact, it seems to be the biggest reason that people don't travel. The hassle, the stress, the fuss, we've heard it all. Well, today we flew with Emre, and was it a walk in the park? No, but it wasn't the toughest thing we've ever done either! Admittedly, we were only on the plane for under 4 hours and thankfully Emre is cute, which I think buys people's patience. But either way, the first few hours in the Bahamas made the flight worth it! We got a taxi/limo from the airport and the driver acted as an impromptu tour guide, which was cool. I wasn't sure what to think of him when he put the car seat in the trunk of the car and told me we didn't need it, but he was a decent guy! After we checked in and blew up Emre's new pool toy, we headed straight for the beach and jumped in. We were wondering if Emre would enjoy the water or if we'd have to switch off holding him on the beach,...