Yeah, uh...so I guess I never mentioned Drew made it home safely from Europe? Well, he did. And then started working crazy-long hours last week to boot, so we didn't really see much of each other until the weekend. The weekend, though...was awesome. Friday was my birthday (my last as a twenty-something), and we went out for barbeque and a movie (Burn After Reading). I think I enjoyed it more than Drew, but I'd still recommend it. I had some definite laugh out loud moments in the theatre. I loved the ridiculousness of the storyline! Then, we had 70-degree, sunny weather on Saturday, so we Jeeped to downtown Grand Haven for the Salmon Festival, walked out to the pier, and had a yummy lunch at the Dee-Lite. Sunday, Drew's parents drove up from K'Zoo, and we headed back downtown to the GH for lunch at Snug Harbor, walked and shopped downtown, and ate delicious gelato at Santo Stefano.

Drew did take some pics while in France and Germany, but I have yet to wrangle them away from him to post here (and he is not motivated to undertake that task himself...not that I blame him). Anywho, maybe one day they will spontaneously appear, and you'll be all "Whoa! Where did those come from all of a sudden?!?" Because we're unpredictable that way.

-Em

Here...

1) It has been a very busy week at "both" jobs. Editing all the content for our annual report and helping design an interactive "new superintendent" CSS-based tutorial, both with tight deadlines. Trying to get the rosters set for both classes (this past week there were adds/drops and things have been a little chaotic trying to figure out who's coming and going), trying to be consistent in my communication with students and flexible yet firm (is this possible?) for grading assignments ("I mentioned the due date no less than 5 times...no, I cannot accept it two days late...I'm sorry.") I have some absolutely amazing students in both of my classes, and (as is typical), a few who already (at only 3 weeks into class) are trying desperately to skirt the system as much as humanly possible. *Sigh.* I just have to remember it is the same story anywhere you go...in school or at work.

2) Sammy has taken to sleeping by the front door or at the top of the stairs, in anticipation of Drew's arrival home "from work" at any moment. She has been doing this since Sunday afternoon...when I dropped Drew off at the airport. I keep wondering if she'll give in one of these days and come back to the bedroom at night to sleep with Molly and me, or if this will continue until Drew returns home from Europe Sunday night.

3) I am feeling a little better this week. Many of you knew I was struggling with allergies, which then developed into a really nasty cold. I was home from work at the end of last week trying to rest and knock it out of my system. I am still coughy and phlegmy, but I think I'm past the worst of it. It's hard to tell if part of my sickness was brought on by the bad news we received last week or not. I am starting to to feel a lot better since that whole situation blew up in my face a week ago today. The remedy? Don't try to make sense of what happened--it is illogical, unchangeable, unconscionable. I cannot change what happened. So, that's that.

There...

1) Drew started off his work week abroad in Germany and is now in France until Thursday night. His first day there was crazy as his flight arrived in the morning and he immediately had to work a full day without any sleep followed by a ride-and-drive that night (had to occur in the dark). Poor guy was delirious when I talked to him on Monday.

2) I haven't been able to feel too badly for him since that first phone conversation, however. He keeps telling me about these awesome restaurants they're going to, all the fancy, delectable fare he gets to consume. I have just one thing to say to you, dear: . (I am just a little jealous.) Last night, he told me they ordered a bottle of red wine with dinner. Drew is more of a sweet white wine person, so I was intrigued. "It was REALLY good," he confided. "Thanks, sweetie," I replied. "Good to know." Big surprise. Good wine in France? P-shaw!

3) Drew has been and plans to continue taking pictures while he's over there. Hopefully we'll have a post with pictures when he returns.

-Em

...that's what we were up to this weekend (what else, right?). The weather was so beautiful that we were able to drive the Jeep (sans soft-top) around everywhere we went! I honestly didn't even care about messing up my hair...it was THAT fun...

On Saturday, we took the scenic route to East GR to help Becky and Abby load a truck full of their belongings that will be stored in Ohio once they move to D.C. It is all starting to become very real...they really are moving away!  It was only 2.5 years ago that we helped them move into that beautiful house. I know they will find much happiness in D.C., but it has been hard for me to accept that they really are leaving.

After saying our good-byes in East GR, we drove to Wyoming to stop in at my friend and co-worker Theresa's house. She and her husband, Chris, were having a yard sale, and I mentioned we might stop in if we got done with the loading early enough. It was great meeting Chris for the first time, talking Jeeps, and seeing their current, and plans for upcoming, house projects.

That evening, we had family snuggle time on the big blue couch in the basement and watched Once (beware: this links to a site with its soundtrack playing), a contemporary musical set in Dublin, Ireland. I LOVED the music, and the storyline...it was a love story almost like a European version of Lost in Translation...all situational and circumstantial.

Sunday we spent relaxing until that afternoon, when we Jeeped down to the north side of Holland to Beth and Tom's house for a cook-out. I hadn't seen Harper since she was a baby, and it was so neat to see her as a beautiful one-and-a-half-year-old (she's the exact same age as our nephew, Lucas). It was also nice to chat with Jen a bit (it's been months since I've seen her, and now twice in one week, with our book club meeting on Thursday night!). The drive there and back was awesome...we took Lakeshore Drive, enjoying imagining ourselves living in a Lake Michigan lakefront house. It's good to daydream.

Monday we took the Jeep out to run errands and got ourselves organized for this week. My college writing classes are going well so far, and I am starting to become a bit more confident with myself as an instructor (I'm used to teaching working adults in person in more of a lecture-type format, so teaching college students online really is quite the change!). In other news, Drew leaves for a work trip to Germany and France this Sunday, the 7th. He'll be gone for about a week.

-Em