Inspirational Quotes

It has been a while since I have posted some inspirational quotes. As 2016 comes to a close, I thought some of these might resonate with a few of my readers! I hope you enjoy them!

Christmas Goodie Recipes

Baking Christmas goodies is always my favorite time of year. I love spending hours upon hours in the kitchen making delicious treats for family and friends to enjoy. This year, I made 20 different things. I decided to share a few of my favorite things with you.

Trip to Phoenix (April 2016)

This post is a few months late, but time seems to slip away from me. In April, Dave flew to Phoenix for a work conference. The day the conference was over, I flew down to join him.

As I flew into Phoenix, I had to be sure to get a photo of the dessert. Everything was brown, but it was warmer weather so I was looking forward to that.

View of the dessert as I flew into Phoenix.

Labor Day weekend 2016

Labor Day weekend was a busy, yet relaxing weekend with neighbors and friends. Friday night we spent it with good friends we have been friends with for years. I met them while teaching cycling classes at Accel Fitness, now Fitness World here in Ankeny.

Dave, Janet, Angie, Matt, Jen & Andy

Ryan turned 3 (July 2016)

In July our little man turned three. It's hard for me to believe three years has already passed by. We had a fun day with family, and he got a cool cake. We also celebrated Caroline's 1/2 birthday. Since her birthday falls in December, we felt like it would be fair to help split her birthday and Christmas gifts up.

First off, I wanted to share a few photos that Kari Bruck Photography took of the kids. She always does an amazing job. The moments she captures in an hour photo shoot are amazing. Especially the third photo here! Ryan will love this photo when he's older I'm sure!

Vacation in Branson, MO (August 2016)

This past week, we took a family vacation to Branson, MO, our first family vacation. We wanted something fairly close to home because we were not sure how the kids would do on a long road trip. My niece joined us on the trip to help with babysitting the kids while we had adult time, so to make sure we had enough room to travel, we rented a minivan. The kids thought this was the coolest thing ever and loved pushing the button to shut the door every time they got out. They also loved the built in DVD player (we didn't like that as much as it made for a long drive listening to movie after movie).  After we returned it, they said they were sad they didn't have the minivan anymore. The space was nice, but I'm still not sure I could own one!

Staycation with my sister's family - July 2016

Dave and I took Thursday and Friday off so we could spend time with my sister and her family when they came up to visit. We didn't plan on it being 100 degree heat index, but we dealt with it. On Thursday morning, we went to see the High Trestle Trail Bridge. It was a hot walk out there, but my sister and her family loved it once they arrived to the bridge. The view was absolutely amazing and the hot breeze actually felt good. There wasn't much of a breeze on the trail.

Deck addition

For this blog, I decided to turn it over to Dave to give an update on the recent expansion of our deck. So here goes...

Since moving into our home a year and half ago, one of our favorite and most used spaces has been our covered deck. However, at 12 x 14 feet, the covered deck always seemed too small when we had family, friends and neighbors over. So we decided to do a little addition that would be uncovered, but give us a little extra room.  

We started by taking measurements, and decided to extend the deck by 8 feet out into our backyard, for a total area of 14 1/2 x 20 feet. We then reviewed the City Codes and submitted a building permit to the City of Ankeny for the low cost of $36. The City provides a good guide detailing minimum standards and I bounced a couple of ideas off of our Johnston Building Inspectors to make sure I would meet all of the Code requirements.  

Less than a week after submitting the permit, we were given the green light to proceed.  After pricing materials, we used Leachman Lumber to order the materials as they deliver, which was valuable as we had a lot of 16 foot long lumber, and they were also less expensive than Menards. The delivery driver was even kind enough to gently drop off the materials in our backyard, significantly reducing the distance we had to haul all of the lumber. We also requested Iowa One Call to verify we didn't have any buried utilities in the area we were digging, they responded in less than 24 hours from submitting our request.

The lumber was delivered to the back yard.  The spray paint/flags indicate that we didn't have to worry about any underground utilities.

Weekend Wrap Up (6.25.16-6.26.16)

This past weekend was quite relaxing as we didn't have a lot planned. We needed a weekend like that because it always seems like it's go...go...go, every weekend.

Saturday morning I taught cycling at the Ankeny YMCA. Once I got home we ran a few errands and Dave hung up my hammock. I bought this hammock for $54.95 on Walmart.com. We wanted a nice hammock to hang under our new deck addition and this one had great reviews. As you'll see from the photos, the kids love it!

Inspirational Quotes Thursday

Inspirational Quotes Thursday

Inspirational Quotes Thursday

Weekend Wrap Up (5.20.16-5.22.16)

This past weekend was a busy, yet eventful one for the kids. Ryan has been begging me to go home to my parents farm. He absolutely loves to ride on the farm equipment, see the cows, and ride the horses.

On Friday night, we went home and stopped at Dave's parents first so he could mow their lawn. As soon we pulled in their driveway, Ryan said, this isn't where I wanted to go. I wanted to go to the farm to see the cows. He's such a boy.

On our way home, I had to be sure to take a photo of the majestic clouds. They looked so beautiful with the farm field.

Mother's Day Weekend 2016

Mother's Day weekend meant a little more this year, since both of the kids are able to understand it. On Friday of Mother's Day weekend, I played in a best ball golf tournament at Terrace Hills in Altoona. It was fabulous weather on that Friday too, 85 degrees! I didn't golf too bad either, so that is good!

Enjoying the beautiful weather at Terrace Hills Golf Course

Inspirational quotes Thursday

I've been saving quotes that mean something to me as I come across them. I wanted to share some today that have meaning in my life. Hopefully they make an impact in yours too. I love following various channels on facebook and instagram!

Weekend Wrap Up (4.22.16-4.24.16)

Wow, what a beautiful weekend. We enjoyed a lot of time outdoors, which helped when the kids went to bed each night.

Friday night, C and I enjoyed some snuggle time, but we had to be sure to catch a selfie! She loves to have her photo taken, but getting her to smile normal is difficult at times.

Weekend Wrap Up (4.22.16-4.24.16)

This past weekend was a blast because we got to enjoy the beautiful weather. I wish Iowas was mid-70's everyday throughout the entire year! With no humidity of course.

Saturday morning, I taught cycling at the Ankeny Y. Now that the weather is beginning to get warm, the 9:00 am classes are slim. This past weekend, I had one person in the 9 am class so they did their own thing. Some of you that have never taken a cycling class may wonder what the class looks like and where the instructor sits. I took some snapchat photos this past weekend to show all of you.

View from the instructors bike

To the Men and Women in Blue

This past week has been an emotional one for me. You see, a year ago I began a new job with the City of Pleasant Hill. When I accepted the job, I didn't know those that I work with everyday would grow to be family during the first year.

My husband has worked in city government for the past 13 years so I figured if I had questions, I could ask him - he'd know the answer. This past weekend showed me, even he doesn't have all the answers.

On Saturday morning, I heard about a horrific car accident that took the lives of four people, two of them were Police Officers. I looked at Dave and asked, "Why?" He didn't know the answer.

Susan Farrell was a reserve officer with the Pleasant Hill Police Department (PHPD) from 2008-2015. Her husband is a full time officer with PHPD. Hearing about these officers fall while on duty hits home. I work with guys like this everyday, including Susan's husband, Jesse.

During this past year,  the officers I work with have grown into family. Seeing them in uniform everyday, protecting us and making this world a better place is gratifying. Everyday they leave the house, kiss their families goodbye not knowing if they will return. Police Officers sign up for a dangerous job to protect citizens and take the so called "bad guys" off the streets. Those men and women in 'blue' are people just like you and me. They like to joke around and have fun with their jobs, just like you and I.

Baby Chick Update (March 2016)

The baby chicks are now almost a week old. The kids are loving them, but we've realized they really do grow quickly. They've at least doubled in size. They are beginning to outgrow their tote so it's good that we only have them a few more days. By mid next week, I think they'd be flying out of the tote.

Prepping for baby chicks - Feb. 22, 2016

This week we are getting baby chicks, so we are getting their home ready. Don't worry, we won't be putting them in our backyard or anything. We are getting them so the kids can get their Easter photos taken by Kari Bruck Photography on March 5. We plan on getting six of them. A nice sized plastic tote will work perfect for a week.

The kids are super excited to get them, but we keep telling R-man that he needs to be gentle when picking them up and putting them down. After the photos, we will be taking them back to my sister's farm so she can raise them.

Weekend Wrap up (2.13.16 - 2.15.16)

This past weekend was awesome! Saturday morning I had to teach two cycling classes at the Ankeny Y (one at 8 am and another at 9 am). The kids both wanted donuts so Dave ventured out to Hy-Vee to pick up some groceries and treat the kids to breakfast while I was teaching.

R-man had a complete meltdown during grocery shopping so Dave was happy when I got home. We always tell our kids that we don't act like that in this household. I've learned that good disicpline at home goes a long way!  Later that day, I had to run a few errands in Ankeny so I took R-man with me. He was happy to be spending quality time with Mom and he was in an excellent mood the entire time.

Kids Update (January 2016)

Here’s a quick update from the past few months. I've been slacking in the kids bi-monthly updates, but people always ask me what they are up to lately so I wanted to share.


Both kids are on the go at all times and they absolutely love each other. Dave and I are hoping that continues as they age.
 

Age:
R-man is 2 years 5 months months 
Little-C is 4 years

Stats:
R-man is Weight: 27 lbs. (49%), Height: 33.75" (51%), Head Circumference: 18.5"
Little-C is 37 lbs.

Mom's surprise Birthday party (January 2016)

This past weekend, we celebrated my Mom's 58th birthday! We had a great time and better yet, my Mom was surprised that everyone could keep a secret on what was going on. Saturday morning she found out I was heading home, and I hadn't told her so she suspected something might be going on.

Saturday morning I got up at 5:30 am to decorate Mom's cake. She loves spring and I think after this cold weather we are all ready for spring so I made a colorful cake. I had to get up early because I had to teach cycling at the Ankeny Y at 8 am.

Christmas 2015

The Christmas season has come and gone so quickly, and here I am at the end of January finally writing the blog post. This past Christmas, our holiday started off at the early part of December. My side of the family usually plans our Christmas date mid-summer. You may think that sounds crazy, but my older sister works at a hospital and they make their schedule 3-6 months in advance.

Note: There are a lot photos in this blog post!

Our first Christmas was the Bruck Christmas the first weekend in December. Everyone was at the Christmas with the exception of my little brother.

Derek with Little-C and R-man.

Our daughter is 4

It's hard to believe our little girl is already four. This past year has gone by so fast and watching our little girl grow has been amazing. She is a lot more laid back now that she's four and has learned a ton at daycare. She loves to cheer on her beloved Cyclones, going to visit Grandpa and Grandma's farm, playing with her brother, taking care of her babies, and attending dance class.