Team Lost Dumasse Rides Again!

Yesterday, Matt competed and completed the Grand Rapids Urban Adventure Race.  He and his race partner biked 17-18 miles and ran 4-5 miles to find 36 of 37 checkpoints in and around downtown Grand Rapids.  (Matt's cardiotrainer app. on his phone logged a total of 22.2 miles, but I'm sticking with my rough estimation.)  To make the race even more adventuresome, they did it all in the middle of ArtPrize...an art competition with over 1,500 pieces of art and thousands of people milling about admiring it.  Team Lost Dumasse finished 41st out of 193 teams.  The weather was beautiful and they had a lot of fun competing.  They're looking at competing in a race in February.  I think I'll cheer them on from the comfort of my nice, warm living room.

Fall Fun

My rough, cracked hands with their short broken nails can attest to the fact that my fall cleaning is officially finished.  Well, mostly.  All I have left is the carpet to shampoo and the seasonal closets to switch around.  But, looking at the almost 80-degree weather forecast for next week, I'll wait a bit for a chance to open the windows to dry the carpet...and enjoy another chance to wear shorts before they get packed up for a while.

Matt and I enjoyed a nice day in Grand Rapids with some nice friends looking at some nice art last weekend.  It's ArtPrize in Grand Rapids and that means there are thousands and thousands of people looking at all of the fabulous artwork on display.  It's a good thing we're tall and can see over so many people.  Looking at all the awesome art makes me wish I was that creative...or could draw a straight line.

In between my cleaning breaks, I was crafty and made some things for the porch.  I forget how much I love crafting and have decided to do it more often.  I've missed my hot glue gun more than I thought.  I may have even missed the blisters I usually get from it too...but just a little bit.

 

 

Matt spent this past week in South Carolina on a business trip.  Cyrus was my little shadow and my little bed hog.  I tried to enjoy all the extra room on our California king bed, but Cyrus had other ideas and kept me on the edge of the bed every night.  Keaton has been busy with school, working in the computer lab, and doing his pre-season workouts for basketball.  He stopped by last night to pick up a few things, grab some fresh-from-the-oven banana bread and to say a quick hi to Cyrus.  Cy welcomed Keaton home by tackling him on the couch.  Cyrus is going to be a football player for Halloween.  I think he's already getting into character.  

 

 

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Sorry, I don't know where the twang came from.  I've been playing Words with Friends with some family members from Tennessee, so maybe my urge to use the term "y'all" came from them.  Anyway, today is the first day of fall and I'm happy to say that I'm about half-way finished with my fall cleaning.  I do heavy spring AND fall cleaning every year.  I scrub everything...including cleaning curtains and carpet...and reorganize every drawer and cupboard.  Why?  Because I love to purge and clean!  Seriously.  I love having everything all shiny, neatly lined up, and smelling fresh.  I also think I have A.D.H.D. and can't sit still.  So, after giving the main floor a thorough cleaning, I decided to break out the fall decorations.  After I get the rest of the house thoroughly cleaned next week, it'll be time to get back to scrapbooking.  Or maybe it'll be time to take a nap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Cyrus!

Sir Cyrus Pembroke turned the big 11 on Friday.  He began his day with his usual good-morning treat.  Then, he enjoyed a nice nap on the couch, carefully positioning himself so he could bask in the sunlight streaming in through the front door.  He awoke from his nap to then carefully jockey for position so he wouldn't be ignored during my breakfast and enjoyed a healthy bite of my omelet.  His after-breakfast nap was rudely interrupted when we lost power and the smoke alarms started chirping.  For some reason, that really bothered him and he climbed into Matt's shower to hide. 

I put his Thundershirt on him to help calm him down (and it worked), but he wasn't too happy because he has a hard time sitting in it, so he's forced to stand when he wears it.  And any of you who know Sir Cyrus can verify that he's a persnickety dog (euphemism for a big stinker) and doesn't like to stand for long periods of time...unless he's begging. (Even then, he usually sits and lays his head on your leg or the table...whatever he thinks is cuter at the time and will get him some people food.)  Once he calmed down, I tried to take some pictures of him. Tried. He was still pouting because I made him wear the Thundershirt for a bit and he refused to look at me for a picture. (See what I mean about being a little stinker?  He's definitely a strong-willed little guy.)

After Cy took another nap in the afternoon, enjoying the sun streaming in from the patio door this time around, a treat (hey, it was his birthday), a bite of my lunch, and another nap, we gave him a pat goodbye and headed up to the casino where I won $72.73 on my favorite slot machine!  Whoo hoo!  I was definitely the big winner last night...especially after Matt lost his one free hand playing blackjack.  (He had a free $30 voucher for a table game and he decided to try his luck at blackjack.  The dealer dealt him 20...and then she dealt herself 21.  Ugh!)  But, Matt redeemed himself before we left at the slot machine he likes and came away with a profit of about $40...after being down to a lowly $0.68.

We enjoyed a great dinner (and a fabulous piece of Mounds cheesecake!) and brought some donuts home for breakfast.   We even picked out a donut for our birthday boy.  He eagerly posed for his birthday picture and then enjoyed half of his yummy glazed donut.  Happy birthday, Cyrus! 

 

 

  

Lucky Matt!

Matt's been on a lucky streak lately.  Not only is he fortunate to have me as his lovely wife, blessed to have Keaton as his wonderful son, and charmed to have Cyrus as his quirky dog...he won a new iPad last week.  Earlier in the summer, he entered a carpooling program sponsored by a green company in Grand Rapids.  He and Keaton carpooled most of the summer and both Matt and Keaton won gift cards for $25 and $15, respectively, drawn randomly by the Grand Rapids organization.  Yay for both of them!  Then, Matt's name was drawn for the great prize of the iPad!  Double yay!!  Keaton and I were excited when Matt brought it home and we both tried to claim it.  Spoiled rotten Keaton thought he might nab it.  Yeah, right.  It's totally going in my scrapbook room...when Matt's not using it for football stats on Sundays.  Matt bought a lottery ticket last night and we're keeping our fingers crossed that his lucky streak continues!

The Third Time's a Charm!!!

Yesterday we moved Keaton back into his home-away-from home for the school year...Severn Hall.  It's hard to believe he's beginning his junior year!  The time has flown by...and I haven't had nearly as many cocktails as I thought I'd need.  After moving him to school over the past two years, we have this moving-in stuff down to a science.  (It definitely helps that Keaton's a minimalist and doesn't bring a lot of extra stuff with him.)  We were able to move him back to school in two and a half vehicles.  (His girlfriend was nice enough to offer to bring some stuff in her car!)  So, while I cleaned the room, the guys moved everything up three flights of stairs to his new room.  It was a nice, organized move.  (Of course it was organized...I'd tolerate nothing less.)  We got his room all settled and left Keaton with hugs, homemade brownies, and a big pile of cables he'll have to untangle himself for all his electronic stuff.  As a computer science major, he's definitely more capable of hooking up all his stuff than we are.  Now I just have to decide whether or not to turn his room into my own personal shoe closet!


Vehicle #1:  packed to the brim.
Notice the case of Mt. Dew...it's in every college kid's survival kit.

Vehicle #2: packed to the brim.
Matt and Keaton did some body work and painting above the rear wheels of Keaton's Explorer.
Keaton said that when he's done with school, he's buying a new car...and a garbage can with an automatic lid.



Cyrus was a little antsy while Keaton packed. He stayed close to Keaton and ran upstairs to see if he was still home first thing in the morning.

  



This is Keaton's bedroom. We probably won't see his bed neatly made again for the rest of the school year.

 

Keaton shares his bedroom with a roomie. Their room is pretty big for sleeping, studying...and playing video games.





Keaton loves his new Red Wings rug. He had to make sure the coffee table wasn't blocking the logo.

  

This is our moving team and the other half of the common living area. He has five roommates and they now have seating for 10 people...or napping for 6 people. 
Notice that the coffee table does NOT block the Red Wings logo.

 

What do you do when you have an extra end table in your dorm room? 
You put the fridge on it and...voila...no more stooping to get in the fridge.  Plus there's now bonus storage for Mt. Dew and Gatorade underneath. 
Sometimes even I'm impressed with my organizational skills! 



We moved Keaton into his room and got him settled in two hours flat. I think we're definitely seasoned movers now.

  

Tenneshoe

We went to TN over the weekend so I could buy some shoes.  We didn't plan to go down for shoes.  We headed down to visit family and golf.  And by golf, I mean Matt and Keaton.  So, while they went golfing, we girls headed to do some shopping...and I ended up bringing home seven (yep, 7!) pairs of shoes.  They're girlie.  They're cute.  They're totally me.  And most of them were 60% off, so how could I NOT buy them?

I also found some clothes, sunglasses, jewelry, and my Halloween costume.  It's a referee uniform that Keaton told me I could not EVER wear to any of his games.  (He's no fun.  What's the point of having kids if you can't occasionally embarrass them?)  The guys wanted to go to the area clubhouses to check out the clearance items.  So while they looked at shirts and putters, I found a jacket...and ANOTHER pair of shoes.  They're golf shoes.  They're pink.  They're totally me.  Plus, they were 60% off.  Now I just have to find a cute pink golf bag and I'll be ready to hit the links.

It was a quick visit, but a nice one.  The guys enjoyed golfing and I enjoyed shopping.  Cyrus enjoyed all the food my dad made for him.  (Do other dogs get to eat French toast and ham sandwiches?)  Cyrus also enjoyed some wrestling.  It was a tight squeeze in the car riding back to Michigan, but totally worth it.  Eight pairs of shoes bought in a 24-hour period...that may be a tough record to break.  But, there's always next year's visit.

Back to Normal

I'm happy to announce that Cyrus is feeling much better and is pretty much back to his usual peppy, perky, puppy self.  (Try to say that three times as fast as you can.)  He was on lock-down for the weekend and that meant he couldn't climb, jump, or run.  So, we had a long weekend trying to keep him calm and still.  He couldn't understand why, oh why, he couldn't wrestle or why, oh why, he couldn't get on the furniture or why, oh why, he couldn't sleep in our bed.  I put a large pillow on the floor for him and he just gave me a dirty look when I tried to talk him into lying on it.  So, I used the pillow...on the floor, like a dog.  Hmmmmm...I'm not sure exactly when Cyrus turned the tables on us and took over the house.

Sir Cyrus cuddling with his beloved Liger...finally on the couch again! 

Poor Pookie

Poor Cyrus has had a rough couple of days.  He started acting uncomfortable on Wednesday night and couldn't seem to sit without it hurting.  He had a restless night (which means I also had a restless night) and I took him in to see the vet yesterday morning.  It looks like he has a pulled or strained muscle in his back and it's making his hind quarters sore.  She gave him some anti-inflammatory/pain meds and he seems to be doing better.  He slept a lot yesterday and didn't seem so uncomfortable last night.  He was even able to sit without fidgeting like he did the day before.  This morning, he wagged his tail at me and has a bit of a spring back in his step.  He's still having some trouble managing the step to go outside and can't really lift his back legs.  (That's AWFUL to watch and I just carry him.)  We're still keeping a close eye on him to rule out any abdominal blockage, but it looks like it's a sore back.  Poor little guy.  He wants to jump up on the couch so badly and just has to settle with cuddling with me on the floor instead.  I can't wait until he's back to his old self again...jumping around and wiggling his little rear end and stubby tail.  I also can't wait to be able to sit on the furniture again.  This sitting on the floor stuff is starting to hurt MY back.

Life would be so much easier if he could just talk and tell us what's bothering him.

I LOVE Jewelry!

I LOVE jewelry!  Silver.  Gold.  Gemstones.  Diamonds.  Bracelets.  Rings.  Necklaces.  Pretty much anything.  I'm not too picky.  I ordered myself a necklace that I had personalized.  I wanted something casual that I could wear every day.  It's so cute and I absolutely love it!  Happy Thursday to me!!

 

I ordered it online from AJ's Collection.  (http://www.ajscollection.com/)
Cute and adorable stuff!!

 

Test Subject

I'm so glad that Cyrus is patient (sort of), laid-back (most of the time), and doesn't mind me constantly sticking a camera in his face.  I've been playing with the camera lately and trying to understand it more.  I'm trying to only use manual settings and I think I finally am beginning to understand aperture.  Hallelujah!  I've read books and articles and manuals and it just wouldn't click (pun intended).  It's FINALLY clicking now and so I've been doing a lot of practicing on Cyrus.  I'm glad he's always nearby and ready and willing to be my test subject.  Well...as long as he gets a treat at some point.  Soon, I'll be ready to move onto setting both shutter speed and aperture for fast-moving action shots.  Wish me luck.

low aperture = clear close-up of subject and blurred background

 

The Boys

Looking at the calendar, Keaton will be leaving us in a few more weeks to head back to college.  Sigh.  It's been nice having him home to chat with us, do things with us, and put away the dishes.  Not only will Matt and I miss seeing him everyday, but so will Cyrus.  He enjoys having an extra body on which he can scratch himself.  He's a goofy dog.  He starts with his face and then puts his whole body into rubbing against the length of your body.  Sometimes he uses the couch, but he definitely prefers rubbing along a person.  Especially if they're sleeping.  Sometimes he even falls asleep after his session of scratching.  Here's a picture of Cyrus with Keaton after a scratching session.  If I wasn't making noise in the kitchen, I think they may have both fallen asleep.

Jell-o Shots & German

What do jell-o shots and German have in common?  Well...not only did I make jell-o shots with schnapps over the weekend, but I'm now teaching the dog German.  My guys think I'm goofy and maybe, possibly slightly crazy.  I don't care.  It's fun either way.

Anyway, we had some people over on Saturday for a triple "P" party:  pool, ping-pong, and pinball.  I made some jell-o shots and put them in hollowed-out fruit.  They were pretty darn yummy and oh so cute!

I made watermelon jell-o shots and poured them into lime halves and then cut them into wedges after the jell-o was set. 
I made some vodka sunrise jell-o shots (cherry & orange) and put them into oranges.
I saved all the pulp for future marinades and put the rinds in the garbage disposal to freshen it up.  Waste not, want not!

I had an idea yesterday to try for Cyrus's barking issues.  I've tried lots and lots and lots of various methods to get him to stop barking.  (I pretty much gave up after watching an episode of "The Dog Whisperer" and even renowned dog expert Cesar Milan gave up on some yippy dogs and said that terriers just bark.)  I draw the line at bark collars.  I just can't do anything that may harm a dog...especially my dog.  So, I thought that maybe Cyrus would obey better if I used German commands.  (He's a schnauzer, so maybe hundreds of years of ingrained German is buried somewhere deep inside him.)  So, I started trying to teach him last night.  So far, he's catching on.  I still have some German to learn for myself first so I can teach him...and then Matt and Keaton.  (I can already see them rolling their eyes.)  If I can't get Cyrus to stop barking, then I guess the words on my front door mat will be my excuse.

Platz! (Down!)
Fein gemacht!  (Good boy!)

Thundershirt

Any of you who know my dog (or follow my blog) know that he's a big baby.  He's a prissy indoor dog who doesn't like to get his feet wet.  He's also not a fan of inclement weather...this includes days that are TOO sunny, TOO windy, and TOO humid.  (We live in west Michigan, so of course we have to deal with wind and lots of humidity from Lake Michigan.)  Anyway, yesterday morning, we had a little thunderstorm roll through.  Cyrus's usual storm behavior is to pant, dig, and shake uncontrollably.  I've tried petting him and soothing him.  I've tried taking him into the basement.  I've tried cuddling with him in bed.  I've tried putting him in the bathroom and turning on the fan to help drown out the thunder.  I've tried building a tent for him.  I've tried playing with him to get him to focus on something other than the storm.  I've tried having him listen to music.  I've tried offering him treats to make storms nothing to be afraid of...to try and make them something positive.  I've tried Benadryl (for the dog, not me).  I've tried Valium (again, for the dog and not me).  Nothing has worked...so far.  But, I may have solved our dilemma.  I bought him a Thundershirt and (knock on wood) so far it seems to help him alleviate some of his stress during storms.  If you don't know what a Thundershirt is, it's a cotton "shirt" with velcro straps that can be securely fastened around the dog.  It's basically a big, gentle constant hug.  It's kind of the same theory as swaddling a baby to soothe it.  We tried it (the Thundershirt, not swaddling a baby) for the first time a few weeks ago while camping.  It helped him a little.  He was still anxious, but not nearly as bad as he usually is.  Then, yesterday morning, I put his Thundershirt on him and secured it a little more snugly than I did previously and...VOILA...he was soooo much better.  He still tried to find a place to hide, but he didn't dig or pant.  He only shook a tiny bit.  I'm hoping that each time we use it, his anxiety will diminish until storms don't bother him at all.  Keaton's girlfriend calls it his autism vest.  Cyrus doesn't have autism...he has prissy dog syndrome.  But, since I'm sort of prissy myself, I'd expect nothing less from my dog.

Cyrus sporting his new Thundershirt. 
He still hid in my bathroom, but he left all my rugs intact!

New Books!

I haven't been in a creative mood lately and haven't done any scrapbooking.  I could blame it on the heat wave.  I could blame it on the drought.  I could blame it on spending time in the pool.  In reality, I just haven't felt motivated.  I can't scrapbook if I don't feel motivated..and if the laundry isn't finished, the dishes aren't done, and the house isn't clean.  So, to try and get myself motivated to get working on Keaton's books, I made some spiffy labels for all the new books I've filled so far.  The plan is to confine a year of his life to three books.  Maybe four.  I'm really hoping it won't be five.  (These are 12x12 binders.  That's a lot of photos!)  I love my new books.  They're shiny and bright.  I have other colors ready and wating to be filled with memories of my baby.  I also have labels printed and ready to be put in the new books.  Now I just need to get busy filling them...   



3 books planned for each year x 18 years = 54 books
YIKES! 
I may need a bigger scrapbook room...or a bigger house.

I have five years finished.  Mostly.  I just need to add some school papers to them and then I'll be done.
That will help us get rid of  five storage bins in the basement. 
But, don't tell Matt because he'll only want to move in another pinball machine!

Isn't Technology Great?

Yesterday, I was able to visit with my ten-year-old niece, face-to-face...even though she lives 250 miles away.  Yay for Skype!  She chatted with me, made faces at me, approved my hairstyle, and showed me her handstands.  She tried to show me how she takes her dog out to go potty, but (thankfully) the connection was lost.  All our visiting was done with me on my laptop and she on her iPod.  Isn't technology great?  I look forward to being able to "see" my family via Skype.  Especially my niece.  She's feisty.  She's sassy.  She's going to give my sister gray hair.  I think that's hilarious!

    

Odds 'n' Ends

I think I may have A.D.D.  Maybe even A.D.H.D.  I really can't sit still so I instead flit all over the house constantly puttering, straightening, and reorganizing.  Crooked picture...not in my house.  Junk drawer...not in my house.  Disorganized photos...definitely not in my house.  So far this morning, I've purchased a couple of things online, downloaded a book from the library, have done two loads of laundry, visited Pinterest, and have downloaded some photos from the camera.  One of the pictures on the camera is of a cheesecake I made over the weekend.  If you're dieting or are trying to live life on a low-fat diet (or are concerned about a heart attack looming in your future), then you probably won't want to make this.  Ever.  But, I believe that life is short and everything should be tried once...within moderation.  Except for skydiving. 

Brownie Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
(Recipe from my dad...who is a whiz in the kitchen!)

1 pkg. fudge brownie mix
3 pkg. cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat cream cheese because I just couldn't bring myself to use up my weekly (maybe even monthly?) fat allowance on regular cream cheese.)
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (Again, this recipe is not for the faint of heart.)
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 bag mini chocolate chips


Mix brownie mix according to directions on package and pour into a spring-form pan.  (My pan is 10" and must be a good size because nothing leaked out.)  Bake at 350 for about 35 min. or until set.  Allow to cool and beat together:  cream cheese, milk, eggs, and vanilla.  (I also added a little confectioners sugar because I thought it needed a little extra sweetness with three whole packages of cream cheese.  Plus, this recipe already shoots your diet to hell, so it won't hurt anything to add some extra sugar.  I probably added about a cup...maybe a little more.  I just stopped adding it when I tasted it and it was pretty yummy.)  Stir in chocolate chips and pour over cooled brownies.  Bake at 350 for another 50 min. and chill in fridge.  (I think if you eat this with a salad and bean sprouts, then you can enjoy a piece without too much guilt.  Maybe not, but you can always worry about it the next day.)



This picture of the cheesecake isn't as good as it tastes.  Notice one of the edges is missing.  I took the edge of the pan away while the cheesecake was still too warm.  Definitely don't be impatient like me.  Or, if you like to eat the edges of things that fall off when you take the pan away too early, then by all means...go ahead and indulge in your impatience.  We had some last night and this is what was left.  It's really rich and decadent, but gives The Cheesecake Factory a run for its money! 

I didn't have mini chocolate chips because I never buy them.  Seriously, why eat something so small when you can eat something bigger and better?  I just chopped them up in a blender and sprinkled them into the mixture.  Of course, because I'm always in such a hurry, I totally forgot to add them BEFORE I poured them into the mixture BEFORE they went onto the brownies.  I just added them to the mixture on top of the brownies, stirred them in, and life was good again.  I do tend to add stuff after I'm supposed to because I usually don't read the recipe all the way through because I'm in too much of a hurry to just start making the recipe.  And, before you wonder, yes...this method definitely backfires on me.  A LOT!  I think it has to do with my attention span.  I'm ready to move onto another project halfway through making the recipe.  One that usually involves me straightening or reorganizing something.

Legendary

Last night was legendary...that is a night spent at the casino to see the band, Legendary Rockstars.  It was a fun night full of full of good music, Spandex (not us), funny dance moves (again, not us), and strawberry daiquiris.  After the band wrapped up, Matt and I made our donations to the slot machines and then picked up some donuts for breakfast.  Donuts after a night at the casino are legendary  Oh, and also my nap.

Crafty!

I was crafty today and made a couple of camera strap covers.  (I don't like anything that's plain.)  The first one I made is pretty pink.  The second one I made is orange and will be used at the K basketball games.  Matt already said he's not using the camera until the pink strap cover is replaced.  Good...no more pictures of pinball machines.

Yay...Rain!!

It's raining, the temperature is only in the 50s, and we're thrilled...except for the poor dog.  He doesn't like the rain.  He doesn't like to get his feet wet.  He probably doesn't like wearing a rain coat, but it's pretty darn cute on him!  The only thing cuter would be if he'd wear booties...or learned how to carry an umbrella.

And, yes, for those of you wondering...Cyrus does have a drawer full of clothes and costumes. 
In my defense, I don't have a baby to dress up anymore...and Matt won't let me get a monkey. 

Ice Cream

Summer is halfway over and I just realized that I haven't even visited our local ice cream parlor yet.  They were voted to have the best ice cream in southwest Michigan.  Getting some cotton candy confetti ice cream will be on my to-do list for the weekend.  It's pink.  It's pretty.  It's delicious!  In honor of ice cream, here's an oldie but goodie of Keaton enjoying a cone on the beach when he was five. 

It's Still Been Hot!

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but ones full of some interesting stories.  Let's see...

It's been HOT.  I mean really, really hot.  Hot enough to make my mascara run.  Hot enough to not wear a bra...well, maybe not that hot, but definitely hot enough to not want to wear a bra.  When the pool water got up to 90 degrees...AGAIN...I had to add some cold water...AGAIN.  It just doesn't seem right to sweat while floating in the pool....AGAIN.  Matt's mom came for a visit to watch Matt's nephew's baseball team fight for the Little League State Championship.  They battled for five long, hot, grueling days, but lost in the end.  It was a good run.  Since they lost when I went to watch early in the tournament, I didn't want to jinx them any further and didn't go to any more games.  I did make them cookies, though...and then they lost.  Uh oh, I'm really hoping I didn't jinx them.  I'm a bit superstitious.

We (and I totally mean Matt) cleaned the front of the house with the power washer after we FINALLY got it back from the shop and its two-week repair.  We (and, again, I totally mean Matt) hung up the shutters in their new spiffy color...burgundy.  It's a nice change from the navy.  Well, it was really more like lighter navy since the sun definitely made them fade a bit in the last couple of years.  Now we need to do make some changes to the landscaping.  (And, again by we, I totally mean Matt needs to change some landscaping.  I don't like to get dirt under my nails.)

Goodbye blue.  Hello burgundy.
(Since we have a new paint color, this totally means some changes are needed for the outdoor decor, too. 
I just need someone to tell Matt because he thinks our old stuff is fine.)

We enjoyed a fun weekend with my sister and her family.  We met them over at Silver Lake and had a great time bouncing along with them on a dune buggy ride.  Then we headed over to the Little Sable Point Lighthouse and spent some time at and in Lake Michigan.  We took them to a rope and zip-line course and the kids had a blast climbing and zip-lining.  We hit Binder Park Zoo on their way home and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the monkeys.  They even followed me as I moved around to take pictures.  If I ever win a huge lottery (or find out I have really, really rich parents), I plan to buy an island (or two) and make animal sanctuaries.  Even though I love monkeys so much and would love to have one as a pet, I never will because I know they're wild animals and should not be pets.  I'll never be a crazy monkey lady that puts clothes on them.  That's what dogs are for.  So, I thought a monkey island would be a perfect solution for me.  I can see monkeys all day, every day...and since my neighbors are driving me crazy and I really want to move, it would be a perfect place to live!  The good news is that I'll have help with my island/s.  My niece said she'd work on both my monkey island and dog island.  My nephew said he would only work on the dog island because monkeys throw poop.  One of the priceless things with the kids was that they both simultaneously said they wanted chocolate fondue for dessert when I told them I had stuff to make ice cream sundaes or s'mores.  I think it's kind of become a tradition for me to make chocolate fondue when they come to visit.  The other priceless thing was my niece asking me to show her mom how to make my scrambled eggs.  I told her it was all in the special seasoning.  The best part was her reply:  "It's white cheddar popcorn seasoning.  But can you show my mom how to do it?   You make the best scrambled eggs in the whole world."  Yep, she definitely can come live on my monkey island with me!

On our way to our African Safari at Binder Park Zoo.

We finally got a new TV for the living room.  The past couple of years of dealing with digital cable on our old analog TV and the frustration of having the sides of the picture cut off finally had us caving in and getting a flat screen LED TV.  It's so nice to see the entire picture on the screen...and especially nice to actually see the whole score of a game.  Over the past couple of years, we never saw the ball if it was outside of the middle of the picture and couldn't see the score of a game.  Plus, now moving the TV won't give Matt a hernia.  It's a bigger screen than the old TV, but it looks so much smaller in the entertainment center.  I tried to talk Matt into getting a new entertainment center so he could have a bigger TV, but my logic didn't work on him.  Darn.  Still, it's nice to watch the athletes compete in the Olympics and totally see what's happening...all in high def.  It's even nicer to see the whole court and all the players and not try to figure out where the ball or athlete will pop back into the picture again.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone get a TV out of the box, hooked up, and programmed faster than Keaton did.  Maybe he could get a job at Best Buy on the Geek Squad.

I spent last week enjoying the Olympics...when I wasn't sleeping or throwing up.  I found a tick on my leg after the zoo and didn't think anything of it...until the vomiting started and lasted all day long.  Fun.  Then came the fever and achy joints.  Joy.  I still didn't think anything about the tick I found until Matt mentioned it and I looked it up on the computer.  Huh.  It looks like I was bit by a tick.  Which is kind of funny because I don't do bugs or outdoorsy stuff where bugs can touch me.  Gross!  So, that was a fun few days.  But, like I said, I did watch much more of the Olympics than I've ever seen before in my life and had a mini vacation from cooking, cleaning, and laundry. 

We packed up the motor home and went camping at Fort Custer over the weekend.  Keaton and Cyrus went with us for a change of pace and it was nice to have the extra company.  We went to Matt's (and Keaton's) company picnic on Saturday and it was fabulous...as it usually is.  I enjoyed the plant tours and learned a little more about what they do and how they do it.  I also enjoyed my beloved cotton candy and we were thrilled to see they had a cupcake tent.  Seriously...a cupcake tent full of cute, delicious cupcakes.  It was awesome!  I enjoyed a vanilla bean cupcake with butter cream frosting, toasted coconut, and a drizzle of chocolate on top.  Yummy!  It was a great day...but very, very hot.  We rounded out the evening visiting with friends and enjoying some margarita jello shots.  Who knew they even made margarita jello?  Whoever did is amazing because they were delicious!  When we were at the campground, we enjoyed some biking and walks with Cy.  Keaton had an adventure on the bike trail that he wasn't expecting.  He was expecting a leisurely ride on the paved road around the campground and was surprised to find himself on the dirt bike trails with jumps.  He said he thinks he was parallel to the ground at one point in the ride and almost died three times.  He tends to exaggerate just a bit.

Keaton's idea of camping:  Being inside the motor home with central air while playing a video game on his laptop.

Cyrus's idea of camping:  Sitting on a chair because there's NO way he'll sit on the ground or in the dirt.

Our idea of camping:  Actually going outside to do something. 
We stopped for a picture along the Kalamazoo River while doing a little biking.  Most of it was on paved roads and a well-groomed trail because I'm a big baby. 

 So, it was a nice weekend with the boys.  A nice weekend made even nicer because:

1.  Keaton actually wanted to come camping with us and spend time with us!
2.  Keaton was able to help us unpack and put everything away!!
3.  A cold front moved through, dropping temps so we aren't melting anymore. I finally turned off the air after having it run nonstop for three weeks and opened the windows so we can now enjoy some fresh air in the house!