When Jeff and I were young and naïve, we followed a lot of life’s (society’s?) unspoken rules. We were pushed along by deadlines and tried to fit our weirdly shaped pegs into those square holes I don’t think anyone really fits into. On our first anniversary amongst the daily procreation questions, we decided to get […]
I’ve gained 25 pounds in the last 6 months. I understand why. Since I originally got in shape, I was up running around with my kids. For the last 10 years I’ve been able to take off and for the most part keep off the 90 pounds I lost after Ben was born. As of […]
A couple of years ago, Ben and I discovered our zoo has lecture series. We attended one about the Magellanic Penguins given by the zookeeper for the seals, sea lions, and penguins. Ben is an animal and animal science fanatic with a special affinity for penguins, so we really enjoyed doing this together. Last year, […]
It was a weekend of bowls. We received an email from school stating there was going to be a new program offered this year for third through fifth graders to try out Quiz Bowl. The middle-school already has a team, and they wanted to pilot a younger age. So, Ben found some friends who were […]
Jeff and the boys all had a long weekend so we got tickets to the new movie theater in town. Jeff hadn’t seen Mary Poppins Returns yet and the day was snowy and very cold, so it seemed like the perfect plan. A friend recommended we get tickets ahead of time, reserve the seats we […]
It was a very strange week. It started with spring semester starting. I added on a class this semester and felt a little nervous about time management. A couple of my courses are a lot more intense, so it’s been an interesting adjustment so far. On Wednesday, some friends invited us to join them at […]
It’s here! The snow is finally here! “Flakes, flurries, swirls, crystals—whatever form it comes in, I’ll take it.” – Lorelai Gilmore The kids were so excited when the snow finally arrived. Up until this point all winter snow had been a no-show. In recent years, I have not been a fan of winter. When I […]
The first full weekend in 2019 was unseasonably warm and we took advantage. Fifty-six degrees in January is unheard of in Iowa. We can usually count on hot sun and thunderstorms in the summer, and cold temperatures with snow in the winter. Iowa weather is notoriously unpredictable however. After a morning of basketball we planned […]
Winter break this year for the boys was insanely short. The way the dates fell on the calendar, their first day off was Christmas Eve and their last was New Year’s Day. We had to fit a lot into a very short time and I was definitely sad to send them back. On top of […]
When we were first married, Jeff and I spent every holiday trying to find ways to spend time with both of our immediate families and extended families. It was unbelievably stressful and someone was always disappointed, feeling left out or like we left too soon. We had to find a way to eat several meals […]