Finally...

My house is almost done. Although we are only renting and do not own this house, I am proud of all the painting and decorating John and I have done to make it "ours". These are just pictures of the living room, and they don't do it justice, but we are quite proud of how well everything came together. By the way, make sure to take notice of the hole in the door in the left corner of that last picture. Apparently the previous tenants thought it was useful for something! We use it for Fiona's kitty door =)

Lucky Dog

Twelve years ago this October, my dad went to the Humane Society and walked dog after dog trying to find just the right one for our family. After much consideration he decided on a one year old mutt who my dad was attracted to because she was friendly and entergetic, yet very well behaved. My dad walked to the front desk of the humane society five minutes before the closing time to tell them he wanted to adopt her. As my dad adopted her that night, the receptionist explained that the particular dog he had chosen was supposed to put to sleep that very night once they closed. When she was brought home for my brother Aaron's tenth birthday and my dad told us the story of her, we decided to name her Lucky.

For the last twelve years Lucky has been a constant in our lives. No matter where we moved, what we did, Lucky would always be at home waiting there to greet us. She loved running away to the beach and bringing us home a fish, long walks, and most of all human fo0d. On Sundays my mom would always cook a grand meal and when dinner was on the table and we would bow our heads to pray for the meal, Lucky would "join in" by whining...that's how much she loved human food. After the meal, my dad would gather all our leftovers and put it in her dish. She loved Sundays. We learned very quickly that we could no longer say we were going to take Lucky for a walk, instead we would have to spell it out saying "I'm going to take Lucky for a W-A-L-K"...becasue when she heard that word she would get so excited, almost hysterical. Even though Lucky was technically Aaron's dog we all loved her very much. My dad especially has a special place in his heart just for her. When he would go away on trips he would say to me "I really miss my daughter." I would say "Awww...thanks Dad." He would laugh and respond "Oh, I do miss you Danielle...but I was talking about Lucky."

Slowly, over the last year or so Lucky hasn't been as excited about walks. Her joints began to hurt and she didn't move around quite as much. In the last week or so she didn't move much at all, and quit eating. We made the decision as a family...Aaron took her to the vet and put her down today.

I called my dad (who is in at training camp six hours away) to tell him what time Aaron was taking her to the vet. Our call was lost and he texted me and said "I can't talk on the phone right now...my heart is breaking."

For me, it isn't even the fact that Lucky isn't alive anymore, but more that another chapter has ended. The final part of my childhood is over.

We are going to miss that girl.

May was an amazing month...

John and I were married on May 2nd. It was a beautiful, intimate day filled with friends, family, dancing, and so much more. My dad performed the ceremony, Shaundra Bloomberg sang, and I was surrounded by seven of my best girls all day.

For a honeymoon, John and I stayed at my Uncle's cottage on Clear Lake for two days before departing for Cancun. The cottage was a cozy, meaningful place to stay. My dad grew up there, it was where my parents and I lived for the first few months of my life, and we have spend many, many family vacations there. I woke up early one morning and sat out on the dock surrounded my nothing but peace. I sat there stunned at how beautiful and blessed my life is.

Then in was off to Cancun for five days of relaxation and great times. I figured since the wedding and reception went so well there was going to be a problem in Cancun or something. Yet there was nothing...our balcony hotel view was amazing, the timeshares we took shuttles to everyday were each so much fun...I could go on and on. Needless to say we were so excited to be there and thankful for my mother-in-law's gift of the honeymoon to us.

Living Simply

It's official. John and I are renting a little two bedroom house in Fruitport. We have it now, and John will probably move in come March. I will of course move in after we get married (which is in 85 days by the way). It is a little rundown, and there is no garage, no dishwasher, no hallway...everything is off the living room. However, it will be super cute when we are done with it! We started painting today, and it has been so much fun for us so far!!

Pictures to come...

Tomorrow I am meeting my sister-in-law's mom to work on our wedding invitations, then John and I are babysitting Ryan and Noah for the night. I am beyond excited. I miss spending time with my little "nephews." I don't see them nearly as much as I would like lately. Maybe John and I will just rent out Kim and Rob's basement instead ;)

Gotta Love the Beach Boys

Wouldnt it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldnt have to wait so long
And wouldnt it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong

You know its gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldnt it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through

Happy times together weve been spending
I wish that every kiss was neverending
Wouldnt it be nice

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldnt be a single thing we couldnt do
We could be married
And then wed be happy

Wouldnt it be nice

You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Wouldnt it be nice

So I'm pretty lame...

John gave me a sewing machine for Christmas because I have been wanting one for almost two years and haven't been able to afford one. Although I don't know how to sew all that well, I am going to learn!

In all honestly, nothing gets me more excited than thinking about making a quilt, or scrapbooking, or knitting. Something about creating something out of scratch really gets me excited. The saddest part of all is I have this strong desire and really great ideas for so many things, but in truth I am not creative at all.

Why God would wire me with a creative mind, yet not able to actually put that creativity into motion is beyond me. I am determined, however, that I am going to keep trying, over and over, if that is what it takes to master the art of sewing...just call me Suzie Homemaker =)

I'm getting married!

On December 9th, John and I went to Detroit to see the Lions play the Cowboys because I had gotten him tickets for his birthday the moth before. After the game, we changed into nice clothes and went to Wolfgang Puck, a restaurant inside the new MGM. After dinner, he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was simple, yet very romantic and I was totally surprised! I could not ask for more than a man like John and I am so excited and blessed!!

If anyone is interested to know...the details are as follows:

We are getting married Friday, May 2nd 2008. The ceremony will be held at Olivet (our home church), and the reception is going to be at the Harbortowne Yaht Club.

Maid of Honor: Kim Peoples
Bridesmaids: Cathy Bradfield
Nicole Bradfield
Bethany Cramblet
Rachel Pitney
Angela Bridgewater
Katie Eikenberry

I am so excited to start my life with John!!!


P.S. Not that this is that important, but my ring is SO pretty!!