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.

Chicago Shots

a nice afternoon walk around wrigleyville with joe, dustin, and mom

rest room sign in boys town

IPAs at Timothy o'tooles while watching the red wings

Grange Hall

My mom planned a fundraiser bus trip to Chicago this past weekend, so Juli&Rinda&Abby&Mom&Joe all hopped on the bus and headed to the Windy City. Our first stop was to meet my brother, Dustin, and his newest lady, Caitlin, at a restaurant in the Westloop called Grange Hall known for it's local eats (Michigan local, actually) and homemade goodies. It was quite a hike from our stop on Michigan Avenue to the restaurant, but well worth it. The neighborhood was adorable and the building was very quaint with a great old barn door and an inviting outdoor sitting area. The inside was fun with fresh flowers on all the tables and eclectic farm-themed decorations on the walls. And, of course, the entire menu looked delicious. Joe got the most amazing looking item, though: A Reuben burger with a corned-beef-patty&pumpernickel-toast topped with egg&sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. The service was perceptive&impeccable, the portions perfectly-size, and even the restrooms were petite&pretty. I would definitely love to go back.

Fresh Flowers

Reuben Burger

Front Entrance&Patio

Line of Seasonings&Sauces

Booze Bar

Comment Card

Misc Spring

i found a bag of bath & bodyworks while cleaning

got my "save the date" for shannon&derek's fall wedding

Joe&I hit up la feast for my favorite lentil soup

Joe's mom discovered leggings over the winter & dresses so cute these days

joe, linds, & i slammed some beers with this view before a red wings game

I turned around 2x on I-75 to get a picture of this "dyke" house

this flower bloomed in my front yard just in time for easter

Mom's 50th Surprise

My mom turned 50 this past week and my sister-in-law helped me plan a Surprise Party for her.
We found a nice restaurant called Salt & Pepper Pub in Holland, MI with a private room for 30 people
and Chelsea created some adorable decorations for the quiet dinner celebration
including mason jars lined with patterned paper filled with dowels holding old pictures
and a framed piece of chicken wire displaying more photos.
She also put together a cute banner and a chalkboard with stats from 50 years ago.
My main contribution was the cake, which I ordered from Holland Cakery right next door to S&P.
Since I knew cake would be my mom's favorite part, it had to be incredible and it definitely was.
.Almond Cake with Raspberry Filling and Butter Cream Frosting.
Though she didn't want a party at all, I think she was genuinely surprised and happy with the event
and I'm pretty sure my sister-in-law had a lot of fun creating things while off on maternity leave.

St. Patty's in Chicago

Linds, Scott, Syd, Joe, & me took the train to Chicago for the St. Patrick's Day weekend&celebration. I found an excellent deal on groupon for the Essex Inn across from Millennium Park on Michigan Ave with an indoor pool&sauna in a fun neighborhood with bars&restaurants. The first night, though, we crashed at friends' houses - Joe&I at Jeff&Katie's and Syd&Linds&Scott at Rachel's. After getting off the train downtown, we walked up the river to take in it's full dyed-green-beauty before heading north to our respective crash-pads where we pre-gamed before a night out in Wrigleyville. I only have flashes of memories of packed streets and long lines and we mostly opted to stay in at Jeff&Katie's because the sea of green-clad people was too much for our drunken mindsets, but it was a still a wonderful&typical evening. Sunday we all recovered (which included a breakfast at Pick Me Up, of course), checked into the hotel, and got dinner&drinks at a bar around the corner while watching the RedWings&Blackhawks game. On the actual holiday - St. Patrick's Day - we hung out in the pool&sauna in the morning, got brunch at the Kerryman then went to Streeter's Tavern for games&beer before landing at Timothy O'Tooles for the main portion of our day of celebration. Unfortunately, Scott was hurting on Tuesday, but Linds&Syd&I squeezed in breakfast, we all completed our packing, and eventually we made it to the train for our ride back to Metro Detroit. Another year of wild&excellent Irish-style celebrating with wonderful people in a perfect location.

Everson Lovin'

While in Colorado, I planned a couple days to spend with my friend from high school, Peggy, her husband, Nick, and their 1-year-old son, Everson. I haven't seen E since last summer, so it was very nice to see him again. He's such an adventurous&fearless little man and Peg&I got to enjoy a quiet morning hanging out with him and their dogs. I was amazed at how effortlessly he pulled himself into the bay windowsill, so he could look outside. Not-so-amazingly but still very impressively he'd turn and throw himself off to get back down. He's a quick learner, though, and after just a few times showing him how to turn and scooch himself backward, he started being a little safer with his dismount. Besides hanging with Everson, we also had a game night with Nick's fellow youth leaders at the church he works for and enjoyed a breakfast&shopping out on the town. An excellent end to my Colorado vacation.

Hot Sulfur Springs

Our main vacation adventure in Colorado was visiting some Hot Sulfur Springs about 20mins from our resort. We paid less than $20 a person to go sit in these naturally occurring hot springs that were routed into little pools all over the side of a mountain. The higher the elevation - the higher the water temperature ...so we went right to the top. The sulfur water smelled a little like rotten eggs, but it made our skin and hair so soft&shiny. And it was so nice to sit in the hot water while the snow fell around us. One area even had a waterfall we could enjoy, which was great. It was definitely an awesome, one-of-a-kind experience.

Turning Dustin's Peace Ring Colors

Etching on the Concrete

Sign posted on a bench

Dustin under the waterfall

Waterfall in one of the springs

Hiding

CO Trip

My brother decided to take a late February vacation to Colorado for snowboarding, so I found a cheap flight and decided to join. It was just him and his co-worker, Lauren, at the condo he rented for the week, so the three of us had a nice, laid back couple of days in the pool&restaurant and enjoyed the mountain views. Not an extravagant vacation, but definitely necessary.

Snowboarding Views

Our Resort in Granby Ranch

Windy Mountain Driving

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.

Misc Fall

Fire place & candle in the master

Tryna strip that dark outa my hair

knee high boots & leggings for cold weather

knocking one football out of the tree with another football

trying some local beers with joe

flowers from my mr. before a long weekend

pretty mug i eyed for weeks before purchasing

gel manicure and a glass of wine

...if only it was that easy.

Turning 3

My only nephew turned 3 this past weekend, so Mr.U&I spent the night at his house and woke up bright&early on his actual birthday to celebrate. Before bed, my brother had put his present on top of the kitchen cabinets. In the morning, he was on a stool stretching his arms to reach his birthday present. Clever little 3-year-old ...that's for sure. Later in the day, we celebrated his birthday with a Dinosaur-themed party and his biggest gift was a soccer goal to practice his new favorite score. By evening, he was beat and wanted his only aunt to read him books in his "big boy bedroom" before sleep. We chose a Halloween book from the library ...something about a dance party. I loved the book in the moment, but all I can remember now is my sweet&snuggly nephew intently clinging to his aunt's words. He may turn terrible 2's into terrible 3's, but I love him just the same - and, since I don't see him very often, I never tire of his affection.

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.



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.