2011...A Look At What I've Learned and Done

2011 was a crazy year.

I continued my work with Mommy's Recess.
I continued my work with The SoapBoxers.
I made new friends.
I made new enemies.
I started using my twitter account more.
I spoke in front of a school board (for the first time).
I continued to speak in front of the school board.
I spoke at a City Council meeting (for the first time).
I continued to speak at the City Council meetings.
I made even more friends.
I made even more enemies.
I helped save a barn.
I did the readings at my husband's Grandfather's funeral.
I read a letter from my mother in law to her dad at the funeral, and I publicly cried.
I used my writing talent to write Conservative articles and was promoted to Communications Director of a National Political Action Committee, all while working at home.
I attended my first Conservative Writers Conference (and made more new friends).
I learned more about couponing and started my stockpile.
I followed a passion of mine and joined a Ghost Hunting group.
I made even more new friends.
I went Ghost Hunting.
I had a physical paranormal experience (was scratched on a Ghost Hunt).
I didn't pee my pants after said experience.
I learned how to do audio review after a Ghost Hunt.
I went to my first Iowa State Homecoming Football game.
I learned how to fill out form upon form to get us into a home that not only saved us money but is much bigger and much nicer than what we had.
I learned how to throw things away (I had to--we had too much stuff).
I learned how to get a kid transferred from one school district to another.
I learned how good it felt to have all of our credit cards paid off.
I learned I shouldn't have closed the accounts after paying the credit cards off.
I started writing even more for Yahoo! News...and made even more enemies.
I had an anti-me tweet hastag created about me. 
I was on THREE radio shows, twice about the barn, once about a Yahoo! News article (and Ghost Hunting).
I learned how to bless a home with the traditional Catholic blessing and Holy Water.
I met A LOT of Presidential Candidates.
I re-learned how to be comfortable in TV interviews.
I learned how to wrap Christmas presents---fast.
I attended my first Iowa State Basketball game....Court side.

I did a lot in 2011. But overall, I learned  more about myself. What my limits are and what they are not. What I thought was something I couldn't do, I did. I surprised even myself.

Here's looking forward to an even happier 2012.

Wordless Wednesday: Superbowl Tradition with Friends

Mommy's Recess

It's been eight years. Eight years since Emma Rittgers and I have found a project we could come together on. We've been friends since the fall of 2002, when I was working for the Republican Party of Iowa and she was at the Treasurer's office. We ended up working on Scavo's campaign together and have been friends since. In the fall of 2004, I was working for Senator Grassley's re-election Campaign and she was working to get President Bush re-elected. While we were both working to get Republicans re-elected to office, and while we'd run into each other at dinners and parades, we rarely had time to hang out.

I've known Emma and her (then) boyfriend Tim longer than I've known my husband. Which tells you that Emma and Tim know some of my ex-boyfriends. But once David (my husband) had the approval of Emma and Tim, I knew he was a keeper.

Almost two years later, they visited us in the hospital to welcome our first son. They were recently engaged, but kept it a secret from us so it wouldn't "steal our thunder". We were engaged a month later.

They were married in August of 2006, David and I married in October of 2006. At that time, Emma was working for Nussle's campaign for Governor and I was the Co-Chair of the Polk County Republican Party. We were involved in their wedding, and they stood up for us (Bridesmaid and Groomsman). When David deployed in 2007, they were always there for me.

When David returned in 2008, we found out we were expecting. Emma was expecting a month after me. Our middle son and her son are only a month apart. After I decided to stay at home with our third child, Emma and I started a play date. Our oldest attends preschool near their home, so I take the middle child and baby to her house once a week to play and visit. We had been sharing tips and recipes and decided that we need to do a blog, for moms by moms.

And that's how Mommy's Recess  came to be. A brain child of two political operatives turned mothers turned bloggers. Check it out. And we'll try to keep the politics to a minimum. :)

Date Night

Last night we had our first date night since Brendan was born. Since he's not taking a bottle yet, he came with us while the big boys spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Bowman's house.

We went to Biaggi's and met Emma and Tim, old friends of ours. They have a child the same age as Sean and were able to find a sitter as well.

Brendan was pretty good during dinner, although he did fuss when the food came. I nursed him while everyone else ate...but that's okay. There were a couple of tables of teens going to homecoming, and we all joked that it would be good birth control for them to see a crying baby.

We need to plan more date nights with friends. It was good to have a glass of wine, talk politics and the occasional discussion about children. :)

And if every date night ends with a chocolate cake like the one we shared, it'd be great.