WEEKEND IN MICHIGAN

We had a super fun weekend in New Buffalo, Michigan! We went to stay at Michelle and Justin's family's home! It was Michelle, Justin, Erik, me, Sarah, and Jeff Cooper. We've all hung out before for Michelle and Justin's wedding, so everyone knew each other pretty well!

We drove up Friday night after work. The drive was only an hour and a half, so it wasn't that bad. We had reservations at a restaurant on the lake! We ate outside, and the weather was beautiful!

Saturday the boys had an early tee time, and the girls had a date with the outlet mall!! It was a lot of fun shopping, because we all actually found stuff we liked, and everything was on sale! After shopping we met up with the boys at the beach. They got there before us and were playing with the other couples' dogs. Our dogs were also invited, but we thought three more would be a little overwhelming! Even though it was a little chilly, we all got in the water! I hadn't swam all summer, which is very unusual for me!! The water felt great!! We went back to the house, cleaned up, and got mexican food for dinner, and Oink's ice cream for dessert! Later that night we stayed up a few hours playing games, and ended it with a dip in the hot tub!

Sunday the Coopers had to leave early to take their pup to puppy school. Michelle, Justin, Erik, and I had a great breakfast in town, then spent all day at the beach!! It was so nice to just lay in the sun and hear the waves! Usually I can't just lay there, but this time it was so relaxing that I didn't want to be doing anything else!

By evening time we went back to straighten up the house, and load up the car! It was a fun weekend, but too short! We all would have loved to stay the week!

3rd ANNIVERSARY

Erik and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary last weekend! We really cannot believe that it's been 3 years! I think the last year has really flown by for us! I got a nice surprise on our actual anniversary last Tuesday. A package was delivered to me at work. I had no idea what it could be! It looked like one of the boxes we get our knee braces delivered in! Inside was a clear box that had three roses, a paper rose, a cotton rose, and a leather rose. Each rose was for the traditional yearly gift! Very sweet! I called Erik right away and asked him where he came up with that? His reply was, "I'm brilliant!" Haha! I told him, "Let's not get carried away!"

That evening I gave him a new "leather" wallet, and he also got my a WillowTree figurine. It's of a couple embracing, and has written, "for those who found their true partner in love and life." So very thoughtful!

On Friday night we had dinner reservations at Geja's, a fondue restaurant downtown. We've been wanting to go there for a while now, but have never had the chance! The atmosphere was very cozy, and the food was delicious! We had a really nice anniversary!

MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY

Having the 4th of July on a Saturday was perfect!! Luckily we had Friday off from work. Our friend Cramer came to visit for the weekend. Friday we went downtown to the beach with Erik's brother, Matt. He has a condo down there, so it was really easy and convenient to get around. The beach was packed!! We meet up with two of my girlfriends who had a volleyball court reserved. It was so nice to be right by the water, with the skyline in the background! After the beach, we got cleaned up, got some dinner, then went to Millennium Park to wait for fireworks!

We were really glad we had such a great sunny day on Friday, because it rained most of Saturday, the 4th. Erik's Dad has an annual bash at his house. It was a great setup this year with tents, so we weren't really affected by the rain! We played cards most of the afternoon, and ate a ton of great food! Once the rain finally stopped everyone played bags for a while until we walked over to watch Bartlett's fireworks. It was probably one of the best shows! After that we went back to Fred's for a bonfire, and played outside til about 2 am!

Sunday the sun was back out again! We came home and relaxed for a while, then got our chores done for the weekend! The 4th of July is my all time favorite holiday. It's summer time, we grill out, we hangout with family, and we get to see fireworks!! I love it all!

10 YEAR REUNION

Erik and I celebrated our 10 year high school reunion at the end of June. I was actually part of the planning committee. At first I thought, "What have I gotten myself into?" It seemed as though we would never get anything actually put together in the short amount of time we had! Well everything worked out just fine! And I had fun reconnecting with a few of my old friends who I hadn't seen in a while!

Friday evening we had a gathering at a sports bar in Bartlett. There was a pretty good crowd of about 70 or so people. At first I was disappointed because we graduated with a class of 600, but after talking with several older adults, I guess we had a pretty good turnout!

Saturday we rented out the Schaumburg Club sky box bar at Alexian Field. It was nice to have the baseball game going on in the background! It ended up being a really fun night! We got to catch up with a bunch of our friends who we hadn't seen in a while. We decided that not much had changed after 10 years! I went home very thankful for the path my life has taken over the past 10 years.