New Years Eve

2019 Recap -- no wonder I'm always tired! ;)

Since I was terrible at making time to blog in 2019, it's probably more important than ever for me to do a little recap of 2019 if I want to stand a chance at remembering what went down.  Here a few highlights from our past year.

+ Adam started a new job in January & traveled to KC for an entire month.
+ Adam and I went to the BVI's for a week
+ I started a new job and no longer commute to DSM
+ Cullyn turned 6 and Jordyn 8
+ We sat curtside watching the Harlem Globetrotters
+ A niece graduated college and a niece and nephew graduated from high school
+ We went to STL with my family
+ I took Jordy to her first concert {JoJo Siwa}
+ Lola turned 2
+ Adam and I took the kids to Oklahoma
+ We flew to Colorado for a wedding/vacation
+ We road tripped to KC for the weekend
+ Listened to JJ Grey & Mofro in concert
+ The kids and I flew to SC with my family to see my Sister & BIL
+ Watched our niece got married
+ Jordyn started 2nd grade and Cullyn 1st
+ I ran a marathon
+ Adam and I celebrated 10 years by renewing our vows in Jamaica
+ We spent the weekend at FunCity with Adam's family
+ Adam and I took the kids to their first NFL game & spent the weekend in MN
+ I read over 50 books
+ Jordyn started {& stopped} gymnastics Cullyn started {& loves} taekwondo.  Both kids started piano.

Looking back, we spent a fair amount of time traveling {my very favorite thing!} and doing new things {flew in a helicopter, visited Colorado, ran a marathon} -- in between all of that were a million little things {sports games, runs, nightly rituals, meetings, homework, books read, practices, and everything else} -- We prioritized God, family time, and paying off debt and worried less about the state of my house and doing things out of obligation.

I'm super excited to see what 2020 has in store for us!  Adam turns 40 and we have some fun travel on the horizon!  I'm hoping to bring back the weekly date nights now that we've found our new groove.  I'm also going to start exercising in 2020 -- I know, me and 234083290846 people! ;)
Cheers to new beginnings!

Best of 2018

1. Best purchased this year.  Our house!  & kayaks for the kids. :)

2. Best binge-worthy show this year. The only series Adam and I watch is Longmeier

3. Hardest you laughed this year. Scrolling through RateMyPlate on Facebook with Adam

4. Favorite news event of the year. The royal wedding was on during a work trip to Texas with my Mama.  This may have been the only 'news' I watched this entire year!  

5. Best place visited this year. California

6. A new friend you made this year.  I became close with Jenni and Lauri from work and my relationship with my friend Alicia was taken to a new level. :)

7. Best conversation you had this year.  Any conversation with our 'dance friends group' but specifically all of my Marco Polo conversations with Alicia.

8. An unexpected surprise this year. We picked up and moved to a small town!  

9. Favorite song you heard this year. Probably Speechless by Day + Shay when Adam sang it at my nieces proposal. 

10. Day this past year you'd live over and over.  Taking the kids to California Adventure. 

11. Best holiday memory this year. Christmas Eve church service when Adam sang and the kids held their lights during Silent Light 

12. Best movie of the year.  A Star is Born - heartbreakingly beautiful!

13. Something new this year. We went to our friends 'Last Day of School' party & watched Peter Rabbit on the outdoor movie screen.  Best way to kick off summer!

14. Most excited for next year.  the British Virgin Islands to celebrate 10 years with Adam!

15. Best lesson learned this year.  You never know where God is going to lead your life.  On January 1, 2018 if someone would have asked me if I would ever move to Montezuma I would have laughed at them.  It wasn't even a thought!  Before I knew it we had sold both houses and bought our forever home at the lake.  It's easy to get wrapped up in the day to day tasks of life, but never forget the big picture.  God has big plans for each of us and works in amazing ways. 

New Year's Eve

Better late than never, right?  ;)

Adam and I rang in the New Year in Minneapolis this year.  A few months ago, we planned a weekend away with a few other couples.  One of our Christmases got pushed to that weekend, so we ended up making it a quick trip, going up the morning of New Year's Eve and returning the very next morning.  

We went to the Vikings vs. Bears & checked out the new stadium.  Awesome game -- we're very anxious to see how the rest of the season turns out for the Vikings! :)  That evening we went to dinner a Stella's before turning to the hotel for a riveting game of Heads Up.  We toasted to the New Year and called it a night.  

This year was the first we've ever celebrated 'big' and it was so much fun! Adam's band is usually playing, but we never actually get to celebrate together when he's on stage.  #BandWifeProbs We're already started planning a weekend away {with kids} for next year with the same group! :)

GOALS | January 2018

Overall I would like more family dinners, less eating out, more working out, less money spent, more water drank, less time spent worrying, more time praying and reading, less negotiating with my kids, more dreaming with my husband, less time spent scrolling through social media, more laughing and playing with my family, etc.



That's what I wrote last year, and while I think I did better in almost all of these areas {dates with Adam for sure, more time in church, less scrolling on social media} but definately not saving money - boo! I'm still striving to be better in each of these areas, so I thought so it was appropriate to keep. Last year I fizzled out with monthly goals in April, so here's to making it further than that in 2018! ;)



January's list to push me in the right direction...

Floss daily

Celebrate 2018!
Go on a date with Adam
Blog at least 1x per week
Meal plan :: at least Mon - Thurs

Stay out of Target the entire month!
Take the kids on individual dates again!

Organize the closets :: Pull all of Cullyn's 2t clothes
Make a photo book :: I have like 100 to do this year!!!

Update the kids' travel journals :: MO, TN, NC & SC

Go on a family date :: Skiing? Ice Skating? Movie? Bowling?

What are your goals?  I love new suggestions!

2016 Highlights

Like everyone else, I love taking the time to make a 2016 highlights post.  For myself, if no one else.

2016, wasn't the easiest year, but it was a good year.  We're all healthy {praise be to God!}  Most of all, this year taught me to reprioritize my family.  When work gets demanding, it's easy for me to let it slowly overtake my life.  I've been blessed enough to have a hobby that's turned into a business -- a booming one at that -- but along with that, it's taken more and more time away from my family each year since I've started it.  This year, I finally pulled back from photography business to make my time for my husband and children again.  It's hard to say goodbye to the extra income, but in the end, I know I'll never regret spending the extra time wth my family.  2016 was the year I really started to feel a connection with God, too.  I started going to church because I want to, rather than feeling like I needed to.  I'm praying more and gravitating to those that have a good relationship with God.  I feel more 'centered' than ever.

If I had one goal for 2017 {though I have many} it would be to make more time for my husband.  I've been telling people for years now {honestly since we've had children -- not that I'm blaming this on them} that my poor husband gets the very worst of me.  He get's what's left after the kids, work, photography, the house and everything else.  It's sad, but unfortunately true.  We've been better about sneaking in dates here in there this year, but I want to make it more quality time.  More deep conversations.  More late night chats.  More dreaming big.  More love and less sharing of his {our} less than best side to others.

That got much deeper than I intended, so let's lighten this up a bit...

FAVORITES of 2016...
Movie | The only ones I saw were Sully, Finding Dory, Pete's Dragon, Storks, Zootopia & Bad Moms
Television | This is Us & the Chicago series {PD, Fire, Med}
Music | Chris Stapleton, Brett Eldridge, HOLY, Middle of a Memory, Record Year, House Party
Books | Bread & Wine & The Woman in Cabin 10
Podcasts | The Happy Hour w/ Jamie Ivey & Young House Living Has A Podcast

Okay, the real post...

January
We moved into our new house and took the kids to play at the Science Center, ice skate at Brenton Skating Plaza, skiing at Seven Oaks, and rock climbing at Climb Iowa.  Adam and I went to our first Drake basketball game.  I also shot stills for a video company--being on set was a first for me!

February
We celebrated watched the Super Bowl with friends, Valentine's Day, settled into our house, took the kids to the Iowa City Children's Museum with friends, and went bowling as a family.  I went to the Realish Housewives of Waukee and Jordyn took at Art Class at the Des Moines Art Center.  We also traded in our minivan for a Jeep.

March
Cullyn's room was completed, we went to SkyZone, Cullyn started Tumbling at Triad, and had built-ins installed in our living room.  Adam and I went and saw our favorite Jazz artist, Hamilton Loomis.

April
We celebrated St. Patrick's Day and Easter, had a picnic in the park, took the kids glow golfing, finished Jordyn's bedroom, went bowling for a birthday party, played with piglets at a farm, celebrated Cullyn's Birthday, went to Turks & Caicos, and cheered for Auntie Ashley as she quit her corporate job and turned her hobby into a full time business.  Jordyn had her 3rd surgery {1st Tympanoplasty}.

May
We delivered May Day goodies, celebrated Mother's Day with my mom & mother in law and Memorial Day weekend at the lake, spent an evening at Jester Park, and went fishing at the lake.  Adam and I went to a Garth Brooks concert, celebrated Cinco de Mayo, and went to a Kentucky Derby with friends. We also watched our 2nd oldest niece graduated from high school.

June
We celebrated Uncle Brad's graduation from Dental School, watched Jordyn's first dance recital at Stephen's Auditorium in Ames, took family photos in Iowa City with my family, spent a Friday morning picking strawberries and a Saturday at the Farmer's Market downtown, and Father's Day weekend at the lake.

July
Was tough, as we said goodbye to Alicia and Brad so they could start their new life in South Carolina.  We spent a quiet, rainy 4th of July at the lake with friends followed another super fun weekend at the lake the following weekend.  We had lots of picnics and a trip to visit my Grandparents and Great Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin.  I took the kids to see Finding Dory at the drive in and Summerfest.  We all danced to Adam's band at the farm. We also hit several Splash Pads and Adam and I went to Guthrie River Ruckus with friends.

August
We watched the iCubs with friends, had lazy family days painting rocks, making snacks & watching movies, and eating donuts in the park in preparation for school starting.  We went to the Iowa State Fair, the Farmer's Market downtown, and Wilson's Apple Orchard in Iowa City.  I celebrated my 30th Birthday in New York City with my mom and sisters. {I need to blog about this!}  I photographed my final wedding for the year and met my first blog friend.

September
School started back for both kids, Dance resumed for Jordyn, and we took the kids to Adventureland for their first time.  We ate at the food trucks, took final bike rides for the year, and spent an evening at the Apple Orchard.  We even stopped to splash in the puddles one afternoon and went to the Lake of the Ozarks for the weekend with friends.

October
The kids tried soccer for the first time, I planned Jordyn's fall party at school, I took the kids to the Luminarium exhibit downtown, Aliya and I took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch, we had a girls' spa night while the guys has a superhero night, Adam and I celebrated 7 years of marriage, and Jordyn turned 5!  We cheered on the Cubs all month long -- until they won the World Series and Adam and I went to an Iowa Football game with friends.  We took a family trip the TN, NC, & SC.  We had our family photos taken at the lake, took the kids trick or treating and trunk or treating for Halloween, bought the kids a trampoline for the backyard, and took at nature walk at Saylorville Lake.

November
November was supposed to be a quiet month for us, but ended up being a brutally exhausting one because Jordyn got head lice that ended up taking so much time & energy.  Work was also extremely demanding for Adam during this time.  We did celebrate a nice Thanksgiving with Adam's family.

December
All of us ended up getting the stomach flu in December, which really limited our Christmas activities, but we still managed to do 12 dates of Christmas -- Christmas tree shopping, the Snowflake Express, Breakfast with Santa, Jolly Holiday Lights, Jordyn's Dance Recital, several Christmas Parties {Adam earned another trip}, amazing Christmas' with family, and a New Year's Eve with friends.  Jordyn also had her 4th surgery {3rd set of tubes, tonsils, & adenoids} and is recovering well.

2014 recap

I'm Back | Happy New Year!

Wow…I had no intentions of leaving this space untouched for the last 2 weeks!  In my sheltered little mind, the kids were with gram & papa for the week, so Adam and I would work on the house until 6ish each night and then we would go out to dinner or maybe even catch a movie at the theatre before coming home and relaxing in front of the tv {him} & on the computer {me}. HA HA HA.  Joke is totally on me!  That is nothing like it really played out!  Here's a tiny glimpse of our life the past two weeks…

Jordyn got sick {got meds}
Cullyn got sick {got meds}
I got a sinus infection {got meds, but didn't fill my script b/c I felt like I could kick it without--haha!}
We celebrated Christmas with Adam's family
We celebrated Christmas Eve & Morning at home
We celebrated Christmas with my family
The kids stayed with Gram & Papa for a week
Adam & I {w/ a bunch of help} painted almost every inch of our new house & moved in
Adam's band played on NYE
Jordyn was puking all of NYE
My parents came and helped make some small upgrades to the house
My sister & BIL came to visit for the weekend
My other sister & BIL came & installed a new wall {w/ Adam} in Cullyn's room
I photographed a newborn
My BIL got the stomach flu
Adam got the stomach flu
I got a terrible sinus infection & the flu
My other BIL got the flu
My sister got the flu
We finally got internet {today} & have yet to call about getting a trash serviced lined up {we've been here for almost two weeks {insert wide-eyed emoji here} *Adam had the cable guy here on day 1 #priorities 

We ran to Menards approximately 23808903487 times!

We averaged about 5 hours of sleep a night!

Oh, and I showered like 2 times all week! {glorious, right?!}

And our 'meals' also consisted of….Arbys, Blimpie, KFC, Culvers, Pizza Hut, Chick Fil A, Wendy's, Jimmy Johns, Panera, McDonalds, Papa John's and more.

So the mini bottles of Champagne that I bought to toast to the new house or possibly use to pre-game before going out for New Year's Eve remain sealed on the wine cart, but at least we're in.  We aren't 100% settled, but we're happy to all be together in one place {and almost healthy enough to enjoy each other}

So there is a bit of a catch up from us.  I'll be back soon {hopefully} to catch up on Christmas/NYE/Resolutions {bear with me, I know you're all way past this!!} & photos of the house, the kids' new favorite activity, and more. I hope you're all healthier than we have been!

It was a good year! [2014 recap]

Since I'm wide awake at 1:30a, I figured I might as well finish this post up and publish it.  
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I can't help my smile when I look back through our year.  I'm not saying we didn't have stress {both financially--I've mentioned before that 5 years of double daycare is brutal and logistically--Four people plus a large dog in a small condo is anything but easy!} but man did we have a lot of fun this year.  Not only were the large things like family vacations incredible, but the small things like afternoons spent splashing in mud puddles, evenings watching our nieces/nephews  play sports, Fridays spent exploring the city with the kids, & weekends hanging out at the lake.  I will forever be grateful for living close to family and having a job that provides flexibility for our schedule.

Here are a few of our many highlights in 2014....

January 
We relaxed and caught up from a busy December.  Our sitter took a week off, so the kids spent a week with my parents, giving Adam and I several days to focus on each other again.

February
Adam & I attended Baconfest for the first time.  We also attended the Balloon Charity Classic again.  And, we traded in our Hyundai Santa Fe for a Dodge Grand Caravan.

March
Jordyn & I went shopping for bridesmaid dresses with my sisters and mom & started planning their showers.

April 
We celebrated Easter in Montezuma with the Hubbard family & took family photos, but most importantly we celebrated Cullyn's 1st Birthday!

May
Adam & I took Jordyn to Sesame Street Live.  Both kids started Swimming Lessons.  We celebrated Ashley & Myles' Bachelor{ette} parties.  We sided the Lakehouse.  I co-hosted Alicia's Bachelorette party at the piano bar & hotel.  Adam went to Rocklahoma with the guys while I hit up Minneapolis with a girlfriend!

June
I ran a 1/2 marathon for the first time. We had an outdoor movie night with the Hubbards. We spent Father's Day at the lake.

July
We spend 10 days in Florida, watching my baby sister & Brad get married.  We also took the kids to Walt Disney World for the first time!  I traveling to Mexico to photograph a wedding.  We watched Adam's band play at the annual Balloon Festival.

August
Adam and I had an 'adult boating day' and casino/mini golf date.  We took the kids to the state fair, I spent my 28th birthday at the spa and then photographing another wedding.

September
Was spent in Mexico celebrating the marriage of my sister & Myles and my mom's 50th birthday!  We went to the Apple Orchard & watched Iowa lose to Iowa State. :(  Jordyn also started Preschool & Adam turned 34!!  Ashley & Myles also had a reception back home.

October
We took the kids to a couple of pumpkin patches and got professional family photos taken for the first time ever!  I ran a marathon relay with Alicia, Ashley, Katie, & Myles. And most importantly, Jordyn turned 3!  We celebrated Halloween & Adam & I celebrated our 5th Wedding anniversary.

November
I volunteered with my sister for the final time in 2014.  We hosted our first {& possibly last?!} friendsgiving.  We attended Thanksgiving at my sister & brother in laws, and I got a bad case of strep throat, causing me to cancel a photography session for the first time ever.

December
We celebrated Christmas all month long, with several parties & family get togethers!  I got sick again.  We rang in 2015 while listening to Adam's band play at the marina with friends.

Of course, throughout all of this we celebrated nieces/nephew's birthdays, anniversaries, did over 100 photoshoots, worked out, read over 100 books, and worked full time. It was a busy year, but it was filled with amazing memories!