Music.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The Best Sleeping Pill

Lately I've found a trick to falling asleep. It's very similar to the time I used a glass of milk and the rock opera, Tommy. Can you guess what the movie is now? Here's one hint...

"But if you miss you had better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco."

Dad should know it now.

Give up yet?



Familiar yet?

Maybe by now Peej has an idea...



Now it's getting obvious. Ready for the big secret?



Ta daa!!! Puts me right to sleep. I was going to try the three hour movie and I made it about 15 minutes. It's a slow start. Good movie but a slowwwww starrrrrrrt.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

It Was a Merry Christmas.

This years' Christmas was a good one; better than I had anticipated. Everyone gathered to discuss politics and new technology. Where was I? Playing Twister, Fooseball, and Apples to Apples. However, I was also doing a little bit of sneaking...

The family's newfound google maps thinger:


Also, one of the best family pictures I've seen in a while... too bad there are a couple missing:


Later that night was Apples to Apples. Think John was nervous?


And finally... a father and son, bonding over the magnificence of a simple game on Christmas Day:

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Big Reveal

It's not really that big. I just jumped on a train and went to Chicago where I was picked up and brought to Northern Illinois University to spend a few days with someone I met at the safety conference I went to in Kentucky Nov. 6th, 7th, and 8th. It was cool. I don't get to see other schools very often. I spent a lot of time in the engineering building because he's a computer technician there and I tagged along.

My adventure started right away Monday morning. My train was scheduled to leave at 7:35am. I had arranged a ride to the train the week prior and called the night before to make sure he was still on. We decided he'd pick me up at 6:50am. When 6:50 rolled around, he wasn't here. I tried to call and he didn't answer. I called about three times and finally noticed I had a voicemail from him at 2:30am. "Hey JP, it's Gootz, call me back." Son of a... I called his roommate to see if he could go wake him up and his roommate, Rob, was nice enough to not only answer the phone and get out of bed, but he actually just got up and gave me a ride himself (Gootz has proven himself very unreliable). With no time to waste, I grabbed my stuff and at least walked out to the road when Rob was close. It was about 7:15am. I'm freaking out at this point. We were cutting it close the entire way and fighting morning traffic into the city. We finally get to the train and what do you know? It's parked on the street and people are boarding... from the other side. I took it upon myself to get out and do a little run around the entire thing and I got on... with about 3 minutes to spare. Whew...

The train ride was pretty cool. I sat next to a gentleman who used to be a professor at Grand Valley in the engineering department. He is teaching at a different school now and lives in Holland. I told him all about my (short) past experiences with moving to California and my future internship... we talked almost the entire way. He was an interesting person.

Is there any such thing as too friendly? I think I make new friends everywhere I go...

Into Chicago I came. (The NIU guy is Matt). Matt's sister was waiting to pick me up. Equipped with a phone number and zero knowledge of what she looks like, I was off into Union Station in search of a stranger. I found her within 3 minutes I think. Impressive?

From the station she made the 1.5 hour drive in less than an hour. A little nerve-racking but I think she was comfortable driving, which helps put me at ease.

As far as the actual visit... nothing much happened. Like I said, I hung out in the engineering building every day. I met his boss. One of his professors. I got to see the safety classrooms. Walked around the campus (it's really spread out). Walked to rent some movies. Not only was the weather bad, but he doesn't have a car. I did a LOT of walking.

Before I knew it, I was on my way back to good old Michigan. The ride back was long but alas, I'm back and in good condition.

Did you know to take a train from Grand Rapids to Chicago is only $14 one way and $14 back between Monday and Friday?

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Where In The World Is...

Jay Pee?

That will come at a later date. I had three days off from work so I vacated for a while. I'll let you guys try to guess it out a little. It'll be an interesting post for a later date.

For now, I need to update on a very important matter. I don't know how I mustered the strength to wait so long (my internet connection failed). Without further adue, I present...

The newest intern for Alcoa, Torrance, CA.

I accepted the internship position out in LA. I'm moving!! Here's a link to my plant and what we make:

http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_torrance/en/home.asp

Isn't that awesome? On Monday, the guy that set me up with the position sent me a pack of some papers to sign and return along with an Alcoa pen/highlighter and Alcoa 1GB USB drive. I'm happy.

You may be wondering, what are some of the perks? With new work, there are always perks, right? Here's mine: In the dead of winter (Febuary-March) they want to fly me out there to take a look at the plant and get to know some of the people I'll be working with. I will also be hooked up with a realitor to try to find a place to stay. Jealous yet?

Finally, just to warn you, with all of this newfound success I might be the biggest threat at the "Anything You Can Eat With A Spoon" competition. Are you ready for a throwdown???

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Exams Are Coming to a Close

One down, 4 more to go. Today's went well. I've recieved unofficial final grades in two classes right now and I can proudly say, not too bad. Tomorrow I have two take home exams due and philosophy statements. Next week I have to take two more exams and turn in an Industrial Hygeine paper. I'm feeling good about the end of the semester and already looking forward to the next. I wish I would have heard of this major sooner...

Thursday, November 27, 2008

A Little Thanksgiving Addition

Is this what Thanksgiving is?



Turkey + Stuffing + Beer + the Lions = One Long Nap

I think I did good for myself.
Happy Thanksgiving, family! Sorry I'm not with any of you =(

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Big News.

Obviously I have big news. These days I just don't blog unless something huge happened (i.e. changing plans to marry).

I heard back from Alcoa today. Here's the nitty gritty:

- I've been offered a minimum of a 3 month internship (which could very possibly lead to more)
- The internship pays $3000/mo. plus $500 for living expenses
- After 3 months I'd have the opportunity to continue on (if I like them) or go somewhere else
- If after 3 months I want to continue I'd be immediately making salary dollars (which hasn't been discussed yet) and start my 18 month training process
- The job is in TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA!!!



That's right. See the ocean? See L.A.?

A Dream Come True.
Needless to say, I'm going to jump on this opportunity. It's in a very high cost of living area so the guy that interviewed me actually wants to skip the internship pay completely and start me out at salary in April. They've already offered the job to me 100% and are now trying to give me more money.

I love growing up.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

One More Thing...

Thanks to dad I was reminded I have one more thing to say:

Monday I interviewed with Alcoa (it's an aluminum forging/manufacturing plant) and I was contacted for a second interview.

I was going to leave it as a reply to dad's comment but I think it deserves it's own blog. Don't forget to comment about my last one though! (I really would like to hear where I should spend my $25 at Amazon.com).

Thanks y'all!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Here's Another Update

Sorry I'm a slacker, I've been bombarded with a trip to Kentucky, homework and projects for the last few days/weeks.

All of the things on my list were completed within the next hour or two. Second time was a charm I guess.

I still intend on posting a blog about my Girls' Night party.

Kentucky was amazing. I met some good people and good work contacts (which is the point of the whole thing). I'm also more engaged in classroom material now. I'm excited about my major. Part of it might be the networking, part of it might be that I didn't know many of the quizbowl questions. Which brings me to my next high point: my quizbowl team won. I won a coffee mug and $25 to use at Amazon.com.

=)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Bad Day

My first two classes were canceled today. You would think I'd be happy. Here's what was on my agenda. (For anyone who doesn't already know, I lost my wallet)

1. Get new license
2. Order new debit card
3. Switch my old phone to Michael's old phone
4. Change my phone number

Here's how successful I was...

1. Got there at 10:00am and they open at 11:00am
2. Success
3. Don't know the last four digits of Traci's ssn
4. Have to have permission from Traci

I'm one for four today and Kevin has already given up and gone back to bed.
Anyone want to drive me around?

Monday, November 3, 2008

Hello November.

I didn't reach my quota for October and I apologize to you all. A few things that were left unresolved:

1. The Halloween thing was supposed to be Princess Zelda and Link
2. Jordan and I broke up

I'm okay.

Thursday I'm going to Kentucky for the Future Safety Leaders of America conference. I'm excited. I bought a new suit for it (only $21!)... I love The Burlington Coat Factory.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A Smart Man

"Growth results in a continued freshness of application."

Younger, I would be at the video rental store looking to rent a movie. I remember mom taking me and I would rent The Flintstones. I must have rented the movie five times in a row. Finally, dad took me to rent a movie. I wanted Robin Hood: Men in Tights. I was told, "No." Dad had seen the movie before. At the time I couldn't wrap my mind around the concept.

In another setting we were sitting at home watching Casper. Dad must have been doing all he could to tolerate it so we could watch. There was a scene that showed the staircase and he said, "I didn't see that before." At the time I had no idea how he could be seeing such miniscule details.

What is the point to this? Today my professor noted that the only way he can watch a movie more than once is if a) he enjoys it and b) he brings in freshness of application by looking for new things. Who knew my very own father was teaching me how to grow all these years?

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

A First For Me

Remember how I said my manager Marylin loves me? Well she truly does. Upon entering work yesterday she told me, "I need to talk to you." I thought it was bad news for me.

My first thoughts were, "What did I do wrong?" and "Where did I lose money?"

Since the time was never going to really be right for her to tell me, while I was ringing up a customer she finally said, "I'll just tell you right now. You know what Mallory and I do? How would you like to do that?"

(She's talking about being a cahsiers' manager.)

Without hesitation I took the offer. Ladies and gentleman, I am now a cashiers' manager. My official title is a CSS. Along with added responsibility comes a larger paycheck. Bring it on. I'm so excited for it no matter how many people tell me it's going to suck.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Friday Night Plans

My manager, Marilyn, loves me. She gave me this coming Friday off from work. With nothing to do from 2:00-?? I put some ideas together and came up with this: Girls' Night In. I'm going to invite over some of my favorite girls, put up a "no boys allowed sign" and have some of these things:

1. Ice breakers: Just a few games so the girls that don't know each other can get to that point a little faster
2. Spa recipes: I'm going to have the ingredients set up on the counter with little recipe cards. hopefully they'll even be able to take home some homemade lotion or something.
3. Pajamas
4. Brownies, ice cream and hot fudge: What's a girls' night without it?
5. Wine
6. Some kind of game: I'm thinking Apples to Apples or Catch Phrase
7. A chick flick

Friday should be fun. On top of that, I think Ana might be visiting. Her and her new husband, Will, are going to be attending Grand Rapids Community College. Will has already gotten into their culinary program and Ana is going to try as soon as CMU gets her transcripts to her. While they're here they're going to be looking at getting an apartment in the same complex.

Once again, Friday should be fun. Thanks for your book submissions. I'll let you know which ones I decide to read.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Goal Setting

I set a few goals today. One of them was to read 5 books before the end of the semester. So far on my list I have:

1. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
3. (I'm on the fence about this one) The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation (Classics of Ancient China)

Any suggestions for 4, 5, and possibly a different number 3? And has anyone heard of "Kindle"? It's really cool. Expensive and for people who read more but it looks really really cool.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Hot Topic

Not the store. But the actual hot topic right now. I've only shared this with Traci and Amy but I think Sarah might find it a bit useful. Google Notebook makes saving/sharing urls really easy. http://google.com/notebook

My personal notebook is: http://www.google.com/notebook/public/10530402410698485880/BDSKpIgoQ_unAlMcj

And no hints quite yet, dad. There will be more to come as Halloween draws closer but you're going to have to hold your horses.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Hello Octubre

October is a unique month of the year. It's weather brings cool, crisp air after the dense humidity of summer. The trees turn bright oranges, yellows and reds and light up the (few) hills of Michigan. It's the first month of sweaters and cinnamon candles. What does this October have me excited for? Halloween, my friends.

Here's just a preview of our couple's costume. Can you guess what it might be? (Peej or Mickey, if you know it don't answer... I can't remember if I told you). Here's the first hint you all will get. It isn't a good hint at all (I couldn't let it be easy). I might have a few more as the month progresses. Enjoy your first hot chocolates of the season. Cheers!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Breakfast of Champions.



That's 100% chocolate whey protein mixed with milk, yogurt, ice and homework. Delicious after a good morning's workout.

Friday, September 12, 2008

I Made a Bet

Anyone ever make a bet and start to wonder why after a while? Well here's my story...

Jordan will never try any of my food so in a desperate attempt to have Kevin try my chai latte yesterday, I made a bet that I'd try something of his. Now, if you've never had a chai (dad), it's made up of a spiced tea concentrate, it tastes kind of like pumpkin pie and cinnamon, and milk (in my case I like it with vanilla soy milk). It's like a dessert more than a drink.



Note to self: Never make bets with someone who enjoys 1. Entering the marines 2. Eating hot foods.

The deal was a sip of chai for a habanero pepper. I had the pepper confused at the time with the little yellow peppers he bought the same day. I clarified very quickly when he pulled out the small container with the dark orange peppers in it. He at least cut it in half for me so I didn't have to suffer through a whole one.

Those seeds were the end of me. One bite into them and I was instantly in pain. I swallowed it barely chewed up just to survive. I didn't think of the repercussions. I'm just going to say it this way... I think I left my intestine in the toilet and I had to write this standing up.

What's the lesson? Jordan should try my foods more often so I'm not pushed into making stupid bets.

Anyone else ever make a stupid bet??

Here's your visual. I'm done.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Powerbars...

First let me describe the scene...

I was sitting in room 277 waiting for my next OSH class to start. As time ticked away I made easy conversation with my cousin sitting right next to me. I expressed the longing to exercise once more. While exercising is an activity I enjoy, it's also one I can hate. As with any love/hate relationship, there is always a question in one's mind as to why they ever stopped. This made our conversation run something as follows:

"I kind of miss exercising," I started. He looked and without hesitating he replied,

"You should start running with me again."

I pondered the thought for a few seconds. I had already been rolling it around in my mind for a few days but I would be dragged back to the last time when I wound up crying in the middle of an old golf course parking lot (so many hills). Finally I decided to say the key phrase, "It's not that I don't like to run... I just can't run like you."

"I'll take it easy on you, we can start out slow just like we did last year." was his next bullet.

He was saying all the things I wanted to hear. Before I knew it, I had a contract signed saying I would only eat the things he deemed adequate for me to eat and I would get up and exercise on his command.



Well. Here I am. Not even a week into it and so much lactic acid build up in my muscles it's amazing I can even type this blog. I'm on an all protein diet and running about a mile a day with follow-up exercises. Today was my carb day and I spent lunch at McDonald's. Now it's another week of chicken and cottage cheese until I can have another delicious, mouth-watering, oh-so-delightful carb again.

Hopefully the next time everyone sees me I'll be more in shape if not a bit slimmer.

My goal is just to get back in shape before I get myself into a wedding dress.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Kelly Clarkson.

This is the video I meant to have posted. It's a little bit of the drive to Shae's place when I was hanging out with Michael in July.



I don't know why I'm smiling a ridiculous amount.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Homework... barely.

In my first week of school I'm always looking for homework so I can stay ahead of myself a little. I find myself settling for recopying notes and reading chapter 1 of books I'll never be tested on instead. I have a few homework assignments for the weekend finally but still nothing big yet. I have good news about my future projects though:

I have to do a presentation on a 13 page chapter (that's really short) with Kevin (the cousin I live with).

Sounds so easy. It's a big relief.

Hopefully chaos strikes soon... I feel uncomfortable being so comfortable with school.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Day Two

Today was a little different than yesterday. Kevin and I found out we don't have quite the same schedule. I rode to campus early and did a little reading before my class but he wasn't going to wait 2 hours for me to get out and give me a ride home. That means that today was my first bus ride to North Grand Rapids.

Usually my experience on the bus is a mild one. Everyone else attends Grand Valley and has a backpack. Not this time. This was the first time I've ever been asked to show my Grand Valley student ID (students ride free). Immediately I noticed I was in different company. I was the minority. I shuffled my way to the back of the bus where I sat quietly without stirring next to a homeless guy and his trash bag.

Nothing bad happened. I didn't really expect it to. It was just a different experience. I expected it to be the way it was... I work at The Burlington Coat Factory... everyone that rides that bus shops in my store.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Back to School

Today was my first day of class. I only had two classes; Behavioral Aspects of Safety and Ergonomic Safety Engineering. Can you guess which one I'm the most excited for?

Ergonomic Safety Engineering. My project is to give a report on tennis elbow and Kevin's is carpel tunnel.

What's the other upside? I don't have any classes before 11:00am. Oh, and it only took Kevin and I 15 minutes to get to the shuttle to the CHS building that all of our classes are in. That's a full 10 minutes less than it takes from Allendale.

Score.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Could It Be?

Yes. Finally pictures of my new apartment. Enjoy...





Monday, August 18, 2008

I'm In!

I'm in my new apartment, most of my stuff is unpacked. And get this:

WE FINALLY HAVE INTERNET!

Finally... I've been needing to check my bank account.

Pictures to come soon...

Monday, August 11, 2008

Slacker.

I'm really slacking here. Friday is my big move out date and I plan to post pictures when I get settled. For now my news is:

I have a new computer. Rest in Peace laptop, you are now replaced by a desktop. I will remember you always as the portable piece of crap that you were.

Sorry for the lack of blogging. I'm sure I'll hear about this at a later date (the next family get together).

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Sleep Tight

This is my new masterpiece of a headboard. It isn't finished yet but I'll post pictures if it does get done. The wood is being purchased today.

Photobucket

Jordan is taking care of the entire thing. Notice he's going to use some oak. I think dad would be slightly impressed?

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Guess What's For Lunch

Yesterday I was swimming after my Irish coffee when I realized, I was feeling a bit weak. I decided to cook up some lunch. The cast of characters (can you guess what it's going to be?) My guess is dad will know:


Here's the beginning:


It's never too late to sautee:


The end result:


Some delicious sloppy joes. My next try at cooking might be with a homemade bbq sauce.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Irish Coffee

Ahhh, Happy Saturday. I started mine off with coffee and Irish cream. The real Irish cream. It is definitely my favorite way to have my coffee now. Don't worry, I only had one cup. Another star in today's morning role was the blueberry pancake. Does breakfast get any better? I think not...

Two high points right now (besides breakfast): 1. I get 35.5 hours this coming week. 2. I'm scheduled to move into my apartment in a few weeks. Are you as excited as I am?

I hope you're weekend is great.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Burgers

Tuesday night: a good night to fire up a grill. I decided it was a good time to try grilling. A few people know how grilling burgers last summer went, I'll sum it up for those who don't. It was a pound of burger but I didn't realize it was 3/4 grease. It turned out I only needed about 2 slices of cheese to cover 8 tiny burgers.





So tonight the special was burgers stuffed with pepperjack cheese. These were much bigger... and better.



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Spaghetti Dinner

This was my next meal. Attn: Dad, he said "This is better than the one your dad made." For the record there was no comparison, dad's was better. He's not so great anymore, huh?

Monday, July 14, 2008

I Had a Nice Weekend

Weekend: n. a time to relax

That's how I defined the word weekend these past few days. I'll break it down, day by day.

Friday:
Nothing too exciting to say about Friday. I had breakfast in Coleman and left for Grand Rapids shortly after. Upon my arrival I picked up my check from work, got my schedule for the week, and went to the bank. After picking up Jordan from work the weekend began. We picked up paint from the Home Depot and came home. We then sat down to a nice dinner (we were hungry). Forgetting about the paint I picked up just hours later I suggested we watch a movie. I chose The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (classic). After 4 hours went by we realized it was midnight and I forgot I wanted to paint.

Saturday:
Today was the real beginning to the weekend. As soon as Jordan got out of work we went to painting. He sanded while I labored in the hot sun. Here are the pictures.






And the finished product:




Sunday:
Sunday Jordan had plans to golf with his dad and I had plans to swim all day with my friend, Ryan Perry... or better known as Gootz. I'll name a few of the high points of the day 1) sunshine 2)swimming 3) beer 4) Tigers (they won, too!) 5) grilling hot dogs. It was the most relaxing day I've had in a long time. We were swimming/grilling for about four and a half hours. After he left I put on some pajamas and fell asleep until Jordan came home and made me this:


Isn't he great?
[End Weekend]

Saturday, July 12, 2008

The End to My Travels

Here is the great, 5 fork conclusion you all have been waiting for(I'll let the pictures do the talking):









And then I came across this beauty. The Michelob seasonal beer, brewed with chocolate and caramel:



I'm biased to say it was good but it was just okay. It definitely needs to be cold.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

To Logan's and Beyond

Yesterday I traveled around many places but one of my greatest finds, perhaps, was this character:



Shortly after he got to my mom's we all went out to eat at Logan's (mom, peej, mickey, and I).



To cap off the night we went to Shae and Scott's place but I don't have many pictures of there. Michael took a video of the car ride over but you'll have to get it from him. This is all I have:



Today I'm just sitting around until it's time to go to Grandma P's later. Yesterday was very successful, I picked up a dining room table and chairs thanks to an Aunt C and an entertainment center thanks to K-Mart. Still hunting for a coffee table (but not a necessity) and bar stools. I'll try to get some more pictures from tonight. To be continued...

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Back to My Roots

With the entire week off (other than Monday) I found myself having to fill the extra time on my hands. Instead of nipping at Jordan's heels what could I do? He had plans to fish and golf all week leaving me by myself to either watch movies or play Zelda. I decided to come home for a few days. Yup, I'm in Coleman. I have my camera and I'll be taking pictures of my travels but so far it's only been to Midland for some cheap shopping for the apartment. I'm realizing that in my past living experiences my roommates have furnished everything. Now I'm trying to pick up a dining room table and chairs (if you know any, let me know), two bar stools, and a coffee table. I picked up a cheap entertainment center today. Still on the agenda is visiting Grandma P and going out to dinner tonight with mom and peej. More to come as the week progresses...

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Ruby Tuesday

I don't have much to post about lately, which is the same reason I often go so long without posting. I'm trying to keep people updated anyway though. I have a few areas in life I can update on. I'll start with my apartment search and finish with work.

Next school year I'm planning on living with my cousin, Kevin. We are both OSH majors and coordinated our schedules so we can study together, too. We'll be sharing classes and a two bedroom apartment. Last Wednesday we decided it would be a good day to start looking for a place to live next month. We started out looking between Allendale and Grand Rapids but nothing was working out. One of the landlords had given us a brochure of places in the Grand Rapids area to look at. Every time Kevin said a place I recognized it. Most were on a road called Alpine, north of Grand Rapids near Comstock Park. I drive down Alpine every time I go to work and it's about 5-10 minutes from Jordan's parents' house, depending on where you are. I offered to take him there since I knew it so well and there's a bus line that takes you down Alpine directly to the downtown campus.

We got to our first place called Green Ridge and he was already loving the Alpine area. There are a lot of stores so he said he could apply to work anywhere and it'd be close to the apartment. When we went in the office the lady we talked to had a two bedroom that will be open just in time for us. The price was right so we asked to see one of the units. They're perfect. It has a balcony with outdoor storage, a vaulted ceiling in the living room, patio doors with a half circle window above them, two large bedrooms with walk in closets, two bathrooms, a washer and dryer, and a pool open from Memorial Day until Labor Day. Did I mention it's right next to The Burlington Coat Factory?

Other than finding my dream place I've been looking for some gender neutral decorations and since we're both over 21 beer is very gender neutral. I've picked up some tin Irish beer signs that I think will look cool in the living room. Pictures will be up when we move in.

The only update I have for The Burlington Coat Factory is that they've given me more responsibility. Not only do I work customer service a majority of the time instead of just a normal register, but they've been starting me with a $500 drawer instead of only $100. The next step: upgrade from a level 0 key to a level 1 key so I can do some returns without supervision.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

My Fourth

My 4th of July was a good one. I had to work from 10:00am-6:30pm but I think I got holiday pay and I had plenty of time afterwards to go see fireworks. You'll notice in this post there are no pictures, I apologize. I left straight from work to go to the beach and realized I forgot my camera the second we got in the car.

As far as fireworks go, they've never really been my thing. I've only gone to the fireworks once and they were in Midland, if that says anything about the quality. Although Midland has a nice show, there are better ones. We went to Grand Haven for the works this year. I can easily say they were the best I've ever seen. We were sitting on the water waiting for the show when they started off with a water and lights production. It was like the fountain you see in Vegas that shoots up water except it had music to it and red, white, and blue lights. It was amazing. After the water show it was dark enough to shoot off the fireworks, finally. We had been sitting on the cement area that boats tie up to for three hours.

Long story short, the fireworks were amazing, especially the reflection in the water. I hope you all had a good 4th, too.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Beachin' It

I know it's about time to update my blog so here it is. I'll start by posting some pictures from my birthday weekend.



What's that? I'm engaged?? Awww...


Corona. La cerveza mas fina. The finer beer. Definitely a celebratory beer.


We had hot dogs and s'mores.


Annie and I. She is one of my favorite people ever.


These are probably my two best friends from college. Annie and Gootz. (He actually has a name but it's Ryan Perry, bleh).




That pretty much sums up my birthday weekend, minus a few minuscule details. Last weekend I had a nice visit from Miss Sarah Novak and Mr. Luke Huss. They came in Friday night and left Sunday morning. I was really excited because in my couple of years in west Michigan I've wanted her to come out here but she never has. So what did we do? Jordan and I made sure these Coleman natives realized what they're missing out on. Unfortunately I had to work for about half of their visit so I didn't get pictures from anywhere but the beach. By the way, they're also engaged.






If we're going to a lake I'm getting in it.





It was a good day. A good weekend, actually.