Ak-Sar-Ben Coronation

I had the honor of attending the Ak-Sar-Ben Coronation on Saturday evening with my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, and friend Sara. Also recognized during this event are outstanding leaders from around the Heartland. Princesses, Escorts, and Pages represent their families who are being honored for their contributions to the region. My cousin Spencer was an Escort (both of my brother's had the opportunity to be escorts for prior Coronations).


The annual Coronation & Scholarship Ball raises money for the Ak-Sar-Ben Youth Scholarship Fund. This year, Ak-Sar-Ben will partner with the Horatio Alger Scholarship Program to provide 50 scholarships to deserving students from Nebraska and Western Iowa. Great chance to honor those who contribute to the community, raise money for scholarships, and get all fancied up!

Great Neighborhood in Coralville, IA

During a recent Iowa League of Cities Conference in Coralville, IA I participated in a 5k (where I was the first female to finish!!). We ran through this neighborhood.




I am in LOVE!! All the homes and townhomes are new construction but built to resemble old homes.



I loved the attention to detail, the uniqueness of each home, and the fact that the garages were in the back so did not overwhelm the homes.





It was called The Peninsula Neighborhood. I was wishing I had an extra day to tour a few of the homes as I am guessing they are just as gorgeous on the inside. The neighborhood even included a very fun dog park


And this cool playground!

Play Ball?

Me neither. I have ZERO basketball skills and no desire to play basketball. But charity called (Hospice with Heart) so I stepped out of my comfort zone.

Yes, that is me warming up for a lil basketball game. As you can tell from my walk my skills are suspect! LOL.

But my cousin Jay convinced me it would be a fun game and talent was not required.

I entered with a cartwheel (as did another female teammate)

And must admit I had an amazing time. I scored a few baskets but mostly just cheesed it up.





My look seemed to alter from smiling out of fear or a look of sheer terror at the idea of crashing and burning or doing soething equally embarassing.

And was thankful my stunt didn’t turn out like this.

Thanks Harlem Ambassadors for a great night of fun and fundraising for Hospice with Heart! And for once I had a cheer squad instead of being the cheerleader!


More photos here.

Turn CB Pink

Tonight is the Kick Off Event at T’z in Council Bluffs to sale the above t-shirts. The goal is for everyone to wear the shirts in Council Bluffs on October 29th in an effort to “Turn CB Pink”. The Fire Department is putting on this event and are wearing pink shirts the entire month of October. Very exciting! The shirts are only $10 so if anyone would like a shirt (From CB or not!) let me know and I will deliver. For more information read this article.



*Photos from Turn CB Pink Kickoff party at T’z

This house is taunting me

Do you have a house that has always pulled at you? The house you can picture yourself living in? This house does that to me and has just been listed for sale.

I have no idea what makes this house stand out. I even blogged last fall about how much I love it. It’s not super fancy, big, or flashy. It’s just a quaint home in my historical neighborhood. It has been for sale approximately four times in the last fifteen years and every time I look at it. The current owners have done a LOT of work (Removing layer upon layer of floral wallpaper for one) and it looks great.





I can envision the changes I would make to transform it to my home. It’s very affordable, but it only has one bathroom (shower – no tub which is huge to me) and a VERY small yard.

I am pretty sure I would miss my large private yard and I know I would miss having a bathtub. It’s actually much smaller than my home but that is part of the appeal. So many days I feel overwhelmed by the massive size of my home and I rarely use most rooms. This home would be cozy. But at the same time my home holds so much history, so many memories, and it is finally looking the way I desire. Decisions!

My dream home is a farmhouse or Tudor in the country on an acreage with a garden, chickens, cows, etc…

*Photos from Heartland Properties Website

Omaha Half Marathon Success

Not only did I sign up on a whim (with my longest “training” run being only 10 miles) the week of the race. I also decided it would be a great idea to indulge in several cocktails the day prior (pre race carb loading right?) and stay up past 1 am…. Despite these negatives I managed to get up and complete the Omaha Half on Sunday. Not only did I complete the Half, I also beat my last two times….I finished with a 2.10 time (which I realize is VERY slow for most of you but for me its slightly speedy). A bit concerned that the least prepared race of my “racing” career was one of my better performances. Could have been the cool temps, could have been the nice looking marines standing guard throughout the race and handing out medals, or maybe I am finally getting the hang of this running thing, most likely it was just a lucky day. Now if only I could gain some speed and actually run with my partners instead of behind them.

*Last minute race equals non matching outfits - sorry Cathi!

Pike Place Market

A trip to Seattle is not complete unless you visit Pike’s Market. Unfortunately both visits were on rainy days (shocking I know) so I didn’t snap a lot of photos (rows upon rows of fresh veggies and fruits!). The fish market was exactly what I expected, loud, boisterous, full of tourists, smelly, and fun. They threw fish, yelled at onlookers, and chanted songs


And of course had many tempting choices


I decided on Alaskan King Salmon (and scallops) as a local favorite.

Thankfully they deboned and filed it up for me before packaging it to go


During this process the staff decided my cousin Cassie and I could entertain the crowds by proudly displaying the fish available for purchase

Poor Cassie is a vegan and as you can tell by her face wanted to die instead of holding that poor dead fish


But she was a sport and we had a blast – and most importantly walked away with yummy fresh fish for a family dinner al fresco.

Salmon, scallops, spinach, and hush puppies (not pictured as a bit of a timing issue)



Great food, great wine, and most importantly great company - my mom, dad, brother Erik, and grandpa – make for a wonderful evening. Oh yeah and the flowers my grandpa brought me (he always brings flowers to dinner such a true gentleman!)