Happy Anniversary!!

Tomorrow (March 1st) marks our 5th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe Alan and I have been married 5 years. It seems like yesterday we were stranded out on I-20 for 26 hours trying to get to Fort Worth for our wedding!

Alan, thanks for sticking by me through the good times and the bad (mostly good). I look forward to another 50 years (or more) with you.

My Best Friend's Wedding

One of my oldest and dearest friends got married this weekend, and I was honored to be a bridesmaid. Kourtney and Chris tied the knot in Fort Worth on February 2nd. The festivities started Friday night with the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner at the Reata. We had good food and wonderful conversation. Alan and I sat with Kourtney's brother, Jeriahme and his fiance', Carrie. It was great to catch up with Jeriahme and get to know Carrie.

After the rehearsal dinner, Amy and I stayed at her parents house since we had to be in Fort Worth early in the morning. It was just like one of our former high school sleepovers.

On Saturday, we woke up to a fabulous breakfast thanks to Amy's mom. Nothing beats Chick-Fila chicken biscuits and cinnamon rolls! After the hearty breakfast, Amy's mom took us to the Lemongrass Salon to get our hair and make up done. Everybody looked great. It was so much fun to get pampered. I wish I could have someone do my hair every day!

After hair and makeup, we joined Kourtney, her parents, and the rest of the bridesmaids for lunch at a wonderful little deli. Kourtney was so relaxed! We then headed back to the hotel to get changed. We had a few hours, so we entertained ourselves learning the "Soulja Boy"dance so that we could "perform" at the reception.

The wedding was held at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in downtown Fort Worth. After the wedding the bridal party walked the two blocks to the reception at the Fort Worth Club. Thank goodness the weather was beautiful. We had no idea what to expect weather-wise for the first weekend in February, so we couldn't have been more pleased. After a wonderful sit-down dinner, we ended the day with an evening of dancing with all of Kourtney and Chris's friends and relatives.


Congrats to the new couple... Chris and Kourtney Dell'Accio!! I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Introducing Hannah "Noel" Brinkman

Noel was born around 1 PM this afternoon to proud parents Jennifer and Cory. Mom and baby are doing great! Welcome to the world, Noel!!




Hannah "Noel"
February 5, 2008
7 lbs 3 oz
20 inches

The Kelly Family Cruise

This year, we decided to do something a little different for our families for Christmas. We took my parents, Alan's parents, and Alan's brother on a cruise. We left from New Orleans on a 5 day Carnival cruise that traveled to Progresso and Cozumel Mexico. As you can tell by the pictures we had a great time.

Decorating

After two years of living in our house, I'm finally getting around to decorating it! For awhile, it just seemed too overwhelming, so I never wanted to bother with it. I tackled the dining room first since it was the room that needed the least amount of work. With the help of a decorator, I picked out a painting, a rug, and had some gorgeous drapes made. It's amazing how much better just a few key pieces made the room look. I still have to finish reupholstering the seat cushions, which is much more difficult than I anticipated. After that, the room will be complete!! These pictures don't do the room justice, especially with the mess on the table!

Skiing in Colarado

Alan was up in Denver last week for work. Since he had never been skiing before, he thought this would be a good opportunity to try it out. I flew up to Denver Wednesday evening and we drove up to Keystone, CO with a couple of his coworkers where we had rented a beautiful condo.
We had a great time skiing. Alan did very well for his first time out on the slopes and asked me when we could go back! I'm not to sure I'm ready to go back. I'll at least have to wait until the giant bruise on my leg goes away before I'm even ready to think about it again. Injuries and all, we still had a great time, but I'm sure glad we don't live someplace where it snows like that!!

Curiosity Will Probably Kill This Cat...

I always thought that our cat, Honey would calm down once she got older. Boy was I wrong. She's 7 and just as crazy as ever. The other day, she decided it would be fun to climb into an empty 7-up container. Unfortunately only her head fit in, so she spent about 20 minutes frantically trying to get the box off of her. She finally got the box off, only to try again a few minutes later. I guess she'll never learn.

She's also very fond of the Christmas Tree. We hadn't even finished putting the tree together, and she was halfway up the tree. We've been fortunate this year and have yet to have a broken ornament....

Congratulations Dad!!

After 44 years in the workforce my Dad is finally retiring. Dad worked for Ajax (Cooper Cameron) for 39.5 years. He left Ajax in 2003 to take over as president of a small oil and gas company in Odessa, Tx called Midessa Resources. The last 4 years have been tough. My Dad worked in Odessa and would come home every other weekend to my parents house in Granbury, TX. I'm sure my parents will be like newlyweds again seeing as they haven't spent very much time together since 2003! Dad, I'm glad you're home, where you belong!

My Dad has always been an inspiration for me. He is such a hard worker and always puts in 110% whether it's at the office or at home. All of us should strive to be a little more like him.

Dad.....you've worked hard for the past 44 years, now it's time for you to rest and let someone else do the work! Enjoy puttering around the house, playing golf, and being home with Mom! We're so proud of you and we love you!

~Brooke and Alan

Dear Cats (or Dogs)

Our two cats (Honey and Gabber) basically run the Kelly household. Fortunately they still allow us to live in their home and sometimes they even let us sleep in their king size bed. I thought this was truly appropriate for any dog or cat owners out there:

Note: to be placed low on the refrigerator door.

Dear Cats (or Dogs),

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline
attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
(That's why they call it 'fur'niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is
short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Megan and Alan

We had a ton of trick-or-treaters for Halloween, but our favorite would have to have been our cousin, Megan. She came over to show off her costume and even let Alan hold her for a few minutes. Wasn't she an adorable pumpkin?