Ben and Holly's Big Adventure: Paris, Bar Exam, and Kitties

Apologies for the blog silence. Upon returning home, we’ve received two common responses: 1) We hate you for posting pictures of warm tropical places while we were stuck in a wet Seattle winter; and 2) You need to finish the blog.

Well, we’re not sorry for the beautiful pictures, but here’s a quick summary of the last few months:

From Nairobi, we went to Paris. Holly rented a studio in Japantown (between the Opera and Louvre) since she was staying for a full month. We walked all over, trying to see as many neighborhoods and sample as much wine/cheese/baguette as possible. We had to buy warm-weather wardrobes from a second-hand store – I looked homeless in my new hole-covered wool jacket and beard. Unfortunately, I had to leave after a week to finish law school.

Sloppy tourist, homeless, or terrorist?

Upon arriving in the states, I was interrogated by Homeland Security for 30 minutes. ("You're returning alone from your honeymoon to Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya... and with a big beard? Step out of line, sir...")

Holly’s parents, sister, and aunt came to visit over the next few weeks. Beyond the usual (and incroyable) Paris sightseeing circuit, they also did side trips to Champagne, Provence, and Bordeaux. Judging from the e-mails and pictures, it was magical.

After a few days into my final quarter of law school, I found myself looking for return tickets to Paris for a long weekend – why not?!? We did day-trips to Normandy and the Loire Valley.

Holly became a fixture at the Royal Palace gardens. She temporarily took up smoking. She learned a dozen French words (though her accent sounds Russian). And her diet consisted of fresh bread, cheese, nutella crepes, and wine. Tough life!

Eventually, our adventures abroad had to end. Back in Seattle, we became uncle/aunt to twin boys Ian Seth and Eli Noam Hinterwirth.

Hi! I'm Eli.

My name is Ian!

We settled into an apartment in the Pine/Pike corridor of Capitol Hill. We crammed for the WA Bar exam, which we just took (passed?) last week. And – after many months of indulgence – we finally realized that we don’t just live our lives for ourselves. That’s right, we’ve started a family. We are now the proud parents of two little babies of our own. Meet Papaw Omar (orange, boy) and Poa kichizi (tabby, girl).