Assorted Photos

So, I'm sick of organizing my photos into groups...it takes too much time. So here are some cute photos. Make up your own stories...









More later!

Sandcastles - The Experience

Babcai, Mama, Ella, and I enjoyed our first trip to the Sandcastles Children's Museum in Ludington, Michigan. It was REALLY cute! Let me give you a tour...

See Ella playing in the water? If you look at the next picture and can't figure out what she's doing, I'm certainly not going to tell you...



And then there was the tree-house slide...



And fun with Mama and...bugs (thanks Babcia).




And then it was off to the orchard. The perfect spot for a two year-old who LOVES repetition. Grab an apple, put it in the bucket. Grab an apple, put it in the bucket. Wow. I'd love to say more, but what else could I say about it?



And that was the museum! Fun times, and lots of repetition.

Uncle Mott - The Infatuation

So, Ella's newest love is Uncle "Mott". I am no longer Aunt Nannon...I am merely a means to getting to Uncle Mott. In fact, I called my parents' house yesterday and my mom answered the phone saying, "Hi Aunt Karin!".

I heard Ella in the back ground: "Nannon? Mott! Mott! Mott!" Apparently she even picked up another cordless phone, held it to her head and continued calling for Matt. Sheesh.

Here is one of the reasons why she loves him...note the look of adoration when they say bye-bye.

I finally got in!

Well, Matt couldn't handle me anymore, so he had me committed...


Kidding! The finally opened the Ludington Lighthouse for tours :) That break wall and lighthouse are just about my favorite places on earth. I spent countless hours there when I was in high school. I've walked it, jumped off it, and Matt proposed to me there. I love it!

This year I finally got to go inside...here are some snapshots:

This is me on one of the five levels...

Here's Matt, takin' a break...

This is the view from the top (though it doesn't look like much here, does it?)


And my favorite...the lighthouse, my honey, and the beach behind me. Wow :) It was worth the wait (and the $2).

Michigan August: Hot & Cold

The sing about late August, Northern Michigan days is that it can be humid and warm during the day (near 80's, sunny), but when the sun goes down it is just NIPPY!

Take last night, for instance. Yesterday was GLORIOUS! A wonderful, sunny day. Overnight, however, it was only 51 degrees! Dang that's too cold for me!

But I always have my hubby...my adorable, hard-working, sees-life-differently-than-most-people honey. He read the weather forecast, looked at me, and smiled.

"It's getting cold - only four months until Christmas!"

:) Everybody needs a Matt in their lives to keep perspective.

A Baby and a Truck

Saturday night we enjoyed dinner at the Amber Elk Ranch in Scottville, MI. You can see some pix on my sister's blog (www.growingupgabel.com). These are a few of my own.

First, Cammie with Ella and Baby Abby (or Baby Babby, as Ella says). Abby is the daughter of our sorority sister from Kansas City who just HAPPENED to be in Michigan that weekend!



And here we have Ella riding a John Deere "truck". She's a big fan of "trucks" (aka lawn mowers). Uncle Matt is very proud to know that his young niece not only loves princesses and all things pink, but also big rigs and anything with a V8. I think she'll grow up to drive a a pink semi-truck some day. Until then...

Vacation Update

Sorry there aren't any pictures yet. I forgot to pack the computer charger for my computer, and I only have the adapter to put the photos on my laptop, so you'll have to wait for this weekend.

Though I don't have pictures, I've got stories :) For reference, here are the people in the stories:
EG - 2 years old
Mommy - My sister
Ba Ba - aka Babcia, Polish for Grandma
Ja Ja - aka Dza Dza, Polish for Grandpa
Nannon - EG for me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mommy: EG, wanna get ice cream?
EG: Tay!
Mommy: (points to food on plate) Not until you're done eating.
EG: (picks up plate and walks to kitchen) Done! Go bye-byes!
Mommy: Dza Dza needs to finish eating, then we can go.
EG: (picks up Dza Dza's plate, still full of food) Done, Ja Ja.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nannon: (whistles at EG, like a man whistles at an attractive woman)
EG: (points finger at me) No, Nannon! No woo-woos!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dza Dza: Are you stinking EG? Do you have a stinky diaper?
EG: No!
Dza Dza: I think you're stinky!
EG: (giggling) No!
Dza Dza: Stinky butt, stinky butt.
EG: (more seriously than a 2 year-old should ever be) Ja Ja, I not stinky. (EG turns her back to him and sticks out her butt) I not stinky.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So far, that's all I can remember. Lots of cute pictures, but I can't put those up. Lots of funny chattering, but it's hard to write those out because they aren't really words.

She's exhausting us. Well, her and the 29th Olympiad. If we could pull ourselves away from the TV at night, it might be easier. Actually, it is getting easier now because we're so exhausted we can't stay awake.

My computer chord is coming today, so I'll have more photos soon!

Cute? You decide.

Death to the Doorbell

Ella Bella Bubbles

Summertime and Weddings - God's Gift to Country Music

I truly enjoy country music, I really do. I even own a cowboy hat (I still need boots though). But as I've been listening to it the past few months I've realized that summer and weddings are to country music what steamy sex is to hip-hop: the guarantee to airtime.

For example, in my humble, under-expressed opinion, Faith Hill is not only no longer a country singer (that's a debate for another time), but she is also baby-stepping her way through every poor use of grammar in existence (someone buy her Strunk and White - PLEASE!). Back to my point. Despite the fact that music fans don't know how to classify her work, she still pumps out a hit with a song about summer time...conveniently released in time for those sun bathing days.

It doesn't matter that many former fans no longer consider her a country artist. It doesn't matter that her songs contain such misspoken phrases as "ridin' my kids around piggy back" (hello - the placement of the words here indicates YOU are riding the kids!). And don't forget the incomplete descriptions, like "so hot outside all I can wear is these cutoff overalls and these sandals on my feet" (um, has anyone else noticed that she is, therefore, walking around topless??). Those fabulous bits of lyricism don't matter when a song about sunshine and summertime hits the airways. Instant hit. Full body shudder.

And then we've got the wedding songs. Sometimes I wonder if musicians feel like they aren't breaking into the scene fast enough, or maybe they need a little more attention. Solution? Release a song about little girls, daddies, and weddings anywhere from January to March. The result? Plenty of requests for lil' country brides everywhere.

I get it already. Weddings are hard for dads who have little princesses. Fine. Point made. What I want to know are where are the songs for the dads with three daughters who climbed trees, played with G.I. Joes, dominated the softball field, beat each other up (yes - girls fight too), etc. Where's the song about the dad who's counting down the day until #3 cuts the chord and finally moves out?

I just don't get it. Maybe it's because I wasn't the weepy, sappy, mushy (any other -y words??) gal when I got engaged. Maybe it's because I was living on my own for four years before it happened. Whatever the reason, those heart-string tugging, tear inducing ballads just don't get to me.

Wait, I amend that. They do effect me. They produce the same response as the summer songs. In fact, they're the only things in the world that stir up this feeling: they actually make me look FORWARD to the fall! Because I know then that it'll be winter. Then I'll have a few months free of listening to songs that play based on their topics, not their quality.

In the meantime, I'm gonna work on that song about kicking the kids out of the house. I think it's time. Are you old enough to vote? To drink? To rent a car without your parents? THEN GET OUT OF YOUR PARENT'S HOUSE - THEY'LL APPRECIATE IT! (Sorry - came out of no where. I think I have a new blog topic!)

3.6 x 5 = 18

That's right. 18. 18. Holy cow!!

That's how many miles I ran this week!!

I sure wish I liked running...

Matt-isms

My sister recently posted a tribute to the cute things my 8 year-old niece says. While Sarah is, in fact, quite adorable, few people match the verbal eloquence of my hubby. Except maybe for Michelle. Regardless, here are a few of the more recent Matt-isms:

- (Setting: Matt is already in bed. I turn off the light and climb in).
Matt: You're so cute.
Me: How can you tell? The lights are off?
Matt: But I remember your cuteness.

- (Setting: A very tired Matt took a "quick" seven minute shower).
Me: Did you use your new Mary Kay facial bar?
Matt: I didn't have enough time.
Me: You didn't have enough time to wash your face??
Matt: I eat slow! I can't change my clothes like Superman! I couldn't wash my face! Have you ever seen how fast he changes his clothes?! He jumps into a phone booth and changes. Who can do that??
[I still don't know how Superman fits in...]

- (Setting: I went to bed @ 1am. The alarm went of @ 6am. Matt reset it. 7am - alarm goes off).
Me: Why did you reset the alarm?
Matt: [in bed, sound asleep]
Me: Honey, why did you reset the alarm?
Matt: Because you went to bed at 1am. I thought you could use the extra sleep. [yawn]
[Gee...how thoughtful...]

And finally...we had to take the headboard off of our bed (we have two cats...they see the headboard as a challenge and our bodies as landing zones). Matt moved it last night. Twenty minutes later I don't hear anything. I walk into the bedroom to see him laying across the bed, staring out the newly exposed window.
Me: Whatcha doing?
Matt: Test driving the window.

Ah. If laughter is the best medicine, I don't think I'll ever be sick again :)

Just Another Thursday Night

This is life in the big city folks...we enjoy it :)

My New Friends

I spent this year's July 4th in my FAVORITE place in the whole world: Winchestertonfieldville! (I'd tell you where I really was, but I don't want it to get crowded...you'll just have to guess.)

Anyway, it's my favorite place to be on July 4th. The parade is cute, the fireworks are good, and, if I'm lucky, I can even go to a fan-tab-u-lous Arts & Craft fair (or the Fart Fair, as my hubby calls it). The best part: it's still a small town, so it's not very crowded.

This year I made two new friends: Jessica & Alex. They are my sister's, boyfriend's kids (for photos of said sister and boyfriend, see "Hoopersize!"). Alex is six, and Jessica is just one month away from the big 4! They were so much fun! Below are some shots I took while we were playing at the playground. I'll narrate:

This is Jessica, playing on a bouncy thing. I told her to smile for the camera...she just wasn't sure where the camera was :)


And this is Alex, or Monkey Girl. If she could swing across it, she did!!


Daddy and Jessica, enjoying the swings (I tried to get a picture of Daddy pushing my sister, but apparently the swings are much scarier to a 30 year-old woman than they are to a 4 year-old child. Maybe next year...)

This was more of my sister's speed. She hopped on the back of the bouncy thing with Jessica...until Jessica politely informed my sister, "Um, you don't know how to do this. You can get off".

In one final attempt to enjoy the playground, my sis climbed on the tire swing with Alex. This was about as good as it got...before Alex threw my sister off the tire swing. Apparently my sis just isn't cut out for playgrounds. Alex & Jessica are though...they loved it!

And the race is on!

Well, almost. I started jogging a couple of months ago. My goal is to run in a 5K this summer. In order to do that, I have to be able to finish the run in a decent amount of time. I don't mind finishing last, but there's nothing respectful about "running" a 5K in 45 minutes.

I'm pretty determined to do this. I've hated running my entire life. In fact, I STILL hate running, but I have a goal. I want that free t-shirt.

Yesterday I jogged 3.2 miles in 35 min and 45 sec. A 5K = 3.1 miles.

I CAN DO IT!

I'm not ready to enter a race just yet. I want to be doing this consistently, but I'm pretty geeked :) I'll let you know how it turns out!

My New Front Yard

Most of you have heard about this...now it's time to see it: my hammock! It's a backpacking hammock, so it stuffs into that little flap hanging over the front. I take it down every night and hang 'er back up in the morning. We're looking forward to another fun day together.


Joining my hammock this year is my make-shift clothesline. The fundamental problem, as you may have noticed, is that it's in the shade. However, my hubby put a lot of thought into this, so we're going to give it a whirl. It may not be completely efficient, but we're pretty sure it'll bug the neighbors, and since one of them INSISTS on calling the cops on us every month, we decided to let them enjoy this, free of charge.

Oh...that's my new picnic table.

Hoopersize!

Isn't it interesting what a sense of obligation can make people do? For instance, introduce your sister and her boyfriend to America's finest ice cream. Then take treat them to a fabulous dinner at an amazing restaurant. Finally, get them to hula-hoop in public on a busy street in town on a Friday night. Classic.

Like father, like son

I don't like to admit this, but my husband owns (sigh)...fake dog poop. Yeah, I know you weren't expecting that, but he doesn't just own it. He uses it. Over Memorial Day Weekend it traveled with us to New York with a group from our church (sorry Kim). He likes to pull it out every once and a while for a few giggles. I refuse to touch it.

Recently this pile of plastic poo has been sitting idly on top of Matt's dresser. I don't know why he hasn't put it away. It keeps getting shuffled around until it's perched onto top of everything, right where anyone can see it. Great.

Early this morning my cats were completely spastic. I don't know what they got into, but they were chasing each other over and around me and Matt (we can't shut the bedroom door - long story, for another day). We heard them knocking things down in the living room. It was chaos. We went back to sleep.

My alarm went off at 8:00 am and I took my traditional stroll to the potty. The cats, of course, stood waiting outside the bedroom door, their tails high as they anticipated a big treat for their madness. I considered it...until I saw the rug. Matt's dog poop. The culprit? Bucket (that's the cat's name...I know, it's weird. Matt picked it...ask him).

Apparently Matt's discovered that his boy Bucket likes to carry the poop around in his mouth. Instead of hiding the toy, Matt left it out to see what would happen. We discovered this morning: the cats think it's a hockey puck.

As of 6:30 pm today that poop is still on the floor (I told you...I won't touch it). Matt thinks it's hysterical that the cats play with it. Bucket thinks its great to have such a big hockey puck. Midgie's just hoping I'll give her another treat. And I...kicked it behind the door so I don't have to look at it anymore.

Save a Penny...and a Shoe

I rarely wear out my sneakers. I buy a pair, wear them, but then, after a few months, my feet start to hurt, and my legs start to hurt. I realize the shoes don't fit as comfortably as they once did, but they still LOOK fine. I usually end up wearing the shoes a few months longer then I should...and suffering the aching feet.

The big problem here is that I'm just CHEAP. I'm a good sale shopper, but sometimes it's hard to find a good pair of shoes, the kind that fit just right, that fit into my budget. Now my budget is pretty low. I don't hesitate to buy shoes $30 or less...$40 and I double check with my husband...$50 or more and I just haven't been able to do it. The problem I've run into recently is that everything within my budget looks great, they just feel awful. And the good fitting ones? Of course, they cost too much. What's a girl to do??

Change it up.

That's right...I changed the insoles. For just over $20 I bought two pairs of shoe insoles (one athletic, one regular) for my jogging and walking shoes. I ripped out the old insoles (which were about 1/8" thick) and slid in my new, foamy, gel-ly, squishy insoles. The results?

Oh My Gosh!! It's like having two new pair of shoes!! My feet don't hurt. My legs don't ache. My back feels SOOO much better! This is just amazing!

So go ahead and save yourself a few bucks and KEEP your favorite walking shoes for a few more months. Just get yourself an insole...and spend your savings on a cute pair of sandals :)