Second Anniversary in Yosemite - no snow :-(

It's been another full year of work and fun for Brie and Steve. Here are some of their adventures from 2014.

Stanford GSB Commencement

Brianna's big news is that she completed her PhD in Economic Analysis and Policy from Stanford's Graduate School of Business this year and found a job in the Bay Area. The job search meant a lot of interviews and traveling (she was away from home 10% of the first four months of the year). She successfully landed a job at Cornerstone Research, an economic consulting firm. There she conducts data analysis and works with expert witnesses. Her co-workers are fantastic and she has been enjoying her new position. Commencement was wonderful with a great visit from Brie's parents and grandmother.

Hicks Family at The Swamp

Steve still works at Google, but his role there has been evolving to include more leadership within the power monitoring team. He also worked on an unusual 20% project: “Launch and Iterate”, a card game about working at Google. This required many rounds of testing (both internally and externally) and they even hired a director and camera crew to produce a short how-to video.

Hiking in Wyoming

Over the past year, Brie and Steve became involved in some new ministries in their church. They sang in the Easter choir, co-founded a community group, volunteered with children's ministry (teaching three-year-olds is both a rewarding and terrifying experience), and continued to serve on the refreshment team.

Briezilla Strikes Again

Brie and Steve began the year with a romantic weekend trip to Yosemite in January. Other trips of note included a Girls' Weekend in Seattle/Vancouver (with friends of 20+ years, but not Steve), a family reunion at Asilomar, converging with Steve's family in Gainesville to watch a (UF) Gators game at The Swamp, a wedding in central Pennsylvania, and a quick visit with friends in Wyoming.

Brie's Edible Prom-posal

A few other adventures from the past year include dance classes, concerts, a spur-of-the-moment night at the opera, a surprise birthday hike for Steve (where Brie encountered a rattlesnake - it is a toss up who was more startled but by the volume of the rattles it may well have been the snake), Brie's “prom-posal” to Steve to go to Grad Formal, a San Francisco food tour with friends, Brie learning to eskimo roll a kayak (tested by a run down the South Fork American River), and singing in a quartet at friends' wedding. Still to come this year: Christmas in Tampa, followed immediately by Brie's cousin's SoCal wedding.

B&S would like to thank you all for your love and support, and to wish you a very merry Christmas and a blessed new year!