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

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

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.

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

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.

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

Zoo Date

After brunch, Elise&Erica joined me at the Detroit Zoo.

Bunnyville was going on for Easter Weekend,

so we made a food donation and joined the herd of children at the zoo.

Luckily, most of the little ones were entertained by the Bunny-themed festivities,

so we were able to enjoy the animals with a bit more peace.

First we walked through the butterfly & bird gardens in a beautiful domed building.

There must have been something in the air, cause all the animals were sleeping

and - oh my goodness - it was so adorable.

The grizzly bear was passed out on his back with his paw over his face.

The lions were spooning and the tiger had found a nice spot in the shade.

The animals that were up&about were so wonderful, too.

I forget how much they take my breath away until I find myself at a zoo again.

The zebra hung back away from the fence, but the stripes were still incredible.

The giraffe awkwardly tucked his back legs and plopped down on the ground for grass.

And the big-bodied rhinos wandered side-by-side through their area.

My knees were hurting me, so I didn't walk through the kangaroo exhibit,

but from the back side of the fence I could see the girls walking past the sleepy lil animals.

Before leaving, we got snacks - a pretzel for Elise, dip-n-dots for Erica, & cheese popcorn for me.

Then we started our journey back through Royal Oak to the car

stopping first for the skirt, shoes, & ring I'd bought and the clock Erica had found.

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

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