Last couple of weeks

The last couple of weeks have just flown right by, full of all kinds of summer fun. First there was our trip up north to Higgins Lake... it was wonderful. We were so thankful (and somewhat surprised) to have PERFECT weather the entire time we were there, because prior to the 4th, as any of you Michiganders know, there'd been a lot of rain and not a lot of summer. We drove through a pretty torrential storm on the way up, which actually was incredibly scary--for me--Justin never seems scared--but hydroplaning on I-75 is not my idea of a super safe ride! Thursday morning dawned clear and bright, and our morning bike ride convinced us that it was going to be a beautiful day! We got right out on the boat and enjoyed a lot of sun before heading for West Branch and dinner at G's... mmm... pocket pizza. :)

Friday, the 4th, was another great day and even warmer. It again started with a bike ride and then an afternoon on the boat. Steve and Amber surprised everyone by coming in for the weekend, bringing with them with about $100 worth of illegal fireworks... which led to a couple of loud nights. Here is the fearless captain manning his boat:

Friday night we went to the fireworks in Roscommon. I love up north fireworks because they're much less crowded, which means you can sit much closer to the action. This year we saw fireworks in Livonia, Rochester, and Roscommon, and these were by far the closest--the explosions are right overhead! Here we are before the show:

And Justin with his mom:

We came home late on Saturday after another perfect day. Only three and a half weeks till we go back... not that I'm counting. :) That trip will be for Justin's 10th high school reunion... crazy!

And speaking of things that make me feel old, last Monday was my birthday. Justin planned a trip to the shipwreck exhibit at the Science Center because I kind of have a thing for shipwrecks. It was a great exhibit, not crowded at all... just a fun way to spend the day! 

This glass wall behind us in this next picture is filled with bottles from the S.S. Republic, a ship that wrecked off the coast of Georgia in 1865. In fact, the exhibit focused mainly on this ship and had tons of artifacts, but the bottle wall was my favorite because it was next to a kiosk where you could select each and every bottle and listen to a narrative about what type it was, what it contained, where it was found, etc. Some still had their stoppers intact, which have preserved the contents for all these years! I'm probably starting to sound pretty nerdy.

On Saturday afternoon we went to a Tigers game with the Locks. We've gone to a game with Chuck and Kylie every year since 2002, followed by dinner at Pizza Papalis in Greektown... and the last couple of years have been extra fun with Gloria in tow. We got rained on a bit at the beginning, which led to a pretty sticky and uncomfortable day... but it was still a blast.

Justin loves Gloria soooo much. She is completely full of energy and life, and I love to watch them play together! Anyway, another long post... it's harder to keep up than I anticipated... I forgive all you bloggers for wondering why you never update! :)