Days with the Dorans

It was the end of an era for Ali but I think that she didn't feel it as much as I did. We moved her out of her "Apartment" which was more like a house (that's her bedroom window up top). She lived there with five other girls and to be honest, I was impressed they lasted as long as they did. Four of them decided they wanted to live elsewhere and so Ali and her college bestie, Hannah, will be be heading to a new apartment in August. Because her one lease ended before the new one started, she had to move her things into storage so Jeff and I decided to make a weekend of it and scratch off some of our adventures. Jeff and I went up separately and we took Joey and his friends Mike and Liam out to dinner at Jon's restaurant. It was great to see him too. After dinner Jeff and I went to Bells. We had some yummy drinks and I ran into a coworker (Danielle- such a small world). There was a Led Zepplin tribute band that we could hear and that made it fun too!  Ali got to Kala...

I feel like this may have been the longest we have spent in Elk Rapids but it went by so fast. On one hand it was nice not having to worry at all about the dogs. I know my folks don't like watching them and although Garrett is awesome, it is nice to have them staying with family. On the other hand I hate that we didn't even have ONE day where all six of us overlapped and I'm hopeful that next year will be the year when we ALL are in our happy place! On our last night we hit the beach with guitars which is always a favorite for me. Z has recently started playing bass which is fun. I think that Sean needs to figure out a string instrument to play so he can join the males in this family. Playing music at sunset is always a favorite way we love to spend the time. The weather overall wasn't super hot (which I LOVED) but it meant not a lot of swimming and no pool time. I remember when the kids were little, that's all they did was SWIM! It was great having Ali up even if i...

  On Saturday, I was still a bit sore from my kayak adventure, but I got my miles in while Ali ran and the boys did disc golf. After we were all home and showered it was time to hit the Wineries. We decided to do a similar thing like we did when we went snowshoeing in February but Jeff would drive since it was a bit hot. We hit two wineries we had before and then one new one. The first one we went to was Bowers Harbor. I love the way they serve their flights and it is such a cool place. There is a lot of outdoor seating (which we also took advantage of in the winter). It was so cool to see it all greened up! Of all the places, this one is my favorite. We got a flight of red, a flight of sweets and a flight of ciders. While the wine was pretty much mine and Ali's thing, Joe will have an occasional glass (more than Jeff's once a year wine when the kids decorate the tree) and he really does prefer ciders to beer so he liked it took. Sean got a lemonade (which is usually his drink ...

  So if you are reading this in order, you know that on Thursday we did one of our "Adventure Dates" and went kayaking which was a ton of fun. After that we decided we would go to a Pit Spitters Game. We went last year with the boys and it was such a fun day at the park. Forgot to add this "Group Shot" to our Kayaking adventure. As I mentioned my arms had started hurting a bit on our way to the game. They just felt achy. The game was OK. There was a Bronco on the team and we loved watching the fun things they do in between innings. We had beer and a pretzel, Joe got dinner and Sean opted for popcorn. As the innings went on though, my arms REALLY started to hurt and so we left in the 6th inning. The boys didn't mind because they also wanted to get home to watch the World Cup. But on the way, Jeff stopped to get me Tylenol and Icy Hot. I popped that Tylenol in my mouth as soon as I could and lathered up my arms but it didn't seem to help one iota! That night I...

  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...

  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.

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...

I was excited to learn that Ali was given a "Spirit of the Knight" award. She was nominated by one of her favorite teachers (Ms. Terry) and this is what the award says  (in case my picture is too blurry which it may be).  You make my heart happy when: you are in my classroom! Ali, you are an all-around outstanding person who brings joy to the classroom. You are always friendly to everyone, generous with your kindness, and considerate to those around you. You are also such a hard worker, motivated to achieve your goals without complaint. Thank you for being awesome! My kids have gotten a lot of awards for sports or grade achievements but this may be my favorite because it seems it is given to someone for being a good human~ The ultimate goal! Congrats to my Amazing Ali Jane!