It's been a while...

I'm skipping the part where I say I should blog/journal more. Because I feel like I do that every post. (Except, in saying that, I might as well just have said it. Hmph.)

First things first. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 did NOT disappoint! I didn't cry as much as I anticipated, but wept at the following moments (and I do mean wept) 1) Snape's death (so much more violent than I anticipated!), 2) Snape's memories, as he's holding Lily and crying and 3) when Snape produces his doe patronus in Dumbledore's office and Dumbledore says, "Really Severus? After all this time?" And Snape says, "Always." That being said, I never realized I had such an emotional connection with Severus Snape. But I will say this: even before book 7 was released, I stood by my belief that he was always Good. "Always."

Many-a thing has happened since my last update. First on the agenda, my sister-in-law got married. Here are a few of the oodles of pictures I snapped from the big day...

My mother-in-law made this beautiful aisle runner for the church


Jessie, getting her hoop skirt on under her dress. No small feat.


Me & Boo :)


Six hands, doing a job that requires six hands


Driving away from the ceremony into a humid West Michigan afternoon

My parents were here visiting for the wedding/4th of July/to see our new house, so we hit up the local 4th of July parade. Like any small town parade, there were miniature horses and all I could think was...

'Lil Sebastian! (Shout out to any Parks & Recreation viewers)

On...Tuesday? Monday?...we went to Grand Haven for a walk down the boardwalk/pier/beach. It was perfect walking weather with clear blue skies. By the end it was getting a teensy bit warm...but hey, it was the end so it didn't matter.

My precious M&D in Grand Haven


West Michigan coast line.


The pier in Grand Haven. I love that there's a super creepy GRAVESTONE at the start of the pier as a memorial to the people who have lost their lives on this pier. (Thanks, Grand Haven...way to FREAK my dad out so that he almost didn't walk with us.) They never mention on the super creepy memorial gravestone that the people who've died are usually drunk early-twentiers who venture onto the pier during huge storms with twenty foot swells washing over them.


Dan, hamin' it up Bret Michaels style


Grand Haven beach. Oh, such little "waves."

So after my parents left and we caught our breath from our first ever house guest and the physical/emotional hubbub of a wedding...we had a MAJOR storm at our house. I watched with my co-workers at the office as trees threatened to crack and lightning struck the building beside us. The power went out and we were mercifully sent home after waiting two hours and still no electricity. When I got home though, my fears had finally come to fruition. Our power was out for the first time since we bought our house...the power that our sump pump relies on to pump water so it doesn't flood our basement. Luckily we escaped with no incident. When the power came back on, I watched the pump operate through three or four cycles to try and understand how it works. I'm still super confused, because by my understanding of what I saw, we should've had water in the basement. Unless water doesn't actually flow in during a power outage (but that's dumb and unrealistic). So all I can say is, "Thank you Lord for keeping our basement and Dan's guitars dry as a popcorn fart!" (As my father-in-law would say...yeah...he confuses me too.)

So ANYWAY, when I pulled into our driveway, I saw this ginormous tree limb laying about five feet from our garage. (Not that something this size would've/could've done substantial damage, but still!)


And lastly...a sweaty/freckled moi. After an evening run/before an evening walk with Boo. A far cry from my dolled up wedding-self, eh?

Way more has happened since my last update, but I don't have the time, energy, or home internet speed to post all about it.

I'll say this, though. Last Sunday we went to a free Tigers game in Detroit and it was HELLA hot. I've never been so concerned for my health in the heat like I was that day. I swear I probably sweat a total of 2.5 lbs or something ridiculous. Oh. And some lady got hit in the boob with a fly ball. I don't know exactly how it happened, but it totally did.

Next on the agenda? A fun-filled weekend with the Kettering Crew who're coming from Ohio, Indiana and Detroit to be out second ever house guests!