Vacation Planning...

Every year summer rolls around and we want to go on vacation. The problem is that we are terrible at planning ahead. In the past I've thought, "Oh, we're just always so busy and that's why we're always doing things last minute!" But I think I've come to a realization...we just procrastinate.

Our vacation last year was the same way...we ended up having a fabulous trip up North, but it was hard finding a hotel that wasn't booked! When we went to Puerto Rico for Spring Break it was the same thing. I kept putting off updating my passport until it was too late and I was afraid I wouldn't get it in time to book a trip out of the country.

So guess what? We want to go on vacation. Summer is already flying by and we have not yet made plans! Oh sigh.

We've talked here and there about going up to Traverse City again.

We really had an amazing time last year.

I was just perusing the Pure Michigan website and came across the Wilds of Michigan link. I know a vacation to the UP is not everyone's cup of tea. But there are some amazing sights that I want to see like the Old Growth Forest. After cruising around this site, I got really excited and started looking at tents and sleeping bags on Amazon. Then I started to question just how rustic I am.

Anyways, a trip like this would take a lot of planning. The drive is something like 10 hours. Oi vey. So I still don't know what our vacation plan is, but I think I have learned my lesson- we need to plan ahead!

Home Goods Find...

We have been looking for a piece of furniture to add to our dining room to fill a little space and to create more storage room for a while now. I had been eyeing this piece for a little while from Crate & Barrel.

But we already have a lot of dark wood tones in that room so I was a bit hesitant. I was thinking it might be fun to have a piece of furniture that was a color to liven things up.

Yesterday I was at Home Goods and came across this piece. I liked it right off the bat, but didn't know how it would look in the dining room. Nor had I measured the space, so I didn't know if it was the right size. It seemed to be, but I am usually pretty horrible at estimating and spatial reasoning.

I didn't have time to buy it yesterday because I was running late to get somewhere across town, so I decided to go back and pick it up today. I'm glad I did because when I got home, I decided I love it in our house! We didn't want anything big and bulky because it's a small space and we also didn't want that air vent blocked. And it's the right size...victory! I'm excited to decorate the wall space above it. What do you think?

So glad I went with something other than dark wood!

Now I'm off to go clean the house because it looks like a tornado whipped through every floor. A messy house stresses me out. Byeeeee!

Off the Wagon...

I have not been good at ALL about running lately. But, I was just looking on Nike after my run today and I'm getting close to 200 miles run so far this year. Woot! Cheer me on so I can hit that goal this week!

Crimpy Crimpington

Gil & I were out of town this weekend, so Laila went off to the kennel (which sounds sad, but she likes it there and she has lots of other dogs to play with). However, the past two times I picked her up, they've asked me, "Does she pee in the house at home?" Uhhhh, no. She does not.

She has the problem of peeing in her "suite" whenever she stays overnight there. I think she gets confused. Last time she was groomed before we picked her up, but this time the groomer was booked. So they advised me that she probably needed a bath.

Giving Laila a bath in the winter is a terrible ordeal because it has to be done in the house & it's the worst, messiest thing ever. Summer? Not a huge deal.

I have to to tie her to the fence so she doesn't run away. Once she knows she can't go anywhere she is pretty content to stand there and get it over with as fast as possible.

The funny thing about giving her baths is that her fur gets totally and completely crimpy.

The end.

Two Years With Our Little Bungalow...

Today is the 2 year anniversary of us becoming homeowners. While this is really awesome, it also makes me realize that there is no excuse for the amount of projects I have never gotten around to. At first the excuse was all of the basement issues and how that made it hard to properly move in. But two years later, I think it may be time to move on! Or get a new excuse. Just kidding. So I know I've said this already, but I am really going to use this summer to get our house organized and decorated. There are way too many rooms that I've bought wall decor for but just haven't put up. Like the living room, two of the bathrooms, the hallway leading to our bedroom, the guest bedroom, and a few other places. Seriously, we've neglected our walls! There's nothing like wall art and curtains to make a house feel finished, so that's what I'm going to do.

Here are some frames that I picked up at Pier 1 and Home Goods.

Is it weird that I love this "To the Beach" sign? Clearly, we do not have a beach near us, but it reminds me of summers spent in Grand Haven. Plus, it's just a fun sign.

My original thought for getting these frames was to do a wall in this fashion, but on a much smaller scale. However, since the space is not huge I don't know how/if I want to use all these frames together. I have to figure out what all I want in that space. I also want to add some unique objects that are not framed pictures or considered typical wall decor.

What are some fun things that you have used for art on your walls at home that have sentimental value or are not typically considered art?

Bed Bath & Beyond Fail

Day 1 of summer vacation means the start of operation get organized in our house! I have an ongoing Google doc of projects around the house that I want to work on. To get started, I headed over to Bed Bath & Beyond with a list of things that I needed.

One of the first items that I wanted to grab was a "Catch-All Valet"- a place for Gil to stick his wallet and odds and ends from his pockets. On clearance- awesome! Zero left- fail.

I did find this cute charging station for our phones which was only $2.99. Much needed. We currently charge our phones on top of the scale in our bathroom. True story.

Next I looked for shelf dividers to keep our closets organized. Couldn't find any- fail.

Then I picked out these super cute sheer panels for our living room. I was so sure they were the right length. Got them home and they're about an inch too short- measuring fail.

I was also pretty excited about this hair dryer holder for under the sink (doesn't take a lot to amuse me evidently) and it didn't fit under any of the cabinets- fail.

To round out that less than successful B B & B trip, I totally forgot to buy any kind of containers for the "mail station" that I want to make- fail. Yes, mail is one of the number one messes in our house.

By the way, did you know that there is a store called "The Container Store"? Unfortunately there aren't any in Michigan. I would love it there! I heard about that store on one of my new fave blogs "I Heart Organizing". If your heart races for new organization projects like mine does, you should check it out!

Exhale!

I'm done with school and I'm done with class (for the week)...time to take a deep breath and relax! I feel like I have no obligations for the next few days & that's an awesome feeling!

I just have one little paper to get done by July 2nd...but I'm not going to think about that right now!

I'm pretty sure Laila is excited to hang out everyday. Her favorite thing to do is lay at our feet under the desk...

On a side note, we were at bowling this week and someone had a Paws with a Cause puppy in the bowling alley. It reminded me that we had talked about training Laila to be a therapy dog so she can go into schools to "read" with the kids. I think she needs to calm down a bit still, as she still gets very excited with new people and likes to jump...which is not really acceptable when you weigh 100 pounds! She loves being around people & really loves kids so I know it would be a great role for her if she were super well-trained. Something to work on over the summer!

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Back to my original reason for writing this... Goooooooooooooooooooo Summer!

June Showers Bring...

GIANT FALLING BRANCHES!! Very happy that this did not hit my car today. Ironically, this branch did not fall during the storm. It hung around for another 15 or 20 minutes before scaring the heck out of us!

I just bought this...

from deLovely Arts on Etsy.com

Cute!! Gil's first question was, "Where is that going?". Good question. Somewhere on the wall in one of the rooms in our house. Michigan Love.

I Heart Weddings

Yesterday Gil & I went to my cousin's wedding in East Lansing. Oh, how I love a wedding! There were about 5+ moments where I had to work hard not to cry. Not that I'm opposed to crying at weddings, but I just knew it wouldn't have been one or two tears...there would've been major waterworks involved, that's just how I am! And I worked too hard on my eye makeup for that.

Anyways, it was a great wedding and my cousin was such a beautiful bride! Her dress was so pretty (loved the back) and the bridesmaid's dresses were so cute.

Mom & Sisters

Cousins

It was fun seeing family & getting dressed up. We had to head out early to let Laila out, which I was a bit bummed about because I do love me some dancin'. We danced to one song in memory of Kristi's mom and during that one song, Gil said "I don't like dancing!"...haha he cracks me up. At least he's a good sport.

One thing that I love about weddings is that it reminds you of those feelings right after you get married. Not that I'm not super nice to Gil all the time anyways :) , but after living together and being in a relationship for (gasp) almost 10 years, it's easy to let day to day things get in the way. Like sharing sink space when we're both trying to get ready in the morning or how Gil never puts anything away or how I constantly forget to put the cover back on the camera lens (that drives Gil crazy). Weddings are just a good reminder!

Have I Mentioned School's Out for the Summer?

Well sort of. I don't have students right now, but I have to report until next Wednesday. I have to say, the Kindergarten Celebration was pretty cute. Watching the kids singing their songs together really made me realize how much they have grown up! I leaned over to one of my coworkers during the song and said, "Kindergarten is the best grade to teach!". I don't feel like that everyday (haha), but sometimes I have moments that make me remember how cool my job is.

I will get to miss my kids for a week and then they start back at summer school on Wednesday, so I will see them again. Since I've taught second grade the least two years and our third graders go to another building, I really don't get to see former students often. It will be so fun seeing my kids all the time next year when they are in first grade!

The district is closed today, but I have to go in for a meeting and then the weekend is mine. Muwhaha. Just wish I didn't have a paper due tomorrow! Boo.

Exhausted!

Nothing much new here this week. I should be writing my paper right now, but I have been staring at the computer screen, zoning out instead. I think I'm exhausted from the heat. Teaching kindergarteners will do that to you. Teaching kindergarteners in 95 degree heat the past two days will definitely do that to you. So I think the theme for this week is survival!

P.S. I got home from work yesterday and let Laila outside. I checked out the window a few minutes later & Laila had knocked her pool over and was sitting inside it, waiting. So funny, she wants to get in her pool everyday when I get home.

Laila is embracing her heritage...

As you may recall in this post from last summer, Laila was not yet aware that she comes from a breed of water rescue dogs.

Well, today is going to be 87 degrees outside, so Gil pulled out the baby pool for Laila. She was not timid this time around, got right in and started splashing. Pretty cute.

P.S. I just went to tag this post with the usual "Newfoundland Dog" and "Puppy" labels and remembered that she turned one...our little pup is growing up. Tear!

I forgot I took these pictures...

It's a little late, but as I was going through pictures from the zoo I found these pictures from Mother's Day. I have the cutest nieces ever!! I miss them!

I could eat her up!

A neighbor stopped by with her dogs while we were playing outside. She loved them!!!

So cute.

Everyone :)

Zoooooooooo!

Yesterday the kindergarten classes took a trip to the Detroit Zoo, which I was pretty excited about because I have never been before! It was the perfect way to spend a sunny Friday at the end of the school year. Apparently about a million other schools had that same thought...it was incredibly busy!

We were slightly disappointed because the lion exhibit was closed, we didn't see any tigers, and the monkey exhibit was being cleaned but we did see a lot of animals. I just realized that we never saw elephants...I wonder if the zoo has any?

A giant anteater. Creepy!

We thought the polar bear up on the hill looked pretty depressed in the non-arctic "Arctic Ring" exhibit. Polar bears just seem like they should never see grass. But a docent we talked to assured us that polar bears can live in a wide range of temperatures, like those that live in Canada. Still, he looks like he'd love some snow.

The kangaroos did not move at all. Must've been too hot?

We (the kindergarten teachers haha) were a big fan of the giraffes. Sooo pretty!

This picture doesn't quite capture how amazingly blue this bird's head was. Did you know that the zoo doesn't own the peacocks? They just come on their own!

I wish I could show you how cute the kindergarteners looked while they watched all the animals!

Hard to see, but zebras grazing. The one in the middle is a baby! Did you know that zebra mother's keep their babies away from the group for

the first few days of life so the baby can learn its mother's stripes, smell, and sound? Aww.

Part of the Kindergarten Team

We had a little drama trying to get all the groups back onto the bus on time, but all in all it was a pretty smooth trip.

Day 2 of Vibram Shoes

I am not running today because I have bowling (yes, I'm in a bowling league for Gils' work haha) but my calves are sooooo sore. Like, really really sore. That is all.

Crazy Feet

A long time ago, Gil told me that he wanted these crazy five finger shoes. My response went something like, "Those are so weird looking. Why would you want those??" I have to be honest, Gil tends to think outside the box and sometimes it takes me a while to come around.

In the case of the five finger shoes, I ended up buying Gil a pair as an end of busy season present. He really liked them and when a good deal came up, he convinced me to get a pair.

I wasn't really feeling like working out when I got home from work today and to be honest, I've totally been slacking the last two weeks. But when I pulled up to the house, I saw a package on the porch. The shoes had arrived and I just had to try them out! I got the "Sprint" style in slate/lichen color.

Because the Vibram shoes change your stride and you are running on different parts of your feet than normal, you are supposed to gradually get your body used to them. My run today was only a mile and I have to say, my calf muscles are sore in a spot that typically does not get sore. However, I felt like my feet were pounding much less on the pavement than normal which was nice. The shoes were super light, comfortable, and didn't weigh me down. I'm not sure how I'll feel about them after I've done some more runs, but the first run went well. All in all, I probably looked crazy, but I like them so far!