Another Catch-Up

Seems like I am forever catching up on here. It's been a very busy several weeks. Here's what's been going on...

Michigan
We left on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and headed for Michigan. Uneventful trip. We made it to Chris' parent's house around 2:30 in the morning and proceeded to drop into bed. On Saturday, we swung by the house (horrible condition) and then went to catch up with Mike and Carrie down in Ypsilanti. Mike, Chris and Brad headed back to Brighton to meet up with some of the other guys and then they were off to see X-Men 3. In the mean time, Carrie and I, with Marshall in tow, attended a 1st birthday party for the twins of Carrie's fellow resident, Ann. Ann's little guys, Ben and Owen, are adorable. The party was amazing - tons of food and cake, and even more babies! Everywhere you turned there were babies - ranging from just over a year to a 3-week old little girl. There was even another set of twins (children of another of Carrie's co-workers) names Charlotte and Owen. Chris and I love the name Owen and thought we would like to use it but now we're not so sure. Seems to be gaining popularity. Right before the cake was served, Marshall decided he'd had enough. So we packed up, heading back to Brighton and Chris' parent's house. After the guys got home, we all grabbed dinner and then watched the Pistons game (versus The Heat) and then it was bedtime.

In the morning, Chris and I and Mike and Carrie headed to church and then home again for lunch. Then the group of us headed to the Chris' house and the nightmare that was waiting for us. Before we could do much, we had to clean all the garbage out of the house and yard. So off to work we went. We worked all afternoon, heading home in the late afternoon to eat and cool off. We went back later that evening after it had cooled off to get some more done. While we were there, two of the neighbors stopped over and helped for a bit. It was really nice to visit with them as we worked. We headed home again to relax and go to bed.

We were back at it early Monday and now we could at least clear whole rooms and get walls wiped down in preparation for painting. Chris and I stopped and bought flowers and plants and mulch. My job was to get a flower bed planted in the front to improve the aesthetics of the exterior. It was incredible how much of a difference a flat of impatiens, a flat of celosa, a single hosta and a little bush, along with a few bags of mulch will make. In no time, the outside was looking great. We slacked off a little on Tuesday deciding to ride with Mike up to Clare to check out Mike and Carrie's new house and accompany the house inspector. It was a nice break and we had a great time with Mike. We got back in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day working at the house. In the evening, our friends Bill and Amy and little Liam came up and helped for a while. Then we headed out for a nice Chinese dinner with them and back to bed for more sleep. By Wednesday, we had given up on the idea of getting all the garbage out of there ourselves and called to get a large dumpster for the yard. Can you believe we filled it - and then some!? It was crazy how much trash two slovenly bachelor's can make. We spent the rest of Wednesday taping and cleaning and ripping up carpet all prepping to paint. On Thursday, the painting frenzy began. We painted for 12 hours straight. I HATE the smell of paint now. It never used to bother me but now I just want to barf when I smell it. Bill and Amy came up again on Thursday to help and we snuck out for a late dinner at Dairy Queen - YUM! By Friday night there was light at the end of the tunnel. The house was looking (and smelling) a lot better! We went to the house just for a few minutes on Saturday to grab some stuff and finish cleaning out some stuff we needed. Then it was home to spend the little time we had left with family. Bill and Amy and Liam came up, along with Mike and Carrie and Marshall. We all went out and grabbed dinner at Applebee's and then went back to Mom and Dad Nicholson's house. The babies played together while the adults relaxed and chatted. We got up early on Sunday morning, packed up and headed home. Another uneventful drive and we were home by 9:00 on Sunday night.

VBS
Chris and I both headed back to work on Monday morning. Starting Monday evening and running all week was our church's Vacation Bible School. Chris got to lead around a group of 3rd and 4th graders while I cuddled babies in the nursery. We both had fun. By Friday night we were both beat though. But Chris was a trooper. He helped with the final program and was in costume - complet with sailor hat and little grass skirt. I'll post a picture soon! Our friend Cherie and her son Brett followed us home that night so Brett could help Chris unload his massive TV that we brought back from his house. Cherie and I worked to get the door and shelves out of the entertainment center so we could fit said massive TV. It was questionable for a few minutes if it would work or not but we managed to fit it in with only 2 minor scratches to the entertainment center. And then there was the jumble of wires to deal with! And until Brett and my super-savvy husband told me otherwise, I didn't realize that coaxial cable wasn't that great! Who knew?! By shortly after 11:00, Cherie and Brett had headed home and Chris was just about done getting everything hooked up. We even watched a few minutes of Lord of the Rings before heading to bed. I have to say, I was not in favor of using the massive TV. I mean, come on, isn't my little 19" good enough?! But seriously, the clarity of this big TV is amazing! And it's flat screen which I guess is supposed to be good too. And you can actually read the closed captioning!

The Babysitting Adventure
On Saturday, we were scheduled for another adventure. Chris and I headed out at 7:30 in the morning to head to our friend's house. We were going to be watching 4 year old Cameron and 1 year olds, Trevor and Jennika all day. The kids were up and ready to go. Daddy was already gone and Mommy headed out right away. We had planned to do some yard sale-ing, so we headed up the kiddos and were off to meet our friend Sharon for the city-wide garage sales. We finished up fairly early and were invited to Sharon and Brian's house for lunch. So Chris and I and the three kiddos and Brian and Sharon and their little one Noah, crammed into their living room, complete with enough toys to open a toy store. It was hilarious! Their were babies and toys all over the place. We left around 1:00 to get the kiddos home and down for naps - which gave Chris and I a chance to catch our breath and take a quick nap. Tony and Kathi came home to change for an evening wedding and were off again. Just a few hours later and everyone was ready for bed - except Miss Jennika. She fell asleep for a bit but then was up to party until Mom and Dad got home. We had a fun time and let Kathi and Tony know that we'd love to do it again.

And now we're finally settling in to be home again. Life is good. Hope you are all well.