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

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.

FionaLately

playing with her rope on the couch

Enjoying the timber's lupus walk

looking out Mr.U's mom's window

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.

Pond Day

I spent the afternoon at grandma&grandpa's pond with my bother&sister-in-law and their dog&son.

We kayaked&swam then enjoyed a lunch in the sunshine as per usual.

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.



Lake Superior Brewing Company

I've been going to the same sleepy, little town every summer since I can remember and I've been eating pizza at the Lake Superior Brewing Co. - affectionately called "The Dunes" - for nommy treats on every trip. Until a couple years ago, I'd never tasted the local brews, though. So when Joe&I were up there, we had to try a couple of them. Cabin Fever is what they're most known for (I think) ...it was average. I like the brown, but then again I usually like browns. Mostly, I like the scenery. It's a quirky, little pub with silly signs and a hippie vibe. No wonder I've turned out the way I have with summer towns&bars like this in my blood.



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.

Superior Beach Walk

We walked the beach from the falls to the campground - a first for Syd&Joe.



Hudson Cafe

Syd&I went to the Hudson Cafe on Saturday afternoon for brunch. I'd never been there, but it's right downtown Detroit in a relatively freshened-up neighborhood near some of downtown's biggest businesses offices. I drove around block and opted to park in the MGM Parking Structure (like usual) and walk through town. The weather was beautiful and the people were friendly. I'll give it to the men of this city... they may spend their days sitting around by the mass transit station, but they know how to compliment a lady passing by. I was feelin' pretty confident&comfortable, which is something I love to be able to say in this city of mine. Syd had met the chef for the Hudson once before, so once we were seated, she requested he head out to out table when he got a chance. Shortly after, he came out and greeted us - inquiring what we'd ordered. Obviously, he felt we needed to try the Red Velvet pancakes, cause he had them sent out to our table with the rest of our meal. They were absolutely amazing. For out original meals I'd gotten the Juevos Rancheros and Nutella Crepes w/ Banana&Strawberry. Everything was amazing. The décor was great, the service was excellent, and the food was superb.

I will definitely be going back.

South Haven Sunset

The sunset we were able to enjoy
from South Haven's Lake Michigan shore
during our 2nd night of the camping trip was absolutely perfect.

Girls' Camping Trip

Syd set a date for the Girls' Camping Trip a while ago and when this weekend finally arrived it did not disappoint. Our original campground on the southern portion of the Southwest Michigan lake shore was wiped out by a storm, so we opted for a new, family-oriented site outside South Haven, MI. One big cut on BabyShannon's foot later and we had both tents set up with all the booze&games set up under a canopy. We spent our evening - somewhat quietly - playing Irish Poker, drinking Pink Drink, and laughing our heads off around the campfire cooking hotdogs&s'mores.

Florida Vacation

I love Florida.

I know some people probably think that a "big vacation"

to Florida isn't very exciting,

but I've missed the sunshine state since I left two years ago,

so I jumped at the opportunity

to go back to the resort I'd taken Bunni to in 2008

and take Joe to Disney World for the first time.

Though there was quite a bit of rain

at random times throughout the week

we definitely enjoyed pools&bars&amusmentparks.

We made friends with one of the resort bartenders

after spending three nights watching the Redwings playoffs

and drove the resort staff crazy

staying in the pool past closing, drunkenly riding the shuttles,

stealing range balls, and smuggling glass bottles.

Joe&Jan&Mar&I spent one day conquering Disney World

and Elise&I spent one day exploring Universal Studios.

(primarily Harry Potter World, which was all that I'd expected.)

Cateline&Elise&I got some good outlet mall shopping in

and Horv&Matt&Erin&Joe&I gorged on Cici's Pizza Buffet

after ditching the pool mid-rain-storm.

It ended up being an excellent vacation...

despite some minor&initial hiccups

with good straight-shot drives there&back.

With every vacation

I realize more&more how amazing my best friend is.

Faded Beads

I had to cut off my summer anklet for the wedding this weekend.

It had faded so much anyway.

Kind of wild.

Superior Sunset

Sunsets on my favorite beachin my favorite summer townare one of my absolute favorite things.

Birthday Groceries

Mr.U went shopping for all the ingredients I need to make our Birthday Party Treats today. Can’t wait to start cooking&baking.