It’s summer break, baby! And we are full steam ahead. Our biggest struggle this season will be the inability to sit still. Whew! Summer… here we go! The kids had their last day of school two weeks ago and we’ve been loving the break from our usual routine. No more packing lunches, books in a bag (homework) or remembering who’s library day it is. We’re replacing that with delayed bedtimes, lake life and time at the golf course.
Thomas had a great school year with Mrs. Jansen and we are feeling very prepared for Kindergarten this fall. Thomas made progress in soccer again this Spring but we’re very happy to have our Saturday mornings free again. Big news for Thomas: he got a new bike earlier this month that’s got him flying down the sidewalks. He’s all smiles.
Natalie, too, had a wonderful school year with Mrs. Kingma in first grade. I think the highlight for her was raising baby chicks as well as the time she got to spend in art class. I was thrilled to join Natalie’s last school field trip to Camp Roger where they played games, learned how to make campfires and took a nature hike.
The field trip was perfectly timed too because the following week (the first week of summer break) we dropped her off at Camp Roger for 4 days and 3 nights of her very first overnight camp experience. She LOVED it and is already looking forward to going back again next year. She said her favorite part was making crafts. It was super fun to follow along with the happenings at Camp Roger on Instagram and by checking out the online photo albums that they posted each night.
While Natalie and a bunch of the older neighborhood kids were at camp I joined a few of the other Moms along with our younger kids at Pickerel Lake for a fun overnight hangout. Big thanks to Keri for hosting us! The kids played in the water and fished while us Moms relaxed on the beach with bubbles relishing in the relaxation of having less children to tend to - a rare occruance. The ladies also treated me to a few birthday surprises and we had a wonderful time staying up late and hanging out.
Last weekend was my 35th birthday and it felt like one celebration after another. I LOVE celebrating birthdays (or any occasion, really) and like to plan fun ways to mark the event. This year I rented out The Dailey Method Studio in Eastown for a cycling class for myself and friends. I had an absolute blast sweating into my 35th year surrounded by all my ladies. Our instructor Lauren surprised me by busting out whipped cream shots in the middle of our 8a ride and making me ride in front of the class. It was the best start to my day - shots included.
Bubbles and bites followed the workout hosted by neighbor Emily (thanks Em!) at her pool. Again, I felt the love. I’m not a person who gets teary-eyed often but whole moly… this group of women… they coach college volleyball, speak second languages, own private practices, raise strong children, lead at Fortune 500 companies, save lives, manage happy and whole households and sell million dollar houses. One of them even works for a cannabis company - fun little nugget for you. But I say all that to mean, wow, I’m surrounded by such a wonderful crew who showed up to celebrate me and it felt really really good. I am very grateful for their friendships.
Other notable events from the last couple of weeks include attending one of Jeff’s team members weddings at the Goei Center - always such a beautiful venue. While we joined the ‘How Long Have You Been Married’ dance we realized that come 2023 we’ll graduate to the ‘longer than 10 years’ group. Goodness time flies when you’re having fun! We also took a quick overnight trip to Detroit with the neighbors to see Joe Rogan at Fox Theatre - it was an absolute riot.
And last but not least, I just returned from NeoCon in Chicago - my biggest work event of the year. It’s a three day event at the Merchandise Mart where showrooms fill with designers, dealers, sales reps and customers to see the latest and the greatest from the furniture/interior design industry. Each year my team supports video coverage for internal communications, social media as well as live meetings for our global markets. The team knocked it out of the park this year and I’m proud of the work we did.
Over the next few weeks we are looking forward to some Michigan camping, a long weekend at the lake to celebrate the Fourth of July with family as well as a handful of golf outings. Enjoy the rest of June!
POSTSCRIPT - Other things worth mentioning…
Grace’s Table has partnered with Mod Pizza for an evening of fundraising. The event is this Monday and 20% of all online and inshore proceeds go directly towards Grace’s Table.
This month we’re checking out the Van Gogh Immersive Experience at DeVos Place. It’s in town for only a limited time and we’re looking forward to it.
The biscuits from Tupelo Honey. So good.
Also, the flowers around our house are in full bloom and it makes me super happy.
