Days with the Dorans

  We had to eat at Panera so that we could see Joe and get a group pic (minus Z) We realized that we hadn't gotten to a WMU hockey game and it was time we did so we got tickets and headed out to see our Broncos! It was a short visit but we take what we can get. We dropped the dogs (and Rizzo) off at my folks' (thanks mom and dad) and then were on our way. I don't think they wanted us to leave! Unfortunately, Joey had to work so couldn't go to the game. Ali and Hannah were able to go though so they took Sean and he sat in the student section with them. I thought I had scored some really great ticket (price wise) and then I realized that I got us STANDING ROOM ONLY! Sigh- no wonder they were such a great deal! We laughed about it though and had fun. The Broncos (and hockey in general) is such a fast paced game, we didn't mind it really. Though Jeff told me to make sure I got us actual seats next time. It is always nice to get back to Lawson. They are building a new ar...

  I hadn't seen a basketball game (aka- pep-band) yet, so Jeff and I headed to WLN to hear Seany play. Sean decided he didn't want to do sports anymore but I am so glad that he decided to give pep-band a try. Sean T is playing too and some other friends so that makes it fun. I have missed most of the games, but I thought they added a lot to the game! HERE is a video of some of their songs.

We were eager to go on another adventure date so this time we were off to Dearborn. It was weird that it happened to be another "art themed" date but this one was certainly different. We went to Speckles and Splatter, dressed in ponchos and threw paint at our canvases. When we started, it looked so funny because the wall was full of paint, but the canvas was so clean. They had big bowls of paint and we had a bucket of water to clean our brush and basically we just dipped our brush in the paint and threw it at the canvas. It was a lot of fun and we kind of felt like Dexter (a TV show about a serial killer who also was a blood spatter guy). I had a lot of fun and the process was actually quite therapeutic. Even non-artsy Jeff had fun! My Painting Jeff doing his They gave us some boxes to put our canvases in and told us it would take a bit to dry. We loaded them in the trunk of the car and then went to a music store that was right next store. They had a lot of vinyl and other th...

  For my birthday, Jeff got me a box of scratch off adventure dates for places throughout the state. We decided to scratch our first one and see what we were doing. The way the cards work is you can see WHERE something is and some clues about what it could be about (see the bottom of the card), but you don't know what you are actually doing until you scratch them! Well, we decided to head to Royal Oak because it wasn't too far and wasn't too expensive. We did some wheel throwing at the Creative Arts Studio. I didn't even know what "wheel throwing" was but it's basically making pottery on a wheel. We had a private lesson and it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, my nails were a little too long (I meant to cut them- they grow so darn fast), so I had to use my knuckle but it still worked. We also got to pick out glazes so that when they fire our bowls they'll have color. The lady took a picture of us which was nice. After, we went out to lunch at Ale Mary...

  The Bigs left their mark on Sean's white board! It's weird having just Sean at home and so it was sad to have his last sibling leave! Joe had to leave to get back for work. Zach left early with friends (don't get me started because I'm still a bit mad at him about that one) and then it was Ali's turn to go. I miss having some female energy in our house so it was so nice to have her back. We gave her one last bear hug and then wished her well. She loaded up Betty White (her new car) and buckled in her new friend from Santa and was on her way. It was snowing pretty hard but thankfully she made it back safe.

Dad and I walk together every Saturday. We used to run but mostly we walk now. It's been really hard with the weather but I was glad we could get back out. For some time now, we've been meeting up at the high school to do our 5 miles. My dad can't see well~ mostly low- but today that took on a whole new level. When I got to WLN, I noticed that there seemed to be a car that was almost in the pond, then I realized IT WAS MY DAD!!! There was a man out of his car it looked like trying to get dad to steer out of where he was. It was terrifying. I didn't know if I should call 911 so I did what I usually do in an emergency~ I called my mom! Thankfully the man was able to help guide dad out of there (his wheels were spinning when I got there. Later I asked my dad what happened and he said he just saw white. I took a video of what he said HERE . I really don't think my dad should be driving anymore and he agreed. I was glad for that. I have no problem picking him up and driv...

I had wanted to take Ali to a place called Green Dot stables for her birthday. Jeff and I discovered it a while back and it was so fun. Everything is sliders- even the desserts. In that way you feel like you're not spending a ton or money or rather you get tastes of different things which I really like. The reason I thought Ali would like it was because they also have mini drinks so you can try different cocktails without committing to a lot of money. It's in Detroit. Joey had to go back to school and Z was with friends so it was me, Jeff, Al, Seany and then Dave and Jojo and Wendi, Scott, Holly and Brad. It was too bad Joey had to go back to school. It was pretty busy and I didn't know this but they had an attatched screened in barn like place where you could get drinks so we did some shots. It was fun watching Dave take care of Al! It was a super fun night and we are so lucky to have such great friends!! Da Kids (Ali and Brad are now legal drinkers) Da Boys Da Gals Me, Se...

  It has been so nice having the family together! Zach was having his girlfriend and friend come down to spend some time down here, so I wanted to squeeze in one last family outing! Dawn was telling me about the Flint Institute of Art and it sounded like a great way to spend the afternoon! We all kind of went at our own pace and it was so much fun seeing all the art and learning different things.  We realized that Kat and Jacob were getting close so we didn't have time to eat together so Jeff took Z home and then we followed and later the rest of us all went out to eat at Kickstand. It was so nice to be together for an afternoon and bonus- I got a family picture of all six of us. I never knew before how much I would treasure these moments all being together! My Marty And of course- I can't forget my other boys!! My Fender