Back to School

Tomorrow is the first day of the semester, and today is the day that everyone asks, "How did the summer go by so quickly?!" I think we had a pretty good summer over all, and I accomplished many things from my list, but I'm still surprised by the things I didn't do. (For example, I still haven't perfected a homemade sandwich bread recipe or made soft pretzels, or bagels...hmm...that's an interesting list!)

One of my goals this year, though, is to find ways to be more efficient during my work day and draw clearer boundaries between work and the rest of my life, so I can still find time to do some of those things I tend to push off as "summer things" when I'm feeling too busy to tackle them during the year. On the other hand, I'm teaching an overload this semester (5 classes instead of 4), so we'll see how that goes. :-)

The past two weeks have been busy. Mark's been studying for his upcoming exams, I had four (long) days of placement testing, and we've been out looking at used cars. Next week, of course, will be even more intense. But, I'm certainly still thrilled to be going back to work at a job I enjoy with great colleagues and students, so no complaints here. Now I'm going to enjoy my last hours of summer R&R!

Home Again, Home Again

It's good to be home! Mark and I haven't been away from home for that long before, and it sure does feel good to be back! We were able to leave the Grand Rapids area on Friday around 2pm, so we got home by 6pm, which was much earlier than we originally expected. We are all unpacked, and I've been able to do the grocery shopping. Thankfully, I cleaned this apartment before we left, so I didn't have that chore to do this weekend! We were also able to come home with mostly clean clothes, so I haven't had to do laundry yet, either. It's funny how being away for four weeks can really make you appreciate the small things about your own home. For example, we're really loving our spacious shower (we had a curved curtain rod installed when we moved in). I'm also thrilled to be back in my own kitchen, which is about twice as big as the one we were using in MI. It also has all my stuff in it--which I missed more than I expected. Hooray for small pleasures!

It's amazing to think that our summer is almost over, though. The first day of school is only two weeks from today! In the meantime, Mark has lots of studying to do in order to prepare for a round of big exams shortly after school starts, and I've got two days this week and next week of placement testing with my department (that's extra pay for me, so no complaints there!). I was fairly successful at planning for my fall classes while we were gone, but I do have a bit left to do. I think it can wait till next week! :-)

Catching Up

I feel like I had been doing a good job of updating for a while there, but now I see I've fallen behind! Here are some highlights of what's been going on since my last post.

Actually, on Friday, 7/20 (before my last post, but I didn't mention it...) Mark and I went to the Picnic Pops concert at a ski area just north of Grand Rapids. The owner of the company where Mark is doing his internship also plays with the Grand Rapids Symphony, and he gave us some free tickets. We weren't particularly familiar with the music (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons), but it was a fun atmosphere.  

We got there late (due to traffic), so we were quite far from the stage.

There was a huge crowd!

See the ski lift going up the slope?

Unfortunately, on the way home, we were rear-ended at the end of the exit ramp from the freeway. No one was injured, and we are VERY thankful for that, but we're disappointed about the damage on our car. It does seem like our insurance will cover it, though, so we're happy about that, too. (Michigan is a "no-fault" state, which means that even though the other driver caused the accident, because it is minor, he's not considered at fault or liable. Our insurance, though, is extending coverage to us and waiving our deductible because of the situation, so we're relieved it's not just a loss for us!). The field inspector should be coming early next week to take a look and let us know what the settlement will be. Anyway, here's how our little car looks now:

This was definitely the lowlight of our trip, and we're eager to put it behind us! We're also prepared to start looking for our next used car. :-)


So, moving on to happier things, Monday, 7/23 was our 8th wedding anniversary! Since we've been so busy, and since July and August are peak tourist times in this area, we didn't end up doing anything fancy (but we may still try for a weekend getaway sometime soon). Instead, we went for a nice dinner at Ruby Tuesday. My favorite part of the meal was sampling two tasty drinks from their extensive non-alcoholic (free refills!) drink menu.

Yum!

Later that week, Mark and I were able to have dinner with Sarah, Mike, and Adele at Larry's Pizza, a "lazy man's buffet" where you order the types of pizza you want and a server brings them by your table before taking them around to the rest of the tables. We definitely stuffed ourselves there! The next night, Christy and Drew had us over to their place for dinner, and we played "Apples to Apples" (our first time, though we'd heard of it before). It was nice for Mark to be able to get some family time in!


While I was on my own during the week, I took several walks along the Kent Trails, did some school work, and spent some time on the phone with the insurance company. I also got out my beads and made some jewelery, which I haven't done in a long time (incidentally, my sister has also revived her beading hobby of late!). One project I did was shortening up one of my paper bead necklaces from Uganda. It's my favorite one because of the colors and shapes of the beads, but it's a bit too long for me, and it's never looked right to me doubled up. I finally realized I could just restring it to make it the right length, and then use the extra beads to make something else. Here's what I ended up with:

These earrings are my favorite!

Over the weekend, we didn't end up going back to the beach, but we did go for breakfast at the Real Food Cafe (we went last summer and decided we needed to go back). Mark had a breakfast Monte Cristo and a pancake, and I had an omelet. I think it's become a local favorite for us. 

Finally, yesterday, I spent the whole day with our extended family again. Christy picked me up (again!) and took me, along with her sister-in-law and nieces, to meet up with Aunt Debbe Jo, Grant, Melissa, and their boys at a thrift store up on the north side of town. I've noticed that this area seems to have an infinite number of thrift stores, and the family seems to frequent this particular one, especially on the last Tuesday of the month, when everything is half off! I found 3 skirts, a cute green purse, and a few glass dishes I look forward to using at my upcoming tea party--all for less than $10! Aunt Debbe Jo, though, found the bargain of the day. As soon as the kids jumped on this love seat, which also rocks, I think she was sold. They giggled and giggled (even before getting tickled)! 

Christy with her nephew (Grant and Melissa's son) and niece (on her side of the family).

After shopping for a while, we went back to Aunt Debbe Jo's and had a wonderful lunch. I think there were 12 of us at the table--she sure can feed a crowd! :-) Christy and her sister-in-law and kids left after lunch, and I got a chance to visit more with Grant and Melissa. Then they took off to do some more errands, and I made some more jewelry (using Aunt Debbe Jo's extensive and inspiring bead collection!). I also spent some time with Grant and Melissa's boys, who were really enjoying an afternoon with their grandma. For dinner, Mark and cousin Mike were able to join us, and it was a lovely way to spend a day. We even got homemade ice cream! 


So, if you're still with me, now you're up-to-date. We've had a good stay here, but we are both looking forward to being back at our own home in a few days.
 

More pics

For more pics of our family and adventures in MI, click on over to "Finding I Am"--that's Sarah's blog, and she's posted some good pics from the beach, plus some adorable close ups of Adele.

Grand Haven Beach

Yesterday Mark and I went to the Grand Haven Beach with Sarah, Mike, Adele, and Christy. This was Mark's first trip to see Lake Michigan since we've been in the area. This beach is about an hour away from where we're staying. It also has a nice boardwalk area where we went for some ice cream at the end of our beach time. We were pleased that the crowds weren't too bad, especially when we first arrived just before noon. This beach also had bigger waves than the ones I saw at Holland State Park (I don't know if that was due to the location or wind, though). We all enjoyed going out and jumping some waves (even little Adele!). We stayed there for most of the afternoon, so we were tired when we got home! Thankfully, though, Mark managed to avoid getting sunburned! I think Mark and I will go to the beach in Holland sometime so he can see that one too.

When we first arrived--not too crowded!

See the waves!

There were A LOT of people out boating.

A statue along the boardwalk.

From the parking lot as we were leaving.

Rockford Sidewalk Sale

Today Christy and her mom let me tag along on their trip up to Rockford for their downtown sidewalk sale. Rockford is a town just north of Grand Rapids (and where Christy's mom grew up). We spent a few hours strolling along and shopping, stopping for lunch at the Corner Bar, which is famous for their hot dogs. Along downtown is the Rogue River and a dam. That area was really nicely landscaped, and the downtown was very cute. Each of us also found a good bargain to bring home--I got some pretty earrings and a bulky beaded necklace. Here are some pics:

The Corner Bar

The Rogue River

The dam

Fun in the Sun!

Today I visited Lake Michigan for the first time!  It was so beautiful:

Holland State Park

Sarah and Christy took me this afternoon for a girls day at the beach. I was really impressed with the smooth white sand and the endless blue water. It was bright and sunny, and the water was refreshing, but not cold. We had a lovely time. Here's a few more pics:

It was a great way to spend the day, though I felt sorry that Mark (and the other husbands) weren't able to join us (still, it's fun to do something just the girls...). Mark and I do hope to go to the beach this weekend, and it sounds like we'll be able to coordinate that with some family, too. (It'll be his first trip to the beach here, though he has seen Lake Michigan before...).

In other news, yesterday, I drove Mark to work and spent the day in the Holland area shopping. I didn't go to any unique shops, but I did visit several large stores we don't have in BG, and I found some great deals.

So it's been a fun week so far!