4th of July Weekend

I had an amazing 4th of July weekend. I'm currently on rebound from it.

On Thursday, July 3rd, Dan and I met some friends for dinner while my parents watched Audrey, and then we watched fireworks together. We saw the fireworks in Allegan, which were nice, but it was much more fun to people watch. I'll leave it at that.

On the 4th, we had some friends over, had pizza, and enjoyed some sparklers and low-key fireworks.

On the 5th, Dan spoiled me for my birthday. He brought me a Starbucks vanilla steamer in bed, picked some flowers with Audrey out back and put them in a vase for me, took me out to dinner (just the two of us), and had my family over for MacKenzie's cake (the best cake ever)!

Today, it's back to reality!

Fun Audrey Videos

So, I tried uploading some fun videos of Audrey to this Blog, but it was way too slow for my patience. If you'd like to see them, go to www.youtube.com and type "audreyrose" in the search field. I posted three videos ("Audrey Loves Dogs," "Audrey Loves Balloons" and "Audrey Loves Daddy"). Enjoy!

Busy Weekend!

As my title reads, it was a "Busy Weekend!" Friday night, I saw a friend I have known since middle school. She is so much fun, and I can't imagine my life without her. Everyone needs a friend like that. Her and her husband were living in England, where he is from, and moved to the U.S. within the last year. Before living in England, she was living in Miami. I never thought I'd see the day she would move back to Michigan. Anyway, they just moved into a new house, so Dan and I went to Grand Rapids to BBQ with them and hang out. The house is gorgeous. I'm so happy for them.

Saturday I saw my grandma who was in town staying with my parents. We hung out with her, my parents and my sister. I posted a picture of Audrey sleeping in the swing there. So cute!

Sunday we went to church and hung out with some young adults from church in the evening. It was nice!

Disappointed

Dan had been planning a fundraising event for his friend from work. His friend and two of his sons are biking from the Pacific to the Atlantic in an event called "Sea to Sea." The mission of this trip is to fight poverty. Dan planned a "Night of Music," which he advertised in the church bulletin and newsletter weeks ahead of time. I think maybe ten people, who weren't a part of the event, showed up. I told Dan that it was just embarrassing to have an opportunity to represent our church and have such low attendance. It's disappointing.

On a happier note, this is Dan's second Father's Day. Audrey drew him a picture in his card and got him a digital frame for his desk at work. She was so excited when he got home this morning. It's so cute the way she says "Daddy!" He's a great dad!

Missouri

We're home from Missouri! We had a great time, but it feels good to be home. Audrey did great with the drive and adjusting to new places.

We stopped in St. Louis on the way to Reeds Spring. We were able to go to the St. Louis zoo and the arch, which was fun. I'm not afraid of heights, but I didn't care for the noises that could be heard on the ride up the arch. Our condo is Reeds Spring was awesome. It was 10 minutes from Branson, and had a splash park we could walk to that Audrey just loved. I was sad to leave there.

We stayed the last 2 nights in Springfield. No Brad Pitt sightings (he grew up there and has family that still lives there). I guess he visits quite often. The hotel we stayed at the last 2 nights was not the greatest. Dan purposely didn't tell me that he spotted a foot long earthworm until AFTER we left. Yuck!

For those of you who don't know, we went to Missouri for Dan's brother's wedding. The rehearsal dinner was at a farm where they grow their own ingredients in their recipes. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was breathtaking. The wedding was gorgeous. From the daisy wreaths and floral arrangements to the string quartet and amazing vocalists/instrumentalists, everything was perfect.

The reception was at a beautiful country club. They had a live band, which was so much fun, babysitting (yeah!), an ice sculpture, strawberry shortcake bar, gorgeous floral centerpieces, a rolls royce to transport them to their bed and breakfast, and so much more. I could go on and on. It was unbelievable.

We made it home yesterday, and I'm ready for some rest and relaxation.

The Dishwasher

So, I love my husband. He is awesome, but has one area that needs improvement...loading the dishwasher! I have no clue what he is thinking when he is putting the dirty dishes in it. He puts bottle caps face up so they collect water, there isn't one neat row of glasses or plates, and dishes overlap each other to the point that it isn't possible for all of them to get clean. I guess it's the thought that counts! I've learned to keep my mouth shut and rearrange them when he isn't looking. :-)



I got my hair both cut and colored today. It felt so nice to be in the salon and just read a magazine while waiting for my color to take. The color change is pretty subtle, but I really like it. My hairdresser is only 21. I love listening to her stories, but it makes me realize all the more that I'm no longer 21, or even in my twenties at at that!

Road Trip

I'm going to try to be good about blogging regularly, but knowing me I will start out doing it daily, then weekly, then monthly. Let's hope not. I should think positively, which isn't always easy for me. Case in point. We took a trip to Hope/Midland today to visit Dan's mom's grave and hang out with his family. It's a little more than 2.5 hours each way. We stopped about half way, picked up Dan's brother and his fiance, and let Audrey run around. Let's just say that Dan's brother and his fiance probably no longer want kids. I love my 13 month old daughter, but I don't have patience, and neither does she. Well, the "Debbie Downer" I can be, I now dread the drive to Missouri. It's a 10.5 hour drive! We are going to break it up into 2 days of driving, but still! Maybe practice will make perfect.

Everyone wanted to go to Cold Stone Creamery at the end of the day. We waited in line for 1 hour! No, I'm not joking. They had only 3 people working. We got some good visiting in while we were waiting in line, and it did taste really good. I'm so thankful for Dan' dad. He loves every minute he can spend with Audrey, so he played with her the whole time.

It was great seeing Dan's family and having the opportunity to spend time at the grave. It's been only 2 years since Dan's mom's death. It seems like it has been much longer. She's buried at a very serene cemetery in Hope. I'm sure she was watching Audrey from heaven. I wish I could have seen the joy I know Audrey would have brought her here on earth.