Baby Shower Highlights

Mimi and Grammy...Baby is going to be completely spoiled!

Everyone decorated cards with encouraging words and verses on them...these cards are going to become Baby's mobile. They look so pretty and I know Baby is going to love gazing up at them.

Baby got lots and lots of presents...THANK YOU EVERYONE! I was completely overwhelmed by all the precious outfits and thoughtful gifts that we got.

My favorite part....ice cream cake with oreo cookies, complements of John's mom.

And now, lots more pictures so we can remember the day.

Anniversary Trip 2011

May 24, 2011. John and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. It was fantastic! We decided to hit up Daytona Beach and spent 3 days relaxing in the sun. The view from our balcony:







Our sweet suite:








During our trip, we headed down the peninsula and visited Ponce de Leon, which has a magnificent lighthouse.





Here we are enjoying lunch at a nearby park.





We paid a few bucks to climb to the very top (in our flip flops).








Once we got up there, the view was absolutely fabulous!











Safely back on the ground, our few bucks also granted us admission into the museums surrounding the lighthouse itself. We learned about the caretakers and the history of the lights used in the lighthouse.





There was some other interesting artifacts around the lighthouse that were pretty cool. So we got creative and took some photos.








During our trip, we also ate...





Drank...





And laughed.








Our little jaunt to the sea was perfect for our second anniversary. Fun, adventure, relaxation = memories that will last forever.

Happy Easter

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.

He has risen!

He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Mark 16:1-7

Three Little Letters.....CPA

It’s finally here! I finally received my CPA certificate from the California Board of Accountancy. I am officially a Certified Public Accountant and can now put those three little letters after my name.

Jackie Dodson, CPA

I thought I would feel different, you know, when it finally became official. But to be honest, I don’t really feel much. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy. It's a great accomplishment that I'm very proud of. I guess I just thought the moment would feel unbelievable. Like a mountain top high. But it's more mellow than that. Maybe I've just already gone through all the emotions and there's not much left to feel. Relief came each time I walked out of a test. Anxiety existed each time I awaited the test results. And excitement came each time I found out I passed. Now, I just feel…thankful. Thankful that it’s all over. The entire process took 1 year and 3 months. That's 15 months of craziness. But 6 master level accounting classes, 4 cpa review classes, and 4 cpa exams later - I’m finally done. Done with the late nights, done with the lectures, done with the memorizing. And it feels good to be done. John is especially grateful. He says he finally has his wife back. I’m definitely glad to be back. And I think that makes me feel the best! :)

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Yesterday, my husband turned the big 2-6. We celebrated with friends at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. It's a hibachi grill where they cook right in front of you at your table. Such great food that made fantastic leftovers! Thank you, everyone, for making John's birthday extra special :)

John, I love you so much and I can't imagine life with out you.
Happy Birthday, babe!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Love,
John & Jackie

What a Week!

This week turned out nothing like I had planned. For those that know me well, you're probably laughing since I really prefer things to go as planned. But God had other plans for me this week -- REST. Saturday night I worked the service at church, covered for another guy that couldn't make it. It was a pretty normal evening working the graphics and chatting on the headset. I went home to an empty house. John was out at the movies with his friends and I wasn't that interested in seeing Tron, so home I went. As I sat on the couch watching tv, I started getting really warm and achy. Uh oh, I thought. I just need some sleep and I'll be fine. I went to bed and awoke Sunday morning in misery.

I was sweating and I had a sore throat. Uh oh. This was not in the plan. I dragged myself out onto the couch and fell asleep for a few more hours. By then, John was on his way home from church and offering to stop by the store to get medicine and Ginger Ale. By noon I was filled with Day-quil and throat lozenges. The worst part was the fever - one minute I'm sweating and the next minute I'm shivering cold. Sunday night I wasn't feeling any better, so I loaded up on Ny-quil and advil and fell asleep, hoping to be well enough to go to work the next morning.

Monday morning came all too quick. I got up with my alarm and went in to take a shower. Just as I was about to get out, the room started spinning and I felt lightheaded. Then things started going black. I knew I didn't want to be in the shower if I passed out, so I quickly turned off the water, got out and fell onto the bed next to John. I was so scared and it was obvious I wasn't in any condition to drive. So I called work and told them the grim news. Monday went pretty similar to Sunday. I made my way to the couch and didn't move the entire day. Hot, cold, sweating, shivering, Day-quil, advil. Repeat & repeat.

Then came Tuesday. Tuesday morning I woke up even more miserable than the days before. My throat was on fire and I could barely swallow. The pain was unbearable. I woke up John and declared it was time to go see a doctor. This was more than Ny-quil and Advil could handle. We visited our nearest Urgent Care center and saw a very nice Dr. Lopez. He took one look in my mouth and said "It's Strep Throat." He didn't even order the test because it was so obvious. So this is what strep throat feels like. It's awful! It's also my first time. Dr. Lopez prescribed antibiotics and steroids (the good kind, not the illegal kind). The antibiotics to fight the infection and the steroids to reduce the swelling in my throat and reduce pain. Let's just say things started going a bit better after I got the "good stuff." By dinner I was able to get down a bowl of soup and some crackers - progress! And by Wednesday I was feeling much more like myself.

Now it's Thursday night, the night before Christmas Eve. All the cookies are made...


and all the presents are wrapped.



Things are good. And Christmas is almost here, just as planned. :)

Christmas DIY Wreath

John and I had a great Thanksgiving at John's parents house with lots of family and friends. There was so much wonderful food and of course I ate 'til my tummy was full. After the feast we had a ton of fun playing Kinect. That's that new game for Xbox where your body is the controller. We bowled, threw a javelin, and hit volleyballs with our head, feet and hands. Kinect is so fun and quite a workout. Some of the boys were really sore the next day. I'm tellin' you, it'll get your heart pumpin', that's for sure!

The day after Thanksgiving, I convinced John to help me get the Christmas decorations out of the attic. I just love putting up the tree and decorating the mantle. We had some garland in the box that I used last year on the tree. I wasn't feeling the gold on the tree this year, so instead I wrapped the garland around the clock that hangs above the mantle and created a do-it-yourself wreath. I really like the way it came out.


Have you started decorating yet?

Molly & Scott's Wedding

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a wedding! And we were so excited to be celebrating with Molly and Scott as they exchanged vows and committed their lives to each other. It was really a special day and the weather was absolutely gorgeous...just like the bride! :) Since pictures speak a thousand words (and I'm too tired to write even 10 more words), enjoy these snapshots!