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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 […]
For Christmas and Thanksgiving each year we trade off whose family we are with. This year we spent Christmas with Jeff’s family, so my family’s Christmas was early. We usually spend some time with my parents eating boatloads of food, playing games, and watching Christmas movies. This year we made it to Dike early enough […]
We like getting in the mood for Christmas by attending events around town. We do a little research and schedule the more cost-effective options. Some of the events can get a bit pricey so we pick and choose what we feel is worth attending. Leading up to Christmas we attend Uptown Ankeny’s Champagne and Mistletoe […]
For the last several years, I have had “Mayor’s Tree Lighting” on my schedule of things to do for Christmas. Every year we have a conflict, decide it’s too cold, or forget. This year we had just gotten back from our trip and Jeff was off again to Salt Lake City to learn about a […]
As many of you know, Jeff and I recently took a journey through Europe. There were a lot of new adventures for us on this trip. We flew into London and out of Naples (with a long layover in Madrid) so we were forced a less casual timeline to traverse through the countries. When Jeff […]
When we got back from an almost two week trip from Europe, our six year had been temporarily supplanted by someone I didn’t recognize. He got upset and cried about the smallest things. He told me “No” consistently when asked to do anything. He started throwing himself on the floor and crying. I tried the […]
Since our whirlwind trip across Europe recently came to an end, I am reminiscent of the feelings of flying to Europe the first time when I fell in love with Paris, and the stranger who helped me find that… The raindrops converged and meandered down the window as I sleepily watched the planes enter and […]
Birthdays are a big deal at our house. They always have been, and Marnae has always been the leader in that effort. She loves planning birthday parties, and it seems the boys’ birthday’s have been legendary around our group of friends ever since their very first ones. From a full-fledged Harry Potter Party for Ben […]
Our family has too much stuff. We are overwhelmed with “things” all over the house. It is a wonderful problem to have people love and want to gift items to your children. And we gave too. I was constantly looking for the next educational gadget, book, or game. Jeff liked the nostalgic stuff. I got […]
The Four Agreements When we entered this world, we learned sounds and symbols, which represented letters and words, which allow us to communicate. This is an agreement we have made as humans. We agree on language, morals, religions, teachings, etc. We agree to a set of rules and laws of civilization. We are awarded and […]