I attended Shoreline Christian School from preschool through 12th grade - that's 15 years!  So it might come as a surprise that more than 15 years later, I'm still in school.

Just two months after graduation from SCS, I packed my bags for warmer days in sunny Santa Barbara, California, where I attended Westmont College.  My plan was to play baseball, sunbathe on the beach, and maybe do a bit of studying.  I did play baseball for Westmont my first two years, but I quickly found that it was not much fun juggling college sports and schoolwork, so junior year I retired from baseball and dove full-force into my studies.  I graduated from Westmont in 2003 with a BS in Biochemistry / Molecular Biology, and I immediately signed up for yet another stint in academics, this time a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Washington. 

My time in graduate school was great.  Although it took me nearly six years to finish, it seemed that time flew by.  I worked long and hard hours studying and doing scientific research, but I still managed to find time to play soccer on three teams.  It was on one of these teams that I met my to-be wife, Emily.  We quickly realized that we wanted to be together forever, but our timing wasn't perfect.  Emily was on the verge of a one-year trip to Italy and neither one of us wanted to let our relationship get in the way of such an amazing opportunity.  So, we put our relationship on hold while she lived out her dreams in Florence and Venice and I buckled down to study for my General Exams. 

Fast-forwarding a few years, shortly after receiving my Ph.D., my adventurous, then six-month-pregnant wife, Emily, and our 100-pound golden retriever set off to Copenhagen, Denmark, so I could take a postdoctoral research position in a cancer research lab at the University of Copenhagen.  While postdocing in Denmark, I also had the privilege of working as a consultant for a start-up biotech in Boston, MA. 

Denmark was incredible.  This is one of the coolest cities I have ever visited.  It is completely flat, and the local government has created an infrastructure of curb-separated bike lanes throughout the city that make it incredibly safe and easy to bike-commute.  The result is that the majority of the population bikes everywhere.  We quickly bought a giant cargo bike called a Christiania Bike and used it as our car, emulating the Danes in every way we could, and especially in their anti-automobile spirit. 

Our life in Copenhagen was quiet and simple, and it really helped our family to learn who we are as Nudelmans, as Americans, and as children of God.  We experienced great tragedy while we were away, suffering attacks on our comfort when our neighbor invaded our home and stole money from us, and when we watched from afar while several cherished family members moved on to be with God.  But while in Copenhagen, we also enjoyed watching our family grow with the births of our son Ethan (nearly 6) and our daughter Addison (nearly 4).  Throughout this time, we learned to trust in God's providence and to rely on the comforting support of the Spirit.  

Now our family of four is back in Seattle and I have switched gears, moving out of research science and into the legal profession.  I'm working at a law firm here as a biotech/life sciences patent agent while attending law school at night at Seattle University. 

Our kids Ethan and Addison attend SCS kindergarten and preschool, respectively, and they are loving it!  It is so fun watching them grow and learn in the same place I was many years ago.