VSPink Goodies

I got a text from VSPink about $5 totes.

By the time I got out of work and to the mall they were already out, though! Since I’d fully prepared myself to spend some money on Pink stuff in order to get the tote, I came home and got right online. After going through almost everything on the website, I found the perfect combination to obtain my free tote AND free shipping.
Pairs of Leggings
1 Mirrored Compact
1 Adorable Tote
And the fact that they arrived more than a week earlier than planned...

...I love them even more.

Mexican Presentation

Mr.U is adorably precious sometimes.

 He was determined to make us healthy, Mexican food last night, so as soon as we got home from work, he got to work in the kitchen – sending me upstairs until he was ready to serve dinner. When he called me back down, he’d set everything up on the counter – salsa’s in little serving dishes with spoons and the shells heated up.

Little things like that make me feel so happy&luck.

Broken Spelling

I’ve mentioned before the incompetence of those employed at my parking structure.

This morning, Mr.U&I pulled in to find this sign taped to the ticket-feeder that’s been broken for about a month.

Spell much?

Downtown Sunrise

The sunrise in Royal Oak was beautiful this morning.

I love driving to work in the dark and reaching the top of my parking structure just in time to see the sun peak over the buildings.

Today, the clouds looked like mountains in the darkness – sprawling out ahead of Mr.U&I on our morning commute. We day-dreamed about living in a place with such a picturesque landscape.

Maybe someday.

For now, we’ll enjoy our current surroundings

–

downtown sunrises included.

 

NuetralsNuetrals

.Shades of Beige.

 .Air Fresheners.

 .Shoes & Concrete.

.Bank Ceiling.

Clubs&Mirrors

I turned on my phone yesterday to a text: “I miss you.”
Compliments of my #bff.
I miss her, too.
Less than an hours drive away and we can barely find time for each other.
Two years ago at this time we’d be spending day after day in my big&warm president’s room watchin' movies and munchin.'
I miss those days so so so much.























This weekend at ArtPrize one of the stops was at the Women’s City Club in downtown Grand Rapids. A bunch of older, nicely-dressed women in a big, beautiful house with a chef and a fully stocked basement bar. I jokingly asked the two women outside selling warm pastries&drinks if I could join and they quickly told me about their dues&requirements. I was awkwardly excited at the concept of joining a women’s club.
I miss the camaraderie of organizations of people simply enjoying each other’s company.
I’d settle for a full 24 hours with my #bff for now, though.

...and just as I'm dreaming of clubs&organizations, Mr.U proposes we become members of the Henry Ford Museum. I'm sold...

Shelled Edamame

These were an absolutely delicious late-night snack.

Odds&Pix

Some oddities I’ve recently photographed.


This silly sign.


Ferndale’s Peaceful Protestors.


Boy’s skinny jeans & trendy shoes.


A cake “for my boss.”


Some trashed hair-extensions at the gym?


“PUNN” license plate.


The collection of drinks next to my bed.

30 Years

Today my parents celebrate 30 years of marraige with a day of sight-seeing and beautiful hotel-stays in Chicago. Mr.U&I got them tickets for an architectural boat tour and my brother treated them to a wonderful dinner.

It's crazy to think that - 30 years ago today - they were just 17&18 years old ... expecting a son prior to my dad's senior year of high school.

They never cease to impress me.

ArtPrize 2012

My sister-in-law, mom, aunt, and grandma went to ArtPrize in Grand Rapids early Sunday morning and spent a few hours walking from building to building and enjoying artwork.

I snapped pictures of some of my favorites.

 

(The one with the Spring Break quote was ironically hilarious in timing since Mr.U&I had just been talking about how wild all my girlfriends&I were on Spring Break back in the day.)

Nephew's Shoes

I got to have breakfast with my favorite little boy yesterday at a wonderful bakery called DeBoer. My sister-in-law picked the restaurant so we could try their pumpkin pancakes, but – unfortunately – they weren’t serving them yet. Instead, Mr.U&MyBrother both got a manly mixture of meats-eggs-cheese-gravy. I had amazing poached eggs with ranchero sauce and my Sister&Nephew shared blueberry oatmeal pancakes that looked delicious.

We spent a few minutes at their house before leaving the boys to watch football while we attended ArtPrize. In those few minutes, my nephew set his eyes on my shoes and insisted on wearing them till I left. Riding around the living room on his little four-wheeler with my oxfords on was too adorable – I almost didn’t want to ask for them back.

 

Wedding Food

My dad loves to cook.

And he’s excellent at it.

But he tends to cook more for small gatherings – holidays, church gatherings, etc – not largely attended wedding receptions. For the girl who almost seems to have taken my place (my somehow distant cousin), though, he decided to cater all the food for her 300+ buffet-style wedding reception.

 When he asked me a few months ago if I’d be willing to come to town and help him serve, I quickly said ‘yes’ assuming I’d merely be scooping potatoes or filling drinks. When Saturday morning started bright&early at 9am with a trip to two different stores with dad prior to food prep at the church, though, I quickly realized this simple-serving was going to be much more of a task. And when the help he’d expected in the kitchen never arrived, a family friend alongside my aunt and myself found ourselves frantically cooking while dad did his duties as Master of Ceremonies. After a stove-top fire, a solid 15 minutes running around through the darkness of the power outage, and quite a few spills&mishaps, we got all the food in the buffet line and started serving.
 – Garlic Crusted Pork – Chicken Marcella – Green Beans – Seasoned RedSkin Potatoes – Rolls – Fruit Kabobs –

Everyone loved it, of course – like I said: my dad is an excellent cook. But the stress leading up to the event was pretty intense and the fear on my dad’s face when he caught glimpses of the mayhem in the kitchen broke my heart. All I wanted to do was make sure all his hard work&preparation didn’t go to waste and – in the end – I’m positive it didn’t. And – after the ceremony – lots of people were willing to help clean up in the kitchen. By then, I think my mom&dad were in a sleepless haze, but I was awkwardly aware of how helpful ‘church people’ are willing to be over people at weddings in outside venues.

I guess the sense of family&community is really cute&heartwarming, but potentially nothing I’ll encounter personally.

Holding You

Oh and how she longed to say
that she'd missed [her] troubled ways
and if she could she'd do it all again.

Cause sometimes every word has been used,
and theres nothing left to do
but hold the one you can't have
in the sweet arms of a tune.

-Missy Higgins "Sweet Arms of a Tune"

Missy&Bunni

I wish last night could have lasted forever.
Only I prefer the 4-Years-Ago version, but I’ll take either.

Bunni must be feeling neglected lately because she been stalking my dreams&thoughts. Yesterday morning I woke up from a BunniDream to hear Missy Higgins singing softly through my computer speakers. This lead me to look at her website. The top tour date listed was September 19, 2012 at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac. My heart almost stopped. This is the exact same venue Bunni&I saw Missy at during the summer of 2008.

(at first I had my days mixed up and thought I’d missed it, but still felt happy that Bunni had reminded me of the concert… then about 3 hours into my morning I realized that it was actually the 19th and I hadn’t missed it!)

Quickly, I texted Bunni’s brother to ask if he’d like to join me for the concert and he quickly agreed.

We danced in a blue spotlight while drinking VodkaRedbulls and floating through the clouds – rocked&swayed to the powerful beats&lyrics. Eventually, we moved to the place Bunni&I had stood four years ago – the place where she wrapped her arms around me and told me she loved me for the first time during “Warm Whispers.”

Standing back in ‘our spot,’ I couldn’t wait to hear ‘our song’ and when she finally played it, my whole body went numb. I asked my baby to wrap her arms around me again – hold me up, keep my knees from buckling, warm me from the inside out, and stabilize my soul. And, of course, she did. I felt incredibly calm&eased while Missy whispered the tune – like the clocks had rolled back and time was standing still in a moment when Bunni&I were so fresh-young-inhibitionfree … completely&utterly in love.

Sadly, the song had to end, and reality seeped back into my world. But I’ll forever hold on to the first time (and now the second) that Bunni&I stood at the Crofoot Ballroom listing to Missy Higgins’ “Warm Whispers.”

On a funny side, Bunni’s brother was loving all the lesbians in the crowd – a group on the patio made him an “honorary lesbian” for the night and he thoroughly enjoyed taking all the snuggly couples in.

City Traffic

This is how traffic works around my city.
Lanes on major highways are shut down for no reason...
...which means everyone is backed up for an empty lane with orange cones.
And, apparently, bumper-to-bumper traffic is the best time to attempt a full-lane-crossing.
Shamelessly, people pull through five lanes of traffic to turn right out of a gas station.
It’s ridiculous&annoying.

Urban Sunset

  We've had some of the most beautiful sunsets lately.