Project Deck: DONE

A year later, our deck is finally done! Memorial Day 2007 marked our beginning of the project and 365 days later (dang curing of wood!) we finally finished it up! Props to my amazing husband who designed, planned, and built it (I handed him tools and drilled where he told me to).

Phase 1 (June 2007): The basic structure - unfinished and without the railing or steps

Phase 2 (August 2007): Can't find the pictures... Railing up, minus the spindles

Phase 3 (may 2008): Stairs and spindles up, stain on, and caps in place

Welcome Back Summer!

What a great day. We started out our Sunday by sleeping in, going to 11:00 church, and having a nice leisurely lunch. Then we worked on our deck, which I am proud to say is now DONE. Completely. (We didn't actually finish until 10:45, so watch for photos tomorrow.)

Then we headed out with Scott and Kelly to meet up with Ryan and Renee at Tunnel Park in Holland. It was so incredibly gorgeous out. We played some beach volleyball, grilled out, and took a walk down to the beach. The stuff summer is made of. :)

Kevin and Megan

Renee and Ryan (Renee's first time through the Tunnel!)

Not only did Kevin and Scott go in Lake Michigan, they also swam all the way out to the buoy - the water was only 49 degrees! Pure craziness.

The girls opted to stay on the shore. :o)

To top the evening off, we had ice cream. :o) Because you can't go to the beach without going to Captain Sundae's. They just go hand in hand.

Maybe this is why I like to wear heels...

Pump up your pleasure*

Stepping out in heels not only makes you look sexy; it may make you feel sexier, too! Wearing up to 2-inch heels enourages you to contract (and strengthen!) your pelvic-floor muscles, which has been shown to enhance sexual arousal. Slip on your favorite pair of sexy shoes and take your love life to new heights!

*(taken from an email Self Magazine sends me) lol. gotta love it when something makes me laugh out loud at work.

All in the Family

Our weekend was spent primarily with my family. And like all familes, mine has its issues, but on the whole we love to get together and eat and talk loudly and laugh a ton.

Friday night was spent at the 'rents house with all of the kiddos. We fed the fish in the pond, took sled rides up and down the gigantic hills, looked at the kildear eggs (whoa those are BIG), and generally ran around my parents giant yard.

awww... Evan, my little pumpkin head

Natalie doing one of her many dances (there are also accompanying songs). This is a girl after her dear ole Aunt Meg's heart.

My three boys in a sled

My three boys still in a sled and a daddy on the ground (Boys are yelling - keep going! get up!) Needless to say, Josh pulled a muscle and was very sore the next day.

We're loud, sometimes obnoxious, we talk over each other and get into fights. But we also love deeply, chase kids around in laughter, appreciate good food, and rally together. And when we need someone, there is always someone there, beautifully, all in the family.

Chinese Dinner

Look at those lovely ladies!

Dinner was yummy. These ladies are awesome. I have great friends. :o)

happy happy joy joy

Happy - all day today (well except for maybe when we lost our softball game), but other than that it was a happy day. Brilliant.

Happy - tomorrow is Chinese dinner day! I miss seeing all of my friends together on a regular basis. Hold me to it - I need to take a picture of all of us at the our fav restaurant, First Wok.

Joy - My brother and fam are coming to town this weekend! I am ready for some time with my nephews, talks with Vicki, and the craziness that is Josh.

Joy - The weekend is soon and I can feel the excitement. My WHOLE family will be together Friday night and again on Saturday as Andy receives his MBA. Plus, it is the weekend. That says it all.

Prince Caspian Recap

Good times, good times. Prince Caspian was a stellar movie. Now, I have not read the books for a really long time, so I cannot really answer any purist questions about how well it sticks to the book. But, it is a great story. A classic story of good and evil always makes for an intriguing movie.

The best part, though, is that I saw it with my friend Aletha who is rather jumpy at movies and it was quite humorous to to listen to her gasp her way through the movie (and to be fair, I did my fair share of gasping as well). And I apologize to all those people who DON'T like to talk through movies, because Aletha and I sure do! Especially about the little romantic interest between Susan and Caspian. So cute...

So, you should go see it. It is not the best adventure/fantasy movie you'll ever see, but it was definately a fun movie. The scenery is beautiful, the music lovely, and the story so engaging that it made this 25 year old want to be a kid again magically transported to Narnia.

Biological Clock

"My biological clock is not even wound up yet."

That was always my standard reply to the question I have been getting for almost five years now: Don't you want to have a baby soon? Since the day we got married people have asked and hinted and prodded and joked about it. And I was always able to give my standard response. And it was always true. Because when you get married at twenty, the last thing on your mind is having a baby (at least it was the last thing on my mind). I was too busy trying to graduate from college, cook dinners, pay bills, live with a guy and learning to be a grown-up to even consider bringing another person into the mix.

Nowadays I don't really know how to answer that question.

I can't honestly say my ole standard response. Because it is not true. I feel some ticking nested deep in my belly. I can hear it at the weirdest times. Like when I take my dog for a walk and think that someday I am going to have to walk the dog and push a stroller. tick tick tick. Last night when Kevin and I were both lazing around enjoying Sunday and I knew that times like these are precious because one day there will be lovely kiddos beautifully occupying our time. tick tick tick.

Now, we had a bit of a crazy scare in March where I thought I was pregnant (the doctor said I was viably pregnant, yeah, I don't get it either). I broke down crying I was so distraught. Then I called my friend Stro and cried and laughed at the term "viably pregnant." I really REALLY did not want to be pregnant and looking back I think that it was not so much the being pregnant part I would have minded, it was the timing. It was not what I had in mind for 2008, thank you very much! But somewhere in between the craziness and multiple blood tests and baby dreams and not knowing what was going on and ultrasounds, the ticking began.

So, here I am with a wound up biological clock and no where to go, teetering on the edge of something monumental. And everytime I see a baby something inside me simultaneously yearns and screams "Don't do it!" So, if you ask me if I am going to have kids anytime soon, expect to get a whole lot of silence. Because at this point, I have no idea and somewhere deep down the clock just keeps on ticking.

Spring Things

These are a few of my favorite (spring) things...
Ain't nothin' but a spring thang, baby...

I couldn't help it. These are a couple of songs that just popped right into my head after I typed the blog title. Julie Andrews and Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre - gotta love it!

I love spring and in Michigan we are lucky if we get one. Sometimes we make the giant leap from snow and 30 degrees to humidity and 90 degrees. 2008 has been good to us, though, and I am completely enjoying spring. Here are a couple of reasons why:

1. Lilacs - mine are blooming and they are so pretty and smell so gosh darn good. Everytime I take Brody on a walk I get a nice whiff. They remind me of my mom and being a kid. Must be something about how they bloom around Mother's Day and the fact that we had a ton of lilac bushes growing up and my mom would always have vases full of them in the house.

2. Softball - I have a strange passion for softball (I think it is a way for me to get my competiveness out). Our first game was last and I am happy to say that the Grey Squirrels (it is a long story) were victorious! It was a ton of fun and I only slipped and said a couple of swears. Considering it is a church league, pray that I will learn to keep my mouth shut.

3. My hammock - I love reading in my hammock and am looking so forward to doing so soon. We have been so crazed lately that I haven't had the time, but it is on the short list of things I must do very soon!

I feel like I should have posted some pics of my lilac bush, our softball team or my hammock. Maybe I should start copying my friend Aletha and bring my camera everywhere so I have lovely pics to show. :o)

Go out and get your spring on, people!

Tagged.

My friend Baa tagged me.
I am: sick. :o(
I know: I am loved.
I want: to see my brother Josh.
I wish: I could travel all of the time and not work.
I hate: nothing. Hate is a really strong word.
I miss: the naivete of childhood.
I fear: not living every moment to the fullest.
I feel: deeply.
I hear: the copier.
I smell: nothing - dang cold!
I crave: time in my hammock.
I search: for beauty in everything.
I regret: being overly careful.
I love: my husband fiercely.
I ache: for world peace. seriously.
I care: about what God cares about.
I always: laugh.
I am not: sure what God has next for me in life.
I believe: that this world is beautiful.
I dance: with my dog and very poorly.
I sing: all of the time.
I cry: at sappy movies and when I feel alone.
I fight: only when I feel strongly about something.
I write: a lot of nothing.
I win: when I put my mind to it.
I lose: poorly.
I never: want to forget that every person was created in God's image.
I confuse: my husband on a daily basis.
I am scared: of just how mean I can be sometimes.
I need: hugs from Kevin all of the time.
I am happy about: my life.
I hope: that I can leave this world a better place.

I tag Emily - you know you want to!

Prince Caspian

So, I get to work today and check the emails that poured in over the weekend: the usual spam, newsletters, work emails ... AND an invitation to an early screening of Prince Caspian! Our company had an early screening for The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, but I was trying not to get my hopes up for Caspian. I really wanted to see it, though, and am really excited that I get to 1. see if for free and 2. see it 4 days before it opens. :) This Monday just got a whole lot brighter.

my new obsession

I have become obsessed with BBC, especially their movie adaptations of classics. I blame this all on PBS who decided to air all of the BBC Jane Austen adaptations earlier this year. And now I just can't seem to get enough. My Netflix queue is jam packed with BBC movies that I am sure Kevin is not really going to want to see.

It also creates another problem: I have all of these books that I want to re-read or read for the first time. How did I ever get through school (and an English major) without ever having to read Elizabeth Glaskell? My library should be on alert for all of the books I am going to be putting on hold.

I rationalize all of this obsession as research for our trip to England, Ireland, and Scotland next spring. But really, what am I going to learn about planning a trip from 19th century literature? (except that I may have to stop at all of the places these books were written and set in - please say a prayer that Kevin doesn't kill me for it) So, if the next time you see me I am gushing about Cranford, North & South or Wives & Daughters, I apologize in advance. Just chalk it up the literature/movie geek part getting the best of me.