Here’s my attempt at sharing some sort of update for the month of January. I wanted to write a whole lot more than I have been. After the absolute crazy transition a few months back, I found myself falling off of the writing bandwagon. That’s sad because there have been handfuls of people who leave us random messages and, with all that is going on our way, we have a hard time staying in touch with our dears friends that we moved away from. So here’s my attempt to share what’s happening with us:
You likely already know that we’re working through pretty significant transitions with work. Being a part of the team at Christ Community Chapel has been a wild ride, and the role that I was hired in as (Copywriter) has already transitioned to something new (Project Manager + Copywriter). What’s that mean, exactly? It means that I’m somewhat of a traffic light between the Communications team and all that happens at our church. When a ministry wants to make something happen and then get the word out, they work with our team to make it happen – and I’m the one that’s supposed to have a pulse on where we are at with everything (I admit, the Comm team that makes me look good). On the upside, I get to work with the entire staff of CCC on a daily basis and that’s really cool.
And Kortney is on a wild ride, too. Still an R.N., Kortney’s also an online health and wellness coach (no seriously, you can learn more and be a part of her groups by checking out KortneyDanielle.com). She’s working hard to keep me in line at home (I like to workout, but I eat too much junk food) and she works training a group of people online. She’s guiding clients in what they eat, how they think about themselves, and what they do to stay fit physically. She’s also an instructor at Alter’d Core in Hudson, and she’s doing an incredible job there too. I dig it.
Work is fun, but it was great to take a break and run down to Florida with the family this month. We spent a week down in Fort Myers, also visiting Sanibel Island and a couple of pit stops on the drive down and back. It was amazing how taking the time to unplug really helps me to regain a proper perspective on what priorities Kortney and I have. This transition has been about much more than just jobs, but also our marriage, our finances, our health, our future together, and more. The trip, especially the drive down and back (we listened to Scary Close by Donald Miller and I highly recommend it), allowed us space to talk about the transition and all that’s ahead for us. And most importantly, I got a sunburn in January … and that’s always a good thing.
Other random updates that come to mind are that Phil is doing amazing. He spends most of his days napping, eating, barking at other dogs, and avoiding patches of ice when heading out to potty. Brave Daily has a growing reach and vision, espeically with the launch of our partner platform on Patreon. And I’m off to a slow start with training, but my marathon training officially started January 13. I’m actually bundled up to go run right now, and I’ll be doing that in 20-degree temps when I’m done with this.
P.S. Yes, I took that picture above … that was right before a morning run in Florida! I’ll add some more pictures from Florida below.
I’m sitting here with my coffee cup in hand, getting Friday started. The newness of the recent transition is starting to fade a bit as we settle into our new place, with our new schedules. I genuinely miss seeing the people that I would every day when we were living south a bit. I even find myself posting general things on social media, like “Tell me something you’re learning!” or “How’s your daygoing?” with hopes of hearing back from the people that we moved away from. The move wasn’t far, and we’re meeting new friends that are incredible, but I feel like I invested a lot into the Canton area community and the quick transition pulled us out of there so quickly! All that said, I don’t want to sound like we’re not looking forward to what’s ahead–just reach out and say hello if it comes to mind!
So a couple other updates our way:
I’ve settled into the role of Content Writer at Christ Community Chapel. They made me this frame of Phil as a gift. I’ve already found myself with plenty of work! It’s amazing the amount of content that is written, proofed, printed, and shared in a community the size of CCC. And now I see sentences like puzzles, always wondering if it is put together the best that it can be (particularly when I am the one doing the writing).
Kortney has leaned into Alter’d Core and they officially opened their studio to the public not long ago. It’s somewhat tough to explain what Lagree and Alter’d Core is, especially in a blog post, so I’d say to hop over to the Alter’d Core Facebook Page if you want to actually see what it’s all about. I have really enjoyed the balance that it brings to how much running that I do… so I’m a big fan and I’ll go back often.
And the reason why I titled this blog nine years… Kortney and I just celebrated nine years of marriage with a hiking trip down to Hocking Hills. Anniversary tradition is that we take a road trip someplace new for us. When we got hitched, we didn’t think that we’d be hitting the reset button on things at this point. If you’d of asked me then, I’d probably say we’d have a huge house, a few kids, and in our “dream jobs” (whatever that means to us stupid millennials) by now. That said, I think that Kort and I are exactly where we want to be and doing exactly what we want to be doing. I don’t think we’ve been happier or more confident in what we’re doing.
I simply cannot believe that we’ve been in our place in Cuyahoga Falls for over a month now. We’ve explored new areas, met new people, started new jobs and time has absolutely flown by. I think that the craziness of last month’s move has calmed quite a bit and the dust has settled.
Even with the dust settling, I want to keep folks in the loop of my thoughts and what is happening our way. I’ll try to write as often as I remember to and I hope it’ll allow us to keep the conversation going.
Here are the latest updates on our end:
The new Lagree fitness studio that Kortney will be a part of opens up this month! If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out Alter’d Core (I say that as I eat a giant bowl of spaghetti).
I’m a couple of weeks in at Christ Community Chapel and I’m officially their Content Writer, so if you see any misspelled words or misuse of the oxford comma… don’t blame me, it just means I haven’t taken a look at it yet.
This month Kortney and I celebrate nine years of being married! That’s absolutely nuts. We will accept Starbucks gift cards and/or handwritten letters as gifts, thank you (kidding! but seriously…).
I’m three months out from running in another marathon. Late October we’ll be in Columbus and I’ll be trying to survive the Columbus Marathon. I’m feeling ambitious and thinking of trying my hand at the Boston Qualifying time of 3:04. Any advice for me?
We just watched the movie The Gift (it’s on Netflix). If you want an insanely intense, somewhat creepy movie that Kortney would not recommend to you, I say you give it a try.
So, June, 2018 was absolutely crazy. What started as an invitation for Kortney to join the ranks at a new fitness studio, quickly turned into both her and I changing jobs, selling our house, and moving north a bit. Read on to learn more about the move…
It all started when a friend asked Kortney about being a part of a new Lagree studio opening in Hudson, Ohio, Alter’d Core. If you don’t know anything at all about Lagree and you’re into group fitness classes — think of Orange Theory Fitness, Pure Barre, or even your local yoga and pilate classes — I highly encourage you to check it out! I’ve been taking classes and I really enjoy it. Even with the long commute from Canton area up to Hudson, Kortney and I decided we’d give it a shot for her to be at Alter’d Core given her love for holistic fitness and for Lagree in particular. Then things got interesting.
Our moving truck broke down a few times but turning an hour move into a six hour move just makes the story that much better, right?
Within the week we decided that Lagree is a go, I got a text from a friend asking if we’d consider selling our house. I went to church a few years back with this friend and he remembered that in passing I once said we’d consider selling our house. The text turned into a phone call. “It’s just what I think my in laws are looking for,” he said before asking if they could swing by and take a look. Next thing we knew, we were looking for a new home halfway between Hudson and North Canton so that I could stay working at Sanctuary Marketing Group. We found our new place to live and started walking through the process of selling our home. This was all happening so fast!
It wasn’t long after we decided Cuyahoga Falls would be our new home that another nudge came our way. My buddy Lukas messaged me, “Since you’re up this way, you should know my church Christ Community Chapel is looking for help with content writing. They have part-time position that they’re looking to fill.” The text led to an introduction, to a couple interviews, and then ultimately to a job offer – a full-time offer on the Communications team.
With my background in Biblical Studies from Malone University and Wheaton College coupled with my experience in marketing at the agency level – not to mention the way in which these pieces fell together in a matter of weeks – I knew that this was “just meant to be” (a saying I heard over, and over, and over as I processed everything with those people closest to me).
To those we weren’t able to give a proper goodbye to, we’re right up the road and hope that we can make it a priority to get together… so please don’t be a stranger! We’re very, very excited about what’s ahead and welcome your prayers as we make this big transition!
The featured image is Davis Evans hooking us up with the most sketch moving truck that I’ve ever driven in my life. If you want to borrow a truck and fear for your life while moving, go to First Christian Church and ask Davis to hook you up with the Big Yellow Box. Just tell him I sent you.
To celebrate another year of marriage, I booked a photo session with LovelyInk Creative (look below for a discount on booking your own session). I thought sharing the photos together on a blog post might be a fun way to tell the story and share the photos with friends and family.
But before I begin …
Confession: While I come across as a people person, I’m more introverted than many realize. I love connecting with friends and meeting new people but I absolutely need my own downtime or I’ll get super grumpy. True story. I like my own space and I really dislike being in front of cameras (I turn into Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights, not knowing what to do with my hands). So I went into the session not excited to be in front of a camera at all and under the assumption that it’d be completely awkward. At least, that’s how I expected it’d go.
It all started around 9:00 AM on a Saturday morning (well, it started around 9:15 thanks to me being late). We planned to make our first stop Artisan Coffee in Akron, Ohio. If you’ve never been, it’s a cool place with great employees who were totally down for us taking over different parts of the coffee shop to take photos. Some of the baristas even joked with us and hopped in a couple pictures. Kortney and I just sipped on coffee, talked through stories of the last twelve years together, and followed Jude’s lead as she took photos. It wasn’t completely awkward — it wasn’t even a little awkward.
Kortney and I just sipped on coffee, talked through stories of the last twelve years together, and followed Jude’s lead as she took photos
Then we deferred to Jude to show us the next stop in the family photo session. We wanted to get some photos inside and some outside and she helped make it happen. After the coffee shop, the photo session picked up again over at the Springfield Bog Metro Park. Again we just hung out as we walked the trail and talked through funny memories while Jude thought through how to get the right pictures of us. It was super chill.
We just hung out as we walked the trail and talked through funny memories while Jude thought through how to get the right pictures of us
There’s a lot that goes into finding the right photographer (like how the photos are edited, how involved they are in directing the photoshoot, prices, location, experience, expertise, and much more…) — and I highly recommend Jude at LovelyInk Creative.
Like I mentioned above, Jude has extended a little deal for my friends, family and my followers. She’s offering a $50 discount if you book a portrait session (similar to this) of any kind and that includes families, couples, engagement, maternity, and fresh 48. To get the discount, contact LovelyInk Creative today and use the code BruecknerBucks when you book!
I’ve settled into the role of Content Writer at 
