1 year.....

....apparently I'm a little delayed on updating the blog. So, let's recap the last 12 months. - Kids are still growing way too fast, but are doing well - Quit my job February 9....that's a blog in itself....basically, two careers could not keep advancing at the pace they were. Jeremy is taking the lead, and I'm doing consulting on the side while managing household operations (you know diapers, food, clothes, food, clothes, diapers, sick kids, diapers,....you get the idea). - Relocation....or not - Sold the house in 2 days thinking we were moving back to MN with Jeremy's job. Went under contract on a house in MN. NE Buyers got cold feet and backed out. Put the house back on the market and ended up with offers that were less than ideal, and opted to delay move 1 year. Though we knew it would require significant travel for Jeremy - Jeremy has been a road warrior with his job pulling him to MN and ND almost weekly. We all agree we would prefer this not be long term, and look forward to the relocation being complete. - Lake life...made it to the lake in MN a couple times. Worked well since Jeremy was working up north so much, we paired it with his travel - Grandparents...made a point to see relatives more this summer. Great memories - Garden......let's just say our hobby garden took off and we learned how to can things....pickles, tomatoes, etc. It's been fun for everyone - Frogs...well, our development ended up with a ton of frogs. At one point our kids had a box with over 100 young ones in it. No joke....so, we've had tons of fun catching and releasing frogs near the wetland mitigation area. - Family ...Lots of family time, memories, and laughter - Transition....lots of transition for me stepping back from full-time work in a traditional sense. I miss it. I miss the people, and the joy in making things better for future generations in education. I loved what I got to do, but I think I made the right decision. The kids are growing fast, and I know that they loved the impromptu trips, and adventures this summer. (who wouldn't love donuts in the park, picnics, and frog hunting adventures?) - Dedication...I've never seen a man so dedicated to his job and family. Jeremy has worked his butt off with great dedication. It's impressive. I can only hope our kids understand and value work ethic that he shows them day in and day out. So, 1 year came and went really fast. I can only imagine what the next 12 months will look like.

Isabelle's Baptism

If you've ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you might recall the scene where the fiance is going to be baptized and the to-be father-in-law, says, "Today Ian, you are going to be Baptized." The way he says it always cracked me up, and so I find always hear it in my head that way. Anyway, I swayed from the point of this post. Elle was baptized last Saturday, August 19, 2017. It was a pretty special day. Both sets of grandparents were present, Tom's family, as well and Dan, Alisa and Jacob from Georgia. It was great celebrating with them all. I honestly love some of the pics I took today of Elle in her dress. She wasn't in the mood last week, and rightfully so. She was cutting her first tooth, so we didn't have many smiles then. Anyway, here they are of the little lady.

Colorado...

We love Colorado. That's all there is to it. The mountains, outdoor lifestyle, focus on health and wellness. and...the lack of bugs. ha. We made a quick escape out west last week and it was nothing short of amazing. We hiked 3 days and let the kids have a day of fun in the mountains on an adventure course with zip lining, ropes courses, etc. We are looking forward to returning sooner than later.

Another School year.....

Tomorrow we start a new school year. Kindergarten for Luke and 2nd grade for Maddie. Amy?....she just wants to go to school.

Omaha, NE

Surprise, we live in Omaha, NE! Let's go back a bit and bring you up to speed. I was contacted about an opportunity with Creighton University to build out a unit within Enrollment Management focused on graduate student Academic Marketing, Recruitment and Enrollment. It's been nothing short of crazy since the first call came in about the opportunity. The spring consisted of many day trips in and out of Omaha to work, until the family relocated. I know the airports well and have the 7 am and 4 p.m. flights down between Minneapolis and Omaha. ha - a first! Anyway, at first we really didn't know if we would take the opportunity. Omaha was never on our radar as a point of interest, or possible location to live. Jeremy's first comment was, "So, there are no mountains and fewer lakes.....Omaha....huh..." It took a bit to wrap our head around. We knew there would be a delayed relocation due to our MN house, which had $40,000 in hail damage last Sept. So, once the snow melted, we had repairs made, and listed our house....apparently 50 new construction listed at the same time. Well, we were very fortunate and it sold 3 weeks later. Whew! A sigh of relief for us. We bought a house in Elkhorn, NE. The market here is insane this year and houses are selling within hours of being listed. So, I literally walked Jeremy through a house on facetime on the phone and made an offer. The home works well for our family and is designed with a functional use of space focus. Perfect for us. The kids love the sand box which is bigger than the average bedroom. And, there are about 10 kids within 5 houses to play with. Everyone transitioned well. Okay, the kids and Jeremy. They are doing well. Jeremy is working for the same company and works remote. He travels to MN about 1/month and is keeping busy. The kids have a short summer compared to usual. In MN we didn't start school until after Labor Day. In Nebraska, we start mid-August. So in reality, Maddie had 8 weeks vacation this summer. They are looking forward to making new friends in a few weeks and starting a new routine. Of course we took time to visit the lake, catch a few fish and do some tubing. We also converted moving boxes into rocket ships. There is never a shortage of imagination play! Funny, Nebraska was never on our radar as location to live, but we have settled in great and love the community we have found. It's amazing how life works out sometimes. So, without further delay. Here are some pictures.