Jordan, Kari, and Hannah...Bank on it.

Happy Half Birthday!!!

2010-04-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Hannah,

I can't believe 6 months ago today we were in the delivery room waiting for your arrival. I was told we would meet you by the time the lunch hour rolled around. Then, your stupid mommy listened to the nurse about how I would probably prefer to have the epidural when I started pushing. I was doing just fine on my own. I made it to 6 cm with you and just started to really feel the contractions and then of course, came the decision of pain medication. Never again will I let a nurse scare me in to taking meds because then of course, you took your dear little time, and it stopped our labor. Mommy is totally blaming herself for this one, little girl. But then 2:00 p.m. rolled around, and it was time to get you out. The epidural had been out for about 2 hours now and was entirely worn off except for the right leg, and you were charging through at this point. After 2 hours of pushing, we met our dear, sweet little girl! You were such a blessing to see for the first time! We loved you from the moment we saw you inside the womb. Daddy and I have enjoyed watching you grow and develop these past 6 months! We look forward to many years with you! We promise to give you a brother or sister to play with in the future, but for now you have me and daddy, and we will always be here for you! Happy half birthday to my Hanney-poo! We love you!

Wedding Shower Weekend Fun.....

2010-03-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so as I was saying in my last post, we had a busy weekend of wedding showers for my sister Kelsey who is getting married on April 24th. The first shower was held at her future mother-in-laws house. This one was a rather fun event because I did not have to do one thing in it except enjoy the wonderful food and games!

Then, of course, came the lingerie shower that I threw Kelsey. Since I am the MOH (maid of honor for those who did not know), I was in charge of basically everything. Throwing a party on top of working full time, being a full time mommy the rest of the time, and pulling off a wedding of the century is pretty tough to do all at the same time. Needless to say, I am exhausted, but I am having fun re-living wedding things all over again! I am excited about doing the things I would have done or changed about my wedding. But I never knew how much work went in to being an MOH. Honestly, I probably bring most of the work upon myself. I know my wedding coordinator for my wedding (AKA: Ashley Davis) would say so. I just have a hard time letting people do things. My personality comes with the mentality of "If I don't do it, it won't get done right or it won't get done on time, etc". Sorry Ashley. You did so well putting up with me that day, seriously. I tell myself constantly that I just need to let go and let people take certain responsibilities from me, and they will all work themselves out. I am asking God for more of a "care-free personality" just until the wedding is over. I think I am going to kill myself in the process of all the chaos, but my family is doing a good job of handling me (family being: my husband, Hannah, my mom, and sisters). Thank you too for putting up with me, and it is not even my wedding! I promise I will be back to my normal self after the event is over! I have some pictures posted of the showers for you to enjoy.

Me and Hannah at Kelsey's first bridal shower

Kelsey opening her gift from Jordan, Hannah, and I

The yummy food at the lingerie shower.

My lovely sisters at the lingerie shower! Thank you Keli so much for all your help!

Funny Stuff....

2010-03-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

I thought a few of these commercials were so funny that I had to post them! Have a great weekend folks! Mine is going to be super busy and a blog to follow this later!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC7uJKdrgYk

needing a vacation....

2010-03-11T10:45:00.001-08:00

nuff said!

I'm Dreaming of a Smokey Mountain Christmas....

2010-03-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are going to Gatlinburg!! Jordan and I have just planned our family vacation this year. I know most people plan a summer vacation to the beach, but Jordan and I decided the beach would not be too fun this year with Hannah being at the most 8 months old. I would have to constantly be washing sand out of her mouth because the moment she has a hold of anything these days, it goes straight to the mouth. She wouldn't be able to walk yet, and let's face it sand is hard to walk in anyway as an adult much less being an infant. We figured she would have a much more fun time at the mountains around Christmas time because she will be walking by then, she will be 14 months old, and hopefully be eating some table food! December is a big month in the Bankston house due to our wedding anniversary being the 15th, Christmas is the 25th, and my birthday is the 31st so we just decided to do one big blowout of all those gift giving days. Of course, Hannah will still get individual presents from us on Christmas, but Jordan and I have decided to forgo the big Christmas gifts to each other and do the vacation instead.

I guess it's kind of bad that we are taking our baby on our anniversary trip, but we really want to get away as a family and go on our first family vacation together. Now that I think about it, it is kind of funny that we are taking Hannah on our anniversary trip! Of course, when I go to the mountains at Christmas time, I have to visit the Dixie Stampede, and I know Hannah will enjoy that! She already likes horses so much now! I guess next year will be her big first beach trip!

Confession......

2010-02-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

I must confess coffee is my new obsession. I have always liked coffee, but I have never had to have it on a daily basis until recently. I guess having a baby that is teething and wakes up in the middle of the night in pain and having to get up at 4:30 a.m. to go to work the next day will do that to you. I used to drink coffee just when I would go to Starbucks or some specialty place of the sort, but now I am keeping it stocked in my cabinet like it is going out of style. Turning on the coffee pot is the first thing I do in the mornings now, or when I get to work, I visit the coffee pot first thing. I just like a little bit of flavored creamer in it and nothing else. Just enough to make it sweet but still have a strong taste to it. Not only am I obsessed with this beverage, but it is a necessity as well. My body is so used to having it every morning that I almost fear not to have it because I might have a bad day or get a headache or something. I can see withdrawals happening in the near future if I ever decide to fast caffeine. I know my friend Ashley and some others in the blog world are avid coffee drinkers as well, and when they would talk about being dependent on their morning coffee, I would think to myself, "that is so crazy!" I now completely understand, Ashley, and you are no longer crazy (in a good way)...lol! I also read a blog where my friend Samantha wrote a personal note to her coffee maker when it died. I completely understand this note now too. I think I would have to do the same thing if my coffee maker ever died. I do ask my coffee maker not to die until my baby has at least made it to the two year mark when I am hopefully getting more sound sleep. Until next time, cheers to all you coffee drinkers!!!

Discovering Movie Quotes...

2010-02-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love the movie My Girl!

I saw it for the first time in a long time yesterday, and it was so funny to me. I know some of you are thinking, "That movie is not funny at all...In fact, it is rather sad"! I would agree with you. It is a sad movie towards the end. However, I paid close attention to some quotes in the movie for the first time the other day. One quote that had me dying laughing was "I used to play with my Ken and Barbie dolls. Ken was my favorite. Then one Christmas I got them a camper, and all they wanted to do was hang out in it by themselves so I wasn't too upset when they took that wrong turn and went over the cliff." This quote still makes me laugh even today. I have heard that line so many times when watching the movie, but I guess it never dawned on me how funny it was. Another one of the quotes from the movie that hit me was "Feel my aura....I don't think I'm allowed to." LOL! I love it when I find new things in movies that I have seen over and over but have never discovered them!

Is Enough Not Enough?.....

2010-02-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

So I read somewhere on the internet today that Michelle Duggar from "19 Kids and Counting" is still planning on having more children if the Lord allows them to do so. I would tell you where I read this, but I do not remember quite how I got there. You know how you click around a bunch of times and can't seem to remember how many times you clicked or where you clicked. Anyways, some of you may know Michelle went into pre-term labor at about 24 weeks on December 10, 2009. She was having some gallbladder pain and thought she was going in just to have some gallstones removed. Well her blood pressure got really elevated to the point of stroke level, and they decided to do an emergency c-section to get the baby out. She gave birth to her daughter Josie Brooklyn Duggar weighing in at 1 lb. 6 oz. She is still battling for her life as we speak.

After reading that she and Jim Bob (her husband) were still wanting to have more children if the Lord permits them too, I immediately started forming an opinion. All my readers out there know how opinionated I am....hehe! Now, I know it is not my business, but I don't quite understand why you would even ponder having another baby at this point. I mean Michelle is along in her years as far as child bearing is concerned. I am not sure if the reasoning behind her blood pressure shooting up was due to her age, but it seems logical at this point that that may be the case. Josie is clearly going to have to be worked with one on one for a long time or possibly her whole life due to her under development and low birth weight. I just feel like there comes a point in time when you have to say, "We are not going to put myself or another baby in danger again". Michelle was at risk too during this emergency delivery. I know they have had 18 children that are perfectly healthy, and the Lord could very well heal Josie completely and even give them more healthy children. But could the Lord also have allowed this to happen to Josie to show them that it is time to call a quits? I understand they are looking at it from a point of view, "That God will not give us anymore children if He does not want us to have anymore". I totally agree with this statement, however, you are continuing to put yourself and possibly more children in danger by not preventing. I have not come to a conclusion of how I feel about this because I see their reasoning, but at the same time, I also know that the children they do have need their mother. I love watching the show because I am extremely intrigued of how they manage from day to day with 20 plus people in one house. But more so than that, I appreciate their Christian morals and values and how they have made them very known to the public. Some things I think they have taken to the extreme as far as morals and values are concerned like having long hair and wearing skirts all the time. But I am in agreeance on the Christian conservative values. I just think it is now time to just raise the children you do have and live a healthy, happy lifestyle.

Teething.....aaaahhhhh!!!

2010-02-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

So we have officially started teething as of last night. We spiked a 101.8 fever, had diarrhea, loss of appetite, and fussiness. I knew Hannah was not sick because we had just gone to the doctor the day before for our 4 month check-up, and the doctor said her ears and lungs were clear. I was afraid maybe the RSV infection was still lingering behind, but after a few phone calls, I decided to check her mouth for swollen gums and little teethies. Well we have a winner....she is cutting 2 teeth on the right side of her mouth!!! I knew she was gnawing on her hand a lot on that particular side of her mouth a few days ago, but I did not think anything of it because she constantly has her hands in her mouth. But I did notice she has literally rubbed her hand raw from gnawing. Anyway, the doctor says, "It is about that time. 'Any time between 4 to 6 months we will see "knives coming through the gums'". I was thinking to myself, "Well we are 4 months on the dot". The doctor reminded me that little girls teethe faster or before some boys do. I guess that is part of the whole girls mature faster than boys. Poor baby, I just felt so helpless with trying to ease her pain. Thank the Lord for teething tablets and infant tylenol! We would have been lost without you guys last night.

When I think about Hannah teething, that Full House episode comes to mind when Michelle (as a baby) is teething. Danny Tanner said, "Imagine a knife cutting through your gum"! Joey Gladstone replies, "I say we buy her a pony!" My sentiments exactly....I think we should buy Hannah a pony!! After all, we have a whole mouth of these toofies to cut. My Poor Little Hannah:/

Baby Food......

2010-02-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

So we have experienced baby food for the first time last night. The sweet potatoes are a hit!! I do have to say more came out than went in, but it was her first time eating from a spoon so she will get the hang of it eventually. She did have a good time in her high chair, figuring out what the heck was going on, and why daddy was taking so many pictures. Jordan tends to get camera happy when we hit milestones in Hannah's life. She is probably use to it by now. I have to say I was pretty excited myself about starting baby food. I was getting bored of the same ole' bottle feeding ordeal. I wanted a different routine too. I look forward to trying many more baby foods with you, Hannahbear! Here's some pictures of the wonderful event!

4 months old....

2010-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

I just looked at the calendar and realized my little girl is 4 months old today!!! Happy Birthday Hanneypoo! It's hard to believe four months ago today I went into labor, my epidural did not work and stopped my labor, and I brought you into this world all naturally. I can't believe I was able to endure that. Fourteen hours later you were here, and you were entirely worth it. We love having you around! Mommy and Daddy love you, and you are growing up way too fast!

Twilight......

2010-02-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

So I finally got around to seeing the first Twilight movie this weekend. I honestly would have sat down to watch it sooner, but I have never been interested in vampire/ sci-fi type movies. My sister (Keli) is not in to those types of movies either, but she said it caught her attention one day on her movie channel, and she talked me into renting it and watching it. I really liked it! I don't think you have to be into those types of movies to like Twilight. I am looking forward to New Moon coming out on video eventually. Now, I am not so obsessed to the point of going to catch the midnight showing opening day or anything when the third Twilight movie (I think it is called Eclipse) comes out. I really just wanted to rent the movie to see what all the hype was about. I have to say I liked it, but I am not in love with it like some people so I still say, "I don't know what all the hype is about"....hehe....sorry for all you Twilight readers out there.

I am in love with Fridays and the Weekends.....

2010-01-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

I am so glad Friday is officially here. I live for Fridays. I guess because I know I get to be with my little Hannah bug all weekend long, and we get to sleep in because we do not have to be anywhere. Believe it or not, Hannah does sleep in until about 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. She would sleep in until then on the other days if it was not for me waking her up to leave for daycare.

In other news, I am particularly excited about this weekend because Hannah is being dedicated on Sunday along with her cousin Trenton. Trenton is, my sister, Keli's little boy, and he was born just 4 weeks before Hannah for the readers out there who did not know that. I cannot wait for her to wear her cute little dress we bought for this special day. I will of course post a picture of it later. I will go ahead and tell you, I am not too traditional when it comes to things like this so Hannah will not be wearing the traditional white christening gown. I guess I just know every other baby will be wearing the exact same outfit so Hannah is going to go up there styling in her red dress and leopard print shoes. Yes, we will probably stand out like a sore thumb, however, we will be remembered for it. I love to leave impressions....haha!! Pictures to come soon....

and We're Back.....

2010-01-28T07:51:00.000-08:00

I know some of my readers out there probably thought I died since I have not posted a blog in such a long time. Well guess what? We are back. Hopefully I will blog more often than I did the last time we had a long hiatus. Well lots has happened since my last blog. Hannah is turning four months next Tuesday! She is getting so big. I cannot believe how fast she is growing. If I talk about it too much, I might start crying, or I will want to try for another baby. Jordan will not have this thought cross my mind at this point in time in our lives. Hannah truly is such a joy to be around. She has found her voice that is for sure. She constantly coos and ahhhs when she is awake. I have a feeling we are going to have a very talkative little one on our hands when she does actually start talking. I guess she is her “mother’s daughter” in that respect. We are working on rolling over right now. We have gotten to the point where we roll over to our side, but she does not seem to want to take the plunge to her stomach. She loves being on her side. She even likes to sleep on her side. However, she does not like to be on her tummy. She did roll all the way over to her tummy one time, and she went nuts because she could not get herself back over to her back…lol!! It was so funny. You hate to laugh at those things when they are frustrated with themselves and start screaming about it, but I honestly cannot help it sometimes. Maybe one day, she will forget about her bad experience rolling over to her tummy and just get the guts to do it again.

In other news, being a working mom completely sucks. Sorry for my bold statement, but that is how I truly feel right now. Jordan is working on getting me home as soon as possible, and I am so grateful for his effort in doing so. I am just so ready to be at home with my little girl. I need to be at home with her for my sake and hers. All I can do is think about her while I am working which results in not getting much done in the workplace. I think the hardest adjustment in going back to work other than leaving Hannah at daycare is I am extremely sleep deprived. Hannah does not go to bed until 10:30 p.m. every night. I have tried to change this schedule, but it is the only way she will sleep through the night and not get up earlier than I need her to. We have to leave by 6:30 a.m. every morning and no later in order for me to be at work on time and drop Hannah off at the daycare. I live an hour from where I work so if you’re wondering why so early….this is why. I have to be up by 4:30 a.m. in order to leave by 6:30 with getting Hannah in the car and getting everything she needs for the day in the car. So with going to bed at 11:00 p.m. and getting up at 4:30 a.m. you can imagine how exhausted I am. Then of course getting in the bed by 11:00 p.m. is not necessarily going to sleep at 11:00. My mind tends to wonder when I finally slow down for the day and lay down that I sometimes don’t get to sleep until 11:30 or a little after. So if you think of me, please pray for me and that God will provide Jordan with another well paying position soon. We are doing just fine right now with both of our paychecks, but I am personally needing something part time or nothing at all in order for me to function from day to day. I’m not sure how much longer I can physically do this working and mommy thing. Obviously, I am having to do it right now, but I am wearing down slowly. Being a mommy is absolutely wonderful, and I would not change that part for anything! I am truly blessed for such an amazing gift in my life. I love you Hannahbear!

Labor and Delivery....

2009-10-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, but as promised here is the big story. We went in for an induction on October 1st at 6:00 a.m. They started my IV and petocin(sp??)and broke my water, and we went into labor immediately at that point. I went in to the hospital 3 cm dialated. I went from 3 cm to 6 cm by 9:30 a.m. I had not had an epidural at this point. My nurse kept asking me if I wanted to get one, and I was refusing to get one until she told me I might want an epidural when I start to push. I started thinking at that point well I am at 6 cm, and we will be pushing within the next couple of hours so I said go ahead at this point and administer an epidural. This is when then problems started. The epidural only took in my right side so I felt everything on the left side. The nurse decided to give me a boost in my epidural to see if it would take on the left side, but then it only numbed the right side even more and numbed my arm and hand on the right side. My OB doctor (Dr. McKenzie) came in and said back off the epidural completely because I could not hold my leg with my hand on the right side and when we start to push, we will need to be able to do that. So I was only 8 cm at this point when they took me off the epidural completely which means we only had the epidural for 2 cm. If I could do it all over again, I would have never gotten the epidural because it slowed my labor way down and I was really doing okay feeling everything naturally. Don't get me wrong, it hurt a whole lot, but my mom was helping me breathe through it so it wasn't too bad with her help. She has had 4 natural childbirths. Okay, back to the story, it took me 4 hours to get from 6 cm to 10 cm. Then we got taken off of the epidural completely for the pushing part which I felt every bit of the pain on both sides. Anyway, we finally met our little Hannah at 4:30 p.m. on October 1st. After seeing her sweet little face, I forgot about all the pain I was in. She is such a blessing, and we honestly cannot imagine life without her. And as promised we have posted a some pictures. I have loaded several on facebook so check them out at your convenience.

The Stork Has Arrived....

2009-10-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took me so long to post the big news. We have been a little busy adjusting to a newborn and no sleep at night so I rarely get on the internet right now. However, I am getting better at planning my personal sleeping patterns around Hannah so I will get better at getting online and updating the good ole blog. HANNAH IS HERE!! We are so thrilled to have her here with us. She weighed in at 8 lbs. and 7 oz. 20 1/4 inches long. Even though it has just been a week, it is hard to imagine our lives without her now. Pictures to come soon! We have so many to upload it will take me a while to upload them so I will do it when I have more time. Well it looks like we are up for another feeding so I better run. Stay tuned for more of Hannah!

Patiently waiting.....

2009-09-16T12:32:00.001-07:00

Well we are officially playing the waiting game. At our last doctor’s appointment, Dr. McKenzie informed us we are 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced. There has been some talk of an inducement in the past because my blood pressure was elevated and still remains elevated, but my doctor feels like we are not looking at pre-eclamptic numbers so he is comfortable with the situation. He informed us we are no longer looking at inducement because she is dialating and my cervix is thinning out just fine on our own. Sorry for the details if you are one that does not like that kind of stuff. I kind of have lost all modesty about the subject. Anyways, the latest news is the doctor reassured us we would meet Hannah within the next two to three weeks with her coming on her own. We go back to the doctor tomorrow so all this could definitely change. You know how those week to week appointments go. Anything could happen from week to week. We are getting very excited!

On to other news, we are moving into our new house this weekend as well that is if Hannah holds off from coming. I think I posted a while back about building our house, but we are officially done with the building and moving this weekend. So we are excited about that too. Lots of news changes with the Bankston’s, but we are looking forward to them and the adjustment period. The good thing is we will all be adjusting together as a new family in a new house so it will be different for all of us. I will keep you updated with the changes as far as Hannah is concerned, and I will post pics of the news house when we get it all decorated and settled in.

Housing and Pregnancy...

2009-07-29T09:18:00.001-07:00

I am so sorry we have not blogged in forever. We have been super busy with the changes that are coming up in our lives that we have not had time to really sit down and think about writing what has been going on recently. For starters, we have been going out to the construction site on our house just about every weekend to see what has been done lately. Everything looks so good and is coming along so fast. We are closing on the house the last week of August and plan to move in that following weekend on September 4th. We are so very excited and ready to have our own place again! I have several construction pictures, but I have not loaded them on my computer yet so pictures will come soon.

As far as pregnancy is concerned, I am feeling pretty good these days. I have right at 8 weeks left to go. I am so ready to meet my little Hannah. I am starting to feel really tired again. It’s funny, I think the third trimester feels a lot like the first trimester but without the throwing up. Well at least that’s how it has been for me. My energy level is shot completely. Oh yeah, and I had a fun experience in the shower the other day. I absolutely am having such a hard time shaving my legs. I guess it’s because I am carrying Hannah so high, my tummy only allows me to bend over to a certain extent. So anyways, it looks like Jordan will have to help me shave around my ankle area. He will be thrilled about this….not really!! My sister Keli is due in 4 four weeks, and we are super excited to welcome little Trenton into the world. I will also post pictures of this event soon enough. Until next time, I hope all is going well out there in the blogging world for all of my good friends!!

Pregnancy Insomnia....

2009-06-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

And pregnancy insomnia begins. I read in my What to Expect When You’re Expecting book that I would be experiencing this now. So this past week, I have been experiencing the woes of getting woken up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep. I go to sleep just fine to start out with, but then about 4 hours later, I get woken up to use the bathroom, and I find it hard to get settled back down and go back to sleep. I think Hannah is confusing the late night potty breaks with “It’s time to officially get up for the day”. After the potty break is over, she bounces around like a wild woman in there which tends to keep me up for about 1 to 2 hours a night before finally falling back to sleep. I do enjoy feeling her kick. It is a relief every time she gives me a nudge but can’t we do these things during the day while I am at work and pretty active? I read somewhere that I needed to lower my intake of fluids before going to bed so I will not have to get up in the middle of the night. So I started doing that. Well the person who authored that book apparently forgot the fact that Hannah is using my bladder as her own personal trampoline. I guess this is just preparing me for the late night feedings and getting woken up every 3 to 4 hours. I am by no means complaining about that. I look very much forward to meeting my little girl. In fact, I find myself hoping time will speed up so we can meet our little girl who is such a blessing already. Come on October 1st!!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!

2009-05-12T04:55:00.000-07:00

Well we went to the doctor yesterday and found out we are having a little girl! Hannah Morgan Bankston will be here hopefully no later than October 6th. YAY!!! We are so very excited!!!

Waiting...........

2009-05-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

So as we wait for our doctor’s appointment on Monday to find out the sex of our baby, I am reminded of how precious this time has been of not knowing. I am extremely anxious and nervous about finding out what we are having. For so long, we have been referring to our baby as an “it” or as “he/she”. I am going to have to get used to calling “it” what it officially is. My prayer this week is that the Lord will just bless this time Jordan and I have together taking in the last few moments of the unknown, and that everything will be okay as far as growth is concerned as we look at the ultrasound on Monday. I cannot believe I have not seen my baby since I hit the 9 week mark. The past few appointments have just been heartbeat visits which are just as important and exciting. I find myself feeling a sigh of relief everytime I go to a heartbeat appointment and hear how strong little peanut’s heartbeat is. But I am super excited to actually see my baby again!!! Don’t worry, I will update all you readers out there on Monday when we find out. So stay tuned:)

And We Have Cleared The First Trimester.....

2009-04-02T11:41:00.001-07:00

I know I am way overdue for a blog update. Ever since Jordan and I found out we are pregnant, it has been non-stop, and I have no idea why. So some baby updates are in order. First of all, 2 weeks ago Jordan and I went to the doctor to hear the heartbeat for the first time. We actually saw it on the ultrasound last time so we heard it this time, and honestly, I have never felt so relieved. I was so excited to hear peanut’s heart beat!! On top of all that, the heartbeat was beating really fast which is normal this early in the pregnancy. Our nurse told us it will be interesting to see if it slows down or if it is the same for the next appointment. We go to hear it again in two weeks so I am anxious to see if it is just as fast or slower. My sister found out yesterday she is having a baby boy so now we are itching to find out what we are having. That appointment is scheduled for May 18th so we have a while. Then again, I know those weeks will go by super fast. I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going already. I just want to let all you readers know that I do intend to post baby bump pictures this weekend. Jordan and I have a couple of events to go to this weekend so I will be taking some pictures. I haven’t posted any so far because honestly, I have not looked all that pregnant yet. I just now started showing in the tummy so next blog belly pics will be posted. Thanks for hanging in there with me and being patient as Jordan and I were transitioning from our big news!!

What a week!!: Week 7 of pregnancy.....

2009-02-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s week 7 of my pregnancy, and so far I am experiencing morning sickness in the worst way. The past two mornings have been 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. throwing up sessions. My sweet husband has been so nice to get up with me and get me a cold, wet washcloth. For some reason, these throwing up moments have woken me up out of my sleep, and then it’s quickly grabbing the trash can. Thankfully, I have put a trash can by my bed out of fear that I won’t make it to the bathroom in time. I am sure it is going to get better. My doctor offered to give me some medicine for nausea, but I have decided to stick it out for a couple of more weeks since he reassured me most women get over the sick part at 10 -12 weeks. My doctor also said the medicine he would prescribe is a little expensive with insurance so another reason why we have decided to stick it out.

On to some good news, Jordan and I went to the doctor this past Monday and saw our little baby’s heartbeart. Of course, being the emotional person that I am, I started to cry a little bit. Jordan thought it was funny so he laughed. I have no idea why he thought it was funny. More than likely, it was a nervous laugh. I got my first picture of our little baby, and I must say it is so cute even though it looks like a little peanut right now. I am extremely curious to see who our baby will look like. Some couples have similar characteristics that favor one another, whereas, Jordan and I have no characteristics that are alike. We are seriously like night and day so I am anxious to see which one he/she looks like. I will go ahead and answer the big question for everyone, we are going to find out the sex of our baby. We talked about not finding out for a little. In fact, Jordan was the one that did not want to find out, and I wanted to. After we saw the heartbeat, Jordan said, “I wonder what it is” since God has already determined the sex of our baby. So we have decided not to be surprised and find out what we are having. I think after seeing the heartbeat made everything so real that it got our curiosity going. Stay tuned for more updates. I will not put any pictures of myself up until I start showing because right now, I just look like I am getting fat and no baby bump…haha!! I am definitely in the awkward state where I feel pregnant and am just getting the chubby tummy not so much the baby bump. So stay tuned, baby bump to come soon!!

and we're cooking.....

2009-02-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

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I just wanted to inform all my readers that Jordan and I found out last week that we are expecting our first child. WE'RE PREGNANT!!! WOOHOO! We are so excited! We have our first doctor's visit next Monday so I will update you on what the due date is and all that good stuff. I ask that you be in prayer for us as we all know that the first few months are very crucial on carrying the baby. Thank you so much for your prayers thus far. I know several of you were praying for me and this experience in my life. I just wanted to let you know God has answered your prayers and mine. What a wonderful God we serve!!

Waiting.....

2009-01-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I know I have not written anything since Christmas, and there have been so many reasons why, but I wanted to post something for this month. The only thing I can really think of is what has been on my heart lately. I really can’t share it in detail. All I know is God is trying to teach me something, and I don’t quite have an understanding of what it is. But I know He is faithful, and I am reminding myself of that everyday. My sister gave me a song that ministered to her during her difficult time she faced two years ago. I can’t believe how it completely describes where I am so I wanted to share it with you because maybe some of my readers are going through a difficult time as well and need some understanding or maybe even some peace. I for one am needing both peace and understanding. I hope it speaks to you the way it has spoken to me. Right now, this is the cry of my heart.

“In the Waiting”

Pain

The gift nobody longs for, still it comes and somehow leaves us stronger When it’s gone away.

Pray

I try and pray for Your will to be done, but I confess, it’s never fast enough for me.

It seems

The hardest part is waiting on You

When what I really want

is just to see Your hand move.

I want a peace beyond my understanding

I want to feel it fall like rain

In the middle of my hurting.

I want to feel Your arms as they surround me

And let me know that it’s okay

To be here in this place

Resting in the peace that only comes

In the waiting

Time

Time to let it go and just believe

Trusting in what no one else but You can see

Free

Freedom from the fears that close me in

When I can’t get beyond where I have been, but then

Again

The silence doesn’t mean that I’m alone

As long as I can hear that I am still Your own

our first year....

2008-12-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

before we went to eat

Okay, I know I am long overdue for an update so here we go. Last Monday, Jordan and I celebrated our first year of marriage together!!! It was a lot of fun! Due to the fact that we are saving a big down payment for our house come next May, we decided just to go out to eat and spend the “big one year” in Birmingham. Jordan made the day extremely special! Unfortunately, my husband’s wallet gets hit big time for the month of December. Our anniversary is December 15th, Christmas of course is December 25th, and then last but not least my birthday is December 31st. Needless to say, my poor husband goes broke on just buying for me for the month of December. Okay on to what Jordan got me for all these days…haha!! Last year, when I received my wedding set, Jordan and I had decided that we would upgrade it eventually not knowing that it was going to come this soon. So Jordan re-made my wedding set into a completely different setting for my anniversary, Christmas, and birthday gift. He upgraded the center stone for me as well. He is just too sweet and too much!!! So needless to say, for everybody that knows me really well, knows that I absolutely LOVE my gift!!!! I know a lot of you are questioning how he surprised me with this, and to be honest, I knew he was doing this, but I did not know what to expect nor how it was going to look. I absolutely LOVE and ADORE my new wedding set!!! I posted pictures above of the anniversary night:) Now onto more important things and what Christmas is really about. I think it is absolutely fitting that Christmas follows Thanksgiving. I don’t ever want to forget to give thanks to our Savior that was born to take the sins of the world upon Himself so that we can spend this time to reflect and share with family and friends. I am so thankful for my family and the time we have to spend together over the holidays! I do hope all of you readers out there have a very Merry Christmas! And don’t forget the real reason why we give gifts at Christmas because the greatest gift of all gifts was given to us (a Savior which is Christ the Lord)! Merry Christmas:)

Heal our Land...

2008-11-05T14:15:00.000-08:00

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Oh God, how we need healing in our land now more than ever. I know we don't deserve God's mercy at all, for all our country has done is turn our back on God. We murder babies, take prayer out of schools, and now we're going into this new presidency with a muslim president who believes in partial-birth abortions. Our country needs prayer desperately, and we need to turn back to what we were founded on which is Godly morals and principles. I really can't say anything else except that I pray God has mercy on us again!!!

A little bit of Everything....

2008-10-08T09:06:00.001-07:00

Okay so I am back to the blogging world. I know it has been a long time since I have blogged so I have lots to share. My travel season is going well with Southeastern. I am still in the middle of the season, but it is coming to an end very quickly. Just to update some of you readers out there, I posted not too long ago that Jordan and I have a possible job transfer to Nashville, Tennessee come May of next year well in the meantime because our apartment lease has ended, we have moved in with my parents into their basement until we have a definite “You are going to Nahville”. So this past weekend was spent moving everything we own and putting it in storage so now it seems like we are pretty much settled in to our basement apartment, but we are still working on some things. I am however, thankful we are out of apartment living for now. I know some people enjoy living in apartments, but I for one am not one of those people. It was a very temporary arrangement for Jordan and I, and we are glad to be out of it. The reason for this move to my parent’s house is we really do not know where we are going to end up come next May so we did not want to be stuck in a housing situation especially the way the real estate market is going right now so again another very temporary arrangement for us at this time. I absolutely cannot wait to just know where we are going. I am really counting down the days to the big move whether it be here or Nashville. I know once the holidays get here (which are coming really fast by the way) it’s pretty much downhill from there. Yay for the holidays coming!!!!

Okay on to other important things. I just wanted to share my opinion about this presidential election our country is facing. It is so scary to think that Obama might be the next President of the United States. He is a complete Socialist through and through and that scares me to pieces. I am however putting this entire election in God’s hands trusting that He will have mercy on our country yet another time. I don’t blame God for possibly wanting to take His hand off our nation one bit. I mean we have aborted 4 million babies in this year alone. We have taken His name out of everything. It would not surprise me if God is ready to place Obama in the presidency to send us toward the end times. According to the Bible, there is no America in existence in the end times. I believe that if Obama is elected as president, we are headed that way into a “No America”. I for one absolutely love Sarah Palin!!! If only John McCain had the enthusiasm and directness that she has, I believe the polls would be turned around. She doesn’t take crap from anybody, and I love that about her and that’s what we need. I would love to see Sarah and Obama go after it in a debate!! I am not saying this just because she is a female. I am saying this because I am praying that John McCain will pick up on these traits and attack his opponent the way he needs to. I got so frustrated watching the 2^nd presidential debate last night. Neither candidate gave me a direct answer as to what their plan is for the bailout situation, healthcare, and economy in general. We need to stay over in Iraq because the job is not finished over there. Obama wants to take the soldiers out, and the soldiers are wanting to stay there because they know it is not finished. All Obama wants to do is go after Osama Bin Laden which I am for doing also, but we can’t leave Iraq in the condition that it is in. UGH!!! I could go on, but for the sake of my readers, I won’t. We just really need to be on our knees praying that God will have mercy on our country for a little longer. If you’re not registered to vote, get registered!!!! We need Voters!!! Republican Voters at that!!! So sorry for the lengthy blog!

Taking A Break.....

2008-09-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Okay so I just wanted to inform all of our readers that I will be taking a break from blogging due to the fact that I have started my travel season with my job this week. It is going to be crazy over the next couple of weeks with seven college fairs within a four day period. I just wanted to explain for the delay that is about to come:) I am, however, really excited about getting to travel and not be stuck behind a desk all day!!!:) So I promise to blog by the third week of September that is when I will actually get a breather. Thank you for your patience as well as your understanding…haha!!!!

Happy Birthday To You!!!

2008-08-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

On our way home!!

Leaving Brio and on our way to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert

Jordan and me waiting for our order to be taken at Brio's

There's the birthday boy!!!

Okay so just wanted to give you the weekly update. Sorry it is a little late. Jordan’s birthday was Monday, August 18^th so we decided to celebrate it the weekend before. We had a delightful meal at Brio and then went on to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. I also got him some clothes for his birthday. He is one spoiled hubby that is for sure. The sad part is- he knows it!! So anyways, then Sunday we went over to his parents house for his family birthday lunch. We just decided how we would spend out birthday dates because his birthday came before mine. We made an agreement to spend one night celebrating our birthdays together by ourselves and then hook up with the family and do whatever they want to do for our birthdays another night. It’s amazing how you have to appease the parties that are involved when you get married. I personally miss being single sometimes due to this particular part. Anyways, we had a great time, and I absolutely love it when my husband tells me it is the best birthday he has ever had!! Love you Baby and Happy Birthday even though it is a couple of days later now. Hope you enjoy the pictures!! They were taken to sum up the birthday event!!!

Beach Weekend!!!

2008-08-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Kelsey, Me, Keli, and Jessica at LuLu's

Me and Kelsey enjoying the sun!!

Model pose from the sisters!!

Just a little update on what’s been happening in my life lately. I just got back from the beach this past Sunday with my sisters and a good friend. It was soo much fun and a much needed relaxing trip. Lately I have been stressed out at work with the enrollment being down and then Jordan and I are experiencing a change in living location. Our apartment lease is up at the beginning of October so we will be moving into my parent’s basement for six months while we are waiting on a job transfer to take place. So you can imagine how stressed out I have been with these changes. I really feel like I am so stressed because I do not necessarily like these changes that are coming about. Anyways, back to the beach trip, I am so glad I got to spend some quality time with my sisters!! It’s funny now that everyone is married except for my youngest sister, we realize how much time we do not get to spend together much less see each other. I will tell you one thing, I am personally tired of eating. It seems like we were eating every chance we got too which when you are on vacation is most of the time. I was so ready to get back and get back to my usual workout and eating schedule. But I do miss the beach and the simple life as some call it. I have posted some pictures above from the weekend. Until next time, Love you guys!!!!

And The Weddings Just Keep On Coming...

2008-08-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

My funny hubby and me!!

The Ziermans and the Bankstons

Okay so I know it has been a while since I have blogged, I am so sorry. Jordan and I live a very busy life. It’s amazing how working full time for both of us and Jordan going to grad school part time takes a whole day or even a whole week up before you know it. Jordan and I live for the weekends!!! We get so excited about Friday because that means Saturday is coming which in turn tends to be a restful day sometimes. Over the course of our busy weeks, we have managed to take the time to attend some weddings on Saturdays. This past Saturday, as most of you know, was Tim and Stephanie Zierman’s wedding. It was absolutely beautiful!! Jordan and I had a great time catching up with some friends we had not seen for about a month. Stephanie was beautiful, and she looked so very happy and glowing the entire time. It’s so funny because you will go to some weddings, and you can tell by the time the reception comes around that the bride is just exhausted, but Stephanie held it together and didn’t look a bit tired although I know she was. I have a few wedding pics above to basically sum up

Jordan

and my time at the wedding.

Most of you know my brother-in-law (Jonathan) is engaged to my best friend (Brittany), and they are getting married on March 7, 2009. Well Sunday we ordered the bridesmaid dresses!!! YAY!!! She has officially decided on a color and a dress!! I am so excited about this due to the intense searching for the perfect dress and the flip-flopping of the color every couple of days….haha!! I love you Brittany, and I know you will read this so I am just as excited as you are about the official decision. Let me explain my future sister-in-law for a second, Brittany loves a lot of things and all of them are very different. She is not the type of bride that goes into the wedding planning knowing what she wants and the colors she wants it in. Picking her bridal gown was the easy part for her, but the bridesmaid dresses presented a challenge because she liked most of the dresses in the store…haha!!! But I am so happy for her and so excited about being a part of her special day!! She is so very sweet and doesn’t like to hurt anybody’s feelings which in turn leads to indecisiveness, but she would not be Brittany if she did not have this particular quality about her. Love you Girl!!! You thought I was excited about the wedding before, I am even more excited about it now!!!!

Weekend, Movie, and Pool fun!!!

2008-07-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

I wish there was more to blog about, but fortunately, I finally had a restful weekend. It seems like Jordan and I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off ever since summer got here. We have had the joy of going to lots of weddings for our dear friends, and we have finally got it down to one more wedding for the summer. By the way, because I know Stephanie reads my blog, I am sooooooo excited about your wedding and I am looking forward to it!! So back to the weekend, Jordan and I had a restful yet fun weekend. We actually got to go on a date Friday night. We went to dinner and a movie, and yes, the movie was the DARK KNIGHT!! I must say, it was a good movie, but honestly it was a little too long for me. I mean I don’t mind two hour movies, but when you get into 2 ½ to 3 hour movies, you really lose me. For one thing, my butt was hurting from sitting in a chair that long even if it is a comfortable movie seat. I just can’t sit that long maybe because I am A.D.D. when it comes to sitting and focusing for a long time…haha!! No I am really not A.D.D. I just don’t like focusing and thinking about a movie plot for that long. Anyways, it was a good movie overall and is definitely worth seeing. I definitely enjoyed Friday night just being with my man! We tend to want to hang out in groups a lot or should I say, go out with other couples a lot which is fine, but every couple needs a night to themselves. Saturday was spent working out and going to the pool!!! Woohoo!! I love the pool and laying out in the sun! I am getting ready to go to the beach for the weekend of August 8^th so I am needing as much sun as I can get before the trip comes along. However, I do go to the tanning bed, but the tanning bed doesn’t tan you as dark like the sun does. I also love laying out with my girl friends. My soon sister-in-law to be came over and my little sister (Kelsey) so we had lots of fun girl talking and soaking in some rays. Anyways, I will quit boring you with this blog. I know it was just a bunch of rambling on about the weekend. Just thought I would catch everybody up on my life!! Until next time!! See ya!!

Wedding and engagement fun!!

2008-07-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Me and Jordan at the reception!

Me and Kristle at her wedding reception!

Well this weekend was quite eventful with another weekend of wedding fun. Saturday a good friend from high school (Kristle Swann) got married!! I have to say this was one of the prettiest weddings I have ever been too! The reception was gorgeous!! I love going to weddings, but there is one thing I don’t like about it. Now that I am married I can no longer pick out ideas for what I would want for my wedding, but now I go to weddings and critique what I would have done differently. Nevertheless, I loved my wedding, but I would have changed a few things and done some things differently. I have posted some pictures of the fun event for those of you who were not there and do not know her.

Okay now on to more wedding things. My brother-in-law got engaged to my best friend over the weekend!!! WOOHOO!! I am so excited so now I am in another wedding for March of 2009. I am so excited for them!! They have been dating for a long time and are finally engaged. I wish I had a picture of them to post but oh well, I am sure you will see lots of pictures coming up on facebook of all the wedding events that will be taking place over the course of this year and next year. Oh yeah, I must explain the story. My brother-in-law (Jonathan) introduced Jordan and I to his girlfriend about 3 months after Jordan and I had started dating. Come to find out I graduated high school with her and cheered with her in high school so we reunited and have been best friends ever since. I just wanted to wish them a congratulations through my blog because I know they read it. So to Brittany and Jonathan…I love you guys, and I wish you all the happiness in the world!! I am so excited to share in this moment with you and the moments to come!

And we're back......

2008-07-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

I promised I would write after the 4^th of July holiday so here I am!! We had a really eventful weekend with all the family stuff. I have to admit, I kinda miss the days when you just had to spend time with your family….ya know the single life days. But now that there is two of us, we do the whole families fighting over who will get to see who routine. I dread holiday weekends for that reason. Each family demands our time and before we know it, our long extended weekends become short regular weekends. Friday we spent the day in Cullman with Jordan’s family. Every year they have their annual cookout, and we’re expected to be there the whole day for that. Then of course, my family wants to see us too so we spent Saturday afternoon at their house and cooked out again. I am okay if I don’t see another piece of barbeque for a while!! Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with our families…the problem comes when our families only live an hour away from each other, and they want our time all in the same day!! The good thing about it is my family tends to be more flexible with holiday weekends. We don’t have to celebrate any holiday on the day it is supposed to be celebrated. We are just fine celebrating it a day after or even a week after. Thank you Mom and Dad for your flexibility!! So needless to say, this weekend was not all that restful, but we did have fun! On a serious note, I do ask that all you readers out there be praying for Jordan and I as we are coming up on some major life decisions here within the next month. Jordan and I have decided to fast this one out in regards to we really just need to hear from the Lord on what to do. We are at the point where we don’t know what God is doing around us, and we are just riding along in the chaos. So I went to Jordan this weekend with the suggestion of we needed to fast and pray for direction and clarity. So that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re praying for wisdom, direction, and purpose. I am a firm believer that God will speak if you give an ear to hear so that is what we are doing. We are fasting two things that consume our time, and we are giving God our ears to hear and our eyes to see. In due time, I know He will reveal Himself to us and just let us know that we are going to be okay, and He is in control amongst the chaos going on around us. So for those of you who are in this same predicament in your married life or soon to be married life, I am praying for you too. I am praying that God will show Himself to you in a way that you have never seen Him before. Just as I am hoping He is going to do with Jordan and I. I am requesting that God just really shows up and that it is evident and that He is evidently here carrying us through.

I am so sorry:(

2008-07-02T14:39:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are patiently awaiting my next blog, keep waiting…haha!! I am so sorry for taking as much time as I have. Jordan and I have been super busy that I have not had the time to blog it all yet. I promise it is coming, and I will blog everything after the 4^th of July holiday, and I will hopefully have some pictures as well!! I am off work tomorrow so I get to start my 4^th of July holiday early so we will get back to you guys on Monday. Again, I apologize for the delay.

Waiting on the future and adjusting until it gets here...

2008-06-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

I titled this blog “Waiting on the future and adjusting until it gets here” because that is exactly what Jordan and I are experiencing right now. Jordan is working so hard trying to fly through Grad school just so we can make it to the next phase of our life and that is starting our family. I really cannot even begin to explain how much his hard work means to me. It’s just so hard waiting for time to pass by. I mean we know where we’re going and where we want to be, but it’s just not the time for those things yet. However, as much as I complain about the learning process, I am learning and adjusting to a lot within my first year of marriage. I know that’s what the “first year of marriage is all about” adjusting to things you’re not used to. I personally believe “adjusting” is what I am going to be doing for the rest of my life not just my first year of marriage. I mean the next phase is kids and that is a big adjustment, and I have to say one that I am extremely ready for. Then of course, I will always be adjusting to my husband being an accountant. They always work really odd hours anyway. I know I am speaking to all the wives when I say I will always be adjusting to being a caregiver. I mean I really do feel like a maid sometimes when I work eight hours a day and then come home and work another four hours with cooking dinner and cleaning up and then comes laundry after that. I find myself not getting to relax until it is time for bed. I know it sounds like I am complaining from the tone of this blog, but I really do enjoy being a wife. I know I am going to enjoy being a mother even more. In the meantime, adjusting to change is not always easy, but it’s worth it all in the end. It’s funny because when your past this point and you reflect back on changes, you seem to find yourself saying, “I am glad that is over, or I would do that again to get to this point where I am now”. So to my husband who will be reading this at some point in time, I really do appreciate you working full-time and going to school part-time. I feel like I am doing the exact same thing just in a different way. Just like you tell me all the time, everything is going to be worth it in the end. Thank you for all you do and all you’re going to do in the near future. I love you and bring on the changes!!!

Oh for the love of fun weekends....

2008-06-17T12:19:00.001-07:00

Me and Magen (the brides maid to be) at the lingerie shower!

Me and Stephie (the bride to be) at her lingerie shower!

Blake's first tractor ride!

The after effects of your first birthday cake!!

Blake letting us know that he has arrived and waving to the camera!!

Well this past weekend was busy as usual, but I had some fun times with family and friends. Saturday was the start to the really fun day!! First, we had my nephew’s first birthday party. I know I had posted about two weeks ago about my other nephew’s first birthday party that we had. The issue is Logan and Blake are three weeks apart so we will have these back to back birthday parties for a while until they get old enough to not care about partying. Anyways, Blake’s birthday party was this weekend at Oak Mountain State Park. We had a blast, and as you can tell by the pictures, Blake had a blast as well. I just think he is sooo cute in his little swim shorts. I know all of you bloggers who have nieces and nephews probably think yours are sooo cute, but I must say, I have all of ya’ll beat. Mine are the cutest little things God created, but I just love little people (babies and toddlers) in general. After our fun in the sun day at Oak Mountain, I had a lingerie shower to get to. My very good friend Stephanie is getting married in a couple of months. I cannot believe we are almost to the wedding date, and I know she cannot believe it either….haha!! Anyways, she got a lot of good stuff. Lingerie showers are my favorite!! I love to see what the bride gets so I can go out and get some more good stuff of whatever I saw that I liked at the shower. I know I ask so many questions at these things, but now you know why so I can know where it came from. Anyways, all in all, it was a great weekend!! Lots of fun and loss of sleep which I am now needing to make up. Until next time, love you guys!!!

Grad School Here We Come....

2008-06-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

Well Jordan has officially started Grad school. I am so proud of him!! He has had 4 quizzes so far and has made a perfect score on all 4. Yaaaayyyy Honey!!! I am so proud of you! I am really excited that he has decided to get on the ball with the whole Grad school thing because this is going to allow me to be at home with our kids. No, there are not any kids yet. Our plan is to start next June. Jordan will have his Master’s degree by then, and it just seems like the best timing for the whole situation. Plus, we told ourselves we would start trying to have kids after a year and a half of marriage so, so far we are on schedule…haha!! You know how I am with schedules. Another motto I like to live by is “There is a time and a plan for everything”. Of course, this is all up to God’s timing, and His timing is so not my timing, but we are at peace that this time next year would be a good time for us to start the family plan. One thing I have had to learn to be patient about is getting to spend quality time with Jordan. He is currently studying at night because he has to work during the day so this cuts into our nightly t.v. programs we usually watch together. I have to admit it was hard at first, but I know in the end this is all going to be worth it for us. So for right now I am watching our shows by myself and filling Jordan in every commercial…haha!! I know this situation is only for a time, and soon we will be watching everything together for years to come. So to Jordan who is more than likely going to read this, Keep up the good work and know that I love you so much and I am so very proud of you!!

To the busy weekends....

2008-06-04T13:50:00.001-07:00

Logan eating his first birthday cake!!

Okay. So I know it has been a while on the blog thing. I was really good at posting at first, but now I am getting really bad at it so I promise to get better. This weekend was definitely fun-filled and very busy. Friday night I had a girl’s night out with Jennifer Martin Burks and Kelsey Hoffman (my little sister.) It was a really good time just catching up with Jen and what she thinks of married life so far and her honeymoon, etc. Saturday was my nephew Logan’s first birthday party. He is so cute and made it through his first year of life. They say the first year is the hardest on anything so I am glad to see he made it!! Then Sunday rolls around, and Jordan and I attended his family reunion. That of course was fun, meeting a lot of people you do not know that is. I say this with all the sarcasm in the world. It was just okay. First of all, it was in the 90 degree heat so you can imagine how hot we were. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the entire day was outside. But anyways, it was nice however to see where Jordan comes from as far as his family history and dwelling is concerned. I know most of you know this, but Jordan and I are like day and night. This family reunion proved that to me more than ever. His side of the family comes from deep country roots, whereas, my side of the family is “city-fied” through and through. I know most of you that know me really well know that I do not do country too well at all. Overall, I did learn a lot this weekend about Jordan and how different we really are, but somehow we do love each other so very much. So Jordan if you do get around to reading this, I do not know how we got together, but I am so glad we did and no matter how redneck you become I will still love you just the same.

2008-05-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Jordan and I on our date/movie night!!

So to all my blog readers, I am so sorry for not posting for a while. Things have been very hectic around the Bankston household since Jennifer Burk’s wedding. Now that things are somewhat back to normal, I will catch you up. This weekend we took a trip back home for me to Memphis, Tennessee. It felt so good to be home!! We have not been back since Christmas so the reason why I say it was for me is because it was a much needed trip for me. We really just had a blast with a fun-filled family weekend. Friday was spent basically just traveling. We got off to a late start due to the fact that we locked our keys in the car with my 11 month old nephew still inside of the car. That was a good start to the trip. Thank God he is such a laid back baby. When we finally got the car open, he was asleep in his carseat. Although I would probably be asleep to if I had to entertain myself for an hour with nobody to talk to. Saturday morning and afternoon was spent doing fun and girly stuff. We had a cookout Saturday evening, and I went fishing for the first time in my life. I know that is so hard to believe, but I really did. I so will get pictures of that on here soon. Sunday was a date/movie night for Jordan and I as well as my sister (Keli) and bother-in-law (Ben). We went to Carrabas to eat dinner, and then we went to see “Iron Man”. So I have to say, I was not exactly thrilled about seeing “Iron Man”. It was an okay movie. I told Jordan I did not like it. Although, he knows this anyway because I was talking throughout the movie just asking questions I really did not even care about, but I tend to do that when the movie is boring to me. It’s really a good thing in a way because Jordan thinks I am really into the movie and trying to figure out what is going on…..haha!! My husband is so clueless sometimes, but boy do I love him. So overall, this weekend was a busy and fun weekend. I got to spend lots of time with my sweet husband away from our normal everyday life so that is always good! It’s amazing how different things are when you are away from home and your normal routine. You actually get to relax together and take each other in. It seems like when you’re home, you find things to do that need to get done, or you’re cleaning up after everything and everyone. So to my husband who will be reading this, I had a great weekend with you just relaxing and spending quality time with you!! I love you!!

What an eventful weekend....

2008-05-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and myself at her wedding! What a pretty bride!!

Well this weekend was a very eventful weekend! I was in a really good friend’s wedding! It was so much fun, and Jennifer Martin Burks if you happen to read this when you get back from your honeymoon, you were an absolutely stunning and gorgeous bride!! As I was saying, my weekend was very busy yet exciting because I was able to catch up with high school friends that I had not seen in a while. Jennifer and I graduated from high school together so we have a lot of mutual friends, and our mutual friends along with us are very good at attending things that involve life milestone changes and events. This blog is more or less written for Jennifer to congratulate her on her new life with Kaleb and to let her know Jordan and I will be praying for you as ya’ll make this transition together. It’s a fun transition, and I hope you guys experience nothing but happiness from this point out. I love you girl!!

The Farewell Dinner...

2008-05-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

A picture of Amanda Harshman and I on Mother's day!

So last night, I had to say good-bye to a dear friend:( The only good thing about the night was we had a wonderful, yummy meal at Brio!! I have to say the good-bye I could have done without. After all the tears were poured, I think it has finally hit me today that we will no longer get to hang out with each other. She is leaving for Lexington, Kentucky. I am so very proud of her and all the things she has accomplished. So Amanda, if you are reading this, I know Samford University was a hard road to travel, but I am so proud of you girl for persevering. You are such an encouragement to me, and I will miss you so much. I absolutely hate good-byes, but I know you will be back to visit me from time to time as well as me visiting you. I love you and good luck in Lexington. I will be praying for you!!!

Getting Organzied in the Kitchen....

2008-05-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

Me and Keli (my OCD sister....haha)

So I am currently working on getting organized in my kitchen with my recipes. I love to cook, and I know you are going to find this hard to believe, but I really do cook every night with the exception of Fridays and Sundays. Jordan made it very clear to me when we got married that he hates eating out and likes to eat at home. Knowing all of this, we worked out a deal that I would be in the kitchen 5 nights a week, and we would eat out the other 2 nights. I personally don’t mind being in the kitchen cooking after coming home from work, but when Friday gets here, I am officially sick of being in the kitchen and cooking and want to be taken out. You might be asking the question of why Jordan doesn’t help me out and cook for me? You see, we tried that. Jordan did try to cook for me shortly after we were married. Unfortunately, my husband is a terrible cook, and he is a terrible cleaner upper too. I know he does not mind me blogging this because he would tell you openly if he could. Anyways, I have asked him to stay out of the kitchen and please do not clean up whatsoever…haha!! Besides the fact, that the kitchen is my domain anyway, and a place where Jordan can find me, but I want to be in there doing things myself. Another good thing about this is I get full credit after the meal and lots of thank yous:) Okay I did not mean to get on a rabbit trail. I am trying to get organized as far as my recipes are concerned. Right now, my recipes (the so called “family recipes”) are written on notebook paper and stuck in a cabinet which is hard for me to find a specific recipe, but now I have accumulated so many that I have to thumb through them every time I would like to use one of them. I recently went to my sister’s house and saw that she has a binder with all her recipes nicely typed and color coded. I decided that I was not going to be that OCD, but I was perfectly capable of typing my recipes and putting them in a binder. The color coding was a little much for me. I figured instead of throwing the recipes in a cabinet, I could pull out my beautiful binder, and it would create cabinet space for me. Okay, I might get a little OCD and buy the transparent paper protectors or pockets whichever you like to call them. Anyways, I don’t want you to get too excited for me. After all, this is a slow process due to the fact that there are so many recipes, and I do have a life outside of getting organized. Okay I am done explaining my process however, I would like to thank my sister Keli for her great example and influence and now my life will be much more consumed with busy work:)

So I'm now a BLOGGER....

2008-05-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

So I had a really good friend of mine tell me I should start blogging so she could keep up with me. All in all, I thought it was a good idea so I was like what the heck. I was a little hesitant getting one due to the fact that I am terrible with technology and computers. However, thanks to another really good friend I am now fully capable of writing new entries and loading pictures. Thank you Katy for helping me get my page started, and thank you Magen for telling me to do so (haha). Some of you are probably wondering why I chose the template for my page. Although, if you know me really well you would think that it was an obvious choice for me. I absolutely love diamonds, and I expect them every Christmas (haha). No not really. I do happen to get them every once in awhile. I love things that sparkle. My motto is "If my outfit doesn't sparkle than my jewelry has got to". It's a really good motto to live by, and I apply it to every day usage. So I hope you enjoy my diamond page. Check in with me often. I am sure I have some good and juicy stories to tell about my life. I pretty much live my life as an open book anyway. So I promise if you tune in, I will keep you fully aware:) Until next time!!

Kari