Mark has the afternoon off, so here we are, sitting at Caribou drinking coffee and reflecting on 2013 on this cold, snowy day.
We are taking turns writing about each of these things ... cheers to 2013 :) (These are in order of when they took place.
1. More years with Dad
On February 8th, my dad (Haley speaking) went to the hospital due to a numbness he felt in his arm. As it turned out, that numbness was a lot more than anyone thought or new of and his arteries were blocked. Every doctor and nurse who heard his story was shocked that he was alive to share it. The next week dad had a quadruple bypass surgery and started his healing process. Our whole family, along with many others, were reminded of our purpose here on this earth through all of this- to bring glory to God and lead others to Jesus. We are so thankful that my dad was healed and that he has been more years to serve God and lead our family!!
2. God's Mountain
Over Spring Break I went to God's Mountain on a mission trip with the high school youth group. I went with two friends, Brooke and Ariel, to cook the food for our group and another group serving at God's Mountain. It was a lot of work planning and buying food for all of the meals leading up to the trip, but it was very rewarding and a lot of fun. Not only was it fun to cook with these wonderful ladies throughout the week, but the kitchen is just a great place for conversation to take place. What a blessing it was to share with and learn from these two ladies throughout the week.
3. First Flu (for Haley)
Haley loves the school schedule - spring break, Christmas break and summers off. The only problem is I don't get all those breaks. Don't get me wrong, it's great she gets the time to go with her girl friends for a week trip, but I'm definitely ready for her to be home when she gets back. Her homecoming from God's Mountain was bitter sweet though. She (and most of the rest of the group) came home with a serious flu bug. If I was a hard sleeper, I'd consider making the sound I heard at 2:00 AM my alarm because I was up, alert and grabbing the bowl for her in less than a second. It was hard to see Haley so weak and sick but I enjoyed taking care of her. It was nice to have a relatively easy introduction to the sickness & health part of our vows. I have no doubt that it will not be the last.
4. Water in the Basement
In May this year it rained over 3 inches in a matter of a couple hours. We were at church for a Caravan staff meeting and water started pouring into some of the offices. It was a bummer but they had quite a few people helping so we headed home. I was a little concerned when we pulled into the driveway and there was standing water. When we opened the door, there was about an inch of standing water by the door. Soon there was almost three inches in the basement. The water was coming up from the only large drain we have in the basement so we started squeegeing, brooming and pumping all the water we could out the front door. The carpet, a couple thousand Tro Sno napkins and a couple pieces of wood furniture were the only casualties. It was great to have the help of family and friends that night to push several hundred gallons out our front door to the drain in the driveway. Haley is now even more anxious to redo and update the basement, but I'm thinking that will need to wait a couple years to show up in one of our Year in Review.
5. Caravan
We went on Caravan again this year, this time to Florida. We enjoyed the beaches and sun (okay, Haley enjoyed the sun while Mark hid from the sun as much as he could). We had a fun week building relationships with high school students and helping them grow in their faith. I (Mark) saw a fox one night when walking back from session - he didn't say anything.
6. Adventureland
Growing up my (Haley's) family went to Adventureland during the summer many times with my dad's siblings and all of our cousins. It was a fun time to all get together and who doesn't enjoy a little Adventureland fun on all of the high quality rides? This summer, my family (minus Alex) took a little day trip to Des Moines to relive those long ago summer days. It was the grandkids, aka our nieces and nephews, first time there, and it was a lot of fun to see their excitement all day long! We were all exhausted by the end of the day. By the way, it was great having the water park to refresh ourselves halfway through the day. I don't know how we ever spent an open to close day at Adventureland, solely riding roller coasters. Barf.
7. Haley's new job
I spent the spring semester of 2013 substitute teaching. I had a lot of fun and met a lot of great teachers along the way. In May, I was ecstatic to be offered a 4th grade position at Cedar Heights Elementary in Cedar Falls. God really has a way of working and it is so neat to be able to look back and see where He was working, when I didn't even realize it. I love Cedar Heights, the staff I work with, the kiddos I teach and the opportunities I have each day to touch students' lives. It's hard to believe I am already halfway through with my first year of teaching, it has flown by! The last few weeks, as I've been reflecting on the semester, I have really been thinking about the elementary teachers who impacted my life the most. I honestly do not remember the content I learned in those grades, but I remember how they treated me and made me feel. That is my desire, to be a positive role model for my students and impact their lives in ways they won't understand until they are older!
Here am I, send me. -- Isaiah 6:8
8. Bought our first car
Haley and I were very blessed (if not spoiled) to have cars provided for us by our parents in high school and college. It was always a blessing to have this, but it also had a couple down sides to it. The biggest of which was my little brothers who were eager to remind me often that the truck I was driving wasn't really mine. So, when Aaron's truck bit the dust, we found our selves in the market for a vehicle. Using the internet to narrow down our options was awesome. We were able to narrow it down to the category we wanted (cross-over) without stepping onto a dealership lot. Haley's dad put us in touch with a salesman he's worked with several times at John Deery and he was very helpful. It took us a week to settle on the right one (Black Nissan Murano) and we love it. We got 4-wheel drive so now that it's snowing I try to steal it from Haley and dominate the roads.
9. Mark starting grad school
In February Mark started taking classes for his Masters in Business Administration. The masters program is set up in trimesters, so he took one class last spring and two this fall. He is currently taking two more classes that he will finish up in February, then he will start into two more classes in the spring. His goal is to get everything finished up by the end of next school year (Spring of 2015). Two classes at a time and working full time has been a heavy load for him this year, but the way we see, now is the time to do it. He truly enjoys his classes and learning, we just don't get to see each other very often during the week!
10. Taco Tuesdays taken to another level
Okay, this probably should not be that really big of a deal, but for our frugal selves, it happens to be a big deal. Ever since we got married, we used to go to Taco Bell every Tuesday, hence, Taco Tuesday. $.69 tacos, what a deal! They weren't all that great, but who can complain about a meal for 2 that costs $3.50 and is prepared for you?
This fall my also frugal mom told us about Q'Doba and how they had tacos for $1 on Tuesdays. My parents also used to do Taco Bell pretty regularly on Tuesdays. Although a little more pricey, she thought the jump was worth it. So, we tried them out, and we've never gone back to Taco Bell since. We have also gotten a few of our friends hooked. If you haven't tried out Q'Doba's $1 taco deal, you are missing out!! We'll see you there next Tuesday!
11. Small Group with friends
This fall we started meeting with a couple of our "couple" friends. We all enjoy each other's company but we also thought it would be a good group to grow together in our faith as well. We really enjoy spending time together, whether it's just for a fun weekend night, or discussing and debating more serious topics. Great friends are a great blessing.
This picture is from when we played laser tag with these friends- the guy on the left was our ref during the game. We should really take another picture with these great friends.
12. Aunt and Uncle x 2
This fall we found out we are going to be DOUBLING the number of nieces and nephews we have in 2014! That's right, we are going from 4 to 8! Mark's brother, Andy, and his wife, Hilary, are expecting a baby boy in May. This will be the first grandbaby on the Iehl side! Ben and Liz are going to be adopting 3 more children this Spring. Yes, that means going from 4 kids to 7 kids! Whew! They are precious (at least in the pictures) and it is amazing how much they look like Claudia, Vera, Miko and Cooba. We are excited for all 4 to come this Spring!!
13. Dedicated Readers
Turns out we only had 12 to share, thanks for reading this far though :)
Here's a few more pictures of fun from 2013!
We are taking turns writing about each of these things ... cheers to 2013 :) (These are in order of when they took place.
On February 8th, my dad (Haley speaking) went to the hospital due to a numbness he felt in his arm. As it turned out, that numbness was a lot more than anyone thought or new of and his arteries were blocked. Every doctor and nurse who heard his story was shocked that he was alive to share it. The next week dad had a quadruple bypass surgery and started his healing process. Our whole family, along with many others, were reminded of our purpose here on this earth through all of this- to bring glory to God and lead others to Jesus. We are so thankful that my dad was healed and that he has been more years to serve God and lead our family!!
Over Spring Break I went to God's Mountain on a mission trip with the high school youth group. I went with two friends, Brooke and Ariel, to cook the food for our group and another group serving at God's Mountain. It was a lot of work planning and buying food for all of the meals leading up to the trip, but it was very rewarding and a lot of fun. Not only was it fun to cook with these wonderful ladies throughout the week, but the kitchen is just a great place for conversation to take place. What a blessing it was to share with and learn from these two ladies throughout the week.
3. First Flu (for Haley)
Haley loves the school schedule - spring break, Christmas break and summers off. The only problem is I don't get all those breaks. Don't get me wrong, it's great she gets the time to go with her girl friends for a week trip, but I'm definitely ready for her to be home when she gets back. Her homecoming from God's Mountain was bitter sweet though. She (and most of the rest of the group) came home with a serious flu bug. If I was a hard sleeper, I'd consider making the sound I heard at 2:00 AM my alarm because I was up, alert and grabbing the bowl for her in less than a second. It was hard to see Haley so weak and sick but I enjoyed taking care of her. It was nice to have a relatively easy introduction to the sickness & health part of our vows. I have no doubt that it will not be the last.
In May this year it rained over 3 inches in a matter of a couple hours. We were at church for a Caravan staff meeting and water started pouring into some of the offices. It was a bummer but they had quite a few people helping so we headed home. I was a little concerned when we pulled into the driveway and there was standing water. When we opened the door, there was about an inch of standing water by the door. Soon there was almost three inches in the basement. The water was coming up from the only large drain we have in the basement so we started squeegeing, brooming and pumping all the water we could out the front door. The carpet, a couple thousand Tro Sno napkins and a couple pieces of wood furniture were the only casualties. It was great to have the help of family and friends that night to push several hundred gallons out our front door to the drain in the driveway. Haley is now even more anxious to redo and update the basement, but I'm thinking that will need to wait a couple years to show up in one of our Year in Review.
5. Caravan
We went on Caravan again this year, this time to Florida. We enjoyed the beaches and sun (okay, Haley enjoyed the sun while Mark hid from the sun as much as he could). We had a fun week building relationships with high school students and helping them grow in their faith. I (Mark) saw a fox one night when walking back from session - he didn't say anything.
6. Adventureland
Growing up my (Haley's) family went to Adventureland during the summer many times with my dad's siblings and all of our cousins. It was a fun time to all get together and who doesn't enjoy a little Adventureland fun on all of the high quality rides? This summer, my family (minus Alex) took a little day trip to Des Moines to relive those long ago summer days. It was the grandkids, aka our nieces and nephews, first time there, and it was a lot of fun to see their excitement all day long! We were all exhausted by the end of the day. By the way, it was great having the water park to refresh ourselves halfway through the day. I don't know how we ever spent an open to close day at Adventureland, solely riding roller coasters. Barf.
7. Haley's new job
I spent the spring semester of 2013 substitute teaching. I had a lot of fun and met a lot of great teachers along the way. In May, I was ecstatic to be offered a 4th grade position at Cedar Heights Elementary in Cedar Falls. God really has a way of working and it is so neat to be able to look back and see where He was working, when I didn't even realize it. I love Cedar Heights, the staff I work with, the kiddos I teach and the opportunities I have each day to touch students' lives. It's hard to believe I am already halfway through with my first year of teaching, it has flown by! The last few weeks, as I've been reflecting on the semester, I have really been thinking about the elementary teachers who impacted my life the most. I honestly do not remember the content I learned in those grades, but I remember how they treated me and made me feel. That is my desire, to be a positive role model for my students and impact their lives in ways they won't understand until they are older!
Here am I, send me. -- Isaiah 6:8
8. Bought our first car
Haley and I were very blessed (if not spoiled) to have cars provided for us by our parents in high school and college. It was always a blessing to have this, but it also had a couple down sides to it. The biggest of which was my little brothers who were eager to remind me often that the truck I was driving wasn't really mine. So, when Aaron's truck bit the dust, we found our selves in the market for a vehicle. Using the internet to narrow down our options was awesome. We were able to narrow it down to the category we wanted (cross-over) without stepping onto a dealership lot. Haley's dad put us in touch with a salesman he's worked with several times at John Deery and he was very helpful. It took us a week to settle on the right one (Black Nissan Murano) and we love it. We got 4-wheel drive so now that it's snowing I try to steal it from Haley and dominate the roads.
9. Mark starting grad school
In February Mark started taking classes for his Masters in Business Administration. The masters program is set up in trimesters, so he took one class last spring and two this fall. He is currently taking two more classes that he will finish up in February, then he will start into two more classes in the spring. His goal is to get everything finished up by the end of next school year (Spring of 2015). Two classes at a time and working full time has been a heavy load for him this year, but the way we see, now is the time to do it. He truly enjoys his classes and learning, we just don't get to see each other very often during the week!
10. Taco Tuesdays taken to another level
Okay, this probably should not be that really big of a deal, but for our frugal selves, it happens to be a big deal. Ever since we got married, we used to go to Taco Bell every Tuesday, hence, Taco Tuesday. $.69 tacos, what a deal! They weren't all that great, but who can complain about a meal for 2 that costs $3.50 and is prepared for you?
This fall my also frugal mom told us about Q'Doba and how they had tacos for $1 on Tuesdays. My parents also used to do Taco Bell pretty regularly on Tuesdays. Although a little more pricey, she thought the jump was worth it. So, we tried them out, and we've never gone back to Taco Bell since. We have also gotten a few of our friends hooked. If you haven't tried out Q'Doba's $1 taco deal, you are missing out!! We'll see you there next Tuesday!
This fall we started meeting with a couple of our "couple" friends. We all enjoy each other's company but we also thought it would be a good group to grow together in our faith as well. We really enjoy spending time together, whether it's just for a fun weekend night, or discussing and debating more serious topics. Great friends are a great blessing.
This picture is from when we played laser tag with these friends- the guy on the left was our ref during the game. We should really take another picture with these great friends.
12. Aunt and Uncle x 2
This fall we found out we are going to be DOUBLING the number of nieces and nephews we have in 2014! That's right, we are going from 4 to 8! Mark's brother, Andy, and his wife, Hilary, are expecting a baby boy in May. This will be the first grandbaby on the Iehl side! Ben and Liz are going to be adopting 3 more children this Spring. Yes, that means going from 4 kids to 7 kids! Whew! They are precious (at least in the pictures) and it is amazing how much they look like Claudia, Vera, Miko and Cooba. We are excited for all 4 to come this Spring!!
13. Dedicated Readers
Turns out we only had 12 to share, thanks for reading this far though :)
Here's a few more pictures of fun from 2013!
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