The Clingers: Best of 2022

Best Surprise - Finding out we are having a baby!

Abby read the pregnancy test and immediately vomited. Braden stared off into the distance. dumbstruck. We were shocked - and that was just the first night. The next day we went to Shakespeare in the park for Abby’s birthday and just kept saying “I can’t believe it”. With every doctor’s appointment and ultrasound since then it has become increasingly more real and joyful. We have a baby girl arriving sometime around April 5th and we are so excited!

If you look deep into our eyes you can see the cogs turning

Good thing we were familiar with the play or the constant "OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!" in our heads would have made it difficult to follow.

Best Move - Brighton to Somerville

We’ve triumphantly crossed the river Charles. We have a cute attic apartment and Braden gets a small office slash laundry room, which is a real win in our book. We live dangerously close to a moviehouse and Abby’s commute is much easier (even if the red line has been super slow between Harvard and Central Square).

Best Waterfall - Iguazu Falls

The Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls is a hoot because you get to the first view point and it is beautiful and you say to yourself, “Wow that is a lot of water. I cannot conceive of more water.” Then you hear an Argentine tourist say that the Argentine side is better. Then you walk to the next view point and you say to yourself, “Jeez, there are more falls than I thought there were here. That is so much water.” And then you see the most beautiful blue butterfly you’ve ever seen, which reminds you of a Colombian novel you read like 3 years ago, but then you see more waterfalls and you are like, “This is insane. There is so much water here.” And this process repeats until you reach the falls themselves and are surrounded by the falls and their mist and the roar and the majesty.

Just goes on and on...

The sheer power is enough to make you wet yourself. Braden didn't though.

All of this wetness is from the falls.

Best Waterfall (Runner-Up) - La Coca Falls, El Yunque National Forest

You know what makes Iguazu Falls seem less majestic? Not being there with your soulmate. So, while La Coca Falls might not be as mighty as Iguazu, we do have a picture of both of us in front of them. As an added benefit, you get to feel like you’re in an action movie driving the windy mountain road through the forest to get there.

Vacation mode activated

Best Injection - Steroids in Braden’s Back

The Beatles’ Revolution is playing on the radio. You’ve remembered not to wear pants that require a belt. You lay face down on the table. They rub your back with something cold and wet. The first injection. A slight sting. The second injection. Pressure. Pressure. The pressure moves into your left buttock. The pressure increases. Is your left buttock going to explode like an overfilled balloon?! No, the pressure relieves and the nurse tells you to get up slowly. In three to ten days your back feels much better. Braden had this procedure done three times this year and it, paired with physical therapy, might be the only reason he has been functional at all.

Just getting a good stretch in at PT

Most Written Dissertation - Braden’s Dissertation

Look, this isn’t the most written dissertation ever, because it still isn’t done. But it certainly is the most written dissertation in this household. Braden has been plugging away, working consistently to make progress on his dissertation since his prospectus was approved in March.

There is some order to this chaos (or at least that is what Braden says...)

Most Romantic Comedies Watched - Covid Attack 2022

We were incredibly blessed not to have gotten Covid in 2020 or in 2021. We were not so blessed in 2022. What do you do when simply standing up causes you to lose your breath, you've got terrible stabbing pain in your chest, and you are full of brain fog? Watch too many romantic comedies. Highlights included When Harry Met Sally, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and both of the Princess Diaries movies. The low lights included Definitely Maybe and Something’s Gotta Give.

(It's Pretty Woman, but for the preteens)

Favorite Board Game - Wingspan

Braden got this board game for us for Christmas in 2021, and we played the heck out of it in 2022. We played together on many a Sunday afternoon. We played it with our friends Alex and Katie during a short visit to their home in California in January, during which we also learned that they had a baby on the way (hi Jens!) and ate really tasty Eggs Benedict. We played with Braden’s family in upstate New York when they came to visit in June, and our 8-year-old niece Morrissey trounced us every time. Five stars!

Morrissey getting ready to wipe the floor with us

Hanging out with Alex and Katie with that post-Wingspan glow

Best Girl - Cleo

Cleo wins this category comfortably every year - she is, after all, a very good girl. Next year this category should be exciting, as she’ll have her first serious competition!

Most Reluctant Beachgoer - Braden

Braden is a wonderful travel companion - he loves to explore cities and natural landscapes alike, he loves to try new foods and new experiences, and he doesn’t mind a budget hotel (as long as there’s a place to plug in his CPAP machine, he’s happy!) But there’s one place that Braden simply can’t figure out, and that’s the beach. “Why do people even go to the beach?” he wonders aloud as people around him swim in the water, play in the surf, or bathe in the sun. Thank goodness he brought his book.

This is Braden's "pretending to have fun" face

We need to plan another beach vacation so he can finish his book

Longest Distance - Somerville to Asunción

We dated long-distance for 6 months before getting married, so we thought that Braden’s 6 week research trip to Paraguay would be no big deal. How naive we were! Between Abby’s hormones and morning sickness, a new apartment full of boxes to unpack, and just plain missing each other, being almost 5,000 miles apart was ROUGH. Shout out to Sadie, Vince, and Julie for keeping Abby company, and Dallas for flying all the way to Paraguay to spend time with Braden. It would have felt like a lot longer without these visits to look forward to!

Even 4,700 miles away Braden doesn't know how to pose for a picture

Best Leaf Peeping - Acadia National Park

For Vince and Julie, part of keeping Abby company while Braden was gone involved a road trip up to Maine to see Acadia National Park. We took the scenic route and saw so many cute towns, sampled lots of New England fall treats, and even stopped in on a pumpkin festival! In Acadia we explored the Ocean Path, Jordan Pond, and Cadillac Mountain, then headed to Bar Harbor for souvenirs. Plus we peeped approximately a million bright yellow, orange, and red leaves.

Right after this we shared a pumpkin whoopie pie and it was delectable.

All of the trees at this spot were green, but I swear there were lots of fall colors!

Best Date Night - A4cade

What’s better than a Roxy’s Grilled Cheese? A Roxy’s Grilled Cheese that is a front for a speakeasy-style Arcade Bar! We had a blast with our friends Caitlin and Dave playing pinball and classic arcade video games.

[Soundtrack]: A classical fugue of electronic bleeps and tokens falling into coin slots

Most Exhausted Puppy - Cape Cod Trip

We took a quick jaunt to Cape Cod in May and Cleo swam in a lake, played on the beach, and ran alongside our bikes on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. She slept for two days afterward.

That isn't a seal, that's a water dog!

Unlike some people (cough cough Braden), Abby and Cleo love the beach!

Get along little doggy

Abby’s Favorite Books of the Year:

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Braden’s Favorite Books of the Year:

The New One by Mike Birbiglia and J. Hope Stein

Novela B by Monica Bustos

Hijo del Hombre by Augusto Roa Bastos

IT’S TIME FOR THE 2022 LIVE SPORTS ROUNDUP!!! *PEW PEW PEW PEW PEW*

Most personal sports event - Boston Marathon, April 18

In April Braden’s cousin Christine came to run the Boston Marathon. We had a blast hopping from point to point on the race route with Christine’s husband Andy. The Boston Marathon is wonderful to watch, but even better when you have a family member to cheer on! We highly recommend it (if you have a family member crazy/dedicated enough to run a marathon).

Don't worry, this isn't what we wore on race day - this is us the day before, in our Easter outfits!

Coldest sports event - Columbus Crew at NE Revs, May 7

When we arrived at the stadium in Foxborough the pleasant spring day turned into a frigid spring night. We used the picnic blanket that we keep in the trunk for warmth, and since they didn’t have any hot chocolate, Braden bought a coffee just to hold. In classic soccer fashion it was a draw.

Rosy cheeks, icicle noses, and the beautiful game

Closest to Verdugo sports event - Tigers at Red Sox June 22

While Braden’s family were in town we went to see the Sox! Braden was very happy because he had a great view of his favorite player, Alex Verdugo, in left field. It was like being in his office, but with much more Sweet Caroline, and the Verdugo bobblehead was actually Verdugo.

Este amor apasionado / Anda todo alborotado / Por volver / Voy camino a la locura y aunque todo me tortura/ Sé querer

Awful photo, wonderful people

Most sisterly sports event - Orioles at Red Sox, September 26

While Braden was in Paraguay, Abby and her sister Sadie went to Fenway Park to catch a game. We had a great time eating Fenway Dogs and free Peanut M&Ms (thanks cashier guy!) until it started to rain. Then we had a great time dancing in our seats to the Fenway Rain Delay playlist! Eventually we gave up on the game ever restarting. By the time we got back to the apartment we learned that the game had restarted, and the next morning we saw that the Sox had lost, so we don’t feel like we missed much. Braden called us fair weather fans, a nickname we accepted happily.

Neither of us wore hats or brought an umbrella... rookie mistake!

Fenway is beautiful in any weather!

Most olympic-adjacent sports event - Chile vs Uruguay, October 10

Braden’s Birthday happened to fall on a day that he was in Paraguay and on a day that the South American games were happening in Asunción, so he treated himself to a ticket to see women’s field hockey. Braden enjoyed learning about the sport (which doesn’t involve as much fist fighting as you would think from the name) from the Argentine couple to his right and chatting with the Chilean family to his left.

Honestly, the Argentine couple regretted choosing to sit next to chatterbox Braden

Best souvenir sports event - Indios de Mayagüez vs Gigantes de Carolina, December 5

Our beautiful Sunday morning stroll through Viejo San Juan was maybe more than Braden’s body could take, so we went looking for an evening activity that involved mostly sitting and decided to snag tickets to a minor league baseball game. The hotdogs came with tiny fries on top and the cashier at the concession stand was very cute when she noticed Abby's baby bump. The stadium was not very full, so when, in the 5th inning, a foul ball came into our section and no one stood up to get it, Braden realized it would be the perfect souvenir.

The concession stand lady got very excited when she noticed Abby's baby bump

We didn't even know Braden liked baseball until we moved to Boston!

2022 LIVE MUSIC ROUNDUP! *SLAPS BASS*

Most Missed Performance - The Lumineers

We got COVID and had to give away our tickets!

Most Bilingual Performance - Jorge Drexler

Argentine cartoonist Liniers was somewhere in the audience too!

Most Colorful Performance - Arcade Fire

"Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" has become our unofficial pregnancy anthem

Most Rocking Performance - The Black Keys

Band of Horses was the opening act, and they played all the hits!

Braden carried a tampon in his pocket for the whole concert because Abby was convinced her period was going to start any minute... a few days later, we found out we were expecting. Thanks anyway, Braden!

BEST BUMS