Strong Like My Coffee

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

It’s nearly the new year! I have been thinking about goals for 2024, and they mostly center around reading and creating. I’m always striving to beat the previous years’ book count (I definitely succeeded this year!) but I’m also inspired to fill more blog posts with the fun happenings in this stage of life with a toddler. But before we look ahead, let’s wrap up 2023! Pour your coffee, and go ahead and spike it – it’s a holiday weekend after all!

Christmas this year was unique to us because we celebrated in our own home! Up until now, we’ve always gone to my parent’s house and spent the night on Christmas Eve. They only live 15 minutes away, so it’s no roadtrip. But it’s nice to wake up on Christmas morning, stay in jammies, pour our coffees and slowly open stockings while the cinnamon rolls bake.

That changes with a little one. Now we need to stay in our own home so that Christmas morning starts with her waking up to presents under her tree! Here’s a 5 minute vlog of Christmas with Brynnley before I get into our gifts & recipes!

It’s honestly a Christmas miracle that Zeb was even home for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day! As a commercial airline pilot, his work schedule is dictated by seniority with the company. The newer the pilot, the crappier the schedule. We have definitely had our fair share of years where he worked nearly every weekend, holiday and birthday and it seems like we are finally turning a corner where he’s built up enough seniority to earn a few of the trips he bids for! He was home this year for all of the holiday festivities which is so deserved for ALL of us after last year’s travel nightmare that had us post-poning Brynnley’s 1st Christmas until December 27th.

My parents, who go by Gigi and Pop Pop for Brynnley, arrived right after we all woke up at got ourselves ready. Well, not too ready since we stayed in our matching plaid jammies until after breakfast.

Brynnley greeted my dad as he walked in with an arm-load full of presents and exclaimed “WOW! SOOO MANY!” in her cute little toddler voice. Her animated reactions are my favorite! She says things like “I Yuv It!” and “Thank You Mommy!” which is just the sweetest thing to hear.

Holiday Eats

The night before, I washed and cut some fruit for a fruit salad. I copied a Pinterest idea and portioned everyone’s fruit salad out into waffle cones to look like an overflowing cornecopia with a dallop of Cool Whip. My mom was on pancake duty, making baby-size pancakes for miniature stacks that we topped with whip cream and an upside-down strawberry to look like a Santa hat. A new recipe I tried this year was for Cracked Out Hashbrown Casserole. In a glass pan, I combined pre-cooked hashbrowns, chopped up pre-cooked bacon, 4 beaten eggs, a cup of shredded cheese, milk, and a ranch seasoning packet (the secret ingredient) and baked for an hour. I think this recipe will be a keeper!

Dinner was simple, since it was just Zeb, Brynnley and I. I made a green salad and yummy roasted sweet potato rounds with lots of herbs. We got a preseasoned pork loin to smoke on the Traeger and we were all too full for dessert!

Toddler Gifts

Brynnley is 22-months, and her birthday is at the end of February. I had a fun time shopping for her this year, combining a little bit of what she needed (new shoes & some snow mittens) with new toys that would hopefully provide MONTHS of entertainment. If you have a toddler around the same age that you’re shopping for, here are a couple gift ideas:

• Little Tikes Trampoline: I got this on Black Friday Sale after keeping my eye on it for a few months. Winter is so cold here in Idaho that we don’t get our daily walks in like we do spring through fall, so I thought this toddler trampoline would be a great active outlet for the little one when we are stuck inside and need to burn some energy! So far Brynnley loves it, but hasn’t quite yet learned to jump where her feet leave the ground haha.
• 6-sided Wooden Puzzle: Brynnley needs a challenge because she easily memorizes the simple baby puzzles. This one looks challenging enough for her not to be able to memorize it any time soon!
• Bluetooth Headphones: Brynnley has a little Kids Fire Tablet that we use for long drives or when we’re at a restaurant with friends and want to be able to enjoy the food and conversation ourselves! Ain’t no shame in some screen time over here! We look at it as a tool. So far, Brynnley has been content watching Cocomelon without sound when we’re in public, but when I saw these adorable toddler wireless over-the-ear headphones, I knew they’d come in handy for her.
• Duck Slide Bath Toy: We make bath time last as long as possible after dinner, and her same stackable cups were getting a little boring. This cute slide suction cups to the side of the tub and allows little ducks to flow down, hopefully providing hours of bathtime play.
• Bath Tub Markers: These are a hit in our house! They color the side of the tub and wipe clean easily. These were a stocking stuffer.
• Around-The-Farm Sound Book: So far this book has been a Christmas favorite for Brynnley who sits and pushes all of the animal sound buttons for quite some time each day!

Other Christmas Goodies

I picked out a couple of items for Zeb that he didn’t specifically ask for, like a portable mini crockpot that he could take on his trips with him to heat up his lunches and dinners. Did you know that not all hotel rooms have microwaves?! I find that so hard to believe nowadays but it’s pretty common for him to have a room without, and we try to meal prep and pack him food to avoid eating out every night.

He also got a few tools he requested, some new ties to replace his outdated bright purple ones, a TheraGun massager, and a tactical bag.

Having Brynnley makes picking out presents for my parents easier – they love being grandparents and there are so many cute items out there to make Gigi-and-Pop-Pop-Life more fun! We knew they like tracking height and growth so we got a custom wooden height board from Etsy, plus a digital picture from and some kids art shadow box frames.

Zeb totally surprised me with something that hadn’t been on my radar this year – a Cricut Maker! If you haven’t heard of them, they are a craft machine that can cut out any digital image or text you can dream up on your computer or phone. They cut many materials, like vinyl, iron-on, and even wood. They can create cut-outs that adhere to mugs, clothing, wooden boards, you name it. If you’ve ever custom ordered something on Etsy, it was probably made with a Cricut! I’m excited to learn more about how it works and start crafting a few homemade projects.

Christmas Season Celebrations

No post-Christmas blues here, I think we are ready to get our house back to normal and welcome 2024. We got to celebrate Christmas all month long! Our first Christmas party was on December 1st for the Idaho Aviation Association. The following weekend, my parents hosted their annual Christmas Party/Soup Cook-Off and this year it was themed “A Griswold Christmas” where we all dressed as characters from the classic movie Christmas Vacation. No one shared what their costume would be beforehand, so it was pretty surprising when my parents opened their door wearing the exact same outfits as Zeb and I. I don’t mean similar – I mean we purchased identical products on Amazon to both dress as Todd and Margot, the neighbors.

We had a classic Cousin Eddy in his white robe, his wife Catherine Mary from the department store, Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis, and then a bunch of Christmas Vacation-themed shirts including Brynnley’s. It was so much fun and there was so much delicious soups, chilis and stews to sample for dinner!

2023 Blog Post

Tomorrow I’m typing up a 2023 recap post here to wrap up the year with some photos and memories I hadn’t gotten around to sharing.

See you then!

-Kenz