i could get used to this

You guys, it was 80 degrees in GR on Wednesday. In Michigan...in freaking March. This is a big deal.

Rather than being responsible adults (e.g. going grocery shopping, doing laundry, blahblahblah), Kyle and I said screw it and went to the beach.

We drove 40 minutes out to Grand Haven from GR and grabbed a pizza along the way. We put our toes in the sand (and in the lake, which is still freeeeezing by the way), watched the sunset, and listened to the new Springsteen album. I could watch the sun set over Lake Michigan over and over and over again. Now that's my idea of heaven. 

Upon our return to GR, we discovered our neighbors having a porch party. (These are quite the event on our street and usually occur Friday nights in the summer. We've never had one this early!) We spent the remainder of the evening laughing and drinking homebrewed IPA. (Brewed by our neighbor from across the street. It doesn't get any more local than that!)

I wish every single day could be like this. Sunshine, Lake Michigan, and laughter with friends. Although there are certainly seasons in life when everything feels like hell, it's days like this that remind me that it gets better, and that life can be grand once again.


Sending all of you love from the Mitten.

weekend love

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It has been downright balmy here in the Mitten as of late. Last night I baked cookies in shorts and a tang top with fans blowing every which way to combat the heat---from both the weather and our ancient oven!

This weekend we're visiting my parents and sister. I'm hoping to have dinner with BFF Shannon and her boyfriend, reupholster a chair with my mom, and just all around enjoy my family's company.

Also, MUST. CLEAN. CLOSET. Ugh, I keep putting this off. It's overflowing with clothes that need to be taken to Goodwill.

What are your plans for the weekend?

weekend love

Sunshine on our street

This week has simultaneously flown and crawled by. I'm not sure how that managed to happen, but so I'm grateful the weekend is finally here.

I'm hoping to whip up some cupcakes, paint my nails, and do some spring cleaning. (If I don't clean out my closet soon, it might explode. True story.) Finding a bit of time for jogging and reading would be nice, too. For now, I'm off to dinner with my in-laws.


Hope you're having a lovely weekend, friends. Enjoy the sunshine!

mandatory fun

I'm headed out to a mandatory office happy hour tonight after work. I just can't help being reminded of this:

I'm really hoping one beer won't make me super chatty, as has been known to happen in the past. Ugh, how embarassing...

Happy (Thirsty) Thursday!

midweek rambles

+ I came home from a long day at work on Monday to find this DVD waiting for me on the kitchen counter:


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This is a total guilty pleasure movie of mine, and Kyle surprised me with the DVD because he knew I'd been having a rough few weeks. It's the little things...

+ Now that the streetlights are coming on a little later and the sidewalks are clear, I've been able to start my evening jogs again. I'm surprised how easily I was able to get back in the rhythm of jogging. My goal this year is to run in two 5Ks, and to build my endurance (of which I currently have very little).

+ I've watched the Academy Awards every year since I was 13, and this year was no different. (After a bit of antenea-adjusting to coax our TV into getting more than just 3 PBS channels and The Gospel Network.) At some point during the past decade, watching the Academy Awards has become less about the movies and the red carpet for me, and more about the tradition.

That being said, Penelope Cruz's dress was far and away my favorite. I just love the top.



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Also, it's about damn time Christopher Plummer won an Oscar. 

+ I've been crazy for oranges lately. I eat one at nearly every meal--I just can't get enough! Maybe I've been lacking in Vitamin C. 

+ What I wouldn't give to be sitting on a beach in Cozumel right now. Is a 7 month anniversary too soon to take a second honeymoon?

Cozumel, Mexico
Aug2011

Happy Leap Day!

optimism

This is a new day, and a new week. Let's make it great.

Got it? Got it.


Blue skies, sunshine, and warm breezes.
They're on their way. I can feel it.

because it will

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Sometimes, I just need a reminder.

Thank you for the support this past week. It means the world to me.