Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

It's early Sunday morning and I couldn't wait to get out of bed and see the results of our first big winter storm! We already have 6 inches and it's still coming down! BEAUTIFUL! Hopefully we'll be out cross country skiing by the afternoon!

An Elegant Christmas Tea

Our church holds an annual Christmas Tea for all the women. It was a wonderful time! My table was set with beautiful green depression glass. The men of the church wore bow-ties and served us, while we were serenaded by Christmas music on the piano. It was the perfect Saturday afternoon!

The Elves Arrive!

Sarah's family tradition is to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. It was fun to pick out a tree in Iowa and help decorate! Sarah didn't waste any time once we arrived back in Michigan. Our little Charlie Brown tree (courtesy of friend Erin) made its debut the week after Thanksgiving. Here's a night shot!

Happy (LATE) Thanksgiving

Sorry--It's been a LONG time since the last post. But thought I'd take a minute to catch you up on November & December in the Bolthouse House:-)

We headed back to Iowa for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. The weather was less than ideal for the drive there and back, but we made it...and even had a little smile on our face! Lucy made the trek with us (to her utter dismay--she hates car rides!). Here she is in her "home away from home".

NYC--Here we come!

The Mighty Mississippi

Sunday was a beautiful day! We took a break from the long drive with a stop at the banks of the Mississippi (Sarah had to do everything in her power to prolong the exodus from Iowa:-(

90 and Holding

Wonderful Iowa

Darin and I ventured back to Iowa for a whirlwind fall weekend. It was wonderful to be back and the weekend ended much too soon. We spent Friday lunching with Nathan, visiting Grandma & Grandpa Erb, checking out Andrew's new house and cheering Nathan at the football game. The game was a blow-out with Boone beating Nevada by 50 points. It was a great way to end the regular season and we're all keeping our fingers crossed as Boone marches into post season play.

Andrew and Darin claim their spot at the top of the bleachers and await the start of the game.....

Mom & Dad snuggle to keep warm....

The victorious Toreadors serenade the fans with a v-i-c-t-o-r-y chant.

Bookworming Buddies...

Kim, Kate, Amber and I met for our first book club discussion! We all read "The True and Fabulous Adventures of the Hunt Sisters". Sangria in Royal Oak was the perfect spot to nibble on tappas, talk about the book a little, and our lives a lot! It was a wonderful to spend time with my favorite Michigan ladies!

Who's the man of the house?

I couldn't help but capture this Saturday afternoon scene.....Darin (aka Man of the House) sitting on the uncomfortable sofa while Lucy (aka Queen of the House) lounged in Darin's leather recliner. I guess it just goes to show how sweet and giving Darin is at heart:-)

Making Strides...

Amber and I took part in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk on Saturday. The event took place on Belle Isle....it was a beautiful morning, although very chilly. We walked in Memory of Amber's Mother, Karen Neumeyer and also our co-worker's wife, Marlene Dalton.

Baby Shower Time!

Darin and I have many friends & family taking the plunge and starting families....which means lots of baby showers! Here are a few pictures from my dear friend Kate's shower. Doesn't she look fabulous!

Bookworms....

There's no better way to kick-off a book club than with an evening of yummy food, wine and shopping! Kate was a wonderful hostess-with-the-mostess and served a wonderful meal. After eating, we headed to downtown Plymouth and checked out all the boutiques. We finally got around to book club business at the end. So we're officially reading!

Isn't he cute!?

We're so proud of Nathan! He's doing a great job as an Offensive Lineman for the Toreadors! We look forward to going back to Iowa the last weekend in October and seeing him play again!

Labor Day in Iowa

What a way to start Labor Day weekend! Boone took on Norwalk in the season opener. Nate did an awesome job starting on the offensive line for Boone. All the pre-season sweat paid off--Boone beat Norwalk 37-0! YAY!!

The weekend was eventful--and it ended the same way it started--with a BANG! Here's what's left of the old four-wheeler. Nate only had his hair singed, thank goodness. Once the fire was out, the laughter began! This isn't a Labor Day we will soon forget!

Saturday Night....LIVE!

Kate and Mark were just dying to get out of the house (they've just moved into a gorgeous new house, so I'm sure that's not the case). But they met us out for a fun evening of Italian food and comedy at Second City.

Sarah and Kate just happened to both dress in a Sweetpea shirt--he he! That was just the start of the laughing:-) Seriously, their favorite part was the Michigan song. "We're from Michigan....It's shaped like your hand" Such clever lyrics!

Sarah & Darin hadn't been out on the town in quite awhile. Sarah was so glad to see Darin all dressed up for the occasion (sorry--this one was an inside joke--you had to be there!:-)

Ymmm Good Ribs!

Darin found the "world's best rib" recipe on the Internet and put hours into preparing the delicious treat. So before we could eat it seemed a picture was in order to commemorate the "beauty" of the ribs!? (Not Sarah's idea:-)

2007 Karen Neumeyer Golf Outing!

Saturday at the Beach

What a fun weekend I had visiting the Sherfey Family in Tampa! It was a quick trip, but we made the beach top on the list! It was just the medicine after a stressful week at work! Here are some pictures of the boys (Kim and I were much too smart to be photographed in our bathing suits:-)

Evan is getting to be such a big boy! He's chilling out in his new "Pirate" sunglasses.


Caleb had fun at the beach too--he was the winner for being covered in sand!

Our Western Trifecta!

We had a fabulous time out west! The "Western Trifecta" was made up of visits to Grand Tetons, Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. We put lots of miles on our feet and were rewarded with beautiful scenery.

Here's Sarah enjoying the cool breeze from the rapids on the Siyeh Pass hike in Glacier.

Darin Couldn't be left out though---he poses on a pull-out of the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier.

Habitat for Humanity--GO GM!

Habitat for Humanity is such a worthy cause! GM sponsors a house each year. This picture shows some of Sarah's co-workers demonstrating how industrial engineering can be applied to any task. What an efficient crew! And the highest of quality too:-)

Pomp & Circumstance

Amber and Sarah celebrated Sarah's graduation with a wine tasting & dinner. Sarah thought this was a much better alternative to a cap, gown and long graduation processional! Thanks to photographer Frank for capturing those cute sandals in the picture! And even bigger thanks to Amber--who cheered Sarah all the way to the MBA finish line!

A Mariachi Wedding...

We had a wonderful time at Don and Eva's wedding! Our favorite part (other than the beautiful vows) was the Mariachi Band that serenaded the guests throughout dinner.

We wish the newlyweds well as they begin their new life together!

Summer's Here!

What a weekend! We traveled to Iowa for the Memorial Day. It was a wonderfully relaxing getaway. We truly enjoyed the beauty and peacefulness of Iowa and also spending time with family. The weekend was very active including a sailing outing on Big Creek Lake (a first for Darin and I--thank goodness for Andrew who was an excellent teacher:-)

We BBQ'd with Grandma & Grandpa Whattoff. (Grandma & Sarah are laughing because Grandpa forgot Sarah's new last name (Bolthouse) and thought it was Cathouse--ha! (Guess you can pull toff hat kind of mistake when you're going on 90 yrs old!).

Darin demonstrated his excellent grilling abilities. (He had to redeem himself after a disappointing fishing outing with Andrew).

Mom & Dad bought a new (old) boat, that we took out for a spin on Sunday. As you can see.....Darin was VERY excited:-) Nathan was the only brave soul on board. He braved the cold waters to wake board. He tried to bully Sarah into skiing, but she opted for staying dry.

Never too old for the zoo!?

We proved that you're never too old for the Zoo! Sarah visited the Detroit zoo for the first time with Darin, Terry & Linda. The polar bear exhibit was definitely a favorite! Sarah captured the experience with this picture of Darin & parents in front of the bear fountain.

Friday night at the ballpark...

We finally made it to our first Tiger's game of the season. It was wonderful to cheer on our beloved team again. Kate and Mark joined in on the fun. We had wonderful seats (20 rows behind home plate) and game was just as good as the seats! It was a world series rematch, but turned out to be a blowout (in favor of the Tigers).

We look forward to many more fun games with friends!

Thank Goodness for Mothers!

What a dessert--Angie ordered this beautiful (and delicious) cake. It was almost too pretty to eat.....but we managed:-)

We celebrated Mother's Day with a wonderful BBQ at Angie & Ralph's house. The pool was filled with water, but it was a little too cool to take a swim! Nellie (106 yrs old) and Grace (98 yrs old) joined in the celebration too. Nellie, Grandma, Darin, Sarah & Grace relax in the sun (with a table-full of food to enjoy:-)

Here's a picture of all the Mother's--what a beautiful bunch! We're lucky to be blessed with such wonderful women in our lives!!