The headliner for the month of July is the announcement of my resignation at Steelcase in order to step into my next career opportunity with Mercantile Bank as their Chief Marketing Officer. My last two weeks with Steelcase where bittersweet as I transitioned out of my old role in order to provide a smooth exit. It was also filled with celebration and hugs from my team and leaders who expressed to me their congratulations and gratitude.
On my last week at Steelcase I spent a few days in New York City shooting with the team for my very last project. We dubbed the trip my ‘final farewell tour’ and soaked up our last week together. My guys are simply the best and I look forward to following their work from afar in the future.
In other news, the Kladder forecast has called for an extra amount of golf these past four weeks. We’ll begin with Watermark’s Men’s Member-Member Invitational. Jeff partnered again with long time friend Nate Zokoe for one of the most beautiful weekends of Michigan summer weather we’ve had yet. I mention the weather because last years event took place during a torrential downpour making it a complete disaster. Despite the incredible forecast this year, the Kladder-Zokoe scorecard was not. Regardless, we had a wonderful time cheering on friends during the horse race and celebrating the winners at the final banquet.
This past weekend I partnered with Ashley Adkins for the StoneWater Women’s Member-Guest Invitational and had the BEST time! We played our buns off and won first in our division scoring a 131. The two day event had a theme of Hollywood and the SW Women’s Board did an amazing job coordinating a super fun event. Our victory was sweet, but the taste of the champagne was even sweeter!
More on golf… Jeff and I played in two couples events this month including one at Watermark with the Zokoes and the Neils. It was a nine and dine event with an alternate shot/scramble format which turned out to be a riot. We also played with the Gibsons at Kent CC for a Wimbledon themed scramble nine and dine - also a riot. And as if that weren’t enough golf for the month… Jeff and I both continue our second half of league into August with no intention of slowing down until the weather turns later this Fall.
We took the kids to Disney’s Frozen on Broadway while it was in town last month and LOVED it. The performances (both singing and dancing) were top notch and we were impressed by the mouth dropping set designs. The mash up between the traditional rolling walls and the digital projections was incredible. Somehow they make Elsa’s magic seems so believable and at the end first act when she sang ‘Let It Go’ I almost cried. It was a ten out of ten! Before the show we grabbed brunch downtown then walked through Calder Plaza on our way to DeVos Performance Hall (to get the wiggles out) before the show. It was the perfect Family Sunday Funday.
Last weekend the kids were off at Cousin Camp with their Grandma and Grandpa Kladder. For the second year in a row Jeff’s parents hosted all six grandkids at the lake sans parents for two fun filled days of scavenger hunts, activities, games and what I’m sure was an abundant amount of treats. They kids came home raving about how much fun they had and it left us feeling grateful for family and the memories they made together.
At the beginning of July Natalie spent 7 days and 6 nights at Camp Roger with her buddy Max and according to her, she didn’t miss home “not even one single time!” We asked her the best part of camp and told us it was the food - which is completely out of character for her to care about a menu, so hats off to the chefs at Camp Roger for their culinary masterpieces.
Last week we returned from our annual trip to the U.P. where we met up with my parents and brother for 5 days at the cabin just near Ontonagon. We had a great time unplugging, enjoying the wilderness and spending time together. We kayaked, swam in Lake Superior, rode 4-wheelers, shot BB guns and relaxed on the porch. Read more about our trip here.
Our kids are a week away from starting the 2023-2024 school year and we are pumped to find out that Thomas will have Kingma as his First Grade Teacher (the same as Natalie when she was in 1st) and Natalie will have Greenfield. Their school clothes and supplies are ready to go and we’re putting the finishing touches on the Fall calendar which is shaping up to be one of our most strategically planned yet! In the meantime, we’re savoring the longer summer nights that we’ve got left and putting special favor on spending as much time outdoors as we can.
