Around

Here's my brother Ben and my mom. We dropped Jonathan off at the bowling alley today in Richland. Cheap bowling and also saying hi to Ben's old childhood friend Kevin. They all have kids, go figure. I had to say goodbye to my nephew, but before I did, I made him the awesomest new CD, which featured the Bob the Builder which he breaks into song constantly! He loved it! He clapped his little hands and sang along! I love 3 year olds! Oh, and my brother for spawning him as well. Thanks Ben!

Jim is back from vacation, which means he's now packing up everything in his parents home for his big move this weekend to Baltimore. I've basically been doing most of the packing. Uhg. He OWES me! We took a break and went to Meijer to get more packing tape. But mostly so that we could sit around on the furniture, play with the balls, throw things at each other, beat each other up with foam swards, then eventually get chased out by the security guard. Awesome. Renegades!

My favorite guy

Playing with work machines on the patio with grandmaShucking corn with Aunt Jane.
Picinic lunch down by the beach!

Jonathan- he is my favorite little person ever! I love being with my nephew, and being home for so long has let me spend so much time with him! Love it!

Tuckered out

All I could think of all day, after transporting Dan to the airport across the state was of going here. I retired early for bed. Except I was back to reading Breaking Dawn.

South Haven

A short road trip and a day at the beach! South Haven, MI is one of the most beautiful places in the world to me. I spent many a summer there with my family, either just for the day, or a week at a time, renting a cottage. I love going back, spending time on the beach, swimming and walking on the pier.

Dan, Mom, Jane
Tall shipRachel and Jane!We made dinner for my parents (mmmm...corn on the cob and steak and salad!). I also succeeded in making a strawberry rhubarb pie. SO good. I can bake! Heather came over to say goodbye (heading back to Chicago) and we watched the Olympics while feasting on the delicious pie. A really great day!

Aftermath

Jane Bash is ALWAYS fun, however the clean up the next day is just a given chore. It's alright! I had help! Dan and Rachel were troopers! We had a wonderful breakfast at Frona's on the lake with Jim and Ari before they took off for their vacation, then we cleaned up remnants of fireworks, beer bottles, pop bottles, shoes, bugspray, towels...then we laid around like lugs. We finished the day off with a movie for $3.50 per person. I heart Michigan prices.

Dan and I cleaned up all the chairs with the golf cart.



We laid around on the hammock a bit





Then we returned cans for money!

Jane Bash 08!

The BEST Jane Bash to date!! Hooray! I love Jane Bash! All my favorite people (or nearly all) in one place for an awesome day of eating, swimming, boating, tubing, volleyball, bonfire, s'mores, fireworks and catching up with ALL my friends. :)
Group shot in the gazebo.Heather and Dan hitting each other while Gwen and Carrie sit in their usual Jane Bash chairs.Jim- after I threw him violently from the tube!A little rain over the lake, but none over us!Here's my friend Jim. He has a ritual of setting our old Christmas trees on fire. Yay Jim!

Bike around Gull Lake

Dan and I borrowed bikes from my aunt Jan to ride around Gull Lake today. We made it!!!

Enough fireworks to blow up the world

Jim, Brad, Dan and I went to Indiana today. Not as a vacation. Just to cross the border and illegally buy boat loads of fireworks for Jane Bash this weekend. It was strategically planned, bought and stashed in my mom's car to move across the border. Nothin' like buying illegal fireworks and carting them across state lines. :) Fun will be had!

Dan's here! Jane Camp begins!

Fun in East Lansing!



Spidey Dan!

Family together

Fun family times on the lake after dinner tonight! Here's Jonathan and Justin feeding the fish. Amy
Sunset on Gull Lake

Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere.

My mom, Daisy and I redid the guest bedroom for Dan's arrival this week. It was a big job, which made Daisy and my mom tired!

More camping and Laura's wedding shower

To sum up, I am tired, but entertained and happy. It's been an incredibly long weekend of here and there and everywhere. I was BACK up to camping this morning after the wedding, then back down home to shower, then off to Laura's parents house in Kalamazoo for her wedding shower (she's getting married in October). Good times with Carrie, Katie, Gwen and Laura. My girls were back together again! Yay! This evening I spent sucked back into my Twilight book, which I'm addicted to.

Jim and Ari's World Fair Extravaganza 2008

The time finally came! Jim and Ari's wedding- I'll let the pictures speak!

tour de Michigan

Started out with camping this morning, I made an awsome breakfast with my cousin Chrissy.

Bath in the lake with cousin Johnny.
My cousin's baby- Cole
the kids fishing with Aunt Judy (my mom)
Down the state to Jim's rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, then bachelor party! let the good times roll! Here's Jim, Davis and Ryan- gotta love my boys from high school!
I won third place in poker! I don't even know how to PLAY poker!!Jime cleaning house at poker. It's only fitting that he won!The bachelo party gang at the end of the night.