Hello 2010!

Wow! This year has flown by! It was a great year. We got to travel and do so much to our house. And I even got to buy a new car! We are truly truly blessed.

For this coming year we're starting it off with a pretty radical resolution. We planned to do this for about a month not but I just so happened to find something today that nails down this plan of ours. We use our Discover card to pay for everything then at the end of the month we pay it off (Discover Card gives cash back). This helps us keep track of what goes where and for how much. I just looked up our year-to-date spend analyzer and it's unbelievable how much we (I) spend at Target! Of course, Discover doesn't have a specific "Target" category, but it does have retail and that total is over $8,000! Ouch!

This resolution might seem like nothing to some people, but for us, this going to be a stretch. As of Jan 2 (the day after the bowl game) to Jan 31st we won't be spending any money. We'll still be paying our bills obviously, but as for eating out, Target, Home Depot, we won't be spending anything. If we run out of bathroom cleaner, oh well. If I don't feel like cooking dinner, oh well. If a light bulb burns out, oh well. If a friend wants to go out to eat, oh well. If the guys want to go out for a beer, oh well! Nothing will be spent except gas and groceries. No home improvements! No spending money of any sort.

Now, this is just for the month of January. But we want to start the year off right. And I'm guessing it will save us somewhere between $600 and $1,000. We'll see how it goes and what we find to entertain ourselves instead. It's exciting to stretch yourself so far.

Vacation

Since Jordan has this week off and we didn't travel this Christmas (for the first time in 5 years!) we had lots of time to spend together. We got to go see ICE with our friends, Cole and Frannie. It's a 9 degree convention center filled with 2 million tons of ice sculptures. The pictures don't do it justice. And I'm very glad we don't live in 9 degree weather!










Today we got to go to St. Augustine. We hadn't been there since our one year anniversary so it was nice to go back and see the sites again. Jordan also got to use his camera some. I have to get used to being in front of the camera since I'm so used to being behind it. First we went to the winery. It specializes in dessert and fruity wines, which isn't our favorite so we were glad it was free. Then we went to the lighthouse and climbed the 209 steps to the top. After that we walked around the town taking pictures.

Christmas Festivities

Phew! Today Jordan and I spent all day cleaning the house, inside and out. We got all the Christmas decorations put away, and all the dust bunnies swept up. It's been a pleasantly busy week for us. Here's a recap.


Christmas Eve we had my family over for gumbo. Jordan and I also started a new tradition: every Christmas we're going to get each other a ornament and open it on Christmas Eve. Jordan got me a little bear and I got him a Hoops and Yoyo ornament.







On Christmas day we opened our presents for each other in the morning and that afternoon we went to my parent's house. Jordan got me a crochet kit, wine cook book, art for our bedroom, 10 clay penguins, some hand made paper flowers, a tshirt and a table topics conversation starter. And of course I got Jordan a camera! It was a big gift, so he didn't get much else (a backpack).







This is mom's custom ordered tree.



The ugly mutts.


Vernon wrapped a single LSU shot glass in all these boxes for Jordan. It made for some added entertainment.



I got my very own drill!



Mom went all out with the gourmet chocolates in our stockings. And I got a Brighton bracelet!



After dinner and opening presents we spent the evening in the gazebo.

'Tis the Season

'Tis the season of one party after another, spending time with family, and eating like there is no tomorrow. This weekend was packed with all three. Friday my co-workers went out with me to celebrate my birthday. It's hard getting a bunch of night shift workers to all have the same time off, and that is why we were a bit late. But better late than never! We went to Blue Martini and my dear friends made sure everyone knew it was my birthday. I've never been out on/for my birthday so this was a slightly new experience. I've never had so many drinks bought for me, first by my friends and then by complete strangers. It was slightly awesome. I had so many drinks offered that I was giving them away.

I can always count on Maribel for a great time.





To continue the festivities, Jordan and a couple of his coworkers decided to host a Christmas party. Due to the bad economy EA had cancelled their official Christmas party, which is really sad since it's the most anticipated party of the whole year. But Jordan and a couple other people stepped up to the plate and decided to do their own thing. We had it at a friend's house which has a huge court yard. We decorated it with white Christmas lights, had a bar, karaoke, Rock Band, another friend fried a turkey and worked the grill. They even had the traditional cigar lounge and Sharkie Awards. The whole thing was pretty awesome. There was a good turn out too! Considering it was such a minor party compared to what EA is used to (Hard Rock at City Walk), I would say it was still a complete success.

After that party we got home about 2am only to open our bedroom door and find out our glass sliding door had been smashed. As you can imagine this was pretty scary to come home to. Our alarm hadn't been set off, so the doors hadn't been opened. There was just a moderate sized whole in the glass, but not something someone could fit into. At the time we thought someone had probably started to break in only to be scared off, maybe by the dogs, although they didn't appear upset at all when we came home. The next day we looked around the backyard. Everything was in it's place, no bushes smashed, the gates were closed (which is hard to do from the outside), nothing was missing. There is a chance that the door could have broken on it's own. Either way, it was unnerving to try to sleep in there that night. Jordan will take the door somewhere today to get the glass replaced. I think I want to buy a heavy duty lock for the screen door. And maybe a German Shepherd for a little added security!

On Sunday I got to meet my cousin Jennifer's 3 week old baby, my second cousin. I have about 35 first cousins, who knows how many second cousins. It was nice getting to spend time with family I don't get to see often. It was a good ending to a long weekend.

Sheer Boredom

I haven't worked since Monday night and I'm getting a taste of what it would be like if I was a stay at home wife. Today would be day 4, and lets just say.... I wasn't cut out for all this nothingness! Jordan's been working late so that adds a couple hours of boredom to my day. Tuesday was a day of catching up on sleep, laundry, dishes, all those annoying little things that love to hang over your head. Wednesday I spent the day getting Christmas started. I went shopping for some presents, hung the outside Christmas lights, decorated a little inside and got our Christmas cards done. Thursday I took my car in to get the windows tinted and went to my mom's house. That night I watched WAY TOO MANY Hoarders episodes on aetv.com. So Tuesday through Thursday I stayed busy enough. But today has just been a drag. I planned on going shopping more today, but the weather hasn't been permitting. Instead I cleaned the inside of my car and waited around on the cable guy to show up and get his stuff done. SUCH a bore. I can't handle being in the house all day. I get a little stir crazy. Ugh, I gotta get out of here. I think I hear the grocery store calling my name. Anything to just get out of here....!

Thanksgiving and My 27th Birthday

What a weekend! Thanksgiving always kicks off the happiest time of year for me. My birthday is normally right after Thanksgiving, then we get to do all the Christmas festivities for the next month. This year I worked the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, so me and my coworkers did a big dinner together. I made my first turkey for the dinner and it turned out great!



On Thanksgiving day we went to my parent's house and had dinner with both of them and my grandmother. It was a laid back day since it was just the five of us. I made a sugar free pumpkin pie that turned out really well. I also tried making some rice dressing, and it was just ok. Mom made all the normal stuff we're used to. We celebrated my birthday with them that day so I got to open presents and eat birthday cake. We also took some pictures that I hope to use for our Christmas cards. I think this one turned out the best.



On Friday, my actual birthday, we spent the day shopping for my birthday party and pretty much hanging out around the house. Jordan put some landscape lights in the backyard, so now it's more accessible after dark. He got me a necklace and bracelet for my birthday.

On Saturday it was non-stop preparation for my party that night. I got to use some of my birthday money on a new outfit for the party. Then I spent the rest of the day cooking and cleaning. I made a tarimisu toffee tort cake that turned out great. We had plenty of wine, and the mimosas and sangria were a success. We only had about 12 of my closest friends over, so it was a pretty relaxed party. I didn't have anything big planned, just to enjoy drinks, food, and conversation. I really enjoyed it, and I got all sorts of great wine paraphernalia presents! The last person didn't leave til after 1:30 so I would say it was pretty much an awesome party. I was really happy with the way it turned out.

Whew!

Wow! What a project! I am so glad our guest bathroom is done, and just in time for the holidays. I love the way it turned out: it was worth all the dust, fuss and hanging 4 different shower curtains before finding the right one. Here's a recap of everything we did:

Wallpaper

Tile floor

Vanity

Mirror

Sconces

Toilet

And some pretty accessories

The grand total cost was a little over $2k

Before

After

This Is The Day

Last Thursday was shaping up to be "one of those days". I had to wake up early for the tile guys to come. Waking up early automatically puts me in one of those moods. Then my dog smashed my coffee cup into my mouth and chipped my front tooth (this is the same dog that ate my wedding ring, jumped off a second floor balcony, and has ruined more leashes than we paid for her. So, just add chipped tooth to her disastrous resume). And then the blow dryer I JUST bought broke, which I then dropped on my foot, just to add injury to insult. This was all before 10:30, long before I'm even supposed to be awake. I also had huge anxiety about not being able to get any sleep before I had to go to work that night.

So the morning continues and the tile guy is talking to me about his recent experience with the economy. Last year he had to give up his 15 man business and company trucks, to end up working for someone else who can barely offer him enough business to keep one work van. He said he had tried to go to sleep about 11:30 the night before he was to come to my house. He couldn't sleep past 2:30, watched TV until 4:30, then went for a jog around his neighborhood. He ate his ONE meal for the day, oat meal with blueberries, strawberries and almonds, "because it's good for your heart". And after he was finished with our small job he didn't have any more work for the day. I'm thinking to myself, this is the type of story you hear on TV, read in the paper, or hear from third world countries, NOT first hand in your own house. Americans eating one meal a day... if that doesn't hit you in the gut, you might want to check your spirit.

After my morning of disastrous events and the one meal story, I went in my bedroom to try to get a couple minutes of shut eye. As I was laying there I squeezed my eyes shut and pretty much begged God not to let me have one of those days. I didn't want to end up having "one of those days". Then I remembered the verse/song "This is the day that the Lord has made." This gave me peace in a way that I couldn't have capture on my own.

Right after that, the tile guys finished, I had a hard 3 hour nap, the dentist fixed my tooth, and I had a great night at work. I think it's so easy to forget you're blessed. It's easy to remember what you don't have, but we don't always stop to think about what we do have. Health, food on the table, a roof over your head, people you love and they love you, what more could you ask for? And most of us have a LOT more than that. Needless to say after hearing his story I appreciated my job a little more.

10 Years Today

10 years ago today Jordan and I officially became a couple. We had been long distance friends for about 2 years by then, and after spending some time together Jordan asked me to be his girlfriend. We dated long distance for 3 years, he was in Louisiana and I was here in Florida. After he graduated high school and had a single semester at LSU he found the school he wanted to go to here in Florida. After three years of big phone bills and late night conversations we finally got to be a normal dating couple!

Pretty early on I knew I would marry Jordan. There was something about him that I just knew he was the one for me. We had to over come a lot of opposition. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. We had met online, and this was long before eHarmony and Match were popular. Online/long distance relationships were not considered serious relationships back then. Besides a few friends and my parents I don't think anyone had our backs. This was around the same time that the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" came out and my church decided kissing before marriage was a sin. Even my assistant principal had something to saying about us dating long distance ("Does he have a girlfriend in Baton Rouge too?"). People just don't realize how bad their words can hurt, or how much their opinion doesn't count, but we pulled through it all and we didn't let it get us down.

After dating almost 6 years, we got married. I have to say we are just about the most blessed couple on this earth. We've accomplished a lot, from our great jobs, owning 2 houses, and being able to take some amazing vacations. I don't think I could have asked for anything more ideal. I can't wait to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary (in March), and then our 10... then 20... I wonder what the future holds for us, but no matter what, as long as I'm with him, I'll be happy.

These are some pictures from the very early years.

This is the first time Jordan and I met each other in person.



Our first real date, Pointe Orlando 04-15-00.



The first time I went to Louisiana to visit Jordan.





One of the many times I went to Baton Rouge. This was New Years Eve.



Another trip to Baton Rouge. Our friend Jackie took this picture. She was later in our wedding.



Jordan flew down to Orlando for my "prom". Two weeks later he flew down for my graduation.



One of our engagement photos.

The Most Annoying Sound

Jordan got sick of hand scraping all the thin set left over from under the tile so he rented this scraper thingamajigger from Home Depot. Quite possibly the loudest thing I've ever heard. And once he was half way through, I remembered I had some ear plugs. I sat outside with the dogs until he got done.

Halloween Weekend!

Friday afternoon EA had their annual Halloween party. All the parents bring their kids to trick or treat around the cubes and then they have a costume contest. Jordan went as a mummy. His coworkers wrapped him in masking tape head to toe. He was late to the judging, so he didn't win. But he would have! All the kids were asking "is it real?" It was so much fun!

This is him being carried to the elevators by his trusty coworkers (thank God they are trusty!)



This is up on the stage. Mike had to stay with him to keep him propped up.



After the party we went to dinner with my family for my mom's 60th birthday. We had a nice family dinner at Logan's, including Mamaw and Viviana. I bought mom her first piece of Brighton jewelry. It's a heart bracelet and one of her day care kids bought her the matching necklace! What a great surprise for her. I had a cute picture of me, mom, and Mamaw, but I accidentally deleted it.

On Saturday we demo'd the bathroom. Jordan did most of the work, but I got to take a couple things out. I'm glad it's the bathroom we don't really see or use, cause it would drive me insane if I had to look at this for the next month.



It should be done by my birthday! And we got a couple of escrow return checks that cover more than half the project!

Late Saturday afternoon we went to my parent's church's fall festival. It was nice to sit outside and just talk.

Saturday night, let the partying begin!! We went downtown with our friends, Felix and Kelsey. The best girls ever to party with, Christin and Kim, met up with us too. We walked up and down Orange Ave and looked at all the crazy costumes. My favorite one was actually a group of people, dressed as Luigi, Mario, and Yoshi and riding around on little scooters, but they were speedy and I wasn't able to get a picture. It was one of those thing where you wonder "Why didn't I think of that?" A couple more favorites were the Burger King and Jolly Green Giant. The most elaborate group was a Star Wars group of four. Here are some pics.

German Kelsey, neutered Felix, witch Mary.



Jordan has his favorite costume on.



Felix found himself a friend.



Two witches and their maid! Love these girls!



And the Star Wars clan.