The Riveras Take on the World

Elisabeth Isabelle

2012-02-12T11:35:00.003-06:00

There is much pink and frills and bows in our future! Jordan's intuition was dead wrong, and Daniel Gabriel became Elisabeth Isabelle. Her name means "God's promise" or "God is my oath" and her first and middle name are the same, in different languages. It took us until last night to come up with a girl name. We had Isobel, Isabele,etc for a middle name, but couldn't come up with a first. I've loved Elizabeth my whole life, but it's Jordan's sister's middle name, so we had initially nixed the idea. But, I kept coming back to it, so the compromise was to change the "z" to an "s". The picture above was taken at the end of the ultrasound yesterday, she'd had enough and stuck her thumb in her mouth and rolled over, funniest thing ever.

We're pregnant!

2011-11-11T11:11:00.001-06:00

We've kinda sorta talked for awhile that maybe it was time to start thinking about kids. I have a uterine anomaly called uterus didelphyis which makes conceiving a bit trickier and going full-term damn near impossible.
We'd been off birth control for awhile and nothing happening, so I made an appointment with a local perinatologist that a friend recommended because her friend had a similar issue and he is apparently a miracle worker and she was pregnant in just a few months after seeing him.
I had Veteran's Day off, so I make a pre-pregnancy consult with him and we discussed how a pregnancy would go and how often I would see him. He gave me a name of an OB/Gyn here in Kyle. Then he said something that I wasn't expecting. He told me to go home and take a pregnancy test and call him back to schedule my first appointment during Christmas Break.
I thought he was full of crap, so laughing, I call my friend (same as above) and tell HER what he said. We were planning on going to lunch that day, so A says stop by my place, I have plenty of pregnancy tests! Funny, but ok.
Drive over to her place, she's got it all laid out in the water closet and tells me if it's gonna ruin my day, don't do it. I, still thinking Dr. B is full of crap, say WTH, let's get it over with.
Boy would you imagine my surprise when that second line popped up!
I called Jordan and he just kept saying No. I kept saying YES, lol. So, we're pregnant, and he's convinced it's a boy. :D

Sorry!

2010-07-10T13:03:00.003-05:00

So it's been awhile :D My computer broke and I kept thinking that next week I was gonna get it fixed...then it was a year later. I'm going to try to better about keeping this up to date from here on out.

We're going to the Ranger game tonight, last night they traded our up-and-coming first baseman for the league's best pitcher and he's starting today.

I'll catch up on pictures and posts over the next few days or weeks.
This Tuesday I am taking a test to be Highly Qualified in high school Life Sciences, then in another two weeks or so I will be taking a general science test that will qualify me to teach all sciences in high school and I'm in the process of trying to get a job, so it may be a few weeks before I'm back, but I'll be back.

Too many dogs in the house

2009-06-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

My MIL's dog passed a few weeks ago and her birthday is 7/5 so SIL and hubby decided she needed a new puppy. He's been looking online and in shelters and found a weiner and maybe basset mix who is SO precious. He now lives with us after a short jaunt to Southlake with SIL's wallet. The brings the total to 2 6 month olds and 1 4 yr old. No one should have to live with 2 puppies in a house this small. He is a looker, though. He is incredibly sweet and gentle and has the unfortunate luck to be named Sonic. We were going to rename him, but he answers to Sonic and I feel bad moving him 2 times in 3 weeks and changing his name. If I had a bigger house, we would have more dogs, the rescue group had a pair of pure Beagle siblings that were found in their owners house, but owner had been dead 2 weeks before the relatives found him and them. They were beautiful Beagles and I'm sure they are going to be separated and that is going to break their hearts :( But anyway, we now have Shortstop, Sonic, and Maris, and when mom and co go to Yellowstone next week we will add Stormy, Dirk, and Hunter to the mix. That is a lot of dogs and only two of us.

Jordan's Graduation

2009-05-22T09:24:00.003-05:00

My wonderful husband graduated at 9am on May 16. He recieved his BBA in Finance and is going to get an MS in Finance within the next few years. I'm very proud of both of us for going back to school. This past year has been hard, financially and emotionally, but we did it! Jordan is looking for a job, but with the economy the way it is, it's tough going for a finance major. I'm spending my summer babysitting my handsome nephew and then will jump in with both feet for next semester. Jordan had a 4.0 this semester and I managed a 3.55 so I feel like I have a good jump on next semester. I finally have my good study habits back and feel like I can take on the world. We have discussed both of us getting alternate teaching certificates to fall back on, if needed. I have just about convinced him to go talk to the prinicipal at AHS and see if she can help him get a job this coming school year, then he could teach and get his master's at the same time.
But, back to graduation! After the ceremony we had a party at Katie's house. Jordan's dad brought subs, cokes, and chips, and mom had provided chicken salad from Main St Cafe (to die for!!!) dips, cake (my first decorating attempt, not a fan of fondant, but it still looks kinda cool) and stuff. Unfortunately it rained all day Saturday so our great indoor/outdoor party was all indoor. I think everyone had a good time, though. It was mostly my family that showed up, several of Jordan's friends had to work that day, but also his parents (all 3 of 'em) and sister attended. Then we went to his dad's house and some of his family and his dad's friends were there. Also several frat brother's showed up with some beer. We also went to Ft. Worth and had some great fun with lots of friends and a few cousins.
I am so proud of my husband!!! Congratulations to the class of 2009!

An Announcement

2009-04-21T12:10:00.002-05:00

So. We have an announcement. No, we're not pregnant. We have decided to extend my senior year(s) and I will graduate May 2010 and continue into graduate school. I am currently looking at several programs ranging from marine biology, coastal ecology, and wildlife ecology. The first two are dealing with the coastlines and how to protect them, the last is protecting the Texas wildlife, the deer, hogs, mule deer, etc. I could come out of any of those programs and get a job with the federal or state government very easily. I could also continue into a phD program and become a university professor and begin publishing my work. I am looking at UT, Texas State, Texas A&M, and the satelitte campuses on the coast in Port Aransas, Corpus, and Galveston. Please pray for guidance that we end up where God wants us so I can help save the world, or at least Texas. Love y'all!

Welcome to Maris Rivera!!

2009-03-05T12:42:00.003-06:00

We got a new puppy!!! She is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi (the same kind of dogs that Queen Elizabeth has). She will be red and white, right now she still has some black in her coat, but it will come out as her adult hair comes in. We are working hard on potty training and house-breaking her. She is all puppy and chews anything she can get her hands on, and she's figured out that if she runs under the couch, Mommy and Daddy can't get to her easily.

The Cruise!!!!

2009-01-26T10:47:00.003-06:00

We had a blast! We were gone from Saturday, Jan 10, through Sunday, Jan 18. Shortstop stayed with Jordan's mom and sister and he had a good week there. Dirk stayed with Katie and played with the baby and Stormy spent the week being spoiled by the vet (they love her).
We; mom, dad, Jordan, and me; packed up on Saturday morning and drove to Galveston. It was about a 6 hour drive (dad was going slow to save gas, but I thought we were gonna get shot driving through Houston at 65). We did stop for a bite to eat on the way down there so we didn't completely starve. We pulled onto the island and you could see Ike damage everywhere.There were lots of boats in the street still. (Sorry, I don't know how to get rid of the underline and it's bugging me.)
We stayed at the Holiday Inn on the beach, connected to the San Luis resort. You can stay there for one night and leave your car for as long as 14, so it was a good deal. We wandered along the beach (it was cold and windy, so no wading) and down to the end of one of the jetties. It was neat, but like I said, really cold. We met up with some people from the internet at a place down the street called Fish Tales. The food was excellent and the service wasn't bad. They also have a walk-up ice cream window during the summer. After dinner we headed back for an early night.

Embark day!! The big day had finally arrived! We got to the terminal about 9:30, but they didn't let us in until about 10:30, we had prepared for the crappy weather, but the girl in front of us had on a little polka dot shirt, flip flop heels, and white capris and complained the whole time about how cold she was. Jordan asked if he should lend her one of his spare jackets (he had brought 2), but I said it was her own fault for not being prepared. Once we got inside, it only took us about 5 minutes to go through the line and get checked in, then we went to the VIP lounge with mom and dad to be one of the first on the ship and into the Cezanne Restaurant for lunch. We had also picked up another couple in line with us, so we snuck them into VIP and on with us. (It's good to make friends, they ended up winning the Bingo twice later in the week.) So it was not even noon, and we were on, eating, and watching the dolphins play in the bay.
The rooms were ready at 1:30, so we went and put our carry-ons down (the checked luggage arrives throughout the afternoon and evening) and then went up to mom and dad's balcony. We were waiting on sail-away which is usally right after the Coast Guard Muster Drill (lifeboat), but it was delayed for about an hour. We saw an ambulance with lights and sirens stop at the terminal so we don't know if that had anything to do with it or not.
Dinner the first night, and every night, was fabulous. They had wonderful steak and prime rib, lobster, duck, everything, it was awesome. We usually ate breakfast in the dinning room, as well. I've never had eggs benedict before, but I am now a fan! They also had strawberry waffles, so I was in heaven! Lunch was usually up in the buffet, also very good. I had a lot of fried oysters, and they have french fries that are just like McDonald's!
Before we got into any port, we had two days at sea. We wandered the ship and Jordan took a golf lesson. It poured during his first one, so he had to reschedule. It was very cold those first two days, a cold front was following us and the wind was unreal. I never got near the swimming pools, in fact, I never wore my bathing suit unless it was a port day. They aren't that big, and there were to many kids in them.
The ports were beautiful. Our first stop was Montego Bay, Jamaica. I could never step foot on Jamaican soil again and be fine, however, I did enjoy myself. We went to an old sugar plantation that has been turned into a golf course and tourist stop. The Great House at Rose Hall has been renovated and is beautiful. It's an ongoing project, though. There is still work to be done. We had some swimming time at a gorgeous beach, then went to a local favorite called the Pork Pit for some authentic jerk. It was awesome, my pork fell apart like brisket. Jordan had chicken and loved it. The food was great, the exchange rate, you have to keep an eye on, though. They will try to screw you on the exchange. We had a tour of the area, the big houses, the markets (hate the markets!) and then back on ship to head to the next port, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

I want to move to Grand Cayman, not kidding. I'm trying to convince Jordan he needs to get a job with one of the banks so we can move down there. The water is crystal clear, the people are amazing, it was gorgeous. We got to go swimming with the stingrays and I kissed one, got to hold several, took lots of pictures. It was the highlight of the trip for us. We also played with turtles at a turtle farm, kissed one of those, too. We got to see some Kemp's Ridleys turtles, which are the most endangered sea turtles in the world. We also took a stop by Hell. Hell is an ancient coral formation that looks very forbidding.

That night was the second formal night, so we went to The Pointe, a steak house that requires a little extra charge. It was well worth it, the food was fabulous. I had a prime rib chop, Jordan had a 24oz Porterhouse, mom had two giant lobster tails, and dad had surf and turf. The steaks were outstanding and the lobster was good, too. We were there for three hours and had a wonderful time. Our waiter in the dining room had a good night, too, because our whole table of 10 was in The Pointe that night, but we were at two different tables that time. We really did have a good time that night, especially making fun of the CD that had too many songs from the Titanic soundtrack.

Our last port was Cozumel on Friday. The weather the previous two days had been perfect, but in Coz, the wind came up again. We did a little bit of shopping in the port area, but spent most of the day at an all-inclusive beach club outside of town. I tried to go snorkling, but the waves kept coming in my snorkel and I thought I was gonna drown, so that didn't last long. However, the drinks were good and plentiful and the guac was the best I've ever had, so it was still a good, relaxing day.

Our last day was another day at sea, mostly spent packing and wandering the ship. That night at dinner we had some fun, we ordered whatever we wanted, then passed it to the person across from us. Mainly it was to get one of the guys who only ever ordered steak and vanilla ice cream to eat something else, he ate salmon that night, and he enjoyed it!

Sunday we pulled into port about 6am, started debark around 8. Mom and dad's zone was called around 9:30, but ours wasn't called untill 10:30, so by the time we were off and through customs, they had gotten the car from the hotel and were waiting for us across the street. The drive home was peaceful, iPods and rest. Overall we had a wonderful time, and we're very greatful for my parents buying this trip for us.

All pics can be seen at picasaweb.google.com/JordanandKristieRivera

Christmas!!!

2009-01-02T21:00:00.002-06:00

So I'm a little late, sue me. Christmas is fun, it's my favorite holiday. But I was glad when it was over, we were exhausted! Time with my extended family, my immediate family, Jordan's dad and step-mom; his mom, sister, aunt and uncle, friends. It was a bunch, but a blast. We received lots of cruise stuff, and we are all ready (almost) to sail away next week. Jordan also got a new George Forman grill since he and the last one had an unfortunate run-in.
We did get some bad news right before Christmas, though. My aunt, the one who walked away from a wreck that killed her husband and two best friends last April, has recently been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She is having surgery next week, and my other aunt is flying out to Cali to stay with her and the kids and make sure everything is kosher (Aunt Karen is a nurse, good person to have stay with you after major surgery). So, if you could please keep Tracy and the kids (Doug, Jeff, and Rachel) in your prayers, we'd appreciate it.
We leave in a week for our cruise!! Please also keep us in your thoughts that everything goes well on the trip. Thanks!!
P.S. I temporarily lost my camera cord (but I found it now) so I didn't take any pictures of Christmas, go to mom's blog, she'll hook you up.

Interesting People

2008-11-24T20:34:00.003-06:00

So, Jordan and I had a little road trip last weekend and we met some very interesting people at a very odd university (that I used to attend). There was the very nice, very wonderful, but slightly mannish young woman who is 6 foot tall and could carry me down the hall, easy. We want to nominate her for What Not to Wear, but in a totally good way. Then we had the blind friend, who had coke-bottle glasses of the caliber that I have never seen outside of a movie. You could not see this girl's eyes because the glasses were so thick. She also had one of those canes folded up hanging from her belt, all I could think of was Star Wars and when was that thing coming out! Her girlfriend was a cute little thing, like 5 foot tall and blonde. But more hyper than a border collie puppy on crack. She also had the hiccups, which is ok, but she thinks that a hiccup (mouth open) that sounds somewhere between a macaw and a cat being shot with a BB gun (don't ask) is normal. It was the most high-pitched and annoying sound I've heard come out of a human being. There was one girl that was mostly normal, but even she was just a little bit off to make you look askew at her. Of course, the whole group is obsessed with Twilight, which I had not even heard of until about 3 weeks ago, and all had gone to see the movie the night before. They were also quoting Sweeney Todd, which I still don't know what it's about, but anything that stars Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter and is directed by Tim Burton is a movie that I know I need to stay away from. All in all, it was a very odd little group of people, but that was the highlight of my weekend.

I love to hunt

2008-11-17T11:38:00.004-06:00

Dad and I went to Uncle Gary's ranch over the weekend and we had a great time. Uncle Gary is dad's frat brother from Sigma Nu and I can remember him from when I was a little girl as the guy with a ponytail and a motorcycle. We thought he was so cool. We were the good little kids that went to school and church and cheerleading and thought it was neat that this guy would ride in on his Bike and then be gone again and not back for a few months. He and dad lost touch for a while, but dad said that it was to good of a friendship to let die, so he called Uncle Gary a few years ago and they started hanging out again. Uncle Gary has a 60 acre ranch outside of Brady (the geographic heart of Texas is not far from Brady) and he lets us come out and hunt. Dad goes a couple times of year and helps clean the place up and do whatever and I get to come down and shoot the deer :D. It's a great system.
Anyway, so we go down once or twice a year for the last three or four years (geez, I didn't realize it's been that long!) and I shoot Bambi :). On Saturday I got a little doe in the morning (told dad I like to get one in the bag and then get picky) and a giant doe in the evening. Unfortunately I pulled the shot (I swear there's something wrong with the scope, I think it got bumped or something) and she took off. Uncle Gary has put in some goats in the front pasture, so he's fixed all the fences, which means to get to the doe, I had to climb two barb wired fences, one of those twice. Now, I was never a fence climber, I was always afraid of getting hurt or ripping my clothes. So what happens? I tore my brand-new jeans in two places. Jordan asked why I wore new jeans hunting, I never get dirty! I have done this a few times and have the system down, so I can shoot, clean, and quarter a deer without getting dirty. Mainly my system is that dad gets dirty, but hey, I don't.
But anyway, minus the blood all over my shoes and the little tears in my jeans, it was a great weekend with my daddy! And Jordan had a good weekend by himself, I love my husband, but it's nice to have a little time away every now and again. I didn't take any pictures of these deer, but maybe I'll get to go again this year. I wish I'd had my camera with me when dad and I were roaming because we came across two little flocks of turkeys, one of all toms and one of hens. I'd never seen wild turkeys before, it was neat! I love being outdoors and the noisy quiet that is sitting in the blind watching the wildlife walk by.