The In-Laws

Last night, my in-laws (or in-loves), Keith and Tami, came over to our house to celebrate my birthday. We had a delicious pot roast for dinner and Keith made his special birthday cake he makes for each of us. He left it in the car until we were ready to eat it (it was cool outside!), but when the lid was lifted, it was all smeared and the icing had run off the cake.

It said Happy Birthday and a bunch of other cute things I won't share, but what was left was the "J" and the number "1." He even drew a little Jamie running on some grass made with green sprinkles. It's the thought that counts, right?!


Then it was time to open my gift. Tami, the gifted and talented writer, read me the poem she wrote after I opened my card. It was titled "The Twelfth of September."

The 12th of September came and went
And Keith and I were almost spent.
We had driven and walked and searched high and low
For a birthday present worthy of our Jamie Jo.

We first looked for a puppy with big brown eyes
But none were found, not the right color or size.
We then decided to buy her a car,
But the ones we could afford were all quite bizarre!

We were running out of options and the day was closing fast
And at $4 a gallon, we were running out of gas!
We decided to drive to one last store
But just as we got there they were closing the door!

We begged and we pleaded and told them our plight
And they flung open the doors with all of their might!
They had the perfect suggestion with one little snag,
It had to be ordered, it wouldn't fit in a bag.

Just turn the card over and a picture you'll see
Of a present you'll like...At least we hope you agree!
It's due to arrive in three or four days;
We'll deliver it promptly without further delay!

Now if you know my birthday, you may be asking yourself, "But, Jamie I thought your birthday was on the 13th?" Well it is, and that was the highlight of the night. When Tami read the title of the poem, The Twelfth of September, I thought maybe the poem will end with something about midnight, the actual day of my birthday. But after she read the first line, Josh and I looked at each other and busted out in laughter. And Tami's response was, "Oh no, that's your birthday, right? No, that's not your birthday! Oh gosh!" It's the thought that counts, right?!

The picture that was on the back of the card was the coverlet from Crate and Barrel that I wanted for our bed. I'm so excited about it and thanks in-loves for such a great birthday celebration last night! Love you!

JJJJJJJJJaclyn

For some reason when Jaclyn Cleveland started her AOL IM name (I'm assuming Jaclyn was taken), she decided to put a ton of J's in front of her name, hence JJJJJJJJJaclyn. That's what I love about Jalcyn: she is fun, spontaneous, and doesn't care what people think about her. Here are some things I have learned from her:

1. It's fun to rent a movie at 11:00pm - before a work day.
2. It's cool to go to bed after 10:30pm.
3. Costumes are fun even if you're the only one wearing one.











4. It's ok to wear your bike helmet in your car on the way to go on a bike ride.
5. Singing "Hips Don't Lie" at the top of your lungs with the windows down is the only way to go.
6. Doing aerobics before the Turkey Trot is the best way to warm up.









7. A fun game of Jax is to put them in your mouth and see who can spit them out the farthest.
8. Wearing your hat sideways might not be cool.
9. Cooking brownies after midnight (just for the batter) is always a good idea.

The true meaning of this post is to congratulate her on her recent engagement to Nate Edwards! They met at Kanakuk last summer and will be getting married on December 13, 2008. We've been aniticapting this moment since freshman year of college. It is going to be a beautiful wedding and boy does Jaclyn look gorgeous in her dress! Josh and I are anxious for her to experience the wonders of a marriage and hope she learned some tips from living with us. :)

Victory Party

Tonight Josh and I are doing something out of the ordinary and out of our comfort zone. We are joining my bosses (the Jeffs) and their wives for a victory party celebrating the launch of Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway and Samba de Amigo, 2 video games produced/created by a client of ours, Gearbox Software.

Where we come in: one of the Jeffs is an actor and does a lot of voiceover work. He is the voice of one of the characters in Hell's Highway. We also helped produce the other voiceover talent in these games; we held auditions and recorded them in a studio. Also, if you happen to see a Bridgestone Tire commercial with a helmet on an Escalade, that is Jeff.

The atmosphere: the party is at the Palladium Ballroom in Dallas. Although I have heard of it, I've never been there. There are several bands/groups featured but one that you may have heard of is DJ Jazzy Jeff. Jazzy Jeff played a recurring character on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air named "Jazz," Will Smith's best friend on the show. I believe he will be spinning tonight.

VIP: for some reason, we are going to be in the VIP section. Not sure what we get out of that, but it sounds cool. I know it is open bar for VIPs, so Josh can get an endless amount of cokes and I can have all the water I want. And since we're VIP, my bosses thought it would be fun if we rolled up in a limo.

Needless to say, we are anxious to see how tonight goes. I think it will be fun - something that is not on our usual "to-do" list for the weekend.

Chicago cont'd.

Here are some pictures from my visit to Chicago this past weekend. What a great city!

Leah took me to her favorite spots in Lincoln Park - this was a secluded lily pond.


We ran along the lake, went to the zoo, and went paddle boating. We loved how these gorillas were sleeping.




I took her to dinner for her bday then we walked around the city and went to the new Trump Tower.



We continued the bday celebration on Saturday in golf style. Had a little high school reunion to end the night.

CHICAGO

Happy Birthday to my Turkey Trot partner! Today is Leah's birthday, and tomorrow thru Sunday I will be celebrating it with her in Chicago. We've got a lot planned including a trip to the zoo, riding in paddle boats, sushi, shopping, chatting, air and water show, and pizza (hopefully). Can't wait, Leah!

Goodbye Jamie's Desk

As of tomorrow, I am losing my current desk for a new one. I am going to miss it; it even has cup holders.

Baby Pettett

We got word this morning that we're going to have a little nephew! We are very excited and anxious for the arrival of baby boy Pettett. Case really thought she was having a girl, so she was very shocked and surprised; Jason is excited to teach his little one how to landscape and mountain bike. There is no name yet, but many to choose from.