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! :)

Hitting the open road

Tonight we're leaving for Higgins Lake straight after church. For weeks I've been so excitedto take this trip--4th of July has been our first Higgins trip of the summer the last couple of years, so there's a lot of anticipation for the biking, boating, ice cream, fireworks, G's Pizza... relaxing... etc. There will be pictures to share in a few days--but right now I'm not thinking about the coming-home part... just the going-up part.

Our outdoor life is progressing well as the flowers continue to blossom and the plants in the garden grow higher and higher. I've been meaning to post pictures but just haven't had a chance to upload and sort lately. Yesterday I thinned out a few more tomato plants and was excited to notice that the vines actually smell like cherry tomatoes! Soon, hopefully, we'll have something to eat. :)

Well... that's it for now... just a short little hello. Oh, and I do have a short amendment to the previous post when I said tomatoes are my #1 favorite food... I must have been confused by all the gardening. In actuality, bread is my #1 favorite food and tomatoes are #2. Justin says he has too many to list. Happy 4th of July!

The Wedding

Keith and Tarah's wedding was... what can I say? A great occasion. Friday turned out to be a gorgeous day, despite previous forecasts calling for clouds and rain... which worked out for the best, since the sunshine perfectly complimented the Tiffany blue and hot pink color palette--a stunning combination! Although I had my camera with me throughout the rehearsal and wedding day, I never once got it out, choosing instead to just enjoy the moment. Luckily many of the other people around didn't make that same choice, so hopefully I'll be able to collect pictures soon from my Aunt Donna, Jamie, Steph, etc. In the meantime, Jeff (of jlbwedding.com) sent over some teaser photos yesterday morning that I thought I'd share. Jeff did a fantastic job, and I heard raving compliments about him throughout the day. It made me feel great that 1) the recommendation worked out, and 2) we had a friend with a vested personal interest, aside from the obvious professional one, there to capture the day. Anyway, without further delay, a few of Jeff's teasers...

I have a feeling that even when we've seen all 800+ images, this will remain one of my favorites:

It's hard to go to a wedding, or especially stand in one, and not remember those vows we made four years ago. I anticipate feeling that way throughout my life, getting to relive the commitment over and over again as I watch each new couple make it for the first time. When it's someone in your family, I think it becomes even more significant, because there's a sense of gaining someone new to love and cherish as a part of the bigger whole--almost like we're all involved in the commitment. Tarah has been a part of our family for a long time now, but knowing she's finally locked in, so to speak, is pretty special! I told Keith years ago that he better not mess this one up, because Tarah was such a keeper... and I'm so grateful that he never did. :)

Now they're off on an adventurous Californian honeymoon, and we of course wish them all the best as they begin a beautiful life together. Good weekend!

Gardening

Well... I know it's been a very long time since we (meaning I) have posted. I can never pinpoint where the time goes. We keep busy, that is for sure... it's the only explanation for how three weeks can just pass right by.  We've done lots of yard work, enjoyed Memorial Day weekend with friends, family, and of course plenty of food, said good-bye for the summer to our friends at City Mission, gone to a couple of Tigers games, made preparations for Keith and Tarah's wedding (next Friday!), and even spent some time relaxing in the sun. Not a bad way to spend three weeks!

I wish I'd taken some pictures after the storms last weekend. Our yard was a mess! A couple of huge limbs came down, and our patio furniture blew over all in one piece (umbrella, stand, and table) and landed on the lawn. The power was out from Sunday afternoon until Monday morning, and even now isn't back to 100%... the lights, vent fan in the bathroom, air conditioning, and garbage disposal all seem to be running at half-mast. But I'm definitely thankful for the power we do have! Although truthfully, Sunday night was kind of nice with candles everywhere, reading in complete peace and quiet and eating all the ice cream before it could melt. If only we hadn't been so worried about the food in the freezer and the sump pump working, I think we could've (temporarily) gotten used to the Amish lifestyle. :)

To get to the title of this post... the garden... along with all our yardwork Memorial Day weekend, we planted a vegetable garden for the first time. Justin ripped out the area behind our garage and built it up with railroad ties to create a nice little box. We also replaced the rotting railroad ties around the flowerbed behind the deck and put down a new layer of cocoa mulch everywhere (which unfortunately has now been completely covered by helicopters... I do NOT remember having this problem last year, and it's awfully frusterating!). Here are a couple of pictures: 

This is the day we put everything down and planted the seeds. From left to right, tomatillos, cucumbers, squash, banana peppers, pea pods, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and corn... pretty ambitious, but why not? And while I'm thinking about it, if you want to know a fun fact about me... tomatoes are my #1 favorite food, especially the cherry/grape varieties. :)

And this picture was taken today, just 17 days later! I already had to go in and thin out the plants.

Justin got home while I was out taking pictures. He's on his fourth week of riding his bike to work... pretty impressive. He was standing on the deck and I told him to be still so I could take a picture of all my favorite things... haha... 

And just for fun, a couple pictures from the Tigers game on Friday. The sky was gorgeous!

That's about all I've got for now. Hope everyone is well!

Seriously... what is going on here?

Has anyone else noticed an obscene amount of tragedy in recent weeks? World events aside (which is saying a lot, considering the scope and magnitude of natural disasters that have occured), I'm speaking of deep, profound, personal loss, right here on the homefront.  Not those who've died of old age (although there have been three at church in as many weeks, after a long, long period free from funerals.)

In the last week, we had a friend lose his dad at age 48 to a heart attack while he slept.  Other friends whose perfectly healthy baby died at 38 weeks when his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck in the womb. People we know of who were killed when a drunk driver hit their motorcycle head-on on Telegraph Rd.  A Christian music superstar whose daughter was accidentally run over by her brother backing out of the driveway at their Nashville home.

It's just hard to believe, hard to accept, and especially, hard to get off my mind.  I feel weighted by this burden of sorrow.

Ironically, in these same times of devastation, some people continue to experience great joys of their own.  Yesterday other friends welcomed a daughter, and this weekend still others will marry.  The world keeps moving forward, even when one person may feel that in his life it has stopped completely.

The Bible says there's a season for everything, including both mourning and dancing.  I suppose we can only pray that God will strengthen those who feel they will never be strong again, and that he will bear their grief as only he can.  May he use us as vessels to bring peace and healing!

Trip to Naples

I know we haven't updated in awhile... with good reason!  We took a few days off to travel and soak up some sun.  Friends from church generously offered us their Naples condo, and we jumped at the opportunity to have a mini-vacation.  Even though we didn't do much besides lay on the beach and eat at incredible restaurants, it still had moments of excitement... starting with a middle-of-the-night drive from central Florida to the coast.  We chose to fly to Orlando under the guise that tickets were less pricey, but deep down this decision was made because we wanted to justify spending a day at Disney World, our favorite place.  Our flight arrived in Orlando at 10:30pm on Thursday, May 8, and knowing it was a 3.5 hour drive to Naples, I figured we'd get in around 2:30am after picking up our luggage and a car.  Well--as of course any seasoned traveler knows, these things NEVER take as short a time as we would hope, and by the time we left the rental car place (in a brand-new Prius Hybrid... so nice!), it was already nearly midnight.  We'd never eaten dinner, so Jus pulled off the freeway at an IHOP, which turned out to be directly next to the Downtown Disney entrance.  After finishing our late-night breakfast, we took a quick drive around Mickey's kingdom (asking ourselves why we were about to drive three additional hours when clearly we were already at the Happiest Place on Earth) and finally got on the road at 1:20am.  Three long hours later, we pulled into a sprawling condominium metropolis that housed at least five different complexes... and it took us an additional 20 minutes to locate ours.  Talk about a long night!  At that point, we were questioning whether our decision was worth it... and as you'll see... we luckily found that YES, absolutely it was. 

Anyway, this is already going to be the longest post ever because I have a bunch of photos and even a video clip to follow, so I'll try to speed it along.  Basically, we layed on the beach for three straight days, enjoying a packed lunch of Boar's Head cracked pepper turkey sandwiches with Muenster cheese, pretzles, and grapes, and spent each evening exploring Naples' beautiful architecture and landscaping, fabulous dining and shops, and deep historical roots.  All in all, it was a vacation right up our alley. 

Here starts the photographic tour.  Our beautiful beach, and the Naples Pier several blocks off (built in 1888 by the town's first settlers):

Us on the pier:

Vergina, a great Italian restaurant on the downtown strip where we ate our second night.  Everything in Naples is beautifully lit at night, and all the restaurants have live entertainment!

Enjoying key lime pie at Yabba, also our second night (we had dessert at a different place each night so as to maximize our dining experience... haha): 

Some of Naples' stunning homes... this first one is right on the ocean.

Jus on the beach one evening when we tried to catch the sunset... unfortunately it dipped behind the haze and never came back out.

Me the same night... this is barely a half hour after I had finished getting ready.  Can you believe what the humidity did to my hair in that short amount of time?  It happened every night... Naples' natives MUST have some special hair products we midwesterners know nothing about.

Dinner our third night at the Old Naples Pub.  This was by far our favorite meal, and it was just burgers!  Such a great atmosphere.

On Monday morning we packed up and headed back for our day at Disney World.  First we hit up Downtown Disney (12pm):

Then Magic Kingdom (1:30pm):

We left Magic Kingdom at 5pm for the park formerly known as MGM (now Disney's Hollywood Studios).  There we didn't take many pictures because we were too busy speeding around to our favorite rides and attractions!  We made it onto Tower of Terror four times before running (literally) out the gates to make our 9:30pm dinner reservation at Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian.  

Narcoossee's is located on the shores of the Seven Seas lagoon, facing Magic Kingdom, where nightly fireworks go off at 10pm.  We were late, had to change in the car, and ran in pretty flustered... until one of those amazing Disney staff members led us to our table, which turned out to be the best seat in the house.  10 minutes later, the lights in the restaurant went down and music filled the air as fireworks hit the sky above Cinderella Castle.  It was one of our best Disney moments EVER!  And surprise, surprise... dinner was phenomenal.  Here we are outside Narcoossee's:

And finally, the video below is Justin giving a little play-by-play of the action, although, since it was during the fireworks and the aforementioned lights were off, you can't really see him at all.

                                            

Our flight left at 6:15 the next morning, so after finishing at Narcoossee's we spent a long night wandering Disney property (and sleeping in the car in the parking lot of the Boardwalk Resort) before heading to the airport at 3:30am.  Still totally worth it.  It was JUST what we needed!

Now... back to reality.  :)

Happy Birthday Mom & Dad!

We had a pretty fun weekend celebrating both of my parents' birthdays... my dad's was yesterday (May 3) and my mom's is today (May 4). They're one year and one day apart in age... and this year was extra-special because my mom turned the big 5-0! We surprised her with dinner at Bravo on Thursday night, which was organized entirely by Jim Arnett himself, planning his first-ever event. It turned out so well he may want to consider going into business. :)

When my mom got to the restaurant, she thought she was meeting just our immediate family for dinner. However, the surprise included our entire family and all of her wonderful work buddies. It was also Logan's first birthday party... and as you may be able to see in this first picture, he was beyond himself with excitement!

Seriously, how cute are they? My mom was shocked to hear all about how my dad pulled it off--although the biggest surprise was just the fact that he was able to keep the secret!

My grandpa said, "I wouldn't miss this for anything... I was there 50 years ago and I'm still here today!" Keith then chimed in, saying... "Aunt Deb, I just realized that Logan is as close to your age as you are to 100!"

Mom, Justin, Jason, Steph, Christina (my dad's youngest sister), her husband Brian, me, and Dad... also our delicious appetizers and dinner menus. :)

Morgan just started playing the clarinet at school. She learned Happy Birthday just for the occasion and did a GREAT job with it! We were all pretty impressed, especially that she played it in front of all those people.

Erin, me, and John. We were in a private room and the staff was fabulous. They really took care of us and helped to make it such a memorable night. Our family has always been big on spending birthdays together, and now that we're all a little older, it's nice to be able to go out to a nice restaurant and spend an evening just kicking back and relaxing with great food and conversation.

Friday we went back to Livonia for pizza and presents. Justin and I got my parents a personalized address embosser from Expressionery.com--and now I want one for myself! It's a pretty cool little toy!

On a more serious note... I know I've been kind of sappy lately, posting about being proud of Justin and everything, so if you want to get out before the cheese starts, this is fair warning. The thing that really made this weekend special was just the idea that we were able to celebrate the lives of two people who inspire and encourage us (and so many others) daily. Both of my parents work so hard and give so much of themselves without asking anything in return--a rare trait--and having the opportunity to do something nice for them really just fills me with joy. It's awesome to hear people say what great parents we have, and how they've blessed their lives, and on and on. It never gets old! And I have to say, although they're now both officially "over the hill" ... it still doesn't seem like they ever get old, either (I'm thankful for those genes!). :)

We love you, Mom and Dad! Happy birthday, and thank you for being such amazing people!