IKEA

So today, I drove out to Canton to go to IKEA to spend my birthday money. I forgot how long of a drive it is out there; it was awful. I finally got there and started dancing and singing in the car by myself, making up songs about how amazing and wonderful IKEA is. (Brett would have died listening to that!) So I got inside, breathed that fresh air of IKEA scent, and ventured into the hallways of wonderfulness. I spent a good three hours in there, perusing the new items, running around matching pillow covers to our curtains, pondering over which lamp shade to purchase, you know, the usual. It was absolutely wonderful. I even picked up a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls for our guests who are staying the night this weekend. So I drove home and unloaded and put away what I could.

(the rec room)

(we call it the rec room because we don't know what else to call it)

(we have too many rooms for our own good)

(another angle and this is only 1/4 of the room,

there is a hallway that leads down to the office)

After I got my stuff put away, I ran to the grocery store to completely stock up our fridge for our guests/party this weekend. I've never seen our refrigerator more full. Now I have an IKEA hangover; exhausted with a major headache. But I'm loving our apartment. There is still so much to do, but I'm starting to wonder if I want to work on this apartment that much. I might save all of this energy for when we buy a house. At least I'm buying all things we can take with us.

currently playing:

badly drawn boy - cause a rockslide

23rd birthday

So my 23rd birthday was over one minute ago. I'm now officially 23 years old. It's so crazy to think of how old I'm getting. I mean, I know 23 isn't old by any means, but I still feel like I'm eighteen most days. But then again, I'm married, I'm so ready to buy a house, to have a newfoundland puppy, to have a full-time career, and start having kids in a few years. It's all so crazy. I'm 23 going on 18 going on 28. Such a great place to be. (I'll always be a kid.)

(my last hour of being 22 years old)

Today, I worked most of the day, which wasn't all so bad. I got donuts for my birthday, a slice of free pizza from the safety meeting, and lots of "happy birthdays" from coworkers. Shar even stopped in to give me more gifts, even though her and my Dad already did way too much. After work got done, I was stuck in tourist traffic because Grand Haven is a madhouse right now with festival. I waited 45 minutes at the secretary of state (last minute, eek!) and finally got my license plate renewed and sped home. Brett surprised me with a gift he got of flowers and a watering can. I've been complaining so bad because I keep having to go in and out to refill my pitcher to water my plants so it was so sweet. And he got my flowers I can replant (not chopped flowers.. such a waste) He knows me so well and his gift was my favorite of all. Brett's parent's came and took us out to Olive Garden! I consumed my millions of points on chicken alfredo with pride, went back to their house to watch The Bachelorette: After the final rose and to open my birthday gift of a candle and money (spending it at IKEA!) And I even got confetti cake; my absolute favorite. <3

currently playing:

benton falls - all these things

Dancing in the streets

So this year was not as much fun as the past few years, but we still had to at least go down there. It's tradition. So Peter, Brett and I got a bite for dinner and walked down. We walked around the carnival for a bit, ran into a few kids here and there that we knew. The carnival is set up different this year and it's not half as cool, because they don't have The Orbiter there this year! Brett and I are so glad we were able to ride it in St. Joseph, because we aren't going to be able to at Coast Guard festival! Grrrr.

So we walked to "Street Dance" and all 3 of us didn't feel like dancing. Haha; we shook our butts for a second and decided to call this year good. It's way more fun when you have a lot of friends who are there. Next year, I feel like I'm going to have to plan it out more!

(dancing in the streets, '09)

So we felt like swimming instead, so we ran home, got our suits on and drove down to city beach parking. The air was so much colder down by the water, and the sand was freezing cold when we walked down the beach! The water actually wasn't too bad but with the air/sand being so cold, we decided that didn't seem like much fun either, so us three old fogies headed home after suuuch a fun-filled evening. Nevertheless, I can't complain. Our summer has been amazing thus far, and we have plans for every single weekend here on out, until even after I start fall semester. It's nuts!

(cold beach sunset!)

currently playing:

the appleseed cast - e to w

Wisconsin trip

Saturday morning, Brett and I woke up early to head to the ferry! We got our tickets, got our car parked on the ferry and headed upstairs. We sat down inside for a little while (I felt so sick) and so we decided to try going outside and upstairs on the deck. I immediately felt so much better and not so seasick, and it was so windy and amazing up there! The view of Lake Michigan at the point where you couldn't see land on either side of you (Muskegon or Milwaukee) was so super amazing! Brett and I had a lot of fun taking wind photos. It was a pretty long trip. We sat down, laid in the sun on the deck, and waited until we could finally see the Milwaukee skyline.

We got into Milwaukee and drove more into the downtown area. The whole city just seemed to be under construction, and just dirty, gross and bums everywhere. I swear we were approached by bums more than 10 times in our short hour long stay in disgusting Milwaukee. We stopped to some mall right downtown to find some food, because we couldn't find a nice restaurant anywhere. Ended up eating at Culver's in some crappy mall, with crappy food and crappy service; it was sick. The beach in Milwaukee is nothing like Michigan's beaches, and there was really nothing to do there at all so we left immediately in hopes that Madison would be better.

Madison was about an hour and a half away. Wisconsin is so entirely confusing and they don't have road signs, so we got lost and had to stop for directions on how to get there. Finally got there and parked in some parking garage, found The Majestic Theater so we knew where we had to be, and ended up walking around downtown Madison. We found the capitol building which was a pretty cool view. We ended up spotting this building and ended up going to it. It was called the Monona Terrace and we found out that it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright which is really neat. It was right on Monona Lake which was pretty, but we were like, "Is this it?" to do in Madison?! The streets were like empty, no shopping, no nothing. We ended up asking a guy where to go for shopping, and he said to go to State street on the other side of the capitol. So we headed out there and holy crap, it was a different city! Tons of shopping (Ragstock!, Urban Outfitters, American Apparel) so that street ended up being pretty awesome! We went in some record shops, shopped at Urban, got some individual pizzas at Gino's Italian restaurant, then we didn't know what else to do so we went back to Monona terrace. We got pictures on the rooftop gardens with a view of the capitol building.

(me in front of the madison state capitol on monona terrace)

After that, we had no idea what to do. Wisconsin isn't really the most exciting place on the planet. So we walked over to the capitol building, sat on a park bench, ended up walking back to State St. to get some Cold Stone Creamery. Walked back to The Majestic Theater after that around 9 pm. The Majestic Theater was pretty cool setting for a show. The first two bands were alright, but The Riverdales were awesome. It was really cool seeing Ben Weasel in person for the first time. They did a great set and Brett and I both really liked them. After that, we left Madison around 1 am and I drove us straight home. We drove through Chicago around 3 am and I had never taken that way. It was such a cool road through Chicago. (Love that city.) And we ended up getting home to Grand Haven around 7 am. Definitely a fun trip to Wisconsin, but probably a one-time thing, unless someday we go to the Wisconsin Dells. Brett and I both complained about Wisconsin so bad, with the exception of the few fun things to do in Madison, but it was definitely a fun experience to see a new state! <3

currently playing:

sleeping at last - porcelain

Tails & Trails, Saugatuck, Michigan

Every time we babysit Maggie, we take her to the dog park by Saugatuck. So today, we decided it would be fun to take Maggie and Cassie. Usually, there are so many dogs playing and it is such a blast! But we got back there and there were no dogs for them to play with! We took them through the the trails and let them roam around a little bit, but we left way earlier than normal because it wasn't half as fun. It was such a bummer!

(getting a drink)

So, we decided to venture over to Saugatuck, Michigan. We did the same thing last year with Maggie and it was a blast. That town is neat to look through and they have the best ice-cream shoppe. Next time, we decided to not bring two dogs because people kept stopping saying what cute dogs they were, what breed are they?, awww, so cute. Brett and I were complaining people were a little too friendly, haha! (Hey, c'mon, we're used to living in Grand Rapids) But it was still really neat and we want to go back there sometime to eat dinner, walk through those artsy-fartsy shops and look around. Definitely cute town to visit.

(brett // saugatuck)

currently playing:

homer hiccolm and the rocketboys - heartbeat

St. Joseph, Michigan

After our Bear Cave visit to Buchanan, Michigan, we decided to drive out to St. Joseph because we both have never been there. It was only about 20 minutes away and a straight shot west to downtown. We ended up getting downtown and it was packed and we had no idea why. Apparently, there was a huge festival called the Venetian Festival. We paid way too much for parking and walked downtown. We both fell in love immediately and decided we are going to live there. Seriously. The downtown area is so cute. It's like a lot like Grand Haven, but has a lot more stuff to do for a younger crowd too. It was a two second walk down to the beach where we discovered a really nice carnival, tons of tents with food and crafts. We bought tickets for the carnival, of course. We rode The Orbiter and The Screamer. Then we walked down to their beach to check it out, and it was the BEST beach. Even better than Grand Haven. Their coastline was more flat and just so picturesque. It was like we were in a movie. Lake Michigan was just gorgeous, the beach was amazing. Everybody in that town just looked so happy. Brett and I were like, "There has to be a catch." Brett said you must have to sell your soul to live there. Haha! But truly - such a happy, amazing, beautiful town. We definitely would love to live there.

(brett on silver beach, st. joseph, michigan)

Brett and I came home and researched it even more. St. Joe is 1 hour and 27 minutes away from Grand Haven, 1 hour 23 minutes away from Grand Rapids and 1 hour 47 minutes away from Chicago, IL. How more perfect could that be for us? Nice suburbia, plus lots of farmers markets on the way, gorgeous Lake Michigan beach, very diverse, super cute downtown area, lots of shopping, lots to do, perfect place to raise kids, and very close to family and friends and really really close to Chicago. Maybe it was just a first impression, but that town seemed too good to be true for us.

currently playing:

living with lions - she's a hack

Bear Cave

Brett and I woke up at 4:30 am this morning to bring his parents to the Gerald R. Ford airport for a trip to Montana. We grabbed a bite at IHOP, came home and watched 2 movies, while I played a good four hours of Sims 3. We were supposed to have plans to go out with friends, but they didn't work out and we had no idea what we were going to do. It was dark, cloudy and very boring, so we decided to take a trip. Brett was like, "Are there any caves in Michigan?" So we looked it up online and there is only one in the lower peninsula. So we went. It was called Bear Cave, in Buchanan, Michigan, about 1 hour and 40 minutes away from Grand Haven. And it was seriously awesome. It ended up being a gorgeous day more south. It was such a hole in the wall where you bought your ticket, the tickets were $2 and the girl said, "Okay, the entrance is through that door over there." And Brett and I were like... "Whaaaat?" But we walked through the door and 40 feet under the surface to find the only natural tavern cave in the LP. It was so so unexpected and in the middle of nowhere, and seriously just an amazing surprise. Indians used to live down there, The Great Train Robbery was filmed there (amazing!) and it was also used for the underground railroad! We loved every second of our cave visit. Random, spontaneous, happy accidents are the best.

(walking through the cave!)

currently playing:

living with lions - a bottle of charades

Typical summer weekend

This past weekend was definitely a good one. Friday night, we walked downtown to the candy shop, had a dance party in our living room with Peter and Andrea, and went to go see Public Enemies with everyone. It was kind of a boring movie, but kind of neat because I remember last year when Jen, Sarah and I saw the "making of" when we were on our trip in downtown Chicago!

(dance party!)

Saturday, we finished painting the rec room (looks so good!) And biked down to the beach to meet up with Pete & Andrea. We went swimming in the lake (finally dunked all the way under!) But it was still really cold, so I didn't stay in too long. We laid on the beach for a while, ran into Jeremy and Kait, so they came and hung out with us for a while.

After the beach, we biked home and waited for Jer and Kait to come over. We went and got some dinner at Pavilion Wharf and walked around. We met up with Peter and Andrea again and all walked down to the pier. Afterwards Jer and Kait headed home, and the four of us went to Brett's parent's house so we could sit around the bon fire and eat s'mores. Mmmm!

currently playing:

latterman - this project is stagnant (get it out of my face)

Girl's night

Wednesday night, I picked up Kait and Mani in Grand Rapids, and we all headed out to Middleville to Brenna's for girl's night! We got there, ate some snacks, and watched Wristcutter's: A Love Story. Afterwards, we decided to have a photo shoot, of course. I was setting up my self-timer up on the counter, and Mani bent over the counter to look at my screen, and all of a sudden I heard a "sizzzzzz" and I look up and Mani's hair is on fire! I was in such shock!! She ran to the bathroom and her hair ended up being fine, but we were just on the floor laughing it was the craziest thing ever. You know it's a crazy girl's night when hair starts catching on fire. Hahahaha; I can't not laugh when I think about it. After our photo shoot, I drove the girls back to GR, dropped Mani off in heritage hill (had no idea she is 2 seconds from my old apartment!) and dropped Kait off in Standale, and finally made it home myself by 2 am. Love these girls. I feel like I have an amazing group of girls. And I can't wait to build even better friendships with each one of them. <3

(me, bren, kait, mani)

currently playing:

say hi to your mom - these fangs

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! Brett and I ate dinner at Brett's parent's and I ate a huge piece of confetti cake. It was so delicious. They were cracking up at me, because I didn't want to eat it, and just sat there looking at it. I said, "I want this piece of cake to be in my future, not my past. So I don't want to eat it." Everyone was laughing. Hehe.

Afterwards, we went out to Brenna's, because her family was renting a cottage right on Lake Michigan which was awesome. We played some catch phrase, and then all drove back to our place, so we could walk downtown to the fireworks. We met up with Rick and Colleen who saved us some amazing seats. We waited in a huge line for ice-cream, popcorn and soda and sat back down to watch amazing fireworks. I LOVE fireworks and fourth of July, and spending time with amazing friends. <3

(andrew, brenna, andrea, pete)

currently playing:

takka takka - fever

Gun Lake

Friday, we headed out to Gun Lake with Peter & Andrea to see the fireworks and to eat delicious grilled foods. We walked out on the boardwalk and took a few pictures. I remember three years ago, we were here and I was just dating Brett and I was so in love with him after just two weeks of dating. And I remember he was saying, "Someday when my wife is pregnant, I'm just going to call her preggers instead of her name." And I remember thinking, "I want to be his wife." And it was only after 2 weeks of dating. Hahaha. Now we're married and it's the best thing to ever happen.

Anyway, we played some catch and hung out, until Matt, Mani, Zach and Brenna showed up. We played some wiffleball (of course, tradition) and ate some dinner and watched the fireworks. I love our friends. Such a great night.

I've never laid eyes on a more attractive person, seriously and I'm not just saying that because he's my husband. I couldn't have found a better person who would match exactly what I wanted my husband to look like. He seriously takes my breath away still.)

(the greatest girls alive minus kate)

currently playing:

the jealous sound - got friends

30 pounds!

So I finally hit my 30 pound weight loss mark. That means I'm down to an exact 120 pounds, the ultimate goal I set for myself January 1st. I still cannot believe I did it, actually did it. Most everyday I still feel self-conscious and extremely overweight and fat, but that is something I'm sure I will always have to deal with because I'm so used to feeling that way. It took exactly six months from January 1 to July 1. Through weight watcher's (the greatest program ever) and running constantly and competing in a 5k race, I was able to accomplish the impossible. So many great things have come from this diet. I've gotten into the healthy BMI weight range, I ran a 5k race in 30 minutes (me? seriously?), I've inspired so many friends and family to live healthier lifestyles, I've learned portion control, and I love shopping. Most of the clothes I love to wear now, I would have never worn when I was 30 pounds heavier, so I feel like I'm more myself. I can wear the style I want and dress the way I want because I feel comfortable enough to do so. That is truly such a great feeling.

If I can do it, anybody can do it. My biggest advice? Eat what you love. I still treat myself to chicken fingers, fries and ranch, I just don't eat it every single week like I used to. Pick something active and learn to love it. I used to hate running, now? I absolutely love running and the feeling of a good workout. Learn to love vegetables. (You'll never get anywhere without them), drink plenty of water, but if you can't live without soda, just go for diet. It's just as bad for you as regular soda, but just limit yourself. I have one coffee and one diet soda a day. Also, late night sweet-tooths are my weakness. I go for three spoonfuls of ice-cream, and call it good and done. And don't give up! I've had so many gain and no loss weeks, and I've cried and have gotten pissed, but I never went and binged on food, or cried over a tub of ice-cream. I've cried on a treadmill and I've cried over the sink after weighing in, but I just never gave up. That is the biggest thing. You can do it, just don't give up.

currently playing:

copeland - may i have this dance?