"Movin' on up"

After 27 great years in our home, my parents finally moved! Many have asked, “So did you get something smaller?” I could understand this assumption for parents of a 21, 27, and 29 year old. It would only make sense to, you know, get something cozy, a smaller place for retirement, and something easy to clean. They couldn’t really see this happening since we are ALL LIVING AT HOME. So they actually upsized!

Although we’d love to take credit for their decision on a bigger place, they really had grandkids in mind (smile).They know pretty soon (hopefully), all three of their grown children will run off with the loves of their lives, and make beautiful mini-me’s. At this point, they will have plenty of space to run and play with the dog and cats and fish and…

It’s a nice 5 bedroom home, and when we’re gone, there will be offices for both mom and dad, and a couple of nice guest rooms for US! So, I’m the only lone ranger downstairs. Mom, Brian and Aaron will all office out of their own rooms, and dad will now have his very own space to watch the sports games, or millionaire…

We are still working on getting the remainder of our 27 years of belongings out of the old home. It may take a little while, but eventually Loddington Street will only be a great memory in all our minds. We’re gonna’ miss ya’ little squirrel feeder with the lid that slams shut, and overgrown pink oleander, and birds nest in the fireplace, and bistro set where we had nice neighborhood kids tea parties on late Saturday mornings, and street-wide cookouts, and hoe downs during the hurricane…or where Brian is usually found out in the street playing with the kids, or we're all involved in hide-and-go-seek games in the pitch black dark, or combined car-washing efforts.

I learned how to ride my purple bike on that street, and scratched my knees up trying to roller skate (and wet my pants on the floor when I couldn’t get my skates off in time to get to the bathroom). We home-schooled in that house, and learned how to make peanut butter and banana boat sandwiches while mom had morning sickness with Aaron. Aaron and I threw Brian’s CD’s over that fence like frisbees when he was in rebellion, and Brian got his first yellow VW Bug where he learned how to drive a standard in the back streets of that neighborhood. We had plenty of holidays and Christmas open houses there, where dad was always worried about the parking situation outside…and the love of friends and families was always very much present inside. It was a great place and we’ll have those unforgettable moments etched in our minds forever.

“I need Billaaay”

Welp, after my exciting time on the office floor, nearly passing out, or better yet, pretty much dying -the rest of the week has only been filled with one more adventure after another.

Friday, since I was coming from my aunts house in Katy, I WAY overcompensated to get to work on time. I made it 30 minutes early-and that's after a Starbucks visit on the way in... I moseyed on in to our conference room, sprawled out over three office chairs and took a nap 'till it was work time.

Yesterday morning, I woke up 15 minutes after I should have been AT work. That was only the beginning of a great day! At lunch, I came out to my car, after eating a nice meal at a little Mexican place near work, and my keys were no where to be found. I went back inside, and the hostess lifted up the booth bench I sat on, and we looked there…nothing. Under and around the table....nothing. I checked my purse over and over…nothing. I went out to the parking lot and looked under my car…nothing. My boss had to pick me up and take me back to work! (Turns out, in the midst of the pouring rain, as I struggled to get my umbrella open, my keys fell out of my purse and wedged between the seat and door)

After I got back to work, I was chomping some gum (yes I say “chomp” ‘cause I don’t “chew” gum very well) and I bit a big chunk out of my cheek! All I could taste was blood! Sick!

My boss asked, “Now what??" So I showed him the cheek-bite...and he said "What is wrong with you???” and my reply?? I threw my hands up in the air and said “I need Billaaay! (Billy). Call him up and tell him to expedite himself over! I’m falling apart when he’s not here!”

I know, I know, drama. But hey, this week, I’m on a roll.

I got sugaw in my hayer

I went to visit fam. last night, and was greeted at the door by my favorite little African boy, David (that’s King David to you)! “That’s a loonnng hug”, he said, and then he proceeded to smother my entire face with kisses…”I had a lot of kisses saved up for you!” he said.




Court (my little African princess) decided she needed to get in on all the good lovin’….

She just had surgery, and I asked her “Where’s your adenoids??”, her answer was “baack heaw (here) behind my nose” as she pointed to the back of her head. Then she told me all about all the sweet treats she “had” to eat like ice cream and pointed saying “I got sugaw (sugar) in my hayer (hair)”. What a cutie!

It was crazy fun times, as always, with my awesome cousin Mel. There’s never a dull moment when we get to see each other. ….here’s some of our photo op. with the new Dr. Pepper pants.


Oooh yeah…..thanks to Aunt Mary a.k.a. “Paparazzi” for the pics.
Then David and Courtney had their own photo shoot….of course, they had to be just like the big girls! “Look at the camera Courtney!”
“Courtney, look over here at the camera”

"Hold my leg like La-La (Melissa)"
They were so funny with all their poses and everything!
We made a pallet for David, ‘cause he didn’t want to be left out of the slumber party with all the girls, and right before he laid down, he looked up at me and said
“Jamie?”
“Yes David?”
”I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you…..verrrryy much!”
“I love you too David, get up here!” and I gave him a big ole’ squeeze, then he said the most touching thing ever.
“I’ll always be in your life”. “I’ll never leave you”.

Can’t imagine life without my David.

Cali trip numero uno

I was finally able to make it out to California June 29-July 4 to see Billy. It was a great trip, but the time just breezed by way too fast!

I flew into Sacramento, and my man was waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator with a rose and card in hand :) So....after a very long embrace hello, and about an hour of catching up at the airport (lol), we were off to meet the first set of grandparents."G & G B." I got to drive the "other girl" Mayble...which made me a little nervous ("she's how many tons Billy?")...but I was honored at the chance to drive this big ole' girl of a truck.

The visit was great, as we got to hear stories about Grandpa B's adventures in Texas...and how he met Grandma B...and how he makes the best chile relleno's on the planet (which Billy now claims he is going to learn how to do- knowing my passion for this delicioso dish).

I was a house-sitter the first two nights for one of Billy's associate pastors. One of my duties was to feed Link, their very loveable, very large, but friendly kitty. I took care of the hamster, fish, and flowers too :)

My second day there, Billy came to pick me up and said he had a present for me out front..so of course, I was a little antsy to figure out what it was....he rented a convertible for our day of driving! The reservations he had made for a Crossfire fell through (what a bummer) but they had one mustang (black-ooh lala) left and he snatched it up for us. Fun times! We drove the entire day with the top down...he showed me around his city of Woodland (ironic), to see the house he grew up in, and even the huge Mimosa tree (my fave) he climbed as a little boy. We met his roomates, Nathan and Nick, his chinchilla Buddy and enjoyed his well manicured lawn (Mr. Horticulturist at his best) ...here's his house below...

After a great day of getting to know the city a little better, we quickly changed clothes and headed out to

SanFrancisco. We made it out to the Golden Gate lookout and it was perfect weather! There was a cool breeze, but the sun on our shoulders was just right.

We stopped downtown in Oakland at a pretty cool and quaint shopping area called Jack London Square...where we had some steaks at Tony Romas'... and then we headed out to Berkeley's Greek Theater for the Allison Krauss-Union Station- Jerry Douglas concert.

On the way, the sunset in Bay Area was so georgeous!The next day, we went to Billy's church, University Covenant, in Davis, and I met his church friends and fam. Cliff (accountability partner) isn't huge on affection, but I still gave him the hug I promised all along! Whaddaya know, he didn't die after all. :)

We met the other granparents, "G & G E." after church for some lunch. They were great, they told some fun stories, and shared their excitement for us in our new venture together, and then it happened...we actually witnessed an amazing event together...

Billy ate a mushroom for me!!!! I have to admit, it was a bonding moment that brought us all much closer. As his parents would later tell me, they had never seen him do this for anyone before. I guess I got the "powa" huh?

Then....it was off to Redding! Yee haw! His parents live in a great neighborhood on a hill...with the most amazing view of the city! It is beautful beautiful beautiful! You just stand out on their back patio, and are in awe of the mountains, and trees, and lights, and stars, and....

We went out on his parents boat! Whiskeytown Lake was incredible.

It's a national park, and I've never been on a boat on a lake without homes all around. There were Canadian geese and everything.

They even let me drive!

Billy is a very graceful wakeboarder, and he used his skills at slalom skiing too....
I, however, only ventured out on the tube.

The original idea was for Billy and I to tube together, but after he launched me in our attempt to even get ON the tube...we figured it wasn't the greatest of ideas. Besides, his mom and I had much more fun laughing and screaming our heads off!

We ate some great burgers
at In and Out

and went on a few walks, around the area, and the sundial bridge....that was really cool getting to see people walk above us on the plexi-glass....We also cooked for his parents one evening. I made my aunts potato salad, baked beans, ranch dressing and sweet raspberry tea, Billy made the salad, garlic bread and his famous Tri-Tip Beef on the grill....yummmm. (Isn't he handsome?)
To finish off a great meal, his mom made the best homemade icecream with fresh strawberries! Hmm mmm.

(can't forget Emma) It was a great visit getting to know the fam, and I can't wait to spend time with all of them, (but mostly Billy) again!!!

Here's the Scoop

Thing's are changin'!

So….many are asking about my recent change of "status"
Here's the scoop…

In early April of 2007, Billy, a co-worker of Aaron's saw a pic. on his page (the bro's and me) the header read "Yeah, we're related"…so Billy left a comment saying "no way you ugly guys are related to her" and the little bro's response was …"yeah she's my sister and you can have her if you want her". (Thanks Aaron)

Needless to say, that one tiny comment created an entertaining buzz in the company. Everyone joked he should contact me, his boss (and discipleship leader) teased I was a "no brainer".Our friend Cary even chimed in that I looked like Sandra Bullock (lol-yeah right!)… I was getting it from my side, as Aaron (who vowed to never play matchmaker) made playful comments that he found my "future husband" and that I didn't "get a say in it"…

After all the teasing, and playful tormenting, it was time to end the awkward silence. Attempting to be realistic about the many miles between us, Billy, a California resident, contacted me in the form of a Myspace message* Date: April 12, 2007*Subject line: "Your Brother's Infamous Coworker"*and the contents read a little something like this:
"Hi Jamie - I thought it was about time that I introduced myself. . .since your brother seems bent on marrying you off to me :)…I don't know what he has told you about how this all got started and honestly, I hardly remember. . .but all I know is yesterday the whole company (all 15 of us lol) started bombarding me with questions about you and when I was moving to Texas…It made Aaron's day and my sides hurt from laughing so much…"

JUST A SIDENOTE: I was finally at a place in my life where I was content and satisfied with it being just Jesus and me. I had sat my mom down the week previous, to inform her that I may not ever give her grandchildren, and that she needed to be okay with that. That I was not going to a "meat market" (i.e. singles groups, etc.) to find a man to marry, but would continue on the path planned for my life, and if God had someone for me, He would have to cross our paths Himself.

Who would have thought He would truly do that with a Girl in...Texas and a Guy in...California!!!

The funny myspace & instant messages turned into phone calls...long, lingering phone calls turned into deep, heartfelt conversations...full blown conversations filled with laughter (that hasn't stopped) turned into Billy making a cross-country plane trip to Texas....which turned into my meeting the man my heart was already falling for! God knows me better than I know myself. He gave me a man that not only has everything I asked for, but qualities I didn't even know I wanted…didn't even know I needed!

My heart knew he was perfect for me. Plain and simple. This was the genuine, Christ-like, adventurous man I could find easy to admire for the rest of my life.

I never believed people completed you, (or maybe I did) but did believe God prepares someone as a companion for you, who compliments you in every aspect of life. Billy and I do this for one another, and it is an amazing, crazy, incredible feeling that I can't explain. I say things that sounds so cliche' but it is the most real experience for us. Now I understand what I've heard so many times, when you meet the ONE…you just..."know".

and this is only the beginning of the story...