Celebration

Had an amazing time today at the Tigers game with the office.  Tigers were down pretty much the entire game, and then Torii Hunter hit a walk off home run to win the game!  It was incredible!  The weather was super hot, and I got a lot of sun, I actually think I look a little bit tan!  We came home and went on an outside bike ride too, so even more sun.  I love having a little bit of color (don't worry, I wear sunscreen).

Looking forward to a non-work filled holiday weekend.  Usually, Kurt and I go out of town for this holiday, but since we travelled quite a bit in August and July, we are staying home for this one.  We have some plans with friends and may do another Tigers game, but other than that, just going to chill at home.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Haskell Law Firm Girls at the Game

Deja Vu?

So, flying back from Costa Rica earlier this month, we had the strangest thing happen to us.  Total, terrifying, deja vu.

We had flown from San Jose to Ft Lauderdale, and were waiting for our next flight to Detroit.  We were there pretty early, eating dinner we had bought.  We were sitting right next to the gate and the flight before ours to Port of Spain was leaving through Caribbean Airlines, which I had never heard of before.

While sitting there, I suddenly found myself listening to an eerie conversation.  I heard a flight attendant talking to a man who did not have a valid passport.  His passport had expired in MARCH, and he had not renewed it yet.  Which means, you do not get on a plane.  Right?  I knew better.  Kurt started videoing the incident as the last time he witnessed this, nobody believed him and thought it was ludicrous to suggest that anyone would get on an international flight without a passport. How did this guy even get through security to begin with?

We heard the flight attendant tell him she would have to call a supervisor.  She did, and after some talk, the supervisor apparently thought it was fine to let him on and they proceeded to get on the plane.  Wow, it's easier to board a flight without a passport than to take an extra bag on your flight!  LOL.

While we were videoing, some passengers from the flight came over and asked what we were doing and told Kurt videoing was illegal (which it is not).  I have no idea who these guys were or why they cared. It was very odd.  We told them we would not stop and why.

Anyway, normally, I would report this.  But, I learned from my past experience that the government does not care about this and generally knows about it.  I think it's amusing though because I know I would be read the riot act if I tried to go through an airport without proper ID, but others seem to have no problem at all.

So now twice I have seen this myself.  I have no doubt this happens all the time, regardless of those who insist it never does.  Be careful flying everyone.  Be aware.  Your government does not have your best interests at heart, knows this goes on, and encourages it in some instances, like our Underwear Bomber flight.

This incident terrified me.  I was having flashbacks to our flight and my plane being on fire.  After Kurt stopped videoing, I heard the person running the desk say to someone else "I dont know why that guy was videoing me.  What was the point?'

Sigh.

Weekend

Had a great weekend, with NO working (as I posted about previously).

Me and a toucan at La Paz.

Kurt and I had great workouts this weekend.  Outside part was running a 5K on Friday, Biking 17.5 miles on Saturday and running 4.75 miles on Sunday.  I also worked out on Friday and Sunday in the basement doing biking, abs and pushups and some light weights, while watching Dawson Creek on Netflix.



Saturday, I went to the mall as macy's was having a 25% off the entire store sale.  I ended up finding some great deals.  Got myself an uber cute dress in the Junior's section on clearance, which ended up being $11 with all my markdowns, and got another really cute one for $20 in the misses section.  Got Kurt two pair of shorts super cheap and a Kenneth Cole t-shirt.  All for under $100!  I love sales.  Regular price the stuff would have been like $300.  Came home and got ready for dinner at Dolce Vita with Angie, Scott, Ron and Erika.  Wore one of the dresses.  :).  Dinner was uber fun, even if I cheated some on my diet.  I had the crab cake salad I love.  I guess the cheating was the bread from the baskets on the table.  Oh well.  Gotta have bread once in a while, right?

BeBop dress and Seychelles Sandals.

Today we were so lazy.  I accomplished almost nothing besides changing over the laundry once, working out and grocery shopping.  I think the guy in the seafood section at Kroger's is starting to think I am weird, as I stock up on ahi tuna every single time I am there.  Today I was like "I will take all the ahi tuna you have".  I eat it almost nightly (that or salmon) so I like to have a lot on hand since I make it for Kurt sometimes too.  It was also on sale, so I was running with the deal!  :).

Spider monkeys at La Paz.

Update

Bad at blogging these days, so I am going to try to do a quick update, with bullet points!  :)

• Learning Spanish.  I know that it will take living in Costa Rica to get really good, but I at least want to have a good base before I go, knowing a lot of phrases and words.  So, I bought Rosetta Stone for Kurt and I, and have been trying to do the program at least once a day, even if only for 10 minutes.  I am learning a lot and really like the program thus far. I also got a great deal on the set.
• Went to the Tigers game twice in the past week, which was super fun.  First time, we were invited by a friend who has season tickets.  We went with Gary and Tammy to the game last Saturday, and Miggy hit a walk off home run, which was awesome.  Great game.   Then, this past Thursday we went with the office to the game in the afternoon.  Had amazing seats, Kurt caught a foul ball, and we were on the big screen twice!  Cray!
• Work has been insanely busy.  I feel like I never have enough hours in the day.  For example, today, I had court all morning, got back to the office around noon, scarfed down a Lean Cuisine, filed like 12 bankruptcies, then returned some phone calls, and before I knew it, it was the end of the day.  Exhausted.
• Had dinner with my family to celebrate my bday (reallllly late) two Saturdays ago.  I got to pick the place, so we went to Sizzling Sticks in Northville, which is a fav of mine.  It was super yummy, and I got some great gifts!  My grama got me a gorgeous crystal necklace, and my aunt got my a towel that says my fav phrase, PURA VIDA, pug flip flops and some bath and body works stuff that smells amazing.
• I have been getting outside a TON to work out.  Running, biking, etc.  Am loving it and the weather in MI right now.  We are logging a lot of miles at Sterling State Park, which makes me happy.  Some days we bike and run, and what a great workout.  
• I have figured out that the real thing to keeping my weight at what I want it is NOT the working out, but the eating right.  I know working out is part of it and part of keeping my body toned in the way I want, but the weight part of it is def food.  I have been doing amazing this week keeping my calories in check and I can really tell with the way I feel.  I just need to avoid eating out.  That is my downfall for sure.
• I found a new massage place in Southgate, MI, I really like called Kneaded Relief.  They are low priced and awesome.  Yay.
• I am looking forward to dinner out with friends this weekend, working out with Kurt, getting some errands done around the house and relaxing.  We have worked the past two Saturdays, and I am looking forward to NOT working a weekend.  Super yay.

Costa Rica--Business Trip?

Who takes business trips to Costa Rica?  Us!  Not related to the law firm, but related to our moving there.



Kurt & I want to become permanent residents of the country for various reasons.  Mostly, because of the benefits we can get from that.  Becoming residents is not easy on your own, so we hired a lawyer to help us.  We had a lawyer who helped us with our house transaction, so we ended up using another lawyer at the same firm for the residency stuff as well.  We had a huge list of things we had to get ready before taking a trip to the country, and then we had to apply in person as there was a couple steps that had to be done in the country.  Thus, the business trip.



**Kurt in lawyers office

We were supposed to go from 08/2-08/8.  However, Spirit Airlines stopped that from happening and we ended up leaving early on the third instead.  We were upgraded to their front row big chair seating, which was amazing.  Bigger seats, first off the plane, gotta love it.  I really do not like Spirit, but for the dates we were going, the fare was like half.  So, Kurt made me do it.  They really are a sub-par airline though.  We flew through Ft Lauderdale, which is a Spirit hub.  The Ft Lauderdale airport is one of the worst airports, IMO.  NO food selection (all disgusting horrible for you food, no sit down places), and for whatever reason, screaming kids everywhere.  Ugh.



**Fingerprints at police school.

Anyway.  Got into Costa Rica and were picked up by Fox Rent A Car and taken to their location to get our SUV.  It was not ready when we got there, so we headed for lunch at a place called Don Mateo, which the rental car place recommended.  Had a yummy lunch, went back and waited some more, and finally got the car.  The wait was somewhat annoying and I am not sure we will use Fox again.  None of the other places we have used in CR has there been a wait.  We then were on our way to Jaco for the night. Got there, and I had rented a room at Morgan's Cove.  Drove there, and realized we were at the wrong Morgan's, and there were two.  I thought I had booked at the Resort and casino and I had actually booked at a place in the middle of town.  Whoopsie.  Anyway, got there, checked in, and the place was a little sketchy.  The room's AC was great, that is about the only positive thing I can say about the room, LOL.  We decided to go into town and drive around, and stopped in a couple stores to check out prices on different things like electronics and furniture.  Went to dinner at Graffiti, which is a nicer place that we really enjoy.  We found it last trip for Kurt's bday.  It was just as good as last time....I had lobster enchiladas which were awesome and Kurt had some kind of blackened mahi.  Went and checked out a casino, and then went back to the room for the night.  The next day, we drove around Jaco some more and checked out some stores.  Found this store I loved with amazing oil paintings by local Costa Rican artists.  Will be back once we move there for sure.  Ate at Los Amigos (our fav local sports bar) and were on to the next part of our trip.  Oh, we stopped by our house as well, but the person staying there was not home so we simply walked around the property and all looked good.  Was sad I could not just move in.  ;).

 Escazu, home of the office of our lawyers.  We got a room right across the way from the lawyers since we had to be at their office at 7 AM.  We stayed at the Intercontinental Real.  Room was very nice, and about 100 steps up from the jaco hotel.  Kurt was very happy.  They even had a great gym by Costa Rican standards, so I worked out every night there.  Anyway, got to Escazu and checked into the hotel, then worked out.  Headed to dinner after that at a sports bar called Nova.  Then off to bed.......

**Taco Bar Escazu

700 AM, went to the lawyers' office.  His paralegal met us to to take us to the police school to be fingerprinted (one of the things we had to do in person).  That was in San Jose.  Had to wait a bit to be called, then were called back, our info and app for prints was processed, and we then got the prints and went back to the office.  Turned over all our documents that we had to bring and paid the filing fee for the application and were told to come back the next day at 200 PM to pick up the temporary residency.  So, after that, we left and explored Escazu some more.  Had lunch at a really yummy asian fusion place and walked around the huge mall they have there, which was fun.  Worked out, then headed to Taco Bar Escazu for dinner.  Awesome meal.  Back to room for night.



Got up, explored Escazu some more and worked out.  Headed back to lawyers at 200 PM and got our temporary residecy!  So easy with a lawyer.  6-8 months and we should be permanent residents.  Hooray!  Headed to San Ramon next to meet with our banker.  Kurt has been talking to him online for months and we had to go there to sign an application for an account and turn over a ton of info to him.  Did that, then headed back into Escazu and had dinner at Taco bar again (can you tell I like the place, LOL).



**Residency documents.

Next day, got up.  Kurt went to meet with the lawyer one more time to do some work with opening a trust account with them, then we left for a place I found called La Paz Waterfall and Gardens.  Took a while to get there, but it was worth it.  Awesome place in the middle of nowhere.  We got to see a ton of animals, including holding toucans, which was amazing.  I really liked the butterfly house and the waterfalls as well.  We walked around most of the afternoon, then headed back to San Jose to our room at the Holiday Inn Express.  Relaxed some then headed to the mall to explore and have dinner.



We left the next day to come home.  BOOOOOOOOOOO.  Overall, productive trip.  A few parts were fun, but most were necessary steps in order to become residents.


**Jaco Beach (portion of).

Meghan's Bday!

This weekend was fun!

Meghan's 12th bday was celebrating on Saturday night at Ron's house.  It was a really fun night.  Kurt could not make it until 1130 PM though as after we worked on Saturday, he had to take Vito to London, Ontario,to a vet who does MRIs on dogs.  Their machines are better than what vets in the USA have, so our surgeon wanted Vito taken there.  They want to treat him without another surgery, but need a better MRI to determine what is going on.  So, Kurt took him there.  Long day for Kurt.



Today was great.  I had a massage scheduled, with a gift card the office got me.  This morning, Kurt and I went to the park and ran a 5 mile run, then biked tonight for 12.44 miles.  Great workouts.



I went to the new Whole Foods in Detroit last weekend.  I was not impressed.  While I am thrilled Detroit is getting some actual stores, the selection was horrible and not even close to the caliber of the Ann Arbor stores.  So, I will not be going back.  Plus, the neighborhood was sketchy and I was harassed by various men on the side of the road while driving home, which was annoying.  And people wonder why Detroit has the rep it does?  Ugh.

We had to book a quick business trip to Costa Rica to finalize some paperwork with our residency there, so we are off there for a few days soon.  I am hoping to make it to Jaco to visit the house and eat at Taco Bar.  :).  Our business stuff is in San Jose and San Ramon though, so not sure extra time we will have.

I met Kelly's baby this week!  She stopped into the office so we could meet Baby Nolan.  I got to hold and feed him, and he is such a little angel.  Was so happy she could stop by.  I am hoping she brings him to our next girls' dinner in august!  :).



Went to my friend Susan's wedding shower last weekend as well in Milford.  It was nice to see friends and family and the shower was super nice.  They served brunch food, which was incredible.  Best shower food I have ever had, I think.

I know I need to post about Spain, but am putting together a trip report and still uploading pics.  In one word, AMAZING.  One of my fav trips ever.  wonderful country.  Especially Ibiza.......

Shopping Site Reviews

So, as we all know, I love fashion and shopping.  However, because of this love, I find ways to get a lot of things at really discounted prices.  I rarely shop racks of regular priced clothing at the store and almost always have coupons or outlet shop if the store does not have good clearances/coupons.   I thought I would share with you some of the sites I use for discount online shopping and the pros and cons of each site.  I will include links so you can sign up as well, as most of them you need an invite from a member to join and if you join on most of them, they end up giving you and I free money to shop after purchase.  Here goes with the first three.  I will post more when I have time.

Ideeli

Click here to join.  I have been using this site since June 2011.  I have bought a lot from this site and it is probably my fav of all the discount sites.  The prices are very low for higher end designers.  Every day at noon, the site comes out with new items and lists them.  Obviously, being on around noon may score you an item that will not be there later on in the day.  If you have a "1st row" membership (which can be purchased for an additional amount), you get access to the sale before the general public at noon.  I have never paid for this membership, but the site has given it to me for free various times, I think because I am a good customer and to try and lure me into purchasing, which I will not do.  Shipping is $9.95, but once you pay that once, you get free shipping for the next 30 days.  You may return any items that are eligible for return up to 21 days from the day the item is shipped from ideeli unless otherwise noted on a product page or in your order information online. They offer 2 return options: You may choose to receive either a store credit for the purchase price of the item and free return shipping, or a refund in your original form of payment minus a $8.95 return shipping charge.  Be careful when shopping to note if items can be returned or not.  It will say in the product listing.  Certain items like bathing suits and lingerie are not ever returnable.  I almost never order anything that I cannot return.  Anyway, I have returned many items.  I do not like that they use UPS for returns, I prefer USPS, but that is just personal preference.  Prob one of my fav purchases ever from this site was a red wool trench coat I bought by DIVA.  It was originally over $500 and I paid $89.99 (plus I had a coupon for $30 off).  If something is sold out and you still want it, you can waitlist it, meaning once it is available the site will email you and allow you to buy.  I think this happens when at item is returned or someone's credit card does not go through and their purchase is cancelled.  Also, for every friend you invite who purchases, you get $25!

Rue La La

Click here to join.  I have been using this site since October 2010.  I started using it because I bought an amazing suit for Kurt for a ridiculous low price.  I have found that this site has slightly higher prices then Ideeli (see above).   Every day at 11 AM, the site comes out with new items and lists them.  Obviously, being on around 11 may score you an item that will not be there later on in the day.  Most Rue La La merchandise ships for a rate of $9.95 for standard shipping to the 48 contiguous United States. With The Rue 30, once you place an order and pay the shipping costs, standard shipping is free on every order you place for the next 30 days.  We offer two return options. You may choose to receive either a merchandise credit and free return shipping (AK & HI: air shipping rates apply), or a refund to your original form of payment (minus return shipping costs. Visit My Returns and follow the steps for Returns Your Way to tell us which option you prefer. Just be sure we get the item within 30 days from the date you originally received it (and all items must be in their original condition with all packaging intact). Be careful when shopping to note if items can be returned or not.  It will say in the product listing.  Certain items like bathing suits and lingerie are not ever returnable.  I almost never order anything that I cannot return.  I have returned many items with no problem.  I like that they use USPS for returns.  You can waitlist sold out items, but you have to basically say you are purchasing if it becomes available and they charge your card once it becomes open.  If you refer a friend who purchases, you get $10!

Gilt 

Click here to join.  I have been using this site since October 2010.  I was referred here by a friend who loved the site.  A lot of the stuff on this site is very high end, but they do have reasonable prices on things as well, you have to kinda look around.  Items are listed at noon each day.  My fav purchase from this site is a Kate Spade dress I bought for our law firm pictures that is the perfect summer dress.  I also bought an amazing Love by Moschino winter coat at an insanely low price.  At noon daily, the sales come out.  You can waitlist items and they notify you when they are available for purchase.  Be careful when shopping to note if items can be returned or not.  It will say in the product listing.  Certain items like bathing suits and lingerie are not ever returnable.   Must return within 21 days.  Returnable items that are priced at $199.99 and under are eligible for a refund in the form of Gilt Credits. For returnable items that are priced at $200 and above, we are offering two options for our members: Receive Gilt Credit with no additional return charges, or Receive a refund back to the original form of payment minus a $9.95 restocking fee.  If you refer a friend, you get $25.00.

Aloha!

I was contacted by Aloha Island Lei in Aiea, Hawaii.  The company had read our blog and liked it, and asked if they could send us their product to review on our website.  Of course, I said sure!



I forgot about the exchange of emails until today.

A box was delivered to my office, overnight from Hawaii.  We received two leis and a little package of macadamia chocolates.  One of the leis is made of tuberose, and I am wearing it right now.  It smells absolutely amazing.  My husband, who has almost no sense of smell, thought it smelled awesome.  The other lei is currently being worn by my secretary, and it stunning and made of orchids.  My paralegal ate the chocolates and said they were incredible as well.

The flowers were very fresh and are so gorgeous and perfect, they almost look fake!

If you need anything like this in the future, this is the company to contact.  I looked up their prices, which are very reasonable, even low.

This box totally brightened our office's day.  We thank you so much Aloha Island Lei!

Baltimore Tigers Weekend

I had an awesome weekend.



Kurt and I went to Baltimore with our friends, Ron and Erika (same couple we went to Vegas with back in March 2013).  This trip was short, but filled with lots of fun things.  We flew Delta into Baltimore on Thursday night (late).  Went straight to the hotel as we were tired and passed out.  We stayed at the Homewood Suites (Hilton hotel) and I loved it.  We had a Suite on the 12th Floor.  Side note, the gym at this hotel was incredible.  Prob the nicest gym I have ever worked out at.  The room was HUGE as well and super nice.  I loved everything about this hotel.



Friday night got up and worked out then headed to this area called Fells Point to find a place to eat lunch.  Ended up at this place called Riptide by the Bay.  Lunch was super good and we wandered around for a while after lunch in the Fells Point area.  Went back to the hotel, and Erika and I headed out to do some boutique clothing shopping.  I bought Kurt some shoes and myself a bathing suit cover up at this kewl little store called South Moon Under.  also bought a tank top at White House Black Market.  Erika bought a cute dress and two tank tops.  Headed back to the room, and we walked to the Tigers game at Camden yards.  had awesome seats, and met up with my friends Charlene and Carl.  Tigs lost, and we headed to dinner in a little area called Canton and ate at this place called Claddagh's Pub.  Dinner was good here as well.  got harassed a little because of our Tigers shirts, LOL, and headed back to the hotel for the night.



Day two, Saturday, got up and worked out then headed to lunch in Mexican Town at a place called Cinco de Mayo.  It was yummy, but reallllllllly slow service.  Headed to the game after that and this game was much better.  Tigs won, homeruns all over the place, and we headed to dinner after that at Rusty Scupper on the water.  This was one of the best dinners out of my life.  Loved it.  Service was perfect, food was phenomenal, view was beautiful, and we drank a LOT of champagne.  Had an absolute blast.  Back to the hotel after this.



Sunday, we got up and headed to a couple sports bars to eat and watch the game.  We ate at a place called Shuckers, and then ended up at a place called The Greene Turtle.  I also wandered around some stores a bit but did not purchase anything.  I love all the little boutique stores in huge cities.  It makes it depressing that Detroit has literally NOTHING compared to other major cities around the country.

 Headed to the airport after that and back home.  2 hour delay on our flight, and I was back to work this morning.  had a busy day and helped my friend Dayna get sworn into the bar, which was fun.



Hope everyone else had an awesome weekend.

July Trip

Super psyched!  I finally booked our July trip, and we are going to Spain!  We are spending 3 nights in Barcelona, 4 in Ibiza and 3 in Madrid!  I can't freaking wait!

May continued.........

Kurt and I went to two more games in May.  Both of them, the Tigers lost and we are beginning to think we are cursed.  LOL.  Both were fun days w/gorgeous weather though, and we had a really nice time regardless of the losses.  Both times we had great seats.  During the first game against Houston, we were in Row 2, and I got some amazing shots of the players.  Today we were in row 26 and behind the net, so I did not even try to attempt pics.



We had an adorable visitor to our home.  A mama raccoon chose my chimney to have babies in, and the other day, one of the babies fell into the bottom part of the chimney and Kurt had to rescue it and take it outside so it's mama could come retrieve it.  SO CUTE.  I told Kurt to CLOSE the fireplace, but of course he did not listen and a few days later, we had 4 babies in our fireplace.  He saved them all and finally closed the fireplace.  I think he was getting tired of being the hero rescuer.



On May 4, I ran in my first 5K of the year.  This one was put on by my friend, Mel, who is raising money to do mission work in Romania with her church.  It was a lot of fun, two other friends of Mel's were running as well, so we all kinda ran together.  I ran really well considering I have not run a race in quite some time.  it was a beautiful course, along Lake Erie and in the Park.



That night, we went to a going away party for my former stepbrother, larry, who joined the Marines and is leaving soon for basic training.  it was a fun night seeing family and friends.  We had dinner before the party with our friends, Cliff and Lisa, at a really interesting place called Gastronomy in Southfield.  I loved how the place had a separate vegetarian menu.

Other that that, been pretty busy at work.  Will try to write more when I have time!  :)

May 2013

Almost the end of May and I have not posted once!  Whoops!

May has been pretty busy, but good.



I turned 36, which was kinda odd for me.  I think 36 sounds so much more close to 40 than 35 did!  But, I am OK with it, it is just kinda odd.  I think I will simply stick with 25.  I got carded in Canada at the casino (you only have to be 19), so I am going to go with I am not looking even close to my actual age.  Thanks Mom and dad for fabulous genetics!



My bday weekend we traveled to St Pete Beach, FL, for my friend Katie's wedding.  It was at the Postcard Inn right on the beach, so we decided to stay there and avoid driving after the wedding.  Flew into Tampa that Friday night and got our rental car through Thrifty.  Using our GPS, drove straight to the hotel, checked in, went to 7-11 for some supplies (i.e. diet pop, juice, cereal, yogurt) and stayed in for the night as we were both kinda tired.  Got up the next day and worked out, then headed to Madeira Beach to have lunch at a place I found on Yelp called Waltz's.  It was right on the water and one of those places that are my fav that have the menu on a chalkboard because it changes daily.  I had conch chowder and cajun crawfish patties.  both awesome.  Headed into downtown St Petersburg after that to walk around and explore.  We saw where the Rays play driving in, and walked on the boardwalk and through their little downtown.  Very nice area.  Headed back to the hotel and changed into swimsuits to lie out by the pool until we had to get ready for the wedding.  I went in the pool a few times to cool off as it was pretty warm in the sun.  Really relaxing though...........Got ready for the wedding and headed there.  I took a ton of pics, and katie looked absolutely perfect.  Everyone in the wedding did, really.  The wedding was small and intimate and so "Katie and Thom".  Everything was retro 1950s and so fun.  The food at the wedding was awesome, and the band was great as well.  We were seated at a table with a bunch of katie's friends from Toronto, so that was fun as well!  :).  That night, I got horribly sick though.  I think I got food poisoning, and I spent part of the night throwing up, UGH.



Got up in the morning, still feeling kinda out of it, and headed to Winter Park, FL, to visit kurt's brother. Slept the entire way there, then went to his brother's fav place to eat, a sports bar called Friendly Confines.  After that, we headed to visit Caylee Anthony's memorial and house, which was interesting.  Hung out at Scott's for a while then headed back to St Pete Beach for the night.



Next day, we kinda lounged around the room, then packed up and headed into Tampa for lunch at Miguel's Mexican Restaurant before we headed to the airport for our flight.

More later, just wanted to get this posted!  :).

Two Weeks Update

I really have issues getting on here to update!



**Angie and I, in dressing rooms at the Loft, we both took in clothing, and both ended up trying on the same dress at the same time, not knowing the other one even had the dress in their room.  Hilarious.  We both bought it, by the way.

Anyway, last weekend, Angie and I headed to Niagara Falls, Canada, for a girls weekend.  We met three of my friends there, one from Philly (kelli), one from Buffalo (Charlene) and one from London, Ontario (Lisa).  we stayed at the Sheraton Four Points for free with Starwoods Points I had.  So, free hotel!  Whoot!  Angie and left the office early afternoon on Friday and made awesome time to Niagara.  We were the first to arrive and decided to work out while waiting for everyone to get there.  The gym at the hotel was not huge, but sufficient for us with cardio equipment and free weights.  Worked out, then showered, and everyone started to arrive.  It was cold out, so we decided to stay at the hotel for dinner and ate at Eastside Mario's.  Dinner was yummy, and we all hung out in one of the rooms and drank champagne Lisa brought the rest of the night, and stayed up late talking.



**Girls workout session.  Super fun, wish I had them to work out with all the time.

Day two, we decided to head to New York for some outlet shopping.  Buffalo has an awesome outlet mall.  We had a great time there.  I got some dresses at The Loft and a pair of shoes at the Coach outlet.  We then had dinner at Boston pizza, and headed to Margaritaville to hang the rest of the night, watching bad (and good) karaoke, and drinking.  Did some interesting shots.  Angie bought shoes at midnight on the way back to the hotel, LOL.



Day three, had breakfast and then came back to the States.  Awesome girls weekend, but too short!



**In the Tigers store, playing with the monkeys.  Ha.

Thursday, our office and our friend Ron's office bought a Suite for the Tigers game.  It was awesome.  The game was during the day so we all met there at game time.  Kory brought his girlfriend, and my Dad came as well.  We were thrilled to be in a Suite since it rained on and off during the game.  Tigers lost, but we all had an awesome time.



This past Friday night, we celebrated our friend Ron's bday by having dinner at Ignite at MGM Casino in Detroit.  The place was really kewl and the food was awesome.  I really liked it.  They are mainly a sushi restaurant and they have all these fire features everywhere.  I highly recommend it if you like sushi.

**This dress cost me $8.  Yes, I am super proud of that.

Went to my friend Kelly's baby shower was on Saturday, and Angie and I met up to go to that.  The shower was at a church and really nice.  The cupcakes were super cute, and Kelly got a ton of gifts from her registry!  Can't wait to meet her baby boy, Nolan, in June (or sooner).  Congrats Kelly and Jason!

**Angie, Kel and I at Kel's shower in Trenton.  Super fun shower.

Updates

I am so behind on posting....Boo.

I will try and recall recent life events.

Mom's Easter Late Bday Weekend in Grand Rapids

First, weekend with my Mom.  Over Easter weekend, we met in Grand Rapids, MI, to have a late bday celebration.  I wanted to take my Mom someplace really awesome for her 60th bday, like the Florida Keys or the Virgin Islands (she does not have a passport).  She chose Grand Rapids.  LOL.  Cheaper, yet not as exciting.  But, we had a blast.  I booked us a room using her military discount (thanks Ronnie for being a veteran) at the Holiday Inn in downtown GR.  I got there around 1100 AM that Friday and she got there about a half hour later.  I had already had a weird experience, I was walking to my car to get my stuff after checking in and totally fell, tripping over nothing, and landed hard on the cement.  I was OK afterwards.  A lady from an inside office ran outside to see if I was OK because I fell that hard.  I felt like a total moron.  

After she got there, we decided to head out to lunch and to the mall for some shopping.  We went to lunch at On the Border near the mall, then went shopping, which was super fun.  Came back to the hotel for a bit, then headed to dinner at Charley's Crab House in downtown GR.  Dinner was great, and we then relaxed in the room for the remainder of the night.  

Found out while shopping that I like maxi dresses, so I may need to get some for Costa Rica.  I did not think I liked long dresses on me, but they are cute and perfect for the beach weather.  I already bought two of them online since returning, on clearance at Gap and Piperlime.

Saturday, we got up and headed to the spa for our morning of massages and pedicures at Design One.  Services were awesome, and it was my Mom's first pedi ever.  She loved it!  :).  Headed to another mall after that and had big pretzels for lunch.  Mom finally found a dress and shoes for my cousin's wedding at Younkers.  She also bought me two really awesome straw beach hats for Costa Rica for my bday.  Back to the room after shopping, and got ready for dinner at The Melting Pot.  Had a fun time there.

***Pic of the dress my Mom found while shopping.  She had already lost the cute wedges she found.  Due to a foot injury, she cannot wear heels for very long.  They were super cute though!  :).

Sunday, we had breakfast, then I headed home.  Had dinner for Easter at my Aunt's house, we ordered in from Max and Erma's and played Uno, which was fun.

House Closing and Injuries, Dinner with Friends

The following weekend, we had dinner out with friends on Friday night, at Crave in Dearborn.  Super fun night, stopped at the Post after dinner and watched part of the Michigan game with everyone.  

Last Tuesday, we closed on our house in Costa Rica!!!!  We are super psyched about that and cannot wait to move there someday.  Don't know for sure, but as soon as possible would be nice. :).  For now, it's nice to know I have a place to go once we do move.  I have to say a closing in a foreign country was easier than in the States, and I was expected it to be harder, with loopholes to jump through.  None of that.  Maybe having an attorney there made things easier, but it was so simple.  Glad it was, as it would have been hard to deal with drama from overseas.  The house is amazing and just what I wanted.  It is about 2200 square feet (significantly smaller than my house now, which is great as I am sick of taking care of the house we have), has an awesome pool, and 1.25 acres of wildlife.  The bathrooms are insanely nice, and it is one story, which I wanted as well.  We need to do some minor upgrades, but nothing at all to move in, just to make it Kurt and Lori accessible (meaning Kurt wants to build on a gym and wall in the garage, as well as put up some coverage at the pool to protect us from the sun while out there).

***Front side view of my new house and pool.  I cannot wait to put a hammock out there.  And some lounge chairs.  We are also going to build a thatched roof thing to sit under.

The SAME day as the closing, Kurt called me while on my way to court to tell me he fell in the garage and could not stand up or even sit up for that matter.  For weeks prior, he had been complaining of back pain, and I guess something happened going down the garage steps and he just fell over.  He said he was going to lie there for a moment and see if he felt better.  So, he did.  No improvement.  He called me and said he was calling 911.  I sent Kory down there to stay with him until I could get out of court.  I asked to be called first in the courtroom so I get to the hospital and they graciously helped me out, thank God.  Then left for the hospital so Kory could get back to work.  Kurt was sleeping in a hospital bed in the ER, they had given him pain patches, steroid shots and pain meds.  He was in a lot of pain still.  They ended up forcing him to lie on his side (after doing xrays and finding nothing) and doing some manipulations to his back.  Something "popped" and he started to feel like maybe he could move around some.  After a little bit, he sat up, then stood up, then wanted to leave.  They gave him some scripts and sent him on his way.  Thankful nothing major was wrong.  They diagnosed it as some kind of low joint was out of place in his back.  They had a medical term, but I am sucky with those.  He is still sore, but made it back to the gym with me today which I was happy about.  I hate going alone, it is much more fun with him!  :).

Family Wedding Weekend



**cousins, spouses, and grandparents.

This past weekend, my cousin, Tim, got married to his fiancee, Melissa.  They got marred at the Pi Banquet Hall in Southfield, MI, on Saturday.  Pretty much my entire family was there, which was awesome.  I know that made my grampa happy.  He is so proud of everyone in the family and loves seeing us all together.  The wedding was awesome, and the reception even more fun.  I had a great time getting to spend time with my nephew, Nick, who was on the dance floor before dancing even started.  

***Maga feeding Bumpa anniversary cake.  I love this.

The next day, we had a little get together to celebrate my grandparent's 65th wedding anniversary.  That was a lot of fun as well, and of course, Grampa wanted more pics taken, LOL.  I took some too........It was nice to see everyone again, and it's inspiring to be around a 65 year marriage.  I can only hope mine lasts that long.  It is incredible.

*** The bride and I, at the reception.

Random

Weather is finally starting to feel like Spring here.  Two weekends ago, it broke 50 (my rule for running outside) and I ran 5 miles at the park.  I loved being outside, seeing the wildlife coming back, and seeing all the families out celebrating good MI weather.  The park is beautiful in the Spring.  Of course, got cold again after that until today.  Today was gorgeous, so of course I had to work late.  LOL.  My allergies (onset by age) are acting up, so I know it's Spring.  My throat is kinda scratchy and I am just kinda tired.  Started taking Claritin yesterday to try and calm it down and am taking my vitamins without fail each night.  As well as some Airborne just in case.

**one of my fav pics of the night, Bumpa and I.

Lauren, our associate attorney, is trying out for Big Brother tomorrow.  That should be interesting to hear about.  She also recently got a puppy and for about two weeks, she was bringing him to work with her.  it was nice to have a baby around the office for a while.  Gretel came in one day to meet the puppy.  Finn was very happy to meet Gretel, but I think finn had too much energy for Gretel, she bored of him quickly.  She wanted nothing to do with him after a few minutes of him hounding her.

**Gretel and Finn.  I think at this point Gretel was doing the aggressive I am the boss bark and Finn was a little leery, which was cracking us all up.

Anyway, I should sign off after this HUGE update.  Hope everyone is doing well.