update: this crazy thing called life

wow...it has been one crazy summer! i am always on the go lately and haven't had much time to keep up on my blog! hopefully i can update you on the past month of my life in this blog post, and not have it be forever long. :) no promises though...:)

3 weekends ago, my family traveled to port huron, mi for my cousin kristi's wedding. it was definitely a long drive, however, it was good to see my extended family again. usually summers are the only time that we get to see them so often, so we definitely soak in as much time as we can with them. kristi was a beautiful bride and it was so good to be able to go to her wedding and join in on the celebration for her! i didn't take any pictures..:( which is terrible of me. sorry. :)

2 weekends ago, we had our annual family reunion up in grand rapids, mi. i always love going to this as it is a lot of fun to enjoy our extended family again, and also hanging out with our 2nd cousins. not many families get to do this, and i'm happy that our family is so close. we always enjoy swimming all weekend long as well as eating out ALOT. our family loves food.  :) i didn't take many pictures of this weekend either, as my aunt sue was snapping away like crazy. so, i just enjoyed another weekend of not taking many pictures. here are a few though...:)

{ellie & brayden}

{playing on the playset at the mall}

last weekend i went to grand haven, mi for coastguard festival. this is always something extremely fun that we like to do. we go out on my cousins boat and go riding in spring lake for a while, and then we end up at a cove in the lake called hanky panky. it's a cove where about 400 boats all tie up to each other and just have fun. it's always a crazy time, and you definitely get lots of sun. it was a LONG day, but always a blast.  :)

{jen & i on the boat}

{sara, chad & i}

{coastguard festival!}

{all the blankets laid out for fireworks...crazy!}

{boats in hanky panky}

{chad & scotty swimming in the beautiful water...:)}

{sara, jen & i swimming in the lake...the water was 81!}

that's it for now. i have much more to share of my eventful weekends, but didn't want to bombard you with it all in one post. plus, this will keep you on your toes waiting to see what comes next!  :) summer's fading fast! gotta keep busy!  :)

|favorite photo friday|

MIA

What a summer! I apologize that I haven't updated in awhile, but this summer has been B.U.S.Y! I usually am working all week long, and my weekends are packed full of family reunions, vacations, weddings, anything you can imagine.

I promise, I will post another blog soon...once my life slows down. I'm trying to kick this sickness as well, which has made me very unmotivated to do anything. So bear with me...:)

Great pictures to come and more and exciting things about my summer!

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.