2007 was our best year so far! We have been blessed beyond belief! Looking back over the past year and a half, our lives have changed in every way imaginable - new jobs, new city, new home, new friends, new marriage. It was a little scary at first but we're so glad that we made the decision to move to Houston for Andrew's job with the City of Sugar Land.
We started the year off with a bang, when Jordan decided to go back to work full ti
me. Her job with The Fifth Business was a dream come true and such a blessing. In order to keep the
JT makeup business going we hired 2 new makeup artists in January. Kristina and Katie are such great additions to the team and the business has grown beyond belief. Originally jumping at the chance to work a wedding, we're now booking 2-3 weddings per weekend.
In February we found the home of our dreams in the
Cinco Ranch community of Katy, Texas. After initial
conversations we found that the house was in a
pre-
foreclosure stage and had been abandoned by the owners. It was brand new, completed in May of 2006 but only lived in for 2 months. The long and frustrating process had it's ups and downs. We finally secured the purchase in March after much work on Andrew's part to hassle the bank who now had control.
We moved in on April 7
th. The home is perfect for us, with 3 bedrooms, a huge closet (mostly Jordan's clothes) and an additional formal living room which was perfect for a makeup studio. We've slowly made it our own and there's still more to come. Reese loves having so much room to roam. He now gets to go outside in the backyard and loves to feel the wind on his fur. He even has a new friend, Pedro, who comes over to play.
Spring and Summer is big wedding business so we stayed really busy. We also had some weddings to attend. Jordan's best friend Sara was married in May, and Andrew's friends Garrett and Mike in April and November.
In July we went to
Las Vegas for the first time. We loved it and can't wait to go back. We plan to revisit in 2008 and renew our vows with Elvis!
September of 2007 was Jordan's 10 year High School reunion. Somehow she was talked into the planning committee. It was a great time and a great chance to reconnect with classmates.
In October we had the first of many annual Halloween parties. We had a blast and can't wait for next year. The spring and summer months were so successful for the
makeu
p business that we were in need of another artist. We brought on April, a former bride and customer, to the team. We also joined forces with Tiffany, an artist new to the Houston area. We're very excited about our new team members and look forward to another successful year in 2008.
Our first Thanksgiving and Christmas in our new house was great, very low-key. We decided to cut down our own Christmas tree. We went to a Christmas tree farm on a very cold day. They gave us an old rusty saw and a stick to measure. N
either items were particularly helpful. While cutting the tree Andrew looked up and said "We are NEVER doing this again!" and I agreed. When we got it home it took up the entire dining room (luckily there was no furniture). We stuck it in the corner so we only had to decorate about 1/3 of the tree. It was pretty but way too much of a hassle! Getting it out was an even bigger
endeavour as it was not bailed and didn't fit through the door as is. We had to get an electric saw and cut off about half the branches in order to get it out. Pine needles and sap everywhere - but we finally got it out the door!
Overall we are so very blessed. We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been a part of our lives in 2007, and of course we're so thankful that God has given us this wonderful year together!
