2025 kept us very busy: Lucas started Kindergarten, Franci is learning how to use the potty, our house passed the final inspection and is no longer a construction zone, Zoox launched in Las Vegas and has let Explorers off the waitlist in San Francisco... Therefore, per tradition, I want to share this year's highlights with you.
JANUARY
The month was filled with local adventures: Koret playground and the carousel with Kerstin and her family, the submarine museum USS Pampanito, Musée Mécanique, Academy of Science, Glowfari in Oakland with tío Nacho... The highlight was a long weekend in Carmel Valley for Marek’s birthday. We stayed at an Airbnb with a farm, hiked at Carmel Valley Ranch, and celebrated Marek with a cozy birthday dinner. The month ended on a bright note: Lucas passed his Spanish-English bilingual proficiency test with 57 out of 60 points, which improved his chances to get into our preferred elementary school.
The German federal special elections loomed large. I didn’t receive my ballot in time, which was deeply frustrating. However, for the first time, I realized I wouldn’t have known who to vote for anyway — only who not to vote for, in hopes of limiting support for the far right AfD. I filed a formal complaint about the late ballot as a small act of protest.
On a much lighter note, we celebrated Christian's 40th birthday with many close friends.
MARCH
March was calm and largely uneventful. The one standout moment was celebrating Carlos’s 41st birthday at Harris’ Steakhouse per annual tradition with the kids, his brother, and his colleague and friend Dan.
My parents visited during Lucas’s spring break at Kinderhaus, as they do every year. We spent the weeks exploring the Bay Area together, packing in small trips and shared routines. A special highlight was Lucas managing the full Lands End hike for my mom’s birthday.
MAY
May took us to New York for a long weekend visiting Kerstin and her family. We packed a lot into a few days: Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO on Saturday; Central Park, Coney Island beach and the fair on Sunday... Lucas and Ronia got along really well, Sofia was a happy baby, and it was special to see Kerstin’s life in Brooklyn — it brought back vivid memories of my own time living in NYC. The travel itself was a small victory too: two red-eye flights that turned out to be much easier than expected for both Lucas and me. Definitely a trip to be repeated.
June’s clear highlight was Lucas graduating from Kinderhaus. After two years at the German preschool, we now have a kindergartener who is trilingual in German, Spanish, and English. At the graduation ceremony, the kids performed Die Schnetts und die Schmoos by Julia Donaldson, a story about two groups who are different in every way, learn to fear each other, and eventually discover that kindness, curiosity, and cooperation matter more than differences. We’re deeply thankful for the German-American community that shaped these early years and look forward to staying connected until Franci is ready to start.
JULY
We celebrated Lucas’s 5th birthday, then spent the Fourth of July with close friends at Silverado Resort in Sonoma.
Shortly after, Carlos and Franci left early for vacation in Almería, Spain, while Lucas and I followed for two weeks after his last day of preschool. In Spain, we rented one big house with a pool and beach access and gathered an interesting mix of family: Carlos’s family, my sister Nina from Berlin, and my parents. It was genuinely special to see (most of) everyone get along and to share long, sun-soaked days together. The kids completely fell in love with Rufus, the dachshund. We ended the trip at tío José and tia Ana’s house in Mazagatos, a small village north of Madrid - perfect for decompression.
AUGUST
August brought a big milestone: our house passed the final inspection and officially stopped being a construction zone. We celebrated with a housewarming party, welcoming many of our neighbors who had patiently endured nearly two years of construction alongside us.
Lucas loved summer camp at Tree Frog Treks in McLaren Park again — exploring with his best friend Noah and all their animal friends! After the camp he started kindergarten at Dolores Huerta, a Spanish immersion elementary school and our first choice in the SF school district.
SEPTEMBER
September marked a big milestone with the launch of Zoox in Las Vegas. We celebrated with a party at the Google Amphitheatre in Mountain View, with DJ Mark Ronson playing. More importantly, Zoox became available to the public in Las Vegas, a tangible step from vision to reality and a reminder of how far the project has come.
OCTOBER
October brought a brief scare when Lucas fell while running during lunch break at school and came home with a broken thumb. He handled it like a champ and in surprisingly good spirits.
NOVEMBER
Franci celebrated her first Halloween and picked up trick-or-treating remarkably fast. The month continued with the German lantern festival and parade at Kinderhaus. We wrapped it all up by hosting Thanksgiving at our house, bringing our group of close friends together in our home.
