Pure Michigan

I'm a little behind in blog posts on here. I wanted to write about our road trip to Michigan a few weeks back. We had so much fun! 

The ride (all 12 hours of it) is not the most fun part of the trip but we make the best of it. We are always excited in the first few hours but once we hit West Virginia/Ohio it just DRAGS. No offense to any Ohio folks- but seriously...fields upon fields upon fields!! Makes ya crazy! 

Our first stop was in Detroit for my cousin Bethany's baby shower! It was such a beautiful shower with so many cute details. The room was definitely full of love and excitement to celebrate the arrival of  Baby Rocha! Can we talk about the cake for a moment? It was delicious- lemon cake with yummy frosting. Heavenly! I loved catching up with all my cousins and seeing the sweet babies!

 

Next stop was to Niles, Michigan which is where Josh's family lives. We had so much fun with our niece and nephew! Let's just say in the pecking order of favorite people, Josh is pretty high up. At least in Aidan's world! I can't count the number of times I heard, "Joshee. come here"! So cute. We are sad the trip wasn't a bit longer but we made the most of our 3 days there. We took trips to the movies, Silver Beach on Lake Michigan and just had fun playing in the yard with the hose. Excuse the picture overload. I had fun practicing with the camera on the kiddos. #sorrynotsorry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can't wait to come back up again. Family is so precious. Josh and I really treasure any time spent with them!

Five for Friday

Yes, I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon (again). The end of the school year had this teacher tired and busy! I'm trying to keep myself pumped and happy because if I didn't I think I'd be depressed. I am going to miss my sweet class so very much. Today was my last workday and I have to make myself go into vacation mode and my school brain to shut down but it seems impossible! I for some reason feel the need to type up my schedule, get started on copies and craftivities for my first unit...the list is endless. But I'm going to take deep breaths and walk away for a few weeks at least! 

Enough about school..onto my Five for Friday post!

1

Sweet notes from my kinder babies. I love when I would sit down at the end of the day to a pile of notes from my kiddos. So sweet.  The picture below was a snapshot of my day Sunday evening. I had to come over to school to get some things in order and this big kid tagged along. He played Wii while I worked. So funny. 

2

I'm am super excited to practice my hand lettering skills over the summer. I bought an eclass that teaches the basics. I'm also looking into a few photography classes as well. Summer seems as good a time as any to learn some new skills and hobbies! On instagram I follow one of my favorite educators, Cara Carroll. She creates BEAUTIFUL hand lettered designs with quotes and scriptures. She inspired me so I tried my hand at copying her the other day. Not too shabby if I say so. This skill could come in handy when addressing envelopes or designing art prints! 

3

Introducing my latest Pinterest project! Isn't this growth chart the neatest? There's a funny story which explains a lot about how my husband in my perfect match. 

 

I got all my supplies and set up on the driveway. I was super pumped to complete this project. I had some vague idea that I was going to need a ruler or something to measure with eventually...ha! As I start to pencil my lines, I see my husband peering at me from the window. Not a minute later he came outside bearing not one but two rulers! He is so type A and I'm so not, he couldn't handle that I was going to wing it! He actually shuddered when I said I was going to free hand the lines. 

Look at that glare...I sure love this guy.

  

The ruler was a baby shower gift for my sweet friend Mandy. The shower was Where the Wild Things Are themed. It was super cute. I can't wait to meet baby R in a month! 

4

She Reads Truth latest devotional is so moving! It features many different women of the bible. I've enjoyed it so much already. If you haven't checked out the She Reads Truth app, I highly recommend it! I can't wait each morning to see who the featured woman of the bible will be that day! 

It's amazing how each woman was used so uniquely by God. The devotional does a great job of explaining their stories, you really start to see each biblical character as a friend and get to walk in their shoes. The story of Rachel was featured today. It's amazing how many women in the bible experienced infertility (which was a big time social issue for that time period). It just reminds me that when you trust, follow and honor our awesome God that he never forgets you! It gives me so much hope. 

5

Today we embark on our first road trip of the summer. We are headed to MI for the next couple of days. Have you ever seen the commercials for pure MI on tv? They make me emotional and so proud of my home state each time I see one. So I thought my number 5 today would be ode to everything MI. 

Coney Island!! 

Summer and Fall are the best seasons in MI. We won't discuss Winter.......

Ha! It's really not as bad of a place as it sounds. 

And lastly..a few pure MI commercial for your enjoyment! If the voice narrating the commercials sounds familiar- it's Tim Allen, a Michigan native! 

My visit with Ella

Just came back from a wonderful few days spent in Minneapolis with my niece, Ella! Her mommy and daddy were going away on a youth retreat and asked if I'd like to come up and watch her for a few days. Of course my immediate answer was YES! Thankfully- I had the luxury of flying and not having to drive. Hallelujiah!
  I hadn't seen Ella since last November so I knew it'd probably take a little while for her to warm up to me. Wrong! She's such a friendly and sociable little girl- Kara and Ives are doing such a great job raising her.


We spent our time playing with all her fun toys, going on walks (the weather is heavenly), skyping with Uncle Josh, playing in her pool and going to the park. She never cried or fussed once- so easy going!

     





Here's a list of some of my favorite things from my visit to Minneapolis:

1. Food- must try cheese curds! Oh my deliciousness. They are definitely not a healthy food- but who cares! I think I may have had them twice in 3 days?!? I've been told that if they squeak when you bite them they are nice and fresh!



2. Target- Minneapolis Targets are the nicest that I have ever seen!!! Of course- their headquarters are based very nearby. I guess Walmarts are probable nice in Arkasas too...ha!


3. The Como Zoo and Conservatory- This was by far one of the nicest zoos I have ever been too! Best of all it is free. Of course they accept donations. There were giraffes, seals, lions, polar bears, gorillas, monkeys, all kinds of fish and so much more! I was very impressed and Ella loved it! The zoo was the perfect size to see all the animals in an hour or two- very manageable when you're there with a one and half year old! Here's a link to their website: http://www.comozooconservatory.org/

         


 I was so blessed with my time spent with Ella. I love her so much and am thankful to be her aunt!