A Look Back at 2013 MAY - Our Honeymoon (May 6th) - Chicago and Orlando

Ed and I have been married for 13 years and are FINALLY getting to go on our honeymoon!  We chose to go to Florida for a week!  Thank you to our family and friends for watching our kiddos so we could have some much needed time alone together.

We drove to Chicago on our actual anniversary (May 5th) and flew out the next morning.  I love seeing cities from the plane and looking out over Lake Michigan.  While we were up in the air, we saw a lake in the shape of a heart and I knew Oliver was with us!  I don't really like to fly as I feel sick a lot of the time, mainly taking off and landing.  As we were landing in Orlando, we were a few feet from the strip and then took off up in the air again!  We nearly missed another plane on the tarmac!!  So I had to deal with landing TWICE.  UGH... my stomach was up in my throat and I was a little panicked!  But, all ended well.  I was so happy to be on the ground!

Aerial view of Chicago and Navy Peir

We got to Orlando in the early evening and went out to dinner at a wonderful Brazilian steakhouse, Texas de Brazil.  We had gone there on our last trip to Florida with Oliver and loved it.  It was the perfect place to spend our anniversary!

Thought this was so funny!

I loved the floral arrangements!

They would come to the table with different types of meat and cut some off for you.

The discs we used to let them know to stop at our table!

We had a great view of the kitchen.

Happy anniversary to my BEST FRIEND!  I LOVE YOU!

After dinner waiting for our car.

After we ate we found an outlet mall that was open later and walked around a bit.  I found a small backpack to take with us on our daily outings and a Hamsa necklace.  It was fun to just do what we wanted on our own timeline!  I loved spending every day with my favorite person!!!  He was so good posing for me all week long! 

There was a really cute candy shop at the outlet mall where Ed purchased this gigantic brick of tastiness!!!

A Look Back at 2013 - MAY

May is Brain Tumor Awareness month and so my mom made a large GRAY RIBBON to put on her door with names of mostly DIPG kids and others that have passed away from brain tumors.  Oliver, of course is the one in the center with golden wings.  We will always continue to raise awareness for brain tumors in Oliver's memory.  ALL of these fighters will have a special place in my heart.

I was looking through these sweet posters that Oliver's classmates made for him after he passed away in 2012.

Fun at Chuck E. Cheese with our little friend, Chloe.

Finn throwing rocks in the lake at George Wyth.

Eden and the fourth graders.

McKenzie and Eden -- 4th grade Vocal Music Concert

Phineas... I mean... Batman with his Super Donut Ring...

Eden's Talent Show - Eden and her friends got together for an exercise routine with a twist.  They performed to the song "Flashdance".  The crowd was constantly laughing!  I did a similar thing in my 5th or 6th grade talent show and told her about it.  They did a GREAT job!  Upper right photo - Eden, Sayde, McKenzie, Jaida, Kamiah, Gabby.  Eden and her friend, Camdyn.  Eden with Grandma Young.  Sayde, Eden and McKenzie.

Talent Show

The boys on our friend's motorcycle.  Love those smiles!

Eden drew this picture of Emily from the movie "The Corpse Bride".

 I always try to take last day of school photos of the kids with their teachers and classes.  I didn't get Jaren's class or a photo with his teacher and one of his associates.  Jaren is with Mrs. Heinz, one of his para educators who happens to be our good friend.  Eden is with her 4th grade teacher, Miss Flack.  Jaren was chased and is getting some hugs from a classmate who I think may have had a crush on him!  :)  Every year on the last day of school, we take the kids to get ice cream cones at Rudy's Tacos down the street.  Eden invited McKenzie and Sayde to join us this year!

Last day of school.  Eden 4th grade/Jaren PreK

A Look Back at 2013 - APRIL

Sassy Phineas, age 3

Eden had a piece of artwork picked to be shown at the school district's Culture Fest.  It was held at the Waterloo Center for the Arts.  We invited my mom and Eden's former art teacher, Deb Wesley.  Deb and my mom worked together several years ago at Lincoln Elementary in Waterloo.  Unfortunately in July, Deb suddenly passed away.  We were so sad to hear this news as her and my mom had recently become good friends.  She was always so nice and friendly.  Eden loved her as a teacher.

Eden and mom

Eden's former art teacher and Grandma's good friend, Deb, Eden and Grandma Young

~DEBRA FOGLEMAN WESLEY~

Debra, daughter of Mae (Bogatzke) and Kenneth Fogleman, was born May 27, 1953, at St. Anthony Hospital in Carroll, Iowa. She lived and grew up in Manning where her father worked with the postal service. Debra graduated from Manning High School in 1971. And then went on to graduate from Mankato State University (Minnesota State University) with an Art Degree.
After graduating from college Debra moved to New Orleans for 12 years and worked as a dispatcher for a trucking company. She married Joseph Wesley and one child was born to this union. Debra moved back to Iowa in the late 1980s to Osceola where she worked as a dispatcher for the Jimmie Dean Company. She continued to work as a dispatcher when she moved to Waterloo. Debra went back to school and graduated from UNI in 1993 with a BA in Art Education. She taught for the Waterloo Community School District and held positions in both elementary and high school from 1995 to 2013 when she retired. Debra’s hobbies included gardening, photography, music and art. She was an animal lover and owned three dogs, a cat, and a horse.
Debra was taken to the emergency room at Allen Hospital in Waterloo where she died July 3, 2013 at the age of 60 years, a month and 6 days.
Debra is preceded in death by her parents.
She is survived by her daughter Quinn Wesley of Lehi, Utah; siblings Nancy (Stephen) Muhlbauer of Manning, Carmen (Rob) Yancey of West Des Moines, Steven (Julie) Fogleman of Manning; nieces and nephews: Shannon, Mitchell, Justeen, Caden, Rylie-Shea, Rachel, Jackson, Stephanie and Brian; other relatives and friends.
Visitation
Friday, July 12, 2013, 10:00 AM
ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH
MANNING, IOWA
Funeral Service
FRIDAY, July 12, 2013, 11:00 AM
ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH
MANNING, IOWA
Officiating
REVEREND JONATHAN CONNER
Honorary Urn Bearers
DEBRA’S NIECES AND NEPHEWS

A Look Back at 2013 - MARCH

 ST. PATRICK'S DAY

This year we set up a leprechaun trap and he left the kids some Starburst candies, Lucky Charms and gold coins!  We had homemade shepherd's pie and sparkling cider for dinner.  Iron man was Jaren's 'plus one' for the event. 

EASTER
 

We went to Clinton to visit my grandparents for Easter this year.  It was the first time I got to see my cousin's sweet baby, Logan.  He wasn't very happy in the photo below!  Jaren sitting with great grandpa, showing him things on the iPad, the kids sitting on the front steps, my cousin's little family, G & G, and Jaren being goofy in the hotel room.

 Easter Sunday.  We went to church with Grandma and Grandpa and then the kids had an egg hunt in their back yard.  My mom is pictured with them on the bottom right.

Before we headed out of town, I wanted to visit my grandparents graves and make an arrangement for them.  It was the first time I'd been out there since my grandma died.

 WARTBURG DANCE MARATHON

We attended our first Wartburg DM in Waverly.  It was quite a bit smaller than UNI's or UI's since it is a smaller campus, but the hearts and compassion of the students that volunteer is just the same.  They raised $30, 479.13!  We were only there for a bit, but the kids had fun dancing, playing with blocks, ping pong, having races and playing catch.  Eden sniffed out the mustaches, of course!