Blog Challenege - Day Nine

Day 9-A picture of your friends

Since I had the privilege of spending the day with great friends I thought it was only appropriate to use this picture of my friends that was taken TODAY! (So I stole this picture from Jan's blog) I love these girls! We have been BFFs for almost 15 years and I think that's saying a whole lot. These days it's hard to come by a good, loyal, caring, fun, sister-like friend, much less three. We actually talked tonight about the fact that we have remained such great friends for so long and never even have the littlest squabbles. I'm so thankful to have met Jennifer, Janice and Jodi and be a "J"! LOVE LOVE LOVE Y'ALL!

Blog Challenege - Day Eight

Day 8- A place you have traveled to


One thing Jeff and I love to do is travel. We especially like to take cruises. Since we've been married we have been on 4 of them including our honeymoon. I think the best part is not having to make any plans, you book your cruise tell them you want an inside or outside room and whether you'd like to have early or late dinner. BAM, your vaction is planned. There is always plenty of entertainment, good food and lots of drunk people to laugh at! We usually go on an excursion at one of the ports. On our last cruise we took a Mexican cuisine cooking class. It was lots of fun. I can see us continuing to cruise for a long long time.

Cruise 2007

Cruise 2008



Cruise 2009



* I know I said we have taken 4 cruises and there are only 3 pictures. Our first cruise was our honeymoon way back in the dark ages, before digital cameras came along. I honestly don't even think those pictures were even ever developed.

Blog Challenge - Day Seven

Day 7-Favorite Movies

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with movies. Once you finally get me to sit down long enough to watch a movie if I like it I'll watch in 10000000 times, so well that I learn every line. I mean, I'll know every line so well I annoyingly quote it while I watch. (Annoying to others, perfectly acceptable to me.)

I do have some old school Molly Ringwald favorites such as

I also have a thing for movies set in the past like

Silly comedies are always a favorite, too,

But right now my favorite movie of all time is STEEL MAGNOLIAS! (And I say right now, because as women we all know that we change our minds, sometimes frequently!)

Blog Challenge - Day Six

Day 6--A picture of something that makes you happy

This one is definitely a no-brainer! I think the picture says it all, too. This was just minutes after our first baby was born in June. You can see that HUGE smile on Jeff's face even through his mask. She was and still is an angel. Thank you Father for this incredible blessing! WOW! I just love her...

Blog Challenge - Day Five

Day 5-Siblings

God has blessed me with 3 amazing, unique, loving siblings. Lane is my oldest sister. She lives in OK but I wish she lived closer, like on the next street over. Mikey Mike is her cute little husband. We love them very very much. Jay is my only (half) brother. He lives in Picayune and has the cutest little munchkin named Lexi. She's 3. Jay is a DJ and I'm pretty sure has a cult following on the Coast! Caitlyn is my little dancing lovin' (half) sister. She's a freshman at USM majoring in Elementary Ed. 

All 4 of us about 2 years ago



Blog Challenge - Day Four

Day 4- Parents

As a good friend in high school used to say, "Jamie is the daughter of Sally and Sally Spell." That's not actually true, he just didn't know my dad. For as long as I remember I grew up with a single mom. My parents divorced when I was 2 and I saw my dad about every other weekend, give or take a few. Sally was a 2nd grade school teacher then went back to school for her Masters in Education so she could be a principal when I was in Jr. High, IE Middle School as everyone around here says. She retired a few years after Jeff and I got married and moved to Jackson. A couple of years after moving up here, she got married and moved to Vicksburg.
My dad, Jerry,  was a high school basketball coach. He was also the AD so that meant he was the stand in coach for whatever sport needed one as well as the bus driver when one couldn't be found. I always loved going to his basketball games and cheering on the Rock-A-Chaws. He is now retired. Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home and everything in it so he now lives on some land right outside of Picayune (my hometown).

Super exciting, huh?

Blog Challenge - Day Three

Day 3-Your first love

OK so I missed a day but it was a Sunday, you aren't supposed to work on Sunday's right? Just kidding, I'll try to do better. Back to business...

My first love, we met in a field of pansies and an orchestra of heavenly bodies played their harp and lyre and we just knew it was L-O-V-E. HAHA...not. (does anyone really say that anymore, well I just did) Jeff and I met through a mutual friend the night before I started classes at MUW and a few days before he started his second year at MSU. He wanted me, but I wasn't so sure about him. :) Again, kidding. Our first encounter was short and sweet but I must have been so hot to trot that I left a lasting impression because he and our mutual friend drove to Columbus a few days later and stopped by to see me. I think at this point Jeff invited me to a party at their apartment later that week. Well skip ahead a few days to the party, Jeff and I really hit it off and ended up sitting up talking on the balcony until 4 in the morning. He didn't want me to drive back to Columbus so he put me in his bed, kissed me on my head and walked out of the room. I was a few sheets to the wind at this point and it would have been easy to not be such a gentleman, but Jeff was then and always has been to this day. (Just a side note, we no longer drink and haven't for many many years thanks to Jesus, but at that time, we were not walking DAILY with our Saviour) Our first "real" date was at Abner's in Starkville. He will tell you I ordered a salad and ate 3 bites but I don't quite remember it this way. OH MEMORIES!

Jeff was my first love and probably my only true love here on earth. We have been together for 11 years now and I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I can't image how my life would be without him. One thing is for sure, I wouldn't have that super sweet, angelic, beautiful, smart, funny pretty little baby girl (that looks just like her daddy).

Blog Challenge - Day Two

Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name

Interesting. Um, "The Ely Trio", well there are three Ely's in my family.


But a little known fact is that I actually started this blog when #3 was just a hope. At that time It was called "September Twenty-one" or something like that. I started it a few days following my 29th birthday. My intent was a "bucket list blog" if you will before I turned 30. I was going to try one new thing a week before the big 3-0 hit. Well let's just say I didn't get very far before getting a BIG surprise. We found out on October 26, about 4 weeks after I started the blog that we were expecting a baby! My focus quickly shifted from a year all about me, to a year all about a BABY! Between morning sickness, extreme fatigue, bed rest and everything else I didn't keep my blog up very well. About a month before she was born I changed the name of the blog and started *trying* to keep things updated.


This blog challenge will hopefully get me in the habit of blogging regularly.

Blog Challenge - Day One

Since H has arrived and I have started working part time I have really gotten into reading and writing blogs. Right now this is the only one I author, but I have a few ideas of others to start so stay tuned. Anywho, a friend of mine, Melanie , is doing a 30 day blog challenge and I thought it would be fun to join in. So everyday for the next 30 I will be blogging about a specific topic. I haven't yet seen all the topics so some may be fun and some not so much but bare with me and you'll learn a little more about me and my family and hopefully be entertained in the process.

DAY 1: Introduce yourself, include a recent picture, and tell 15 facts about yourself.

My name is Jamie Rebecca Spell Ely (but I dropped the Rebecca part after marrying my man). Jeff is my cute little red headed husband and Hayden is my cute little red (maybe) headed daughter. My day job is an RN at Sta Home Health and Hospice but I only work on the home health side and thankfully I only work 3 days a week. I get to stay home the rest of the week to play with Hayden! It's the best of both worlds. We live outside of Jackson, MS in our "starter" home that we are quickly outgrowing. Abe, Minne and Mugsy are our dogs and Mickey and Nemo are our cats. I love them but since H came to live with us, I'd give them to a loving home at the drop of a hat! ( Any takers :) ) Most importantly, I love Jesus! I don't know how people make it in this world without Him. He is my Rock, my Comfort, my Joy, my Healer...


Newest picture of H and me

15. Nursing was my calling, you can't be a (good) nurse without being called to it. And when I say good, I mean compassionate, which is the basis of nursing in my opinion.

14.  I don't eat meat on a bone.

13. Living within your means and having no debt is important to me. Thanks Dave Ramsey.

12. I like the show "16 and Pregnant".

11. I have learned that the only person's actions/thoughts/feelings you can control are your own. DON'T think you can change that but Do make sure you control yours.

10. My crockpot is my new appliance BFF, right after my vaccuum.

9. Now that I have a child I have a slightly better concept of Christ's love for us. I still can't fathom how He loves me but am so glad He does!

8. Accessories are important, that's why little H wears a bow EVERYDAY.

7. I want to be a PROVERBS 31 woman.

6. I'm a MSU fan-atic!

5. My sister lives far far away and I miss her.

4. LOVE really is all you need, well and some Jesus but I think that's synonomous.

3. I have the cutest baby girl in the world.

2. Listening is much more important than talking.

1. I love my hard working, family loving, God fearing husband!