Bright Site Completed.... Almost

I've finished Bright's site (with just a few minor changes and content completions to go)!

Here's the previous version:


And the new:


Check it out online at http://www.brightchristian.org.

- Jessie

Congratulations Kate & Matt!

I'm so happy for Matt and Kate! Their little one, Lilly Blessing, has finally arrived (she was born yesterday)! I can't wait to meet her! I can't believe that Kate has a baby!!



Love you Kate!

- Jessie

Opening Day

Despite a depressing loss (Dunn, we still love you) and bitterly cold weather, BJ and I had a great time at Opening Day. It was neat to be able to see George W (from about a mile away at our vantage point... but that's what binoculars are for). BJ and I enjoyed playing "try and spot secret service". There's one of them in this photo... can YOU spot him?






We got to the game around 10:30 and watched batting practice, which was really cool (it also meant that we got to avoid what turned out to be 2 hour lines to get in, due to increased security). It was strange being so close to the players that we could talk to them. Here's BJ while we watched batting practice:



Here's my favorite photo from our day (BJ took it):



The helicopters flew overhead during the national anthem. Being sky-high was pretty cool in this case. :) We had a great view of their underbellies.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hope you have a wonderful birthday Mom! I love you!!! - Jessie

Another Reds Game Photo

Here's another Red's game photo -- this one is of BJ and I when we first started dating (this would have probably been like our second or third date) (awwwww). :)



My hair was so short!

Baseball Season

Hi everyone,

Not much to report with all of the same old stuff going on (work, etc.). BJ and I are still on the hunt for that perfect house / lot of land. :)

Also, we're looking forward to baseball season starting up again on Opening Day -- one week from today! George W. Bush will be throwing out the first pitch. Here's a few photos from seasons past. :)

BJ at a Red's game in 2002:



Jeremy at a game last year (and I
think that's Blake behind BJ's fingers):


Happy early birthday Mom!

- Jessie

PS - The orchid -- it's still alive (5 days and counting)! :)

Sidney the Masseuse

This is an old video of Sindey helping Maria relax... I thought I'd share this as a test as I'm learning how to post videos. :) (Click the Play button.)

The audio is dumb, but the kitty's real cute.

Our New Challenge

BJ was so sweet to bring me home an orchid last night from Jungle Jims. Now we just have to work to not kill it. I've been inspired by Chrissy and Chris that it just might be possible to keep it alive. :) We just have to keep Annie's greedy paws off it (she was already eyeing it like "What's thaaaaat?" with an evil grin) and not be overzealous with the watering.

And here he is!

Here are some photos we've received of little Aidan! He's adorable!

We're proud to announce....

BJ and I are now an Aunt and Uncle!! My sister Kristen had her baby, Aidan John, yesterday (Saint Patrick's Day - how neat)!!! :) We're so happy and proud!!! Pictures of our new nephew will be posted soon!

Kate and Katie are next!

- Jessie

Drawings of Us

We got another letter in the mail from our sponsored child yesterday -- I wasn't able to scan it in, so I'm just posting the drawing from her first letter because its just so cute. On the left are BJ and I (notice BJ's awesome hairdo), and on the right is Juevyllee's family (actually, there are four kids in all). :) Juevyllee can't write yet (except she does write her name and a few other words), so she draws us pictures and her mom writes us letters (in very good English, I might add).

Awww... :)



- Jessie

More Mock Before/Afters

Here's some more. Photoshop is so great.

Video Back Online

By popular demand...

I've fixed the video link, so you can all see my family busta move. Keep the volume up. :)

(I also posted a few more photos from our cruise in our "Snorkeling Photos" flickr page).

Enjoy!

Baby Shower and More :)

Hi everyone!

BJ and I had a great weekend (doing our separate things). BJ spent some time in Dayton with his Dad -- they went to Wright-Pat and also visited with Jon Lawrence. :)

I took off for South Bend for Kate's baby shower (one month to go!). I stopped first in Indy and had a great visit with Kristi and Chrissy. I've missed them so much! Seeing my family (happy early birthday Eric!) and Kate was also so nice! Kate's shower was adorable. Her mom and Ann decorated with Ann and Kate's baby dresses, including the dress that Kate came home from the hospital in. :) Kate will hopefully find out for sure the sex of her baby this week (so far they're 90% sure its a girl -- but with all the baby girl clothes Kate and Matt have, they're especially hoping that it is in fact a girl). :)

Kate and Matt's Baby (Lilly) (from a while ago):














My sister Kristen is due anytime! I'm rooting for tomorrow, so that Aiden (our family's new addition) and Eric will have the same birth date. :) Whenever he's born, we just hope he gets here soon! We can't wait to meet him.

I also got the chance to see Chris and Chrissy's new home in Noblesville, which is adorable! Chrissy is so talented at decorating, and Chris did an amazing job with the floors and everything else. You can see how all of their hard work is paying off.

- Jessie

Snorkeling Photos

Hi everyone!

We got our underwater photos back, and there are some really cool ones in there. I've posted a few on Flicker - so you can check those out if you want to. :)

This one is BJ touching a sting ray - this was so awesome! We'd definately do it again.

Our Cruise

Hi everyone!

We're back from our cruise! We had a wonderful time, especially once I started feeling better. On the Thursday before we left I came down with Strep Throat, which made traveling a bit crazy, but by Tuesday (Key West day), I was feeling much better.

Our trip started in Houston, where we had a great visit with Matt Clinger and Laura (formally Laura Martin), and Katie. On Sunday our cruise took off from Galveston. We had beautiful weather throughout the whole cruise. Our stops were Key West, Grand Cayman, and the Rivera Maya (where we visited Xel-Ha). Our favorite stop was Grand Cayman, where we did a reef and sting rays snorkel. It was amazing!!! The sting rays must just know that this is the spot to go and get food, because there were about 30 of them, swimming all around us and letting us pet them. I'll post some shots from our underwater camera when we get them back.

Here's a few photos:


From the dock in Key West.


A chicken crossing the road in Key West. :)


BJ getting some sun, with "creepy guy" in the background. Just because you're wearing sunglasses doesn't mean we don't know you're staring at us. Seriously, he wouldn't stop.


Our great table -- we had a great time getting to know everyone, especially the couple from Minneapolis (to the right of us at the table).


The Southern-most point in the US.


A view of the pool deck.


A beautiful ocean view.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

- Jessie

Happy Friday!

Another funny photo to share:



Yea, its Friday! :) This weekend BJ and I are going to be quite busy. We'll be getting ready for our vacation and getting home-buying stuff together. I'm hoping we'll get a chance to visit a few open houses this Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

- Jessie

Family with 38 boys!!!

Wow!

Kermie

Hope you all have a great day! It's almost Friday! :)

- Jessie