Whew... who's ready for Fall?! Jeff and I returned from San Fransisco early last week and while we were surprised by the 65 degree temperatures there (and wished we had packed more long sleeve options), we left excited for apple cider and football. The good news is that we won't have to wait long - we snagged two tickets to the U of M vs. WMU game this coming weekend and are looking forward to a good ole' fashioned tailgate with friends.
Last week Jeff and I spent a long weekend in San Fransisco just the two of us. I was in town for a work trip and we jumped at the opportunity to explore the city together. We had a great time. The city has lots to see and do and we made the most of our 3 days together. I took way too many photos and plan to share those on a travel post soon!
Just before leaving for San Fransisco I golfed in our last tournament of the year with the ladies at Watermark. The theme was Murder Mystery and all of the gals got really into it. Our board raised the bar this month and even buried a dummy body in one of the sand traps. A bit extreme? Totally. Our pro staff has their hands full with our non traditional golf events - I can only imagine Mick, our lead pro, handing the greenskeeper a severed head and asking them to take it out to hole 10 and bury it. Our team took first in our flight winning credit towards the pro shop and bragging rights to my husband back at home!
We recently enjoyed the Grand Rapids Jazz Fest downtown with the Dennis Family. We'd never been before and wouldn't have known about it had they not invited us. I have no clue how long they've been around because their website doesn't say, but the event itself was pretty great. Rosa Parks Circle is the perfect venue for easy listening and dancing, and what is more was the great view we had from the GRAM outdoor VIP space. Our friend's business was a participating sponsor for the event and through him we all got the best seats in the house. I appreciated the shade while the kids enjoyed the free snacks. There were also food trucks, a few tents for shopping and free face painting.
Earlier in the month I set off with my gal pals and fellow Moms from Rosewood Ave for the annual ladies weekend away on Crystal Lake. The entire weekend was a blast - we ate snacks, drank wine, played music, talked - but our Saturday morning was truly something to retell: one of our neighbors is a yoga instructor and she asked if she could teach a sunrise class that morning to which we all replied, "Duh," and then sweetened the deal with making us all Açaí bowls for breakfast - I've got the best neighbors. Mid reverse triangle a bald eagle soars over top of us and the moment could not have been more perfect. I'm not a very sappy person but in that moment I had completely and utter gratitude. A big shout out to Kari for providing such a fantastic morning and to Carol for planning the whole sha-bang. Be sure to check out Kari Bordoli Yoga on Facebook.
And before heading out to the lake for our usual Labor Day festivities with family this weekend we got to celebrate our dear friend Amber's big 4-0 on a trolley to the lakeshore! Amber is from Boston so we all channeled our inner sailor for a nautical themed birthday bash. We started with lunch at the new Linear restaurant just north of downtown on Monroe. The menu was eclectic and the dishes we ordered were tasty. She opened gifts and blew out candles before the trolley picked us up and set sail for Sandy Point Beach House. We bellied up to the outdoor shipping container bar and danced to the live Reggae Band. We ate burgers and fries and played Bocce Ball - but not before Jeff and our friend Mark raked out the water puddled that had formed earlier that day. Amber was surprised and a good time was had by all.
Later that night we joined our kids back out at the lake where they were hanging with their Aunt Stephanie and the rest of the family to cap off the holiday weekend. We spent the day tubing and laying in the sun. And in the evening we took what was likely to be the last post dinner family pontoon cruise of the summer.
At the lake they have a great hot tub that's tucked back under the deck in a corner but still has a great view of the water. For some reason most of the family would rather play late night games in the dining room than take an evening soak and so it's not uncommon that I end up in the tub all by myself. And I don't mind. It's pretty relaxing to sit alone sipping a cocktail reflecting on the fun filled day. August has provided us many wonderful moments to be thankful for and last night sitting and watching the lightening off in the distance while listening to the sounds of the lake was one of them. Maybe I am sappy after all?
This week Natalie starts preschool and we're on the countdown for our trip to Spain in 4 weeks. But we've got a lot of ground to cover before then so stay tuned and we'll see you on the other side of these final weeks of summer!