paradise

Ah, to be back from vacation is the worst. We had a week in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado and a few great nights in Denver. But it feels like when you get back, you just have so much work to do between unpacking, laundry, catching up on sleep, etc. But I wouldn't trade that for the world. We started out our adventure around 4:00 on Friday afternoon with Jon and Jordan. We left Ames, headed to Des Moines to pick up Zach's sisters camera and then we were off to Phillipsburg, Kansas to visit my sister Maddie and Ethan. It was so good to see them both, it seems like it's been forever since I've seen either of them. We only got to spend one evening and a half day with Maddie, but it was worth it. We went out for lunch on Saturday afternoon then we were on our way to Denver! The drive seemed to go faster than I thought it would. We listened to music, I finished a few books, and just had a good time. We arrived in Denver around 4 and took it easy with Zach's aunt Trish, her husband Buddy, and their adorable son Otto for the rest of the evening. The next morning we woke up and Buddy wanted to take us on a hike at Chief mountain. That was the first time I've done a full-on hike. It was a lot of fun and definitely worth it to get to the top. Later on that day, Alex and Barb arrived and we all went to Fogo de Chao for dinner. (One of my top 3 favorite moments of the trip!) The next day we were off to Estes Park! We arrived at our beautiful condo and spent the evening there. The next few days were full of hikes, great meals, swimming, hot tubbing, and tourist shopping. I won't go into too many details about the trip but I will say that it was an amazing trip and I can't wait to go back again. On the last Friday we were there, Zach and I decided to stay for an extra evening. We drove to Boulder and did some shopping then stayed at Buddy and Trish's for the evening. Trish took us to downtown Denver for some amazing mexican and a Colorado Rockies game! It was such a great time. We saw a double rainbow AND the Rockies won! Before we left on Saturday we were able to go to Red Rocks and it was absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to get back out there and attend a concert with Zach.

All in all, I think this trip really helped our relationship grow and it was just such a great experience for us to say we got to do together. Another vacation coming soon! (Hopefully)

thanks for reading and have a great week! xoxo

and the big news is...

I know everyone is dying to know the big news I've been waiting to share. (or not) But it's very big news to me.

I have accepted a job in Des Moines as a nanny and I am moving down there August 10th!! I am VERY sad to be leaving the Wakefield's, Roland, and all of my babysitting families, but I know that this is the next step for me. Zach is also moving to Des Moines to live with his brother and sister-in law and start a new job. He hasn't gotten one yet, but I know he will find something great. We have decided not to move in together before marriage and I know sometimes it would be more convenient to live together, but we are holding off. We will still spend a lot of time together, but just not living under the same roof. The new family I will be working with has 3 kids. They are 7, 5, and 3. Two boys and a girl. I am going to be living with them for the first two months, then I will be moving into my own place with Penny. I am very excited for this new adventure but very nervous at the same time.

I know this really wasn't the news everyone was hoping for but hey, it's a big step!!

Thanks for reading, xoxo!

daylight

Today I took my nanny girls, Gabriella and Kendall to the Blank Park Zoo. We went with my sister Emily, her nanny kids Cole, Reese, and Claire, and my little cousin, Ellie. We started off freezing cold, all of us with sweatshirts/jackets on and it was perfect. After walking around a little, we warmed up but it was a picture perfect day to go to the zoo. The kids had fun looking at all of the animals, riding the train, getting Jolly Rancher ice cream, and spending the day together. If we have time to go again this summer, we will most likely be back. But we still haven't been to the Science Center so it may be a hard choice seeing as the girls LOVED the Science Center last summer.

Another really great thing happened today. My friend from high school, Kelsie, had her third baby today! He is the most adorable little guy ever. I mean look at those lashes!! (you can't see his hair in this one but he has a whole head full!) I'm so glad Owen decided to come before I went on vacation Friday! Yay for babies!

Lastly, my best friend asked me to be her maid of honor in her wedding!!!! I am so excited! I have never been a maid of honor before so the pressure to have everything perfect is on :) ahh...so much planning to do since the wedding is less than a year away!! 

some big news is going to be revealed tomorrow, so get ready! thanks for reading, xoxo.

ABC's of me.

A. Age: 25

B. Bed Size: Queen

C. Chore You Dislike: Dishes. Anything else I don't really mind.

D. Dogs: Penny, age 4 

E. Essential Start to Your Day: Giving Penny a big squeeze and brushing my hair.

F. Favorite Color: Pink

G. Gold or Silver: Definitely silver, I really dislike gold jewelry.

H. Height: 5’5 but I wish I was taller. 

I. Instruments You Played: Piano when I was little then the Flute 7th-10th grade. 

J. Job Title: Nanny

K. Kids: Not anytime soon, but my dream would be to have 6. Might take some convincing on Zach's part :)

L. Live: Currently- Roland, Iowa

M. Mom’s Name: Amy. 

N. Nicknames: Ash, Schultz, Smash. 

O. Overnight Hospital Stays: Nope, never. 

P. Pet Peeves: When people bite their fingernails, clip their toenails, whistling, repeating myself several times, and when people don't clean up after themselves.

Q. Quote From a Movie:  I am in love with you. I apologize for the blunt delivery, but as problematic as this fact may be, I am in love. With you. And I'm not feeling this because you're leaving, and not because it feels good to feel this way- which by the way, it does, or did before you went off like that. I can't figure out the mathematics of this, I just know I love you. Can't believe how many times I'm saying it. I never thought I'd feel this way again, so that's pretty phenomenal. But I realize I come with a package deal- 3 for the price of 1. And my package perhaps in the light of day isn't all that wonderful, but I finally know what I want, and that in itself is a miracle. And what I want is you. - Graham from The Holiday. 

R. Righty or Lefty: Righty!

S. Siblings: Two younger sisters, Emily & Maddie. One younger brother, Nic. Maddie & Nic are twins!

T. Time You Wake Up: 7:45 because I don't have to leave home.

U. Underwear: ? Yes, I wear them.

V. Vegetables You Don’t Like: I don't really dislike any vegetables.

W. What Makes You Run Late: Picking out clothes or blowdrying my hair.

X. X-Rays You’ve Had: 3 on my heart. 

Y. Yummy Food You Make: Anything with Zach.

Z. Zoo Animal Favorites: Penguins!

we never change

This weekend was a lot of fun. Friday I only had to watch the Wakefield's until noon, so afterwards I went to Ames to get lunch/watch the Lego movie with Zach and his brother Jon. The movie was way better than I thought it was going to be. Then we made sun dried tomato turkey, provolone, tomato, and bacon panini's for lunch, my favorite. (The guacamoles weren't ready yet unfortunately.) After a late lunch, we came back to Roland, watched a movie, played Yahtzee (which I totally dominated in) and just had a relaxing evening. Saturday morning, my sister Emily, my mom and I drove to Urbana for my cousin Charlie's 4th birthday party. It was a fun day with family and Charlie loved ALL of his presents. (If you know Charlie at all, you will know how hard it was to get those two pictures with him.) Sunday was spent watching the World Cup finals, eating the Mandarin, and spending the evening with Julia and my sister, Emily. A pretty good weekend I think! and only 4 1/2 days until we leave for Colorado!!!! xoxo

 p.s. how handsome is baby Abram? Cutest little guy I ever did see :)

sparks

Now that the cat is FINALLY out of the bag, I can tell everyone. Two of my best friends are now ENGAGED!! I can't believe it. A little over a year ago, Nate came to me and told me to set him up with someone that I thought would be good for him. Without hesitation, I told him to ask Missy on a date. We have all known each other for years so what would it hurt? I think he was scared of her saying no so he kept saying "should I really? Really? Okay, what's her number?" and that was that. A year ago today they went on their first date. I remember talking to Missy on the phone before hand and telling her it was going to be fine! She told me that Zach and I should "casually stop by" in case the date isn't going well. So right on cue, we ventured to Olde Main to make sure everything was going well. We ended up sitting and chatting for a bit then we were on our way. Things seemed to be going good and the rest is just history. We went on a fair share of double dates between Des Moines, Center Grove, sushi a few times, and bonfires at Missy's. I knew after a few months that they were perfect for one another, they very much balance one another out. A few weeks ago, I went to Nate's to look at his new apartment and while I was there, he showed me the ring. I was taken aback by it, it was absolutely gorgeous! He then told me the details of his "engagement idea" and I was on board. He was to take her to the Ledges in Boone for family pictures then while taking them, he was going to hand Brayden (her 1 1/2 year old son) a banner that said "Will you marry Nate? Love, Brayden. 7-10-14" and I instantly fell in love with the idea. Last night was the party and right before they got there, Aleesha and I received a snapchat from Miss that said "so, I'm engaged!" with her bawling and showing off the ring. About 10 minutes later, her and Nate pulled up to his parents house where everyone was anxiously waiting for them. Nate's mom, Kelly, had really outdone herself with all of the decorations and delicious food. (She is the best art teacher around.) We all congratulated the happy couple, took pictures, a few tears were shed, and then we had a toast. :)  I am so incredibly happy for my best friends and can't wait to help them wedding plan. xoxo

speed of sound

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday and I love being able to celebrate it every year. It is so fun to get together with friend and family to celebrate and watch the fireworks. This year, we were lucky enough to be able to celebrate twice! On Thursday evening, Zach and I went to Fuji with Alex and Barb for sushi. It was delicious as always and the company was fantastic. Afterwards, we went to the Iowa State sports complex to play soccer and throw around a frisbee. Then when it became dark enough outside, we walked back over to watch the fireworks from the field. It was great. We only had to move once to the bleaches to be able to see the fireworks better. On the 4th, we went to Boone to spend time with my best friend Missy, her son Brayden, and her boyfriend, Nate. We went to Nate's parents house to celebrate his Dad's birthday then headed into town to watch the fireworks. As crazy as it may sound, the Boone fireworks were much better than the Ames ones. Shortly after the fireworks were over, we went back to Missy's apartment to shoot off some sparklers/fireworks and have a bonfire. Much needed friend time. This morning, I had an interview in Des Moines that went really well and I am excited to hear back from the family. This afternoon, we are headed back down to Des Moines for baby Abram's baptism! I can't wait. Hope everyone enjoyed their Fourth!! xoxo.

don't panic

as some of you may know, in september I purchased a 2006 equinox. walking onto the car lot, I had no idea what to expect seeing as I have never purchased a car from a dealership before. I knew what kind of car I wanted but I knew I probably couldn't afford it. so I settled with a used SUV. at first, i absolutely loved it. it had so much space, it was the nicest car I had ever owned, it had air conditioning, and Penny could fit in it. I was on the equinox high for a few months then I got a flat tire and I had to replace all four tires at the same time. hello $550 dollars I didn't think I would have to come up with so quickly! after that, my car basically started falling apart. I would get stuck on the side of the road because it was overheating, my air conditioner/heat would go out on the worst days, the alignment was off, my antenna was falling out (crazy, I know) and it was slowly becoming what I like to refer to it as. The death trap. I didn't want to have to find another vehicle, but I knew I had no choice. I went back to the dealership where I bought the equinox and tried a few different kinds. Through all of the ups and downs, I finally found my new car! Meet Shiva. Now, I am totally one of those people who judges other people when they name their cars, it's just weird. But Zach thought Shiva would be a perfect name for my 2010 Toyota Corolla! It is just perfect. I am glad I had to go through the crappy time with the death trap to finally get this nice car that I love. And how can you go wrong with 34 mpg on the highway?!