Something to Blog About

Yep, this past Sunday, Edward came home from college for the first time this year. He ate Sunday dinner with us (hot dogs) and hung out a bit, then went back to school. It was so fun and I needed to take a few photos on his way out to the car because I thought he looked so cute in that hat.

Oh, the Flowers!

I'm done going through the wedding photos now from the Kelleys Island Adventure, and I thought I should post more here. The flowers were just outstanding!!! I think they may have been especially so because of the grey sky. I'm just sayin', every cloud has a silver lining...

The bride's bouquet included this marvelous silver handle which added to the day!

Head in the Clouds

This past Saturday, John & I went up to the 28th story of Riverhouse Condos at Bridgewater Place in downtown G-Rap. They were showing artwork for ArtPrize up there and since it was the last day, we took the opportunity to view the city.

Our lovely city from higher than even the Amway Grand


With my stomach in my throat, I stood as far away possible from the edge to take this self-portrait in the mirrored building. The Van Andel Institute is behind me.

The QUEEN Mum

This past weekend as I was working on edits for Lindsay's wedding, I came across this gorgeous photo of the Queen Mother which I took at the wedding!



I also came across this photo of my mom & dad. I thought some of you might like to see where I came from :)

ArtPrize 2009

Maybe you have heard about ArtPrize which has been taking place in Grand Rapids from September 23 - October 10. ArtPrize has been called a social experiment to reboot the conversation between artist and audiences on a grand scale. The public was able to vote thumbs up or thumbs down on each of the 1262 pieces that were installed downtown in the first round. In the second round, you could cast one vote for one of the artists who made it into the top ten.

For what it's worth, I voted a thumb up on the winner, Open Water by Ray Ortner and also gave it my vote in the final 10. It's a large painting of waves coming right at you that looks like a photograph. I loved it!

Our church was a venue for ArtPrize and we showed pieces by 18 artists. Maria and I were on the committee to help choose the art we wanted to show and John & I spent many hours helping with installation and hosting and organizing volunteers. It has been so much fun! And meeting the artists has been my greatest joy these past weeks.

Here's a peek into what our worship space has looked like:

Click here to see the other photos I took at church.

Flash Back Friday 135

"Oma" Julia Conger Boyer, 1950's

The Flower Girls

What is a wedding without one or two of these???

Ping & Pong's Epic Island Adventure

I have been very lax with blogging here (or busy doing other things) but I do need to go back and tell about one of the side benefits of going to Kelleys Island last weekend. I invited Cathy, aka Pong, to go with me. She's so.much.fun.

We met the Queen Mother & Dad at the ferry and rode the stormy seas over to the island. Friday night, we hung out with my sisters & the family and stayed at Kelleys Island Venture Resort where the wedding was on Saturday afternoon.

After the wedding, Pong picked out a yellow bike to tour the island.



We rode many miles around the island...


and explored the old winery ruins.


We stopped by this old house which could have been taken from Alfred Hitchcock's, The Birds.

The birds were calm at the moment, but we didn't stay long to see what they would do.

Pong watches the island recede into memory.

Flash Back Friday 134

Kelleys Island 5K, 2005

Edward & John ran in this race. The funny thing is, last year Edward met a friend at Calvin who is in this picture. They are near each other at the front of the line befroe they even knew each other. At Calvin, they noticed each other's matching race t-shirts.

Veil Memories

I had a front row seat there in the bathroom while Lindsay was getting ready. The moment became profound indeed as Lindsay told me how she remembered them putting the veil "in my head" 21 years ago when she was our flower girl. She thought they were sticking it right into my head because I was making a face! The memory came full circle as I took this picture of her face as they stuck the veil in her head.

Such Excitement!

Aunt Michaela (in the green) and the Queen Mother with the white hair pose at the wedding with all of their friends


Suddenly, the Bride enters!


It was so exciting, I couldn't keep it in focus!


I finally calmed down enough to get the bride with her mother.

Beautiful Island Wedding

This past weekend, I went to the wedding of my cousin Lindsay on Kelleys Island. What a fun and unforgettable time it was! Today, I picked a few pictures to highlight and hopefully I can post more this week.

Mother of the Bride, Aunt Michaela, with her daughter before the ceremony


Here comes the bride with her father, Uncle Ray


Chris & Lindsay, the happy bride & groom


Heading back to the mainland on the ferry for the reception

Flash Back Friday 134

Trey & Lindsay, 1988
Now the Flower Girl of our wedding is getting married... tomorrow!

Island Bound!

Maria relaxing on Kelleys Island this past August

Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving for Kelleys Island to see my cousin Lindsay get married. I'm sooo excited and I hope to take a lot of pictures. Pray that the rain holds off!