Adrienne's Wedding

I know those of you who read this blog don't know Adrienne, my friend from high school. Still, I'll post some photos from her wedding because it really was a beautiful affair. All the ones are took are posted on Picasa.



Here are all us girls with our hair styled for the wedding. The bridal party included two friends from high school (me and Amanda), a cousin (Erin) and a friend from college (Amber).



Adrienne got dressed at the Frog Pond, an outdoor wedding chapel. We had this nice little bridal suite for our preparations.



Isn't she such a beautiful bride?



When Adrienne was mostly ready, we sneaked out to decorate the car the would take from the ceremony to the reception.



Here's the ceremony. It was a perfect day, even though we got a couple of sprinkles at the end of the ceremony. No one was really worried about it, though!



The new Mr. and Mrs./Dr. Kyle and Adrienne Jones!



After the ceremony, we did some photos at a local garden then came to Crystal Mountain for the reception.



Before the reception began, we all had snacks and a champagne toast at the top of the mountain. We got to ride the chairlift up and everything!



Of course, Mitch and I were goofing around a bit. Would you expect anything less?

My camera ran out of battery before the reception actually started, but it was a great time. We danced quite a bit, mostly with Lindsay and Rich (a friend from high school and her husband). He and Mitch were the kings of the dance floor, at least in our eyes. It's a good thing we're not easily embarrassed!

Chicago!

Saturday, June 21: Let's Party!

6 am: The alarm sounds, dragging me out of bed. I'd spent the night before packing and deciding on party clothes with my friend, Lindsay, in preparation for Adrienne's bachelorette party. Dragging a suitcase jam-packed with a sleeping bag, a Thermarest, a fifth of Bacardi Razz, raspberry Jello and a few pieces of clothing, we loaded up the car and sped off to the train station.

8:15 am: Half an hour late, the train pulls out of the station. We settle in for a nice, long train ride to Union Station.

1:30 pm: Hampered by a few delays, we arrive in Chicago and manage to find the bus that runs past Amanda's apartment. Half an hour later, we're getting settled in and helping her set up for the party. We decorated glasses for mojitos, hung some lights and hit the streets to pick up flowers, cash and more rum.



8:00 pm: The bride-to-be arrives with the rest of the girls. We eat dinner on the roof and surprise Adrienne with a few gifts. Some nice guys take cool photos of us with Chicago in the background.







10:00 pm: We all hop into two taxis and head to the Hancock Building, where we have reservations at the Signature Room, a restaurant on the top floor. Unfortunately, we never got to eat because they require an entree per person and we had only planning to have dessert and drinks. So we relocated to the bar and watched fireworks from the women's bathroom.

12:00 am: Time to go dancing! We headed to Rush Street and found this club called The Level. After a round of lemon drops, we hit the dance floor and quickly found a small group of guys who attached themselves to our party. They bought Adrienne a shot, danced with her and congratulated her over and over again.



2:30 am: Adrienne's getting woozy...too many shots are taking their toll, so we head outside for some fresh air. Amanda makes some plans to meet up with the bachelor party at a bar nearer to the apartment, so we pile into cabs and make our way across the city. When our cab - the second to leave - arrives, we find that one of the guys had gotten sick, so the groom walked him back to the apartment. They lacked keys, however, so Amanda and her husband were heading back that way as well. They intended to let the other guys in and return to the bar, but I called shenanigans on a long night and said we would head back to the apartment, too. The walk was a mile long and most of the girls had their impossible heels off, trudging through the streets of Chicago barefoot. Another girl and I carried the bride over some rough roads to save her little toes!

4:00 am: We're back at the apartment and ready for bed. The birds' eye view of us must have been hilarious; thirteen people wrapped in blankets, scattered all over the apartment. A good time was had by all!

How did I miss this?

How has this been out for three weeks and this is the first I've seen it?!?!

"Joe, American"

I still miss her.

I find it fascinating how little things can bring back little, poignant memories.

Last night, I was cutting up a pair of Mitch's old underwear to use as a rag and as I was trimming the waistband off, I remembered how my Grandma Eccles used to sew old underwear bands to the bottom of the seat covers for the red wooden picnic table at the lake. That used to be my job as a girl: spreading out the old tablecloth, opening the umbrella and slipping on the seat covers while burgers sizzled on the charcoal grill.

Suing Chaperones?

I think this is completely ridiculous.

Wicked Weather

On Friday, my carpool buddies and I (look at us saving gas - three people riding in one car!) left work half an hour early to try to beat the approaching band of thunderstorms home. We ended up skirting the edge of the storm all the way down US 127, only to drive smack into a tornado warning. Here's the article (yes, we are in Bingham Township) and here are some pictures of the damage, only a few miles south of our apartment. Scary - I heard the tornado siren as I was running through the rain from my car to the apartment. I turned the news right on and was ready to toss my cat in his carrier and go down to the lower level of our building, but the siren stopped and nothing outside seemed to get any worse. We never lost power, but the wind snapped some power poles like toothpicks though a tornado touchdown was never reported. If I can, I'll get some photos tonight...though we're supposed to get more storms.

Adventures in Mammoth Cave

Preface

In the midst of a snowy Michigan winter, Mitch and I sat curled up with our favorite coffee table book, featuring America's national parks. We had just canceled plans to go skiing in Colorado and were looking for an exciting vacation spot. That one's too far...we don't have enough vacation time to do this one...that would probably cost a fortune. Then we found Mammoth Cave National Park - perfect!

Only one thing could make our potential vacation better: spending quality time with the Long-Slade family and meeting their newest addition. So, with a few phone calls and emails, we made the plans; and here's the story.

Chapter 1: Mammoth Cave Campground

Our home for the week, Mammoth Cave Campground (also known as Headquarters Campground) was pretty much perfect. While the camping was considered rustic, we did have flush toilets nearby and token-operated showers a short walk away. Hot water was at a premium for the first few days but once the weekend traffic subsided, we were blessed with ten minutes of hot-water glory...for $2 per shower, of course.

The campground connected to a network of short hiking trails, and we took a brisk stroll on Saturday afternoon. By trekking off the beaten path, we made our way down to the Green River, giving CJ the chance to dangle his little feet in the water.



And speaking of the little man, he was an absolute joy to have along. Good-natured, friendly and cuddly, we couldn't have asked for a better baby to have along. I don't think Anna slept much, but this kid was chillin' in serious style: he got his own mini-tent, complete with blow-up mattress and mosquito netting.



Chapter 2: The Backcountry

On Sunday, we decided to delay the park's main attraction and explore the backcountry before heading down to the cave. Rightly, we assumed the tours would be congested while the trails remained relatively empty.



Our route, a point-to-point six-mile hike along the First Creek Trail, was supposed to take us most of the day, as we planned to play along the river and enjoy a long, relaxing lunch. The prolific tick population, however, spoiled our plans; we coated ourselves in bug repellent, put our heads down and booked it out of there as quickly as possible! Despite our best efforts, poor Anna brought some back to camp with her and had to suffer through three rounds of tick extraction two days later.

Chapter 3: The Cave

We scheduled two cave tours: the Snowball Tour, a two-hour walking tour suitable for the young'un; and the Wild Cave Tour, an intense six-hour crawling, climbing and squeezing adventure. We were all impressed by the Snowball Tour - it was amazing just to walk through the cave. Even CJ did great! He slept a bit, but didn't even make a peep when our guide, Ranger Joe, killed all the lights and immersed us in the blackest black I've ever experienced.



Tim, Anna and CJ packed up after Tuesday's Snowball Tour and headed home. Their departure came at a fortunate time for them, because later that afternoon, the rain that had plagued us on Monday returned with a vengeance. It eventually flooded us out of our tent, forcing us to relocate to the big tent we brought for the Long-Slades. I can't believe that tent was large enough for us to share the space with the bikes, who had already staked their claim to the dry shelter!



Wednesday dawned grey and drizzly, so we rescheduled our Wild Cave Tour for that day and donned our oldest clothing, packed our pockets with PowerBars and a disposable camera, and pulled up the kneepads. As luck would have it, we were part of an amazingly small tour: five people plus our two guides, Ranger John and Ranger Taylor.



For the next five miles, we duck-walked, crawled, squeezed and climbed our way through some of the most challenging parts of the cave. I was one of very few who could make it down into the Mole Hole and out again.



Mitch crawled around in Sharon's Lost Sea, but I had no such inclination as I preferred to stay as dry as possible.



By the end, I was beaten up, sore and ready for that hot shower. The Wild Cave Tour was definitely the highlight of the week in terms of activities, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!



Epilogue: The Aftermath

Thursday was our final full day, and we took advantage of the only mountain bike trail in the area. The first five miles were fun, but then it got muddy and rough. I took a nice tumble into a creek, bashed my butt with the seat, and came home sporting a killer bruise.



Back in Michigan on Saturday, we hit another mountain bike trail with my dad and I took another spill, this time cracking my knee and giving myself a pool ball-sized goose-egg. Multiple other bruises currently adorn my thigh and calves - aren't vacations supposed to be relaxing?!?! Well, I don't think I'd enjoy it any other way!

(All our photos are available here. Tim and Anna, I've set it up so you can download any photos you'd like. Thanks for the amazing trip!)

Personality Tests

My computer was being sticky and telling me some pages were potentially unsafe, but it seems to have changed its mind, so I was able to check out the Enneagram personality test Grant recommended. I did the sampler test ('cause, you know, that one's free) and ended up as a cross between a one (The Reformer) and a two (The Helper). After reading the descriptions, I think I'd classify myself more as a Reformer, but I definitely see some of those Helper tendencies come out in my relationships with other people.

What are you?

Zoo-de-Mackinac

I did it - I completed the whole Zoo-de-Mack! Here's me and Andi (Bobby's girlfriend) at the finish:



Distance: 50.72
Time: 3 hours, 43 minutes
Average speed: 13.65 mph
Maximum speed: 32.5 mph

It was a great ride. The first 10 miles were pure hell: hill after hill after hill. Then I coasted into the Tunnel of Trees, right along Lake Michigan, and had a lovely 15 miles of beautiful views. It was still tough and I was glad to hit the halfway point and stretch out. I even had enough energy to smile for the camera:



It was also nice to meet up with the guys again, as Mitch, Bobby and Dad all left me in the dust. Here we all are, getting ready for the second leg:



The final 25 miles were great, especially because Mitch and Bobby rode with Andi and me. They served as a wall for us, blocking the wind and pushing us to keep about a 15-17 mph pace most of the way. We had a lot of laughs, too...I think this girl could be The One for my brother, and I couldn't be happier.

***

On a separate note, I would like to officially acknowledge our status as D.I.N.K.s. Please welcome the newest addition to our collection of two-wheeled toys:




Yes, we bought a motorcycle. It's a Suzuki Katana 600, for anyone who knows bikes. The high gas prices finally broke my resistance, and Mitch is using it for his daily commute. Of course, he placed a high value on the "fun-itude" of having a motorcycle! Once I get my helmet (it's kind of hard to find one small enough), we'll be cruising the back roads of mid-Michigan!

***

And on another completely unrelated note, we leave for Mammoth Cave on Friday! That's only four more days - I can't wait!

It's Official!

Moments ago, I paid my enrollment deposit at U of M-Flint...I'm really going to grad school now!

I am also pumped my upcoming five-day weekend, followed by a total of eleven days off for our exciting Mammoth Cave trip!

Life is good - now I should get myself in gear and WORK!

The Fine Art of Salary Negotiation

Aside from my feeble attempt at getting more money when I first hired on at Alma, I just had my first real experience with salary negotiation. It felt uncomfortable, and I don't know how well it went.

Here is the situation, in a nutshell: everyone across the campus received a certain percentage increase and then, due to my promotion, I received an additional raise. The problem is that the merit portion of my raise is at a lower percentage than my previous promotion, back when they moved me from regular ol' rep to assistant director in 2006.

So I pointed this out, along with the fact that they had been saving money by paying only one person to do the job of two for the past few months. My VP tried to use the, "Well, I got you the car" line, but I was quick to point out that I was clear about my expectations for that right from the beginning: either let me keep the car or pay me what it's really worth, or I won't take the position. I also enumerated the hurdles before me: unique challenges that no other position faces, and a negative history with which no rep must directly deal.

We'll see...she took my request under advisement, and I provided her with documentation of my previous salaries, with increases broken down by percentages. Strangely, she hadn't even considered the idea of percentages - her merit increases for promotions were strict, round dollar amounts. Even if I look back and apply this new salary rubric to my previous salaries and positions, their current offer is still off by a bit.

My bike is SO FAST!

Well, my first mountain bike race was a success! No crashing, only minimal pain, very few "I hate this" moments, and a second place finish!

So here we are, just a few moments after I got in. The course was about 8-9 miles or so, and I finished in 55:41. Mitch also got second place, and finished in 42:25. Full results are here, if you're interested. Keep in mind that beginners (we're in that class) do one lap; sport racers do two laps; expert racers do three laps; and elite racers (men only) do four laps. Yikes!



You can't really tell from the picture, but we're both a bit wet and muddy. Near the end of the course, there was a water crossing, where the creek was about 5-6 feet wide and about a foot deep. You just have to barrel through it...and then there's a climb. Huff puff, huff puff!

I actually felt pretty good throughout the whole thing. In cross-country racing, everyone in the same class and age group lines up and starts at the same time and you have to jostle for position before the trail narrows down. In a time trial - the kind of race Mitch did a few weeks ago - they start everyone 15 seconds apart because you're racing the clock, not each other. Anyway, I came off the start in second place and managed to hold it. I got passed by some women in the next age group up, and I probably got passed by some sport riders on their second laps. But I also passed some people (sport riders on lap #2?) and even beat some guys. Best of all, I found that my climbing ability is not as bad as I thought. Yes, I'm a bit slow and I still hate hills, but I actually overtook some riders on hills and sustained my lead afterwards. I did have a bout with stomach cramps that really slowed me down for awhile, but I rode through them and finished strong.

Here's me, proudly posing with my second place prize:



Unfortunately, our next race is not until the end of July. We're skipping the next two races because one is the day after we get back from Mammoth Cave - which, by the way, is only 18 days away - and the other one is a "marathon" XC at Boyne Mountain. Marathon=extreme misery!

So it was a good time, and we have some great times ahead! A wedding and Mother's Day this weekend; Zoo-de-Mack next weekend; and then it's off to Mammoth Cave. Summer fun begins!

You'll have to wait...

...for puppy pics, because I don't know how to get the one I have off my phone. When I go down for Mother's Day, I'll try to remember to get some digital ones from my parents.

House hunting was fun but we didn't really see anything we liked well enough to want to buy it. Our new agent is awesome, though; he gave us a ton of information, including background on constructions companies and the reputation of certain seller's agents. We'll definitely keep working with him.

Today is the Board of Trustees meeting and I'm sure everyone will be happy to report our deposit milestone. I get to go to the Enrollment and Marketing Committee's session: good, because it will be neat to hear the inside scoop; bad, because I'm in a suit rather than the standard Friday uniform of khakis and a polo.

This Week's Awesome-ness

Finally got scholarship applications into U of M-Flint. Also applied for tuition reimbursement from Alma (50%!).

Had great spaghetti dinner with new friends, Amanda (works in Alma PR Office, carpools with me) and David (husband). Watched Super Troopers while Mitch and Amanda drink two bottles of red wine.

Rode Murray Lake trail at Brighton Rec, including "Lost Loop." Crashed once - softly, into a pile of leaves - and still felt pretty good.

Took parents' new puppy, Roxi, for a walk in the woods. Cute little thing fell asleep on my lap on the car ride home.

Registered for my first mountain bike race, the Fort Custer Stampede. Also sent in forms for the Zoo-de-Mackinac.

Got 400 gross commitment deposits by May 1 - huge success! By reaching the office goal, the boss will now be decked out in a kilt, dancing to bagpipes in the lobby on Monday. GO SCOTS!

Going to see five houses with great new realtor tonight. Trying not to be excited, but some of them look very nice!

Count down to Mammoth Cave: 22 days!

Fort Custer

We rode Fort Custer today, in preparation for our race next Sunday. Holy cow - I think it would be an awesome trail if I were in better shape. There are only two really big hills and the rest is pretty fast with both curvy and long, straight sections. I bet I'll end up liking it, just like I enjoy Hanson Hills in Grayling despite some wicked climbs.

So here's the training idea for the week: Hit the rec Monday and Tuesday for good core, leg and shoulder workouts. Skip work on Wednesday and ride Brighton Rec for the hill workout. Hit the rec again on Thursday and maybe ride the trainer at home (the weather's not supposed to be nice enough for a road ride). Take Friday off, then ride an easy loop at the Fort on Saturday. Get ass kicked on Sunday.

Wish me luck!

Saturday Project

Staying with my parents invariably involves some sort of manual labor. This weekend, they decided it was time to tear out the patio and add some landscaping cloth to the inside to keep the sand from running our with the water. This involved our entire immediate family (Mitch was off the hook, since he was in Kalamazoo for the race), a jackhammer, a Kubota tractor, my brother's huge truck, a dump truck and a lot of work!


Here's the patio about a quarter of the way done. Dad busted out the first section into little pieces with the jackhammer and we had to heave them into the tractor's bucket by hand. Then Bobby got this great idea to elevate the slabs with the tractor bucket and jackhammer them into larger pieces, so we didn't have to deal with all that little junk.


There's Dad, standing on the elevated slab with the jackhammer. Once that piece breaks, Mom and I will use bolt cutters to break the wire holding the concrete together, then Dad and Bobby will manhandle the big chunk into the bucket so Bobby can dump it in the waiting dump truck.


Mom wanted to try the jackhammer, so here she is, putting a useless hole in the concrete. Dad is very amused!


Here's the patio, almost done! The last part was the most interesting, because Bobby couldn't get the tractor bucket in that far. So we used chains to hook the corners up to his big diesel truck and pulled the whole slab closer to the edge.

There are no photos of my largest contribution, which was to help dig a trench all around the interior perimeter of the patio and lay the landscaping cloth against the inside of the stones. Now the sand won't leak out and the patio won't sink!

It felt so good!

There's nothing like getting back on the trail after a long winter! I rode at Island Lake Thursday (not a good ride - female pains), Friday (7 miles, a great ride!) and Saturday (9 miles, another great ride). Let the season begin!

Mitch also competed in his first race. Our circuit is the Michigan Mountain Bike Association's Championship Point Series, and this time trial at Yankee Springs was the first of the season. He raced in the Beginner Men's class and got second place! Had he raced in the next class up, we would have been at the upper middle of the pack, by our estimations.

Next up: MMBA CPS race at Fort Custer in two weeks. With our busy schedules, we're hoping to find a time to pre-ride the course earlier than just the day before, like Mitch did this time. And I need to do some serious riding if I want to be in any sort of shape!

Useless Craphead

Below is the email I sent to the "Team Leader" at our former realtor's office:

Dear Kim,
As Team Leader for the Lansing Keller Williams office, I feel it is appropriate for me to give you some feedback on one of your agents. My husband and I began working with Mary Jo Garascia in October 2007. She showed us some houses, but the one we set our hearts on happened to be FSBO. We walked through the home with the homeowner but knew it was out of our price range. We also knew, however, that the house was in the process of foreclosure. We asked Mary Jo to keep her eye on it and help us purchase it when the bank took it back. She agreed to help, but my regular inquiries to her regarding the home's status went unaddressed.

While her lack of progress on the foreclosure home was dissatisfying, we continued to work with her because she seemed generally enthusiastic about helping us find the home of our dreams. However, we terminated our relationship with her when she failed to notify us, in a timely manner, of a house that met all our criteria. I understand that clients can't always get the houses they want, but I feel a good realtor should not solely rely on an automated system to notify her clients. As the price on this particular home inched closer to our price range, Mary Jo should have notified us, especially given the amount of time this house was on the market.

I communicated our reasons for ending our business relationship to her via email and phone, referencing both the foreclosure home and the other missed opportunity. Then, without the assistance of a realtor, I began researching the foreclosure home. With only a few hours of work and less than half a dozen phone calls, I found out the status of the home (bank-owned); the name of the bank; and the name and phone number of the individual handling the property. However, to my bitter disappointment, an offer had been accepted on the home that day. Worse, the house had sold for $65K below the FSBO asking price and $20K below the offer my husband and I were prepared to make.

Once again, I understand that one cannot always have the home he or she desires. But I'm sure you will agree that the outcome regarding the foreclosure home would have been dramatically different had Mary Jo simply done her job. How was it that I, with no formal training or experience in foreclosures, was able to make such progress in just a few hours when Mary Jo had nothing to report after over five months?

This feedback comes with no specific request for action on your part - I just felt you, as Team Leader, should be aware of the poor performance of one of your realtors. Based on this experience, my husband and I see little value in buyers' agents and will not be using one in the future unless it is absolutely necessary.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my feedback. If you have any questions, you may contact me via email.

Regards,
Laurie DeYoung

Five Day Weekend!

That's right, no more work for Laurie this week! I took Wed.-Fri. off so I could get some stuff done (and look at me, blogging instead of working on that monster to-do list) and because I had to burn some vacation time. So what is on the docket?

House stuff. No longer hindered by the incompetence of our former realtor and spurred on by the possibility of an informal subletter to take care of those pesky rent payments through October, I've taken matters into my own hands. This morning, I went to the Register of Deeds to get some updated information about a foreclosure we've wanted since it was on the market as a FSBO back in October. The extensive information I gained there led me to an attorney's office, who contacted the mortgage company. I am supposed to be getting a call from the mortgage company soon. From there, I took a little jaunt out to the house and, though I obviously can't go inside, I peeked through all the windows and satisfied myself that, yes, it is still in great shape and we want it. Finally, I placed a call to my dad's real estate agent, who is also supposed to call me back. I hate waiting, but I have to have patience.

Grad school stuff. I haven't started on it yet, but tomorrow and Friday I plan to figure out what I need for my scholarship applications and get that commitment deposit submitted. I also need to get the scoop on how to convince Alma to pay for part of it. And I should probably file the FAFSA to see if I qualify for any government student loans. Unlikely, but it's worth a shot.

Vacation stuff. I need to add an extra day onto our Mammoth Cave campsite and book our cave tours. Man, I cannot wait for this vacation. Aside from the fact that we're spending some much-needed time in the great outdoors and seeing Tim and Anna, I also get to cuddle that cute little guy who's completely snared my heart, just by virtue of his photos!

I'll also be doing some biking, spending some QT with my family and attending a bridal shower for my high school friend, Adrienne. I hope to get my bridesmaid dress, too - fun! Well, time to put the last load of laundry in, finish packing and head out! Happy Wednesday!

Yummy!

Check out our amazing dinner from Saturday night:



The ribs are hard to see, but they were the best part! Some people think ribs are hard to cook well, but they're surprisingly easy. You just season them up, put them in foil packets and bake them on a cookie sheet for about 2 hours. Then you stick them on the grill (or under the broiler), slathered with BBQ sauce, and crisp them up a bit. The meat falls right off the bone!



Of course, the party potatoes (cheesy baked hash browns) and tomato basil bowtie salad were great, too. We have such good dinners when we're home to cook!

This weekend was a really nice one. We went to check out a new mountain bike trail being built in Lansing on Saturday morning, then spent the afternoon cleaning up the apartment and cooking our yummy meal. On Sunday, we went to church, did a bit of shopping (found the perfect bathing suit, finally!) and played our second-to-last church league volleyball game. Now we're just hanging out, watching some TV (a rarity, since we only have four stations!) and cuddling. Here's hoping this week goes as well as the weekend!