Taking a Deep Breath...and Here We Go!

Wow, what a crazy last couple of weeks it's been! But crazy in the very best way. Before I really get y'all up to date though, we must have a moment of silence for Rue McClanahan...

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Blanche was my favorite Golden Girl and I just loved her spirit. It's so bizarre watching someone your whole life on TV and then they pass away. It makes me feel old when I'm still so young.

So Jeff's party was great! I was worried when, the day before, the weather called for rain. I knew it was supposed to be a little chilly but I was really, really hoping it didn't rain. Apparently God likes Jeff because it stayed nice through the party and only sprinkled a little at the very end when everyone was leaving. Then it got nice again while we cleaned up. :) Around 40 friends and family came to congratulate Jeff which just goes to show what kind of a person he is. I'm so proud of him and I feel extremely fortunate to be able to have him in my life. I couldn't have a secret party for him, but I got to keep the western theme a secret which was fun. I realized after the fact, though, that I didn't get a lot of close up pictures or a picture of the pinata "pre-bashing". Oh well, it was little hectic. Without further, ado, here are some pictures & a descriptions of the craftiness I
accomplished.

These are the tables I decorated with hay bales, cow print and bandana tableclothes, boot vases, etc.

So right after the party I hurried home to get packed and then it was off to New York!! We had a blast. I'm posting a bunch of pictures to Facebook but I'll put a couple here to give you an inkling of the funness. We saw Avenue Q, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, went to the top of the Rockefeller Center, ate at Carnagie Deli, Lombardi's, and Angelo's, and last but certainly not least, went to the Bon Jovi concert at the new Meadowlands stadium. All of that in 4 Days! You can see why I was totally exhausted by the time we left. But it was all worth it.

The Statue of Liberty

The Bon Jovi Concert

The New Meadowlands Stadium

Times Square

The Carnegie Deli Deliciousness

Empire State Building

Central Park

After NYC we headed to Michigan to visit some friends from Jeff's mission. I realize now I never got pictures of the Banners who we stayed with. They were super sweet and have an amazing family. The weather was perfect the whole time we were there too. I guess the end of May is usually a little chillier than it was when we were there so I count myself lucky. Michigan was gorgeous! The Banners have the Flat River in their backyard and there were 40 lakes in that county alone! We got to have a nice lunch by lake Wabasis then we played Frisbee in the park. Jeff impressed me by shooting a video of him throwing it to me and then he caught it when I threw it back, all while recording. Of course my Frisbee throwing skills were less than impressive. A great relaxing birthday all in all. Here are a couple of pictures of Michigan just to give you an idea. If the weather was that nice all year round, I would move in a heartbeat. :)

The Back Deck of the Banners'

The Flat River

The Driveway to the Banners'

Then we flew home and I'm sure glad I took an extra day off of work. I was so worn out that it just felt good to sleep and get back to normal a little. After we were back I got really excited to work on more crafty projects. I'm feeling a little addicted and I really want to hone my crafty side. As I mentioned before I wanted to get a little table to put my new flowers on. So I went to the DI and found the perfect little nightstand. I've gotten paint and new knobs for cheap and I'm ready to get started. Hopefully I can do a little this weekend down at my parents'. I'm not sure how my apartment managers would feel about me spray painting in the parking lot. hee hee... I have all kinds of ideas but I know I need to pace myself and work on it a step at a time even if it doesn't get completely finished in one weekend. I'm pulling inspiration from about 3 different craft blogs and I'll definitely be linking the tutorials along with before and after pictures. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it all works out!!