Disneyland

Our "vacation friends" that is what we call them. We always vacation with the Williams. We LOVE them! We decided this year to mix it up and let the kids come.

The first day we went to Venice Beach to people watch. The kids begged to go to the Freak Show and we caved. We intended to spend a few hours there, but ended up spending most of the day walking up and down the board walk at Venice Beach.

The second day we went to Disneyland. We had such a great time. It is so magical at Christmastime.

cute Ava and Karinne

Presley loved Ava

It snowed (not really but it was still amazing).

The last day we hung out on the beach. It was 86 degrees and perfect. We spent most of the day at the beach and then headed to the pier for dinner.

We had such a great time and the kids couldn't get enough of each other!

Visit to Michigan

My cute friend Sara called me and convinced me I needed to come visit her in Michigan. Presley and I were headed to Michigan three weeks later. Sara is the only person I know that I can go on vacation with and lose weight. We would play all day and then Sara would drag me out for a run in the freezing cold at night. I think we did 11 miles in two days. I love this crazy girl!

I also got to go to lunch with some of my amazing running club friends. Miss them!

I got to see some more of my awesome Michigan friends, but I am a lame-o didn't take any pictures. It was so nice to go visit Michigan. It reminded me how much I miss it and how much I miss my sweet friends!

Girls Trip

Okay just kicking myself that I only got one crummy self portrait of this trip.

Back in October I met two of my Michigan BFF's in Arizona for a girls trip. We ate and shopped and ate and shopped. Did I mention we ate and shopped? We had such a good time and I just love these girls!

Mexico

We celebrated our 10 year anniversary's together with our good friends Dan and Karinne

We pretty much had ice cream everyday at least once.

(Love this girl!!!)

One day we went deep sea fishing and snorkeling.

Here I am reeling in a HUGE Barracuda!

The girls showed the boys what was up and caught the 2 biggest fish.

We went to Hawaii a few years ago with the Williams and we loved snorkeling so we had to do it again in Mexico.

We saw the ruins, very cool.

We went swimming in a cenote (a natural sinkhole).

Me and my HOT LOVER!

We had so much FUN with our awesome friends in Mexico.  Every time I think of our trip it just makes me laugh so hard.  Good Times!  Good Times!  We ate good and played hard.  

Oh BABY!

Mandy, me, Adrienne, Teryn

Pretty much most of my best friends are prego right now.  I LOVE it!  Remember these girls?  I have a picture with them at MY shower.  We threw a shower for Mandy and little Elijah this past weekend.  Adrienne and Teryn are having little girls in July!  It is so funny to have babies with your friends.

Beautiful Day

Cute little Brooklen

The boys have been on Spring Break all week.  Today was such a beautiful day that we decided to go downtown with some friends and look around all the little shops.  We ended the day with a stop at the Ice Cream Parlor, where I tried really, really hard to talk the boys out of getting Superman Ice Cream (the red, white and blue ice cream that stains everything).  No luck!

Baby Shower

Teryn, Adrienne, chubby and Mandy

The party favors were cupcake mixes!

(Adrienne made this banner by taking my favorite pictures off my blog.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  I got choked up when I walked in and saw it.  So cute!)

My amazing friends threw me a baby shower this weekend.  Adrienne, I like to refer to her as Martha "freakin" Stewart, hosted the shower at her house.  Adrienne, Teryn and Laurel made lots of yummy food (salads and chocolate, what else do you need?).  

Call it the extra estrogen I am packing these days, but it is so touching how many people care and support me.  I feel so blessed to have so many great friends.  I wish I would have taken more pictures of all my friends that came to the shower and all the awesome gifts!

Grand Haven

Rob, Brooklen, Adrienne

We had an awesome weekend!  We went with our good friends, the Gillis family, to Grand Haven for the weekend.  We stayed in a cottage right in town.  We visited the shops, spent time on the beach, watched the world's largest music fountain, rode bikes, visited the lighthouse, walked the boardwalk...GOOD TIMES!

Cafe Rio

Rob and Brooklen

Lolly and Adrienne

Adam

Dan, Talon and Adam

Katie

The other day my totally-cute-party-coordinator friend, Adrienne put together a "Cafe Rio Party". We just finished our "veranda" (okay its just a deck but go with me people) and have been really loving having people over. One of my current obsessions has been Margaritas...virgin of course, just like me! So we served up some Cafe Rio and threw down some Margarita's. We finished off the fiesta with a pinata for the kids!

Wicked

Tina, Janet, Sara, me

FINALLY! I have wanted to go to WICKED for the longest time! I finally got to go and it was worth the wait. So GOOD!

Higgins Lake

For the 4th of July this year we went up north camping with some friends. We met some of our good friends Dave and Sara up at Higgins Lake. We played in the lake all day and then the night owls did illegal fireworks all night. There is just something about boys/men and fireworks. We had such a great time!

Natalie

Happy Birthday Natalie! You are a RIOT! I miss your freakin guts!

Happy Birthday Brianne Wallace Kilgore!

Happy Birthday to my ROCKSTAR friend, Bri! Their is no one else I would rather beat in a handstand contest, or Speed, or Phase Ten, or changing into my swimsuit the fastest, or Paddle Ball, or...oh ya....I LOVE you!

Happy Birthday Sara!

Happy Birthday Sara! I want to start by saying I am sorry I have no good pictures of Sara and I together (we need to get on that). Today is one of my best friends, Sara's, birthday. Sara was the first friend that I made when I moved to Michigan. She is married to Adam's cousin, but I have only known her for 4 and half years. Sara and I have all these quirky things in common to name a few:

*She has a daughter named Taylor Schroeder, so do I

*Gage was born on her husbands birthday

*Her son Logan was born on my birthday

*Talon was born on her anniversary

*We have been training for a marathon for 10 years and both ran our first marathon a couple years ago

*Our best friends from college are both Dental Hygienist

*We LOVE to exercise and call each other about 3 times a week to tell the other what we did at the gym that day

There is a lot more but I won't bore you. There are NOT too many people that I would give up chocolate for. Happy Birthday Sara! I love you!

UPDATE ON LENT...

Seriously is it Easter yet?!? So after three days of headaches and severe mood swings, I gave in and had a Diet Coke. I still haven't had any chocolate though. And to add insult to injury around every corner are those little devil girl scouts selling cookies!

Cirque Du Soleil

Mandy and me

Marissa, Mandy, Me

We went to to Cirque Du Soleil in Detroit. Our friend hooked us up with the Bud Light Suite. You know what that means...all the ice water you can drink! I learned a couple new moves so come on over and we can practice. Then afterwards we went to the best Mexican restaurant in Detroit, Mexican Village. We had an awesome time!