Memories

Christmas time is a time of love, family, fun, and traditions. Many people give gifts to celebrate (traditionally these symbolize the gifts the wise men gave Jesus). I like to give gifts from the heart–ones I've spent time on,...

It was twilight in the Amana Colonies. Our little family of three was heading back to our car after a late afternoon of window shopping and enjoying some strudel. Seasonal garlands were hung along every fence post on the...

Life is hard sometimes. Really hard. We live through life events; we endure and emerge on the other side changed people. It’s easy to ask, “Why me?” or “What purpose did our experience serve?” In some ways, it can...

I hesitantly signed up for Facebook when it first became available to non-ivy league schools in 2004. (Who remembers that?!) At the time, I thought it was crazy people were signing up for “social media” to “talk” to the...

Earlier this month, my husband and I celebrated 15 years of marriage. Some would say that is quite the accomplishment! It feels like it has always been, so I wanted to focus my thoughts and memories on how we...

I grew up in North Liberty. I went to Clear Creek Amana schools and was on the “rural” bus route. This was before everyone wanted to live here, before Coral Ridge Mall existed, and when Koser Cone was the...

Last week, my oldest son turned 9.  Nine.  To be honest, I never expected 9 to be a hard birthday as his mom.  Watching all four of my babies turn 1 was rough; knowing that I'd never refer to...

When my husband, Jeremy, and I had children old enough to join a club, we discussed a couple of different options. We ended up deciding that 4-H would be best fit for our family and would benefit our kids...

Being pregnant is such a special and short time, even though it can feel like a long time. There are so many amazing things happening that you think you'll always remember, but they do get lost if you don't capture them...

I will be the first to admit that I am, without a doubt, an all-out Disney fan. I love just about everything Disney, and nothing more so than Walt Disney World. I am lucky to have had the opportunity...