Our commercial! :D

Happy Anniversary to us!

WELL...August 25th marked the anniversary of a very special day in our lives. Thanks to those who sent cards and called us to wish us a "happy 1st year!"
We tried to do some special things together...yet, not anything too overwhelming or plan-involved...but I've just been so tired and sick lately, that we both decided to wave the flag of surrender at about 5:00 and head home for take-out and a movie. And I'm so thankful! We did have a fun date the night before and the entire weekend, we made a point to be together--just the two of us (and the pups, of course).
But, one exciting thing...we bought a new car! This is our new "stroller."

We decided to go for the Santa Fe b/c of the "bang for the buck." With this beauty, we get 7 passenger seating, room, and lots of other fun features. Plus, Hyundai just did a lot of re-vamping; bigger engine, nicer interior, etc. Everyone who's been lucky enough to catch a ride has said "wow! it's nice inside!" haha...we were shocked too tho, and they made us such a GREAT deal....we couldn't refuse!
Anywho, that's all that's going on!
We are 16 weeks tomorrow, and closer to finding out the sex of the baby! We can't wait! We'll keep you up-to-date!

We're expanding!

So many cute, kitch things to say about being pregnant! :D Well, we are! On the morning of June 13th, J and I awoke to a not-so-surprising-surprise! After being confirmed by our specialist, that afternoon, we celebrated the fact that "we" were now a "three."
It's the coolest, hardest, scariest, weirdest, most fun, life-changing-est, greatest, most amazing thing we've ever been a part of and are SO excited to get to experience it first-hand, together!
Our official (or unofficial, if you've heard the stories) due date is Valentines day 2008!
We'd been trying or "not-not trying" for a Baby H since October of last year, and with no luck, decided to seek the help of professionals. Dr. S at the Texas Fertility Center helped make our dream a miracle and a reality!
So as of today, we are 14 weeks and 4 days pregnant...no idea what we are having yet, but J is hoping for a girl. I'm trying not to assume anything, and so far that has helped in keeping me pretty chipper! I assumed that I would get morning sickness....and I have (on many many many occasions). I assumed that I would feel tired...and I do! I assumed that I would be a little grouchy...and maybe that's happened...a little. I assumed that it would completely change my outlook on life, and MY-oh-MY, has it ever!
No weird cravings as of yet...just sour, sour, sour! Pickles, sour patch kids, lemons, anything and everything sour! No chocolate really...tho if it is right in front of me, I'm probably not going to turn it away. haha! I have many more food aversions than I do cravings...and I long for the day when food tastes good or sounds good or even smells good! Everyone has really made an extra effort to provide me with choices and food that I can eat (and I really appreciate it).
J has been the best partner and husband throughout this entire thing! Offering encouraging words when I thought it was hopeless, celebrating in just the right way when we found out, crying with me, laughing at me when I have mood swings (which is what I need), calming me, helping me (I am forbidden to carry anything!), holding my hair and standing by with toothbrush ready, cooking and cleaning (yeah, to my ever-increasing high standards!), and loving me more and more each day! I'm truly the luckiest person in the world!
So that's it for now....more soon! I'll try to be better!

That announcement we've all been waiting for....

Current mood: sleepy

Yep! You guessed it! We are multiplying! We couldn't be more blessed/thrilled/excited/ready to meet this little one! Baby H 1 is due in February...we'll keep ya up-to-date....well, as up-to-date as you can on a blog w/o being too gushy or weird. ;)

If you want the lovely details or pics you have to ask for them!

So....tired....

Summer Vacation--in style!

WELL...





We just got back from our first cruise together...and it was cruise-tastic! We had an excellent time, and I think that we even relaxed a little! HA! What craziness...Here is a picture from the first formal night on the cruise...





I also had a birthday on June 5th, in Cozumel, our first port of the trip. We cruised on to Roatan, Honduras and tried to port at Costa Maya...but the weather was bad, so we went back to Cozumel for a second day. Then our last port was in Progresso...we had an amazing time, and we will certainly never forget it!



A picture from my Birthday fiesta!


On the job-front, J's company, ExpertVillage.com was officially bought out for an undisclosed amount by Demand Media. J's been super busy and super stressed, but is glad to join the new team at Demand!





I'm still working two jobs...at Keller Williams and JJH, things are going great at both..lots of growing and learning going on there.


Here's a picture of Maebe trying to sleep with her head up!

Here's a close-up of Champion!


Champ and Maebe stayed at Dogboys Dogranch while we were on vacation, and had an awesome time! They went swimming and hiking 2x a day! Needless to say, they've been on good behavior since we got back!

That's all for now, folks!

Champ-Champ, the Man!

Meet Champion (a.k.a. "Champ the man," "Champ-Champ," or just plain ol' "Champ")!! He's the latest addition to our household! We are officially living at the new address and are excited to have adopted another wonderful pet. He's a 2 yr. old Golden Retriever who has the sweetest tempermant and the patience of Job. He is Maebe's new best friend and (even tho he could swallow her entire head in one gulp) she loves to play tug of war with him, go on walks with him, and snuggle with him when she's tired.
We are so thankful to the Nealand family who contacted us about adopting this big boy. This picture is from his puppy days (9 months old)...more pictures to come!

We closed on the house!!! 2/2

We went to "look" at houses, and found one that was PERFECT! We signed a purchase agreement and are proud to say that we were approved for financing! It is really a gruling process....but when it's all said and done...it really feels great! The mortgage company does an extensive and VERY thorough background check and when they give you that stamp of approval...it can be very satisfying! We closed on the last day of February, and begin moving in the first week of March! We can't believe how quickly this all happened, but we are SO ready and excited! Come and see us in Pflugerville!

Story of a dog.

I'm bored, and there's 8 minutes until grey's so.....here's a story about my puppy.

From haircut

I love my puppy...

even when she bites me.

Sometimes i control her with my magical powers....

and then she's a good dog...

and she takes pretty pictures.
The End.

We have a puppy!

This is Maebe "Barks a lot" H! We adopted her last weekend from the Round Rock Animal Shelter. She is part Golden Retriever and part Border Collie (we think). SHe loves to play fetch and is doing very well with her potty training and crate training! We have really enjoyed her thus far! She has recently discovered her bark, and it's no puppy bark! We are trying to get her used to other humans, so come by and see her anytime!

Another year....

Everyone looks at the New Year as a new start; all shiny and new. Some people look back at the year gone by and think "good riddance!" I can't help but feel a little sad...2006 was amazing for me. It was a year of love, a year of friends, a year of family. So much happened in this year, that I can honestly say it was the best year of my life. I started to do one of those "best and worst of 2006" or "Top 5 Moments" in this blog, but couldn't complete either one. There were more than 5 top moments in 2006 for me. There weren't enough bad moments to even fill up one space of my "worst" moments.
Just to mention a few high points:
In this year I've discovered new friendships, rediscovered old ones, solidified my love, validated the feelings of my heart, traveled to far off places, traveled to friends places, played in the snow, got totally lost, found my home, had a first Christmas, gained new family members, played Santa, held babies, recieved the best hugs, made memories, taken pictures, thrown parties, celebrated bdays, cried tears of happiness, and have wished on a few dozen falling stars.
With the new, I know that it will get better and better...but I'm not sure how.

To the man who has my whole heart: thank you for all the love, support, comfort, and FUN that you have brought to my life and the smiles you've put on my face.
To the friends who I can't believe I didn't have before 2006: thanks for being so freakin' cool.
To the friends I've rediscovered: thanks for finding me again! Let's keep in touch!
To my family: you are the reason I do what I do, and I am what I am...thanks for everything.
And to those I've lost: I understand.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

  

The Decemberists

Current mood: cheerful
J took me to see The Decemberists lastnight at Stubbs BBQ. Amazing show...if you get the chance to see them in your area on their current Crane Wife tour, do yourself the favor and catch the show. Here's a setlist in non-sequential order for those who are fans:
Summersong
The Crane Wife (all parts)
Song for Myla Goldberg
The Island (all parts)
Shankill Butcher
Odalisque
The Legionnaire's Lament
16 Military Wives
The Gymnast, High above the Ground
Los Angeles, I'm Yours
We Both Go Down Together
O Valencia
The Perfect Crime No. 2
Sons & Daughters
and last but not least, the delightful song on my profile: Culling Of The Fold
(during which Colin Meloy called a fan's mother on their cellphone and sang the eerie words into the phone)
There were crowd-involved vocal warmups and "la dee dah" competitions (of which, I think "stage right" was loudest). I'd forgotten how much I loved them, and seeing them live just relit a fire! Luckily we caught them!

Settling in!

We did it! We got married on August 25th, 2006! Everything was perfect, and we are settling in very nicely. We wanted to share pictures of our honeymoon and wedding with everyone, so click on the honeymoon picture and it will take you to our photoalbum online or click on this link and go view the wedding photos. Enjoy!

Honeymoon pics anyone?

If you wanna see honeymoon pics...click on the pic below and use that pic as your starting point. For some reason, the pictures uploaded in reverse order, and it took so long....i didn't want to re upload them. SO...have fun....there's like 300 of them, so it may take some time. And i give a pretty awesome tour of a Castle. That's your teaser.

Things I learned while in Switzerland...

1. Don't trust the road signs.
2. That smell you smell...it's cheese....get used to it.
3. Drive AWAY from Germany (unless you are cool with getting a strip-search on your honeymoon---by the scary Nazi guy from Indiana Jones).
4. Arrows like this "< >" on the road map mean you are going over a mountain pass.
5. Everyone smokes dirty cigs...even kids.
6. Wine tastes better from balconies with great views.
7. J is a better driver, planner, packer, and communicator in foreign languages. period. end of story.
8. It's okay to endulge in a little cheezy, touristy souveniers. Just don't be "that guy" who buys and wears the pants that say ZERMATT down the side of them in Zermatt.
9. Hiking in the snow is a new kind of romantic.
10. I'm the luckiest person in the world at any given moment.

10 days....10 ways....

Current mood: jubilant


Ten days until we "join together to celebrate the union of this woman and this man." I cannot explain enough how fortunate I feel at this moment and how humbled I am. I always dreamed of finding a love like this: a love like you hear about in love stories or in love songs, but with a sense of reality. I've gotten so swept up in love and it's so amazing. I'm so grateful to J for everything he is, and everything I know he will continue to be. He's an amazing man, and will make the most amazing husband. So this blog is for him; over the next ten days, I'm gonna add entries about my top ten favorite things about J. They are going to be little and big, cute and funny, and always loving.

Today: Day 10

I love the way that he can kick it like a kid. He dances with me in HEB, he plays boardgames and he really digs grilled cheese sandwiches.

Today: Day 9

Best cuddler in the world. No, seriously. I've never been one to actually fall asleep while cuddling until I met J. When I was younger (mom always tells this story), I would wake up in the mornings and not want to do anything for about thirty minutes but be held. Not much has changed, because now days, I wake up and I curl up next to J and let him hold me for a good thirty minutes, maybe even an hour. WIth cuddles like that, you can't help but feel protected, loved, cared for, and complete.

Today: Day 8

The way he cares and takes care.

Today: Day 7

He never forgets things that are important to me. Birthdays, anniversaries, favorite meals, favorite candies, favorite ice creams...etc. He has a really good memory and never lets special stuff slide.

Today: Day 6

I've spent nearly every day with him in the last year, and we still miss each other when we aren't together. He calls me at home during the day, and I call him at work and it never seems bothersome. That's nice.

Today: Day 5

He's adventerous. He takes me kayaking. He's taking me hiking. ONE DAY, he'll take me camping. (lil' inside joke)....He likes new things that aren't so typical. He has taken me to see musicals in the park and to concerts galore. He's taught me soccer ball tricks to impress my friends. All these things fall under the category of adventerous. :D

Today: Day 4

Best support system known to me. He's always encouraging me and giving me that extra push that I need sometimes. He's there for me in the kind of way that I don't have to reach out. He knows when I'm in need and always is first to offer a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on.

Today: Day 3

He makes me laugh. The deep-belly-kind-of-laughs that make you a happier person. He knows when to have fun and is the best at making fun. If you know me, you know how I love to goof around and crack jokes....he gets that. And he actually thinks I'm pretty funny too. :D

Today: Oh geez..Day 2!
I'm so emotional! But that's not the reason for Day 2.

He picked me. He knows me through and through and he still picked me. He knows my faults and he accepts our differences (I will always despise David Bowie because of The Labryinth) and he loves me anyways. I can't believe that I'm getting married to the most fabulous man on earth on Friday! hehe!

Today: Days left: 1!!
How exciting! One of my favorite things about J is his infinite knowledge in all things. He really is like an encyclopedia. Anything I could ever need to know is in that brain. hehe. But he's not cocky about it...and not a know-it-all...on the contrary...he's very interesting...which makes for LOTS of great conversation.

and I'm gonna go ahead with the next day:

THE DAY OF!!!!!

Everything I've ever asked for in my heart of hearts was fulfilled when I met this amazing man and I am continually reminded of that. Every time I look at his sweet face, I feel complete.

17 days!

Final plans are coming together for the wedding! We are so excited! We met Saturday with our wedding planner, Gina and ran through some last minute plans. We figured out where exactly we are going to have the ceremony and how we are going to maximize the space we have. I had my final hair cut and color before the wedding, and also took some bridal portraits at the Capitol building on Saturday. Everything is coming together so easily. The portraits are GORGEOUS, and I will surely post some after the wedding, so JBarton doesn't see them. 17 days until we are Mr. and Mrs.!! Make sure you've RSVP'd!!

UM...WOW.

Current mood: curious
http://www.thebricktestament.com/

Confessions of....

1. I hate work...this is why: I hate being paid to write because I love to write and I hate writing what other people want me to write.
2. The couple of people that I do like at work...are quitting in the next month.
3. I 'm jealous of everyone who enjoys their work.
4. I'm dying to be creative.
5. I'm dying to be known for my creativity.
6. I think Kinky Freidman is a cool guy...but I don't think people would take a "Texan" seriously if he got elected. I think it's all a sham.
7. When people sneeze, it makes me hold my breath. Like I'm scared I'm going to breathe it in.
8. I've never thought I was pretty and I always thought it was weird when people told me so. Erin, and my mom, and J are the only people who I think really ever meant it. I think everyone else who ever said I looked nice or was pretty got mad at me for it.
9. I hate the way I just sounded when I wrote that....but it's truly how i feel, and after all..these are my confessions. If you don't like that, you can stop reading now.
10. I've not done real work for the last three days. And NO ONE notices.
11. I get strings of emails and never answer them.
12. I don't really return voicemails unless I called you first. Usually, I'll just wait to talk to you when I see you. That may be a really long time for some.
13. My landlady is CRAZY. No really...I'm always afraid to answer the door when I'm home alone and she shows up. IN fact...once I got a package for her at my house and I waited a week to call her...even tho it said "urgent" and was probably her medication. And when I did call her, I lied and said that I wouldn't be at the house so I was putting it on the porch behind the chair...it worked.
14. I'm a loud typist.
15. I have no idea how many words per minute I type. Someone once told me that 50-55 was good...so I always put that on resumes.
16. I'm not smart. I have no idea how i graduated from college.
17. I get really frustrated at the things that I can't remember. For reals...why does my brain store certain things away that I would like to forget or that are totally useless...and then I can't remember the things that I need to? Puzzled.
18. Speaking of puzzles...I love puzzles. But i'm really serious about it and can only "puzzle" with the best.
19. I'm completely consumed with planning my wedding...after that's over...I want to do a lot of things like reading....and writing....and maybe working up enough courage to pursue a real career.
20. I registered a domain site today (with the help of J and aebax). It's called "read2reel.com." Guess what it's about.
21. I never thought I'd have kids cuz I thought that Jesus would come back first. But now I can't wait to have them. In fact, I've already got the names picked out for the first 25. ;)
22. I get annoyed when people call meetings at 4:55.
23. My boss has two stickers on his monitor at work. They are a dolphin and a smiley face. They are totally those ones that you get when you go to the tanning booth. this makes me laugh.
24. When in meetings, I doodle like crazy. This leads me to believe that I could make a career from painting because seriously....some of the crap that people claim is "art" is really just a doodle put on a canvas.
25. I think...as a "writer"...that it's funny when you ask someone for an assignment length and they say "oh, I dunno...two or three paragraphs." That's like saying "oh...about three donkey kong games worth." Paragraphs are different sizes you idiot. Give me "words."
26. i looooove diamonds.
27. I also love conspiracy theories. Even the bogus ones. Especially the bogus ones.
28. I don't trust the government. I think in my old age I'll be wierd and bury my money in mason jars in the back yard because I don't trust the government. I'll probably be investigated by the IRS because I won't pay taxes for like forty years. Why? Cuz I don't trust the gov'mt.
29. 28 is especially strange given my background.
30. I think I'm the only one in my family who supports gay marriage. WHich is also pretty funny. and probably reason enough for number 28.
31. I love leggos. Did you know that the plural of leggo is leggo. Not leggae. (name that show)
32. I would like to have a HUGE collection of coffee table books. THese are the books that are meaningless and are usually mostly pictures. I would like to have one that is called "oops: accidents, forgetfullness, and errors." It would have pictures of things like fender-benders, fingers being slammed in doors, and other things that people do on accident. If there is already a book like this, you should get me one for christmas.
33. J has lost over 10 pounds and I've lost 6 in two weeks. This is not fair, but proves that you can't even have one chip or one cup of jello pudding....let alone THREE.
34. I cuss too much.
35. I edit too much.
36. I love proof reading.
37. My mind is like jello.
38. I like even numbers WAY better than odd.
39. My vision has been blurry all day. My eye is red. I'm sleepy and am at most times just staring at my computer. Therefore, I look like i'm high on something.
40. I don't do drugs.
41. I think I will have a glass of wine tonight at a country bar/concert. Does this make me the strangest being in the room? probably.
42. Our HR supervisor has on mister rogers shoes. totally.
43. Sugar-free butterscotch candies taste just as sweet as the sugary ones.
44. I haven't brushed my hair in two days. But I have washed it. I'm thinking of seeing if I can go until Saturday without brushing. This will probably happen, unless....i think about it too much and then i'll brush.
45. I've had three cups of coffee today. and I'm still SLEEPY. I need a redbull.
46. Nothing makes you feel quite as "loser-ish" as being constantly surrounded by people who are going to law school, taking Bar exams, or making thousands of dollars daily.
47. Correction: #46 is not true. There is one thing that makes you feel more loser-ish. Being paid 12 dollars an hour with no benefits like insurance or paid vacation around those people makes you feel WAY more loser-ish.
48. Tomato. Fruit? or Veggie?
49. What makes a berry a berry? Is a cherry technically a berry? Should it be "cherryberry?" Does it fit in the same family as: Strawberry? Blueberry? Rasberry?
50. Tofu hotdogs bounce like rubber balls if you drop them on the ground.

'Tis all for now!

31 days!

WOW! We can't believe that there's only 31 days left until our big day! :D It's safe to say that we are very, very, very, very excited! All the final details are coming together. J and the boys have done the tuxedo thing, I've gotten my dress altered, wedding bands are bought, and final designs for the ceremony are being discussed. We've sent out invitations! Yay! We've booked our flights and hotels for the honeymoon to Switzerland! Everything is confirmed and ready to go! We hope these next 30 days FLY by. We can't wait to be Mrs. and Mr. jbH. :D