Golf is in full swing, our calendar is filled with one fun thing after another and the view from our front window is fully green! Summer is ‘fully’ here, baby! Over the last few weeks we’ve had a great time attending Spring fundraising parties as well as a handful of other fun events. Here’s the rundown:
We attended the Vitality Gala at DeVos Place benefitting University of Michigan Health-West. Jeff’s company was a leading sponsor allowing us to enjoy a fancy night out with a table full of his team members.
Then we tasted wine at the Eat. Drink. Be Merry. event hosted by Marthas’ Vineyard benefitting St. Cecilia Music Center. And while we’re not patrons of the concerts there, we do very much enjoy wine tasting and make it a habit to attend each year in search of new bottles to enjoy.
We are big fans and members of Fredrick Meijer Gardens and attended the Great Gardens Party again this year. We joined Jeff’s team members again for this event and we all got a kick out of the fancy dinner that was served - it was the first time any of us had tried grilled fiddle-head ferns - earthy! The live and silent auction items at this event are always top notch.
We also attended the Griffins Game with the kids supporting Grace’s Table. It was a fun Friday night meeting up with friends before the game at Hopcat for some French fries and a beer before enjoying the game with the rest of the Grace’s Table crowd. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces who came out for the cause. Big shout out to our friend, neighbor and dentist Dr. Carol Baldwin for scooping up a whole bundle of tickets and treating her entire Grand Rapids Dentistry staff for the evening!
We had a riot at the Winners Cup Benefit with Ottawa Hills friends celebrating the Kentucky Derby and supporting the Downs Syndrome Community of West Michigan. This was our first time at this event and thought it was super fun to dress the part - hats and all! We bet on horses, enjoyed a southern inspired dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the live auction paddle raising excitement.
Dear Evan Hansen was showing at DeVos Performance Hall and wowza… was that an emotional roller coaster. It was our first time seeing it and if I’m fully being honest it will also be our last. It was extremely sad, covering a the heavy topic of suicide and social pressures of being a teenager during an era where social media is king. The performers were very talented and I’m glad we went to see it, but this was not the typical Broadway entertainment we’re used to.
We celebrated Mother’s Day in Schoolcraft with family and were treated to burgers on the grill by chef Grandpa Smith. The kids gave me adorable homemade gifts and I always love these sheets they fill out at school and bring home for me (pictured below).
More recently, we took the kids for the weekend to Chicago to visit with friends and see the sights. On the way down we stopped in Dyer, Indiana to see the Vanderheides and their newest addition, baby Hudson. Then we had an absolute blast visiting the Shedd Aquarium, the Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier and shopping along the Magnificent Mile. More about our trip can be found here.
My Mom got to visit with both kids in their classrooms for Grand Friends Day. They took her on a tour of their school, completed activities and played on the playground together. I really enjoyed the event as well by volunteering and serving coffee and cookies to the crowd of visiting grandparents. We may have run out of coffee but there was no shortage on smiles that morning!
This week in Natalie’s classroom their chicks hatched! It’s been weeks in the making as the kiddos documented their growth and this week they all cracked through their shells. Natalie is geeked about the project (she loves animals and has held fast to wanting to be a veterinarian) and it is all she can talk about. Her classroom also took a field trip recently to Blanford Nature Center where they spent the morning learning about ‘the olden days.’ They had class in a one room school house, played old outdoor games and toured a two room cabin and black smith shop.
Thomas’ class also took a field trip this month to the Kent County Recycling Center. I attend the trip with him and we learned a ton! Did you know that the Kent recycling system works on a ‘one stream’ machine? All recycling goes into one giant machine and comes out sorted and bailed. Then those bails are transported elsewhere and used to make other things. We learned that our county recycles 25% of all our waste. But that our state only has a 15% rate. And that the national average is 35%. In summary, we’ve got some room for improvement here in Grand Rapids and the rest of Michigan. Other states reach as high as 60%. Also, did you know you can recycle tin foil and cartons?! Obviously I was really into this visit.
Soccer wraps up for Thomas with is last game this weekend. This season flew! The Orange Ninjas have been crushing the competition with an undefeated record. Thomas loves playing and we love watching.
Jeff and I are fully into golf season with leagues on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. In the coming weeks we’re looking forward to a handful of golf outings, Memorial Weekend with family, a quick trip to Detroit, my birthday and then it’s back to Chicago for work. Hello Summer!!!
POSTSCRIPT - Things worth mentioning…
Banana Pudding - This recipe from Paula Dean was to die for. I made this for our Mother’s Day lunch and it was a crowd pleaser. It was also very easy to make.
Reserve Wine & Food - Reserve has one of the best atmospheres for downtown dining in our city. We were able to dine here twice in the last month and cannot wait to go back.
The American Girl Doll Book Series - Natalie and I have been working our way through the American Girl book series. We just finished our 3rd set including: Samantha, Molly and Addie. Next up is Kirsten. I read the entire series when I was a girl and it’s been super special to share them now with Natalie.
Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad from Hancock - Move over Kale Caesar salad from Terra… because there’s a new favorite in town. Just add fried chicken!
