Things just got interesting...

So, my father & mother-in-law are out of town this week. Judy is in Virginia visiting her 1st and 2nd grandsons and Pop is headed to Fort Worth for business. Why does that make life interesting for us? Well, because they have a dog. Not just any dog...one of the cutest, sweetest and funniest dogs ever! He is so much fun. So, yes...we have three dogs in our house right now. We are dogsitting until Friday. His name is Redford "Red" and he is already having a good time with Nikki and Cooper. He has had a few moments in which he has howled or gone searching for Pop. He does not like to be left behind. He usually gets to go on business trips with Pop, but this time Pop had to ride with his boss, so Red stayed here. He is getting used to the idea. :)

We are having a blast. Here is a picture of Red...

Yay NY Giants!!

That was an awesome superbowl game! Little Manning pulled it off. But the best part of the entire game was the kickoff. Why would that be the best part? Because that is when Travis felt our baby move for the first time! This is so exciting and fun!

We find out two weeks from tomorrow what our baby is!! Yay!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Amy Beth!

Happy Birthday to you!

Love you Amy! Happy 26th!

Dogs...

One of our favorite things about Nikki is how she sleeps. This dog sleeps on her back, legs up in the air and head stretched back as far as it will go. It is so funny! It is especially funny when she dreams in that position. Her legs get going as if she is running after something, then she starts barking. Every once in awhile it looks like she has her nose to the ground and is digging. We love it...

Today I was working up in the office and turn around to check on my puppies and this is what I saw...
How funny is that?! He even started barking when I snapped the picture! I love my dogs! :)

Movement...

Last night I felt the baby move for the first time! It is so exciting! I'm so ready to know what this baby is going to look like, what their personality is going to be, etc.

Poor Travis...he wants to feel it so bad. He was so excited last night and even after I told him that he wouldn't be able to feel anything for at least a week...he insisted that I lay down, very still, so that he could try. :) He is so adorable!

And as you can see in my comments...I have been tagged by Dana

The RULES
Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. or Share the 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list. or Share 5 things you never pictured being in your future when your were 25 years old. Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. The tagees have a choice of which they want to do.

Wow this is hard for me...

5 random and/or weird facts about me:

1) I am the youngest of 5 girls.
2) I have a freckel in my right eye.
3) I am married to a man I have known for 17 years.
4) I love Superman.
5) I'm pregnant with my first child! Yay!

I don't have a lot of people I can tag because most of my readers are Juli's friends...so forgive me Juli....Amy, Natalie, Staci, Shauna and Megan :)

Oops...We did it again...

It is official. We are crazy!

This weekend we drove up to Austin to meet and hand over the keys to our new renters. We decided to rent out our house for now since the market isn't the best. The couple who moved in are really nice and are eager to make the place their own. They intend to make this a lease to buy situation. Which we are all for at this time...anything to get the second mortgage off our backs. Anyway, we were really pleased with them and think this will be a great arrangement.

While we were there, we got to see some of our friends. We had lunch with Christina and then later we met up with Dax, Lindsay and Amy. It was great to be able to catch up with them while we were there.

Okay...now you are wondering why in the world any of that makes us crazy. Well, I will tell you...

While we were passing time (before we needed to go meet up with Dax, Lindsay and Amy) Travis suggested that we go by Petco to see the dogs that were outside. We have gone to look several times and just enjoy loving on random dogs. As we start walking up to the store, however, we see an open kennel with three little Siberian Husky puppies. Yup...Travis made the mistake of picking one up and we ended up adopting him. His name is Cooper and he is the most precious puppy! Nikki loves him and they get along so well. He is already proving to be a great companion for her. They wrestle around for a good hour and then they both nap for several hours. It is quite precious! I am going to post some pictures of Cooper down below along with a video of the playful tackles! (He is 9 weeks old and about 10 pounds.) I am taking him to the vet this afternoon so we will have all the details on health then!

Oh...and my tummy is starting to grow! Nothing picture worthy yet...but soon...very soon...

House Pictures and 2 Firsts

Well, in the last 24 hours I have had two firsts...1) Making grill cheese sandwhiches and 2) making pancakes. Two things that I don't particularly enjoy eating...but I made them for my hubby! It was fun. They both turned out good...of course they did...they are two of the easiest things to make!

For those of you asking for pictures of the house, I have taken a few of the downstairs and will follow up later with the rest. The only picture I didn't take of downstairs is the kitchen. I still have some work to do in there...

This is the living room...

This half bath is just off of the living room to the left of the tv.

Here is our pool room...this is to your left as you walk in the front door.

And our dining room...this is to your right as you walk in the front door. There is an open doorway into the kitchen to the left of the picture.

Our breakfast table. This is just off the living room and leads into the kitchen.

I will load more pictures of the house later. :) Have a great day!

Yay for having a Social Life!

Last night we had 26 people in our house for a house warming bar-b-que! It was so much fun! We went to our neighbors, knocked on all the doors and invited everyone to join us for a bar-b-que. We had a really good turn out and we had several people come who weren't from the neighborhood. Winkle Danny and Aunt Norma, Douglas and Becky (Douglas is a former client of Travis'), Alexa (who works with Travis) and Travis' parents, Bill and Judy. Everyone else lives on our street and we had a blast! It was a fun time and we got to know our neighbors a little better and spend some time with some of our new friends and family.

This morning we went to Kingwood Church of Christ and decided to place membership there. We are excited about the lesson plans for our class, getting involved in Bible studies and getting connected in some ministries. It feels like we are starting to settle into our new home and city...finally. :)

After church we went to lunch with Danny and Norma at Spring Creek Bar-b-que (do you see a theme here)... I love that place!!! I am so glad that we are able to spend so much time with family.

Some of you have been asking for pictures of the house, and I plan to get them on here soon. Since we had so many people here last night, I need to do a little damage control before displaying my house to anyone! ;)

House Guests!

We had our very first house guests in the new house this past weekend. My friend Amy from Austin brought her two kids (Tyler and Ali) to visit. It was Tyler's birthday on Friday, so we went out and got him an ice cream cake and then played some pool. On Saturday we went to tour the USS Texas battleship. It was so cool! I love history and being able to read all the stories about the ship and the men who served on it was just awesome. Here are some pictures from the ship.

Update on Baby!

So, we went to the doctor yesterday and Travis got to hear the baby's heartbeat! He was sooo cute. As soon as we walked in the room and the woman asked me to sit on the bed, he looked like a kid at Christmas! The baby has gotten so much bigger than the last picture:

It has hands and feet!! It is getting so big! This is so exciting...

The nurse pointed out a "very pronounced sticky outy thing" that makes her believe it is a boy, but we aren't claiming anything yet! We will find out in about 6 weeks. Yay!

The Baby...

Well, here is the first picture of our baby! I don't know how many people are really interested in seeing this, but I'm a proud first time mother...so there! :) We are in the 9th week and this has been a rough week. I just feel so weak all the time and I try to eat, but nothing sounds good, smells good or tastes good! It is driving me nuts! I go back to the doctor on the 19th.

You know, I always worried that my sisters would all be done having kids before I got started. All of my sisters have been pregnant at the same time as another sister at some point...and I didn't want to miss out on that. Well, I took too long! Now they are all done, but I have two friends who are both due around the same time! Yay! By the way...Staci...can we switch due dates?!

We are settling in to Kingwood just fine. We moved in on Saturday and so far, love it! The neighborhood is awesome. We have about 12 houses on the block and only 2 of them don't have kids! They range from 4 years old to 19 years old. Everyone we have met so far has been really nice.

Uncle Danny saved us! We had no gas for heat when we moved in. So, Uncle Danny let us come over and take warm showers on Saturday night. He even fed us Chilli! It was soo good! It was just what I needed on a day that I couldn't think of one thing that sounded good. He was my hero!! So, yes, Dana...I love having a dad look alike right around the corner!! :)

On Sunday we went to church with Winkle Danny (that is my dad's twin) at Kingwood Church of Christ. We really liked it there. One of Travis' friends from college, Jennifer (Roscoe sp?), was in our Bible class, so that was a nice reunion. We really enjoyed the teacher and it was a good thing because he was the preacher too! :)

I guess that is it for now. A lot of things are happening now, so I will be sure and keep everyone updated!! :)

The Baby!

Okay! According to several of you, I am not giving you all the details! So, for all of you detail hungry women (like me)...here it goes! :) (I could never get tired of sharing the details)

I went to see the doctor on Monday, November 19th. I was six weeks on that day and we heard the heartbeat! It was at 105. Travis wasn't able to go with me, but will go next time on December 19th. We got two pictures of our tine 1/4 of an inch dot! :) Hehe... It was so cool to actually hear the heartbeat and that something so small would have one already!

We are due July 14th, 2008! Please pray for an early delivery! I know that is weird, but let me explain...

Mom and Dad leave for Zambia for 2 weeks on July 10th! I need my mom there! If Mom isn't there...then I will have four sisters in the room all telling the doctor how to do his job! ;) Just kidding sisters! I know that, no matter what, I will be in good hands and that all of my sisters would be such awesome cheerleaders, but there is just something about having your mom there that is comforting!

So, any additional prayer would be appreciated! Thanks!

The Job

Well, I don't know if I posted about this or not, so if this is a duplicate, I'm sorry!

As I wrote in a previous post, I was praying that my current job would let me stay with them somehow as I moved to Houston. Well, it worked out!! Yay! Another great thing that God has ochestrated for us in this move. My boss and my "dotted line" boss got together and convinced the Managing Director of our office that I was worth keeping. So, they arranged it so that I can work from home and be flexible with my time! I am so thankful, especially, because we just found out that I'm pregnant! This will make things so much easier as we adjust to our new home and try to prepare for the baby to come.

Everything has really worked out for us, except...the house in Austin. We still need to sell our house in Austin before we will feel really settled and comfortable. We are looking selling and leasing options. If we lease, we may loose a little month, but we will still be building equity in the house. Our real estate agent suggested that we lower the sale price of the house again. If we do, it won't hurt us too bad, we just worry about what kind of offers we will get out of it.

So...if you could send up a few prayers for us...it would be greatly appreciated. We know that God will take care of everything in His time!

New House and New Fridge!

Well, we closed on the house in Kingwood this morning! Yay!!! We have a home. It feels so much better to have everything finalized. For awhile there we felt like we were going to be in limbo forever! We have been staying with Travis' parents and they have been so wonderful. Thanks Pop and Judy for putting up with us!

Right after we closed on the house we drove to Home Depot and bought a refridgerator! I love it. It is brush metal and side by side. (I will post pictures once we get it in the house.) When we bought the fridge, the guy showed us all the available deliver dates and the first one was the day the movers are going to be delivering our stuff from Austin (that is Saturday the 1st of December...yes, this weekend)! What great timing!

Travis and I have had a God filled day. He has really shown His hand in every aspect of today. He is sooo good! :)

Travis leaves tonight for Pittsburgh and gets back Thursday night. (What's that you say? He wasn't supposed to travel with his new job? I KNOW!! Grrrrr....Oh well, this is just one trip and a short one.) He flies in late Thursday and I am going to pick him up from the airport, from which we will drive straight to Austin so that we are there when the movers get there Friday. They are loading us up on Friday and delivering everything to the house in Houston on Saturday. I am so ready to be in my home and be able to sleep in my own bed!!

Well, that is it for now. To see how we told Mark and Jen the good news about the baby, check out their blog. There is a link to the left of this post. :)

Big News!

Well, it is official...

We Are Pregnant!!! Travis and I will be introducing the newest addition to our family in July 2008! We are so excited!

Happy Thanksgiving!

JK & T

Changes...and people are just amazing...

Travis has started his new job in Houston. He is working downtown in the Chase Bank Tower (the tallest building in Houston). His office is located on the 62nd floor right now, but he will soon move to the 48th floor, where he might possibly get cell phone reception! :) He is actually enjoying his work and seems to be pretty excited about all the changes and growing the company is going through. He is already being asked to participate in the hiring process! I'm sooo proud!! Here is a picture of his building from the ground:As we are trying to sell the house, we are having to do a lot of cleaning and repairs. There were several boards that our little, sweet, adorable, devil puppy chewed up! So, we have been buying wood and paint and we got to use Pop's really cool pressure washer!! This is are pictures of how gross our sidewalk was!

During our lovely little trip out of the house this afternoon (because people were coming to see the house) we went to Kohl's to do some shopping. We were shopping for new black boots for me and as we opened a box (that was intended to hold a new pair of classy boots: the only one my size) we find a pair of old heels that some woman had the nerve to leave in the box after she STOLE the pair of new boots! I couldn't not believe it! I mean, I know that people out there steal and I know that there are people who just don't get it, but to actually be the one to report it?! Crazy!

New Camera

Travis got my birthday present for me early...a new camera! I love it. I have been a shutterbug ever since. It is able to read my old card from the camera Nikki broke, so I can actually share with you what the dog house looks like! So, here is the last picture my camera ever took...

At this point, Nikki charged me and knocked the camera out of my hand and all the little pieces inside decided to quit. Here are some pictures of us working on the house...

Nikki loves her house when it is raining! We had put some carpet in there for her, but that lasted a few hours and then the back yard was strewn with her new found toy.

My Man!

1. Who is your man? William Travis

2. How long have you been married? 6 months and 23 days

3. How long dated? Six months before engaged. Six months engaged. Best friends for 17 years

4. How old is your man? 29

5. Who eats more? Hmmm...he is one of those that eats to live...I live to eat...some days.

6. Who said "I love you" first? We have always said "I love you". We were best friends for a long time. But almost as good...we kept saying, "IF we get married..." and one day Travis said, "You know. It is more like WHEN we get married." (talk about giddy) :)

7. Who is taller? Travis by 9 inches

8. Who sings better? Definitely me! (But it's not that hard to be better than Travis - ha!)

9. Who is smarter? Travis...

10. Whose temper is worse? We both have pretty bad tempers...it just depends on what the situation is.

11. Who does the laundry? We both do.

12. Who takes out the garbage? Whoever sees it needs to be done first.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Travis

14. Who pays the bills? It is pretty much a joint effort. Most everything is on auto draft though.

15. Who is better with the computer? We are probably equal on basic things. He is into programig though.

16. Who mows the lawn? He does.

17. Who cooks dinner? I do. Travis grills for parties, but I usually prepare the meat.

18. Who drives when you are together? Mostly Travis. I get in moods where I need to do the driving, but not usually.

19. Who pays when you go out? It is usually Travis, but sometimes I am faster at getting the card out because he is talking.

20. Who is most stubborn? We are about the same...one could argue either way...but taht would never end. :)

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Definitely Travis.

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Somewhat equal. It has been more of my parents lately, but that is about to change since we are moving to Houston (his parents are in The Woodlands)

23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me first...at Sooner Youth Camp, on his last night as a camper.

24. Who asked who out? He asked me out...and drove three hours to take me on that date.

25. Who proposed? Travis...on bended knee in Colorado with one of the most gorgeous views!

26. Who is more sensitive? Hello...ME!

27. Who has more friends? About equal.

28. Who has more siblings? Me...4 sisters...he has one brother

29. Who wears the pants in the family? Totally Travis

I think that these people MIGHT join in the fun: Juli Beth and Amy



(If you decide to participate, just copy and paste the questions into your blogs)

Moving to Houston

Well, it is official. We are moving to Houston! Travis got an amazing job offer in Houston that we just can not turn down. It is an awesome opportunity and we are so excited to make this move and start this adventure. Of course, with moving comes much stress. We are trying to sell this house, buy another one, get organized, figure what is going to happen with my job, etc. Wow...craziness!!!

They want Travis to start at the end of the month so we are a little pressed for time. Everything has been starting to fall into place though, and we can see God's hand in it everywhere!

My bosses are trying to get it approved for me to work from home in Houston and travel to Austin when a class needs to be taught. For those of you who do not know, I train new hires for Marsh (a commercial insurance brokerage firm). It would be ideal! I could keep my salary, work from home while we are trying to get settled, and travel back to Austin occasionally to see friends! Please be praying for that to get approved.

We were in Houston this weekend doing a little house hunting. Travis' parents were able to go along and give us some insight to certain parts of town and it was very helpful! Jesse, one of Travis' friends from high school is into real estate and was able to spend all day Saturday with us, showing us houses. We found a couple that we really like and we may put a bid down on one of them in Kingwood. We are leaving this in God's hands that, if we sell our house in enough time to get the one we wanted, then that is the one we are going with. If not, we keep looking. There were some close 2nds in the search this weekend, but we don't want to settle and we don't want to rush into anything. Here are pictures of the weekend and a couple of the house we would like to put a bid in on (don't worry, we would paint the shutters...yuck!).





And of course, here is a cute one of Pop and Red!

Family Reunions

I love this time of year! We just got back from our Cousins' Reunion in OK. Every year we have this reunion for the cousins on my mother's side of the family. We had it at her old high school in Wayne, OK (population approximately 300). It was so much fun. We drove up Friday night and stayed with my bestfriend/roommate through college Amy (in Edmond) and her husband Luke. It has been 3 years since I had been there and so much had changed. I love that place! Saturday morning we got up and went down to Wayne for the reunion. We had about 100 people there (just a small reunion...right?!). Anyone who wanted to could bring a family item or anything they wanted to get rid of for an auction. Travis and I won a sack of okra and a picture of my great great grandparents, Mommie and Poppie. It is their wedding picture!! Travis was very excited about the okra and can't wait for me to fry some up. We have so much though, that I am afraid I won't be able to use it all before it goes bad. So, I am going to pickle most of it and fry the rest! Yay! I'm excited too. After the reunion we drove back up to Edmond to stay with Amy and Luke again. We rented a movie and just relaxed. This morning we went to Memorial Road Church of Christ for worship and I got to see a few of my old professors. It was so good to see Dr. Alexander, who was my mentor in theater and really encouraged me to use my talents. He is such a good man! We used to call him Granpa A. :) We also got to see Mark and Karla Taylor. Mark was the preacher at my parents' church in Arlington for awhile and has just recently moved back to preach for Memorial. They seem so happy there, but did talk a bit about the fact that they are still mourning the relationships that they treasure from Pleasant Ridge C of C. They made such an impact on our family and it meant a lot to hear them talk about how much the Bridgwater family means to them. It was encouraging to see them in their new church family. It was a nice treat to see some of the people that I used to go to school with also. We went to Bible class with Amy and Luke and got to see some familiar face. This was a great weekend!!

Every woman has had to...

...search for their wedding ring! That is right...six months into the marriage and I have already lost the ring.

Every Sunday we play volleyball at the church. We usually play until it gets dark and then go eat at Cheddar's around the corner. It has become my routine to leave the jewelry at home. However, this particular night, I forgot. As my wonderful husband is always looking out for me, he noticed that I still had my rings and my watch on. So, I very carefully put my rings on my watch band and set them on top of our drink bag. The night goes on...

After the sun goes down, many games of volleyball played, we leave for Cheddar's. As we are about to turn in to the restaurant I realize that I don't have my jewelry. We figure that I had put it in the drink bag and set it in my car.

(Let's step back for a moment: we had two cars at the church because we had left Travis' car at my office on Friday.)

So, after dinner, Travis and I go back to the church to get my car. Being my wonderful husband, he waited to find out if I had put my jewelry in the bag. I had not...ugh!

Seeing as how we had no other option, but to search a very large portion of the grass field, in which we play volleyball, we both turned our cars to face the field, so that we had lighting...in order to search. A good 10 minutes into searching...yes, you guessed it...I cried. A good 45 minutes into searching...yes, you guessed it...I cried again...saying things such as, "Stupid" "It is only a thing right?" etc. My hands and my knees were hurting and I was praying...a lot. As I was feeling quite helpless...quite hopeless, I look up and see two men walking toward from the church building. They join in the search with their little flashlights. One guy had it on his keychain and another just had it in his pocket. After about 10 minutes, one of the men says ever so casually, "Oh...here it is." Oh...the sweet sweet sweet sound of that man's words! I hugged him...very tightly. And he turns to Travis and says, "You know...I don't carry this thing with me. I had leant it to a friend and he brought it back to me tonight at church. How crazy is that?" Not crazy...AT ALL!!!

Thank you God for the little angels that you send to us each day...and for light! Now, please make the blisters on my knees go away...with as little pain as possible...:)

Finished Floors!!

We have officially finished every floor surface of this house! Well, technically we still have to put in all the transition pieces (hardwood to carpet and tile). But, we are done with all the hard work! Yay! I'm so excited and it looks better than I imagined!

Not too much is going on other than that. I started going to an Acting 101 class at church. The first meeting was tonight and it was so much fun! I can't wait until next week. I have really been feeling like I need an outlet for my creative side and I think I have found it! :)

Travis is gone for the rest of the week, in Dallas. So...I get to entertain myself now...

**I will update with pictures as soon as my husband buys me a new camera! :) Mine is still kaput!

That is about all I have for now. Have a great week!

Weekend in OK

Travis and I went to see Grandma Mary and Grandpa Emmitt this weekend. It was so much fun! We drove up on Saturday morning, stopped over in Arlington and then got there around 3:00 pm. We stayed until around 3:00 pm on Monday. It was a good visit!

We played lots of cards and got to hear more stories about Grandpa in the war days. He was rotten! He has so many stories about getting himself into trouble or hurt. They are fun to listen to. Also, I found out a lot more about my heritage. I am going to do a little more research and hopefully put together a pretty big family tree! I'm excited.

When we were headed home, Travis said, "You know, it is kinda fun...having a grandpa." He never really grew up with a grandfather and so this is the first taste he has had. And of course...I teared up! :) It was an awesome weekend!

Sad News

I took Ellie to the 24 hour emergency clinic this morning around 12:30 and they said that she had pneumonia and distemper. They didn't think that she would have made it through the night, so we put her down at 1:20 this morning. Travis is in Houston on business. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

**To add a note...yes Distemper is highly contagious. However, Nikki is up to date on her vaccinations and I had them separated for most of the time. The vets were not too concerned because I have been careful.

Yay for new carpet!

The carpet was installed today and it looks awesome! It really brightens up the bedrooms and makes them look so much better. The old carpet was a shade of beige and looked really dingy. Travis also went and picked up the bamboo for the rest of the floors. We will be able to get all the adhesive and sealer for the floors next months, so then all the floors will be done! Yay!

Well, the newest update on the career change opportunity (in case I haven't already posted about it) is that I am going to stay with my current position. Travis and I decided that by taken the new job, we would only be restriciting our timing even more. We are at peace with the decision we have made and look forward to where God is taking us.

Update on Ellie!

Ellie has been a lot more active today and she hasn't stopped eating (except for her 10 minutes naps every once in awhile)! She has had a lot more energy and that has been encouraging. She has been getting along with Nikki very well and that is great! Nikki has already stolen one bone from her and is attemping at this very moment to steal another one. We are going to have to work on her sharing skills. :) Well, Travis has taken a couple of pictures of Ellie with his phone so here they are...

New Addition....Are we CRAZY???

So...we got another puppy. I know, I know...we are insane! Here was the reasoning: Nikki has been made more of an outside dog, so we got her a playmate. She has been chewing and being destructive and they said that one thing we could do is to get a playmate for Nikki to help correct her behavior. So...we got a puppy. Her name is Ellie and she is a collie/hound mix. She is absolutely precious! She is sick right now though. :( I took her in for her first puppy visit to the vet and she now has to take two medications. She has a URI (upper respiratory infection) and isn't eating. We have to give her a liver tonic three times a day to increase her appetite and two pills a day to get rid of the infection. She has been sleeping a lot and all she wants to do is cuddle. Nikki tries to play with her, but Ellie just doesn't seem to have it in her right now. I am starting to get a little anxious about Ellie because, in high school, we lost a puppy to Parvo. He just slept all the time and didn't eat. I'm really praying that her body is just trying to fight back really hard! I will try and post pictures soon, but as my camera is still broker...it might be awhile. Trust me...she is adorable!

Work is still going well. I have decided to not change careers at this point. After talking to several people in the industry and thinking over life changes and such, I just don't think it is what Travis and I need right now. I believe that we will both be happier in the long run if I stick to what I am doing now.

Speaking of Travis, he is on his way home right now! He has spent the last few days in Denver for work and stayed through today so he could spend some time with Mark for his birthday. I am ready to have him home!

Update

I know it has been awhile, but not a lot has been happening since I wrote last. Travis has been in town all month so it has been kinda weird having him here all the time. I love it! We have been able to spend so much time with Nikki and just be a married couple. We have started volunteering at church again and we are playing Volleyball every Sunday with a group at church. It has been nice. He starts traveling again next month, but will only travel a couple of weeks.

At church this morning we were asked to lead a team of teachers. It won't be for a few weeks, but Matt (the elementary minister) told us that he wanted to give us our own team. Yay! We are really looking forward to it and it will allow us to make some changes to the format of the class to encourage more energy! We are very excited.

This weekend we also put our order in for the hardwood floors. So, we are going to get bamboo floors! Yipee!! :) We get our new carpet next Thursday, on the 9th. I am so ready to have this all done, but it won't be completed for another month or so. July has gone by soo slowly!

Project: Tile / Status: Complete!

Yay! Our tiling is done! The laundry room, guest bathroom and the kitchen are completed! Travis' parents came up this past weekend and spent Saturday and Sunday working so hard to make it happen!

We are scheduled to have carpet installed on August 9th!! Then we will get the floors. I'm so excited that all these things are coming together.

A couple of things are going on here:

1) Travis' grandma (Grandma Bettes) is not doing very well, health-wise. We haven't heard anything today, but as soon as we hear, I will update on here.

2) I have been presented with the opportunity to become a Financial Advisor. I have been through a couple of interviews and I hear tomorrow morning if I have an offer or not. The next step, if I get an offer, would be to get my licenses. I am actually really excited about this opportunity.

I don't really have much to say right now, so I will go for now. I will update soon!

Change of Plans

Well, Travis' parents were supposed to come in this weekend to help with the house, but we ended up moving the work weekend to next weekend, the 14th. Instead, Lara Jane and her family came down to visit Waco so the kids could see what it was like. Then they came and stayed with us Saturday and Sunday night.

Friday, Travis and I went to the Blue October concert in New Braunfels. It poured on us the first two hours we were there. The rain finally cleared up and the band came on to play around 10:00 or so. Needless to say it was awesome! I was barefoot in the mud watching Blue October play. I loved it! We didn't get home until 2:00 am.

Saturday, Travis and I finished tiling the laundry room and guest bathroom. All we have to do now is grout the floors and we can put our toilet, washer and dryer back where they belong (instead of in the middle of the garage). After we got all that done, we went to our friend Marty's 30th birthday party. After the party, Lara Jane and Marshall drove in from Waco and spent the night.

Sunday, we all went to church and then came home to eat lunch and take naps! Yay for naps! :) Then, we all got up and went to the Austin Zoo. It is nothing like the Dallas or Ft.Worth Zoo. It is a little place, but has some really cool animals. It takes about an hour and a half to see all the animals. It was a lot of fun. We went to dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching The Princess Bride and visiting.

It was a great weekend, but missed Mom and Pop McHam. We wish they could have been part of the fun. We will have a great weekend with then this coming weekend. I'm excited to see them and to be able to spend some good quality time with them.

The Weekend Begins...

Well, I am at home with, yet another, sinus infection. I am so tired of being sick! I felt this one coming so I am trying to rest as much as possible. We have a Blue October concert tonight and Travis' parents are coming into town tomorrow morning to help finish the tiling. I am excited about all of that, but I feel so yucky right now! I hope I start feeling better...SOON!

So, today is going to be filled with sleep, reading, sleep, checking email, sleep, playing a game or two of Spades on the computer and sleep! Do you see a trend yet?

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Rainy 4th of July...

Well, today is the day to celebrate our freedom...and it is raining...again! It has been raining on and off all day, but right now the sun is shining and it is clear. We are hoping that it stays that way. We have invited several people over to have fajitas and watch the fireworks. Our community puts on a parade and an all day festival out in the park a couple blocks from the house. At night, they have the 2nd best firework show in Austin! We are excited. We are expecting about 25+ people, so this house will be very full! We have spent most of the day running around getting all the necessities to be good hosts, and cleaning the house. It has been a lazy, yet very productive day.

To update everyone about the house: We have almost finished tiling the laundry room and guest bathroom! Yay! The only things we have to do are the cuts that require a wet saw and grout. When Travis' parents come up this weekend we are getting that done, and the kitchen will be tiled! WooHoo!! I am so ready for the house projects to start showing some results. We have ordered our carpet, but apparently it is taking them awhile to get it in. They are supposed to call us no later than July 19th to schedule the installation. We SHOULD have our carpet by the end of July. Then we will be getting the hardwood floors everywhere else.

My camera is still broken. In fact, we took it to the store today to see what our options were. Basically what it boils down to is...we have to get a new camera. Now, when will we be able to afford a camera...I have no idea! With all the house projects, paying off debt, yadda yadda yadda, going on...it could be my birthday before you see anymore pictures. I will try though. Maybe I can go get a cheap one from WalMart just til I can get a good one. It is driving me nuts, not being able to post pictures of everything!

That is about all I have for now. I better get ready for the party! :)

Happy Independence Day!!

Just Getting Started...

Well, Travis and I have been busy. This weekend we were able to spend all day Saturday together. We went to Home Depot and got the materials to build a dog house. That is right...we built a dog house! It is a pretty good looking one too! :) We have pictures, but Nikki decided to break my camera after I took a really cute picture of her in her new home! Ugh. I am going to take it in to get it looked at though. (It should be under warranty still.) Anyway, I have started painting the dog house and it just needs one more coat of paint and it is ready for her to live in! Yay!!

Sunday, we had friends over for hamburgers and to play some Hand and Foot (a really fun card game for those of you who didn't know). It was so much fun! It is amazing how one calm and relaxing weekend recharges you.

We had the people from Home Depot come out and measure the square footage of the bedrooms today, for new carpet. We should have new carpet within the next two weeks. After that...tile and wood floors!! Oh I love fixing up this house!

I am teaching again this week. We had a new class start at work yesterday. These are three week classes so I will be in the training classroom for 5 weeks straight (I went to camp for one week of the last class). I really do enjoy my work. It is fun to see the light bulbs go off in their heads sometimes! :)

Well, that is about all I have for now. I will posts pictures as soon as I get my camera fixed!

House Projects

So, now that we know I am allergic to dogs, our house projects have quickly become first priority. To improve my allergies, we first moved Nikki out of the bedroom (where we kept her kennel). She now sleeps out in the living room. Travis is actually planning to build her a dog house so that she will be more of an outside dog than inside. In the next week or so we are getting new carpet in all of the bedrooms (to get rid of the dog odors and such from when there were 3 big dogs livng here with the lady who we bought it from). In the next month (or so) we are going to tile the kitchen, guest bath and laundry room (to upgrade the house from the stained concrete floors that seem to never be rid of dog hair) and we are going to get hardwood floors for the rest of the living space. We are so excited about our projects and I am so excited to actuall be able to breathe! (I will be sure to update with pictures as we get these projects underway!)

I have a consultation with my Allergist on Friday afternoon to see what else we can do to avoid the allergens. The other things I am allergic to are mold, dust and cats. So, we are going to get new allergen filters for the vents and see if that helps some. I don't really want to go through any allergy treatments where I have to go in twice a week, just to get injected with the thing I'm allergic to. Scheduling would be so hard with the work that I do and it just doesn't seem pleasant at all! So, we are going to see what happens by just making some adjustments and taking some medicine. I am taking Singulair and I haven't seen a drastic difference yet, but it takes a couple of weeks to really kick in and I haven't been the best at taking it every night. We will see. I am just so tired of waking up, unable to breathe or open my eyes because they are stuck together! You think I'm exaggerating...just ask my husband! It is really bad...

Travis is out of town this week so my main project this week will be to clean this house from top to bottom as much as possible. I am not a very good duster...just because I never think to dust the blinds and on top of things (like fans). I always dust the tables, bookshelves and anything in view. I need to get better about dusting all the time and dusting everything!!

Alright, now that I have completely bored you with my allergies and the house plans...I am going to bed.

Allergies :(

Camp was awesome! My mind is completely fried so I will have to write more about camp later, but I do have some news.

I went to the Allergist today for my skin test. I am allergic to several things: mold, dust, cats and dogs. That is right...dogs!!!! I'm so mad!! Travis and I are having to consider some changes (NO...we are not getting rid of Nikki). We are going to build her a dog house and see how she does as a "mostly" outside dog and some major carpet cleaning (or replacing) to get rid of the hair already imbedded in our floors. Ugh! Oh well. I am willing to make some drastic changes in order to keep the dog and stay healthy.

I hope everyone had a great week! Have a wonderful weekend!

Update...

Travis and I went down to The Woodlands to celebrate Pop's (his dad) birthday this past weekend. It was so much fun! We got to spend time with Mark and Jenny (Travis' brother and his wife) and their son Tristan. He is 17 months old now and Jenny is expecting again! Yay!! :) We are all so excited to have a new addition!

This week has been a good one. My work is going well. God is sooo good! My boss called me in her office on Thursday (Travis' birthday) and told me that I got a raise!! It was so out of the blue. It couldn't have come at a better time for Travis and me. God is good!

For Travis' birthday I planned a surprise dinner for him at Macaroni Grill. He thought it was just a date for the two of us. When we got there we had several friends waiting for us. He was surprise! He told me that no one had ever done any "surprise" anything for his birthday before. It was great!

We are in Arlington tonight and head down to Whitney, TX for camp tomorrow. We will be there until Thursday night. This is the last weekend of travel for awhile. We can't wait to get a weekend at home! It seems we haven't stopped traveling since we got engaged!! ugh! But we are so excited for camp and can't wait for the campers to show up and start the week!

Please send up a prayer or two this week for all of the young hearts that will be there at camp for us to show God's love to.

MY HUBBY IS HOME!!!

So, Travis is back! I went to get him from the airport last night around 8:00 pm. We got home and went straight to bed. He was so tired. The poor guy! Anyway, we have been spending the day together since he came in on Sunday and we wanted to get some catch up time together.

He got me a present...and it is perfect! He got two plaques, one with each of our clan tartan and motto. It is official...the two clans have joined!!! Here they are...the first is the Gunn Clan (his), the second is the Scott Clan (mine).

A Little Pampering...

Yesterday after work, I was able to meet up with Amy O'Malley. We had a light dinner at a local restaurant. I haven't seen her in awhile and I needed a little girl time. It was fun. We just talked about life, caught up a little. For the last thirty minutes or so her boyfriend Don came by and joined us. It was good to catch up with her.

Today has been great! I slept in this morning until about 9:00 am and then I got up and started laundry. I did a couple of loads and then went to meet some other girls to get pedicures. That took about 2 hours and then I came back, got into my swimsuit and laid out on our deck. It was nice. I got some good sun and some good reading time! Nikki didn't quite know what to do about me hanging out in her "territory", but we had fun. Now I'm about to hop in the shower and run to the grocery store. I need to pick up some stuff for the house, but I am also going to Poker Night tonight. I am going to pick up some shrimp for the bar-b-q! :) Yummm. It is going to be a fun night.

TRAVIS COMES HOME TOMORROW!!! Oh...I'm so excited! I'm so ready for him to be home. I miss my hubby! He has had such a great time over there. Unfortunately, he never made it out dancing with the Nigerians...he missed his chance. That makes me a little sad, but that is okay. He had fun anyway.

I have to go wash the stink off of me now and go to the store! Have a great weekend!!!!

I Feel Great!

Okay...not exactly great, but sooo much better than yesterday. I really think this cold junk is going away! Woo hoo!! :)

Today was a good day. I was very productive and I just felt so much better. It is amazing how much of my personality goes away when I'm sick. I felt so hyper today. It must have been all the energy I've been saving by laying on my back in bed for a week!

Travis didn't go out with Nigerians tonight. He just went to play pool with a couple of the guys from the class, but he did say that he has tomorrow and Friday to go out dancing. I really hope he does! I mean come on...dancing with Nigerians in Scotland...that just SOUNDS funny! Unfortunately, he didn't take our camera. I'm hoping that his co-worker, Stephen, takes his! That would just be priceless.

Well, now that I'm feeling better, I'm going to take Nikki on a walk!

Girls' Night Out...

That is right...it is GNO (Girls' Night Out) and where am I? At home. I worked my first full day today since I got sick and I am miserable. My head is pounding, I feel extremely weak and my tummy is doing flips! I really hope this stuff goes away SOON!

Travis called me tonight. He had a good day today and evening. He was able to help out with the class some (they were covering material he already knew) and then tonight they had a reception for the class at the university. They had drinks and refreshments so he had some good conversation time with some potential clients. He was also able to start forming a rather good business relationship with the man who is teaching the class. He told Travis that he appreciated his help in class today and that he is a really good leader. This guy basically does what Travis wants to do eventually (He will have to explain it...I'm not so good at it). So, needless to say, Travis has now gotten his foot in the door and is doing very well with the people over there.

He is going to have an adventure tomorrow night though. Several of the people in the class are Nigeria. Imagine Nigerias who learned English in Scotland...I can't help but laugh! Anyway, they want to take Travis out dancing. That is right...dancing in Scotland with Nigerians. I love it!

That is it for now. I'm going to read up on Harry Potter! :)

Mother's Day Weekend

This weekend was full of travel for me. Saturday I went to San Antonio to spend time with Mom and Dad and yesterday I went to Bryan to spend Mother's Day with Judy and Bill and the rest of the gang there. It was good to see everyone. It killed me not to be able to hold the twins (because of my cold), but it was a great visit. Muna and I cleaned up the dessert table! She was so precious, making sure that I had enough to eat. Everyone took very good care of me and kept asking how I was doing without my hubby.

Travis was able to call me yesterday on my drive down to Bryan. We talked for about 20 minutes ($10 phone call). It was good to hear his voice. The first couple of days were okay without him, but it is time for him to come home. He flies in on Sunday, so I don't have too long to wait. He is having a good time though.

San Antonio

I just got back from San Antonio. Mom and Dad were down there for a convention that Dad goes to every year for his continuing education credits. It was good to see them. It was the first time I had seen Mom since she went to Germany. We compared stories of our trips over there and it was fun. We walked, ate and shopped...a lot! It was a great time.

Now, I'm back at the house and just hanging out with my puppy. Travis is in Scotland and enjoying himself. They just checked into a hotel there in Inverness. He is having a hard time because he rented a car and they drive on the left side of the road (he paid extra to get an automatic instead of a manual). He had a flat tire because he hasn't gotten use to driving on the left side yet. He comes back next Sunday...I can't wait!

I am going to try and get some stuff done around here before the week starts. If you have been reading my blog, you know that I have been sick. Unfortunately, going to San Antonio didn't seem to help anything. I still feel pretty cruddy, but I am hoping that a little activity helps it go away by Monday. We will see.

Sick at Home: Day #2

You know the illnesses that just don't want to leave? Yea...they are a pain in the buttocks!

This is day 2 of being home in bed. Thank goodness for wireless internet, eh?! Playing spades all day and loving on my doggie!

Travis is in Houston today, just for the day. He left at 5:00 this morning to catch a flight. He is going to fly back tonight, pack some more, and fly out to Scotland tomorrow afternoon. He will be there in Dundee until Sunday the 20th. This will be the longest we have been apart since we got married...which hasn't been very long.

Mom and Dad are in San Antonio for Dad's annual Dental Convention. I am going to try and have dinner with them tomorrow night (if I can get out of bed). I am excited to see them! Mom has been back from Germany for a few days, so it will be good to see her finally.

I don't have much else to say, but hopefully I will get out of this bed tomorrow!

Sick At Home...

Well, the past couple of days have been hard. I woke up Monday morning feeling pretty woozie. My stomach felt really tight and uncomfortable. So, I tried to eat some peanut butter and cheese crackers to help calm it down. That usually works really well...not this time. Nothing! So, at noon I went home to rest and hopefully I would be able to get to work the next day. Tuesday morning I woke up and felt awful! My nose was all stuffy, I couldn't breathe, my head hurt from all the coughing and I had a meeting with two people from New York and Tennessee. That is right, a meeting that I could NOT miss. So, I drugged myself with Tylenol Cold medicine and went in. It was a pretty informal meeting, but I kept sniffing and coughing and leaving the room to blow my nose. So at about 3:00pm they finally told me to just go home and we would conclude with a conference call when I felt better. So, I went home, took more medicine and slept. I felt worse when I woke up. Travis finally came home and played Zelda for me (I like watching him play video games. He often says, "I feel sorry for all the gamers.") Then I started to crave Taco Cabana's tortillas and queso and I needed stronger meds. So, we went out and got more medicine (house brand from Walgreens...always works better than the brandname stuff) and food from Taco Cabana. We got home and Travis got the front door unlocked just in enough time for me to run to the bathroom and get sick. Yay! I hate being sick!!! It is the most helpless and miserable feeling ever! Anyway, I am staying home sick today and I am really hoping that I can get back to work tomorrow. I have to teach a class on Monday and I have so much to get done before that. I'm sure you all enjoy reading about how sick and miserable I am, but that is about all that is going on in my world...sorry...

The Weekend is Over...

On Saturday Travis and I drove up to Arlington for the ISCC meeting for the counselors. It was great to see everyone again. The only sister missing from the scene was Dava Lynn. We missed her! This is Travis' first year at this camp so it is going to be so much fun. He is getting excited too! It will be very different having my hubby there with me the whole week.

After the meeting we headed down to The Woodlands to see Travis' parents. They were having a guest speaker Nick Vujicic, from Australia, at church. This man is amazing! He is a man with no limbs. That is right, born with no limbs, whatsoever! He is 24 years old! Please go check out this website...www.lifewithoutlimbs.org. This man truly is an awesome inspiration to all.

Some of Travis' family came up from College Station to hear him also. Meridon and Danny Warden, Aunt Sandie, Tara Jo and her friend Kirby, Cousin Debie and Muna (Travis' 92 year old grandmother, also amazing) all came. We went to lunch at Willie's and had a blast. Here are a couple of photos.



To see more pictures you can go to picasaweb.google.com/janakay.mcham. I will update this site often! :)

Busy Busy Busy..

Travis comes home tonight! Yay!! He has been in Houston and the next several weeks will be filled with travel for him. It isn't bad when his trips are spread out, but when they are all packed into several weeks in a row, it gets lonely. I'm am happy that he is coming back though! :)

Today was a stressful day. Not a lot happened, but it was just full of information and more planning at work (meetings, phone calls, emails, etc). My head hurts!

Christina and Dax come back from Costa Rica on Saturday. We have been watching Christina's dogs Sarah and Guinness. The big one is Guinness, the white one is Sarah and the other one is ours (Nikki)...

I am going to tidy up a bit before Travis gets home. Have a great end to your week!

The House...

So, I have had a couple of requests for more pictures of the house. Here they are. The first two are of the guest bedroom,
then two of the office/guest bedroom,

the guest bathroom,
the hall,
and a couple of the kitchen (Please forgive the cluttered counter, we have a tendency to just put stuff down thinking, "I'll come back and get that...").

I don't have pictures of the rest of the house because it is still dirty! We need to do a little more cleaning before I display the house. Anyway, Travis bought this house in July of 2006, so almost a year ago. I have been able to make it my own and it helps that I was with him, helping him shop for houses, so I had a little say in the house! :) We haven't done a lot to fix up the house other than paint the master bedroom and tile the master bathroom. It has been fun dressing the place up with all the gifts we received for the wedding. I will update with the rest of the tour after I get the other areas of the house clean!

Catching Up On Life...

We found the camera cord! Yay! So, here are the pictures along with the stories that I have wanted to tell, but haven't because I didn't have the pictures.

1) We got a new light fixture for the dining area. We actually got this the weekend we got back from the honeymoon. Mark, Judy and Bill came to our house and helped us get settled in our new home. It was a nice gift...

2) We got our china hutch. We got this the same weekend as the light fixture above, but it wasn't delivered until about a week and a half later. I was so excited! Travis surprised me with it one night when I got back from work. They called him at work to tell him it was ready to be picked up, so he got a friend (Dax) to help him pick it up and they showed up with it that night. He is such a great husband!


3) Our camping trip the weekend of April 13th through the 15th, was a blast. Here are a few pictures of the trip. We went hiking on Enchanted Rock and Nikki was awesome. She has no fear. She was up and over those rocks long before we were. She was so cute!

I think that about sums it up. I'm sure I will think of more or find more pictures I wanted to share, but I will spare you all and just put them online for all to see. I hope everyone is having a great week!