4 Year Anniversary Trip to LA!!!



Cody and I have been married for four years!!!  Where did the time go?!?!  It has been the best four years and we have made so many memories and done lots of fun things.  This year, we started talking about what we were going to do and where we were going to go for our anniversary...then Cody decided he was going to surprise me!  He was going to wait until the day we left to tell me...but then he decided to go ahead and let me in on it so that I could pack and we could maybe plan a few excursions for the trip.  And...he just couldn't hold the surprise in!  I guess he probably told me about a month before we left for the trip.  I'm so glad that he told me.  Not because I could plan on what to pack or what excursions to go on...but because it gave me something to look forward to after finishing my last class.  We left for our trip on the last day of my class...so I could just go, get-away, and not worry about homework or any of the other stresses of school.  This last class I took was the hardest class of my entire program and it nearly did me in.  So, this trip came at such a great time.  We were able to go on a vacation and me not be a bundle of stress and worry the whole time.  It was also a perfect way to celebrate our four year anniversary.

So...the surprise anniversary trip was to LA!!!  Not Louisiana...but Los Angeles, California!!!  OMG...it was amazing!!!  The weather was perfect and California was beautiful.  LA was pretty busy, and the traffic was a bit insane.  But, we had a blast and did so many fun things.  We actually only got stuck in some pretty horrendous traffic one time.  It was on Friday around 2:00 (there was a Lakers game that night...that we went to!!!) and we waited about an hour to go 8 miles...blah!  It was pretty bad...but that was the only time that the traffic was that bad.  Every other time, there were just always tons of people on the highways.  So, I would say that for being there for 4 days, we got pretty lucky with the traffic.  Santa Monica was our favorite though.  It was only a 15 minute drive from LA, so we went there twice.  The first night we got there and the last night we were there we drove down to Santa Monica and walked along the beach and ate at some AMAZING restaurants!  It was perfect...and so fun!!!

Let me tell you about all the fun things we did!  Our flight left from Abilene around 9:00 and we got to DFW around 9:45.  We got into a little bit of a pinch because Cody's carry-on was a little too big to fit in the over-the-head compartments and so the flight attendant took it while we were boarding.  When we were getting off the plane, we were told it was taken to a different gate for some odd reason.  So, we had to rush around and go back and forth a few times before we found it.  Then, we only had like 10 minutes to get from our terminal to a completely different terminal, then find our gate to board our plane to LA from DFW.  Craziness!!!  We were a bit rushed, but we got on the plane just in time and shortly after we were in the air headed to LA!  Our flight left at about 10:20 and we arrived in LA around noon-ish.  The only problem was that there was a two hour time change and we were still on Texas time...so our stomachs were telling us it was way past lunch.  By the time we landed, got our rental car, drove to the hotel, and checked in...it was a little after 2:00.  That means that it was about 4:00 back in Abilene...and the last time we ate was before we left to go to the Abilene airport.  I guess that was around 7:15.  We had a few snacks on the plane...but nothing to keep our stomachs from grumbling.  After we checked into the hotel, we just went straight over to the restaurant in our hotel, dropped our bags, and ordered lunch.  We were both so hungry we didn't even want to go to the room to drop our bags off!  So, we ate some yummy food...I got a huge salad with lots of yummy goodies in it and Cody got a hamburger that looked so good.  I may or may not have stolen a few fries off his plate :-)  After lunch, we went back to the room, unloaded all our stuff, went to the work-out facility and got a quick work-out in, showered, got ready, then headed to Santa Monica to being our California vacation!!!

Our first night there was a Thursday night (which was our anniversary, March 1st) and we wanted to go to Santa Monica since it was only 15 minutes away and see the Santa Monica pier, walk along the beach, and eat at a really amazing restaurant!  Santa Monica was so beautiful.  It was getting close to sunset and the glow from the sun on the water was breathtaking.  The pier was amazing...better than what you see in pictures, in movies, or on tv.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  It was cool but warm enough to enjoy walking outside without being bundled up...i was able to wear skinny jeans and a light three-quarter sleeve jacket without being the least bit cold!  The air was so fresh and clean and it felt amazing to be outside walking around in it....especially after being in an airplane for most of the day!  After it started to get dark, we found this amazing little Italian restaurant right off the ocean called Il Fornaio.  We shared a bottle of our favorite wine.  Cody ordered an amazing pasta dish and I had a flat bread pizza.  Then we headed back to our hotel to just relax.  Our first night in California was simply perfect!!!

On Friday, I woke up earlier than Cody.  Even without having to set an alarm clock, I can't seem to ever sleep in for very long!  So, I changed clothes and headed down to the work-out facility to run a few miles and do a CrossFit workout.  When I got back, Cody was still in bed, so I showered.  He was awake when I got out and was heading down to go workout himself.  I finished getting ready and we he got back and showered, we went down to have breakfast at the restaurant in our hotel.  It was a buffet...and they had everything imaginable.  I had them make me an egg-white omelet with tons of veggies with fruit on the side.  Then, I piled another plate high with lots of things I just wanted to sample!  Cody had sausage, eggs, pancakes, and some fruit.  I also drank a ton of coffee...it's my favorite drink other than water!  That day, we decided we just wanted to drive all over LA and see all the sights.  We drove up to the Hollywood sign as far as they would let us go, then drove up and down Melrose, Sunset, and Rodeo Drive.  No shopping for me this trip...I would have gotten into major trouble!!!  We had lunch at Luna Park then headed to Beverly Hills.  OMG...I've never seen so many ginormous mansions!!!  They were beautiful...and the street signs even had crystals on them...amazing!!!  That night we had tickets to the Lakers game, so around 2:30 we headed back to the hotel.  That's when we got into major long traffic...but we made it back in plenty of time to shower, change, and go eat before the game.  The concierge told us about this amazing restaurant called Engine 28 that we decided to eat at.  We walked from our hotel to the game...it was only like 3 miles away and that way we wouldn't have to deal with parking or all the traffic.  So, we headed out the door around 5:00 to go eat, then to the game.  That restaurant was amazing!!!  I had seared ahi tuna that was on a grilled vegetable salad.  It was so good!!!  Cody had gumbo that he said was to die for...definitely a good recommendation!  After dinner, we were off to the game.  Cody got us amazing seats...we were in a section where servers come to you and ask you if you want to order anything so that you don't have to wait in the long lines at the concession stands or bars.  We also saw Jamie Foxx...so that was pretty amazing!!!  The game was so fun and The Staples Center is something to see.  I thought the American Airlines Center was awesome...but it has nothing on The Staples Center!  The Lakers won and played amazing...they are so much better to watch in person than on tv!  It was about 10:30 when the game was over and a little after 11:00 when we got back to our hotel, so we called it a night and headed to bed!

Our last full day in LA was Saturday and that was the day that we planned to go dolphin and whale watching!  The excursion left at 9:00 that morning, so I woke up early to CrossFit and run before we left.  Cody decided he was going to work out afterwards so he could sleep in.  We also decided to just grab Starbuck's instead of going to eat at the buffet...it was good but really expensive!  So, after I worked out, I went and got me a Venti coffee and both of us their oatmeal...which is so good!  We got ready and were headed to Newport Beach by 8:00.  The watch was so fun...a little chilly on the water...but I had my hubby there to help keep me warm!  I didn't realize how much colder it would be on the water than it is on land...so all I brought to wear out there was one of my Juicy sweatsuits...not quite warm enough!  However, the excitement of the cruise made me think less about how chilly I was.  We didn't see any whales, but we saw hundreds and hundreds of dolphins.  They are such beautiful animals...I'm slightly obsessed!!!  The excursion lasted about two and a half hours, so we were ready for lunch by the time it was over.  Our waiter at Engine 28 told us about the fresh seafood right off of Fisherman's Wharf in Newport, so we headed there to eat.  It wasn't either or our typical places that we would want to go eat, but it was more for the experience than anything else.  You got to pick what you wanted and could get however much you wanted.  They priced everything by the pound and then you could have them cook it however you wanted.  Cody got a pound of shrimp and had them fry it.  I also got a pound of shrimp, but had them make it like fajitas with tons of veggies and corn tortillas.  I would have to say that it was a place that we wouldn't normally go to and probably wouldn't do again...but it was kind-of a must for being in California and having fresh seafood at your fingertips.  After lunch, we headed back to the hotel.  Cody went to do some CrossFit and I showered and got ready for that night.  When he got back, he showered and then we headed back to Santa Monica to spend our last night in California walking along the beach and eating at an ocean front restaurant.  Before that, we decided to go to Venice Beach just to see what it was all about and visit the original Muscle Beach.  I'm glad we went, but it reminded both of us of the Jersey Shore.  There were muscle heads everywhere, store front shops that were selling crazy things, people selling "medicinal" marijuana (something we definitely were not used too!), and it was a bit on the dirty/trashy side.  But, we can say we saw it and have been there!  So then, we were off to Santa Monica for a more upscale evening!  We ate at Shutters on the Beach and had a table on the patio right off the beach.  Once again, perfect weather for sitting outside right off the ocean.  That night, we also saw Luke Wilson dining at Shutters too!  However, neither one of us could figure out who he was until we sat down and started talking about it...grr!  When he walked past us, we recognized him...but couldn't put a name with his face.  He did have on a fedora and glasses...so it was pretty hard to tell who he was.  Dinner was amazing...as all of our meals were while we were there!  I got another salad with tons of goodies on it and Cody got a hamburger.  His hamburger was on a pretzel bun and he raved about it.  I just couldn't seem to get enough salads while we were there.  All the ingredients were so fresh and so different than anything back home...so I took advantage of the freshness and off-the-wall ingredients!  Well...that was our last day/night there...so we walked on the beach a little more before we headed back to our hotel in LA.

That next morning was Sunday and our flight left at 12:20.  We took it easy that morning...neither one of us worked out.  I went down and got Starbuck's again.  This time I got a Venti mocha...I had to splurge a little!  Both of us got their oatmeal again and this time Cody got two he liked it so much the day before!  We ate breakfast in our room and just vegged out while watching some tv before we packed up and headed back to the rental car place.  We left our hotel about 9:15 just to make sure we had plenty of time, plus we wanted to get a good meal in before our flight took off.  When we got to the airport, it was about 10:30.  We had to drop the car off, then take an airport bus to our terminal.  The reason it took so long is because there were lots of people on the bus that got dropped of before we did since their terminals were ahead of ours.  But, we got to our gate, got through security, then found a Chili's by our gate so we could have lunch.  It was all very good timing because we finished up lunch and still had about 30 minutes to spare before we could start boarding the plane.  We re-stocked on magazines and I bought a book, then we sat down and waited to board our plane.  Our flight was delayed about 20 minutes because a faucet busted in one of the bathrooms and the airplane was floor was all wet.  It's against flight laws to fly when anything is wet inside the plane, so we had to wait for them to shut off the faucet and dry the carpet before we could board.  But, we took off and actually got back to DFW only a few minutes after we were supposed to arrive to begin with.  We had about an hour and a half before our flight left to take us back home...so we ate at T.G.I.Friday's and then just sat and waited.  At this point...we were so ready to be home and see our babies!!!  We got back to Abilene around 7:30 and my parents were waiting for us at the airport to take us home.  It was so good to see them and be back in Abilene...we forget how much we miss it when we're gone!  But really...we REALLY missed our precious babies!!!  Cody's mom stayed with them while we were away.  It's always comforting to know that they're taken care of when we're out of town.  His mom is always so sweet to offer to stay and treats them like the prince and princesses that they are...they love her so much!  And we know she loves them too!!!  When we got home, we had three wiggly butts waiting at the door.  We got lots of kisses and snuggles and it was so good to see their sweet faces!  After we unpacked, showered, and got ready for work the next day, we crawled in bed so that we could snuggle with them for a couple of hours before we conked out.  It was so sweet...all three of them were laying on us or in-between us the whole time they were in bed with us before we put them to bed.  We had a blast in LA...and plan on going back to California in the future.  It is beautiful there and there are so many other places and cities we would love to visit.  I can't believe it's already been four years...but I am so thankful that these past four years have spent with the love of my life.  I am truly blessed that I get to spend the rest of my life with such an amazing man that God made just for me...I love you Cody Michael Kelley!!!

Valentine's Day

Well...this post is a little late.  But you know what they say...better late than never!  Cody and I have never really gone over the top crazy for Valentine's Day.  One reason is because our anniversary is March 1st which is just a couple of weeks after Valentine's anyways and we would rather just spend a relaxing evening at home and really celebrate our anniversary since they're so close to one another.  Another reason is because everything is so crazy busy and we really hate fighting an insane crowd just to go out and eat dinner somewhere.  So, when we were talking about what to do this year, we just decided to cook dinner together at home and spend the evening together with out three loves.  There have been previous years where we have ordered dinner to-go and gone and picked it up and ate at home...but cooking together just sounded more fun!  I planned the menu and then we headed to the grocery store the weekend before to get everything we needed...again so we wouldn't have to fight the crowds the closer it got to the actual day!  We love being around people...but too many people in one small confined area all going for the same thing and not being all that nice kinda gives both of us a little bit of social anxiety!  When we were talking about what to cook, we realized it had been awhile since we had done anything on the grill.  So, we each picked out the kind of meat we wanted...Cody got a steak and I got salmon.  I also made a salad with tons of yummy vegetables, a baked potato for Cody and a sweet potato for me, and oven baked "fried" okra.  Then, for dessert, I made a four layer chocolate dessert that had cream cheese, cool whip, chocolate pudding, and a walnut crust.  All fat-free and sugar-free of course...and the walnut crust was made with good for you nuts and light butter!  It doesn't get much better when your dessert is good for you!  Cody even liked it...so that was a major plus!  He always gives me a hard time because I make every bit of food that I can healthy...even desserts.  Sometimes he likes them and sometimes he doesn't...but this was definitely a hit!  This past weekend I actually made what he considers "real brownies."  They were definitely made with real sugar, real butter, eggs, and a frosting that was anything but healthy!  They're all gone...I'm pretty sure he ate 90% of them by himself...in one night!

Back to Valentine's Day.  Since this "holiday" is so close to our anniversary, we typically don't get each other anything.  Well...we get each other a little something...but nothing too big!  This year (thanks to Pinterest) I gave Cody a little something every day starting February 1st.  It was the "14 Days of Valentine's Day."  Every day there was a little saying that went along with a candy bar or some other type of little gift.  I left them on the counter for him so that they would be there when he woke up.  Of course, I was already long gone (since I leave the house at 5:00 am to go work out before work) by the time he got up...so it was a fun little surprise for him!  There were a few days that I was actually out of town for a technology conference and my parents had to deliver the gifts.  I had given my dad Cody's key lock combination that he types in on the outside of his truck so that my dad could put the presents in the driver's seat before Cody left for work.  So fun!  On the actual day of Valentine's I had found a little picture frame that said "Love is a Four-Legged Word" and then had a red bone underneath where the picture went that was made out of all kinds of words that pertained to dogs.  I had taken a picture of the three babies (thanks to some help from Bella...my mom!) and put that picture in the frame for him.  When I woke up that morning I had a little surprise myself!  Cody had gotten me the most beautiful arrangement of roses and the sweetest card.  What's funny is that he had spruced up the envelope of the card with pictures of the three pups.  He had found a picture of each of them and then typed up a little saying on the computer and taped their picture with their saying above their heads.  We had to laugh because both of us gave each other something on Valentine's day that related to the dogs.  Can you tell that we love them to pieces and they're completely rotten?!?!? Oh well...they are definitely our babies and they get treated like the spoiled rotten little toots that they are.  There have been many times when we will get up from sitting on the couch and they'll steal our seats.  Or...they'll each be taking up the chair, love seat, and couch and we wind up sitting on the floor cause we don't want to make them move.  And if we do make them move, we call them back up to crawl up and sit in our laps.  Yep...we love them a lot!  We had a great Valentine's with each other and our little family!!!



This is the picture that I put in the frame I gave to Cody...precious pups!!!




I love this!  This is typical of all three of their personalities...Sarge has a "duh" expression on his face, Trigger is being mischievous, and Faith is being a little prissy pot...and smiling big!




Sweet babies!!!




My beautiful roses with a sweet card!




Here's a close-up of the card and their little sayings.  If you've met our dogs...then you know they're personalities and that if they could talk...this would be pretty close to what they would say!




BEAUTIFUL!!!  I have the best husband in the whole world!!!



Happy 21st!!!

Happy 21st Birthday to my baby brother!!!  I CANNOT believe that Michael turned 21 on February 5th!  Where do all these years go?!?!?  Granted...he's been 21 for well over a month now.  But still, I remember waiting at the hospital for him to be born and it seems like it was just the other day!

This year, his birthday was actually on Super Bowl Sunday...which made it even more fun because everyone was geared up to watch the game and grill out.  For lunch, he wanted to go out to Perini's and eat, which is a family favorite!  My dad called and made reservations for 11:30, which was nice because it gave us plenty of time after church to come home and let the dogs out for a bit and still early enough that there wasn't a huge crowd.  On Sundays, Perini's has an old fashioned lunch buffet...just like the way Grandma used to cook!  So they say anyways...I always order off the menu!  The buffet includes: fried chicken, chicken fried steak, smoked ham, pinto beans, green beans, corn, potatoes, gravy, green salad, cucumber and onion salad, hot rolls, and bread pudding and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  It always looks really good...I just don't eat foods like that.  So, I order the grilled chicken or grilled chicken sandwich...which melts in your mouth!  My mom is a vegetarian, so she really loves the buffet because she can get all the veggies she wants...plus they have a few special things on the buffet that don't come on the regular menu.  And of course the boys love the buffet because all the meat on the menu is only available on Sundays when you get the buffet.  Not only that...but you can go back as many times as you want!  My dad and mom both went back twice and Cody and Michael went back four times!  I do have to say...the pieces of meat they give you are smaller than you typical portion sizes...so really...they probably only had two good sized steaks...plus all the fixins!  Michael's girlfriend works at Perini's...and she was our waitress when we went!  So that was really fun...plus she's so sweet and we got to spend some time with her while we were there eating.

After lunch, mom, dad, and Michael dropped us off at our house because we had a few errands to run.  Brittany (Michael's girlfriend) had planned to have all his friends and family over at her and her parent's house for dinner that night.  They were going to grill out and of course...watch the game!  Because there were going to be so many people, we all had a few things that we were going to bring to the party so that we could help out and give her more time to get other things ready.  Since she had to work that day, there wasn't as much time for her to prepare for everything.  Cody and I waited until the last minute to get the things we were bringing...so off to the store we went!  Brittany was making hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, baked potatoes, chips, hot sauce, and queso, and of course all the fixins and a veggie tray with dip!  She also made funfetti cupcakes with buttercream frosting for dessert...Michael's favorite!  We were in charge of the buns for the hamburgers and hot dogs and all the veggies and cheese to go on them...and the veggie tray and dip!  When we left the house, we decided to go to Sam's because it would be cheaper.  Then Albertson's for the veggies and stuff since we didn't need as many of them.  Let me tell you...both places were a mad house!  There were so many people in both places buying things for last minute parties...and a lot of people just buying their everyday groceries.  Not the best day to just do your normal grocery shopping that's for sure!  We got home and had a couple of hours to spare before we headed out to Britt's, so we just chilled with the pups and watched some tv and pre-game stuff.

Around 4:00 we headed out to Brittany's house to begin the birthday/Super Bowl festivities!  Everything was still being cooked, but the pre-game show was on and everyone was ready to snack, eat, visit, watch the game, and have a good time!  It was so much fun to be with everyone and for all Michael's friends to be there to celebrate his birthday with him.  The food was also amazing!  There was so much to choose from and everything was seriously delicious!  Brittany's step-dad grilled the hamburgers and hot dogs out on the grill...which is always so good.  You just can't get much better than a hamburger and hot dog off the grill...all those yummy char marks...my mouth is watering just thinking about it!  They had also bought two different kinds of chicken sausage.  Both kinds were so good.  I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to eat because I wanted a little bit of everything!  So, I just had to cut a few bits off of a hot dog and both kinds of chicken sausage so I could have a little sample.  I just couldn't pass up a hamburger...so that's exactly what I had!  I put a little bit of the chili on it with a little taste of the queso...and man it was so good!  But like I've said a million times in this post...all the food was to die for!

For the rest of the evening, we watched the game and just sat around and visited.  It was so fun to sit back and listen to the stories Michael and his friends were telling.  Those boys are all a mess!  But, the good kind of mess.  You know...the funny, silly, light-hearted, and also loving mess!  These boys are really more like brothers, and have been ever since they were in elementary school.  It's a pretty unique relationship that they all have.  And it makes it fun for all of us because we feel like we have an extended family through them.  All their parents are precious and I really feel like I have seven brothers instead of one!  We laughed and joked and talked...really more than we watched the game.  But it was so fun!  Cody and I decided to head out after the halftime show.  We both had work the next day and we knew that the pups would be ready to play and be loved on before they calmed down and were really ready for bed.  So, we headed out and finished watching the game at our house.  Overall, I think Michael had a pretty good 21st and it was so much fun to celebrate his day with him!  I'm so proud of the man that he has grown into and for all he has accomplished in his 21 years and I look forward to watching him grow for many more years to come.  He's been my best friend and partner in crime ever since he was born and I'm so blessed to have him as my baby brother.  I love you Michael!

Michael and Brittany out at Perini's!

Me and my (big) little brother!!!  It's kinda hard to say he's my little brother when he's about 10 inches taller than I am!  And in this picture...I'm wearing 5 inch heels!

Cody and I with the birthday boy!!!  Happy 21st Michael!!!

All the boys that came to celebrate Michael's birthday!  Love them all so much!

The whole gang!!!  Such a fun group of people to be surrounded by on such a milestone birthday!  We love you Michael!!!

She's Here!!!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above" James 1:17

On a beautiful day back in January...we welcomed the most beautiful little girl into the world.  Jansen Hadley Jordan was born on January 25, 2012 at 5:55 pm weighing in at 6 pounds 13 ounces and 18 3/4 inches long.  Let me tell you...this little girl is BEAUTIFUL!!!  But I don't see how she couldn't be...both her mommy and daddy are beautiful too!  It has been such a joy and honor to be a part of this journey with Brent and Bria.  We have watched them grow spiritually, emotionally, and closer together throughout the ups and downs of trying to have a baby.  God couldn't have blessed them more when they found out Bria was pregnant with Jansen.  They found out when Bria was about 3 weeks along and their doctor was able to get her on some medicine that helped her to carry Jansen full term and have a beautiful, healthy baby girl.


Bria was induced that morning around 7:30 and from there on, Jansen was on her way!  While we were awaiting her arrival, we sat and visited outside of the delivery wing in the hallway until she was here.  Brent and Bria's family had been there all day long, so when Bria started pushing, they moved out into the hallway with us.  There's a really nice little sitting room for families when they are going to be there for awhile.  That's where their family had been up until the point when Bria started pushing.  I guess we got there around 5:00 and as we were walking in, so were a few other couples.  There was so much anticipation for when Jansen would be here, and we were so excited we could hardly stand it!  It was really fun to sit out in the hallway with everyone and just visit and talk about what Jansen would look like and how much fun it was going to be to have another baby girl in our little circle of friends...who really are our family!  After Brent came out and told us she was here, how much she weighed, how long she was, and what she looked like, we all waited our turn to go back and see her!  Our group of friends all went in together...and let me just say it was amazing!  First, Bria looked absolutely beautiful.  Second, Jansen looked so perfect and so beautiful.  She had a headful of dark black hair, Bria's mouth and nose, and Brent's eyes.  She looked so peaceful...like a little angel.  And third, Brent had the biggest smile on his face that was priceless!


It was so much fun preparing for this sweet baby girl.  And I know if all us other girls had fun...Bria had a blast!  We planned showers and watched the nursery come together and become a beautiful room perfect for a little princess.  There was also some shopping involved...duh!  The boys also had fun.  It's been really amazing to see how Jansen has grabbed a hold of Brent's heart.  From the moment she was here...she had Brent wrapped around all her little fingers and toes.  He loves his little girl so much.  I also think it's been really cool to watch some of the other boys around her.  They are all so protective of her...but also so loving and gentle.  When we all get together, everyone wants to hold her and love on her...she's just so sweet!  They are both such amazing parents!  We are so blessed to have ya'll as friends and it was incredible to be a part of this journey with you...we love you three so much!!!

Abbie, Erica, Leah, Me, and Leah's beautiful baby girl, Sydney waiting on sweet baby J to be born!!!

All our boys waiting on the newest member of the Jordan family!  Jacob, Josh, Adam, and Cody are all so excited for this precious little girl to come into this world!

Look at those beautiful, big blue eyes!  We love Sydney...she is the best little girl ever!!!  Not to mention that she's absolutely beautiful...and her parents are the sweetest people ever!  We have the BEST friends!

Bria's Mom, Brent's Mom, and Brent's Aunt all anticipating the arrival of sweet Jansen!

These are Bria's nieces and nephews...Jansen is the 10th grandchild on Bria's side of the family!

Another picture of these sweet kiddos waiting on their new niece!  It was so much fun to be waiting with both of Brent and Bria's family.  There was so much love and excitement all around...it was amazing!

This is the moment Brent walked through the doors to tell us that Jansen was here!  Look at that big grin on his face!!!

The new daddy telling us all about his precious baby girl...so sweet!!!

Brent telling us more about Jansen's arrival.  The delivery went so smoothly and Bria did amazing.  I have to say...she is such a wonderful mommy!!!

This was the first picture that Brent took of Jansen!  Look at how beautiful and perfect she is!!!

This melts my heart!  Brent is such a good daddy and has so much love for this precious bundle of joy!!!

Look at this beautiful little momma!!!  This was about a month after Jansen was born.  She looks so much like Bria...which means that she is absolutely beautiful!!!  Both these girls are so sweet and so special...I love them both so very much!!!

The Jordan trio!  What a perfect little family!!!  We love you guys so much and are so blessed to have you in our lives...we are so very happy for you!!!

My Husband is AMAZING!

I am one lucky girl to be married to such an amazing man! He is so caring, thoughtful, considerate, kind, ans just really amazing!  My sweet hubby did something so thoughtful and sweet one morning for me that I just had to write about it!  This happened back in January right after school had started back after the Christmas break...but like I said before...I have some catching up to do!  He typically stays up later than I do by at least an hour...most of the times two hours.  I get up at 4:30 to go work out before work and he usually doesn't get up until 7:00 or 7:15...so I go to bed between 9:30 and 10:00 and he comes to bed between 10:30 and midnight.  Anyways, this one morning back in January, I woke up to the sweetest notes laying around various parts of the kitchen and garage waiting for me after I had gotten up.  I had actually decided to work out in the afternoon that day because I was out of the habit of getting up so early and thought it would be better to ease my way back into it than just start getting up so early the day school started back.  I had told him this before I went to bed the night before, so he knew that I would be feeding the dogs and getting all the other things ready for the day that morning rather than doing it all the night before.  When I go work out early in the morning, he takes care of the dogs and I get all my stuff done the night before so I can just grab my lunch and my school bag and head out the door without turning any lights on and disturbing him and the pups while I leave the house.  Plus, I just don't have time to do anything when I leave that early...and I'm still half asleep!  So...this is what I got to wake up to:

This sweet note was in front of my lunch in the fridge.  It is the first place I go to in the mornings to get out my coffee creamer and my lunch for that day.  So sweet!!!

This note was obviously in the dogs food storage...which is the second place I go after I've let them out, and of course, loved on them.  They are pretty demanding for their breakfast...so I immediately get their food after I've made sure to take my food out of the fridge (I've forgotten it one too many times!)  What's funny is that I didn't even realize the next one because I was so excited to receive the first two!

This was the last note...and just so precious!  It was taped on my driver's side window of my car.  Right before I go back into our bathroom to change clothes, I take my school bag and purse out to my car and turn it on so it's nice and toasty (or nice and cool depending on the time of year) when I leave.  He is so sweet and knows me so well...he always does these sweet little things that touch my heart.  It was an amazing way to start my day!!!  I love you so much Cody Michael Kelley!!!

My New Kitchen...IN LOVE!!!

So...I got a brand new kitchen!!!  WOO HOO!!!  I'm completely in love with it too...it's wonderful!  However, the reason why we wound up re-doing our kitchen was a smidge irritating.  I had been noticing for several months that our oven wasn't cooking things right.  It would take an extra 30-45 minutes to cook most things...which was no bueno in my book.  I cook dinner once or twice a week...enough for a night or two of leftovers so that we have yummy dinner every night of the week.  So, this whole extra time for cooking thing was really getting frustrating.  One of the reasons is simply because I don't have a lot of extra time to wait on food to cook.  With my commute to and from work, I'm on a time crunch to have dinner ready by a decent time...my tummy tells me so!  Plus, I don't like to have other people (my hubby, family, or friends) waiting on me to have dinner on the table when it should have already been there 30-45 minutes prior.  I really started noticing the oven right around Thanksgiving...great timing right?!?!?  I was baking the pies the day before so that I could free up a little more time the day I was cooking the big meal, and the pies just wouldn't cook.  I'm pretty sure they cooked double the amount of time required...so they were in the oven for almost two hours...ridiculous!  Well, we made it through Thanksgiving with the oven still working, which was a huge relief.  But, that very next week is when disaster struck.  I was making brownies for a luncheon at work and Cody and I are in the kitchen and we hear this loud "POP!"  We both look at each other trying to figure out what it was when I turned around and saw this red glow coming from the oven...yikes!  Well...I have no clue what to do.  So, I do the smart thing and open the oven door.  NOT...that was so dumb of me!  Thank goodness we have friends who are firefighters!!!  But, we didn't have to call them...thank goodness!  As soon as I opened the door Cody flew up behind me and shut the door and turned off the oven.  Praise the Lord I married a smart man!  He's many other things of course...but that night I was extra thankful for his smartness!  He told me that the oxygen from the air could cause a fire to start if I opened the door where a potential fire was...duh!  How did I not know this?!?!?  So, now I have this new bit of information...but brownies that need to be cooked and our oven is...well dead.  Thank goodness my parents are close...otherwise I would have had to come to school empty handed...and that's no good for anyone!

Now that we realize we have to buy a new oven, we just decide to break down and buy a new microwave and refrigerator while we're at it.  We had already bought a new dishwasher last February...so we didn't have to worry about that.  When we bought our house, we knew the appliances and kitchen were something that we wanted to change and update...but we just thought we would do it on our time...but our appliances had other ideas!  After work one day, we went into Sears and got an amazing deal on some awesome Kenmore stainless steal appliances.  We went in the Monday right after Thanksgiving and the guy that helped us gave us the black Friday prices...amazing!  We got a convection/convention stove, a french door fridge with the freezer on the bottom, and a microwave that can also be a mini oven if need be.  The dishwasher is awesome too...also Kenmore...but I've been using that for about a year now!  Once we realized we were getting new appliances, we knew we had to get new counters and a back splash as well.  I know that in most cases you don't HAVE to do these things, but for us, we did.  See, when the builders built our house, they put in a stove that was a built in.  Meaning, when it went out, we had to cut part of the counters off on the sides and part of the cabinet off on the bottom for the new one to go in...since it was a slide in...not a built in.  What's crazy is that these built in ovens cost twice as much as a regular oven...even more than the oven we got that can be either convection or convention.  We thought this was crazy...to spend twice as much on a oven and not get one that's as nice as the one we got.  So, we made a phone call to Encounters to give us an estimate on granite and an Austin stone back splash.

They came out and were so nice and so helpful...and made our kitchen look like it's from a magazine!  Cody and I had so much fun picking out the granite and talking about what it would all look like when it was done.  When we were picking out the granite and stone, we also decided to have them do the area under our bar where the bar stools are.  There are scuff marks and such from when people sit at the bar and there shoes scrap on the paint...so we thought if we put the Austin stone there too...that problem would be solved.  After picking everything out, we scheduled a time for them to come out and install everything.  Our appliances had already arrived...I guess we had had them about a week before the guys came and installed the granite and back splash.  They came on a Monday and were finished by Thursday...and it was perfect timing!  They finished getting everything done and cleaned up the day before I was off for Christmas break!  So, I was able to have a brand new kitchen with working appliances so that I could cook Christmas dinner and not have to panic that something was going to go out.  I spend a lot of time in our kitchen and Cody was so sweet to be the one to suggest that it was time to have it re-done.  He also really loves the way it looks...he comments on it quite frequently!  Having the kitchen be updated makes our house just feel more like us.  We've been there almost four years and little by little we've updated it and made it be just perfect for our style and how we like things.  I feel so blessed to be able to have a home that I come home to everyday to the little family that I love so much.  God has truly blessed us in so many ways and I am so thankful for the life that He has given me...I couldn't be happier!!!  Now...I'm off to cook something delicious in my shiny new kitchen :-)