pure michigan

Last week was amazing. I spent a week with my family in Pentwater, Michigan. Only the best place on earth.  :) That is why I've been MIA lately and not updating my blog. :)  It's been quite a busy summer so far! Anyways, we had many days filled with sunshine, lake michigan, boat rides, tubing and just so much fun. I love being with my family and enjoy camping whenever possible. I wish I could have stayed there longer, however, all great vacations have to come to an end.  :( But I have MANY pictures to share with you to keep the memories flowing!  :) Enjoy!

{lovin' the sand}

{dig, dig!}

{playin' with uncle chad}

{diggin' in the sand...his favorite thing}

{mandalyn & pops...love them}

{playin' trucks with uncle chad}

{loved the water!}

{me & my sis}

{papa & brayden taking a rest}

{beautiful sunset}

{ludington}

{i.love.him}

{gramps, gram & mama}

{pops, chad & i at the sunset}

{daye & i after our late night boat ride}

{nana & ellie}

{jen & i...love her}

{momma & little man going for a boat ride}

{papa taking brayden swimming}

{run, run!}

{boat ride time! i love them all!}

{in the sand...again :)}

{such a little fish}

{jumpin' in the waves with ellie!}

{so cute}

{beautiful pentwater}

I am already getting excited for pentwater time next year...:) i love pentwater. :)

ABC's!

I stole this fun little exercise from my best friend Lori, and I'm super excited to do it!  :) I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy filling it out!  :)

A - My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: well, i'm currently living with my sister and brother-in-law, and i'm living in their basement...so if it's 74 upstairs, it's about 63 downstairs...so it's pretty chilly at times.  :)

B - My BEDROOM theme is: i'm not sure if i technically have a "theme" however, I think my bedroom is pretty cute. :)  I have green walls with black accents, including a stylish mirror, and a big canvas of flowers above my bed. I enjoy it.  :)

C - The CAR in the driveway is: a 2001 Ford Escape. It's been a part of my life for a long time now.  :)  We've grown quite close.  :)

D - My DESK looks: like i'm trying to get things cleaned up before i leave for vacation!  :) I'm in the process of cleaning it up so I can come back to a clean desk when I return.  :)

E - The EXACT time I wake up daily is: 5:45am...:( Yes, having a full time job with hardly any breaks kinda sucks at times...:( I miss the days of rolling out of bed at noon.  :)

F - The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: my hair. :)

G - My GARAGE is filled with: again...I live with my sister/brother-in-law...so i don't own a garage. My garage consists of the driveway.  :)

H - My HOUSE is: a bedroom in the basement of my sister and brother-in-law's house. :)

I - If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see: a bed that looks like i just rolled out of it, and laundry hanging in my doorway. :)

J - My favorite JUICE is: V8 splash or apple juice

K - The best part of my KITCHEN is: again, I don't own a kitchen...but I do have food in the kitchen, so I guess that would be the best part.  :) Food is always good!  :)

L - The LAST person who visited my home was: i don't have a home...and honestly i've been so busy that i don't remember who was at their house last...sean's parents maybe??

M - The last piece of MAIL for me was: probably a bill. booooo! :)

N - My NEIGHBORS think I'm: probably weird for moving in with my sister.  :) Or wondering what this girl is doing that is always at the house now.  :)

O - If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: lots of food! Yogurt, oranges, juice, milk, cheese...you know, all the good stuff.

P - My last house PARTY was: when i was living in my apartment...probably new years eve.  :)

Q - A QUICK meal I like to fix: I'm with my bestie Lori on this one...homemade mac n' cheese. It's seriously the best meal ever.  :)

R - My favorite ROOM of the house is: my bedroom. :) It's my own.  :)

S - The SHAMPOO brand I use is: Herbal Essences Drama Clean. My hair is very picky, so I have to be careful on my selection of hair products. :)

T - My largest TELEVISION is: I think 32 inches?? I have no clue...I barely watch the thing.  :)

U - UNDER my bed you will find: crates and boxes full of my things. I had to cram a whole apartment into one bedroom. Have to be creative with how you store stuff.  :)

V - The last time I VACCUMED was: probably when I was living in my apartment.  :) My sister tends to do things secretly when I tell her that I'm going to do it.

W - Looking out my WINDOW I see: a window well. :)  I live in the basement, so it's not the greatest view.  :)

X - I wish I had X-TRA: money...for sure. There are lots of things I can think of that I'd like to do with extra money.  :)

Y - My YARD is: grassy. :) And has a new playset on it for Brayden!

Z - ZZZZZZ My bedtime is: I try to be in bed no later then 10:30...otherwise I'll be struggling the whole next day at work. It's not fun falling asleep in meetings at work because you went to bed too late.  :)

Play along with me! I want to know the ABC's of YOU!  :) Hope you enjoyed!

happy.birthday.america

Fourth of July festivities are always so much fun around my hometown. Our little town far exceeds what any normal little town would normally do for the 4th of july. We have a huge parade, that usually lasts well beyond 2 hours, and in which we collect tons of sugary goodness. :)  Then we head back to my parents for some water fun with the neighbors and just relaxing in the hot scorching sun. And finally, we have many close family and friends who join us for a cookout and fireworks in the evening. It's usually a non-stop day, that is just so much fun, it leaves you exhausted and dreaming of fireworks, fun and friends in your sleep.  :) Can't hardly wait for next year! :)

{the four sisters}

{on our way to the parade!}

{waiting for the parade to begin}

{cousin jen & nora kate}

{only half the candy we caught..:)}

{playing around the yard waiting for the fireworks!}

{ty with his sparkler}

{brayden & gigi eating popcorn!}

{momma & brayden watching fireworks!}

{oooohh! ahhhhh! fireworks!}

happy birthday america!

love.

found this in my journal from my nephew...melts my heart. i love him.

simple

you know when you are a young child, and life to you then seems to be bursting with new opportunities, new learning obstacles, and new challenges each day as you grow. you are so excited to "grow up." to go to school like the other kids...to stay at sleepovers...to get an extended curfew...to get to go to prom. all of these things we had to look forward to as we grew up. all things that seemed back then that if they didn't happen, it was the worst thing that could ever happen. that life was so tough when we didn't get our way.
life seemed so simple back then. where the every day worries that went through our minds were as simple as what we were going to have for lunch that day...or what friends we were going to get to play with...or what we were going to do on a rainy day.

i wish somedays that i could be my kid self again...that i could go back to those times and savor the times that i had...and cherish each moment i got to experience. i wish i could learn to have a kid-like heart again. i wish i could be as trusting as kids are. i wish i could run in the rain because it was fun...and not worry if my hair was going to get messed up, or that i didn't want to ruin my work clothes for the rest of the day. i wish the most stressful thing i would experience would be whether my friend could come over to play or not.

the simplest things in life go unnoticed. the smell of grass on a summer day, the feeling of the sun shining on your face, the breeze blowing through your hair. instead we focus and worry about all the big things going on...work, money, time, friends, weather...and stress out about little things that happen.

i need to learn to be me...simple me. to not be who people want me to be...but to be so much of myself that my personality shines through. that my kid-like heart will help make me smile even when things get tough. that i'll be able to dance in the rain and laugh instead of getting upset that i ruined my hair. i hope i can get back to the simpler things...and just enjoy being me. and the simple life that God has planned out for me.

|summertime favorites|

{beach}

{friends}

{sunsets}

{family}

{camping}

{sand dunes}

{cute little dudes}

{fresh fruit}

{vacation}

{s'mores!}

{ice cream}

{cute painted toenails}

{sunglasses & sunshine}

{lazy days & relaxing}

Can you tell how much I love summer?!?  :)