It’s been another fun, exciting, exhausting, and wonderful year for the Hartmans. This November marked one year as official Milwaukeeans in our new house and city. It didn’t take us long to fall in love with our neighborhood as we spent our first year enjoying lots of local festivals, finding favorite restaurants and becoming regulars at our corner bar. We’ve tackled a few house projects and completed two we are most proud of: growing a summer vegetable/herb garden and building a fire pit area in the backyard. The project list doesn’t end here but it has definitely stalled, thanks in part to our most time-consuming new addition, Dolly.
We brought Dolly, our golden retriever puppy, home this June and she quickly took over our lives in the best way possible. Dolly is now 6 months old and has settled in well to her new home. She loves chasing bunnies in our yard, learning new tricks, playing with any toy that squeaks LOUDLY, eating leaves, eating wood chips, eating rocks, and chasing her tail. Needless to say, she has kept us on our toes these last few months and we wouldn’t change a thing.
Maeby, on the other hand, much preferred her only-child status and does not appreciate her new “sister”. She finds solace in spending quiet mornings with Alissa in her office and napping in the upstairs loft where Dolly is not allowed. We hope that with time the two of them will coexist more peacefully, but for now they are enjoying their own spaces.
With a new house and new pup, our travels were a bit more limited this year, but we were lucky to schedule a few getaways. In July, we spent a week in northern Michigan with Alissa’s parents. It was great to disconnect for a bit and we were able to get some fun activities in like visiting some breweries, wineries, and distilleries and a short kayaking adventure.
We also continued our annual tradition of hosting our own MSU tailgate in East Lansing, this year complete with our very own tent, grill, TV, and bags set!
We were happy hosts to a number of visitors this year including lots of family and many get-togethers with friends. If you find yourself planning a trip to Milwaukee, know that our door is always open!
Alissa and Don have both made big career moves this year! Alissa has transitioned to the world of tech with a new role as a Salesforce Admin supporting product operations at JLL Technologies. Alissa is totally in her element in this role, and excited to (mostly) leave her days of project management behind and continue down this new path. Don now works as a Development Manager at Benchmark Analytics. It’s a totally new industry for Don, but a welcome change. Both our jobs are fully remote and though working from home is nothing new for us, we are appreciating the extra time together and with Dolly.
We are looking forward to the new year and the many opportunities it will have to offer!
Wow this really amazing how times have changed. Really enjoyed reading your adventures congrats on both if you with your new positions and of course your new family addition. Dolly really reminds dave and me of zella who is our new addition this past August she was born may 3rd 2022. The similarities are funny zella too loves her leaves helped papa clean up the yard this fall the mulch her favorite and attempted to get under deck numerous times. She can actually spring up on to the kitchen table! They sure bring lots of joy 😊 and laughs. Thanks for sharing. Love. Dave n jan
Thanks! That’s fun that we both have puppies of a similar age!
Have a Merry Christmas as well!
Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄❤
Merry Christmas, Hartmans! Loved the updates, a year well spent! ❤️