At the beginning of this year, I had a 10-month old baby girl who wasn’t yet able to walk and had one singular word in her vocabulary on repeat: BABY. Everything was “baby” until she learned her second word….”Boppy” (puppy) and then anything that resembled a living creature was “boppy” for what seemed like weeks.

It’s hard to imagine that was only 12 months ago, when now I have a toddler who RUNS through the house and has such a large vocabulary that we stopped keeping count of her words. She can spell her name: B-R-Y-N-N-L-E-Y. She counts to 15, rattles off colors and basic shapes, and loves any books that have to do with animals. Life with Brynnley evolves so quickly; just look at these photos taken in January 2023 and November 2023:

Another big change this year was my job! Once I had Brynnley in February 2022, I knew that my first job would be staying home with her but I didn’t feel like I needed to completely give up my corporate position for our leading Idaho healthcare system since I worked remotely and had some flexibility. I transitioned to part-time, working Mondays and Wednesdays but still always craved a role that required some more creativity and marketing skills that I went to school for.

In January, a social media influencer that I’d followed for a few years posted about hiring a Blog Manager. She specifically hires other moms, and the hours would be part-time and flexible so that parenting could still come first. It seemed too good to be true, so I submitted the required 3-minute video and was given my first interview the first week of January! I had two more video interviews after that, was offered the position, and started the next week. I would be writing original content for two separate blogs, and well as all copy-writing for sales and marketing materials, emails, product descriptions, and some social media captions. I’d be managing the Google SEO analytics and Pinterest accounts, working alongside the rest of the remote team of 8 fellow women!

For the first five months, I did not quit my St. Luke’s job. I worked 16 hours per week for St. Luke’s plus 20 hours per week as blog manager, with Brynnley by my side for most of it (except Monday’s when she goes to my mom’s house!) and a husband that was gone 4-5 days per week. Obviously that was not sustainable long-term, and my blog manager position was better for me all around – it built upon the marketing skills I already had while also teaching me so much MORE about basic graphic design, branding, SEO, social media content planning and strategy, email campaigns, and more. Every week I get to write blog posts for an established audience of a few hundred thousand people, and in the Fall I took on an additional role to assist the Director of Growth and oversee our brand’s social media accounts. I’m learning so much still and loving it!

Favorite Moments

Brynnley’s 1st Birthday: Her “My First Rodeo” themed party at our home was a fun way to celebrate her first 365 days (and she really did attend her first live rodeo later that summer!).

St. Lucia Vacation: I’d been counting down to another Caribbean getaway since we left our honeymoon, and the island of St. Lucia was so gorgeous. Snorkeling at the base of the Pitons and then boating back to the resort at sunset was unforgettable!

Summer Splash Pads: I had no idea what a hit splash pads were until I had a toddler of my own, and watching her run through the little water features at our local parks never got old!

New Car: The last time I bought a car was my senior year of college. I traded that Rav4 in for my new three-row “mom car” this summer and I love my new Palisade! Going from bare basics to the new technology and luxuries is still something I’m not used to; I probably don’t take advantage of the majority of things it’s capable of, but I do LOVE having heated seats and steering wheel right now in Idaho winter!

Red Fish Lake, Idaho: We had a family getaway to a cabin in Lowman, Idaho in the fall and we visited Red Fish Lake for the first time. It’s one of the clearest lakes you’ll ever see, with bright blue and turquoise water. It was AMAZING and we definitely want to go back for a full camping trip next year!

Chicago Girls Trip with Kerr: I didn’t blog about this but I should have. Kerri and I have been visiting each other annually since we graduated college, and this year we decided to meet somewhere for a long girls weekend. We picked Chicago because it had a direct flight from Boise for me and it was about a 4 hour drive for her. We stayed in a really pretty hotel right on the river in downtown, and spent three days walking every where we could. We had the best time and I loved the city! We did a river boat “architectural tour”, had a couple of happy hours at rooftop bars with great views, walked around all of the tourist spots (unfortunately the Bean was closed for construction), and just chatted nonstop. Can’t wait to see where we go next year :)

Favorite Reads

One thing I’m proud of in 2023 is my book count! I use a free app on my phone to keep track of all the books I finish each year – both physical books and audiobooks. I like to challenge myself to continually read more each year than the last, but I always seem to fall somewhere between 30-32 books.

This year I’m ending at 42! With a toddler, and working nearly full-time, I’m satisfied with that number. I can’t possibly come up with a single favorite book, but there were definitely some stand-outs that topped my list. I like rom-com style fiction, or thriller/mystery/drama fiction. I like when I can’t predict a twist or an ending, and I’d highly recommend these picks:

• The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hildebrand: I purchased this as a gift for more than one person this year after falling in love with it myself. It’s like a mental escape into a dramatic, funny girls weekend we all wish we were a part of.
• Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes: This was an audio book that I listened to in my car one weekend when I drove down to Salt Lake City and back (five hours each way). It kept me thoroughly entertained and even laughing out loud at some points! The British humor and well-rounded storyline make it stand out as one of the most memorable of the year.
• Look Closer by David Ellis: This was the Halloween read for my monthly book club, and it was the perfect pick! A mystery thriller with many twists that none of us in the book club saw coming. The story bounces back and forth between the perspective of 4 different characters, each one continuing to surprise you throughout the read. If you want an ending you didn’t see coming, grab this one.
• One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I’ve loved this author since I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in 2021 and this is my new second favorite book of hers. You can’t help but put yourself in the main characters shoes and try to think what decision you would make in her impossible situation. It was one of those books that I couldn’t stop thinking about for DAYS after I finished reading it.

Looking Ahead

I’m proud of 2023, and knowing that my first and foremost job is to raise and nurture a tiny human makes it easy to feel accomplished. It truly is a passion of mine and something I crave to document, create and share which is why I’ve always liked taking pictures and videos, writing up blog posts, and putting together vlogs. It has nothing to do with professional quality or strategically planned topics – it’s just my way of capturing moments that seem to go by too fast, afraid that my memory won’t catch them all, and wanting my parents and my kids to all be able to enjoy them down the road too.

So that’s my main “resolution” for 2024! Along with trying to beat 42 books (hmmm, I might have to give up a few more nights of re-watching Gilmore Girls to make that happen…..), I want to prioritize weekly videos and blog posts with more of the details of our life that make it so special to us.

I have HOURS of video content for FIVE different vlogs that I intended to share over the last year but never spent the time editing. Things like our cabin weekend and trip to Redfish Lake, a recap of our Mexico vacation at Secrets Akumal, a weekend trip down to Oklahoma City to visit some friends, and a little baking afternoon I had with Brynnley. Maybe I’ll get to these over the next few weeks, or maybe I’ll just start fresh with new content as we head into the New Year.

Oh – I’d also like to learn how to use my new Cricut that Zeb gifted me for Chritsmas….and figure out what the heck I want to use it for :D Anyone interested in some matching Strong Like My Coffee mugs or tea towels…..? Haha!

There’s one other very exciting part of 2024 that I’m looking forward to sharing with you in future blog posts, so I’ll leave you with some anticipation!

Happy New Year!

Love, Kenz