I can say that I did it!

I would be hugely remiss if I didn't blog about an overnight field trip I went on with Audrey and the entire CCC summer camp crew.

Last Wednesday, we loaded up in numerous cars and drove to Muskegon to visit the Great Lakes Naval and Memorial Museum. My small caravan of three cars arrived an hour later than everyone else due to a few (cough) detours, but I digress. Let me just say that I was not leading the pack.

The point of this 3-hour trip was not merely to visit Lake Michigan and take a tour on a boat. Oh no. This overnight trip involved sleeping on a submarine. Yes, that's right. We spent the night on the USS Silversides.

With 40 kids.

Oh joy.

We had only one casualty - a nine year old boy, Teddie, just couldn't hack it so Laurie had to sleep with him in her van. My favorite memory from the trip was during our initial tour of the sub. We worked our way down the teeny-tiny opening and the teeny-tiny staircase into the sub and landed in the first sleeping quarters (of which there are three - plus a few of private cabins). I looked around, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "well, this isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be." However, on the other side of the room (not even an arms length away) one of the mothers bemoaned, "this is much worse than I thought it was going to be."

There she is, the USS Silversides.

Tanya, Becky and Lainey discussing how crazy we all are. Lainey is the one that found things much worse than I did.

USS Silversides saw lots of action in WWII.

Looking down a torpedo shoot

The engine room.

Here's most of the group!

Our sleeping quarters.

Of course, Audrey had no interest in sleeping in the private cabins - she wanted to be where all the action was. And she wanted me to sleep right next to her.

I have my limits. I opted for a top bunk at least. We were right next to the engine room. My sleeping bag still smells like diesel.

My bunk is on the upper right. Audrey's foot is the lower left.

Audrey and Nina.

Thankfully, Nina was happy to take my place and sleep right next to Audrey.

A view down the hall.

The other direction, plus a piece of the teeny-tiny mess hall.

Audrey "posing" in front of the sub the next morning.

Another pose by Lake Michigan. She doesn't take a normal picture these days.

The next day, we all went to the beach for a few hours of play and lunch before making the trip back to Ann Arbor.

A group of us walking back from the lighthouse

It was too cold to swim for some of the kids.

Don't worry, it will grow back

Audrey has been BEGGING for quite some time to get a really short hair cut. Begging.

I made her wait until after her dance recital was over because it's no fun to try to get tiny hairs stuck back in a sleek bun. And then I made her wait some more for absolutely no reason. Cuz I was skeered I guess.

Audrey and I finally had our date night last night with our favorite hair stylist, Carla. She got the cut of her dreams and I got a little color and style myself. Then we made a trip to the Hamburg Pub next door at Audrey's request. Everyone needs a little wine (milk for Audrey) and a meal after a good hair cut, don't they?

Vivian wants a hair cut now, too.

She's a model

That's what the photographer said after working with Audrey for just a few minutes during her recent photo shoot.

Photo shoots with Audrey are a BREEZE. She loves posing for pictures and she listens carefully to the photographer's instructions . . . sometimes even adding her own embellishments to the photos or creating poses of her own. It's fun!

and of course, Vivian has to make her appearance. That only creates an additional expenditure for me since I can't resist buying these shots!

Happy 7th birthday, Audrey!!

Summer is flyin' by!

Our family unit attended the last day of Summer Festival on Sunday. I can't believe it was the last day! It feels like our summer is already zipping past us.


This was a record-year for us to attend Top of the Park festivities. It has always been one of our favorite summer-time activities but for some reason, we made the most of it this year. We ran into more people and learned more about our daughters while attending TOP. For one thing, Audrey needs to get into violin lessons pretty soon. And Vivian is quite the dancer! She moved her hips to the live music way more than Audrey did.


While Audrey's favorite activity was whatever was going on in the kid tent, Vivian spent most of her time running to the lawn area behind the sound booth just so she could dance in an open space.


She and Curt were also spotted by an Ann Arbor News reporter in this article.


Our wedding band, George Bedard and the Kingpins, was the closing night band as they have been for years. The final event of the season was a sing-along of the film "The Sound of Music." I coaxed my family into staying for a bit over some vanilla ice cream and a Nutella crepe (they were out of bananas at 10pm. Boo.) We stayed until 11pm and got to hear "Doe a Deer" which has now been resurrected in Audrey's memory so she's singing it again.


We picked up our blanket and our space was immediately taken over by a group of teenagers who had been crunched in behind us on the lawn. I read later that the generator broke and the movie ended at 11:30 -- just halfway through.

So the question is, NOW what are we going to do the rest of the summer?

I'm sure we'll find something.

Quinn, Lucy and Ellie hanging out on our blanket.

Vivian hanging out with Adriana and Tanya.

Sophie and Audrey in the face-painting line (in the kid tent).

Vivian and Daddy

The girls!

233rd Independence Day

We traveled to Ohio to celebrate the 4th of July holiday with my family. My niece and her husband live on a farm not too far from where the fireworks are held.

I should add that the fireworks are supplied by the Only Believe Ministries cult er . . . church (or "OBM" as their affectionately called.)

Anyhoo, a party at Chuck and Heather's is always fun for everyone. Perhaps mostly for the kids.

Our host, Heather, with my Mom sitting near her.

The kids are taking a peek outside of the bounce house
when a neighbor shot off some fireworks

Vivian in the bounce house. She lived in there most of the night.

Curt loaded up the kids for his first fateful ride out in the surroundings. Everyone joked to shut their cell phones off as he pulled away. And within 10 minutes he called to say that he had a flat tire.

They they go (before the flat). He was rescued by Chuck, however. Somehow, Curt decided to give it another go although I have no photographic evidence of it. He got yet ANOTHER flat -- this time on the wagon.

Partying and hanging out.

Curt and Gary having a grand old time near the bonfire. This was shortly before dusk and the fireworks.

The bonfire was a huge tree trunk!

The next day we headed to Jason and Angie's house to shoot clay birds. I didn't take a ton of pics that day, unfortunately.

Vivian and her first experience blowing on a dead dandelion.

Rick and Josh are shooting in this pic. Curt is "pulling" the clay birds.

The ride home.

Ahhhhhh . . . .

Things I Love Thursday

(almost in no particular order)

• my multi-talented/multi-faceted husband


• my gorgeous and funny daughters


• my family members. truly. I'll keep all of them.


• my friends. Yay for them!


• lunch hours


• soy lattes . . . iced in the summer, hot in the winter


• my Blackberry


• my new car


• Facebook


• Twitter


• email


• Google Reader


• potato chips with french onion dip or french fries with ranch dressing


• Vacations . . . to anywhere. preferably Europe or a beach resort. but a weekend camping works too!


• back yard parties


• wine . . . white in the summer, red in the winter (I like my wine the way I like my lattes)


• ABC's Bavarian Bliss


• watching Audrey dance in the living room


• Vivian's beautiful blond curls


• a bite of dark chocolate after dinner


• experiencing the seasons as they change (although summer can come back to stay. enough already)


• singing and dancing on stage (but it simultaneously scares the hell out of me sometimes . . . it's the adrenaline rush, I guess)


• top of the park


• Curt's homemade lattes on Saturday and Sunday mornings


• finding "lost" money in a coat pocket


• fresh baked cookies and warm brownies


• smoke free restaurants


• that (rare) feeling of being organized


• massages


• rollercoasters . . . and it has been too long!


• sleeping in (also never happens)


• that feeling after a great workout or run


• being married to someone you like to hang out with


• date nights (see above)