Camping...the wet way.

During July some friends of ours invited us on a camping extravaganza...that was promptly cut short by torrential rains and thunderstorms. But we still had fun for the first couple days and did I mention it was about a billion degrees? Whew. I only have a few pics to share but I'm sure you'll get the hint as to what we did a lot of....



Corn on the cob and smores...does it get any better?



Yes, there was a group that took great pleasure in riding around on their....cooler. I had forgotten how entertaining people watching can be at a campground.


Little Ella. I just can't resist her.

Quilt Numero Dose

On the trip to Indy, Tony's Mama showed me how to use the big quilt machine and we finished the quilt Jenny and I started last March at girls weekend. Tony's Mama took a few pictures and here is the very first stitches that I inflicted upon my quilt. It was actually a scary process and I was sure I was going to wreck the machine and the quilt. We only had to tear out a few (hundred) stitches but then it went pretty well. It was a great weekend and I can't thank Tony's mama enough for all the patience and fun!



Here is the finished product...only edges are left!

Emily and Jeff

As the summer rolls on, things don't seem to be getting any slower! I have pictures from camping to post but I just haven't gone through them yet. Tony moved into a new house and it was quite the adventure but I spent most of today catching up on things I've been neglecting...while parked on his breezy, beautiful, wonderful screened-in back porch. It was really awful, but hey, I can take one for the team. The fun continues this week with a trip to Indy. Sit still? Me? Ha! Never. I hope everything is going well with all of you!

Despite the fact that my camera is off on an adventure to the factory (it thought it could swim)...I was able to secure a backup and shot some engagement pictures tonight. If everyone was as easy to work with as these two I might do this as a regular job. Here are some of the ones I really liked at first glance...so, um, I say good luck picking out finalists to Em and Jeff as they get the CD with these and a good 60 others.

Summer - Part deux

More from our summer escapades...Jenny and Carter are attempting to give mean looks to the fish in order to get them into Carter's net.


Hannah and Rachael continuing the fun...






So. The summer continues with more volleyball, golf, softball, camping, scuba diving, up north trips and potato salad to keep me more than busy...but I have to admit, it's been fun so far! I'll try not to get behind on the blogging again! I hope you all are doing well and partying like a rockstar!

Summer - Part I

I've been gone! gone! gone! And here is the compilation of where I've been...


I was the second bugler on Memorial Day at the cemetery and was taking pictures of interesting things people leave on graves and I couldn't resist a patriotic shot of my old, worn, beat up coronet. That thing has been with me for many years...best $35 I ever spent.


That would be Hannah (Tony's middle girl) figuring out a way to enter the hammock...from the underside. She is really a trip - she might be the only human on earth louder than me.


I completely forgot to take pictures on our last scuba trip...until the ride home. Tony and I headed to Port Sanilac for a shipwreck diving trip a few Sunday's back. It was fantastic! We had a beautiful day, dove three wrecks (I only made two due to ear issues) and can't wait for the next excursion!


Every now and then you catch that fabulous wedding moment where the new wife and the organist are both doing the "mom-hand-lick" and getting something off of the poor unsuspecting groom. doh. heehee


Way to go Amy and Dave!


At the end of June, we held a screaming-teenage-girl-slumber party and it was rather entertaining. It was rockstar themed and I could not resist bringing the 'fro wig I own. Tony was out-estrogened by eight girls...he had no chance.



Everyone gets tattoos...even the dad.



We made a hike up north as my sister's kids were up from NC. We blew up the neighbor's lake toys and the fun began...

Let summer begin...

We took a quick trip up north last weekend and I told Jenny that we should bring the boys swim stuff and she said "nah this will just be a beach playtime." Both boys went home in a towel. Carter decided 'commando' was the way to be.



Nana Sue does not like the geese to be parked on her front lawn so Ethan and I went out to scare them away. He played the part very well with full-on scream and hands waving. :)



Play two boys outside all day up north and they ask to go to bed...

One weekend. Six dives. Bring it on.

So. Where in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks have I been? Why learning to scuba dive of course! For the first three weeks in May I spent in a classroom, the community center and the quarry getting my scuba I and scuba II certification - and it ROCKED! In order to become an open water diver you can opt to complete the final piece of the course at a quarry in Ohio. So last weekend I sweet-talked a boy into coming with me on a road trip, and here we went...to the quarry. Very peaceful looking isn't it? Well read on...


The beautiful, calm water above looks nice enough however what lies beneath is a whopping 45 degrees and as my dive instructor put it: "it's not cold, it's lacking warmth". Um, yeah. But you'll be glad to know that at 50 feet below its only 38 degrees. As I put it: "that's ass cold is what that is". You'll see by my super-hot outfit below that leaping into that kind of water temperature requires a nice 14mm of wetsuit...which is nice and hot on the dock but then the water slowly seeps in from the top. Oh baby.


The boy that was kind enough to be sweet-talked into jumping in that water with me. He wasn't wearing quite as thick a wetsuit so I owe him hot chocolate for the rest of his life.


In case you're wondering what exactly is the draw at the quarry - here's the map. It's really kinda cool because there is lots of sunken stuff like an airplane, bus, helicopter and an interesting assortment of oddities from cars to soda machines. I thought all the sunken stuff rocked and I have always thought shipwrecks were cool so now I can't wait to dive a real wreck here in Michigan.



The whole crew (about 12 of us) went to a nearby town for a uber-good BBQ dinner. While waiting Tony and I stumbled across a great little town next door that had a gorgeous church, great little park and a very interesting cemetery - all the stones were made into a grotto at one corner. You gotta love road trips and the unexpected places they take you...



I'm looking forward to diving all summer throughout Michigan but I can hardly stand the wait until we go diving in Honduras in September! OK. So that's it, I'll shut up and I'll try not to be such a blogging slacker from now on...