Marc and Sarah's Wedding

Last weekend was very busy, but the highlight was definitely Marc Hong and Sarah DeYoung's wedding at Alma:


Here's the bride, all smiles and sass before the ceremony.


Anna and I couldn't resist a photo with the groom.


The bridal party with the newlyweds - aren't their dresses pretty?


The wedding cake had three different flavors! I don't have cake-cutting pictures because there were too many people up there, but they both had cake on their faces by the time they were done!


Sarah and Marc are all smiles as the reception winds down. They've had a whirlwind weekend!


The bride and groom with the old Alma alums.

Our other weekend event, besides getting pregnancy updates from Anna, was Father's Day down with my dad. Though we were there for only ten hours, we managed to ride at Island Lake, get stuck in the pontoon boat because the impeller broke, spend time with Grandpa, go wakesurfing and wakeboarding, and eat a huge dinner. Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we got back to Mt. Pleasant, but it was worth it.

To keep the momentum of our summer up, this weekend we're going camping at Leelanau State Park with Adrienne (a high school friend), her boyfriend Kyle, Bruce and my parents. Plans include biking at Vasa, wine-tasting, and going to the beach. Wahoo! All this will come after the second freshman orientation on Friday, during which we will strive to entertain almost 200 new Alma students and their parents. Talk about a draining day! I guess that's what happens when you recruit a RECORD CLASS!

Go Scots!

This should be of interest to all your AC alums! (Is there even anyone who didn't go to Alma who reads this?!?)

End of the week

It's Friday, and another gorgeous week comes to a close. Work has been busy...we did a two-day planning retreat in Mt. Pleasant on Tuesday and Wednesday, and while at times it was really frustrating (a group that large seems great for brainstorming but terrible for making decisions!), it was generally helpful. We took the Myers-Briggs personality test as a staff to learn more about each other and identify some of the dynamics in the office. I'm an ISTJ, for anyone who's familiar with this assessment. :)

Other than work, we had our third week of beach volleyball and lost both our games. This league is more advanced than the one we were in last year, but I think it's where we need to be. I subbed in the intermediate league and it's kind of full of a bunch of yahoos who don't like to follow the rules and are more concerned with drinking beer than playing volleyball. So, while it's frustrating to lose, at least we are losing to superior teams who call their own net violations.

Our church is preparing for next week's Vacation Bible School and while we haven't been able to help out a ton, we did go over and blow up balloons for over an hour last night. I have a blister on one of my fingers from tying them all together to help with the balloon arches! The theme is "The Greatest Show on Earth" and you should see how they've transformed the whole place into a big circus arena! If I have a chance, I'll go over and take some pictures today.

And the best news of all - tomorrow, Marc Hong and Sarah DeYoung are getting married at Alma, and Tim and Anna arrived late last night from North Carolina for the wedding! They're obviously staying with us, and we'd have made some plans for them to get together with more people but they have to leave early on Sunday morning to go home. I'm working this morning while they catch up on their sleep but I'm heading back at lunchtime so we can spend some time together. It's crazy to think that next time I see them, they'll be parents! Wow!

Well, I need to prepare for a meeting. I'm coordinating the Orientation Committee again this year, and I need to meet with my co-advisor (though he seems to have that role in name only most times) to plan some off-campus excursions for Labor Day weekend. Time to get organized!

Mitch's Skydiving Adventure

Last weekend, Mitch did something I'd never do: he went skydiving! Here are some of the photos from his adventure:


Thumbs up...he's ready to go!


Oh my goodness, this would freak me out!


Free-falling above the Frankenmuth area


Gliding back down to solid ground


Thanks Mike - what a ride!

It wasn't even my birthday...

...but it kind of felt like it! Yesterday I joined Megan and two of her friends to celebrate her 22nd birthday, and we were royally pampered by her husband! He bought all four of us pedicures (I do still have my callouses), movie tickets to see Mr. Brooks, popcorn and pop at the movies, and dinner at Gengi's, a Japanese steakhouse in Midland. He also took Mitch and I out for drinks at The Cabin at the end of the night, though I'm not sure Mitch exactly appreciated the celebratory shot!

Since we had to skip volleyball last night, I'm pleased to report that I'll be subbing for another player in tonight's league. Of course, I will look very funny wearing socks to protect my pretty toes! On another note, Mitch and my mom are going skydiving this weekend! There's no way you would get me to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but he will have a good time. I'll try to post pics or something...scary!

Good morning!

Though it's usually a struggle to get out of bed in the morning, today felt like a great day. Not only did I have a blast this weekend (hanging out with Bruce, swimming and Frisbee at the gravel pits, Pirates 3), we were also very productive. When I woke up this morning, the apartment was vacuumed; Chip had a clean litterbox; all our fruit for the week was cut up or washed; the laundry was done, folded, and put away; all my dress pants were ironed (thanks to Mitch, who did that while I edited his cover letter); the bathroom was cleaned, including freshly washed rugs and towels; and because of the rain, my balcony garden looks healthy and amazing. Top that off with all the new clothes hanging in my closet (spent too much money at Express - Mom's fault - but now my summer work wardrobe actually exists) and you have a recipe for the most fantastic Monday possible.

What am I looking forward to this week? New clothes to wear, for one! Also, it's Megan's birthday tomorrow and Chris has a full afternoon planned for her and her friends, including me. Pedicure, anyone? (To anyone who's ever had one: can I request that they not file off my callouses? I like and need them!)

And I guess I would be remiss if I didn't post my opinion of the new Pirates movie. I thought it was definitely too long, and it almost seemed like nothing really happened until the very end. I kept thinking, What is happening here? and felt that too many subplots were introduced and not really resolved. All the betraying and scheming is complicated enough without trying to figure out how crazy crab lady and freaky fish man were in love if she was never human in the first place...anyway, I still maintain they could have stopped at the first movie, because that one was GREAT.