Friday, July 22, 2011
Photo Wall
So this is my little pride and joy right now..lol. The large canvas is of Luke and I on our honeymoon in the Caymans (purchased through good ole' Wal-Mart) and the 5x7 photos you see around it in the studio frames are pictures I've taken through the years. Some are from the Caymans and others are from the beautiful place I grew up in. It took FOREVER to put up, but I did it all by myself! :-)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Week Continued and then Goodbye
The gorgeous weather we were given continued through the rest of the week while Ryan and Ethan were here.
On the 4th we took Ryan and Ethan to Coney Island to experience Saganaki for the first time..
After that we headed over to Mom and Dad's for a delicious dinner which consisted of hot dogs, home made potato salad, home-made German potato salad, and grilled chicken! *props to my Mother-in-Law for the amazing food!*
We then killed some time before the fireworks by taking Bella for a walk.
Our walk led us to a mini-market where we enjoyed some refreshing Freezies. It was such a gorgeous day. It was hot but breezy and the grass and leaves were so green.
Then it was time to load up and head to the fire works!
There is something magical about the sun setting on a fair ground. First the colors of orange and pink illuminate the sky and suddenly everything becomes lit with the vibrant lights from all the rides.
We met up with Cathy, Samantha, Heather, Joe, and Jessica (family) which was awesome and set our blankets down next to them for the fireworks. It was nice getting time to chit chat with Ryan and Ethan while we impatiently waited for the show to begin.. we even got so desperate and played "I Spy" and "Rock, Paper, Scissors" It didn't last long..
I don't think they know just how much they are adored <3
And then finally...the show began!
I'm always eager to get a good picture of the fireworks that I often don't sit back and really enjoy it. This time I decided I would snap a few and then put the camera away and just be in the moment completely. It was a very fulfilling experience as I sat there in amazement of the flashing lights across the sky and how extravagant fireworks have become! To top it all off I was in the arms of my Lucas. He and I still joke about the crazy days of being apart for so long. Thankful those days are over <3
The next day we had a relaxing day at the apartment. After dinner Luke and I took Ryan and Ethan to Ruby Tuesday's for one of my personal favorite desserts...
I can already feel my mouth watering...
Needless to say we scarfed it down pretty darn quick.
On our final day, Luke and I really wanted to go out with a bang! The day started with Downtown Plymouth while we waited for Luke to get home.
Once Luke got home, our evening began with an animated game of mini golf!
Ryan was the first to get a "hole-in-one"
Ethan also scored a hole-in-one!..And this was his "Victory Pose"
After mini-golf, Luke and I couldn't resist the temptation to ride the newly re-done golf cart track! Luke won..followed by Ryan and Ethan..I was last :-) I'm not as much of a "fast and furious" driver as I had hoped I would be once I got out there. That's ok.
To finish off the night we stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up a tub of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice cream to enjoy as we played games before it was time to hit the sack.
All throughout the evening the thought of this being my last day with these guys kept running in and out of my mind. As soon as it would enter my mind I would quickly push it out. But once I laid my head down on my pillow the flooding of thoughts and questions entering my mind was inevitable. Questions like, "Did they have a really good time?" "Did I take advantage of as many moments to interact with them as I could?" "Did I make them feel really welcome and at home?"
When my alarm went off at 8:00am the next morning I was suddenly hit with the reality that, "I get to see my dad today!" My heart leapt as I sprung out of bed and quickly started getting ready. I felt like a child coming home from summer camp getting to see my mom and dad again for the first time in a long and exciting week! All this time I was thinking about having to say goodbye to Ryan and Ethan that I hadn't really taken in the idea of getting to be with my Dad!
We gathered all of their belongings, ate a bowl of cereal, loaded up the car, and began the trip down to OH to meet my Dad halfway. We listened to the radio and talked about the week and how fast the time goes.
Finally the gps advised that we had "reached our destination." I saw my dad's car parked at BK but didn't see him in it. We all ran inside to see him standing there waiting for his order...
I cannot explain to you the joy I felt getting to run up to him.
I got to sit and talk with my dad for a good half hour, just catching up and mutually asking questions back and forth to one another, trying to squeeze in as much as we could. It was wonderful.
After purchasing one last Coolatta from Dunkin Donuts (The boys and I had one almost every day of the week), and filling up the car with gas, it was time to start saying our "good-byes."
Ryan and Ethan were very instrumental in cleaning my car....NOT! ;-)
I will always be your little girl <3
Driving away from them was THEE worst part. Thankfully I have a very calming mother who is always good at helping me in times like these. I called her and she just worked her magic reminding me that we will be seeing each other again sooner than you know it and that the week I had to spend with my brothers was very special.
Thank goodness for Moms.
I am a lucky lucky girl to have the family I have. I love you Ryan and Ethan and will never forget our week together here in MI!
On the 4th we took Ryan and Ethan to Coney Island to experience Saganaki for the first time..
After that we headed over to Mom and Dad's for a delicious dinner which consisted of hot dogs, home made potato salad, home-made German potato salad, and grilled chicken! *props to my Mother-in-Law for the amazing food!*
We then killed some time before the fireworks by taking Bella for a walk.
Our walk led us to a mini-market where we enjoyed some refreshing Freezies. It was such a gorgeous day. It was hot but breezy and the grass and leaves were so green.
Then it was time to load up and head to the fire works!
There is something magical about the sun setting on a fair ground. First the colors of orange and pink illuminate the sky and suddenly everything becomes lit with the vibrant lights from all the rides.
We met up with Cathy, Samantha, Heather, Joe, and Jessica (family) which was awesome and set our blankets down next to them for the fireworks. It was nice getting time to chit chat with Ryan and Ethan while we impatiently waited for the show to begin.. we even got so desperate and played "I Spy" and "Rock, Paper, Scissors" It didn't last long..
I don't think they know just how much they are adored <3
And then finally...the show began!
I'm always eager to get a good picture of the fireworks that I often don't sit back and really enjoy it. This time I decided I would snap a few and then put the camera away and just be in the moment completely. It was a very fulfilling experience as I sat there in amazement of the flashing lights across the sky and how extravagant fireworks have become! To top it all off I was in the arms of my Lucas. He and I still joke about the crazy days of being apart for so long. Thankful those days are over <3
The next day we had a relaxing day at the apartment. After dinner Luke and I took Ryan and Ethan to Ruby Tuesday's for one of my personal favorite desserts...
I can already feel my mouth watering...
Needless to say we scarfed it down pretty darn quick.
On our final day, Luke and I really wanted to go out with a bang! The day started with Downtown Plymouth while we waited for Luke to get home.
Once Luke got home, our evening began with an animated game of mini golf!
Ryan was the first to get a "hole-in-one"
Ethan also scored a hole-in-one!..And this was his "Victory Pose"
After mini-golf, Luke and I couldn't resist the temptation to ride the newly re-done golf cart track! Luke won..followed by Ryan and Ethan..I was last :-) I'm not as much of a "fast and furious" driver as I had hoped I would be once I got out there. That's ok.
To finish off the night we stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up a tub of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice cream to enjoy as we played games before it was time to hit the sack.
All throughout the evening the thought of this being my last day with these guys kept running in and out of my mind. As soon as it would enter my mind I would quickly push it out. But once I laid my head down on my pillow the flooding of thoughts and questions entering my mind was inevitable. Questions like, "Did they have a really good time?" "Did I take advantage of as many moments to interact with them as I could?" "Did I make them feel really welcome and at home?"
When my alarm went off at 8:00am the next morning I was suddenly hit with the reality that, "I get to see my dad today!" My heart leapt as I sprung out of bed and quickly started getting ready. I felt like a child coming home from summer camp getting to see my mom and dad again for the first time in a long and exciting week! All this time I was thinking about having to say goodbye to Ryan and Ethan that I hadn't really taken in the idea of getting to be with my Dad!
We gathered all of their belongings, ate a bowl of cereal, loaded up the car, and began the trip down to OH to meet my Dad halfway. We listened to the radio and talked about the week and how fast the time goes.
Finally the gps advised that we had "reached our destination." I saw my dad's car parked at BK but didn't see him in it. We all ran inside to see him standing there waiting for his order...
I cannot explain to you the joy I felt getting to run up to him.
I got to sit and talk with my dad for a good half hour, just catching up and mutually asking questions back and forth to one another, trying to squeeze in as much as we could. It was wonderful.
After purchasing one last Coolatta from Dunkin Donuts (The boys and I had one almost every day of the week), and filling up the car with gas, it was time to start saying our "good-byes."
Ryan and Ethan were very instrumental in cleaning my car....NOT! ;-)
I will always be your little girl <3
Driving away from them was THEE worst part. Thankfully I have a very calming mother who is always good at helping me in times like these. I called her and she just worked her magic reminding me that we will be seeing each other again sooner than you know it and that the week I had to spend with my brothers was very special.
Thank goodness for Moms.
I am a lucky lucky girl to have the family I have. I love you Ryan and Ethan and will never forget our week together here in MI!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Week Thus Far...
What an awesome week this has been to have my 2 younger brothers stay with me. Where to begin? After we met up with my mom we all hung out at BK for a half hour before loading up, saying goodbye to Mom, and driving them to MI. We were all pretty tired from the road trip so we had a relaxing evening just hanging out...The exhaustion may have led to us being a bit "slap happy."
I think waking up to these guys was one of the best things ever -- knowing
that it wasn't just a dream that they came to my home :-)
We took Ryan and Ethan to good ole' Downtown Plymouth to see
all the shops, hang out by the fountain, and get some ice cream!
Finding joy in the simple things :-)
While we were at Downtown Plymouth a wedding party arrived to take pictures! I've seen 4 separate wedding parties now that have come to Downtown to get their pictures taken and I find myself reliving my own special day time and again. This time it really hit me when the bridal party was wearing the color Clover I chose for my girls :-)
So there I am taking in the moment and trying to snap a few shots here and there, when one of the groomsmen motions for me to come over and take pictures! I'm thinking, "How cool would this be to get to take some wedding shots for fun?" I anxiously run over with my camera and he stops and poses...
So I confusingly shot the picture and he said, "That one's for you."
Disappointing.
I came back and told the story to the guys and Ethan's response to the groomsman was...
Definitely gave us all a good laugh.
I seem to miss the memo when a silly photo is getting taken...
Oh well :-)
Oh how I love these guys... They helped me so much this past year and ways that they may never know. They are a safe place to be silly with and go on adventures with and share your heart with.. I'm a lucky sister. I try to not let reality set in when I'm with them. I don't like to think about the 7 hour distance that keeps me from running into their rooms spontaneously or catching them on the couch playing a game and convince them to go outside with me on an "Adventure!"
Right now all I want to do is take in these moments with them.
So that's what I'll do :-)
I'll cross the bridge of reality when it's time.
After exploring Downtown, Lucas showed us these humongous homes nearby.
This one doesn't even seem like it would be a house...but it is.
I LOVE this one!
There is more to come but for now, goodnight to those of you who are interested in reading this blog! There is more to come :-) Also, I have a confession. I've recently gotten myself hooked on playing...tetris. I play every single day and some days I play one too many games of it... But here's a link to it if you wanna waste your time along with me! http://www.tetrisfriends.com/
I think waking up to these guys was one of the best things ever -- knowing
that it wasn't just a dream that they came to my home :-)
We took Ryan and Ethan to good ole' Downtown Plymouth to see
all the shops, hang out by the fountain, and get some ice cream!
Finding joy in the simple things :-)
While we were at Downtown Plymouth a wedding party arrived to take pictures! I've seen 4 separate wedding parties now that have come to Downtown to get their pictures taken and I find myself reliving my own special day time and again. This time it really hit me when the bridal party was wearing the color Clover I chose for my girls :-)
So there I am taking in the moment and trying to snap a few shots here and there, when one of the groomsmen motions for me to come over and take pictures! I'm thinking, "How cool would this be to get to take some wedding shots for fun?" I anxiously run over with my camera and he stops and poses...
So I confusingly shot the picture and he said, "That one's for you."
Disappointing.
I came back and told the story to the guys and Ethan's response to the groomsman was...
Definitely gave us all a good laugh.
I seem to miss the memo when a silly photo is getting taken...
Oh well :-)
Oh how I love these guys... They helped me so much this past year and ways that they may never know. They are a safe place to be silly with and go on adventures with and share your heart with.. I'm a lucky sister. I try to not let reality set in when I'm with them. I don't like to think about the 7 hour distance that keeps me from running into their rooms spontaneously or catching them on the couch playing a game and convince them to go outside with me on an "Adventure!"
Right now all I want to do is take in these moments with them.
So that's what I'll do :-)
I'll cross the bridge of reality when it's time.
After exploring Downtown, Lucas showed us these humongous homes nearby.
This one doesn't even seem like it would be a house...but it is.
I LOVE this one!
There is more to come but for now, goodnight to those of you who are interested in reading this blog! There is more to come :-) Also, I have a confession. I've recently gotten myself hooked on playing...tetris. I play every single day and some days I play one too many games of it... But here's a link to it if you wanna waste your time along with me! http://www.tetrisfriends.com/
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