Vacation....and I'm in denial that the summer is almost over... : (

We were able to get away for a family vacation to northern Michigan again this summer....one of our absolute favorite places to go! And this time, my parents and my sis, bro-in-law and two nieces joined us too! FUNNNN!!!! We stayed at the same house on Crooked Lake, fully stocked with 2 jet skis, tubes, a canoe, a kayak, a water trampoline, a gorgeous view and tons of comfort and relaxation to boot! : ) What a wonderful way to round out our summer! We spent time hanging out by the water, being in the water : ), hunting for shells, eating, laughing, shopping, eating again : ), watching movies together at night, laughing some more, biking on Mackinac Island, exploring Harbor Springs, Petoskey, and Charlevoix and just having fun together! All in all, it just couldn't have been better.....well, unless we were able to stay a few more weeks! : ) Now on to getting things back to "normal" around here (as if we are EVER normal!), and although I'm still in denial...getting ready to send the girlies back to school!

4th of July fun and summer is still here! : )

Although most retailers are trying to trick me in believing that the start of school is just around the corner, I am in complete denial and in serious "ignore" mode so I can enjoy each and every minute of SUMMER!!! I love being able to sleep in with the girlies, not be on any "real" schedule, make impromptu trips to the park and library, head to the lake to spend time with Gma and Papa and just have fun together! : ) Not to say we don't get to enjoy each other during the other seasons of the year but there is just something to be said about summer and the family memories that are made! We have enjoyed lots of things lately, as mentioned in my little list above and are really looking forward to more fun and a family vacation to Michigan at the end of this month as well. But in between times, we'll just continue to sit back, relax and enjoy this summer ride! : )

Camp Friendship 2011!

Hard to believe that another year at church camp has come and gone but it has! Last week, I left on Monday to head down with the rest of the counselors and jr. counselors (high school / college kids) to camp (Versailles State Park) and then all of the camp kids (including Allie!) came down on Tuesday. This year's theme was Basic Training: Spiritual Warfare and it was great. It's a camp for those kiddos that have completed 3rd, 4th or 5th grades, both boys and girls. This is my third year to go as a counselor and Allie's last year to go as a camper...sniff, sniff! Kinda sad that she's done with it but I'll still get to go year after year! : ) I had 8 girlies and 1 awesome jr. counselor in my cabin, which we named "Magnificent Majors!" We have tons of activities, like crafts, swimming, hiking, games, water gun fights, etc.....never a dull moment and always busy. But the most awesome times are spent at night in chapel, learning from an amazing teacher we all call Mr. Dave....he is so great with the kiddos. By the end of the week, we had several kiddos take the commitment to follow Jesus and one girl was baptized there too.....wow, awesome week, full of God's work and tons of fun at the same time! Can't wait 'til next year!

Lauren's debut as a flower girl! : )

My cousin's daughter, Brooke, got married this past weekend and both Lauren and Allison were in the wedding. Lauren got the chance to be a flower girl (which she has been looking forward to doing since Brooke & Andy asked her to be in the wedding, probably over a year ago!) and Allie helped w/ the greeting of the guests and the guestbook area. All three of our girls (along with Jason and I!) have really been looking forward to this wedding. Brooke & Andy are such a great couple who love each other and God with all of their hearts and seeing them share that love with others is just really special. So we knew it would be a wonderful event to be a part of! And surprisingly, although having their wedding day jammed pack with things to do on our list (Lauren had a bday party of a close friend's to go to in the morning, we had a grad open house to get to of a niece and had to get to the wedding early for photos) we all got there on time, with everyone smiling and ready to go.....holy cow, for our family, that is AMAZING! : ) What a wonderful evening we had....here a few pics of the fun.....I absolutely love weddings, brings back wonderful memories of the day Jason and I said "I do".....love him even more now than that special day! : )