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.



Apology Rewind

"Things must be rebuilt - not rewound."
Anyone who knows me knows that I require apologies. If we had a fight and I said I was sorry, I expect an apology in return. I was raised to believe that "I'm sorry" means: I realize I did something wrong and I will try my best to never do it again. Unfortunately, I've found myself in a situation with no apology sent my way. When a "friend" can't admit a wrong-doing, I lose faith in them. That's just a cold, hard fact of maintaining a friendship with me. If I apologize and quickly admit my fault and sincere desire to change my ways in a situation, I hope my "friend" feels the same. My apology is not an open opportunity to brush hurtful actions under the rug and pretend the issue never occurred. My apology is an invitation to rebuild what's been broken and without an apology in return, I don't believe a rebuild will be effective with hurt&faithlessness still lingering.
See Apologize, Please. (...this isn't a new way of feeling for me...)

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.

Sunset

sunset heading out of downtown detroit on I-75

Blarney Stones

These were the most wonderful things I've ever eaten from Detroit Beer Company.

Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut Dusted with Rye&Caraway Bread Crumbs

Deep Fried with Thousand Island Dipping Sauce

Transformers in Town

Downtown Detroit was hoppin' before the Lion's PreSeason Game

and after walking around for a while we finally figured out why.

Transformers was shooting!

I'm not gonna lie - I got awkwardly excited to see OptimusPrime.

Obviously a lot of other people were, too.

We got to see some cool parts of the set,

but it took a while to get the bar because of the crowds...

I guess that's one great thing about Detroit.

You never have to worry about traffic or herds of people, really.

But, I guess it's a good thing

and I guess it's what we really want for the city...

more people, more excitement, more success.

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.

Holland&Jacob

Jacob&I explored the cute, little neighborhood surrounding our breakfast spot.

We wandered around looking at houses&buildings before heading back to his apartment in downtown Holland.

I love all the exposed brick and natural light from the enormous windows in his space.

We decided to enjoyed his outdoor space overlooking the city

and drink a few glasses of sangria

before I headed back into Allegan for a day with my family at the pond.

It's always so nice to catch up with him.

The Buscuit

Jacob&I enjoyed breakfast at The Biscuit in Holland this past weekend. It was a cute, little restaurant in an area I'd never been to before. The menu was mostly local and very vegan/vegetarian friendly. Ironically, I didn't get a biscuit - I'm not a biscuit girl - but my meal was delicious and (as always) the company was excellent.

SangriaMonster

I created this little guy out of stripped, recycled fabric knotted into one long string and knitted without a pattern for my friend Peggy's son, Everson. She named it Sangria - in honor of the bottle we shared.