More weekend favorites...self-portrait-style!

It seems that every dance weekend brings with it a chance to connect with new friends - and reconnect with old friends. These guys are great fun - I look forward to seeing them on a dance floor sometime soon!

Glen

Mark

Bruce

Dancing favorites...

Always a crowd favorite, Jim Becker dances with Colleen. He will be hosting his own event in March - the Chicago Classic.





Phenomenal dancers, phenomenal lead and follow advanced Jack and Jill...Gary and Tera (Tera would always win as one of the nicest people on earth... Gary wins hands-down as "dreamy" guy of the event).

Thanks for my best friend and...dancing!

Kay...thinking that it was a very inappropriate time for me to take a picture.


And...dancing...I love dancing. We love dancing. And meeting new dancers. The music, creating cool interactions....it's all good. And so is the fluffy white bed at the Hilton Garden Inn. Kay's enjoying her bed now. I'm headed for mine too. Gotta get ready for more dancing tomorrow!

Thursday: Giving Thanks

My thanksgiving trip begins each year with a trek to Hudsonville. I rushed last night to see my brother-in-law's return to coaching:

He's still got it, even after a year and a half off - and even after switching to players to people only half the size of his former varsity team...48-25 for a final score with this group of 3rd graders!

Thanksgiving day was relaxed this year - it was nice not to have multiple tables of people! The morning began with parade-watching and living room football... Jordan gets ready to go for the pass here, as Kevin watches the parade with Kelsey.

"Look, mom!" from a momentarily happy Kayla...the day was up and down for her.

Gobble, gobble. Jordan and Kelsey get turkey carving tips from daddy and papa w. Below, Kayla sits with great-grandma w, who is 98 years old and still sharp!

"HONK." Kelsey sat with Kevin at the beginning of dinner because of a stomach ache. Funny, she was OK by the time we got to the pie...

Working on a craft with grandma w - with the Lions on high definition tv in the background. What a reason to be thankful. How could we ever be satisfied watching anything but HD tv after this (per Kevin)?

Kelsey got to stay up "late" because of her long afternoon nap, so she hung out with me in the living room practicing "Goooooo Peyton." We called Aunt Kay first, to tell her that we were watching "with" her! GOOOOOOO COLTS!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday: Loyal companions

Gizmo waits patiently for me every day. (Ok, so he isn't patient, but he is forced to wait!) He's certainly happy to welcome me home. Or anyone else who will feed him.

Yesterday, my new realtor fed him because "I felt so bad for him. I could hear him meowing so loud from outside that I thought he was sick." He's a ham.

Here, he "pretends" to be a tired cat who worked hard all day.



I am very thankful for Gizmo's loyal companionship. :)

Late Addition/Edition: Tuesday

I returned home tonight in a less-than-stellar mood, to find a picture cd stuck in my door.

Photos from a fun halloween party - yippee!! - where Kristy let me use her cool camera - yippee!! - and I got a few good pictures, regardless of the lack of flash in a dim room...yippeeeeeeeee!

Kristy, turn about is fair play - you gotta be careful about what you do when someone else is holding the camera!!

Thanks for being a great friend! Please put me on your calendar sometime (I've heard that you book months in advance for weekend dates...).

Tuesday: Thanks for...

Music. Dance.... Good Energy!

Today a group of incredible high school students from Saline, MI (plus one college student) came to campus. They took a tour, heard some Alma background...and entertained us at dinner with their fiddling, dancing and singing!

Fantastic sound, energy and personalities - thanks Doug and Sabrina for bringing them! Check out http://www.fiddlersrestrung.com/home/ for more information or to order a CD!!

Emotive? Fun? Yessirree! And....

....multi-talented!

Monday. I'm thankful for. . .

Noon ball. And all of the AWESOME people who play.

This is just a sampling. Great shot for Julian. Not so great for Chris. But he's a good sport (as are all the noon ball people).

Thanks, noon ball people, you are a highlight of my new career and I consider you all great friends!

Giving Thanks.

I hope to spend lots of time this week thinking about - and enjoying - the people and things for which I am thankful.

Tonight, the first installment....dinner at Bennigan's with a group of my Midland friends.
(L to R) Amy, Noel, Brett, Kevin, Christy, Shawn, Chad, Alex, Jill, Brad and Emily. I am very thankful for each of you!!!

Pictures from the edge.

I spent a fun weekend in the Traverse City area with my sister and her family. Here are some of my favorite pictures...



Huh. I'm glad the county didn't go with the plan to pave a road into the water. That might have been a waste of money.

Gina and Kevin's neighbor's house makes a nice backdrop for my car. The husband is an artist. Can you tell? I get the lime green with purple accent, but the yellow...it doesn't fit for me. Guess that's why I'm not an artist.



Pyramid Point was beautiful, but a long .6 mile trek up for "little" people!

The walk back down was much easier!

Kayla's not paying homage to the christmas tree (they won't be back up at their cottage until christmas), she's just trying to block my shot... nice job!

Sleeping Bear Dunes ~ you won't find me going down this hill any time soon. Even though it's only November, the sand has blown over the area that generally contains the boardwalk walk-ways.

"They" made me do it...

I have always sworn that I would NEVER buy a new car.

I'm suffering buyer's guilt as we speak. Or as I write and you later read, as the case may be.

I bought a new car. Brand new. 2008 and everything. Only 10 miles on the odometer when I test drove it this morning.

Let me defend myself:
1. My dad (!) has started to say that I should buy a new car with a FULL warranty (yep, he's had to do a lot of work on my car in recent years, ESPECIALLY over the last two months.

2. After much debate, I decided to get a corolla. Pretty inexpensive compared to larger cars, and better gas mileage (the true decision came when I saw the beautiful speedway blue corolla S at the dealership a few weeks ago, but I DID do some research too!)

3. Well, I tried to buy the above-mentioned corolla (a used 2007 with 5,000 miles - fit both my and dad's criteria!), but the dealer refused to give me a good deal and said (after my extensive legwork, research and entrapment) that he could get me a new corolla cheaper. Oh, except that the new blue one had just been taken in to have a moonroof installed. Add $800.

So. This morning I went to a new dealer. Told them the great "deal" the first dealer had offered. Told them I didn't want to be treated like a dumb female. And told them I wanted the speedway blue version for less.

Out with the old, in with the new. I guess I'll need to slow down, because the cops will see me in this one for sure!

Um. Yes, mom, I was driving 40 miles per hour when I took this picture. And there was traffic on the road. It's not a very good picture, though, so you can tell I wasn't looking through the eyepiece, just at the large display... and one hand WAS on the wheel...

Millions of...

leaves fill my yard, front and back. During normal times I can't keep up. With commuting, I'm mostly not bothering to try to keep up. But I can't stand the piles of leaves for long, nor do I think having leaves everywhere will help sell my house.

I need some leaf-b-gone. Or lots of friends who like to rake.

:)