Giving&Dating

Target's FEED brand was released today.

Joe took me out on a day-date, which included lunch at Olive Garden, a trip to the movies - The Bling Ring - and shopping at Target&BarnesAndNoble where he bought me the denim vest to wear, The Pretty One to read, Oz - the Great & Powerful to watch.

I love love love it all.

My vest provided 24 meals and can also be added to just about every outfit in my closet. I can't wait to wear it - probably too often.

I feel very happy about the day - we got to enjoy a stress-free day together in the midst of this disappointing&frustrating month and did our part to "FEED USA" and keep the "Great American Bookstore" alive.

Eastern Market

I've driven through Eastern Market, but I've never truly experienced it. After brunch in downtown Detroit, though, Syd&I decided to head out to Eastern Market to pick up some flowers and look for goodies.

It was mostly a good time.

We looked at rows&rows of plants and table after table of fruits&veggies. We went into a cute, little antique shop where I found a cool, old saw to decorate with and admired the fun&unique architecture of the market buildings.

I saw "mostly a good time" because the strangest thing happened when we were walking in. We parked a few blocks away and as we were strolling past a storefront who's door I was admiring this woman came running down the middle of the street with a flat of flowers in her hands yelling, "Get him!" "Call the police!" "That son of a bitch!" ...that's when we noticed that the man who'd been standing by the car outside the storefront we'd been gazing at was actually stealing from her car! By the time we realized, the man had disappeared and the woman claimed he hadn't gotten anything. I'm not trying to be rude, but just because you're at a pleasant farmer's market on a sunny Saturday afternoon doesn't mean you've fallen into a thief-free society and should leave your doors unlocked... Sad, but true.

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.

Afternoon Walk

I love walking through the city on a sunny afternoon.

 The People Mover

 Different SkyLine View

 Rosa Parks Transit Center

 Sidewalk Under Construction

 Washington & Grand River

 Tights Squeeze Between Buildings

Fuck Hipsters?

Pretty Rain

Joe and I went for a walk this morning

before I left for brunch downtown.

He stepped over a leaf then stopped me

to point out the raindrops on top of it.

I snapped a few shot of nature's beauty.

It's been raining like crazy lately

and, though I hate the wet shoes&pants,

I love how pretty it turns out sometimes.

NoMoreNickNames

I think I'll stop using nicknames.

It's a pain.

La Feast

Joe & I have been meaning to try La Feast - Royal Oak for lunch, so we finally did today. I got lentil soup and a falafel sandwich. The soup wasn't my favorite thing on the planet, but the sandwich was amazing. I could eat it every day. So many delicious&unique flavors in Mediterranean food.

Small Cell Lung Cancer

The entire month of May Joe's mom had a horrible cough. She wasn't in my car on the drive down&back, but apparently she'd violently coughed the entire time. When we got back, she had a doctors appointment that led to a chest x-ray that led to another appointment.

Joe&I got home from work and the front door was wide open... he walked back to his mom's room to see what was up and the look on his face when he returned to the kitchen was pure terror. "She had her appointment about that chest x-ray today... This isn't going to be good." She emerged from the bedroom with puffy eyes and a wet face. "They found a tumor in my lung." The rest of her words escape me - they came out in muffled murmurs and circled my ears before floating past me.

Next came an oncology appointment at 9pm on a Thursday. I took her. Joe had holed himself off in the basement since we heard the news. I can't say I gathered much from the appointment besides the fact that I hate oncology offices and that sympathetic expressions don't actually lend real  information.

The next morning produced a 6am phone call that she needed to be admitted. The oncologist - an old friend of Jan's - said he'd let his emotions get in the way of sending her straight to the hospital and she needed to go in. So I headed to work and Joe stayed home to take her. The day was atrociously horrible. Trying to keep my mind on paperwork while knowing what he was going through was so difficult&painful.

After a weekend of radiation, she's able to breathe again and her cough has cleared up so much. It's amazing. Unfortunately, though, it's still small cell lung cancer, which needs to be aggressively treated with chemotherapy if there's any hope for remission. Her first round starts today, so our fingers are crossed that she doesn't get too sick, since everyone takes to chemo differently.

I seem to be the voice of "real conversations" in our household. Since Joe closes up when serious&sad topics unfold, I get to hear all the unfortunate news&details. I'm trying very hard to hold it together, keep my head up, stay positive, and stifle any horrified emotions.

BFF Books

Elise lent me the first three books of
Lauren Conrad's LA Candy series.
They're pretty simply, somewhat-silly reads,
but I've enjoyed them so far...
reading all three in one week.
I need to get the rest of her books
(I believe there are two more)
so I can rip through more of the story.

Pier Afternoon

Our last morning in South Haven was foggy and quiet.

Elise&Syd&I wanted to stick around and enjoy the west side anyway.

We went for a walk out onto the pier and sat at the end

enjoying the fresh air and people watching.

Slowly the fog rolled back and we could see the shore.

This is the land I grew up in...

the environments I remember from my youth.

Many a summer day was spent on the pier in South Haven

and coming back here to visit refreshes my soul.

I'm glad others who've come into my life can enjoy it, too.

Shopping&Treats

After breakfast with the girls at the Golden Brown Bakery
everyone had to head their separate ways but Elise&Syd&I,
so we shopped around the little downtown shops for a while
including Decadent Dogs where we found lots of cute doggy goodies.
Then we went down by the pier
where we munched on Pretzels&BoscoSticks from a little food truck.
A fun&filling morning.