fourth of july weekend recap part 1

It was a pretty busy weekend around these parts! It's pretty convenient when the 4th of July happens to fall on a Friday, because that means it's a three day weekend and there's lots to do! Friday we headed up to St. Joe, MI for some dinner and fireworks on the beach!

I'm going to be totally honest about these fries. They were literally the best thing I've ever eaten. Better than ice cream even...and if you know me, you know I'm in a pretty serious relationship with ice cream. I would go all the way back to this restaraunt JUST for the fries...and just ask for a plateful. (Maybe 2.)

Okay, I'm done.

Once we finally made the trek to the beach, this guy tried to lay down and take a nap because...

 all the people in the state were at the beach.

We had a few hours to wait for the fireworks. No...my dad did not take his shoes/socks off.

We made a little couch/bed to sit in while we waited.

When it started to get dark, it was really neat to see all the boats pull up to watch the fireworks. 

The fireworks display was really good. It was about 25-30 minutes long. We really enjoyed it!

This turned into a pretty long post with lots of pictures, so I've decided to break this up into two parts. Stay tuned for part two tomorrow!

xoxo, wife.

concert in the park and walking with mom.

1. Go to the beach (more than once, preferably.)
2. Take a trip to Brookfield Zoo.
3. Lose 15 pounds. (Lose 20 pounds.)
4. Read 13 books. (I'm already on #8.)
5. Finally stain the deck.
6.Go on a picnic in the park with Ty.
7. Visit the Farmer's Market and get some fresh flowers.
8. Go to a free concert.
9. Get a pedicure. And a manicure.
10. Go for a hike. (I might regret this one.)
11. Write and send some snail-mail.
12. Go to the driving range. (Might regret that one too.)
13. Do some crafty stuff.
14. Take a walk in the rain.
15. Ride a ferris wheel.

Last night we went to a free concert in the park with my parents. 

It was a good time, and another thing to cross off my summer list. 

Also, my mom and I have gone walking a few mornings this week, in an effort to get a little workout in before starting our day. Thanks to the RunKeeper app on my phone, we're able to log our walks.

Day 1: Around my neighborhood with Abby along for the walk.

Day 2: Around Mom's neighborhood without Abby.

I normally do any type of workout in the evening, so switching it up this week and doing stuff in the mornings is refreshing. I still chose to workout this morning, even though my mom and I didn't walk today, and it feels good to be done for the day at an early hour. OR even to know that I can still get in another workout this evening IF I want to!

xoxo, wife.

summer to do list: one down

1. Go to the beach (more than once, preferably.)
2. Take a trip to Brookfield Zoo.
3. Lose 15 pounds. (Lose 20 pounds.)
4. Read 13 books. (I'm already on #6.)
5. Finally stain the deck.
6.Go on a picnic in the park with Ty.
7. Visit the Farmer's Market and get some fresh flowers.
8. Go to a free concert.
9. Get a pedicure. And a manicure.
10. Go for a hike. (I might regret this one.)
11. Write and send some snail-mail.
12. Go to the driving range. (Might regret that one too.)
13. Do some crafty stuff.
14. Take a walk in the rain.
15. Ride a ferris wheel.

It seems like it's been raining for two weeks. Oh wait, it has. After we ate dinner last night, I asked Ty if he'd go for a walk with me in the rain.

"Why?" he asked.
"Because it's on my list." I said.
"Uh...I guess."

He complained for the first few minutes, but I secretly think he had a good time. It was really peaceful and calming, and who doesn't need some peace and calm in their lives, right?

So we did the loop in the neighborhood behind our house while we held hands and talked and laughed. I kept asking him if he wanted to jump in this puddle...or THIS puddle...or THAT puddle. The answer was always "no!" followed by an eye roll and a laugh. I love this guy, and I'm so happy I get to "do life" with him. How many other guys will go for a walk in the rain when they don't particularly want to, because it will make their wife smile?

xoxo, wife.

random stuff and progress.

Is it weird to be jealous of your cat? Because sometimes I am.

He has a good life, I tell ya!

Yesterday was my dad's birthday so we went over there for some dinner and gifts. My mom got him this awesome Notre Dame desk chair that we watched him put together for about 30 minutes. But it sure turned out good!

Then my dad introduced us to a couple new apps that he probably shouldn't have.

Because they're addicting.

And in other news, I am officially down 15 pounds. I see absolutely NO difference, but I'm assuming the numbers on the scale don't lie. Now that I've hit a "milestone" I feel like I need to be super careful not to mess up and gain it all back. Also, I set goals and "rewards" for each goal. 15 pounds was my first goal and now I get to go get myself a new workout outfit!

So there's a bunch of stuff you didn't really need or want to know about!

xoxo, wife.

blood.

\

OMG I got my blood drawn today. I hate loooooathe getting my blood drawn. And I had to fast for 12 hours on top of it...which didn't turn out to be quite as bad as I thought, because I went as soon as the doctor's office opened. It's just routine blood work, so I didn't need an appointment. I figured if I got there right away, I'd be the first one and could get on with my day. Of course, that's when everyone else thought they'd go too, so I had to wait. And the anticipation of a needle going in my arm and sucking out some of my insides makes me nervous. That and the whole wait-5-MORE-minutes-while-they-try-to-find-a-vein-thing. But alas, I did it...and I didn't cry OR pass out! So I count that as success. I promptly texted Ty this picture. And he replied, "Congrats?" With a question mark. Very condescending-like.

Yes.

Congrats.

It's a big deal.

Next time, you should be a little more excited.

Use exclamation points. (!!!!!!!!) <----- That's what those are.

xoxo, wife.

mondays and "hay" days.

Monday was pretty normal around these parts. I went to lunch with a good friend and her baby, and then went shopping...because that's what I do. I got a couple things, but not much. Then I headed to the grocery store and bought more stuff. I was in line putting my groceries up on the...what's that thing called? The conveyor? Well anyway, I was piling my groceries up on that conveyor thingy, and I dropped an entire container of grapes on the floor. I stared in horror as millions hundreds probably 70 green and red grapes rolled all over the aisle. There was no one behind me. So I started to think about what I should do. Should I say something? Pretend it never happened? Then I hear behind me, "Ma'am? You've spilled your grapes all over the floor. Would you like me to get you some new ones?" I turned around and this poor grocery woman was on the floor picking up my dang grapes. I felt bad, so I pulled out the, "Oh my goodness! I didn't even notice! Here, let me help you!" And I got down on the ground and helped. I denied her offer to get me a new container of grapes, paid, and left with my head hung in shame. Like I said, pretty normal day.

When Ty got home, he worked out in the garage a little. I came out to sit on the step and talk with him while he worked, and I noticed that his tire was looking a little low. He went over to check it out, and found a nail in the tire, and had to put on the spare.

And that was the progression of jacking up a truck...in case you were wondering.

The good thing is, he had a handy helper.

Ok...maybe not handy...but definitely cute.

Today (Tuesday) I deemed Laundry Day. Ty had worked outside baling hay with his dad the other day, and had come home and said he was putting his clothes right in the washer so he wouldn't track hay through the house. There were only a few things in the washer, so I filled it up with some of our other stuff and washed it. Lo and behold when I went to put it in the dryer, there was stupid, wet hay stuck to all our clothes! And tons of hay left over in the washing machine. Boy...was I seeing red. Ty received the following messages:

He apologized and admitted to making a mistake, so over the course of the 90 minutes it took for those clothes to dry, I calmed down considerably. But then I went to open the dryer, and this hay-ball shot out at me.

Then I had to shake out each piece of clothing before folding it. Perhaps I should have washed the clothes again. But my brain told me that I washed the hay...so the hay was clean...therefore the clothes are clean. I then had to vacuum the floor, the lint trap, and the inside of the dryer to get rid of the rest of the hay. Stupid hay. From now on, I demand that all hay-clothes are to be washed outside BY HAND. 

And that concludes my rant.

xoxo, wife.

it was a kind of good, kind of rough day.

On Saturday, we got up early and went fishing with my parents for Father's Day.

It started off okay, until I tried to get into the very unstable boat.
And fell.
And banged myself up pretty badly.
While everyone else laughed at me.
In their defense, I'm sure it was pretty funny.
But dang...it hurt!

After that, things got better.
I caught the first fish of the day. (Yes, I know it's dinky.)

See those matching green people in the boat back there?

Yep, those are my parents.

So you've seen a picture of three of us with fish...

but not my Mom.

Because she didn't catch a dang thing the whole time.

But asked my dad at one point, "Hey, where's my bobber?"

To which he replied, "Under the water! You might wanna reel that in!"

But nothing.

Then we went to a local festival to get some food.

And then, it was time to head to Chicago for a concert with some friends.

Let's just say that Ty was not exceptionally thrilled about driving on the Skyway.

And even less thrilled at the $4 it cost just to drive across!

We got there a few hours early and decided to walk around and be tourists for awhile.

Millenium Park

I begged Ty to take me to The Bean. I've seen so many pictures of people going there and taking selfies, and I HAD to keep up with the rest of them. It was only a 10 minute walk from where we were, so we went!

And I got my selfie!

That guy there...talking to Ty?

Yeah we're pretty sure he was drunk.

He tried to get us to give him money for homeless kids.

It was pretty much baloney.

Outdoor concert area at Millenium Park

The we got hungry and started looking for a place to eat. We found this.

And I made my husband proud and got the Green Bay dog. I wonder why they called it that?

:)

After walking around some more, we found the fanciest cafe I've ever been to.

They served me that large cookie on a class dish, and Ty's coffee on a wooden tray.

Only the very best for us!

And also, I think my husband is pretty handsome!

Then it was time for more walking around.

And then we headed to the House of Blues for the concert.

It was a pretty cool venue.

BUT.

There were lots of people.

And it was packed and unorganized.

And I started to panic.

I made it through the opening act, but sometime during the setup for the main band, I started having a panic attack. I know that when I have a panic attack, I need to get myself away from what's making me panic. So I a place to catch my breath and get some air, and Ty got me some water.

After sitting there a few minutes, the band began to play. I decided to try again.

This is NeedtoBreathe. They were very good, and I tried my very hardest to enjoy them and have a good time.

I lasted approximately 5 songs before I started to have another panic attack, and we had to leave.

I was really upset, and may have cried some.

But as soon as we got outside, I felt better.

Ty was really sweet about it, and made it very clear that he wasn't upset about it at all.

And so we headed home and arrived around 2:00am.

It was a fun day, but between falling in the boat and having a panic attack and having to leave early...my pride took a hit.

But at least I had a good time in between the bad chunks.

xoxo, wife.