Fall

 Tis the season for running through leaves, chasing squirrels, playing hide-and-seek, picking pumpkins and eating our weight in apples and doughnuts. We are on our game. That is probably the best explanation for my lack of updates. That and the less exciting, simpler events that mark the passage of time. The soccer practices and games, the adult ESL tutoring, the general up-keeping of the house, all those things that I can do by heart now. It keeps me moving.

But instead of being weighed down by the fact that all these littles add up to a big day I feel good about almost everything that I do. And that is a great feeling. Kind of like registering for college courses and finding you've gotten into all your top choices and they all start after 10am with no Friday class. I think I registered my semester of life well this time.

There is still a laundry list of Fall to-dos, but I'm not stressing. I'll get to it if I do. Right now I'm relishing in these bits of lovliness: a friend's baby announcement, a possible career shift (trying not to hold my breath), a baby shower, two completed knit projects, dinners with friends, and the fact that TODAY my little HP looked at me and said 'Mama'. He decided this morning to actually address me by that name (after all this while!) and I could not be happier to hear his sweet voice.

Art Prize 2012

2012

I love seeing Grand Rapids at its best, and I think Art Prize is one of those times. I was geeked to start planning my house party. And true to form, I changed all plans at the last minute. I decided to play it cheap and delicious instead of pricey and delectable. So instead of buying my weight in cinnamon rolls from my favorite GR bakery (Wealthy Street) I spent Friday night listening to Adele and making baby quiches and a cinnamon swirl bundt. Gotta love a quiche that you can fill with a bunch of yumminess, some of which that came right out of the backyard. Pinterest also helped me out with a recipe for pumpkin spice latte, yum.

2011

Oh man what was I wearing here? Crazytown. You know, you can tell me when I'm looking a less than sweet. Keep that in mind Jon :)

 All three of these pictures are in front of the Eberhard Center, the site of our 2008 wedding reception. How cute :)

Oh, yes. I did chop my hair this past week. As these pictures will tell you it has been more than 3 years since I've had short hair. It's looking a little Momish right now...still working it out. I did donate 12 full inches to Locks for Love. Whew.

2010

Fun Friday

Alma Mater

Recently, Jon and I took a road trip to my alma mater, my first one anyway. What do you call your graduate school? Hmmm.

Aside from some growing and building, the feeling of being on campus was the very same. The students weren't yet walking around in sweats tucked into Uggs, but they were wearing the warm-weather equivelent to that dress code. Maize and blue was everywhere and packs of freshmen girls sauntered across the diag as bros gave big, back-slapping hellos to eachother.  Ah sweet college.


Would you do college any differently? Everyone I know would answer a resounding yes to re-doing high school differently in some way, but college is another story I think. Hopefully you had passed through that terribly awkward self-aware time of the teen years and emerged a more secure person in time to live out your college dreams. Did you?

In celebration of it being a full ten years since I began my college experience I will do what I love best. Without further introduction here is my list of top 10 best and worst moments of attending the University of Michigan!

BEST

1. living in Stockwell, an all girls dorm my freshman year- although devoid of hotties without shirts, the hygenic atmosphere and stellar food made up for it
2. playing on the women's rugby team my senior year- travelling to tournaments, drinking too much, and learning ridiculously lewd songs, all in the presence of very fun ladies
3. living the true freshman girl experience with my own pack of friends, wandering from dorm rooms to frat parties and back
4. studying abroad in Finland my junior year- I couln't name all the amazing things I did and saw, but the best are the friends I made and still have from all over
5. living with and working alongside my sister- a very different experience than living with a sister under your parent's roof
6. chatting on AIM with that sweet crush from H.S. and having him come visit me that fall...and keep visiting all 4 years
7. trying out and participating in the campus orchestra- even though I was last chair I still loved playing my cello
8. having tickets to every home football game the 3 years I lived in AA, the highlight being my senior year FRONT row student section with my friends
9. graduating with a solid 3.5 GPA and a job offer lined up
10. being a Wolverine, even though I thought I had my heart set on Notre Dame, UofM proved to be the best place for that quintessential college experience, and I am still proud to wear one of my many UM tees just like any true alumni would
     

WORST

1. gaining my freshman 20 10 and hanging on to it for far too long!
2. getting so very sick after an epic night out whereafter I swore off the demon drink as I lay in the fetal position at the bottom of my dorm shower...shame shame
3. withdrawing from ECON 101 only to retake the class the following year and get a hard-fought C, clearly not my strong suit
4. making bad decisions about my major- if I could have a do-over I'd have taken more Spanish and Physiology and Anatomy
5. not taking Physics- I really liked it in HS and did well in it, so why didn't I go for it? I could've been somebody!
6. working too much- I got a job within a week of moving there and had one throughout
7. being shy- come on Laura! Get over yourself! Well, that's what I wish I caould've said to me back then...
8. Not purchasing any required reading materials...did I mention I was so so cheap? Yes...I tried my best to read them at Borders or get them fron the library, but I always managed to get the wrong edition!
9. living in AA during the summer when NO one was around and all I did was work, sweat and watch too many movies
10. burning bridges with some friends, not typical of me and I still am bummed how some friendships just arn't able to last
     

 



Fredrick Meijer Gardens

One of the best things we did this year was to purchase a year membership to Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park foraroun $85. We have used it countless times. The best thing about it is that I don't feel bad having to cut my plans short due to a whining/screaming/or sleeping HP. We can go for 30 minutes and it is still worthwhile.

Jon's new job allows him a much later start to the work day (9:30 as opposed to like 6) so we've been able to drop him off downtown and head off to a weekend adventure just the two of us. FMG opens at 9 so it's perfect for avoiding lines and too many packs of crazy kids. It's a lot like wandering in to the Secret Garden, except not so secret, and pretty packed on its busy days! Get there early!



 



 

 

Who's Your Fashion Guru?

Don't have one? Well get one! I am just now realizing who mine is.

 

 

Being a girl, a middle child, and brotherless I grew up surrounded by ladies. But who did I use as my fashion guide grwoing up? My father. Ask my sister and she'll gladly tell you of the giant T's and baseball caps I sported throughout my most awkward pre-teen years. Luckily I do not have access to any of those pictures to share with you. Use your imagination, it was bad.

 

In high school, after Kellie left for college my closet shrunk by half. Katie's, four years behind me, offered nothing more than you'd expect from a 12 year old girl. I was forced into suppling my own clothes. It didn't go well. Memories of too-long dresses, bad cable-knit sweaters and over-sized jeans (they were in style I swear!) come to mind. And one particular memory of walking up the junior wing and seeing a very familiar outfit on a teacher...ugh. Now I was that girl.

 

It wasn't until college, Finland and NYC did I really embrace clothing as more than body warmers and decency coverings. Looking through my wardrobe now it's coming to my attention that 1) I should've lived in the mid 1950's, 2) it consists of 85% skirts and dresses and 3) I think I dress like my Abuelita would have in her 20's.

 

Don't you love the Chihuaha accessories :)

 

I inherited some gorgeous pairs of shoes from her, and luckily we have

the same shoe size.

 

Love me some plaid, a $10 steal at my local consignment

 

Yes, my Abuelita had some giant grandma brooches and her fair share of costume jewlery, but I would say she was a woman of style. Evidence of her awesome style is in a frame at my parent's house. A beautiful picture of her on her quincenera wearing an amazing dress and staring off to the side. It's in black and white. The really cool thing is I know for a fact everyone in my family knows exactly which picture I'm referring to :) It's just one of those photos that get lodged in your brain.

 

Her lady-like style and her penchant for keeping her Ferragamos in their original boxes has taught me much of what I know about fashion.

Fill your closet with dresses and re-heel whenever needed.

 

 

 

 

 

A Love Affair with Lists

Have you ever stopped and thought, "just how far back has Laura been doing her List of Things to Do"? No? Well, I'm going to pretend that you have and now are desperately hoping that I will educate you on my love of listing. Take a tour of my yearly to-do lists starting in 2005...

As any good lister might confirm, there is something more enjoyable about picking up a pen and paper and taking the time to scratch off each individual triumph. That is why I have a pile of seven-year old papers stuffed in one of my yearly journals. 

The inaugural list, originally penned in Finland, inspired by my cousin.

2006's highlights included graduating from UofM, getting a full time job and moving to NYC

2007's included saving a whopping 6K for my impending marriage, watching my bffs get married and surviving Year 1 of teaching 

2008 was the year of my wedding, finishing my Masters, and completing 2 half marathons 

2009 was the year of moving back to MI, completing my Olympic triathlon, and paying off my student loan

2010 was the year of the BABY

And you know what? That's when I put down the pen and started blogging my List of Things. I like looking back on these, seeing the things I've been able to check off, seeing which I can never seem to accomplish (cycling a century and visiting the Empire State Building have yet to happen!). I'm averaging about 50% goal completion on a yearly basis. Which reminds me I better get moving on this years list....