Summer 2018 Randoms

Summertime sunsets in Indiana are just gorgeous - and we have a great view out our front door to catch them.

We've been working hard since February of 2017 to pay off all our debt. We started with about $22,000 and a few other things have come up, so we're working with a total of about $25,000. Now, about 18 months later, we've got just a few thousand left after we paid off my car. Such a great milestone! Only two more debts to go - a couple of small student loans.

One Sunday I said, "I want some really good chicken tenders." So Brandon looked up a recipe online and made chicken tenders. And they were amazing! I'm wishing I had some of these right now.

Beautiful afternoon at the temple

We visited Brandon's grandparents out at their friends Jeff and Candy's house where they have a stocked fishing pond - Brandon's favorite place to fish. And he's my favorite fisherman. <3 p="">

I started teaching seminary this fall and it has been tough - I'm not a morning person at all and we start at 5:55 am, so it's been a big adjustment. Added to that, I have to go to bed earlier than normal while Brandon is up late working on homework, so I don't get to spend as much time with him either. I can't say it's easy, but it's gotten better. Some days, though, it's just still tough. But one tough morning, I came down and found this quote on the door, left there the night before by Brandon. It was so thoughtful and of course made me cry first thing in the morning. He's been a great support for me.

"Perhaps none in that vast team deserve our awe and our appreciation more than early-morning seminary teachers. Dear friends, there is a throne in heaven for you! Year after year (decade after decade for some of you!) you prepare through the night, set the alarm for the morning, groan when it goes off, and then either drive somewhere in the dark or welcome into your living room a pajama-clad, uncombed, sleep-dazed cadre of students. What a holy work you do, and what a shield of faith you and your predecessors have given to now two-thirds of a century of early-morning seminary students. And never underestimate what those students are hearing and feeling, in spite of appearances. Bless you and bless them for one of the remarkable examples of devotion demonstrated in the Church."

Youth Boating Trip

I was called to teach seminary this year, so I was released from the Young Women's presidency. My former presidency members invited us to come to the youth boating trip anyway, so we took the offer and headed to Cataract Lake. It's been so crazy hot and sunny all summer, but of course on the one day we head to the water, it was cloudy and cool. 

We still had a great time, though, playing with friends - Jackson's friends from church, Caroline and Louisa Rhoads and Ethan Lund were there - and boating.

Jackson was brave enough to get on the tube this year and LOVED it! He didn't want to ever get off!

Brother Ingram isn't even in our ward anymore but still graciously takes us on his boat each year. He's the best!

The moms got a turn, too - it was so fun! I seriously don't know the last time I laughed that hard.

Freedom Springs

Jackson started kindergarten this year, so we celebrated the last day of summer by heading to Freedom Springs waterpark in Greenwood. Jackson is finally tall enough to ride everything by himself, so he was loving taking on all the big water slides!

New Babies

At Christmas time last year, we found out that three women in our family were expecting babies - my brothers' wives, Dominika and Alisha, and Brandon's sister Elexis - all due within a week of each other. Fast forward eight months and we had three additions to our family in six days!

First was Elexis' baby girl Nova Rose, born the morning of July 24th. The hospital was just down the street from our house, so we headed over there that afternoon to see Elexis and Baby Nova.

Late that night, also the 24th, came Isaac and Dominika's baby boy Elias Ambrose, born in Utah. We weren't able to see him, obviously, but we got lots of sweet pictures.

Six days later, on July 29th came Jacob and Alisha's baby boy Alexander Paul. He was born in Noblesville, Indiana so much closer but still an hour away, so it took a week for us to get up there to see him. I met Tessa and her kids and my dad up there the next Sunday afternoon to visit the baby and proud parents.

Loving all these sweet babies!

UNION

Once a year, all of EVERFI (the company I work for) gets together for a few days of training and celebrating. Previously, they got together twice a year and went to various places around the country. We've gotten too big for that, though, so they cut it down to once a year and held it in Washington, D.C., where our headquarters are, so fewer people had to travel. 

In July 2018, we took over the Georgetown Marriott and had a great time!

Working on a remote team is funny - we talk all the time and I feel really close to these people but have really only seen most of them once, with the exception of my colleagues in Chicago whom I've visited a few times. It's so much fun to actually get together in person! In this picture are Heather Miller, from Kansas City, Holly Holt, our program coordinator who lives in DC, Marissa Moore and Meaghan Joyce who both work in Chicago, and Stephanie Stokes, who works in St. Louis.

The first night they had a social at a local restaurant. It was so loud and hot, and the food ran out quickly so I was not so much a fan that night. But the restaurant was really cool - I'd like to go back sometime when it's not so packed with EVERFI people! A few members of our team, plus Sabina (middle) - a customer success manager who works in Chicago:

On both days we had meetings, trainings, and large group meetings. The last evening we had another social at a beautiful restaurant/club near the water. It wasn't even open to the public yet - we were the first visitors. On the way, we passed the Washington Monument, as well as a few of the other memorials.

Laura Klein, a colleague from another team who works in Minneapolis, MN, and Lauren Pingul, the newest member of our team who is working outside of Chicago.

On the last day, we had a few meetings just for our K-12 team. Lauren had left already, but here's everyone else, including Noah Doppelt - Chicago, and Ben Gwynne - St. Louis.

Our whole K-12 team. Our company now has a few different divisions, but this is the team I work with most closely - all the schools managers from around the country and other schools support. It's a great team. It was such a surreal experience to finally meet people in person whom I'd already been talking to and working with online for almost a year. 

I flew into DC Wednesday afternoon and we had work events that night, all day Thursday, and Friday morning. The hotel was paid for, so Brandon flew out Thursday morning, did some site-seeing himself on Thursday, and then we stayed over until Saturday to explore the city a bit more.

Friday evening we walked to the Kennedy Center. The neighborhood we walked through was beautiful, and then we had a great tour of the beautiful Kennedy Center and took in the views from the rooftop. We lucked out and were able to catch a free comedy show while we were there, too.

The next day, it rained. All day. That makes site-seeing pretty tough. We had a tour of the White House scheduled, so we went to that. We didn't realize we'd have to wait outside in order to go through security. Fortunately for me, a kind woman - who ended up being from Indiana, too - shared her umbrella with me. After the White House, we took refuge in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. We were so wet and so cold, though, that it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as we'd hoped. We were happy to get back to the hotel, change into dry clothes and shoes, and head home.