And then there were 4!!!!!

Oh Boy! I am going to be called the crazy cat lady in no time! With Shaun's Mom having to move Harley needed a home. We could not find one so guess who has him?? Yup, us! We were not sure if it was going to be permanent or not but he has been here almost four days now and he is doing really well. We will give it a bit more time though to see if everyone will get along. Yes, we are crazy :)

Traverse City day 6 7/12/08

Bright and early was the start of today. My favorite thing about the festival was this morning. The Cherry Royal Parade. I think there were 140 some entries this year. We went down there with my Mom and Skyy. DA was even able to join us for a few minutes before he had to be to work. This parade always has some great bands and I think that is my favorite part.

Miss America even attended the parade this year.

We were exhausted after the parade so we decided to grab some Burger King and head back to the room to take a quick nap. Once we were recharged we headed downtown.

Our first stop was Gibby's Fries. Man I love these things. If I could only eat one thing during Cherry Fest it would be these fries!! I got a small with cheese and boy o boy! YUMM-O!!! After that we met up with my Dad and Di and headed to the beer tent. We decided to stick around and watch the band that night before the fireworks. "Think Floyd" was playing and they were really good. The fireworks started at about 10:30 and I think they were pretty good. I was a wee bit intoxicated though so what do I know ;) Thankfully Tom helped us out and got us a ride back to the hotel!

We had so much fun this week and after our quick goodbyes tomorrow we will be headed home to Chi-town.

Traverse City Day 5 7/11/08

Well it is Finally Friday. Hard to believe that we only have a few days left here. The week has flown by but went nice and slow at the same time. It feels like forever ago when we went to the Island!

Sleeping in again. What a wonderful thing about vacation! I wish I could sleep in this late every day!

Shaun and I went and picked Skyy up and headed to Pebble Brook to do some mini golfing. Skyy had never been so it was fun watching her play. She actually did pretty good and had a blast doing it. I think she would have played all day if we let her! After putt putt we went inside to the air conditioning and played a few arcade games.

Later I dropped Shaun off at Northern Lights with my Dad so I could go see Sex and the City with my Mom. What a great movie! I really really enjoyed it and I will be buying the DVD as soon as it comes out!! It was nice to get some time with my Mom!

Traverse City Day 4 7/10/08

We started out the day sleeping in! I don't think we even got out of bed until 11. It was fabulous!!! Once we got up and ready I dropped Shaun off at Traverse Motors so he could visit with the guys and have lunch with them. After I dropped him off I headed to Pizza Hut to also catch up with old friends and to get my favorite pasta for lunch.

After some quick errands I went and picked Shaun back up and we headed to G&G Raneys to get Skyy. We all walked down to Wares Brothers and ice cream. It was so good, especially on such a hot day!

Once we got back to G&G's, Grandma pulled out a small bucket and Skyy got her bathing suit on and played in the water for a bit. I have NO idea how playing in this bucket was fun but she was having a great time so yay Skyy!

We headed downtown for the Junior Royal parade which started at 6:00. This is one of the things I look most forward to every year. The school floats are always so creative and fun. You can tell the kids really enjoy the parade. My Mom showed up once she was out of work and DA and Alyssa also joined us. Rachael stopped by with Braden and Jarron. Wow is Braden a handful!

After the parade we met my Dad and Di for a quick drink at the Pub and then we headed to Big Boy for dinner and then went back to the hotel to relax. Another great day in TC!

Traverse City Day 3 7/9/08

Moving Day!!

This is a day we have not been looking forward to. Shaun's Mom Kathy has to move out of the house on 8th Street and we are helping with the final things. We took several trips to the storage unit and to Grandmas house with various things left in the house. It was kind of sad to be leaving the house. I have SO many memories there over the 14 years Shaun and I have been together. Great parties, great friends, and so much more.

With her moving, the cats needed homes. My Mom was so wonderful and took in Oliver. He is doing well over there. Still hides under the bed but that is OK. Harley we have not been able to find a home for yet. I have a few more calls to make before I give up.

During all the moving Grandma made lunch for us all. We had spaghetti and it was nice to have a little break. Then for Ma, Brad, Shaun, Skyy and I it was back to work. We only had another load or so and then we were done.

After DA came and got Skyy, Shaun and I went back to the hotel and had a nice and easy night. We walked over to That's a Pizza and got a couple of Calzones and called it an early night.

Here are a few pics of the house. Please excuse the craziness and mess!

Traverse City Day 2 7/8/08

This morning Shaun, Skyy and I woke up early to hit the road. We were headed to Mackinac Island. The weather was kind of chilly and misty but it was supposed to clear up so we decided to give it a try. When we got up to the Mackinaw Bridge Skyy was so excited she was like a little bouncing ball in the back seat. It is one of those times that I am so happy to see things through the eyes of a child.

We got to the Shepler's Boat dock and waited for our ride. It was still not the best weather so we rode over to the island inside. Skyy absolutely LOVED the boat ride. She was in little 4 year old heaven :) We arrived at the island and our first stop was a souvenir shop. Both Skyy and I were cold and we needed to buy some hoodies.

We then got tickets for the Carriage ride tour that takes you around the island. Skyy was very excited about the thought of a horse pulling us around. It was a lot of fun and she was really enjoying it. When we stopped to transfer from a 2 horse team to the 3 horse team we went and visited the butterfly house. I defiantly enjoyed this more than Skyy. I think I could have stayed in there all day but she was ready to go after a few minutes. I was able to get some great shots though!

We had a quick snack and then we got on the 3 horse team for the rest of the tour. We saw skull cave, all 3 cemetery's, lots of state park and my favorite Arch Rock! Lots of photos later and we were done with the tour.

By this time we were starving and decided to get some lunch. We went into the Seabiscuit. Great atmosphere and yummy food! They even had the Seabiscuit movie playing on a TV there.

After lunch we walked some of the shops and then we headed back to the boat. It was beautiful out by this time so we were able to ride up top on the way back to St. Ignace. Skyy really thought that was cool having the wind in her hair. She even got splashed a little bit and she screamed with glee for that.


Once back on the mainland we went to the bridge overlook to get some shots of the Mackinaw Bridge.

We had a great time and we are both so happy that Skyy was able to share this wonderful day with us!!

Traverse City Day 1

We arrived at my Dad's about midnight last night after a mostly uneventful trip north. Our excitement on the way up was a stop at the worst Pizza Hut I have ever been to. Fun Fun!!

We woke up this morning and went to say hi to Grandpa Elliott before his trip to Saginaw. Dad was taking him down for more physical therapy for his new legs. Grandpa does not want to go but I think that it is good for him and how awesome would it be for him to walk again. Even if it is with a walker.

Next stop was Mom's house to meet DA with Skyy and get ready for our day. Once showered and ready we head down to F&M park for the turtle races. We are hoping to get Skyy into it but when we arrive there about probably 100-150 kids in line already. We instead decide to play on the jungle gyms and such. Skyy is having a great time and I am getting a lot of comments on how brave she is. Nothing holds her back and she tries it all. Even the "fireman" pole and succeeds no problem. We do go over and watch the races for a bit and it is so cute seeing all the kids pound on the platform to get their turtle to move to the outside the fastest. We head back to the Copy Shop to pick up the car and say goodbye to my Mom.

Next on the agenda is lunch. We decide on Sleders. They have awesome nachos and the restaurant is just a cool place. Skyy wants nothing to do with it and our conversation went something like this.

Skyy:Where are we having lunch Aunt Jen?

Me:We are going to Sleder's

Skyy:I don't like it there

Me:You have never been there so how do you know you don't like it?

Skyy:Well, what do they have there?

Me:Everything

Skyy:But what if I don't like it Aunt Jen?

I then proceed to tell her that if it is that bad we will leave. She ended up having a great time. She and I split the nachos and she ate quite a bit. She wanted nothing to do with kissing the moose though, she said that was "disgusting!"

With it being hot out we headed to the beach. Bryant Park was our destination and it was perfect. There was not to many people there and there was lots of parking. We found our spot on the sand and Skyy was off. Shaun and I got cozy on our towels and Skyy started playing at the edge of the water. Shaun tried burying her in the sand but she wanted nothing to do with that. She is so funny! While we were sitting there Brad (Shaun's Brother) walked up. Totally crazy as he also lives in another city and the chance of us being at the same beach at the same time is slim. (Yes, even in a small town) We ended up staying at the beach a couple hours and then decided it was time to get out of the sun.

We hopped in the car and headed out to Old Mission Peninsula. I wanted to take Skyy out to see the lighthouse. She fell asleep on the way out there but all that running around it was good for her to nap for a few. It was great to drive out there and see the beauty of the peninsula, it is defiantly one of the things I miss about living here.

Dinner was at Grandma and Grandpa Raney's for all. Mom, Aunt Lynda, Randy, and all 4 boys were there and it was a great time. Getting all 4 boys together is rare these days so when it happens you are bound to do LOTS of laughing!! It was good to catch up with everyone. We talked with David about his recent trip to Chicago, Andy about his wedding on the cruise last month, Adam about his giving up a car and riding his bike everywhere and Ryan, well Ryan is Ryan and that is enough for me :) Aunt Lynda also told me that she and Randy are getting married this Sunday! Congrats Aunt Lynda and (Soon to be) Uncle Randy! I can't wait to see the pictures!

Mom, Skyy and I came back to the house just in time to catch the final of the Bachelorette. I was so happy that she picked Jesse. I think they had great chemistry and they will have a great life together. My brother had a small bonfire in the back yard and I did get to enjoy a yummy smore. Well, I got to enjoy it after my brother removed the junebug on steroids off of me. YUCK!

Now, here I sit writing this entry with my Mom's Shitzu Sheena on my lap shaking like a leaf. It is storming pretty good right now and she is having an anxiety attack. Poor thing! Hopefully the storm is over quick.

176 photos later I had a great day! Here are a few of the shots I got. We are off to Mackinac Island tomorrow and I will update when I get back :)

New hair again

So for the last few days I have been thinking that my hair was getting long again. I went to get it tonight after work and decided to get highlights also. This was my first time getting it done professionally and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! I had Shaun take a couple pics. None of them really shows how great it looks. Here is a sample anyways. Later!

Taste of Chicago

So yesterday Shaun and I went down to Grant Park to take in the Taste of Chicago. I think I am still full from all the yummy food I ate. We rode the Ferris wheel and I got some great shots of the event. For those of you who don't know what taste is, let me explain. It is a week long event that welcomes probably millions of people. You buy your tickets at $8 for 12 tickets. Then you walk around and find food you want to try. Items are 10 tickets and under and all booths have a "taste portion" of one of their items that is usually 3 tickets. I had a Chicken Parmesan sandwich, fried ravioli, Italian fries and the most incredible brownie and ice cream desert. Shaun had a Chicago dog, pot stickers, chicken nuggets and chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick. We will be down there again on Thursday for the fireworks so I may have to try some more goodies :) Here are some pics.

Great Weekend!

Shaun and I went to Indy this last weekend to visit Mike and Mindy for Mikes B-day. We had a great time and James and Cheryl even drove up from Louisville for dinner on Saturday. Saturday Mindy and I did some shopping. I bought a super hot dress at Kohl's for a whopping $5.90!! I love it though and I can't wait to wear it! Sat night after dinner the girls headed to Broad Ripple for a girls night. I had way to much to drink but I had a great time so I guess it is all worth it. Here are a few pics

The girls at Average Joe'sMike and Mindy at the party on Friday night

I love this photo of me so I had to share :o)