Final Vows

This weekend, my friend Sr. Katie is making her Final Vows to be a Catholic Sister. When I was discerning Religious Life, Katie and I lived with the Servants of God’s Love at the same time. We actually moved in the same week and became fast friends. We are complete opposites and I think that’s what made us click so quickly. She was my closest confidant while I was there and we shared many late night talks about our worries, God’s plan and life in general. When I moved out in 2004, I was sad that we wouldn’t be together and that God didn’t have us on the same path anymore. Katie said something that I have never forgotten – she said, “We are on the same path, b/c we are still doing God’s will, just in different ways.”

So, fast-forward to April 2008 . . . Brook had just proposed and we set a 2009 wedding date. As I was driving home from GR one Sunday evening, I realized that Katie would be making her vows in 2009. We were both getting married in the same year! (I started bawling, which makes for safe driving!) For those 4 years, He did have us on the same path, just in different ways. It is funny how everything comes full circle, isn’t it? She was there at my wedding in April and now I am excited to be there at her “wedding,” as she makes her vows. I am so proud of her and happy for her, as I know this is the deepest desire of her heart! Pictures to come next week . . .

Sr. Katie and I at Sr. Christina's vows last year

Also, Brook and I have volunteered to teach religious ed at our new church. I am teaching 6th grade girls and Brook is team-teaching a class of middle school boys (not sure what grade yet) with someone else in the parish. This church has a great set-up by having all-girl classes and all-boy classes for middle schoolers. It really helps the kids to be themselves when they don’t feel like they have to impress the other sex. I am ready to get back to teaching – I took a year off last year due to the wedding and not knowing when I would be moving. And this is Brook’s first year, I know he will be great! It is ironic how much the kids actually teach you, even though you are supposed to be the teacher. The thought-provoking questions they ask push your faith to new levels and it is so rewarding to see how far they come by the end of the year. Our first meeting is next Monday with all the leaders.

I had to laugh, b/c I got this e-mail from the Director of Religious Ed Wednesday: “I am currently working on trying to get leaders for our Confirmation classes for the year! I was talking to some people and you both came recommended to me as being two people who would be excellent and helping with Confirmation.” I laughed b/c how do people know us to recommend us??? We have agreed to help! Luckily, we are on a team with 6 other adults. And we thought things would settle down, now that the summer is over! ;)

Last Weekend of Summer . . .

It has been somewhat of a lazy week at our house . . . after the weekend festivities, we needed some down time. We had a wonderful weekend with friends and family and couldn't have asked for a better end to summer. Wes and Jaime and the kids came up Friday and we went to the beach. Connor enjoyed throwing sand and digging, while Maria somehow enjoyed the 50 degree water. Brr! After Brook got home from work, we ordered pizza and then went down to the beach so Wes and Jaime could take some family pictures. Oh Connor! That boy loves the sand! LOL. I do hope at least a few of the shots turned out. After the pictures, we put the kids to bed and played "Partini." It's pretty much like Cranium, only with more activities. Pretty fun, if I do say so myself! :)



Wes got Notre Dame season tickets this year and asked Brook to go to the game with him on Saturday. They were gone for most of the day; so, Jaime and I took the kids to the beach again before the rest of my family arrived. That afternoon, Mom, Dad and Hannah rolled up in the RV, loaded with tables, chairs and a tent for the party. Now, there is a story behind the RV . . . my parents were going to park it in front of our house all weekend. (AKA cousin Eddie and Clark Griswold) But let's face it, that's probably not the best way to make friends with your neighbors! Haha! They were probably not going to be thrilled to stare at a 40-foot motorhome all weekend. Luckily, there is a church across the street from us that was kind enough to let them stay in their parking lot. In the end, it worked out great! They were super-close and it was nice to have everyone "right there."



Later that night Veronica and family arrived. We waited for guys to get home from the game and then beat them in another game of Partini. Actually, I was so tired, I can't remember who won. So, I'll just pretend we did! ;)

Sunday was the big event . . . we had a housewarming / birthday BBQ (for Brook). Many of our friends and family made the drive over and it meant everything to us! I know it's not exactly a short drive to Grand Haven and I really cannot express my gratitude to those who made the trip. It was such a hectic day and with so much going on, I felt like I didn't get much time to chat with very many people. I feel bad about that, but hope everyone understands. I tried to bribe Hannah with sushi to be in charge of the kiddie games, but she didn't take the bait. (Wow, that is a bad pun!) So, I was busy making sure the kids were staying entertained. This is something I seriously stressed about before the party . . . I mean, we don't have kids (obviously), so what are all these kids going to do at our house??? In comes the bounce house, pinata, duck pond and so on. After many, many trips to Party City, I think I was prepared! I am sure parents were thanking me later that night for sending their kids home with gobbs of candy.

Here are some shots from the party . . . thank-you Veronica for taking pictures!

Happy Birthday to you . . .

The bouncer was a good investment!

I can't believe how well it held up with the abuse it took!

Pinata Time!

Some of Brook's aunts and uncles

Time for the egg race . . . look at those serious faces!

My dad and his sister

After all the planning, we couldn't have asked for more. The weather was perfect, the company was even better. :) Thank-you to everyone who helped set up, clean up and volunteered to make food. We couldn't have done it without you!

Monday was Brook's actual birthday and we had a fairly low-key day. All of my family left in the morning and we did a whole lot of nothing before going to dinner at Snug Harbor and then shopping for a bit. Birthdays are such a great time to reflect on the gift of a person's life. Brook is an amazing man, I really believe I got the better end of the deal in this marriage. He is kind, smart, witty, fun, compassionate and easy-going. He would never intentionally hurt someone and when people are unkind to him, he doesn't hold a grudge. He always tries to be the bigger person and reminds me to be, as well. He gets me and is my everything. I am blessed beyond measure be married to Brook and thank God for letting him be the person I journey through this life with.

Random Summer Images

Sophie's first trip to the Michigan Capitol Building with Aunt Chrystal

American Cancer Society Golf Outing


Our Team - the Bisonets and the Bomars


"Get off my alligator, Ria!"

This one's for you, Priscilla!

All-American Stud

The simple joy of the trampoline

My summer toy - the Topsy Turvy

Picked the first tomatoes off it yesterday!

The Windy City

Over the weekend, I surprised Brook with an early birthday present with a trip to Chicago to see a Bears / Giants preseason game. What a fun and tiring weekend! Friday morning, we went down to Concord for the memorial Mass for my Godson Luke, who has been gone 7 years now. I remember the day he died like it was yesterday and am surprised when I start to cry when speaking about him. You would think 7 years would make the pain go away, but it is still there. He was a very special little boy and being his Godmother meant everything to me. I think about him daily and will always hold him deep in my heart.

We spent the afternoon with my parents and nieces and nephew. Wes and Jaime (who went to Chicago with us) went to Michigan City Friday, so Maria and Connor were staying at my parents' house for the weekend. I took the kids down to the playground built in memory of Luke to get out some energy. Maria said, "I have to call mommy tonight, she'd be so proud of me b/c I played on Luke's playground!" The kid cracks me up! We met the Tello's and King's for dinner in Lansing at PF Changs that evening and spent hours catching up on the latest and greatest in our lives. It was great to see them!

Saturday morning, we left for Michigan City to meet Wes and Jaime at the train station. We took the commuter train into the City, which is a great way to go and super-cheap! We did all the usual Chicago things - ate a lot, walked a lot, shopped (Wes and Brook were pretty excited when they saw Brian Urlacher at Niketown), went to the aquarium and Navy Pier (Jaime HAD to get a churro! haha) before going to the game. I got the tickets through the CMU Alumni department - they sold them at a discounted rate and included a pre-game dinner. Of course, we got such a great deal, b/c they were looking for donations! I sound old when I say this, but Central sure has changed since I was there just 7 years ago! They have really made a lot of upgrades to the campus. Anyway . . . the game was fun (the Bears looked great, the Giants not so much). I couldn't believe how packed Soldier Field was for a pre-season game! Those Bears fans are serious about their football! We ended the night at Dave and Busters so I could "dominate" Brook in arcade games. (Yeah, right!) We left for home after church on Sunday and Brook and I did some shopping at the Outlet Mall in Mich City. It was a lot of fun to spend the weekend with Wes and Jaime, since we don't see much of just them.

Having lunch at Dick's Last Resort - this is a place where you pay to be treated rudely! We also rec'd some really nice "hats" - handmade by our waiter and not appropriate for this blog!

At Soldier Field (Don't we look important with our "Pit Passes?" That's what I liked to call them.)

The daunting task of trying to pick out prizes at the arcade!

The view from our hotel room

A "Suite" Weekend

Hannah arrived Thursday afternoon and we got the weekend started by enjoying some sushi and watching an outdoor symphony perform at Grand Haven's waterfront stadium. College-aged kids from around the globe come together to travel on the boat shown below. They perform all over the world and are currently doing a tour of the Great Lakes. It was a very unique experience.

The front of the boat . . . sorry, hard to capture the entire thing

The section with the words opened and this was inside -

A travelling orchestra!

Friday, was a beautiful day and we went down to the beach for a few hours before heading to the Lugnuts game in Lansing. A little background on the game. . . as many of you know, I donate my accounting skills to the Lingap Children's Foundation. The Foundation has a fundraiser every year with some sort of auction. In the past it has been a silent auction; well, this year, it was a live auction and very fun! The Richmond Brothers had generously donated their suite for a game at Oldsmobile Park. After some serious bidding back and forth, I won it! (My brother and cousin and Brook's parents also chipped in.) So, jump ahead 6 months later and it is game day. A few of my friends from work joined us, along with many family members and everyone agreed - it was a great way to watch a baseball game! It didn't hurt that the bar was next door, ya know what I mean? ;) The night went by way too quickly and I wish I would've had more time with everyone.

Karen & Stac - wonderful friends!

The 3 Amigas - they look mischievous, don't they?

My cousin Andrea & I - double trouble - at least we used to be!

Marriage and kids settle ya down a little. :-)

A group shot - minus Russ & Karen, who left to get home to their kiddos

My love . . . reunited after a 3 day golf outing!

Saturday, our plans to attend the Unity Festival in Muskegon pretty much got washed away by the rain (sorry for the bad pun). It was seriously down-pouring and there was no way I was going to stand outside for a concert! I might melt, hehe. So, Brook, Hannah and I went shopping instead at Rivertown and took Hannah for her first experience at Qdoba. She wasn't impressed - I still can't believe it! I love that place! Later that night, Carey came over for pizza and we all went to see "The Ugly Truth." Seeing that reminded me how happy I am to not be in the dating scene anymore!

I think those were the highlights of the weekend . . . Sunday, Hannah went home after church and Brook and I just tried to stay cool. It wasn't that bad, given we don't have A/C. The storm did wreak havoc on Grand Haven, though, and it was a circus outside our house for awhile . . . fallen trees, ambulances, fire trucks, crazy neighbors directing traffic. It kept us entertained while the power was out. Speaking of that, we lost power for 4 hours. 4 HOURS and I was so bored! I called the Utility company twice . . . yes, twice in 4 hours. Impatient much? I tried to read and it got dark and then what was I supposed to do? Electricity is so wonderful!

Lunch Break with the Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup has made its way to Grand Haven, of all places. Brook went out for lunch and snapped this picture today. The connection between the Cup and GH is that the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dan Bylsma, grew up in Grand Haven. You never know what you're going to come across in this town!

The Boogiemonster

Yesterday, as I mentioned in the previous post, Brook left for a 3 day golfing trip, which means I would spend the night alone for the first time in our house. This was not a big deal to me, since I lived alone for 4 years in Jackson. Plus, I have my ferocious guard dog (see below). Well, about 10 o'clock last night, I put Brady (AKA guard dog) in his crate and climbed into bed myself. Brady's crate is on the other end of the house, in the family room, BTW. As soon as I climbed into bed, he started barking. First time he has EVER barked at night. Figures. My over-active imagination instantly thinks someone is breaking into our house and (oh no!) I am home alone. So, I turn the lights on (b/c that will scare someone off for sure, right?) and bravely head out in to the family room. I look outside and some guy is walking his dog. My first thought is, 'How the heck did Brady hear that?' and my second thought is 'Why is this guy walking his dog at 10pm?' Anyway, it was not the boogie-monster. I yell at Brady to quiet down and he barks again, b/c he doesn't listen and I head back to bed. That was my eventful night.

Luckily, Hannah will be arriving today and spending the night to protect me until Brook gets back Friday!