September Blog-a-Day

I can't believe that I actually agreed to try to do this whole 'Blog-a-Day' challenge...............again.  If you recall, I failed miserably with my first attempt back in June.  I think I only made it to day 11 or so, and even at that, I was days late when posting them.  However, things have slowed down quite a bit, and I'm hoping this challenge is one I can handle.  So, here we go!

Job Changes!

I'm back again, with more updates on this chaos I like to call my life. But a great chaos it is. :)  Time to talk about mine and Jordan's jobs.

Last year, Jordan made the big decision to leave his job he had for 10 years. We were anxious and prayed that we were making the right decision for our family in the long run.  Let's just say that the next 12 months were a little difficult. Not getting home til 10pm during the week usually, working most weekends, missing out on family/friend gatherings, it was definitely starting to take a toll. Not to mention during my 'busy season' at work, it was a struggle with our schedules and taking care of the kids. Finally, the time came when he could apply for a promotion.  After getting discouraged by some missed opportunities, we knew God had a different plan for us he was waiting on. In July, Jordan transferred over to the Rockwall store in a management position. All his hard work and sacrifices had finally paid off. He'd be 10 minutes from the house and working better hours. It's definitely not 8-5, but it's so much better than how it was before (typical of retail, I guess). When he has to work weekends, he comes home during lunch to spend time with me and the boys. If me and the boys are out running errands, we can easily swing by and say hi to Daddy at work.  Needless to say, we're happy about this new change in our life.

Ironically, the first day of Jordan's new job, I started my new one, too.  I'm still at KPMG (after nearly 8 years, who would have thought?!), but decided to take advantage of an opportunity that I felt would be a good fit. I don't how much you know about being an auditor in public accounting (I still get the stereotypical question regarding taxes and April 15th, but I don't even do taxes, people!!), but it gets pretty crazy at times.  I'm in client service, so fire drills happen and unexpected things come up all the time. And January through March typically meant anywhere from 50-70 hour work weeks,even being part-time. It's hard enough to juggle a regular job with two kids, a husband, and household as it is, never mind throwing in more stress and long hours. I'd finally had enough and was tired of working so much. An opportunity presented itself to join a national team of eight people in our firm that works on special projects. I won't bore you with details. :) But it's been a good change.  It's been a little over a month now, and I'm still figuring things out.  It's different, that's for sure.  But I know where I'm working at each day, know that I can leave on-time, and don't really have to pull out my laptop every night at home to do more work.  Oh, and I can collect a full paycheck again for the first time in 2 1/2 years! It's a two-year rotation, so I've got a long way to go still, and I don't necessarily want to think about what's going to have to happen at the end of the two years. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Anyways, there's been big changes going on as far as work goes, but we've got a good routine going on now. Jordan usually pulls the morning shift getting the kids to daycare, and I pick them up. It works out well, and I've actually become a bit of an early bird these days (well, getting to work by 8 is considered an early bird for me!).

Love is in the Air!

Okay, I’m finally getting around to blogging about mine and Jordan’s anniversary!  July 26^th marked our NINE year wedding anniversary! Pat on the back for us, let’s be honest, because that’s pretty good for kids people our age!  We have several friends who have already been married, divorced, and then married again. Hell, we’ve been married longer than anybody I know (except for old people!).  I don’t make it a secret that I’m not a fan of divorce, unless absolutely necessary. I think people jump into marriages a little too easy these days, knowing that divorce is an easy way out if needed. But not for me.

This past year has been challenging, but we made it through. I’d have to say that right now, our relationship is probably in a better spot than when we were first married. It’s crazy to say that, but it’s true. We got married when were young (I had just turned 21, and Jordan 22), so we still had a lot to learn about ourselves, each other, and life in general. People change, mature, figure out what they want out of life, and we all screw up every now and then. But somehow, through it all, we have persevered and been committed to making this work. It hasn’t always been easy or fun, but we’re here. We don’t like each other everyday (who does!?), but we’re still in love. We’re each others' best friend, know each other’s moods, and like spending time together. Our relationship isn't perfect, but it's real. With our boys, we have a great little family and I thank God everyday for it.  I couldn't have asked God to bring me a more perfect match for me and a wonderful father to his mini-me's. And thanks to my newfound passion for reading (Fifty Shades, included!), our passion has found a new spark as well. :) I know, I know, who wants to hear about that. But once you’ve been with somebody for ten years, you need to spice it up every now and then!

Anyways, to celebrate our anniversary, we went to stay at the Gaylord for a two-night staycation.  We were fortunate enough for Meow Meow and LoLo to come to our rescue and stay with the boys while we were away. (She said it was a piece of cake!)  We missed them dearly, but enjoyed some alone time with great food, drinks, and lounging poolside.  It was pretty mellow, but that’s what we wanted. 

Happy Anniversary, satchmo, and here’s to many more years! Love Love! Totally excited for next year when we make it a whole decade and get to head off to Hawaii!!

All gussied up, ready for dinner!

Soooo handsome!

Chilling at the pool bar!

Yummy :)

Getting Old!

Okay, time for my first necessary blog update.  Guess what…………..I’m 30! That’s right, it’s official that I’m an old lady. L  I didn’t really think that turning 30 was going to be a big deal. But ughhhhh, seriously.  I decided I didn’t want to do much for my birthday, no need for a big blowout or anything; not really my style.  For some reason, I decided to go into work for a half day.  I had a great group of friends/co-workers who organized a birthday lunch for me at my favorite place. And they even brought along a cookie cake for me!  After getting back from lunch, I knew there was no way I was going to get any work done, so I headed home.  Jordan and I threw our suits on and headed to the pool for a bit. But oh my, it was scorching hot outside in mid-June and we were literally melting away. Needless to say, we didn't last long.

We had planned to go down to the Harbor for dinner and drinks to celebrate that night. But only after I fulfilled one of my major sisterly/matron-of-honor duties first. I had got to go with Katrina while she took her bridal portraits.  Yeah, it sucked that I had to go do this the night of my birthday, but honestly, I’m glad I was able to be there for her.  She was breathtaking and the pictures turned out amazing!  After getting home around 9:30 and getting our babysitter settled, we had to modify our plans since it was getting late (it was a Thursday!) and just headed up to our local Chili’s instead. Give me a hard time if you want, but I don’t need much, and Chili’s was just fine for me to relax with my love with some appetizers and cold beer.  Just what I needed!  The following day, our foursome (me, Jordan, Kat & Lo) grilled out and relaxed at Kat & Lo’s pool for the afternoon.  It was a mellow birthday celebration, but it was just my style.  

Hello?!

Hello, everybody! Well, that is, if I still have some readers out there.  Hi, my name is Jen, and this is my blog........I think. It's been quite a while since I blogged last, and even before that it wasn't nearly as often as I would have liked. So, here I am, ready to start some updates again. I apologize for my absence, just been living life.  In the next week, I'll hopefully provide all necessary updates on what's been going on in the Hougham world recently. So much has happened, I don't even know where to begin, but I'll get there.  Some topics that I can't wait to share........

• My new position (still at KPMG)
• Jordan's new position (still at AT&T)
• I turned 30!!
• Kat & Lo's grand wedding! (still waiting on pictures to be released from the photographer before I can blog though!)
• I've become an avid reader, and am apparently the founder of the JHo bookclub with a few followers :)
• Mine & Jordan's 9th wedding anniversary; almost made it to a whole decade!!!!
• Chase is 19 months old now, nearly 30 lbs, and such a little lovebug!
• Austin is nearly 4 (going on 16) and is quite a miniature version of his Daddy!

I promise to bring everyone up to speed on everything, just be patient!  Here are just a couple pics to tide you over. :)

Me and the Hubs at Kat & Lo's rehearsal dinner

My boys at lunch the day after Kat & Lo's wedding

Me and my silly boys!

Happy Birthday to my Love!

I know, I'm super behind here. I've been off work for two whole weeks and haven't done a single blog.  Kat & Lo's wedding was amazing and I can't wait to blog about all the details and show off some pics. But I'm trying to enjoy the last few days of my vacation relaxing before I start my new adventure at work on Monday. Hopefully many blogs to come in the near future!

In the meantime, I'm going to relax with the birthday boy today! We both have off, and it's parents' night out, so we're going to see how much trouble we can get into! Starting with some indoor rock climbing. I bought a Groupon a few months ago and thought today would be a great day to experience it. I haven't been rock climbing since high school, so this should be interesting.

Anyways, happy birthday to my love!  Hope I can help make it incredible! Love Love!

I improvised last night at midnight with Austin's birthday crown. :)

That's It! I Give Up!

So much for the blog/photo a day challenge; I completely fell behind and can't catch up.  Let's chalk this month up to a loss and call it a day.  June is just too busy. With my trip to Vegas, my birthday, wrapping up my duties at work before transitioning, and running around doing a million last minute tasks for the wedding, I just can't commit to keeping up with a blog a day. In concept, it was a great idea.

So, I'll leave you with a few recent pics of my handsome fellas!

Who can resist these handsome blue eyes?!

This boy loves to eat!

The best part of baking with Mommy!

Playing first base and concentrating so hard!

And a bonus pic of me and my favorite sister (okay, I only have one sister anyways).