WOW It’s been a long time! Well I haven’t blogged since February of 2012 so a lot has
happened. I am going to break it down by month and try to keep it short.
March: This year
for Spring Break we went to the indoor waterpark in Burlington, IA with my
brother and his family. It was ok but it would have been even better if we
would have went during the summer as most of the water slides and bigger things
are part of the outside waterpark. Overall it was a good trip. Trevor and I also made a trip to Washington
D.C. It was mainly for my work with the association but we also made time for
us to tour the city. It was quite a trip.
We got to see lots of D.C. and really enjoyed the sites that we toured.
April: Bryce
turned 14 and got his driver’s permit. It has been a little rough teaching him
how to drive. I don’t have the patience for this so there has been some
yelling. Trevor does pretty well with teaching him so I am letting him do all
that. Bryce is wanting to take drivers education but I am making him wait until
he has all “C’s” or above. I think this is a good compromise as if it really
was my choice it would be “B’s”.
I also received another promotion in April with Conlin. I
was offered the position of Director of Community Associations. It has had a
few bumps but overall I love my position and am glad that I took this
promotion.
May: Lexi turned
12 and boy is her body changing. She is making me feel old because she is the
youngest but she is pre teen. I often wonder how it will be when the kids are
grown and moved out of the house. While I know this is still a few years away;
I have a feeling this time is going to go by fast since they are growing up and
don’t need us as much anymore. I also took another trip to D.C. for a work
conference. While it was great seeing the city again, I also missed being at
home.
June: I took a
trip to Boston for a work conference. I had never been to this city before so
it was nice to tour and taste some of the different foods. It was also nice to
have some colleagues there but also some that I consider friends. Bryce also took his school trip to D.C. He
talked about this for weeks. He had such an amazing experience and I can’t wait
until Lexi gets to take a school trip. (which is next year)
July, August, and
September: We spent most of the summer either at Baseball and Softball
games or at Adventureland. I would say that we had a busy summer but made a lot
of memories. I went to Chicago for work and enjoyed my time alone. The kids
started back to school in August. I still can’t believe Bryce is in High
School. That really makes me feel old.
October: My
brother and Jenny got married on October 13th. It was a wonderful
day. It didn’t rain during the ceremony, which I would say almost everyone was
worried about. They both looked absolutely stunning. Jenny has always been
family but now it is official.
November: I
turned 34 this year. I would have to say that I feel like I have accomplished
quite a bit for my age. I went to Indianapolis for a conference with the
association and also graduated from the National Lyceum Program. Trevor came
over to see my graduation and also attend the installation dinner for National
Apartment Association. One thing that I
have wanted to do and would at least like to look into at some point in 2013 is
my Masters Degree in Business. We spent Thanksgiving at our house and had some
family out to enjoy the feast.
December: Trevor turned 36 this year. He took his
business FT this year and it has been a great success. I know that he will
continue to grow and it will be a success in 2013. We decided as a family that
we would spend Christmas Eve with the Benton side of the family. I have to say
that I am so proud of myself for how I handled everything. It was a little
awkward but nothing I couldn’t handle. We spent Christmas Day at home and had
some family out. I absolutely love Bella “new MacBook Pro”. She is orange right
now but she is also blue when I decide to change her skin. LOL. The kids got
iPad’s from Santa and I swear they sleep with them. We decided to take a trip
to TN on December 28th and came back on January 1st. We
spent time in Knoxville, Pigeon Forge and Memphis. We went through the Smokey Mountains,
which was my favorite part of the trip. We spent some time in Hayesville, NC,
which is 2 hours from Knoxville visiting Trevor’s cousin Nathan and his GF
Karen. It was very relaxing spending time in the mountains but I have to say
that having no Internet or phone was different. We spent New Year’s Eve Day at
the Liberty Bowl. Now most of you know that we are Hawkeye fans but since we
were visiting family I made a decision to purchase the tickets in advance and
support Iowa State. I mean there is nothing wrong with that since both teams
are from Iowa. It was fun but I have to say I was not very fond of the rain. We
spent the evening in our hotel room just relaxing and eating some goodies. I
really tried to stay up until Midnight but I didn’t make it. I fell asleep
shortly after 11. I didn’t get stuck in 2012 like Lexi said I would but one
could wish. 2013 has not started out too great but I am going to make it the
best that I can and keep moving forward.
