Happy 13th Anniversary to us!

Enjoy another glimpse back into our past. Here is the first snapshot ever taken of us (almost 15 years ago in 1996 or 97). We were dating, so young and so carefree. This was back in the day when he drove around in his sporty Rx-7 and I had my lovely 1982 Honda Prelude. He taught me how to drive a stick shift on our first date.

And here we are today. Well, about 6 months ago anyway (at Jordan and Stephanie's wedding). We look the same as in our dating pictures, eh? Just kidding. We're definitely older. More mature. And maybe not so carefree anymore. But I think we've aged beautifully.

We are just as happy as when we were first dating, maybe even more. In the beginning phase of our relationship we couldn't stand to be away from each other. That phase hasn't faded one bit. Even after 13 years we can't stand to be apart.

We've grown a family, grown through trials great and small, grown a solid relationship, and grown even closer together.

Happy 13th anniversary to us!

It's the little things that matter...

All those small details are what go into all that wedding planning. It took a year for Jordan and Stephanie to see their vision for their wedding, make decisions, and carry it out. We got to help out with some of the decorating and desserts at the ceremony and reception. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy (and for us to remember!) all of those details:

The Ceremony

The Wedding Clothes
(Check out those rhinestones that line her veil and Jordan's black & white shoes!)

Notice how the rouching on Stephanie's gown is repeated in the dress that Lizzie wore. Details details!!

Jackson felt so handsome in his bow-tie and boutineer, and all the guys (Jeremy too!) got to wear a HOT PINK tie!!

The Bridal Party

Maid of Honor, Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Trevor as Best Man, Logan as Ring Bearer, Lizzie as Flower Girl

The Reception & Decor

This last bit of fun was a treat for everyone! The candy table was a hit! The table itself was darling - complete with tag labels and little scoopers for each candy. We saw more adults coming back for seconds and thirds than children!

It was a beautiful day that ended with a rockin' fun party. The wedding itself was the most meaningful part of the day, but what made it feel even more special were all those little things that were all in the details...

Jordan & Stephanie got married!!

October 9, 2010

Jordan and Stephanie said, "I do" last Saturday. They had a one year engagement (it was an eternity!!) and we were all so happy that their wedding day had arrived. Jordan looked handsome in his black tux. Stephanie looked beautiful in her white gown. They both professed their love for each other in their vows and shared some chuckles through the ceremony. Everything was perfect.

Congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs. Duran. We love you guys. And we are thrilled to see you begin your new life together!

Clash or not to Clash? That is the question. And we have the answer.

This weekend Jeremy and I got a special treat. Our kids were invited to stay the weekend with Jeremy's parents! They like to take the kids on a weekend near our anniversary so we can celebrate without worrying about a babysitter. It is a treat we are most grateful for. The kids look forward to spending time with Grandma and Grandpa and we get to have piece of mind knowing the kids are in good hands.

For our first night alone together we decided to do something we rarely have time to do. We did dinner AND a movie - all in one night! Shocking, I know. And, bonus, we had gift certificates for both. Ya'll know how I love FREE stuff.

Dinner was at a new place we'd never been before. (Maybe it's not a new restaurant, but it's new to us!) Bella Pasta. Ever been there? The atmosphere was charming, service was good, and the food was super tasty. It was drenched in butter. Our favorite. Everything is better with butter, right? Jeremy got the gnocchi and I had the fettuccine alfredo with chicken. Yes, it was a carb fest, but we rarely go out for pasta. So it was a treat any way you look at it.

After dinner we headed out to the movie. We had 2 choices. Date Night with Steve Carrell or Clash of the Titans with the guy from Avatar. I admit, I was the one that chose Clash over Date Night. And with that comes all the responsibility of what comes next. The movie review.

I was not one of those lucky folks who got to see the 80's original version of this show. Jeremy watched it with the kids recently. Now I wish I'd been on the couch with them watching the streaming movie from Netflix so I could've had a more educated decision in making my movie choice.

We were both in agreement on this one. It wasn't that great. The story could've been better and there were just too many action/fighting scenes.

The GOOD:
Avatar guy did a great job acting. We did liked seeing Liam Neeson as Zeus, but his costuming was just odd.

The BAD:
Medusa was ENTIRELY computer generated! I, personally, would have liked to have seen at least the face of a real actor on her snake body.

The UGLY:
What was up with all those scorpions? And who were the alien/metallic/blue hearted guys that spoke their own language? That was just weird.

I don't feel like I can safely say, "If you liked the original then you'll definitely like the remake." You may or you may not. Jeremy, definitely did not. We most likely won't even rent this one when it comes out.

So... we give it 2 Crackens out of 5. Yes, it was entertaining. No, it wasn't horrible. But we were not impressed.

anniversary + birthday = FUN!

We celebrated our 11th anniversary in style! Jeremy's parents invited the kids, yes, ALL our kids, to stay the night so we could go out and have a relaxing evening alone and be able to sleep in the next day. How great is that?

I've been wanting Japanese Kitchen for ages so we made a reservation and invited Marcos and Melody to go with us because we did get married on Marcos's birthday after all.

Jeremy's dad offered his corvette for our mode of transportation and we couldn't refuse!



Jeremy captured this great moment at the table. Teppanyaki is so awesome.

Here's a great shot of the anniversary couple. And there's Marcos - the BIRTHDAY boy! - and his beautiful pregnant wife.


Dinner was delicious, as always. We both got the New York Steak dinner with all that fried rice, egg drop soup, shrimp, veggies, sprouts and all that. And I just love that hot and spicy sauce. You have to try it the next time you go.

After dinner Melody and I made a stop to the restroom and came across a curious sight. It was the fanciest, most exquisite, high tech toilet we've ever seen in our lives! Right there in the Japanese Kitchen restroom! Check out all the features:

Wash, bidet, enema wash (WHAT THE HECK?!), pulse, massage, dry, child (oh, how nice, they even remembered the children), you can adjust it forward, backward and even up and down, and finally there are the temperature settings. GOOD GRIEF! Who needs all those options when "doing their business"? We had a great chuckle about this phenomenon in the pot and when we told the boys about it then they had to go see if there was a fancy toilet just like this one in the men's room. Sadly, there was not. Or should I say "thank heavens there was not"? We would have been there another 30 minutes so the boys could have tried it out, I'm sure.

After the bathroom adventure we headed outside to show off our ride. Marcos and Melody looked shocked when Jeremy offered them a ride around the parking lot. They asked a couple of times if he was serious and then hopped on in. What do you think? Their faces say it all. Do you think they liked sitting in a red corvette?

Marcos and Melody, thanks for hanging out with us on YOUR special day. We had a great night celebrating with you guys and "discussing" names for your baby. We need to do it again soon.

Happily Ever After

There we are folks. On our wedding day. E L E V E N years ago today. Can you see the looks on our faces? That was sheer joy! We were so happy that day, to finally get married after almost 2 years of dating. There are not enough words to describe the feelings we both felt that day. We were surrounded by friends and family who loved us and supported our decision to be sealed for eternity. What a joyful way to begin our new life together!

Happy Anniversary, my sweet.

(From L to R: Robb, Greg, Gordon, Jeremy, Matt and Aaron. That's me, Jennifer, in the white dress.)

No Moon, No Wind on the Titanic

We have been waiting almost 4 months for this night - the night we got to see our nephew, Zach star in Titanic the theater production put on by our local high school. Zach got to play the part of Frederick Fleet - the guy that spots the ice berg. He's been prepping for months, learning lines, memorizing the words to his solo and going to rehearsal after rehearsal. Finally - it is time to shine!!

Here's a shot of the entire cast at the beginning of the show. Zach is on the top row - start at the steering wheel and count to the left - he's the 5th guy over, black hat, black coat.

Here's his big solo. It's broken up into 2 parts. He's standing up on the 2nd story of the theater in a doorway that opens to the nothingness below. He's supposed to be high above the ship in the crow's nest.



My favorite part is his most enthusiastic line at the end of the video. You really feel like you're in the moment...



Here he is with the Titanic survivors at the end of the show.

What a solemn crowd they were.


Here he is after the show with his proud parents. His costume was so cool - the hat, the scarf, the pea coat. Love it! Where can we get a hat like that?

Way to go Zach. You did great and we are so proud of you for sharing your talents with the world.

Boggs Babes, Babies & Booty!

The Boggs girls got together at our house to shower Amy before little baby Bella arrives. She's due in 2 weeks!!

All the ladies helped out with dinner - we dined on delicious salads, bread, and pink punch! Pink for baby girls!! Amy scored with all kinds of hand made baby blankets, cute bows, diapers galore and cute cute clothes. Now we just need a baby to put all these items to good use.

Here are all the ladies that were there.

Melody & Amy/guest of honor - my 2 pregnant sister in laws!


Ashley & Claudia

My mama & sista Mica with fuchi face

Suzanne, Caralee & Allyson

Chelsy & Gma Boggs

Lori & Byron

Jenn and her 2 girls Lydia & Cambria

Hey, that's me! with Jackson crazy man and Lizzie intense smile

The whole group.

It was a great night of family and fun. Thanks everyone for coming and making it such a special time for Amy.