Baby's FlatDerek

Baby's mom planned an excellent activity for her Bachelorette Bash.

She copied an idea from the local elementary schools and made a "FlatDerek"

(a foam cutout with the groom's face)

and we had to take FlatDerek around town using out party bus.

We had a book to guide us toward destinations

and we had to take a picture with FlatDerek at every destination

then the book was filled in with the pictures we took.

We definitely had a couple speedbumps...

like when we tried to to get a picture with a cat

and the cat hated us

or when the bus driver hit a pole and we had to get a new bus.

But - all in all - it was a wonderful time!

Engagement Party

#BFF's Engagement Party was this past weekend.

To no ones surprise, the entire party was adorable

...from decorations to food...

everything was well-thought-out and perfect.

A blue&white theme with lots of sunflower accents.

And, of course, everyone had a blast singing karaoke,

playing yard games, and jumping into the pool in the dark.

If this is an accurate preview of the wedding that is to come

it certainly will not disappoint.

the bar and the obvious ring decorations

cupcakes, decorations, and "he popped the question" popcorn

chalk board signs and big fun letters

Necklace Hunt

I went on an accessory hunt at the store down the street, Simply the Best,

for a necklace for #BFF to wear to her Engagement Party.

Since the party was blue&white and sunflower themed,

I was looking for blue&yellow options.

I ended up sending about a thousand pictures to her in an hour

and she settled on one for the party.

It was interesting, a little stressful, yet successful&fun.

Flood Day 2014

In times of crisis, the connection&bond with a place can strengthen.

This past Monday, Metro Detroit found itself under water.

4 hours of rainfall flooded freeways&home.

I watched people standing at the edge of flooded areas helping people out of their submerged cars and directing traffic. My neighbors were out giving each other fans and shop-vacs and assisting in emptying flooded basements. Though the circumstances were dire - the reactions were beautiful.

I lucked out with only about 4" of standing water that drained quickly once the rain stopped. Other's got it much worse. Some cars were still under water on Wednesday afternoon and many portions of the highways were still blocked off.

It's felt like a bit of post-apocalyptic world this week - driving around on flooded&empty streets lined with home-goods-turned-garbage due to flooding.

Despite the disaster, Mr.U&I simply enjoyed a Tuesday off to catch up on sleep&cleaning and, obviously, snuggling&playing with Fiona. We couldn't find a route to get both of us to our offices anyway.

Closures due to flooding

Orchids

My Brother&HisGirlfriend sent an orchid to the funeral home for Mr.U's mom.

In full bloom, it is so beautiful.

The card reads:

"What we have once enjoyed, we never leave. All that we love, deeply becomes a part of us."

-Helen Keller

51K IPA

Mr.U&I discovered an IPA in the beer cooler of the only grocery store in my summer town. Brewed in Marquette, MI, we obviously had to try it. And, boy-oh-boy, was it ever delicious. It made for an excellent sipper while we enjoyed an afternoon of beach-laying and jet-ski-watching. I thought it was really neat that the proceeds of the sale went to preserve recreational trails, too. Very fitting.

GooGooDolls

views from our lawn seats with #scottandlindz

Daughtry played forever.
But the Goo Goo Dolls were amazing.
Obviously.

Homemade Muffins

BananaKale

BananaFlaxseed

BananaWheat

9th Annual Golf Outing

The 9th Annual Golf Outing for Mr.U's dad was this past weekend.

A bunch of people came into town for the event

and all the guys who golfed brought their girlfriends to hang out.

We had mimosa's while the boys played then picked them up for the banquet.

After a day of drinking on the course, they were pretty silly.

Overall, it was a great weekend in memory of a great man.

LastMinute LakeDay

I had an impromptu afternoon with Bunni's dad last Saturday.

I basically watched him clean and play with the landscaping

while Fiona ran around the yard and played with her bone.

We got a little sun, had a couple cigs, enjoyed a salad&icecream

then watched the Matrix on the couch.

I always enjoy our simple times together.

One of my favorite houses and favorite views

some of his beautiful flowers

FionaLately

playing with her rope on the couch

Enjoying the timber's lupus walk

looking out Mr.U's mom's window

Corktown Home & Garden Tour

I saw the sign for the Corktown Home & Garden Tour hanging in Starbucks weeks ago, but I thought Joe&I would be gone for the weekend. When plans changed and we stuck around, I was excited to be able to attend the tour. The weather was absolutely beautiful for the 5 mile walking tour. The houses, I'll admit, were not what I expected. I thought they would be more historical&restored, but they were most modernly renovated, which was disappointing, but still enjoyable. We got to see inside the first warehouse that had been renovated into condos in Detroit - restored in the 1990's - and a pretty, old church. And on the field where old Tiger Stadium used to stand, a historical baseball game was going on, which was cute&cool. Once we'd finished our walk, we opted for lunch at Slows BBQ. Excellent as always.

mounted horseman who patrolled the event

corktown view from the middle of michigan ave

beautiful ivy covered building

love peace happiness fence

random old bus

St. Peters episcopal church

rusty old fire hydrant

row of buildings in corktown

Cool faded sign

cute little alley

corktown neighborhood sign

historical baseball players

woman in period costume at the game

SundayFunday

Skyline View from Our Seats

Scenes from Within the Park

Drinking Games with Friends

Birks, Couches, and CrossFire

We finally had the perfect opportunity for a SundayFunday yesterday with a home Tigers game, beautiful weather, and Monday off for the holiday, so Scott&Linds and Joe&I met downtown at Rub Pub before heading over to the game. Since the Tigers were playing horribly, though, we left in the 5th and headed home for backyard bbq&drinking. After a couple rounds of Power Hour and the assembly of a small charcoal grill, we made the afternoon into a complete success.

BirthdayBust

My birthday had it's good points ...days after the actual day.
On my birthday, Mr.U's mom had a seizure.
He found her on the floor in the dining room disoriented&groggy.
Scared, he called 9-1-1 and I pulled up as the ambulance pulled off.
So, we spent my birthday evening in the emergency room
(mostly I stood outside and people watched)
then had a quick bite around 10pm.
The next weekend, though, we finally celebrated with cake&presents.
Thankfully, his mom is ok,
but the lesions on her brain have increased in both number&size,
so she's unable to drive and doing 10 rounds of radiation.
Hopefully it will help - her health obviously trumps my birthday.

raspberry lemon cake

Presents from my mr. - so thoughtful

Landscaping Lately

rock wall i created and fruit tree i planted

One flower bloomed so far...

Monk&Birdbath BFF picked up for me & pots from my sister-in-law

Losses&Blessings

My heart both breaks&sings today.

My dear friend, Katie, lost her mother this morning

...far too soon&suddenly...

and her pain tugs at my core as I remember the closeness of her precious family

and the warmth&love her quiet&peaceful mother always showed anyone she encountered.

Katie&Jeff even chose their wedding date based on it's relevance to her parents' wedding date.

I can't even imagine the inconsolable aches that will follow this passing

and I can only hope she'll embrace the best of memories and wrap herself inside them during this terrible time.

And while Susan's soul left its earthly body, my beautiful&amazing friend, Christine, gave birth to her first child.

Baby Ryan was born in the early afternoon at a healthy 8lbs&1oz with 5fingers&5toes and the most handsome face.

It's days like these that remind me that we are never given more than we can handle.

Losses&blessings surround us in life and our reactions are what define us.

I'd like to bottle this emotional energy for the next time I let the littlest thing get to me

and remember that events of much greater significance are happening all around the world

so I should appreciate what&who I have and cherish the memories I'm still able to make.

Thursday, you've knocked me down and built me up.

And so it goes.

Katie's adorable family christmas photo

christine & joe's perfect baby ryan

PeachPants&Blisters

I have blisters from half marathon training and hand-me-down peach pants.

Ellie In Windsor

At the beginning of March Elise told me I needed a passport for a birthday surprise on May 8th.

For almost the entire build-up time, I avoided figuring out the surprise

then I was driving down I-75 one day and saw a billboard...

the date "May 8" flashed and I quickly averted my eyes.

The next day, though, I wasn't so lucky and saw the whole billboard:

Ellie Goulding - Caesars Windsor - May 8

Damn, I ruined the surprise! I thought.

Damn, that's going to be awesome!

And it definitely was.
Taylor&Elise&I got into the standing-room only show early enough to get right up front
harnessing the ability to take in Ellie in all her glory.

She was as beautiful in person as one could imagine.

Her mannerisms quirky&freespirited as she glided across the stage

swaying&swinging her hips&pelvis.

Her voice was certainly tired - it was the 2nd to last show of her tour

but she muscled through and seemed to sincerely enjoy herself, which made me smile.

Almost magically, I had said just before she went on:

"I'd like to hear 'The Writer" but she probably won't play that."

and low&behold, she did.

Figure8&MyBlood were both powerful&emotional

as she threw her head back, letting her hair flip&fall about her shoulders.

She banged on the drums, her body almost flopping into them in sheer happiness.

She mumbled&drank between songs, which was endearing&adorable.

And besides the bitchy girl next to us who tried to fight Elise

and the monster of a man who blocked my view for the first few songs

our spots in the 3rd row right in front of her microphone were magnificent.

Definitely worth the 5 hours on my sore&blistered feet.

"I chase your love around a figure 8 - I need you more than I can take.

You promise forever and a day then you take it all away."

Figure 8 - Ellie Goulding

Dinner&Drinks at Caesars

Once we crossed the bridge into Canada

we parked at Caesars Windsor

then found Legends Sports Bar for dinner&drinks.

The 3 girls got 3 different delicious drinks to try.