While the Jeep of Brandon Waddle’s dreams was purchased for him, the three Waddle girls were often in the driver’s seat.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
This photo was taken June 9, 2018, the day the Waddle family found and purchased this 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Left to right, Mia, Jaelyn, Ella and Brandon Waddle.
Brandon Waddle has owned two Jeeps. He was 16 years old when he purchased his first and in his early 40s when he got his second.
Waddle has been a part of the Lake Panorama National groundskeeping crew since he graduated from Iowa State University with a horticulture degree in 1998. His wife, Jaime, has been with Panora Fiber since April 2002. They met in Las Vegas through mutual friends and have lived at Lake Panorama since March of 1998.
Brandon’s love affair with Jeeps came from his father, Dennis Waddle, who passed away in 2011.
“I grew up thinking Dad was part owner of the local Jeep dealership with all the different Jeeps he had,” Brandon says. “Multiple CJ-7s, Wranglers, Renegades, Willys, Jeep Scrambler, a few named Boss Hog and Cletus, and my favorite, Black Beauty.”
Brandon Waddle’s 1991 high school senior picture featured him with his 1986 Jeep Wrangler CJ-7.
Waddle’s first car was a 1986 Jeep Wrangler CJ-7.
“That was back when Jeeps were Jeeps, not built for long trips or commuting,” he says. “With its short base and being lightweight, it was on two wheels more than I wanted. It was a cruiser and toy. It had all the bells and whistles — fuzzy seat covers, glass pack muffler, PA system and oversized knobby tires.”
When Waddle entered college, he traded the Jeep for a Mustang.
“But I always wanted to have another Jeep someday,” he says.
Jaime Waddle picks up the story.
“Brandon has wanted to get a Jeep since I have known him,” she says. “I remember going through boxes of his stuff, finding Jeep parts, and wondering why in the heck he thought he needed to keep all this stuff.”
For years, Brandon had his dream Jeep in mind.
“He has always loved the color orange. Years before we bought the Jeep we have, he knew he wanted an Orange Crush colored Jeep,” Jaime says. “Soft top and hard top, all the particulars. We looked for years, even traveling out of state to look at Jeeps for sale. We traveled a lot for club soccer, and we would check out the area before we left to make sure we didn’t miss out.”
The Waddle family enjoyed a Pink Jeep Tour on their Christmas 2020 trip to Sedona, Arizona.
Often the couple and their three daughters would spy an orange Jeep on the interstate or in parking lots.
“After looking for what seemed to be years with no luck, we gave up,” Jaime says. “Then, on June 9, 2018, one day before Brandon’s birthday, Mia and I were driving down Hickman Road in Des Moines to pick up the two older girls after taking their ACT test. Right in front of the dealership on a little perch sat an Orange Crush Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.”
Jaime did a double take.
“We had time to spare, so we turned around and went back to look,” she says. “I read the sticker for the details. Crush, check, Rubicon, check, nice wheels and rims, check, soft and hard top, check. I also checked the year and mileage, all seemed good.”
To Jaime and Mia, the discovery seemed like perfect timing. Brandon’s birthday was the next day and Father’s Day a week away.
The Waddle family searched for several years to find an Orange Crush colored Jeep to match what Brandon Waddle wanted in the second Jeep he has owned. Once they purchased it, they started seeing orange Jeeps everywhere. This orange Jeep was recently spotted by Ella Waddle near a beach in Florida.
“But what did I know about buying a Jeep,” Jaime asks. “Nothing, although I have purchased all our other vehicles, so why not this one? Brandon doesn’t like to negotiate, so I decided it was up to me.”
A salesperson came out and answered a few questions.
“I told her I had to go pick up the other two girls. After a few minutes, she said, ‘Take the Jeep to pick up your girls and see what you think.’ Nice sales pitch there, but I didn’t turn her down.”
Mia and Jaime hopped into the Jeep and took off.
“It was so fun. Not a smooth ride like my Suburban, but it was fast,” Jaime says. “Once the four of us were together, we sat in the parking lot and talked things over. Should I buy this without Brandon knowing and really surprise him, or should we invite him to Des Moines?”
The women in Brandon’s life decided to call him. They told him they had a surprise, but he needed to come to Des Moines. That didn’t win him over, so they told him they found a vehicle but not all the details.
That did the trick, and Brandon drove to meet them. It didn’t take long for the family of five to own the five-passenger 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, Crush.
While the Jeep of Brandon’s dreams was purchased because of him, the three Waddle girls often were in the driver’s seat.
“The girls drove it all the time,” Jaime says. “It never rested. It’s just a fun vehicle. In the summer, we can take the hard top off so it’s like a convertible, hair blowing in the air. Of course, Brandon doesn’t worry about that since he doesn’t have hair.”
The Jeep Wrangler and a Chevy Suburban are the only vehicles Brandon and Jaime own.
“The Jeep isn’t a smooth-rider like our Suburban,” Jaime says. “I like it because it’s smaller and easier to park, but there isn’t a lot of room for packages when you go shopping.”
The three girls each have their own vehicles. Jaelyn is 24 and lives in Ankeny after graduating from Iowa State last May with a landscape architecture degree. She works as a designer for Etch Outdoor Living in Huxley. Ella, 22, has completed her second year of pharmacy school at Drake. She will graduate in May 2027 with a doctor of pharmacy degree. Mia, 19, finished her first year at Iowa State University this spring. Once she graduates from Iowa State, she plans to pursue a doctor of physical therapy degree.
Brandon learned to love Jeeps because of his father, and the Waddle girls did the same.
“I think the girls all will have Jeeps when they grow up,” Jaime says. “Everywhere they go, they seem to spy Dad’s orange Jeep.”
Each of the three girls has a story to tell about a time they had the Jeep. Mia was driving when it was backed into in a McDonald’s drive-thru. While out of town with the Jeep, Jaelyn locked the keys inside. Ella got pulled over in Panora for not making a full stop.
“All in Dad’s jeep that he never got to drive,” Jaime says. “You don’t want to speed or do anything crazy in the Jeep; it stands out.”
The Waddle Jeep has a black vanity license plate that features the word Vamanos, one of Brandon’s favorite words. Spanish for “let’s go,” Brandon is known to use Vamanos when coaching soccer, around home or on the LPN golf course.