Monday, January 28, 2019

January 27th, 2019

Mike surprised me yesterday with tickets to see Beauty And The Beast! I had been dying to see the play ever since I heard it announced at the Drury Lane Theatre. As a pre-birthday gift, my honey bought us tickets for tonight. :)



They show was simply fantastic. The cast was so very talented and the sets were amazing! I had such a lovely evening with my sweetheart.


I also got part two of my birthday gift from Angie in the mail today! She bought me a "one minute a day" daily devotional! Honestly it was one of the most thoughtful gifts ever and I couldn't be more thankful for such a caring best friend.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

January 26th, 2019



Happy 50th Birthday to the greatest woman in this whole wide world! 🥳🎁🎂🎊 My mom truly is amazing in every way. She’s so smart—like, seriously, insanely smart. She’s a math genius, a wiz at all things word problem-related, and always lets you know “who dun it” at least an hour before the movie is over. She’s also the best listener. She’ll spend three hours just listening to me complain on the phone, and then always offers the very best advice afterwards. She’s beyond supportive. She always encourages me to follow my dreams and then does everything she can to make sure it happens. And, of course, she’s a great mother. She is an amazing role model and truly the most selfless person I know. I love you so much, Mom. Thank you for all you do. ♥️

Friday, January 25, 2019

January 25th, 2019



Spring Thanksgiving treats for my favorite ma’am! 💛🍫🐝 I stupidly forgot to include a “deliver on” date for my order, so Ang got her cookies three weeks early instead of on Valentine's Day. 😂 BUT! I’m not late for the first time in, like, years...so I still see it as an improvement. 😎 Huge shoutout to Mrs. Fields for always having the cutest cookie boxes ever. I am super satisfied with how stinkin’ adorable Ang’s bee box is! Anyways, hope you enjoyed the treats dollface! Love you mucho xoxo💋

January 24th, 2019



Something that always makes me sad when looking for a new Bible is how plain and dark all of them always seem to be. While that black leather look can certainly be very elegant and regal, it is a bit disheartening to always see such a lack of color. (I can’t even tell you how many stores I had to visit just to find my current purple Bible!) Me? I want my Bible to be beautiful and personal and full of life! I want it to reflect the way those powerful words on the inside make me feel!

I have swooned over all of the many gorgeous Bibles available online for just about forever, but now--thanks to my best friend--I can actually say I own one! I am so incredibly thankful and humbled by this truly thoughtful and special gift. Ang, words cannot even express how much this present means to me. You are such a sweet person, all the way to your core. I am so blessed to have you in my life. I love you so very much and I will treasure my Bible always. ♥️

Monday, January 21, 2019

January 20th, 2019

Added some adorable paw print decals to the walls!





Saturday, January 19, 2019

January 19th, 2019


“Please sir, throw the ball.”

Thursday, January 17, 2019

January 16th, 2019


While out running some errands tonight we picked up some necessities for the doggy den. 😊 We got a big, fluffy dog pillow that the pups can use even after they’re not so small anymore. We also got a crate to store their toys in, as well as some decor for the walls (aside from the "home sweet home" sign, there’s a "dogs welcome, people tolerated" sign hung over by the crate 😄). And Mike picked out a little "welcome mat" to put in front of the doorway.

All we have left to get now is the food & water bowls (plus a matt to go underneath them). I also ordered a few more decorative things off Amazon to go on the remaining empty walls--I’ll post pictures when they come in! But otherwise, I think we’re basically all ready to add some puppies in here any day now! 😉

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

January 15th, 2019


My Christmas gift from Jax finally arrived! My Spider-Man hoodie is absolutely amazing!

January 14th, 2019

So, as mentioned, the hubby & I spent the last two days turning the crawlspace into a doggy room! 🐶 We painted, put in a new floor, installed trim, sealed up the original crawlspace door, put in a light, and framed out the new puppy door. As of tonight, it's all done! And it turned out even better than we could’ve imagined! We are so excited to decorate and fill the room with all the puppy necessities. 😊 Eagerly counting down the days until our little fur balls are here with us. 💕



Monday, January 14, 2019

January 13th, 2019


Last week we finally got around to taking down all of the Christmas decorations. While boxing everything, we decided it was probably a good time to move everything in the crawlspace up to the attic, like we had originally planned to do with our things. Mike spent an afternoon building some shelves up in the attic, and then we transferred everything up there.

With the crawlspace now empty, we started tonight on turning it into the "puppy room"! If you're having trouble visualizing what we're going for, go to Google or Pinterest and search "puppy room under stairs". Since we have tons of room up in the attic, we decided that we wanted to convert the crawlspace into something more useful...like a space for our future puppies!

Tonight we picked out a paint color for the walls, as well as some flooring, and then we put it all in! We determined where the new "puppy door" will go (since the crawlspace door is only accessible through our hallway closet, and it's rather obnoxious in size) and Mike cut the interior half out. When we're finished, there will be a dog-sized door leading into the room off of our dining room. We will secure the crawlspace door, but not fully take it out (for resale purposes). We also plan to install either a small door or gate to the opening, so that we can shut the pups in if needed be (like if we're cleaning or a maintenance person comes over, etc).

So far everything is looking phenomenal! I cannot wait to see how it looks once the door is all framed out and the trim goes in!

Sunday, January 13, 2019

January 12th, 2019



A huge thank you to all of our family & friends for coming out for Mike’s surprise party tonight! 🥳🎉🎊 He was totally surprised and so happy to see all of his favorite people! Thanks to my fam for arriving early to decorate the house and let all the guests in. 🎈 Thanks to my mom for letting me use her kitchen to bake the cake. 🎂 Thanks to my Auntie Jan for making homemade brownies (aka Mike’s favorite!). 🍫 And thanks to everyone for getting Mike so many thoughtful gifts. 🎁 It was such a blast being together, watching football, playing Switch, and celebrating our favorite guy. ♥️

Saturday, January 12, 2019

January 11th, 2019



Happy 24th Birthday to my amazing husband! 🥳🎂🎁🎈🎉🎊

We enjoyed a fun night together in downtown Naperville! We started the evening with the most mouthwatering dinner at Santo Cielo, followed by a fun evening hitting up several different bars I had selected. Since he turned twenty-four, we visited four unique places! Our first stop was The Lantern, which is a cozy little bar that has been open since 1966 and has free, all-you-can-eat popcorn. The second stop was the Jackson Avenue Pub, which has some unique beers—Mike got a tasty banana bread beer! The third stop was my favorite: a speakeasy bar called the Northcott Liquorette. True to its name, we almost couldn't find it! The atmosphere inside was so cool and the drinks were yummy. Our fourth and final stop was at Frankie's Blue Room, which had an awesome live band playing. Mike loves listening to live music, so he certainly enjoyed this bar. :)

Thursday, January 10, 2019

January 9th, 2019

My Digital Journal

Writing has always been therapeutic for me. But, surprisingly, I've never had a long-term diary or journal. In elementary school I occasionally was gifted (or bought) those cutsey diaries, usually the ones that came with that flimsily little lock and key any person could easily bust open with a slight bit of force. But as soon as I'd start putting down my thoughts for a few days, I'd find myself wanting to rip all the pages I'd just filled back out. Eventually the diary would get pushed aside and, later still, I'm sure my mom disposed of the unused book.

The problem, I found, was that the very idea of a diary was just not at all appealing for me. Diaries were meant to hold your secrets. They were meant to be hidden away and not to be read by anyone. It was where you drooled over your latest crush, complained about whatever annoying thing your friend was up to, and confessed your sorrows while holding back those salty tears. Now, there's nothing wrong with this of course. Diaries can be very beneficial for those of us who just need something to spill all our thoughts into. But, for me, that wasn't the case. The idea of having such a book—a book that, most likely, would be filled with complaints and whining and grief and longing—was just, well, gross. What would I ultimately do with a book full of things I'd be horrified if anyone else read? It's not like I'd be looking to go back and reread the entries. And, as stated, it's not like I would be sharing it with anyone (or passing it down to my kids). So, what was the point?

The idea of keeping a "journal" sounded much better to me. Now, most people probably see diaries and journals as one in the same. And, maybe some of you with diaries choose to call it a journal instead—since, honestly, it's a lot more "adult" to say that you have a journal versus a diary. But to me there's a clear distinction: while diaries are meant as an outlet for our deepest secrets and emotions, meant to be hidden away for our eyes only, a journal was a collection of memories and moments, meant to document one's life and be shared with others.

The 21st century has brought us so much in terms of advancement and technology. Now, instead of waiting to have a disposable camera developed and only having limited copies of the captured images, I can digitally take, send, upload, and post my photos with just one click of my thumb. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I definitely stand by that. Of course, I am still a lover of English, literature, and books galore. Words are powerful—I know that. But reading a biography about a person's life and seeing photos from a person's life are two very different things.

When I decided to make this blog originally, it was just meant to be a place to store and display my photos. After completing Project 365 and clogging my poor follower's feeds on the daily via Instagram, I decided to continue my photo journey through a different platform. And, thus, my blog came to life. Another year passed with a daily photo (or more, usually!) from me, each blogged here in it's own post. As time passed, the purpose for this blog changed and new elements grew. Along with each photo, I started adding captions or quotes. Sometimes I included entire paragraphs or full-blown stories about the photos. It was exciting to see two mediums I was passionate about—photos and writing—coming together to tell a story. And not just any story, my story.

There came a point when I finally realized the real purpose that had now developed behind my blog: to document my life. This blog has become a digital journal for me. It is a collection of all kinds of pictures, stories, and memories that make up Jordan Rachele Donelson's life. It is my happy place; full of smiling faces, silly stories, and heartfelt confessions. I cannot say that there is one thing I've posted or written that I wouldn't want other eyes to see. This blog is a piece of me—something I can happily look back over with nothing but warmth. I am excited to continue to add more memories with each and every post. Although sometimes I can slack behind, it is something I never want to neglect or abandon. This blog has become such an important possession of mine (which is funny, since I will never actually be able to physically hold it!). One day, years and years from now, I hope I can look back to find a website full of thousands of memories all waiting to be remembered.

Monday, January 7, 2019

January 7th, 2019


Tonight I read the story of Moses from the book of Exodus to my kiddies. They had to draw pictures of each of the ten plagues, as you can see above. They all got very into the story and asked tons of questions! It absolutely warms my heart to see such young souls so engaged and excited about our God.

Sunday, January 6, 2019

January 5th, 2019

With a full day to continue celebrating our anniversary, we went back to George’s (the place he asked me to be his girlfriend all those years ago!) for our special breakfast.


Afterward we did a fun escape room! We escaped from "Shanghaied" with 24:40 to spare! Our best time yet!! ⛵️⚓️



And then, later into the evening, we met up with my family to do yet ANOTHER escape room! 😄  We took on "The Victorian Room", which is an awesome generation one escape room that not only has puzzles/locks but also has an unique murder mystery aspect! 🔪🕵🏼‍♀️ You not only have to find all the keys to unlock clues, you then have to figure out which of the twelve suspects was the killer! While we found all the clues in a flash and narrowed it down to two people, we ended up picking the wrong person. 😫 What a fun time it was though!! Such an interesting twist on the usual style!


I am so thankful for my amazing husband and all the fantastic memories we’ve made so far! I love you so much my darling! Here’s to fifty more. 😉♥️☀️🐊

Friday, January 4, 2019

January 3rd, 2019

Happy 4th Relationship Anniversary to us!!



Today officially marks four years around the sun with the most wonderful man on this planet! 🥰♥️ Even though we’re married now and have a "new anniversary", January 3rd will always and forever be a very treasured day for us. After all, one-three-fifteen officially marks day one of us! 😚 We spent a lovely night together on the third getting an amazing dinner at Rosebud—the food was simply phenomenal!

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

January 1st, 2019

Happy New Year!! 🎊



For the past year my dad has boasted to everyone and anyone how the night of our engagement was one of the top five best moments in his life. Since that day, he has mentioned wanting to go back with the family for the Arboretum’s Illumination event again the following winter. About a week ago he surprised us all with tickets for New Years Day! And what a lovely night it was. 💙 We had such a great time being together and reminiscing on last year. And, of course, my dad bragged to anyone who would listen about how we had gotten engaged there last year and were now returning again as a married couple. 🥰 Ugh, I’m so thankful for that amazingly supportive man! ♥️