2018 Year in Review
2018 was full of chalk, travel, family and friends!
Zach and Jessi traveled to over 11 states this year. They have a passion for adventure, hiking, art and cycling and wanted to introduce baby Lachlan to their world. Some big trips this year included a road trip to Ft. Lauderdale and visits to Cape Canaveral and Savannah. A longer trip followed in May, The Maycation. The whole family first drove to New York City for a cycling adventure and then they stopped in Washington D.C. where they cycled to many monuments with Lachlan onboard Zach’s bike; the adventure ended in Asheville. Other trips included two visits to Michigan for chalk festivals in Chelsea and St. Joe. Zach and Jessi also visited Kansas City to chalk and Jessi travelled alone to Elmira, NY and Houston, TX to make art. The end of the year included a big trip to Tempe, Arizona for Jessi to chalk. After the festival, Zach, Jessi, and Lachlan drove to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. You can read about all of these adventures in this blog.
Lachlan had a big year!
Our boy grew so much!! Literally 4 clothing sizes bigger! With each month came amazing milestones. By 7 Months he was full on crawling and there was no stopping him. Somewhere between 11 and 12 months he was standing and surfing between objects to get around the house. And by 14 months he was walking! He is a happy bubbly child and loves his dogs Daphne and Maxwell. It was so much fun seeing their puppy sibling bond mature as he became more aware of his surroundings. Lachlan’s favorite words are Mama, Dada, and Dog. He also knows shoe, lights, and fish but communicates mostly through hand motions and gibberish sentences. Being 1.5 is hard but we try to be attentive to his frustrations. Like when he wants to be picked up or put down or wants his fork on his plate and the food directly from the table instead of a dish… There are particular ways that toddlers like things and he is learning so fast. He can put his trash in the trashcan and knows how to gently pet the dogs. He surprises us everyday. Music is very big in our home and we sing and dance as we prepare dinner each night. Lachlan loves to dance to all music. He is outsmarting the other kids at daycare and is moving up a class in January.
Achievements of 2018
- Visited many states this year and pass through others. Visited states included AL, AZ, MI, TN, FL, NC, Maycation (NY, D.C., VA, NC)
- Hiked on the Appalachian Trail in both NC and NY
- Started Crawling in 2018 and now Started walking by September
- Can use a fork
- Can wave two different ways
- Can wipe his own nose
- Knows what a dog is
- Calls Mama Dada
- Sleeps all night
- Has been to so many chalk festivals – The Chalk Baby
Lachlan was not ready to leave the Grinch!
Jessi grew as an artist.
Not only is Jessi a wonderful mom but she is an extraordinary artist and designer. She had a big project at work that she got to travel to Miami for on several different occasions.
Achievements of 2018
- Taveled to chalk festivals as the featured artist
- Painted a mural in Buckhead with Chelsey Austin
- Created an interactive mural for the Decatur Arts Festival
- Chalked with big clients Delta, Atlanta Braves, BIAS Corp, Atlanta Beltline and Amazon Treasure Truck
- Participated in an art show
- Traveled to Miami as a lead UX designer to work with client and user testing
- Went to Chicago for a large IA (Information Architecture) conference
- Grew as an artist and created more 3D chalk drawings
2018 was in Zach’s favor.
Zach was very proactive this year. Not only did he start a new job, he helped start and advised over 5 chalk art festivals and events across GA and TN! Zach grew as a father by caring for Lachlan. He’s pretty sure he’s changed more Lachy diapers. He is the rock that holds the family together while Jessi paves the way for the next adventure and when she travels for work. They make a great team and have so much love. After the hardship of being laid off in February 2017 and immediately finding a replacement job, Zach continued to look for something he wanted and subsequently started a new job in January of this year at Cardlytics. He’s had a lot of fun working with a new team and really enjoys the atmosphere. His new job is in Ponce City Market so it’s nice to be close to the neighborhood he and Jessi lived in for so long. Also, the commute isn’t too bad and he usually is able to take Lachlan to school in the morning and pick him up in the afternoon.
Achievements of 2018
- Started new job at Cardlytics in Ponce City Market
- Helped organize over 5 chalk festivals and events around GA including the first ever Atlanta Chalk Art Festival
- Volunteered for his 14th year at Camp Sunshine junior week and additionally brought chalk art to teen week
- Grew a beard for the winter
- Created a few large scale 3D chalk drawings including one for Delta
