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

GooGooDolls

views from our lawn seats with #scottandlindz

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

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

PreConcert Fashion

PreConcert Photo Shoot -All Dolled Up

CincoDeMayo Weekend

Mexican fiesta at the office

peanut butter froyo w/ cookie dough for dessert

blue margaritas in mexican town

Sam chasing down dori while fiona watches

pre-drink power-hour before a night out

drink before cancer fundraiser at a local bar

Sleepy Pups

Our puppies play hard & sleep hard.

These little snugglers go crazy till they can't keep their eyes open

then crash as close as they can to whoever is nearest.

So silly&adorable.

Snuggled into sam

Smooshed under mommy

Dori & Fiona snuggling each other

Dori pouting about sleeping in her cone

Pier Visit

Sam&Syd wanted to go see the pier covered in snow, but since it was freezing we figured we'd have some drinks before heading out into the cold. So we drank and played cards until we felt we'd be warm enough to enjoy the views. Mostly we just laid in the snow and looked around - afraid to get too close to the edge - but we definitely took in the scenery. Then, of course, we went back to drink and play cards some more.

FallTV

The weather has been very brisk in the morning.

Just when I'm getting the itch to leave Michigan

the summer slips away and fall creeps in

whisping its crisp&cool air around my walk to work

and making me fall in love with the seasons change.

But the weather isn't the only change:

Fall TV Season is upon us!

I have some catching up to do on last season's episodes

but I'm so ready for my fall evening line-up.

Mostly, I'm excited to have Dessert&Revenge nights again!

I only wish my Barbie could come...

Florida, you are too far away.

First, though, it's time for some marathons to prepare myself.



Besties Reunite

BabyBestie is finally home from China!

So the other three Besties got together Tuesday night

to make signs and meet her at the airport.

Unfortunately, we had the wrong day...

so we waited at the empty airport for an hour-ish

while panicking just a teeny bit

and after e-mailing&texting and wanding the airport

we had to give up on our Bestie's Wednesday morning arrival.

The next day, only two of us could make it to greet her

(BFF couldn't make the hour-long drive twice)

and the excitement mounted while Ricky&I stood with our signs.

We peered through the sliding glass doors

(watching our cars to make sure they weren't ticketed)

then suddenly we saw her.

I almost ran into the glass... it took way too long to open!

And we ran into the airport yelling, "LINDS!"

Hugs&giggles all around!

It was a short&sweet reunion...

waiting to claim her baggage we got to talk a bit

then we all headed home to sleep.

It's nice to know she's just a short drive away now.

And back in our time-zone.

Woot!



Jones Fun

Mr.U&I drove into Chicago for a night full off:

The Jones Family, My Brother, & Comedy.

We got a late start leaving the office

so we drove through Wrigleyville just as the game ended

and found a prime parking spot in front of J&K's house.

After some pre-drinking, snacking, & porch-sitting

we headed downtown for a CD Release Party at Timothy O'Tooles.

BartenderBrother had reserved us some seats at the bar,

which was exactly where I wanted to sit

since he's moved a million miles away now

and seeing him at his bar is the best I'll get for a while.

We laughed&munched&drank before heading back to Wrigley

and woke up for bagels & JuneBug play Saturday morning.

It was a nice, quick trip filled with wonderfulness.



Apology Rewind

"Things must be rebuilt - not rewound."
Anyone who knows me knows that I require apologies. If we had a fight and I said I was sorry, I expect an apology in return. I was raised to believe that "I'm sorry" means: I realize I did something wrong and I will try my best to never do it again. Unfortunately, I've found myself in a situation with no apology sent my way. When a "friend" can't admit a wrong-doing, I lose faith in them. That's just a cold, hard fact of maintaining a friendship with me. If I apologize and quickly admit my fault and sincere desire to change my ways in a situation, I hope my "friend" feels the same. My apology is not an open opportunity to brush hurtful actions under the rug and pretend the issue never occurred. My apology is an invitation to rebuild what's been broken and without an apology in return, I don't believe a rebuild will be effective with hurt&faithlessness still lingering.
See Apologize, Please. (...this isn't a new way of feeling for me...)

My Hostess BFF

 BFF had been wanting to plan a pool party all summer.

So yesterday we finally had one.

The little hostess had all her drinks&snacks prepared

including the most delicious chocolate&peanut butter brownies.

Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate so well...

it was a little chilly&cloudy&windy

but we all jumped in and floated around in the pool

trying to convince ourselves that it was warmer than it was.

The times when the sunshine peaked through

it felt perfectly fine and the company was worth it either way.

.her boyfriend - my boyfriend - our friend - her parents.

A wonderful summer memory made.

Studdly Ears

My BFF has bought me some great earrings lately...

I love them all.

I always thought I was a dangly girl,

but I'm learning that I much prefer studs.

Tigers' Sunset

Last night some of my sorority sisters met downtown for a Tigers game. We kicked the evening off with pitchers of beer and deep dish pizza at Pizzapapolis in Greektown then walked over to the park. Our seats were great - right behind the bullpen - though the sun shone right in my eyes with my lack of sunglasses. And we got to be on TV, which was pretty awesome. While Benoit was warming up, we all held our "Vote Benoit" signs up and shouted in the background of the camera shot. My silly BFF was on top of her anti-athletics game loudly questioning, "What's a BEN-Oh-IT?" ...the fans in front of us thought we were a pretty hilarious group of girls.

Once the sun went down and the Tigers won, we wandered over to Hockeytown for balcony drinks&dancing then went back to Pizzapapolis to pick up our left-overs and let Joe drive us home.

I woke up confused&cold backwards on my bed with three of my favorite girls asleep on my sectional couch ...using sweaters as blankets cause our wasted-selves had passed out unprepared. Slowly, we got ourselves together and had a giggle-filled drive back to our cars in the morning. I had to survive a miserable day of work with boozy-breath and a throbbing head, but the evening with my sisters was well worth it.



Dave

Syd&I went to a Dave Matthews Band Concert last night. I've never been to a DMB concert, but I've been to a concert at the same venue - DTE Energy Music Theater - before and I really love the outdoor space under the ski hill. We got to the show and realized we didn't have bottle openers for both the wine&beer we'd brought in the car, so we reverted back to our 16-year-old selves and improvised on opening them ...laughing so hard at our parking lot struggles. Finally, we got out and wandered through the rain into the show, stopping for beer&snacks before heading inside. As we walked up the hill toward the stage, a rainbow shot through the sky. "Bunni's at DMB tonight." I said quietly while smiling and snapping a pictures. As she show  went on, the clouds turned dark, and the rain continued through sunset, but the spirit of the event seeped through the air - making the rain seem so insignificant. I took off my shoes, closed my eyes, and danced to the music. At one point, I felt a pair of lips on mine - Bunni's brother had found me in the crowd and smiled huge at me as he walked back to his seat. What a reminiscent night to enjoy. The band was honestly amazing - so fun&lively with lots of lights&instruments - and we stayed until the very end. Getting out of the muddy field DTE calls a parking lot was quite the challenge. Everyone was getting stuck - including us - and the drive home through flooded streets seemed surreal, but - in the end - the late Tuesday night was well worth all the effort.

Wine Bottle Struggles

Rainbow&Clouds

Big Screen&Encore Time

Huge Croud&Wild Lights

Instruments&Lasers

Miners Sight-Seeing

We went on an excursion to the Pictures Rocks National Lakeshore - Miners Falls, Miners Castle, and Miners Beach. Syd was really pumped about all the touristy-sites on her first-ever trip to the Upper Peninsula. I can honestly say that I've never seen these places before. I've hiked the lakeshore, but these were new to take-in and so beautifully, well-worth the drive.

Miners Falls

Miners Castle

Miners Beach

Beach Bonfire

After a long night at the bar, a group decided to hit the beach for a bonfire. I'm pretty sure I stole some firewood... or obtained it in an unadmirable way. Whatev. We drank&danced by the fire then skinny-dipped in Lake Superior. KayakTim was there, Corissa&Jennifer were there, Kinlaw was there. It was wild. We watched the sunrise and a photographer caught our fire on film underneath the Northern Lights. Just another night in my summer town.

4th Drinks

Syd&I made Sangria - with the help of my mom.

Everybody loved the Sangria - except my mom.

Goodbye, Friend.

The world lost a wonderful man tonight.

Just more proof that life is short

and shouldn't be taken for granted.

I talked to him just a week ago

and he seemed to feel fine...

...told me to come out and visit him.

Now I'll never be able to do that again.

RIP, my handsome friend.

You fought a hard fight

and I hope you're comfortable now.

Save a spot for me up there

cause I miss your hugs&smiles already.

And tell her "hi" for me.

I know she's waiting for you

.with open arms - a bottle of captain - and good memories.

A quick memory of mine:

our first extended weekend together

was long&fun and all the way in Canada.

Our condo was full of crazy moments

and you were so protective&exciting.

We slammed shots and hopped in the shower

- ran around naked - fell down - laughed too hard -

experiencing everything to its fullest.

Rarely do I feel so comfortable so  quickly.

You were my buddy from then on.

When the village didn't understand my love for her

you refused to judge and embraced us instead.

And when she left, you ached for me.

And now, I ache for you.

From that ski weekend to our last text...

you, sir, have impacted my soul.