Date Weekend

Brad and I didn't just have a Date Night. We had a Date Weekend! Somehow, it worked out that Brad didn't have to work, at all, and he was home with me for the long Labor Day weekend! What a blessing!

 Our wonderful Date Weekend involved:

 - A romantic dinner for two at Red Lobster (where I'm always begging to go, but he's always rolling his eyes at, and I was able to finally talk him into by using the gift card his parents gave us for Valentine's Day. Seven months, people. It's time to use that free money!)

- Followed by a trip to the movie theater. We even semi-dressed up for our little date. You can't tell it by our self-portraits, but I'm actually wearing a dress! (And these pictures are at two different locations, if you can't tell that, either.)

- The most beautiful weather ever, allowing us to live the weekend with all the windows open in the house. There's nothing better than sleeping in, waking up next to your love, and feeling the fresh air breeze all around you.

- A seven-mile hike, with endless hours of undivided time with only my soulmate and my Savior,  that took us to the top of cliffs, overlooking miles and miles of His Creation, and provided uninterrupted opportunities for many great discussions. (A separate blog post and many more pictures to come.)

- Many notes belted out alongside Taylor Swift (2 different albums) every single time we were in the car to go anywhere.

- A couple rented Redbox movies that were a perfect excuse to cuddle with my honey on the couch.

- Frozen pizza dinner. And I'm not talking the little Totinos Party Pizzas, which are great, but not noteworthy, since they're so commonplace around our house. We splurged and baked a Freschetta with the rising crust! (Which, if you know me, definitely belongs on a list of pros for the weekend.)

- Lots of lovin from my other baby, and time to spend "as a family" playing doggy tag and puppy wrestling around the house.

- Mornings sitting out on the front porch in our rocking chairs, enjoying the nice weather and reading individually, but together.

 - Loving some more on Layla, whom Kris and Emily brought home on Saturday.

- A cookout that involved Nathan's brand hot dogs. (Most definitely always a treat, regardless of how often I get to eat them.) Followed by gooey, warm-from-the-oven brownies.

- Waking up to the smell of homemade pancakes by my hubby.

- Baking with my husband as we put some over-ripe bananas to use by adventuring out to follow an online Banana Bread Recipe to a T. The results were wonderful, and the experience was priceless.

- A dice game in which I totally dominated, and during Brad's last ditch effort to beat me, he risked too much and lost all of his points. In your face.

- An hour-long card game of War, where I came back from waaaay behind to kick Brad's butt. Again. (And I appropriately gloated about it for more hours to come.)

- Listening to Brad play the guitar and wonderfully sing songs on multiple occasions.

Overall, it was the best weekend ever. After living with our work schedules for however long, and barely crossing paths with each other, Brad and I so needed some time to reconnect and just spend together, enjoying each other's company. It's nice to be reminded of why we're best friends; why we chose each other in the first place.

The incredible weather throughout the weekend was a constant reminder of God's presence and blessings. All good things come from Him, for He alone is good. Mehaffey Labor Day weekend, 2010 was definitely from Him, because it was good. Very good. Many praises and thanks to my loving and wonderful Lord!

Melting Hearts

I'm not the only one who's a puddle of mush around Layla Grace.

Brad loves her so much, that he went back to visit them in the hospital, yesterday, without me!

Brad's not normally a "baby person," so I was surprised he wanted to see her so badly. But I guess it's different when the baby belongs to your best friends. Well, and when she's as perfect as she is.

Layla is sweet enough, alone, to make me swoon. But the sight of my husband holding and loving on her? Oh, that totally makes my heart melt! He's going to make such a good daddy, someday!

Love at first sight

I'm absolutely already completely smitten with Layla.

Today is Layla's Birth Day

Layla Grace Jordan was delivered, via C-Section, as scheduled at 7:55 AM on Wednesday, September 1, 2010. She is 19" long, weighs 7lbs even, and has some dark hair just like both of her parents.

Mommy and baby are both doing great, and Kris is a very proud papa!

Oh! I can't wait to meet her! She's absolutely beautiful!!

Praise God for a healthy baby!! He is so good!!!

Happy Layla Eve!

Only one more day until we get to meet Layla Grace!

Emily's C-Section is scheduled for tomorrow morning. I officially declare this day Layla Eve.

I can't imagine how she and Kris feel, today, knowing that it will be the last day of their lives as Just Kris and Emily. From now on, they'll always be parents. Be a family. I'm sure they're feeling a lot of excitement and nervousness and apprehension and joy and fear and love all at the same time.

No apprehension from me, however. I don't have to stay up all night with a newborn. Nope. Just lots of excitement comin' from Aunt Mindy across the street!! Yahoo! I can't wait to meet Little Layla!!

Lots of prayers going your way, Jordans, as you not only enter into surgery in the morning, but also as you enter into this next wonderful, blessed phase of your lives. God is so good!

The vault is opening!

Everybody, get pumped up! Disney is finally opening up that mean vault of theirs to let Beauty and the Beast out!! Yahoo!! I have been waiting forever for my favorite Disney movie to be released, and the wait is almost over! It will be available in October, and you better believe I've totally already pre-ordered my copy. The anticipation is killing me!

You see, I keep my eye on ol' Disney's vault like a hawk. I've made it my mission to collect all of the Disney classics as they are made available, so I'll have them on hand when my kids come around. I've got a pretty good jump start, so far, but my collection has always been lacking my #1 film. (And, also The Lion King.) I remember doing research way back in 2005, when Brad and I were first married, to see when I'd be able to have it in my possession and learning that it wouldn't be released until 2010! Man, that felt like an eternity away back then! But, five years has really flown by, and it's about time I can own it for myself!!

I can hardly wait! Beauty and the Beast is my very favorite of them all. I have different categories of Disney favorites (Old Classic: Cinderella, New Classic: Little Mermaid, Non-Princess: Lady and the Tramp, Boy Type: The Lion King), but my Favorite of all favorites is definitely Beauty and the Beast. The animation is simply stunning. The music is wonderful. The characters are so lovable. And I'm convinced that Belle is a Christian.

Well, I don't really know about that, but she's definitely down-to-Earth and not all spoiled like Tinkerbell. (No offense, Tink.) She's smart and reads books for fun; even books without pictures! (Gasp, Gaston!) She doesn't swoon all over the smarmy, conceited jerk just because all the other girls do and he throws himself at her. She loves her dad even though he seems silly, and she sticks up for him against the whole town. She bravely searches for him in the night, then sacrifices her freedom for his. She befriends all kinds of different things instead of running away from the unfamiliar. And she eventually falls in love with a Beast, for Pete's sake!

And she does all of it without compromising her character. She stays true to herself and her convinctions. She doesn't do what is nice just for the sake of it, or what everybody expects her to do or tells her to do just to please or appease them. She doesn't let the Beast treat her rudely, and she doesn't put up with his attitude, because she knows she deserves better than that. She's strong and brave and still gentle and kind. If my future daughter is going to look up to any of the Disney Princesses, I'd definitely want it to be Belle. I'm just sayin...

And besides, Beauty and the Beast is just such a great romantic, love story. A story about True Love that looks beyond appearances, deeper to the real heart of a person; a  True Love so genuine that it, alone, can redeem a character whose inside has grown as ugly as his outside because of the hardness of his heart. Beauty and the Beast just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You try watching the Ballroom Scene without getting goosebumps. I honestly don't know that it's possible.



What's your favorite Disney movie / princess? Are you as pumped about this release as I am? Don't forget to pre-order your copy, today!

Baby Whisperer

Look who loves me so much that she fell right asleep on my lap yesterday evening as the whole gang was outside enjoying the nice weather. Apparently, all the cheering for her daddy as the boys played basketball in the street was very exhausting. It's a good thing I'm such a comfy place to rest!

This is the last weekend that Charlie will be the only little girl on the street. Other Emily has her C-Section scheduled for next Wednesday! We cannot wait to meet baby Layla Grace! I'm sure I'll get to spend a lot of time with her, as well. After all, I am the Baby Whisperer...

(Look at those chubby, squished cheeks and arm wrinkles!! Makes me just want to squeeze her!)

Sweet Surprise

When I walked in the door yesterday from work, Brad had flowers and a card sitting out waiting for me on the table! It was so sweet. I'm one of those girls that absolutely loves getting flowers. They never get old. I don't care what kind they are, or how expensive or inexpensive they might be. The gesture is always incredibly appreciated.

I've been in a pretty mopey mood lately. (Hence the lack of blogging. Sorry about that, btw.) Not only are we hardly getting chances to see each other with our work schedules, but I've been struggling with this ridiculous outbreak of hives for weeks, which just makes me completely crabby. Yesterday was especially bad, and Brad figured out a way to show me his love, even though he hasn't been able to be home to baby me like I'd he'd like.

I really am blessed to have such a great husband who loves on me like he does. Sometimes, I can't believe how spoiled I am. But I'll never, ever take it for granted. He and our marriage is a blessing straight from Above, and I'll never forget that. Nor will I stop giving thanks to the One who ultimately takes the best care of me.

Bacon Extravaganza

Friday night was Man Night at the Mehaffeys. They lovingly entitled the event The Bacon Extravaganza. Sure, wives were also in attendence, but the evening was all about the men. Let me explain...

When Brad and His Boys get together, they get ridiculous. They start making jokes and speculating about "awesome events" and have a good time laughing about all of their outrageous ideas. Seriously, you get them together, and they just feed off each other. All of the wives simply look back and forth incredulously at each other, reassuring ourselves that none of these crazy things could ever possibly become reality. However, recent events have proven that they aren't afraid to follow through with some of their wild ideas.

Exhibit A: The Bacon Explosion. This is some Man Meat Concoction that they discovered online forever ago. Literally, I think they've been scheming ways to create it for nearly a year. Somehow, I really don't know how, it has actually happened. In real life. The event was so highly anticipated, that Brad was sending out two of Homer Simpson's Top Ten Bacon Quotes each day of the week leading up to the main attraction, just to further pump everybody up.

I, and every other woman present, made a point to have no part in the scenario; however, I'll attempt to walk you through the process, just so you can get a real grasp of the ridiculousness of it all.

First, they created a bacon weave by interlocking 2 lbs of bacon.

Then, they seasoned it with some sort of dry steak rub, before layering it with two more pounds of sausage.

They cooked another pound of bacon, and poured the cooked crumbles on top of the sausage layer.

Then they coated it all with some barbeque sauce.

Before rolling it all up into a big log of pig. (Gross!)

They encased the the bacon/sausage combo with the prepared bacon weave.

Then coated the whole thing with butter and more dry rub.

Here they are, all proud, with the finished, uncooked product.

They then grilled it for 3 hours.

After much care and many "extra special checks" and sessions of rebasting (and a legit cookout equipped with ordinary hamburgers and hot dogs, so we had real food to actually eat and fill up on), Wes gingerly brought the baby inside. Really, you would have thought he was introducing his first born son.

Seriously, the final presentation of the Bacon Explosion was so ridiculously extravagant, that we had to film it. They created a "human bridge" and even had We are the Champions playing in the background as a soundtrack to the momentous event. They ended with High Fives all around and a "slow clap" (not caught on film). I'm not joking. You have to see it to believe it.

They cut it up and served it as if it was a rare delicacy. I have to admit, the swiss roll effect is pretty impressive.

They gathered around for a big, simultaneous first bite of their creation. I believe the reaction was unanimous -- it was gross. Most of them could barely swallow a single bite. Wes proved his manhood by eating his entire piece, and Brad, having also completely finished his piece, was convinced that syrup would make it better. So, that's what he tried on his second piece. Second Piece, People! I'm telling you, it was insane. Completely out of hand. Double O - C (Out Of Control).

The girls couldn't even stomach to look at it. So the guys tried to decorate a plate of some B.E. to entice us into trying it. You have to give it to 'em; they really did pretty it up and make it look almost-appealing. I thought the side of Tums was an especially nice (and considerate) touch.

For your information, Brad did whip out his puppydog eyes and convince me to try a tiny bite. It meant so much to him, how could I resist? My reaction? Blegch!

Speaking of the girls. We really were there, just in the background of all the Bacon Explosion Hooplah. Here's some proof of our presense.

Final Note to Self: When the boys all get together, they will instigate each other to do the ridiculous. Given enough time, things that began as only off-the-wall ideas will eventually become reality. They are not ashamed. They will do absolutely outrageous things, just to prove to each other that they're brave enough to do it. Be careful. Be warned.

Final Conclusion, however: We have the best.friends.ever. Period.

Complete Bacon Extravaganza Photo Album

A5 - Then and... then

As I was going through some old emails, I stumbled upon this picture, and it immediately sent me back in time to 2002. This is my interface group on the very first day of college, just after we moved all of our stuff into our dorm rooms. We had no idea what to expect from college. We didn't even know each other until we started posing for this photograph.

(At Freed-Hardeman University, the freshmen are separated into various "Interface groups" along with two upperclassmen to help make friends and get acquainted with the campus as well as campus life. Even though Brad and I were already dating, he's not in my group picture, because he was part of his own interface group.)

We did everything together for an entire week. Lots of fun, random, hilarious activities. Also lots of opening up to each other and Bible studies. Once the semester began, we didn't have as many organized events, but we did maintain our friendships throughout the years.

Look at us back then. So young. So naive. So scared of what lay before us. And yet so eager to move ahead.

On graduation day, four years later, after we walked across the stage to receive our degrees, we reminisced together of how little we were when we all met for the first time. The response to the memory was unanimous, "Man, we were so young back then. So much has changed in four short years." Here we are again, on the last day of college. Some of our A5 group transferred to different schools, or dropped out, or graduated at different times, but a lot of us literally started the journey together and ended the journey together, from the very first day to the very last.

Four years is what separated the opening and the closing pictures of our college careers. And, similarly, four years have passed since we donned our caps and gowns and gathered on the library steps for a second time as a group to commemorate that period of our lives.

Look at us back then. So young. So naive. So scared of what lay before us. And yet so eager to move ahead.

Man, we thought we were so big and grown-up. We thought we were the biz-niss. We thought we had it all figured out. We had no idea. I have to admit, sometimes I miss the old days. The college days. The days when I hung out in the student center with a bunch of friends, stayed up all night chatting with girlfriends in the halls of the dorm, when Brad and I walked across campus holding hands, and the biggest stress I faced was finals.

Don't get me wrong. Being a grown up is fun. It definitely has its perks. I can stay out as late as I want with no curfew to follow. I can go wherever I want without signing-out and notifying my Dorm Mom of my whereabouts. (Obviously, FHU was pretty strict.) I get to share a room with the love of my life instead of a group of other girls all fighting over mirror space. I get to decorate an entire house to my liking, instead of squeezing my whole life into a teeny-tiny room. I get to raise a sweet puppy, and eventually, I'll get to start a family.

But that doesn't mean I don't sometimes miss the simplicity of a life filled only of class schedules and social events. Sometimes grownup life is hard and full of responsibility and making right decisions. Sometimes, I just miss the Good Ol' Days.

Thanks to facebook and blogs, many of us have kept in touch. Even others of us have remained good friends to this day, almost forgetting that we originally met on Day One. It's cool to have memories with people that knew me before I had contacts or was married. But it's weird to look back at college, even the end, and think "Man, I was sooo young back then... So much has changed in four short years."