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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Brunch @ Toast

I've always been a breakfast eater, so when I moved to the Detroit area I had to find a new favorite breakfast spot. Erica introduced me to a place called Toast in Birmingham, MI. She raved that I'd love the decor and insisted that I try it. So we met for brunch one Saturday and I fell in love. Now, it's my favorite place to go when I'm cravin' a good breakfast, which obviously meant I suggested Elise&Erica meet me there for brunch on Saturday before our Zoo date. We sat down and all said the word "mimosa," so we ordered Mimosas for the Table - a bottle of champagne and carafe of orange juice just for the 3 of us. Goodness was it delicious. The perfect addition to our brunch items. Our server seemed to think we were a pretty entertaining table also - probably even more so after we'd each downed 3 mimosas. We sat&talked giggling&gossiping for about an hour before heading out for the day.

And I successfully turned another Bestie into a Toast Lover.

mug on the table next to us that I had to take a picture of

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